Med's and Mistles...

A quick visit to the River Axe last week yielded my first two Mediterranean Gulls of the autumn. Med's are my favorites, there's something appealing about their look and character. They seem completely independent of all other Gull species often standing alone and departing when others around them are content to stay put.

Mediterranean Gull, 1st winter, Axmouth, Devon 

Mediterranean Gull, 1st winter, Axmouth, Devon

Mediterranean Gull, adult winter

A wander around Axmouth yacht club produced three wheatear too.

Wheatear, Axmouth, male

Wheatear, female/1st winter type

On the beach I came across this Portuguese Man-o-war. You only normally see these syphonphores after extreme weather conditions and the tale-end of the recent Atlantic hurricanes has thrown up large numbers of these around the south west coastline.

Colourful syphonophore stranded on the
Tideline after heavy seas.

While at home a flock of ten Mistle Thrush moved through the garden accompanied by half-a-dozen Redwing. Winter is truly on its way!

Mistle Thrush, Whitestaunton 

Mistle Thrush, Whitestaunton 

Mistle Thrush 

Flying visit...

I spent the week before last working in Canada, four days in Newfoundland and a couple in Toronto.
Newfoundland is a very colourful place filled with equally colourful characters and the Irish and West Country ancestry shines through in their warmth and friendliness. Even the houses are colourful just about everywhere you go.

St John's, the Provincial capital

Nearby Quidi Vidi is a wonderful sheltered little harbour with fishing boats and an amazing brewery!

Quidi Vidi harbour 10 minutes from St John's city centre

Quidi Vidi Brewery, a great place to watch gulls from...

American Herring Gull, Adult

American Herring Gull, 1st winter

Black Duck are very common. Plenty in Quidi Vidi harbour, NF

The Skerwink Trail near Port Rexton offered some lovely coastal vistas. I'm sure earlier in the year it would have been teaming with birds but in October it's just a bit too late to see very much.

The Skerwink Trail at Port Rexton offers scenic vistas.

Coastline along the Skerwink Trail

Jon Joy of Tuckamore Adventures is a superb
local Wildlife guide.

The only seasbirds obviously present were the hundreds of Gannets fishing just offshore.

Gannet, Port Rexton

Toronto was warm - 25-30 deg over the two days I was there. Loads of Monarch butterflies were still heading south but never stopped for photos, unlike the ever present ring-billed Gulls.

Ring-billed Gull, adult

Ring-billed Gull, 1st winter

Double-crested Cormorant, Toronto Harbour

Double-crested Cormorant, Toronto Harbour

Double-crested Cormorant, Toronto Harbour

Double-crested Cormorant, 1st winter

A boat trip out to the Toronto Islands was a great way to see the city skyline properly. You can't get a view like this anywhere else.

Toronto skyline

Great Blue Heron

Would definitely like to head back to Newfoundland before too long. It's amazingly close to the UK - the flight time is just 5 hours and if you hit the Jetstream coming home, less than 4 hours!

Greenish Warbler...

I'm starting to think Dave Helliar should take up residence in the Weymouth area. The run of good birds continues in Dorset and he was back there again yesterday to try and get to grips with a Greenish Warbler that had been caught, rung and was still hanging out in the Portland Bird Observatory garden.

After a hour-and-a-half wait it finally showed and Dave even managed to grab some photos on the P900 - no mean feat!

Greenish Warbler (right of centre), PBO: Dave Helliar

Greenish Warbler, PBO: Dave Helliar

In fact Portland Bill was the place to be yesterday as a good suite of migrants were also to be seen.

A bird in the hand. Visitors admiring one of the the day's
captures being held by PBO warden Martin Cade: D. Helliar

Among those captures were a Yellow-browed Warbler:

One of at least two Yellow-browed Warblers: Dave Helliar

Yellow-browed Warbler: Dave Helliar

And a first winter male Pied Flycatcher.

Pied Flycatcher: Dave Helliar

Pied Flycatcher: Dave Helliar

Lots of more common migrants too including good numbers of Chiffchaff, Blackcap and a Yellow Wagtail.

It's been a good autumn for birds so far and we're not finished yet..could this be the year we get another Parula, a Rose-breasted Grosbeak...or something even better?

Grey Phalarope...

At last - a Seaton Grey Phalarope! So many have been turning up around the country, it was surely only a matter of time before one came close enough to go and see. I was tempted by the Budleigh Salterton bird (see Dave's photos in the last post) but it was a little distant to view and I've seen so many at close range that I didn't bother in the end.

Then along came this little fellow - a confiding beauty and just a short hop from my son's school. I decided to nip down and see it before picking him up on the way back home. True to form this one was showing very well, even if it was back-lit most of the time.

Grey Phalarope, Black Hole Marsh, Seaton: R. Harris

Grey Phalarope, Black Hole Marsh, Seaton: R. Harris

Grey Phalarope, Black Hole Marsh, Seaton: R. Harris

Grey Phalarope, Black Hole Marsh, Seaton: R. Harris

Grey Phalarope: Video

Great to see the locals birders there too, it's been a while since I bumped into them. Don't forget to check out Steve Waite's and Tim White's blogs too!

Baird's Sandpiper...

Dave Helliar's run of good birds continues!  No sooner had I posted the last blog than a Baird's Sandpiper turns up in Dorset and only a short distance from Weymouth where the other American waders had been seen (see previous posts)! Thanks to Dave for the photos...his fourth American wader in a week. What will be found next?

Baird's Sandpiper, Wyke Regis: Dave Helliar

Baird's Sandpiper, Wyke Regis: Dave Helliar

Baird's Sandpiper, Wyke Regis: Dave Helliar

Dave also caught up with a Grey Phalarope, which appeared on floodwater at Budleigh Salterton in Devon last week. Although generally very confiding birds, this one stayed out on the flood as wasn't particularly close.

Grey Phalarope, Budleigh Salterton: Dave Helliar

Grey Phalarope, Budleigh Salterton: Dave Helliar

Grey Phalarope, Budleigh Salterton: Dave Helliar

I haven't been able to get out much recently - work is just too busy leading up to a Canada trip in a couple of weeks. I did get to Seaton for a brief walk with my son at the weekend though - I'll have to make do with some commoner species.

Black-tailed Godwit, Seaton: R. Harris

Eurasian Curlew, Seaton: R. Harris

With a bit of luck I'll pick up one or two of the American waders I missed here when I get to Newfoundland at the end of the month.

Buff-breasted Sandpiper...

No sooner had Dave Helliar seen the Stilt and Least Sandpipers at Lodmoor, than he was back down to Portland the very next day for yet another American wader!  This time a very handsome Buff-breasted Sandpiper that pitched up in a horse paddock just outside Southwell.

A few have been seen around the UK already this autumn - more reminiscent of the 1980's when they seemed much more frequent visitors than today.

Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Portland, Dorset: D. Helliar

Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Portland, Dorset: D. Helliar

Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Portland, Dorset: D. Helliar

Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Portland, Dorset: D. Helliar

If the current fall of American waders is anything to go by, we could potentially see some exciting passerines too. It would be good to see another Parula...