More Curlew Sandpipers

Great to find 3 Curlew Sandpipers on yesterday's high tide - Equals my highest count for the patch!

Curlew Sand and Knot

A nice morning on the patch today with a lovely juvenile Curlew Sandpiper and a Sanderling in amongst a group of Ringed Plover and Dunlin, and 2 Knot on one of the islands at high tide. It is still a novelty getting waders like Knot, Sanderling and Curlew Sandpiper here, as none are very common at the site. It is amazing to think the ever increasing salt marsh was simply grass fields less than 2 years ago! Other highlights today were a Hobby over Little Marsh and yesterday, a Whinchat around The Island.

Juv Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin and Ringed Plover

Juvenile Knot

Whinchat

The Glossy Ibis Influx continues!

Incredible flocks of 30+ on Scilly today and flocks of over 40+ at Cornish sites, so not surprising that 6 birds dropped into the local patch tonight. Always great to see....

Six Glossy Ibis, Otter Estuary NR, 7th Sep 2025

Glossy Ibis number 32!

A nice surprise whilst birding the Otter Estuary NR yesterday evening when this Glossy Ibis dropped in and started feeding on Big Marsh north from 6pm. Amazingly, this is actually my 32nd Glossy Ibis on the patch! 

A flock of 20 in Sep 2010

Two birds in Jan 2014

Nine birds in Jan 2022 

Plus the single bird  yesterday.

Glossy Ibis, 3rd Sep 2025 Otter Estuary NR

Night Heron Take 3

Thanks to local birder Viv Keene, I managed to get a day time view of what is presumably(?) the same Night Heron that I first found back on May 18th and sound recorded at night on June 15th. Update: The bird was also seen and photographed on the River Otter south of Clamour Bridge on 19th August: https://www.devonbirds.org/bird-sighting/night-heron-river-otter-east-devon/

In other news, it was great to confirm the first successful breeding and fledging of 2 young Oystercatchers on the reserve.

Black-crowned Night Heron, River Otter by Viv Keene

Tawny Owl, Budleigh Salterton

Oystercatcher adult with 1 chick 19/6/25, Otter Estuary NR

The two fully fledged Oystercatchers on 23rd July, Otter Estuary NR

A garden visit from a hedgehog in need of water, July 10th

Night Heron Take 2

Following another evening beaver walk on Sunday 15th June, I was walking back to my car and heard what sounded like a Night Heron calling at 10.15pm from White Bridge. Unlike the bird in mid May, I did not see it, but it was flying and I just managed to get a short recording of the call 3 times. The bird first calls immediately before the first young Tawny Owl call in the foreground and again another 4+ times.

It is intriguing to know if this is the same bird from the 18th May that has gone undetected all this time, or if it is a new bird? 

Sound recording below: 

Chris Townend · Black-crowned Night Heron, Otter Estuary NR 15 June 10.15pm

Night Heron from 18th May

Breeding Firsts

Since the excitement of the Night Heron last month, I thought I would do a quick update on the other exciting news and the joys of being a local patch birder. I have now been birding the Otter Estuary NR for 17 years and it is has changed hugely, particularly since the restoration project.

I first started birding here in Feb 2009 and it is fascinating to see the changes in bird life. The site is clearly still in a state of transition, as it has only been 18 months since the "breach" in October 2023 that reconnected the river to part of its historical floodplain.

The major winners to date seem to be Shelduck with counts in excess of 100 birds in late April  and many birds now have ducklings, but seemingly low numbers compared to such high counts of adults.? The other notable changes have included three new breeders for the site:

1 - Grey Heron - A single nest along the river and is presumably attributable to the creation of more feeding areas as a result of the restoration?

2 - Oystercatcher - Two nesting attempts by two pairs. So far one unsuccessful....

3 - Stonechat - Presumably nothing to do with the restoration project, but great to see with birds fledging 4 juveniles around Little Marsh.

Other notable birds today (9th June) were an unseasonal female Pintail and a Teal.

Our colour-ringed Curlews continue to grow in number with a new 3rd bird using the site. 

Two are Dartmoor 'head-started" birds:  

"OT" has been loyal to the site since Sept 2024

"33" appeared on 15th May 2025

The new bird is a Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust project bird:

"73" I first discovered on 31st May and is from either Dorset, Sussex or Kent - Awaiting info

Thanks to Kev Rylands for the update:

Curlew 73 is from Cranborne Chase, Dorset in 2023. First seen at Dawlish Warren 14 Sep 2023 and seen regularly until March 2025.

First breeding attempt of Grey Heron in the Otter Valley

First breeding attempt of Grey Heron in the Otter Valley

One of two Grey Heron chicks that hatched

One of the 4 Stonechat juveniles

A very smart male Stonechat

The Mute Swans at White Bridge had 2 cygnets this year

One of the Shelduck family groups

An unseasonal Pintail, 9th June

Cattle Egrets, Little Marsh from 30 April

All 3 colour-ringed Curlews, 9th June

St Martin's May 2025

It has been a while since we visited Scilly in the Spring, so we spent a very enjoyable week 3rd - 10th May 2025 with a great week of weather and not too many birds, but re-locating a Red-rumped Swallow (seen the day before on Tresco) on May 4th over the Sevenstones Pub was nice!

Other highlights included my first Red Kites for Scilly and a daily group of 4 Turtle Doves.

Turtle Doves

Turtle Dove in hedge from chalet

Colour-ringed Sanderling

Ringed Plovers soon to nest!

Black Oil Beetle

Night Heron

An exciting and very unexpected Night Heron tonight whilst leading an evening beaver walk. 

After finding a bird at nearby  Bicton  Botanical Gardens in April 2023, I was always a little miffed it wasn’t actually on the true patch. So it was a real bonus this evening to find a bird flying around in a big loop over Big Marsh North and South at 21.33hrs. The photos were taken at 25,000 ISO, so won’t win any awards! You can see what it is though…..

As far as I am aware, it is the first record for the Otter.

Thanks for the update from Kev Rylands: This is actually the 2nd for the River Otter, the 1st being on 21st April 1960!

Night Heron, Otter Estuary NR

Night Heron, Otter Estuary NR

Little Gull, Otter Estuary NR

A nice surprise yesterday after the overnight rain on my local patch! a lovely pink flushed 2CY Little Gull. Also of note for the patch were 4 Sanderling, 1 Turnstone, 2 Ringed Plover and a Dunlin.

Little Gull - 2CY Otter Estuary NR

Little Gull - 2CY Otter Estuary NR