No Garganey but more of the Red Necked Grebe

Saturday 7th April was again cold and grey and mizzly but with 3 garganey having been reported on the River Plym the previous day (while I was working a long day!) I decided to head out to look for them. I didn't hold out much hope and indeed there was no sign of them but I had a pleasent walk anyway.

On getting off the bus at Plympton I had a quick look off the road bridge where a dipper was feeding along the waters edge, the lowest point of the Plym that I have seen a dipper before. It was sporting coloured leg rings and flew up into some branches overhanging the water where it sang briefly before flying upriver.

 Dipper - cropped shot showing leg rings

Dipper

The tide was high but Blaxton Meadow wasn't flooded this time and so 3 curlew, a greenshank, 4 little egrets, redshanks, shelducks and mallards were resting and feeding there. A stock dove flew over, a mistle thrush was rattling away in a tree top, nuthatch and jay were calling in the nearby woods and 2 chiffchaffs were singing with a 3rd non singing bird seen. 2 willow warblers were also seen feeding together in the trees by the A38 flyover.

I walked downriver along The Embankment to Blagdons Meadow where another willow warbler was seen feeding in the hedgerow, a smart male wheatear was feeding on the grass before it was chased off by a dog and a skylark sang away overhead.

Wheatear, Blagdons Meadow

Onwards to Laira Bridge and there was no sign of the red necked grebe still being reported but just as I was about to head home on the bus I found it just below the bridge in exactly the same place I had seen it on Thursday - it must have been out of sight along Pomphlett Creek and appeared on the main river on the outgoing tide. It gave some nice views again as it busily dived, spending little time at the surface as it headed upstream under the bridge and out of sight.

 Red Necked Grebe

 Red Necked Grebe

 Red Necked Grebe

Red Necked Grebe