Friday 5th November was meant to be a stay at home day with unknown times for a delivery of a radiator and repair men coming to fix some windows but both were done and dusted by 10:15 and with the weather dry and occasionally sunny we headed out to Slapton Ley for a walk.
With up to 4 Snow Buntings being seen along the beach at Slapton I kept a good eye open for them along our walk but unfortunately I was out of luck. However the walk was very enjoyable anyway with the highlights being a large Pike harassing small fish under the bridge, a few Red Admirals flitting about, Cettis Warblers and Water Rails heard in the reeds and Great Crested Grebes out on the Ley with Tufted Ducks.
Saturday 6th November and with a night shift due I decided to head out to Wembury for a morning walk. However with a Bluethroat being seen along The Plym the previous day I switched plans and headed there instead but with Bluethroats being notoriously skulky I wasn't surprised not to find it.
It has been 9 weeks since I last visited The Plym and Saltram and it was nice to be back again and despite dipping the Bluethroat I saw a very nice selection of birds.
The best bird was a Woodcock which must have been flushed by dogs running through the leaf litter under the trees and which then flew right past in front of me, my best views ever and looking surprisingly large and dumpy. A very strong runner up though was a Jack Snipe flushed from some boggy ground before landing in a small thicket and which I then almost stood on when I went over to try and get a better look. A calling fly over Snipe completed the hat trick.
Jays were very noticeable flying overhead between the trees and the Evergreen Oaks along The Ride where they were busily cramming acorns into their crops. A Raven feeding amongst the Rooks and Carrion Crows out in the grass was my first of the autumn too.
Blaxton Meadow held 14 Wigeon, a Grey Heron and 2 Mute Swans while out on the Estuary 6 adult Common Gulls, a Common Sandpiper, 4 redhead Goosander and a Kingfisher were noted.
A male Kestrel, 2 flyover Green Woodpecker, a male Stonechat, a very confiding female Pheasant, a Grey Wagtail around the Recycling Centre, 20 Fieldfare flying high overhead towards Dartmoor and 3 Shag near Laira Bridge were other noteworthy sightings.
4 Grey Squirrels ( 3 busily caching Evergreen Oak acorns), 3 Roe Deer and a battered Red Admiral were also seen.
Monday 8th November and with reports of a Snow Bunting being seen at Wembury Beach the previous day I headed out there on the 2pm bus for a look. I would have gone earlier in the day but I had arranged to meet my friend Monica that morning for a catch up and the weather was wet and misty first thing but by the time I arrived at Wembury it was a glorious afternoon with calm seas, sunny spells and eventually a beautiful sunset.
As expected there was no sign of the Snow Bunting but a very nice surprise was a very late Wheatear feeding on the huge mass of seaweed washed up on the beach along with Rock Pipits, Meadow Pipits and Pied Wagtails, probably the latest I have ever seen one in the UK.
Also seen were a Grey Wagtail in the Valley to the Beach, 5 adult Gannets offshore heading west, 4 Little Egrets flying up the Yealm to roost at dusk and a single adult Mediterranean Gull flying around the rocky foreshore. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was heard calling in the pines and while waiting for the bus as it got dark I heard a Green Woodpecker yaffling away in nearby gardens, my first for Wembury this year.
Tuesday 9th November and with Snow Buntings again being seen at Slapton Ley the previous day I decided to head out there for another look.
I arrived off the bus at Torcross at around 10:45 and walked along the top of the beach towards the Memorial car park but there was no sign of any Snow Buntings. I then walked back along the beach to Torcross and got quite the workout as I trudged over the shingle but still no Snow Buntings were to be seen.
I then walked back to the Memorial car park along the Ley side path but again there was no sign of them and I was beginning to think yet another dip was imminent. I decided it was time to have a sit down on the beach to eat my lunch but just as I settled down to enjoy my sandwich a Snow Bunting popped up amongst the shingle and was quickly joined by a second bird - result!
They eventually came closer and closer and then gave some great views, the best I have ever had, and they were an absolute delight to watch especially as they were so totally unfazed by my prescence.
Also seen on a quick scan of the Ley were the usual Coot, Moorhen, Tufted Duck, Mute Swan, Great Crested Grebe, Cormorant and Gadwall while offshore Gannet and Shag were noted. Along the Ley side Cettis Warblers were heard and I managed a good view of one individual. At least 3 pairs of Stonechat were also seen.
And so it really was a case of third time's a charm with the Snow Buntings, only the second time I have seen them in Devon, and after constant images of them showing up on my Twitter feed in what has been a bit if an influx of them into the UK this autumn it was nice to finally see some of my own.
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