Wembury Beach
Wembury Beach
The Mewstone
Spume!
The Oystercatchers were again trying to roost on the tiny bit of beach left uncovered near the sewage pipe and with them were 12 Little Egret, 2 more than yesterday. As the tide began to drop 3 Curlew flew in to try and roost but gave up and flew off and also present were 4 Turnstone and a Ringed Plover. A flock of Black-headed Gulls were feeding in the surf with others roosting on the beach and amongst them briefly was a 1st winter Common Gull, an uncommon Gull at Wembury but the second one I've seen in 2 days!
Little Egret
Curlew
Ringed Plover
Black-headed Gulls
I had a vague hope that the windy weather may have brought in something interesting seabird wise despite the late date but it wasn't meant to be with just the usual Gannets noted offshore along with Shags and Gulls including 3 Mediterranean Gulls (2 adults and a 2nd winter). However I did find a Great Northern Diver just off the beach, an adult bird moulting into winter plumage, busily diving away for food and the best views of one I've had at Wembury before.
The usual birds were also seen along the walk despite the windy weather with a male Blackcap found in the bushes at The Point and a Chiffchaff found in a village garden where 2 late Speckled Wood were also flitting about in a sheltered spot. A few Common Wasps were flitting about too around the remaining Ivy flowers.
Common Wasp
The beach is taking a bit of a battering at the moment with worse to come, the Sea Kale is looking precarious and the Phragmites is getting eroded away, hopefully they will survive to bounce back in the spring. The Common Dolphin corpse is still present too and being enjoyed by the Great Black-backed Gulls and at least 8 Portuguese Man O'War were washed up at the top of the beach amongst all the flotsam and jetsum.
Portuguese Man O'War
Portuguese Man O'War
Thursday 2nd November was the morning after the night before as Storm Ciaran rattled through during the early hours and so I headed up to Plymouth Hoe to have a look and see if anything interesting had been blown in. The wind was noticeably easing down and the rain had stopped but there was very little to see other than a few Shags and the usual Gulls including a Great Black-backed Gull busily devouring the drowned remains of a Feral Pigeon.
Plymouth Hoe after the storm
Great Black-backed Gull with Feral Pigeon Snack
However a surprise was a Sandwich Tern patrolling back and forth along the shoreline and regularly diving into the water in search of food.
Sandwich Tern
Sandwich Tern
A Razorbill did a big lap of The Sound before finally splashing down off Rusty Anchor and just 2 Gannets were seen, an adult and a juvenile bird out by The Breakwater. Also seen were a total of 11 Turnstones feeding amongst the rocks on the dropping tide but there was no sign of any Purple Sandpipers.
The highlight though were 4 Little Gulls flying west out near The Breakwater before disappearing off towards Penlee, an adult and 3 1st winter birds and unfortunately distant but a very nice find. Their tern-like flight and small size compared to nearby Black-headed Gulls was very noticeable and the black underwings contrasting with the white upperwings of the adult bird and the distinctive upperwing markings of the 1st winter birds were very striking.
1st winter Herring Gull with a gammy leg at Rusty Anchor - maybe Birdy from our roof this year?
Herring Gull (Birdy?)
It was all dry, sunny and calm first thing on Friday 3rd November as I headed out to The Plym for a walk but the breeze did eventually pick up and some very heavy showers rattled through before I headed back home. It was high tide and again a very high tide, not helped by the large volume of water flowing down The Plym following all the recent heavy rain.
Blaxton Meadow was very flooded but the water level wasn't as high as on my last visit and waders were trying to roost on what little space was available after presumably being flushed off The Embankment wall by a water skier and a paddle boarder. There was a sprinkling of Dunlin amongst the numerous Redshank present along with a Turnstone, 10 Greenshank, 11 Snipe and 21 Curlew. A female Goosander was preening on the sluice gate and out on the water were 15 Shelduck and 24 Wigeon along with Mallard and Canada Geese. A bit of variety was provided by my first Common Gull of the winter here, an adult bird hidden in plain sight as it roosted amongst the Black-headed Gulls.
Blaxton Meadow (Lake)
Common Gull with Black-headed Gulls
Around the Park it was business as usual too with 3 Buzzards, Redwings over (flocks of 6 and 20), a Goldcrest, at least 4 Jays, a flock of 20+Pied Wagtails and 20+Meadow Pipits feeding in amongst the grazing cattle and a Red Admiral the highlights. To round off another pleasant walk a Common Sandpiper and a Grey Wagtail were seen along the river near the gas pipe but again it was all very Groundhog Day.
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