Another hot and sunny day on Wednesday August 31st, another 2 night shifts looming large and despite a brisk easterly breeze I headed out in the morning for a Wembury walk. It was quite breezy but again a very warm day as the hot and dry spell continues ad finitum and while the bushes were a bit blown out I had an interesting walk.
The highlight were 3 Sand Martin flying over heading east and hidden amongst a group of 5 Swallow and nearly overlooked, my first at Wembury for this year. A further 3 Swallow were also seen, 2 flying east together and 1 flying west.
A juvenile Wheatear was found along the beach but was very mobile, my first of the autumn and surprisingly only the second one at Wembury for the year.
Stonechat, a male Cirl Bunting, at least 5 Chiffchaff with 2 males heard singing, Whitethroats, Goldfinch and Linnet were also seen with a Kestrel and a Buzzard overhead.
Along the beach a Ringed Plover and 2 Dunlin were flushed by dog walkers while at The Point there were 2 Whimbrel, 7 Curlew, 52 Oystercatcher and a Little Egret.
Mediterranean Gull numbers had risen again with around 55 birds present including 10 juveniles, again they were mobile and flighty but I finally found a ringed juvenile bird amongst them. It was very twitchy, regularly flying off and often settling with the ring obscured, and I had left my scope at home but I finally managed to get a reading - a green plastic ring on the left leg with the white code R1UT and a silver ring above the knee on the right leg.
I sent off the details and as usual received a very prompt reply, it was ringed in the nest in June this year in France and is the first time it has been reported since then.
A Golden-ringed Dragonfly was again along the stream with a male Beautiful Demoiselle and 3 Common Darter and a few Bloody Nose Beetle were seen trundling along the footpath.
A Small Copper, a Comma, a Painted Lady, a Speckled Wood and a Green-veined White were seen along with 2 Meadow Brown, 3 Red Admiral, 5 male Common Blue, 3 Clouded Yellow (1 helice form) and both Small and Large White.
The nights remain cooler but I have had the moth box out in the back yard on 31st August and 2nd September and have had a nice selection of moths present in the morning including L-Album Wainscot, Pale Mottled Willow, Agriphila geniculea, Small Blood Vein and Feathered Ranunculus. I also had 2 Scrobipalpa ocellatella (Beet Moth) which seem to be having an explosion in population numbers this year.
With the arrival of September the weather has finally turned and it has become the more usual fare with wind, rain and cooler temperatures and to be honest it is a bit of a relief. The countryside could definently do with the rain but I imagine that after a week of it I will be moaning about the weather again!
My plans for a day trip to The Scilly Isles were scuppered by the change in the weather and so on Monday September 5th after a night of wind and rain I decided to head off to Bowling Green Marsh at Topsham for a days birding. It was sunny but breezy and it gradually clouded over as the day progressed but it did remain dry until I arrived back in Plymouth.
From the train to Exeter I saw a few Cattle Egret dotted across Exminster Marshes mixed in with Little Egrets and cattle but there were none present on the other side of The Exe at Topsham when I arrived.
I started off with a look at the estuary from the Viewing Platform and scanned the waders out on the mudflats with my scope as the tide began to flow in. I managed to find a very nice Curlew Sandpiper amongst the Dunlin and Knot but it was very mobile and often disappeared in the gullies or amongst the roosting Redshank and Black-tailed Godwit along the waters edge. I was also very pleased to find a Spotted Redshank as well, hidden in plain sight amongst the Redshank and easily overlooked. Oystercatcher, Curlew, a Common Sandpiper and 13 Ringed Plover were also seen but with the tide getting higher the waders were beginning to move off and so I headed over to the hide for a look at the Marsh.
A Ruff was feeding right in front of the hide with a Whimbrel, 3 Lapwing and a Green Sandpiper seen flying off into the distance also adding to the Wader tally for the day. The Curlew Sandpiper was seen flying around amongst the Dunlin and the Spotted Redshank was again hidden in plain sight amongst the roosting Redshank and Black-tailed Godwit.
Shoveler, Pintail, Wigeon, Teal, Mallard and a Tufted Duck were noted but the highlight was a juvenile Spoonbill preening and sleeping amongst the Canada Geese flock.
I had planned to catch the train back to Dawlish Warren for a look about but as I was passing the railway bridge leading to Goose Moor on the walk back to Topsham station a birder passed me and said there were 14 Curlew Sandpiper showing from the viewing screen so I went to have a look. The light was perfect and indeed there were 13 Curlew Sandpipers preening, sleeping and feeding amongst Greenshank, Black-tailed Godwit and a Common Sandpiper and looking absolutely beautiful, one of my favourite waders.
Another birder arrived with news of the Osprey showing off the Viewing Platform and so I went back for another look but there was no sign of it. I did however find a Curlew Sandpiper again feeding amongst the Dunlin as the tide began to head out and expose the mudflats.
A quick look from the hide again before heading back to the railway station and the Spoonbill was still showing well and just as I left a very smart looking Marsh Harrier flew over spooking all the birds on the Marsh, a nice end to a great day out.
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