Friday 22nd January was a cold and showery day and so I headed over to Saltash for a walk at The China Fleet Club. The tide was high and from the hide area overlooking Kingsmill Lake it was great to see some waders at roost - Curlew, Dunlin, 2 Greenshank, Redshank, an Oystercatcher, a Grey Plover, Snipe, 2 Bar-tailed Godwit, Lapwing, Black-tailed Godwit and around 70 Avocet including one with a yellow ring and a yellow flag on its legs but too far away to read even with my telescope.
I didn't enter the hide but viewed the Lake from the nearby beach although I was a bit annoyed and offish with another birder who kept standing too close to me. I also met 2 other birders who kept their distance from me, one of whom got me onto a very smart looking Firecrest which showed very well amongst the reeds along with a vocal Chiffchaff sporting a silver leg ring.
Other birds seen included 2 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Little Egret, a Grey Heron, a Mistle Thrush, Teal, 3 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Coot, 3 male and 2 female Tufted Duck and a pair of Wigeon.
A very confiding Robin enjoyed snaffling down some small pieces of my cereal bar that I threw onto the ground and I was pleased to find some Hazel flowers amongst the catkins on a tree, colourful, tiny and strange looking blooms.
Saturday 23rd January was a cold and frosty start but it soon warmed up in the sunshine and so I had a walk at Wembury. It was a complete mudfest along the footpath and became incredibly busy with people and so I came home earlier than planned but I had an enjoyable walk.
I found a small flock of Cirl Buntings feeding in the stubble field but they were mobile and skulky, regularly flying up into the hedgerow. Skylarks were also feeding amongst the stubble but were much more vocal and showy. A female Black Redstart was a surprise find in the bushes near the pine trees at The Point, usually I find them along the beach, and a small flock of Linnet were a nice find as they twittered away in the top of a tree.
Fulmars were swooping around The Mewstone and a single Gannet was seen offshore. A Great Crested Grebe diving offshore was a nice surprise too.
Monday 25th January and a quick lunchtime walk around Plymouth Hoe to help get psyched up for a duo of night shifts was brightened up by some lovely views of a Purple Sandpiper feeding again on the rocks below the Pier One Cafe. It was very confiding and allowed a very close approach as it chiselled off barnacles from the rocks and swallowed them whole, shell and all.
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