Long-billed Dowitcher, Bowling Green Marsh

Saturday 19th October was sunny and mild and so I decided to finally head off to Bowling Green Marsh at Topsham for the high tide wader roost in the hope of catching up with the long-billed dowitcher that has been gracing the River Exe for a couple of weeks now. I saw my first and only long-billed dowitcher at Bowling Green Marsh back in 2007, poor and distant and obscured views amongst the wader roost and without the use of a telescope, and I was very keen to get some better views this time.

I felt tired and groggy after my night shift on Thursday but I was full of hope and expectation as I caught the 08:25 train from Plymouth, getting some nice views of ring-necked parakeets feeding in the trees opposite the station entrance before I caught my train.

 Ring-necked Parakeet

 Ring-necked Parakeet

Ring-necked Parakeet

I arrived in Topsham on time at 10:08 and walked down to the hide at Bowling Green Marsh but with the high tide due at 10:30 I was surprised to find it almost empty although it did get very busy and noisy later. There was already a large roost of waders out on the marsh but viewing was difficult in the poor light looking into the sun but amongst the curlew, redshank, lapwing, black-tailed godwits and bar-tailed godwits I did find a single dunlin and a lone whimbrel.

Wigeon, teal, mallard, pintail, shoveler, moorhen, a coot, a little grebe, 2 tufted duck, little egret and grey heron were all seen but despite searching I couldn't find the dowitcher amongst the waders. A sparrowhawk flew over twice putting up most of the waders but there was still no sign of the dowitcher amongst the waders when they eventually resettled on the marsh.

Waders were beginning to fly off towards the River Clyst as the tide turned and eventually I caught a very brief view of the dowitcher amongst the throng of waders but it was obscured and difficult to view before it promptly went to sleep with its head under its wing. It awoke a few times and moved position but still remained obscured before I eventually lost sight of it altogether but at least I had seen it.

I decided to head over to the viewing platform overlooking the River Clyst as the waders continued to fly off from the marsh in the hope that the dowitcher would be amongst them and within a few minutes of scanning through the waders feeding out on the increasingly exposed mud I found it amongst a group of redshanks and managed to get some great views of it. It was smaller than I expected and looked like the love child of a snipe and a godwit but it was a very attractive and charismatic looking bird and quite distinctive.

 Long-billed Dowitcher with Redshank

 Long-billed Dowitcher with Redshank

 Long-billed Dowitcher

Long-billed Dowitcher

It eventually flew upriver and was lost from view but my attention was taken by a lovely great white egret feeding in the river channel with little egrets, a very nice surprise and only my second ever sighting of one in Devon.

 Great White Egret with Litlle Egrets

Great White Egret

A kingfisher hovering over the water was nice to see, it landed on a post from where it dived and caught a fish before flying off, and eventually I refound the dowitcher feeding on the mud upriver with greenshanks and redshanks before it flew downriver again to feed on it's own opposite the viewing platform. It didn't stay for long before flying off again upriver, appearing to head over towards Bowling Green Marsh but I failed to refind it on a quick look from the hide on the walk back to the railway station in Topsham.

The journey home was subject to the usual problems with my train being cancelled from Newton Abbot resulting in a 50 minute delay but it had been a great day out and I was very pleased to see the long-billed dowitcher with the great white egret a nice bonus too.

A Soggy Trip to France and Ring Ouzels

Our annual ferry trip to France was a go this year after last year's last minute cancellation courtesy of Storm Callum but the weather wasn't particularly great and it was a wet and soggy trip.

It was raining as we sailed from Plymouth to Roscoff at 22:00hrs on Friday 11th October and it did not stop raining until we sailed back from Roscoff to Plymouth at 09:30hrs on Sunday 13th October! As a result there was little of wildlife interest seen in France with the highlight being a grey wagtail flying over while wandering around Morlaix but at least the rain stopped for the return ferry crossing and I did get to see some good birds and cetaceans as we sailed across the English Channel.

I broke the crossing down into 3 watching shifts - 09:30 to 10:30, 10:45 to 11:45 and 12:00 to 13:45 - with refreshments and warming up sessions in between. The first shift was the most productive as usual and as we sailed past all the rocky islets just offshore from Roscoff a few gannets began to appear. These were soon joined by a small pod of common dolphins leaping towards the front of the boat to bow ride before I lost sight of them and shortly afterwards a sooty shearwater was picked up low over the water heading west. Later another sooty shearwater was picked up flying east and I also saw a great skua flying past the ferry along with 3 guillemots flying west and a meadow pipit flying north before it was time to take my first break.

Photo of a Photo of a Common Dolphin

The second shift was quieter with the usual gannets flying around, brief views of common dolphins being very secretive at the surface and showing brief flashes of their fins, 2 more single great skuas flying past the ferry, 3 meadow pipits together flying north and a grey wagtail flying north and briefly pitching down on the deck of the ferry.

Explorer of the Seas

The last shift was more interesting again as the Devon coastline began to appear. A large pod of common dolphins were seen leaping out of the water as they passed the back of the ferry and the pod included quite a few small calfs. 2 more great skuas were seen, 1 resting on the sea and 1 harrying Gannets near The Eddystone lighthouse. A juvenile kittiwake was also noted along with 2 adult birds, 2 guillemots were seen sat on the sea with a group of 9 seen later flying east and 2 Sandwich Terns flew past as we entered Plymouth Sound.

And so a pretty good ferry crossing for wildlife sightings and a great short trip away to France as always despite the wet weather.

Wednesday 16th October was a planned birdy day with Mavis but without any definite plans. We eventually plumped for a visit to the Avon Dam on Dartmoor as the footpath being tarmac would at least be dry following all the heavy rain we have had recently.

It was cloudy with occasional sunny spells and just a brief shower and we had a great walk. A pair of stonechat, 2 kestrels, a goldcrest with a flock of long-tailed tits and blue tits and a few bullfinch were all noted and quite a few red admirals were seen mostly heading west.

The highlight though were the ring ouzels which we were hoping to see following reports of birds being seen on Lundy and in Starehole Valley the previous day.

We stopped for coffee and biscuits at the first bridge as the path leaves the trees and continues across the open moor but after a few minutes a small flock of thrushes appeared in a nearby rowan tree and amongst the blackbird, song thrush, mistle thrush and a redwing were 10 ring ouzels.

 Ring Ouzel

Magpie and Ring Ouzel

Coffee was quickly abandoned but the ouzels were very skittish and flighty and quickly moved off but we were pleased to see them. However more ouzels were soon picked up flying around the hillside and perching in trees and it was difficult to ascertain the exact number present. Most were female and juvenile birds with just a few males present but they were great to see and hear.

Ring Ouzel

We carried on up the valley and eventually enjoyed our coffee break and on reaching the Avon Dam the water was flowing over it and it was looking very beautiful in the sunshine and blue skies.

 Avon Dam

Avon Dam

Walking back down the valley and we again found the ring ouzels in the same area as earlier. They were still skittish, mobile and distant but at one point we had 16 birds flying together overhead and with more birds present in the trees and bushes (another birder we met had counted at least 30 birds). They were becoming more flighty and skittish and eventually they all flew off over the hills never to be seen again but we were very pleased to have caught up with them on what had been a very enjoyable walk.

 Ring Ouzel

 Ring Ouzel

Ring Ouzel

Sicily - Part II

The drive to Selinunte from Agrigento on Tuesday 1st October was broken up by a visit to the ancient site of Eraclea Minoa. It was mostly unexcavated but still very interesting with lovely views from the clifftops down to sandy beaches and clear blue seas.

Crested larks were vocal and flighty around the site and I briefly heard a cirl bunting singing. Grayling, clouded yellow, painted lady, wall, swallowtail and hummingbird hawkmoths were also seen.

 Grayling

 Swallowtail

Swallowtail

We carried on to Selinunte and arrived without incident and after checking into the Hotel Miramare we headed down to the beach just across the road for a swim in the Mediterranean sea and a chill out.

Tree Sparrow from our hotel balcony

Balcony View at the Hotel Miramare, Selinunte

Wednesday 2nd October saw us heading firstly to Cave di Cusa, a large abandoned quarry which was the source of the stone used in the building of the ancient city of Selinunte. It was very rural and peaceful and I added jay to the bird list while also seeing vestal moths and a nicely marked unknown moth species.

Moth Sp., Cave di Cusa

Onwards to the ancient city of Segesta where we marvelled at the temple and the views from the ancient theatre across the valleys and hills while watching house martins and a red-rumpled swallow overhead. A fan-tailed warbler was the highlight though, showing very well as it fed in the undergrowth, and as usual there were wall lizards everywhere.

 Segesta

 Segesta

Wall Lizard

Segesta

Thursday 3rd October was spent wandering around the extensive ruins of Selinunte, a fascinating place and for once somewhere we were actually allowed to clamber over and amongst the ruins.

Temple G, Selinunte

Temple E, Selinunte

A pair of marsh harriers soaring high overhead were new for the bird list and I finally managed to get some proper views of Moorish geckos resting on the stone walls. A plain tiger butterfly was a surprise too as it dashed past in the strong breeze and I also found a male common blue feeding on flowers.

 Moorish Gecko

 Moorish Gecko

 Moorish Gecko

Moorish Gecko

 Common Blue

 Clouded Yellow

 Wall Lizard

Grayling

The next morning saw us driving back to Agrigento to return the hire car before catching the train back to Palermo. The train journey was just as stunning as before and I had some better views of great white egrets along the coast and briefly saw 2 little grebes before they dived underwater.

Our last afternoon was spent wandering around Palermo enjoying food and drink and the wonderful buildings and I managed to find an oddly marked male common blue and a few brown argus flitting about in the park by the sea to finish off the day.

 Common Blue

 Common Blue

Brown Argus

And so all in all a great holiday, some interesting wildlife sightings and some fantastic archeological sight seeing and as usual I feel like I need a holiday to get over it now that I am back home.

Sicily - Part I

It was off to Heathrow Airport by train on Tuesday 24th September for our flight to Palermo in Sicily and the start of our museums and ancient ruins holiday

We began our trip in Palermo with a few days sight seeing, staying in the NH Palermo hotel near the old city and opposite the botanical gardens and with a room overlooking the port and the sea. Palermo was great, very hot and sunny with some beautiful architecture, an amazing archeological museum that is unfortunately only partially open at the moment, a relaxed air and some great food.

 Palermo

 Palermo

 Palermo

 Palermo

Palermo

Birding was slow as expected in a busy city but I did see some familiar birds - blackbird, woodpigeon, collared dove, swallow, grey wagtail, goldfinch, great tit, kestrel, ring-necked parakeet, swift, blackcap and feral pigeon - plus a few less familiar ones - yellow-legged gull, hooded crow, Sardinian warbler, spotless starling and tree sparrow.

Butterflies and moths were also seen and I managed to get some good views of hummingbird hawkmoths and vestals plus clouded yellow, geranium bronze, painted lady, Lang's short-tailed blue, red admiral and small white.

 Vestal

 Geranium Bronze

 Lang's Short-tailed Blue

Painted Lady

Wall lizards (Sicillian/Italian) were noted too in the botanical gardens along with violet dropwings, a demoiselle species, a large dragonfly species (emperor?) and a few small red dragonfly species.

 Dragonfly Sp.

Violet Dropwing

We ventured out of Palermo on Thursday 26th September and caught a train to the ancient city of Solnus, a short 20 minute journey away along the coast and where we spent a few happy hours wandering around in the baking heat while admiring the ruins, views and wildlife.

Solnus

Solnus

A very skittish juvenile Eastern black-eared wheatear was the highlight as it fed around the ruins and I also saw 2 ravens, magpie and linnet while offshore a flock of small gulls were resting on the sea before being buzzed by yellow-legged gulls and flying off but too far out to properly ID.

Eastern Black-eared Wheatear

Swallowtails were very noticeable around the site but were very difficult to photograph in the heat and I also found a small heath, clouded yellow, a scarce swallowtail, a Cleopatra, painted lady, a small skipper species (Mediterranean/ pygmy?) small white and dragonflys. Wall lizards were everywhere and I also found a few very nervous Moorish geckos that scuttled off before I got anywhere near them.

 Swallowtail

 Mediterranean/Pygmy Skipper

 Wall Lizard

 Dragonfly Sp.

 Dragonfly Sp.

Flower Sp. in the ruins

Saturday 28th September and it was time to leave Palermo and head off on the train to Agrigento, a 2 hour journey away. The views from the train were stunning and I added grey heron, great white egret, jackdaw and crested lark to the bird list along the way.

On arrival in Agrigento we picked up our hire car for the week and drove to the nearby Villa San Marco, our base for the next 3 days and an absolute delight set in quiet solitude right in the Valley of The Temples and with amazing views across the countryside. It was a great place to stay with a fantastic breakfast on the terrace each morning, a menagerie of birds and animals, a small swimming pool and a great view of the temples including from our room terrace where we enjoyed a glass of Sicillian wine at night listening to calling stone curlews and Scops owls while bats flitted about over the trees.

The Valley of The Temples archeological site covered a huge area and with the baking heat it was great that we had the time to take things slowly and explore the ruins at leisure over the 3 days.

 Valley of The Temples

Valley of The Temples

Being more rural the birding was more varied and I added some good birds to my trip list. A fly away hoopoe and 2 bee eaters flying overhead were all too brief but 2 blue rock thrush in the ruins were more confiding. Serins were regularly seen flying around and buzzards soared overhead on the thermals along with a juvenile Egyptian vulture and a booted eagle. Crag martin, house martin, Italian sparrow, mallard, moorhen, blue tit and spotted flycatcher were also seen with Cettis warblers and Sardinian warblers also heard.

 Egyptian Vulture

 Booted Eagle

Booted Eagle

Butterflies were also noticeable with swallowtail, scarce swallowtail, Cleopatra, wall, Langs short-tailed blue, clouded yellow and small white seen. Wall lizards were everywhere and I also found a Turkish gecko on the wall at our Villa.

 Scarce Swallowtail

 Scarce Swallowtail

 Wall

 Lang's Short-tailed Blue

 Dragonfly Sp.

Turkish Gecko

It was soon time to continue our tour of the island and so Tuesday 1st October saw us driving onwards to Selinunte via the ruins at Eraclea Minoa for the next part of our holiday.