Another Red Necked Grebe

Easter Monday April 2nd was as expected for an early Easter cold and grey with spots of rain but I managed to drag myself off the sofa and headed off for a quick walk along the River Plym from Marsh Mills to Blaxton Meadow and back.

The tide was dropping but Blaxton Meadow was totally flooded so all the birds were out on the estuary mudflats and included 5 greenshank, a common sandpiper, 7 common gulls amongst the bathing and roosting herring, black headed, great black backs and lesser black backs and 6 goosanders busily diving for fish (a pair together and 4 redheads further upriver).

 Goosanders, River Plym

Little Egret

A stock dove perched in the trees, 2 singing chiffchaffs and a songflighting greenfinch were also seen but the highlight was my first willow warbler of the year busily feeding in the trees under the A38 flyover.

 Stock Dove

 Wood Anenome

Primrose

Early (Danish) Scurvy Grass

Thursday April 5th was in contrast a bright and sunny day and I considered heading out to Wembury again but the thought of the muddy footpath and Easter holiday crowds made me change plans and head off to Dawlish Warren on the train instead. The trains were delayed and cram packed but after negotiating the tourist village at Dawlish Warren and walking on into the nature reserve it became all worthwhile as the crowds melted away and wildlife appeared.

A peacock butterfly was feeding on catkin flowers and later 2 were seen duelling together as they spiralled upwards with a brief flyby comma also noted.

Peacock, Dawlish Warren

The sand crocus were in flower, initially I found 3 in flower but later on my return I counted at least 50 flowers opened up in the sunshine.

 Sand Crocus

Sand Crocus

A great spotted woodpecker and a female bullfinch were seen in the woods and 2 singing chiffchaffs were heard (with 1 seen) around the main pond. A pair of shoveler were on the full and overflowing pond along with 2 pairs of Canada geese having a goose down while a little grebe was heard trilling and a male reed bunting was seen singing in the nearby trees, my first of the year.

 Shoveler

 Shovelers

 Canada Geese

Reed Bunting

From the hide on the high tide the only waders roosting were oystercatchers while upriver distant Sandwich terns were diving for fish and 2 pairs of red breasted mergansers were fishing off Cockwood. Unfortunately I had missed a fishing osprey in front of the hide by around 30 minutes but never mind.

Offshore Sandwich terns showed a little closer with 9 great crested grebes and an immature male eider on the sea and a red throated diver flew in and did a circuit of the bay before flying back out to sea.

Heading home on the 14:23 train (packed but at least on time) I checked the Devon birds website to find a red necked grebe had been reported on the River Plym off Arnolds Point. I wasn't sure where Arnolds Point was but on arriving home I received a text from local birder Russ who was watching the grebe from Laira Bridge so I headed off straight away for a look. There was no sign of the grebe from the bridge when I arrived and I soon found Russ who had last seen the grebe moving off down river but after another scan around I found it just below Laira Bridge before it moved back under the bridge and upriver on the incoming tide - some nice views of my 4th grebe species on the Plym and my 5th for the Plymouth area.

 Red Necked Grebe, River Plym

 Red Necked Grebe

 Red Necked Grebe

Oiled Mute Swan , River Plym