Bramblings at Burrator and Ring-necked Duck at Beesands

Thursday 9th January and plans for a walk around Burrator Reservoir were abandoned on our drive there when heavy rain arrived but after a detour to Tamar View Nurseries and Waitrose at Saltash the sky had cleared and so we continued on our way. However within 5 minutes of starting our walk around the reservoir the rain returned and so we finally gave up and headed home but not before I had heard a tawny owl calling and better still found at least 3 Bramblings in a mobile and flighty flock of 100+ chaffinches flitting about in the beech trees near the main dam. The views weren't great in the dull light and rain and the birds stayed in the tree tops but eventually I managed to get a decent view of a smart male bird lower down in the trees before it flew off.

Friday 10th January and it was time for my weekly workout with my telescope and tripod, this time with a visit to Beesands Ley and Slapton Ley. I caught the 07:30 bus from Plymouth and on arriving at Torcross at 09:20 I began my walk to Beesands Ley, walking across the beach on the ebbing tide. On arriving at the Ley I quickly found the wintering male Ring-necked Duck which was the busily diving away amongst the tufted ducks and presumably the returning bird from last year. It was a little distant tucked away in the corner of the Ley but it looked very smart in the bright sunshine.

 Ring-necked Duck

Ring-necked Duck

I also found a lone male wigeon, a little grebe, 2 pairs of gadwall, a sleeping great-crested grebe and 5 snipe roosting amongst the reeds with water rails also heard squealing but as it was fairly quiet bird wise I decided to head back along the beach to begin my walk at Slapton Ley.

Scanning around from Torcross and I soon picked out the wintering black-necked grebe diving close to the shore with its red eyes really standing out in the bright sunshine. Pochard were diving amongst the tufted ducks and I also picked out 4 male and 3 female goldeneye with the males energetically displaying to the females.

Along the Ley a female stonechat was seen perched up on the dead vegetation and I had good views of a Cettis Warbler singing away in a bush and sporting a silver leg ring.  At the bridge a chiffchaff and a goldcrest were seen and water rails were again heard squealing away while out amongst the gulls bathing and roosting on the water I picked out an adult kittiwake before it flew off out to sea.

2 ravens were also seen noisely mobbing a buzzard and 2 gannets were picked up flying around offshore before David and his mum arrived to meet me for lunch in the Start Bay Inn - a nice mornings walk with some good birds seen on a beautiful sunny and calm January day.