We started off at Postbridge to look for the reported Bramblings and while I went to the machine to buy a parking ticket for the car Mavis was enjoying views of 2 Bramblings on the bird feeders in a nearby garden! We both then enjoyed good views of at least 3 Bramblings (2 males) coming into the feeders along with Chaffinches, Coal Tits, a Goldfinch, 2 Nuthatches, a Robin, Great Tits and a Marsh Tit.
Brambling, Postbridge
Brambling
Brambling
Brambling
We then headed off to Burrator Reservoir for a walk where we had good views of another Marsh Tit along with Siskins, Coal, Great, Blue and Long-tailed Tits, a Grey Heron, a Cormorant, a female Goosander and a Sparrowhawk.
Wild Daffodils were coming into flower and we found a few Scarlet Elf Cups on pieces of rotting wood.
Wild Daffodil, Burrator
Scarlet Elf Cup
Scarlet Elf Cup
Mossy Trees, Burrator
It was grey and claggy yet again on Saturday 16th March, I can not recall such a wet, miserable and seemingly endless winter ever, but with a Little Bunting having been found at Broadsands near Paignton I decided to ignore the wet weather and head out for a look. Unfortunately there were no trains running between Plymouth and Newton Abbot due to a week long schedule of engineering works and so I had to catch a bus from Plymouth to Paignton instead, it actually didn't take too much longer than the train and it worked out cheaper as well.
I arrived at the car park at Broadsands at around 10am and immediately found the Little Bunting feeding on seed put down over the winter period as supplementary food for the local population of Cirl Buntings which were also present. It was a very distinctive and smart looking bird and it showed very well for a few minutes before flying off, it then didn't reappear for almost 2 hours as a growing number of increasingly anxious birders began to assemble.
Little Bunting
Little Bunting
It finally reappeared and again showed very well but with the weather continuing to be drecky and the Bunting eventually disappearing again most of the birders present dispersed. I decided to hang around for a bit longer and despite increasing levels of disturbance from dog walkers and children on bikes it eventually showed very well again before it was time for me to leave and head back to Plymouth.
Little Bunting - courtesy of @billcoulson3 on Twitter/X - a fabulous image
I have seen Little Bunting only twice before, brief views of a bird at Wembury over 2 days back in 1997 and distant views of a bird at St.Germans in Cornwall in 2010 so todays bird was a very welcome sighting. The weather and lighting weren't great but the views of the Bunting were very good especially now that I have a telescope to view through unlike back in 1997 and 2010.
While waiting around for the Little Bunting to show I also saw 2 Buzzards and a Sparrowhawk overhead and a feeding flock of around 40 Linnet feeding in a weedy field. A Cetti's Warbler and 2 Chiffchaff were heard and a quick look offshore in the misty conditions revealed a Great Northern Diver and a Great Crested Grebe out on the water with a Little Egret and an Oystercatcher along the rocky shoreline.
Despite getting great views of the Little Bunting it was all a little bit too twitchy for my liking, the birding crowd were mostly a friendly and amiable bunch but I'm just not overly sociable when it comes to my birding time!
Sunday 17th March was actually a dry day, we even had glimpses of sunshine and blue skies and it felt quite warm and so despite being Sunday we decided to make the most of it and headed out for the day. I had casually suggested a trip to Killerton House near Exeter, luring David with the promise of tea and cake in the cafe there and the fact that a Waxwing had been showing in gardens in nearby Cranbrook did not have any bearing on my plans (much!).
We drove to Cranbrook first and after navigating the joys of the soulless estate roads we arrived at where the bird had been reported as showing and before even getting out of the car I could see the Waxwing sat atop of a bare tree with a gaggle of Toggers staring up at it.
Waxwing
Waxwing
I enjoyed some good views of the Waxwing either perched up in the treetops or gobbling down rosehips in the nearby gardens but it was often tricky to get a clear look at it amongst the branches. Apparently it had nearly been taken out earlier by a cat as it came down to drink in a nearby stream.
Waxwing
Waxwing
Waxwing
David's patience limit was reached after half an hour and so it was time to move on but I was glad to finally catch up with a Waxwing in what has been a good winter for them here in the UK. An added bonus while watching the Waxwing had been a male Brimstone flitting by, my first of the year and as always a surprisingly bright yellow colour.
We ended up visiting nearby Poltimore House instead of Killerton, we had a quick look around the gardens but it was incredibly waterlogged and difficult to navigate and so a repeat visit later in the year will be on the cards. The house itself is a bit of a ruin and unvisitable but the cafe was very good with very nice cakes which we enjoyed before heading home.
And so it's been quite the birding week this week despite the iffy weather with some very nice sightings and a definite feeling of spring being just around the corner.
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