River Plym x 2, Wembury and The Hoe

The wind had eased down on Saturday 8th February but it was grey and cold as I headed out to The Plym for a short walk from Longbridge to The Amphitheatre and back. With the Curlew Sandpiper being seen on the high tide on Blaxton Meadow earlier in the week I took my scope with me but sadly there was no sign of it amongst the Dunlin on the incoming tide. Indeed there were only 28 Dunlin present, I wonder where all the small waders go at times, presumably over to The Tamar complex

Also on Blaxton Meadow were 2 Greenshank, 29 Curlew, 16 Oystercatcher, Redshank, Wigeon, Shelduck and 2 Little Egret and amongst the roosting Herring Gulls and Black-headed Gulls present were 9 Common Gulls (8 adults and a first-winter) and a Great Black-backed Gull.

Along the river there were 2 Great Northern Divers, 4 pairs of Goosanders, a female Mandarin Duck, 3 Moorhen and a Grey Wagtail while in the park 3 Coal Tit, 3 Nuthatch and a Song Thrush were noted.

Nuthatch

On the walk back to the bus stop near Sainsbury's I had a look on the walls of the underpass to see if any moths had been lured in by the lights, I wasn't expecting anything considering the cold temperatures we've been having and especially at night but I found a very nice Angle Shades Moth, my first moth of the year.

Angle Shades

The Curlew Sandpiper was reported as being present on Blaxton Meadow the following day (Sunday) and so I decided against my better judgement to have another look for it on Monday 10th February. It was a grey and cold day and with high tide due at around 4:30pm I didn't head out until 1pm. Needless to say the Curlew Sandpiper was a no show and I didn't even find a single Dunlin but such is birding.

The usual birds were out on Blaxton Meadow again on the incoming tide and included 12 Common Gulls (9 adults, 3 1st winters), an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull and 7 Greenshank.

I had a quick detour up to the duck pond this time and the female Red-crested Pochard was present there with at least 45 Mandarin Ducks. Families were feeding the Ducks and a Nuthtach was picking out peanuts from amongst the cobbles and 2 Stock Doves were eating the grain thrown onto the ground.

Red-crested Pochard and Mandarin

Red-crested Pochard 

Mandarin

Stock Dove

There was no sign of any Great Northern Divers out on the river and Goosander numbers were down to 1 male and 3 female birds but there were now 2 Little Grebes present. The only other bird of note was a male Kestrel seen briefly flying over before disappearing into a tree.

It was chilly and grey again on Tuesday 11th February as I headed out to Wembury on the 9:05am bus. There was very little breeze and the air felt very cold which may have been the reason it was quiet again with very few walkers and dogs about. The recent dry and cold weather also meant that the footpath was a lot more passable than on my last visit.

It was low tide so I was pleased to get a brief view of a Redshank feeding down amongst the rocks by the waters edge along with flight views of at least 9 Turnstones. The usual Oystercatchers were present too along with 2 Little Egrets, a Canada Goose, 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls and 6 Mallards (4 males, 2 females).

I walked up to the sunflower field at The Point and was pleased to find 2 Reed Buntings in amongst the Cirl Buntings, a female and an immature male so at least 3 birds have been present here. There was a large flock of flighty Woodpigeons present too and amongst them were at least 11 Stock Doves while a Red-legged Partridge was heard calling amongst all the dead vegetation. A flock of around 40 Linnet were still present along with a few Chaffinch and Skylark while overhead a Kestrel flew across the field along with a surprise Great Spotted Woodpecker. 

Wembury Point - A shame that not all dog walkers can read

Offshore I finally managed to find a few adult Gannets flying about, my first at Wembury this year, but even better was a distant Great Northern Diver powering through and heading east. A very foolish Buzzard decided to fly out to The Mewstone where it was given very short shrift by Great Black-backed Gulls and Herring Gulls while the Fulmars ignored all the fuss and just continued to wheel around their nesting cliffs.

Other birds of note on my walk were a chilly looking Chiffchaff feeding along the beach, a flyover Raven at the church and a Great Spotted Woodpecker, House Sparrows and 3 Collared Doves in the village.

It was a little warmer the following day (Wednesday 12th February) and with lovely sunny skies for a change so we took a walk around Plymouth Hoe. It was low tide and not the best time to look for Purple Sandpipers and as expected I didn't find any, in fact there hasn't been any reports of them being seen on The Hoe this winter as far as I'm aware. I did see a nice Great Northern Diver close offshore though but even better was a male Black Redstart near the RNLI building, the same place I saw one this time last year and possibly the same returning bird?

Stover and a Return to The Exe

We headed out to Stover for a visit on Thursday 6th February, it was cool and sunny and the walk was not too muddy underfoot. The highlight was a Marsh Tit at the feeders with Coal, Blue, Great and Long-tailed Tits although it took a bit of a wait to finally catch sight of it. Also present around the feeders were 2 Stock Doves, a male Pheasant, a Buzzard, 2 Nuthatch, Chaffinch, Robin and some very plump Grey Squirrels.

Out on the lake amongst the Mallard, Coot and Moorhen were 9 quite tame Tufted Ducks (6 males), 6 quite tame Goosanders (3 pairs), a twitchy pair of Wigeon, 2 Canada Geese, 2 Cormorants and 4 Mute Swans.

Tufted Duck

Goosanders

It was sunny but cold in a biting easterly wind as I headed off to Exminster Marsh on Friday 7th February. I caught the train to Starcross and on arriving I decided to ditch the bus and walk to the Marsh instead so saving me some money and shifting some of my post-Christmas lard in the process.

The walk was heavy going in the cold wind and eventually the clouds rolled in making it feel even colder especially along the seawall from Powderham to Turf. It was surprisingly sheltered though when I finally arrived at the lock gates and I quickly found the Long-billed Dowitcher here happily feeding out on the mud and quite close to the path.

Long-billed Dowitcher 

Long-billed Dowitcher 

Long-billed Dowitcher 

It was busily feeding away on its own along the shoreline and rarely stopped for more than a few seconds and at times it came very close. It seems to have settled here for the moment as it continues to overwinter in various spots around The Exe but the views today were by far the best I've ever had. It was an interesting bird to watch, like a cross between a Snipe and a Bar-tailed Godwit, and appearing to be quite plain too until a close up look revealed beautifully intricate plumage details.

I continued my walk up along the canal to the viewing platform, the wind was evil here so I didn't stay long but I did manage to see the wintering male Scaup out on the lagoon amongst Tufted Ducks and a pair of Pochard. It was now in adult plumage and looking much smarter than when I saw it at Bowling Green Marsh in December, sadly though it was fast asleep and only occassionally and very briefly woke up before returning to its slumbers.

I soon had enough of the cold wind so I returned to the sheltered lock gates for another look at the Long-billed Dowitcher. It was still happily feeding away out on the mud and was a little closer again as the tide headed in and this time it was keeping company with an equally confiding Greenshank.

Greenshank and Long-billed Dowitcher 

Greenshank and Long-billed Dowitcher 

Greenshank and Long-billed Dowitcher

All the usual birds were seen along my walk too including Grey Plover, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Avocet, Pintail, Shoveler, Teal, Wigeon, Gadwall, Curlew, Dunlin, Redshank and Brent Geese. Also of note were a Rock Pipit at the lock gates, a Little Grebe on the lagoon, a Snipe, a Kestrel, a male Red-breasted Merganser and 3 Stonechat (2 males).

Brent Goose

The walk back to Starcross was just as windblown but this time I walked along the sheltered cycle path instead of the exposed footpath which was much more pleasant. Along the way the Fallow Deer were showing well in Powderham Park and the Grey Herons were back on their treetop nests despite the wind. Eventually I arrived back at Starcross and caught the train back to Plymouth, I had considered stopping off at Dawlish Warren for a quick look about but the wind and choppy seas put me off that idea and I headed straight home instead. A good day out though despite the conditions and all for the princely sum of £7.30 on the train (with my Devon and Cornwall Railcard).