Rainy Days before Sunshine

We finally had our Christmas Dinner Day on Thursday 6th January, the first day we had free after Christmas Day and the same date as our Christmas Dinner Day last year. It was a lovely dinner as always but with the next day being wet and windy our usual post dinner walk around Burrator Reservoir was shelved and we took a walk along the River Plym and Saltram instead. It was still a wet and windy walk but it was more sheltered amongst the trees and we stopped off at the cafe for tea and soup to warm up and dry off. 

A look for the Water Rail in the Wet Wood drew a blank but the female Red Crested Pochard and male Teal were both present on the duck pond. Later a pair of Teal were seen on Blaxton Meadow/Lake with 35 Wigeon.

Saturday 8th January was meant to be a proper birding day out but again the weather was horrendous with some very heavy periods of rain. I headed out anyway for a walk around Saltram and along The Plym as I really wanted to get out of the house and by the time I arrived back home after just 2 hours I was absolutely soaked through.

I had another stake out at the Wet Wood but again it was Water Rail-less and the Red Crested Pochard was seen on Blaxton Meadow/Lake with 34 Wigeon but there was no sign of the Teal. A Mistle Thrush and around 20 skulky Redwing feeding on Ivy berries were the only other sightings of note.

Grey Heron, Saltram

Tuesday 11th January was a dry day with sunny spells and I took a quick walk at Wembury while Christmas decorations were being taking down and put away at home. It may have been dry but the footpaths were a total mudfest and I was absolutely filthy by the time I arrived home. 

It was fairly quiet bird wise but I did spend a lot of time looking down at the ground as I tried to negotiate the mud along the path. Cirl Buntings showed well, the males looking very smart in the sunshine with 1 male heard singing briefly. There was no sign of the ringed Scandinavian Rock Pipit or Water Pipit along the beach but a smart Grey Wagtail showed very well. A Little Egret, a Curlew, Oystercatchers, Mallards and 2 1st winter Mediterranean Gulls were roosting out on the rocks and 20+ Fulmar were wheeling around The Mewstone. 

Wednesday 12th January was a total contrast with cloudless skies and sunshine, no breeze and a frosty start, a gorgeous winters day. I really wanted to get out for a proper day's birding and decided to visit Slapton Ley although with the early start in the morning I nearly turned the alarm clock off and went back to sleep. I'm glad I didn't as I had a very enjoyable day out indeed, well worth getting up and catching the bus in the dark. 

I alighted off the bus near the Memorial Car Park at around 9:15am and started off by looking for the wintering male Snow Bunting on the beach nearby. He was easily found and gave the usual very close views, a very beautiful and charismatic bird. 

Snow Bunting

Snow Bunting

Onwards around the Ley towards the Quarry and Water Rails and Cettis Warblers were heard calling away while out on the water Tufted Duck, Gadwall, Wigeon, Coot and Great Crested Grebes were floating around with the Gulls. At the Quarry a Firecrest, a Chiffchaff, a Redwing and a Jay gave good views with the Firecrest somehow managing to swallow a massive caterpillar. 

I had another look at the Snow Bunting feeding along the beach as I walked down the Ley towards Torcross, again it showed very well before it was spooked by 2 quarrelling Rock Pipits and flew off up the beach and out of sight. A moribund adult Kittiwake on the beach was a sad sight, fortunately it passed away very quickly after I first saw it. 

Snow Bunting

Snow Bunting

Snow Bunting

Kittiwake

Along the Ley a few Stonechats were seen perched up on top of dead fennel twigs while out on the water were 2 male and 3 female Goldeneye. On arriving at Torcross I  had considered walking over to Beesands Ley but time was now too short and so I walked back to the Memorial Car Park instead. The Snow Bunting was still absent from the beach but a scan of the ducks in Ireland Bay from the road side with my scope eventually revealed the wintering female Lesser Scaup busily diving away amongst the Tufted Duck flock. The views were distant but once found its slightly smaller, sleeker looking build, distinctive but variable looking head shape, white beak blaze and noticeably paler, grey toned mantle compared to the female Tufted Ducks nearby was quite distinctive. 

Thursday 13th January and another fine day of sunshine, no breeze and an icy start was unfortunately a bit wasted on me as with my first night shift of 2022 looming large that evening I couldn't go far but I did take a walk around Plymouth Hoe in the lovely conditions to look for the wintering Purple Sandpipers. At least one has been regularly reported since I first saw them in November last year but they continue to elude me on my visits. Today was no different with no sightings again but 4 Turnstone were good to see and best of all of a female type Black Redstart was found around the buildings near Rusty Anchor. It typically appeared from nowhere, flitted about and showed very well and then just vanished into the ether - probably to the same place as the Purple Sandpiper! 

Black Redstart