An Early House Martin

Wednesday 27th February and the continuing unseasonal warm and sunny weather saw us head off for a walk at Lopwell Dam near Plymouth. We stopped off first at the allotment at Pennycomequick to pick some parsnips for tea and while digging them up a small tortoiseshell flew past, my first butterfly of the year. On arrival at the car park at Lopwell Dam a brimstone also flew over and on the walk I saw a few more dark butterflies whizz past but they were too quick and/or distant to confidentally ID.

The tide was beginning to recede and along the estuary 5 little grebes and a great crested grebe were seen along with curlew, redshank, shelduck, around 100 dunlin in a tight flock, little egrets, 2 common sandpipers and Canada geese.

A stock dove was cooing in the woodland while overhead at least 5 ravens were displaying and cronking with at least 5 displaying and mewing buzzards and while enjoying tea and cake on the terrace at the cafe by the dam a great spotted woodpecker was heard drumming and a grey wagtail fed along the waters edge with a pied wagtail.

There were plenty of pheasants in the fields and while driving along the road down towards the dam a single red legged partridge ran across the road. On the return journey 2 red legged partridge were seen feeding together along the verge but all are unfortunately targets for shooting parties held in the area.

Saturday 2nd March and it was time for my annual River Exe boat trip with Mavis, cancelled from last month due to the snow and ice and rescheduled for today. It was mild and sunny on arriving in Exmouth but with wind and rain forecasted for later in the day and after enjoying breakfast at The Dockers cafe we set sail along the estuary.

The usual birds were seen - curlew, redshank, dunlin, sanderling, black-tailed godwit, turnstone, bar-tailed godwit, oystercatcher, golden plover, avocet, grey plover and greenshank representing the waders and wigeon, pintail, mallard, shelduck, red-breasted merganser and teal representing the ducks with 3 immature male eiders also seen resting on the sandbanks. Herbert the Slavonian grebe showed very well in winter plumage off Cockwood and a few great crested grebes were seen along the river. Common, lesser and great black backed, herring and black headed gulls, little egrets, brent geese, cormorants and shags were also noted.

 Cormorant with Eiders, River Exe

Avocets, River Exe

 Brent Geese, River Exe

Brent Geese, River Exe

After the cruise we drove to Darts Farm at Topsham for a walk around Goosemoor to Bowling Green Marsh in increasingly cloudy skies. From the hide at Bowling Green there were plenty of ducks out on the very wet marsh where water levels were still very high - tufted duck, shoveler, teal, wigeon, pintail, shelduck, wigeon and mallard were all seen along with snipe, coot, moorhen and 3 greylag geese while redshank, curlew, black-tailed godwit, a lapwing, a knot, an avocet, dunlin and a greenshank were all seen in the high tide roost.

Shovelers, Bowling Green Marsh

Curlew, Goosemoor

With the recent warm weather summer migrants have been trickling in and I managed to pick up 2 sand martins hawking insects over the tree tops at the back of the marsh, distant views but great to see and I think my earliest ever. A third bird joined them but looked different and as it twisted and turned over the trees it showed a nice white rump and black upper parts, a house martin no less and definently my earliest ever in the UK, an unexpected but nice surprise. We watched them for a while although they remained distant and mobile before they headed towards the hide and then off towards the river never to be seen again - a nice end to a good day and just before the forecasted rain arrived.