The first Purple Sandpiper for over 12 months was at Langstone Rock with five Turnstone early morning, presumably the lone Exe wintering bird, previously seen at Orcombe Point, Exmouth.
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| Purple Sandpiper - David Flack |
Also from the seawall, 29 Great Crested Grebe, 10 Great Northern and three Red-throated Diver, seven Common Scoter, three Eider and a Red-breasted Merganser were offshore.
In the estuary reduced numbers of waders on the low high tide with the presence of a male Peregrine around The Bight encouraging many to roost elsewhere as the waters rose. Of note the Peregrine spent some time appearing to feed on invertebrates along the strandline.
Wader counts included 48 Redshank, 38 Ringed and a Golden Plover, 23 Turnstone, 22 Sanderling, seven Bar-tailed Godwit, five Greenshank and three Knot. Wildfowl included 371 Dark and a Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 74 Teal, four Red-breasted Merganser, three Shoveler, a pair of Goldeneye and a Wigeon with 71 Common and three adult Mediterranean Gull also in the estuary.
Golden Plover - Lee Collins
Elsewhere a Little Grebe was back on the Main Pond after an unusual three month absence, and three Siskin, three Chiffchaff and a Goldcrest were in the bushes.
99. Purple Sandpiper
100. Little Grebe
Ringing News: A total of 37 Exe-ringed Dunlin were recorded over high tide along with 23 locally ringed Oystercatcher, including several at least 20 years old.
Dunlin 17 - Lee Collins
Other Wildlife: The bull Grey Seal was again offshore, around Orcombe and the estuary mouth. An adult male Episinus maculipes was a new spider for the Recording Area. Not an unexpected find with the British Arachnological Society describing this species as 'no longer the rarity it once was: small populations probably occur in most suitable habitats along the south-west coast of the UK', but an unusual date.
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