Sunday 24th February 2013

A few Sanderlings were again seen on the tideline around Dawlish Warren and later on a sandbank in the middle of the estuary. A few more Shags appeared today, several with breeding crests that blew around in the northerly wind. The Harbour Seal was hauled out on Bull Hill all afternoon, waiting for the rising tide to lift if off. There were two Slavonian Grebes today, though the ‘new’ bird was with a couple of Great Crested Grebes rather than joining the ‘resident’ one off Cockwood.



Grey Plovers and Bar-tailed Godwits seemed well in evidence, with around 200 of each well-scattered over the intertidal flats, and a dozen or so Knot were on the mud near Lympstone. Avocet numbers seem to have dropped lately, though there were still several groups feeding, bathing or preening and plenty of close birds between Turf and Topsham. As usual, the wintering Long-tailed Duck was at Topsham, where we had good views of three Goldeneye (one drake) and quite a few Red-breasted Mergansers.



On our return journey, a flock of Golden Plovers flew with Lapwings briefly beyond the sea wall on Powderham Marshes, south of Turf. The Spotted Redshank was near a couple of Greenshanks by its favourite little creek at Powderham.



Dave Smallshire