Closer to home today another Red Kite and my 1st Hobby of year.

Berry Hd seawatch 11:00-14:00: Bonxie (ad), Arctic Skua (dark phase ad), c400 Manx, 10 Puffins, 290 Gannets, 12 Sandwich Terns, 2 Common Gulls, Common Dolphins. 5 Wheatears (still in quarry), 5 House Martins, 10+ Swallows In off sea. Butterflies: Wall Brown in quarry.

Berry Hd seawatch 0900-1430 (with @jacob-wood.bsky.social ): Arctic Skua (pale phase ad), Bonxie (Imm), c550 Manx, 17 Puffins, c1500 Auks (incl good nos of Razorbills), Whimbrel, 2 Sandwich Terns, 7 Common Gulls, Common Scoter, Harbour Porpoise

Berry Head seawatch 12:15-13:45: 1256 Manx S with c400 feeding in raft, Sandwich Terns, 6 Common Gulls, m Wheatear in quarry

Stoke Pt: at last migrants arriving in numbers. A House Martin in with Swallows moving down the coast. Many Willow Warblers and 3 Whitethroats.

Berry Hd 1030-1445: Bonxie, 5 Puffins, c1000 Manx, 10 Sandwich Terns, 3 Rt Divers, GN Diver, 8 Swallows, Grey Seal, 2 H Porpoise, c20 Common Dolphins

Berry Hd 1030-1400: Sandwich Tern, Rt Diver, c1400 Manx (mostly N), c10 CN Dolphins. Also Merlin, 4 Swallows, 3 Sand Martins, House Martin all in off sea.

Berry Hd 1030-1230: Manx 590 S c400 N, Cn Scoter, 2 RtDiver, 2 Sandwich Tern, 3 H Porpoise, 4 pods Cn Dolphin tot. c50

Stoke Point today, big movement of Manx heading E up channel c1500 - maybe more as that was in 30 mins. Also another Red Kite

Bit of a Red Kite influx starting with high pressure, while out locally today another 2 and one over my house.

Great news. Dartmoor is an ecological disaster zone masquerading as a National Park, as its ecosystems have been grazed out by sheep. Now this must change.

Out today in this fime weather monitoring certain raptors and a nice Red Kite flies through - always a pleasure to see in Devon and may be in the right place at the right time to find another!

Berry Head: 49 Red-throated Divers through, including one amazing flock of 44. Great Northern Diver on sea.

So thought better walk out to Berry Hd where c30 in quarry. A wick seawatch was quiet apart from 3 RtDivers heading S and a couple of GNDivers off the quarry.

Seems a decent arrival of Chichaffs with c15 and a couple of Blackcaps around the Zeneca quarry area.

Exminster Marshes: c50 Sand Martins over lagoon + more moving through & over canal, 3 Pochard & a Goldeneye, 8 Euro White-fronts & a Barnacle Goose

Queen’s Marsh, this morning: again 3 Green Sandpipers and 2 Snipe

Yesterday BHd: 9 Manx, Rt Diver, 2 Common Scoter, GN Diver, auk and Kittiwake passage

Queen’s Marsh, Tones this morning: 3 Green Sandpipers ( most I’ve seen here this winter), 2 Snipe, m Goodander, 2+ Mandarin etc

Shoalstone seawatch little moving: RtDiver. walk to incl. Brixham Harbour: BtDiver, 1w Caspian Gull, ad Med Gull, 12 GNDiver

Yesterday a birthday trip to Pendeen,0900-1100: 11 RtD, GND, 36 C Scoter, c200 Manx. c1500 Kittiwakes passing and feeding. From Lelant nice ad Iceland Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Caspian Gull & Yellow-legged Gull in with 100s of gulls.

Shoalstone on sea 12 GND, Black-throated Diver, Red-throated Diver. Out to sea moving ahead of front 1 Manx Shearwater & c1500 Auks

Berry Head/Shoalstone: finally a SW wind but just a RtDiver and a few GNDs on the move. Walk back to Shoalstone indicated a bit of a clear out of GNDs with only 29, but also birds flying on Tor Bay

Torcross from the hill above, damaged road and properties

Double breach in the Slapton line at the Torcross end.

Then a walk over the top to look at poor Torcross - damaged properties (smashed roof tiles etc on many); and a devasting double breach in the Slapton line, very sad may be not repairable (or the funds to do so!!). Taken with wide angle then full zoom (600mm eqiv).

Beesands Ley drake Ring-necked Duck, 26+ Tufted Ducks, Firecrest by hide. Also total devastation of much of the beach from recent NE to SE storms.

What a great “at work’ find👍

White-winged Gull (most likely Iceland Gull) flew E past Shoalstone; also Brixham/Shoalstone: Caspian Gull 1w, ad Med Gull, 1 BtDiver, 4 Rt Diver,(in flight), 2 Common Scoter, c100 GN Diver

Nice make Bill👍👍

Great Northern Diver with crossed bill

1w Caspian Gull

Black-throated Diver

Mother & calf Harbour Porpoise

Berry Hd seawatch, relatively quiet 2 RtDivers through and 20 GNDs on sea, another c30 GNDs on walk back to Brixham with where many (c30) in harbour including one X-billed! 1w Caspian Gull also in harbour and same Black-throated Diver as a few days ago at Shoalstone. Mother & calf H Porpoise too!

But where do they all come from and then disperse? Peak count seems to be 1st thing or towards the end of the day. May be birds from right around the channel and Tor Bay acts as the trap