October 19th saw us heading off to the Avon Dam for a walk before the forecasted rain was due to arrive later in the afternoon. On arriving at Shipley Bridge for the start of the walk everything was shrouded in mist and I wasn't expecting to see anything but eventually the mist cleared and I managed to see a few birds.
Highlights were a female type black redstart feeding on the waterless dam overflow with meadow pipits and pied wagtails, a firecrest feeding in willows by the river with a goldcrest, a male kestrel over mobbed by meadow pipits, a treecreeper in trees near the car park and 2 female/juvenile reed buntings. No ring ousels were seen but there were no berries on the rowan trees for them to feed on although a few blackbirds were seen skulking in the berry laden hawthorn bushes along with 6 redwings which were very skittish and eventually flew off south.
October 21st and with Storm Brian arriving overnight I decided to head off to Dawlish Warren for a look around, arriving later than planned due to fannying around at home after getting out of bed that morning. I had a quick look off the sea wall on arriving at around 11am and picked up a few gannets and 12 common scoters flying south in very windy and rough and showery conditions before I headed off to The Bight where the tide was dropping. It was good to see the brent geese back for the winter feeding out along the water line and flying off upriver as the tide dropped further, their gentle honking calls familiar and reassuring, while amongst the roosting curlew and oystercatcher were 2 ringed plover, 2 grey plover, a few turnstones and a bar tailed godwit. A 1st winter Mediterranean gull and 2 adult lesser black backed gulls were amongst the herring gull and great black back gull roost and wigeon, shelduck, mute swan and a little egret were also noted.
A large peregrine flew over putting everything up and so I headed back towards Greenland Lake for a look around the more sheltered woodland area where I found a chiffchaff and 2 goldcrests in a mixed flock of blue, great and long tailed tits. 2 female type bullfinches were calling in the tree tops before flying off and a water rail briefly squealed in the reeds by the main pond.
Onwards to the lifeguard hut on the sea wall where 4 birders were busily scanning the sea sheltered from the wind. It had been a productive watch for them with Leachs petrel, long tailed duck, Arctic skua, long tailed skua and great northern diver all being seen but all I managed to find were lots of gannets moving south offshore, 5 common scoter flying south with 2 more on the sea close to shore, a red throated diver briefly close to shore flapping its wings before diving and never to be seen again and a grey seal poking its head out of the water close to the beach.
The wind showed no sign of easing and so I walked on to Dawlish along the sea wall, getting absolutely soaked in a heavy wind blown shower and then enjoying a portion of chips while scanning the sea from the railway platform in the shelter of the buildings. More gannets were moving south and I eventually picked up a pale phase adult Arctic skua heading south quite close in and keeping close to a group of 2 juvenile and 3 adult kittiwakes also heading south, a very nice end to the day.
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