Proper Gander

I have been out for walks/cycles a couple times this week with little to report apart from several singing Chiffchaffs and a pair of Peregrine over Orcombe Point on the 18th. This morning, a walk from home down to the estuary was notably colder, with a strong breeze from the northwest. Three Chiffchaff were singing between home and the estuary. The tide was out on the estuary, and of note was this group of seven Pale Bellied Brent Geese by the Imperial Recreation ground. There was a larger flock of approximately 100 Dark Bellied Brent Geese out on the sandbar off Exmouth beech. It was sad to see a dead Guillemot on a hole in the seawall.

I have seen nearly 80 Red Kites from the train over the past few weeks as I travel between Devon and London. However, I see very few from the train west of Swindon, so it was great to see one circling over Kings Garden Centre on higher Hulham Road as I started a walk this afternoon. Other birds of note on the walk were a Chiffchaff singing in the woods on Exe View Road. A female Kestrel was in a tree by a field further along Exe View Road, and a Tawny Owl was calling in the wood nearby. Two more Chiffchaffs were singing in the trees by the rear entrance of St. Peter's private school. Two Meadow Pipits were in the field between St. Peters School and the A376. A pair of Raven were calling above the Swan Pub in Lympstone Village. The tide was out on the estuary, but seeing and hearing about 6 Curlew was good. A large group of Shelduck (20+) were feeding between Lympstone and Exmouth. A flock of 15 Redwing were in the tops of the trees on the grounds of Lympstone Manor near the