Wednesday 15th January was sunny but breezy and so I caught the bus over to Torpoint for a walk and a look around. I firstly walked out to nearby Wilcove where a male green-winged teal is again wintering (presumably the regular bird returning for another winter stay) and within a few minutes of arriving I found it busily feeding away with some teal along the waterline very close to the road. Unfortunately it was in total shade so the photos with my new Panasonic Lumix TZ80 camera were not that great despite it being so close but the scope views were amazing.
Green-winged Teal with Teal, Wilcove
Green-winged Teal with Teal
Green-winged Teal with Teal
Green-winged Teal
Green-winged Teal
Green-winged Teal
The wind was very bracing in the exposed position of Marine Drive and the bright sunshine hampered viewing but I managed to find 4 Great Northern Divers, 4 Little Grebes, 12+Great Crested Grebes, 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls and a distant flock of around 40 Brent Geese consisting of both dark bellied and pale bellied varieties feeding out on the mudflats before it was time to head back home on the bus.
Friday 17th January was the last day of travel available on my weekly bus pass and as it was another sunny but breezy morning with occasional heavy showers I caught the bus out to Wembury, my first visit here since September last year.
It was high tide and with a strong onshore wind and so an Oystercatcher flock of around 40 birds was roosting in the stubble field with a few hardier birds attempting to roost along the beach with a Curlew and 3 Little Egrets. Offshore a Guillemot was seen flying east and 2 Brent Geese were seen flying west while a single Gannet was also seen and Fulmars were noted flying around The Mewstone.
2 Cirl Buntings were singing in the sunshine with 1 bird seen while Peregrine and Sparrowhawk were noted flying overhead.
The footpath as expected was a complete quagmire after all the rain we have been having recently and so with the tide receding I walked back along the beach, a much less riskier option knowing my propensity for slipping over in the mud, and along the beach with the flighty and mobile Meadow and Rock Pipits I found a nice Water Pipit, a smart looking bird strutting around with tail cocked and wings drooped as it chased off all comers to its patch of beach.
Also seen was a mobile and flighty female type Black Redstart feeding along the cliff and often hidden perched up in the overhanging vegetation where it was easily overlooked. It would occassionally launch itself up into the air to catch flies or drop down onto the beach to pounce on a fly but would always return to the bushes to skulk.
Black Redstart, Wembury
Black Redstart
Black Redstart
Also spread along the beach were small Portuguese-man-of-war, washed up after all the recent wind and rain and the first I have seen at Wembury.
Portuguese-man-of-war, Wembury
Saturday 18th January and with clear skies and no wind forecast it was time to finally revisit Mansands to look again for the wintering male Blue-winged Teal which is still present. I had a very brief view of it back in November last year and with it now moulting into adult male plumage I was keen to get a better look.
The journey to Mansands went smoothly - train to Newton Abbot, train to Paignton, bus to Brixham and walk to Mansands - and it was indeed a beautifully crisp and cold and frosty and foggy morning. The 2 mile walk to Mansands from Brixham was quite a slog though with a mahoosive uphill walk before the walk down to Mansands, not ideal for someone 50+ and so soon after Christmas, but a pair of Blackcap flitting about in gardens and a small flock of Skylark feeding in a stubble field helped to break up the climb.
The water level of the Ley at Mansands was much higher than it was back in November and walking over the stepping stones across the stream flowing over the beach resulted in slightly moist feet but I quickly settled into position on the hillside by the coastguard cottages overlooking the Ley to begin scanning around with my telescope. 2 pairs of Gadwall, 3 male and 2 female Tufted Duck, 3 male and 2 female Teal, Mallard, Coot and Moorhen were all easily seen and I also quickly found the Blue-winged Teal which showed well for around an hour, busily feeding and preening and looking quite smart in the bright sunshine.
It was quite shoveler-like with yellow legs noticeable as it dabbled and upended. The blue and green and white upper wing feathers were noted when it preened with the blue colouring being very outstanding in the sunshine and the green colouring being very irradescent.. The head had a dusky blue/grey colouring coming through and the white patch behind the bill was very noticeable.
Blue-winged Teal, Mansands - record shot
Blue-winged Teal
Blue-winged Teal and Teal
The walk back to Brixham was a less strenuous exercise and after a restorative pasty for lunch I walked out along the Breakwater for a scan around the Bay. An adult Mediterranean Gull was patrolling back and forth along the Breakwater and 12 Purple Sandpipers were roosting on the Jetty with Turnstones. Grey seals were hauled out on the pontoons in the Marina and fairly close to shore were a showy pod of around 20 common dolphins attracting the attentions of Gannets. Across the Bay were quite a few Guillemots and a single Razorbill and I also found 4 Great Northern Divers but only 1 of which was close enough for a good view. Shag, Cormorant, Kittiwake and Fulmar were also seen before it was time to head back to Plymouth with the journey home being smooth and uneventful again - another great day out and a nice end to a very birdy week.
Mute Swan, Brixham Harbour
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