Stuart's Wildlife Diary: Wryneck, Wembury

Tuesday 19 September 2017

Wryneck, Wembury

Friday 15th September and after taking Mother Outlaw to see Father Outlaw at the nursing home we took a drive to Topsham for the afternoon where David looked around the shops while I did some birding. A quick look from a packed hide at Bowling Green Marsh didn't reveal much and so I carried on to the viewing platform where I just missed an osprey catching a fish off Turf. A small group of grey plover with 1 bird still in smart summer plumage were out on the small amount of mud still on show on the incoming tide before I moved on to The Goatwalk where I watched 4 Sandwich tern fishing and had distant views of 6 roe deer in a field on the Haldon Hill escarpment.

Black headed Gull, The Goatwalk

Back to the hide and waders were beginning to arrive and amongst the dunlin and ringed plover I found at least 2 curlew sandpipers which gave some nice views despite being very nervous and flighty. Curlew, redshank, black tailed godwit and greenshank were also seen along with shoveler, teal, wigeon and mallard. I then met up with David and we headed over to Darts Farm for something to eat and a look around the shops before heading back to Plymouth.

Saturday 16th September and with grotty weather forecast for the afternoon I headed off in the morning to Wembury for a walk. No moths in the toilet block but a few butterflies were flitting around in the occasional sunny spells - red admiral, large white, small copper and speckled wood - and 3 common lizards were also enjoying the sun as they basked on the fencing.

Common Lizard, Wembury

It felt very autumnal, cool with sunny spells and very pleasent and with a feel of birds on the move. From the riding stable track I scanned a kettle of herring gulls circling over the cliffs towards Stoke Point hoping an osprey might have been with them but with no luck. However a falcon was circling at the top of the kettle which I thought may have been a peregrine especially when it stooped and headed towards me but as it levelled out over the fields in front of me I was pleased to see it was a hobby, only my second Wembury sighting of one, and it was quickly followed by a second bird as it dashed over the hill and out of sight. A short while later I saw a hobby soaring over the cliffs again towards Stoke Point before it headed inland over Wembury church where it was again joined by a second bird - presumably the 2 I had seen a short time earlier or maybe another 2 birds?

18 Canada geese were feeding in the stubble field with assorted herring gulls and I picked out a probable juvenile yellow legged gull but just as I was getting my scope out for better views the gulls all took to the air and I lost sight of it. A curlew, 2 little egrets and oystercatchers were on the rocks and along the beach meadow pipits were feeding amongst the rock pipits and I could hear birds passing overhead. The pied wagtails along the beach also included a few white and 2 grey wagtails flew over together. Offshore a few gannets were seen along with a juvenile peregrine flying west low over the water - later at the bus stop while waiting for the bus home an adult and juvenile peregrine circled overhead before heading off east.

Chiffchaffs were seen and heard, swallows and house martins flitted around overhead and 2+ whitethroat were skulking in the brambles at The Point. A spotted flycatcher was feeding amongst the pine trees at The Point, only my 3rd Wembury sighting, and there may have been a second bird present as I watched it chase after another bird that I lost from view.

A passing birder had given me the heads up about the spotted flycatcher and also news of a wryneck feeding in the grassy field by the pines and after a bit of a search I managed to find the wryneck on the ground amongst the tussocks where I had some great views, my best views ever in the UK and my 4th Wembury sighting, although it was quite flighty at times and sometimes quite elusive - cue yet more of my usual quality record shots.