Sunday 20 April 2014

More exciting passage waders

It was WeBS day today, so Will and I braved the weather, and were rewarded with some decent waders (for the Teign that is!). The majority of the action was at Flow Point (bad luck Kev) where as we arrived, a Little Ringed Plover flew past up the estuary calling, along with a Ringed Plover and a Dunlin. On the marsh on top of the point, there were seven Whimbrel, three Curlew, one each of Redshank and Greenshank, and a further three Dunlin. The Oystercatcher flock has decreased to seven, with two more Black-tailed Godwits roosting with them. Six Sandwich Terns were sitting on buoys in the estuary, and a few Swallows and a House Martin flew through.

As we walked around to the right to check for small waders feeding along the waters edge, we re-found the Little Ringed Plover. It's a different bird to the one at Passage House a few days ago, with slightly different markings and a weaker eye ring. I think the plumage also looks a little crisper. It then flew up, rapidly gaining height, and headed west, either flying elsewhere on the estuary or continuing it's migration. At a distance it could be mistaken for a hirundine, with a very fluttery flight.



Not much change at Decoy, with five Tufted Ducks, about ten Swallows and a House Martin. No Arctic Terns unlike seemingly every body of water in the Midlands!

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