Birdwatching Trip Report - 18th October 2025
18th October, 2025
Saturday was a dry morning of sunny intervals and a fresh south-easterly breeze, and it was evident early on that a number of birds were on the move, with small flocks of Linnet, Goldfinch and Meadow Pipit flitting past on a fairly regular basis.
It was good to see that our population of wintering ducks is building nicely, with plenty of Wigeon and Teal on view. Many of the males are now beginning to look a little brighter, with the dowdy browns of juvenile and eclipse adult birds gradually giving way to the handsome colours of winter.
At Seaton Marshes we encountered a Little Egret and Cattle Egret side by side momentarily, before the Cattle Egret flew some way off to join some...cattle! The Cattle Egret's slightly smaller size and shorter, yellow bill helped identify it.
A couple of the morning's treats were unfortunately brief: Kingfisher and Marsh Harrier were seen, but not by many of us. We did hear Water Rails squealing on a couple of occasions though, and a Kestrel performed well.
The tramline bushes were a little busier than usual, and at one point we enjoyed a passing tit flock that included several very confiding Long-tailed Tits, a Chiffchaffor two, plus a tiny Goldcrest.
Waders were well represented by our regular Oystercatchers, Redshanks, Curlewsand Black-tailed Godwits, with a sprinkling of Lapwing, Snipe and Dunlin, plus a single Greenshank. And at least three Little Grebes were feeding on the upper estuary.
Our final tally was a very respectable 57 species seen and/or heard - listed below.
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Species List - 18th October 2025 |
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Mute Swan |
Snipe |
Blackbird |
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Canada Goose |
Black-tailed Godwit |
Song Thrush |
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Shelduck |
Curlew |
Chiffchaff |
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Wigeon |
Redshank |
Goldcrest |
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Teal |
Greenshank |
Long-tailed Tit |
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Mallard |
Black-headed Gull |
Blue Tit |
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Pheasant |
Lesser Black-backed Gull |
Great Tit |
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Little Grebe |
Herring Gull |
Magpie |
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Cormorant |
Great Black-backed Gull |
Jackdaw |
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Cattle Egret |
Stock Dove |
Rook |
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Little Egret |
Woodpigeon |
Carrion Crow |
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Grey Heron |
Feral Pigeon |
Starling |
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Marsh Harrier |
Kingfisher |
House Sparrow |
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Buzzard |
Meadow Pipit |
Chaffinch |
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Kestrel |
Grey Wagtail |
Greenfinch |
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Water Rail |
Pied Wagtail |
Goldfinch |
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Moorhen |
Wren |
Linnet |
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Oystercatcher |
Dunnock |
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Lapwing |
Robin |
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Dunlin |
Stonechat |
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Gavin Haig