Another Yellow Legged Gull at Dawlish, 13th December 2017

After Sundays aborted attempt I decided to head out to Dawlish Warren again on the train for a look around - and what a difference! All my trains ran on time, there were hardly any passengers on them and it still only cost me £7.60 return as I caught the 09:48 train, the first train out of Plymouth after 9am. The weather forecast wasn't great - cold, very breezy and showery - but I headed out anyway for a short walk and despite the odd heavy shower it wasn't too bad.

I alighted at Dawlish and after a quick look at the stream heading down to the beach where I saw a grey wagtail and a pair of black swans with 3 fluffy cygnets I walked off along the coast path to Dawlish Warren. Scanning the sea along the way I managed to find 3 male common scoter diving quite close in to the beach with at least 12 great crested grebes across the Bay and numerous gannets moving around further offshore.

Black Swan with Cygnets, Dawlish

From the lifeguard hut on the seawall at The Warren I managed to find a red throated diver offshore, a bird I hoped to see after my very brief view of one at The Warren back in October. It was a little distant and after a few minutes it dived and despite searching I couldn't refind it. At least 8 great crested grebes were also present but they were flighty and mobile at times, and gannets were still moving around offshore with a few quite close in.

I headed off along the dune ridge towards the hide but got caught in a heavy and blustery shower and so I remained on the ridge in the shelter of the dunes and viewed The Bight from there where brent geese, curlew, redshank, dunlin, a ringed plover, 2 knot, grey plover, oystercatcher, turnstone, shelduck, wigeon, a pair of mallard and a flyover greenshank were seen.

Rainbow over Dawlish Warren Golf Course

Heading back to the Main Pond and a female stonechat was feeding from the bramble tops despite the wind and on the pond a nice male shoveler with 3 females and a little grebe were noted.

Shoveler

I had another quick look offshore from the lifeguard hut but I failed to refind the red throated diver again, however a nice purple sandpiper flying by was a nice compensation.

Walking back to Dawlish along the coast path and I picked up a red throated diver flying in towards the beach before it landed on the sea and promptly dived due to the attentions of an over inquisitive passing gannet. I did manage to refind it at the surface but it didn't hang around for long before it flew back off towards Torbay. 2 guillemots and a common scoter were also picked up flying towards Torbay, an adult Mediterranean gull was feeding offshore with some herring gulls and I had a brief view of a distant great northern diver flapping its wings on the water before it dived and was lost from sight.

A dark backed gull roosting on the jetty amongst herring gulls caught my eye as I arrived at Dawlish, it stood out amongst the other gulls and I managed a few record shots before the flock was disturbed by walkers. My initial thought was an argentatus type herring gull but its head was very white looking in the strong sunshine and I thought there was a hint of red orbital rings despite the distant views - yet another yellow legged gull to add to the years sightings!

 Yellow Legged Gull , Dawlish

Yellow Legged Gull, Dawlish

Yellow Legged Gull, Dawlish

While eating my chips for lunch from the railway platform at Dawlish I noticed a group of gannets were circling around quite close to shore and searching underneath them revealed a pod of at least 5 harbour porpoise - they were very close to the beach and moved even closer, at one point showing just off the jetty before they moved away, but a nice end to my short day out.