Finally - A Spring Day at Wembury

Wednesday 11th April and a cool but sunny morning saw me heading off on the bus for a walk along the coast path at Wembury. As the morning progressed it became quite warm and also quite busy with Easter holiday crowds but I ended up staying longer than planned, catching the 3pm bus back to Plymouth instead of the more usual 1.30pm bus. The footpath was still a mud fest but better than on my visit on 31st March (although bizarrely I ended up getting more mud covered on this visit) and despite the mud and crowds I had a great walk.

Things started off well as I walked down the road towards the beach where I found my first moths of the year - 2 early grey moths resting on the wall of the electricity sub-station, remarkably well camoflagued and a place I have found early grey before.

 Early Grey

 Early Grey

Early Grey

Onwards to the toilet block and more moths were found - a skittish pug species which disappeared behind a cistern, 2 shoulder stripe and a water carpet.

 Shoulderstripe

 Shoulderstripe

Water Carpet

The warm weather brought out other insect life - bees, flies, bloody nosed beetles, etc - and included a comma, a red admiral and a female brimstone which wizzed by without settling and 3 peacock which were much more accomodating.

 Peacock

 Peacock

Peacock

My first common lizards of the year were out sunning themselves too with 5 along the coast path and 1 by the bus stop.

Common Lizard

A male wheatear at Wembury Point with another (or the same?) later on the rocks below the horse field, 2 Sandwich terns patrolling offshore and singing chiffchaffs and blackcaps were all signs of spring migration along with 4+ white wagtails along the beach with pied wagtails and rock pipits. The highlight was the overwintering water pipit still along the beach near the sewage pipe, now in its fourth month and looking a little less scruffy as it continues its moult into summer plumage - more mobile and wary than before but not surprising with the constant flow of people walking along the beach.

 White Wagtail

 White Wagtail

 Wheatear

 Water Pipit

 Water Pipit

 Water Pipit

Water Pipit

Other birds noted were 8 male and a female mallard, 3 little egrets, a lone winter plumaged black headed gull and oystercatchers on the rocks, gannets and fulmars offshore, a raven flying out to The Mewstone with a beakful of food, 2 buzzards soaring overhead in the thermals with a sparrowhawk, 3 male and a female pheasent on the hillside above the wheatfield, a singing male cirl bunting with 2 more birds heard, stonechats, linnets and goldfinches.

 Mallard

Wren

A great day out with a coffee and a Chunk pasty from the cafe on the beach for lunch topping off a very enjoyable walk.