On the 6th December we headed off to Totnes for a bit of Christmas shopping and on the way I managed to persuade David to drive via Aveton Gifford so I could have a look for the juvenile Bewicks swan that had been reported there. Driving along the road by the river it was quickly found in amongst the mute swans, its dirty white plumage sticking out like a sore thumb amongst the white adult mute swans.
It was sleeping amongst the mute swans on the mud on the opposite side of the river, its head tucked under its wing so I couldn't see its bill but it was noticeably smaller. After a few minutes it woke up showing its yellow based pink and black bill and proceded to call noisely, bobbing its head and neck up and down before all the swans took to the water and swam off down river and out of sight.
I was very pleased to see it as it is my first Bewicks swan in Devon, I've only seen Bewicks swans at Slimbridge and once at Welney.
The 7th December I headed off to Wembury on the bus for a walk along the coast while David had his tooth sorted out at the dentists. The weather was cool and breezey and overcast with showers but it did brighten up. Bird wise it was quiet except for a song thrush singing away and a starling doing the same thing amongst a flock of around 20 feeding on the seaweed mass on the beach, it was in summer plumage with its blue based yellow bill and spangley summer plumage, most odd in December. 11 cirl buntings showed well as they bathed in the muddy puddles along the path near the HMS Cambridge wheat field, 4 male and 7 females. A goldcrest with very orange feet was seen feeding in the trees in a garden by the road leading down to the beach.
One notable feature of the walk was the amount of fungi growing in the fields and along the footpath, I don't know what the names of them are but some were quiet colourful and there was quite a variety. I guess the mild, wet Autumn has produced a good show as I don't remember seeing so many before and certainly not in December.
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