Sunday 12th February was a beautiful sunny day but with it being a Sunday and also the half term holiday we had an early morning walk around Plymouth Hoe before the crowds descended. The tide was dropping and I was very pleased to find a Purple Sandpiper on the rocks below the Pier One Cafe with 5 Turnstone. One Purple Sandpiper quickly became two and then three before they were all flushed by a nearby walker and flew off towards Tinside Pool. Very nice to see 3 together though.
Over the past few winters I've seen up to 3 Purple Sandpipers on The Hoe although I rarely see more than 1 at a time. They are possibly the same birds returning each year but they are always so elusive until around February time when they suddenly become much more visible.
Monday 13th February was the last day of my week off work and with sunny skies forecast I headed out to look for Goshawks. It was cloudy when I left home but the skies did begin to clear gradually although huge traffic delays along the way meant a later than planned arrival at my destination.
It was cool in the breeze when I finally arrived to start my walk and along the path to my usual observation point I saw 7 Red-legged Partridge, 6 Stock Dove, a Firecrest, a pair of Great Spotted Woodpecker, a "chuckling" Fieldfare, good numbers of flitty and skulking Redwings and a distant flock of around 30 Avocet roosting on the high tide along the river.
The cloud eventually totally disappeared and while it was pleasant in the sunshine out of the breeze it remained quite cool. There were fewer birds seen soaring overhead than usual with a maximum count of 6 Buzzards up in the air at any one time although more than this number were present. A few Ravens flew over as well, performing wonderful acrobatics and calling noisely but again numbers were lower than usual. A single female Sparrowhawk was seen on two occasions, soaring up higher and higher until lost from sight.
However I did see Goshawks which is what I had hoped for with 2 birds seen. The first bird was an immature male with buffy toned underparts, it soared overhead being harassed by a Carrion Crow before joining a soaring Buzzard with which it also had the odd altercation with. Later I saw it soaring over the trees where a larger and pale looking female flew up to join it, the white undertail coverts were fluffed out and were very noticeable and almost created a white rump look and the underparts were very pale white and appeared virtually unmarked from my distant viewing point. It interacted with the male briefly but didn't seem particularly impressed by it before disappearing back into the trees, never to be seen again.
The male bird was then seen a few more times soaring overhead but was always distant and eventually it was time to head home with another traffic delayed nightmare journey experienced again, worse than on the journey out. Hopefully I will get another chance in the next few weeks for another visit and the traffic will be better!
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