Monday 15th February and things had certainly warmed up on the weather front with sunshine and mild temperatures for a change. I had planned to have a wander around Plymouth Hoe for a look about and with news breaking of a Long-tailed Duck in The Sound my mind was definently made up and I headed up to The Hoe as soon as I could after my morning appointment at the dentists.
The Long-tailed Duck was reported as being off Mount Batten Pier but a look around off Duttons cafe on The Hoe towards Mount Batten drew a blank. I tried to find out some more information about the sighting on social media but with no further news forthcoming I decided to head home and travel around to Mount Batten for a better look. However on the walk back home I then met up with local birder Russ who had found the bird and had posted the news and we headed back up to The Hoe together for another look, eventually finding the bird busily diving in The Cattewater - my first for Plymouth and the first sighting of one in Plymouth since 2004. Plymouth Hoe is certainly proving to be the place to bird at the moment!
It was a little distant and spent little time at the surface but I had some good scope views of it in between dives. 5 Turnstones were also seen feeding down on the rocky foreshore and a Raven flew over cronking and tumbling and closely followed by a silent and non-tumbling bird, presumably a pair. At least 3 Great Northern Divers were also seen bobbing around out on the water including one bird quite close in and having a bit of a nap
The following day was Shrove Tuesday and we had a quick walk around The Hoe again before having pancakes for tea at David's Mums house. The Long-tailed Duck was seen again in The Cattewater but was again a little distant and very actively diving. At least 2 Great Northern Divers were also seen and a pair of Red-breasted Merganser were picked up flying down The Plym and out into The Sound. An adult winter plumaged Mediterranean Gull flying around Mount Batten Pier looked very white in the sunshine and is the first one I've seen in Plymouth this year.
Thursday 18th February was sunny but cool and breezy and I met my mate Mavis for a bird walk around Saltram Park and along The Plym. It was incredibly busy with people in this half term week, quite uncomfortably disconcerting to us both, but we managed to get some peace and quiet in the woods above The Amphitheatre.
The tide was high and out on Blaxton Meadow the Grey Plover was still present along with 6 Greenshank and there were now 3 Bar-tailed Godwit amongst the Curlew, Redshank and Oystercatcher present. Common and Lesser-Black Backed Gulls were roosting amongst the Herring and Black-headed Gulls and were trying to avoid the antics of the Carrion Crows nearby.
Along the river 7 Goosander (4 males) and 4 Little Grebe were seen and roosting on the Embankment wall a large roost of Dunlin and Redshank with a few Turnstone were picked up with our scopes.
The woods and fields held the usual birds with a male Stonechat, a Goldcrest, a Jay, Stock Doves, Nuthatch and Ring-necked Parakeets the highlights.
The male Mandarin Ducks on the pond looked splendid as they displayed (and mated) with the females present but there was no sign of the female Red-crested Pochard. A preening Muscovy Duck looked splendid in the sunshine too.
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