Weaver Fish and Wagtails

It was overcast, misty, humid and warm as I caught the 7am bus out to Wembury on Monday 16th September, a contrast to my recent visits but I had high hopes that my walk would produce some good birds again. However as I stepped off the bus at Wembury it really didn't feel very birdy and so it proved to be although I still had an interesting walk.

The 12 Pale-bellied Brent Geese were still present and feeding out on the main beach which was a bit of a surprise but there were no yoga ladies or wild swimmers around and it is (supposedly) a dog free zone until the 30th September.

Pale-bellied Brent Geese

Pale-bellied Brent Geese

I was also pleased to finally get some decent views of Sanderling with 2 birds present and busily feeding with a Dunlin and 15 Turnstone on the beach near the sewage pipe. A Curlew and Oystercatchers were also present and I also heard a Redshank and a Ringed Plover calling.

Sanderling and Turnstone

Sanderling

Mediterranean Gulls were well down in numbers with just 7 winter plumaged adults roosting out on the rocks as the tide ebbed while at The Point only the one Whitethroat was seen. The juvenile Dartford Warbler was also still flitting about at The Point, keeping company with Stonechats and at times the Whitethroat.

Dartford Warbler

A Jay flying over the radar station was a surprise and I also heard the Cetti's Warbler in the valley to the beach for the first time in a while. Otherwise the usual birds were seen with a few Swallow and House Martin overhead and a Coal Tit feeding in The Pines at The Point the only other birds of note.

A Grey Seal briefly poked its head out of the water just off the beach by the sewage pipe and a Wall Brown was a nice find too.

Wall Brown

I met up with David back at the main beach and we enjoyed probably our last pasty of the year from the cafe for our lunch while watching the Pale-bellied Brent Geese still feeding out on the seaweed covered rocks.  They were totally unfazed by people walking around the beach nearby although when they were on the beach at The Point last week they were very wary when dogs came near. Hopefully they will stick around for a bit longer.

There were still no Large Rannunculus to be found on checking out the backyard moth box in the morning on Friday 20th September but highlights were 6 Box Tree Moth (including a dark morph being devoured by a spider in a nearby web), a Small Blood Vein, a late female Four-spotted Footman, a Cosmopterix species too quick for a decent photo and a Dioryctria species. I'm not sure that 6 Box Tree Moth should be described as a highlight though,  it's the most I have ever seen in the backyard before but the Box Tree topiary bushes in nearby Beaumont Park are beginning to be decimated.

Small Blood Vein

Four-spotted Footman - female

Cosmopterix Sp.

Dioryctria Sp.

Dioryctria Sp.

With my plans for a day trip to The Isles of Scilly continually being scuppered due to a combination of poor weather, being unwell, various appointments and the Scillonian ferry engine breaking down I eventually decided I will just have to try again next year. However we did get to Perranporth on Friday 20th September for our usual autumn day out, a little later in the month than usual but with noticeably fewer people around despite the warm and sunny weather. However there were loads of dogs present, they must have easily outnumbered the humans!

Not much was seen on the wildlife front with a few adult Gannets offshore, a Common Darter and a Small Heath flitting about in the dunes, a male Common Darter dashing about over the pond in the park and the usual large Trout in the stream down to the beach the highlights. It was a very low tide and we were able to better see the remains of the wreck of the La Seine on the beach, our best views ever as they poked out of the water in a pool near the surf line. Not so nice for David was getting stung on his big toe by a Weaver Fish as he waded through the shallow water for a closer look which resulted in a trip to the Lifeguard Hut for a hot water foot soak. It was very painful for him but it did eventually ease and we managed to return home safely, a bit of a crimp on an otherwise lovely day out.

Part of the La Seine wreck, Perranporth

Bizarrely the last time we saw the La Seine at Perranporth was in 2015 and on that occasion it was only just poking out of the breakers off the beach but we did find a Weaver Fish in the sand, a pretty fish but with nasty looking stinging spines on its dorsal fin.

Weaver Fish, Perranporth, 2015

It was overcast but warm and humid as I left the house at 7am on Saturday 21st September to catch the bus to Wembury for a walk. It did eventually clear and became a sunny day but the easterly breeze picked up too as the morning wore on. Saturday is not the best day to visit Wembury but needs must, it was quiet early on but was soon inundated by the ubiquitous dog walkers along the beach causing lots of disturbance to the roosting and feeding birds on a very high tide.

The highlight though was a Yellow Wagtail feeding along the beach below the stubble field, an unusual place to see one but it seemed quite happy as it fed alongside Pied and White Wagtails. A Grey Wagtail was also seen feeding along the main beach, making it a 4 "species" Wagtail day.

Yellow Wagtail

Yellow Wagtail

White Wagtail

Other birds of note along the beach were a Whimbrel, 4 Curlew, 12 Turnstone, 2 Ringed Plover, a Little Egret, a Wheatear, at least 19 Mediterranean Gull (including 1 1st winter and 2 2nd winter), 2 1st winter Common Gull and a 1st winter Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Lesser Black-backed Gull

There was a small movement of hirundines heading east into the wind from the moment I arrived, it slowed over the course of the morning but birds were still passing through when I caught the bus home at 12:40pm. The majority of the birds were Swallows with a few House Martins and included 3 Sand Martins (a single bird and a pair).

A single Whitethroat was seen at The Point with a single Blackcap but Chiffchaffs were calling, singing and flitting about everywhere. A Jay flew west over the valley to the beach, 3 Mute Swans flew west along the coast towards Plymouth, 2 Grey Heron were seen in flight (1 heading west offshore and 1 heading up the valley to the beach) and another 2 Feral Pigeons were seen (1 east over the stubble field and another east over The Point).

A Clouded Yellow, 3 Comma and 3 Painted Lady were seen along with 2 Small Copper, Red Admiral, 3 Speckled Wood, 3 Meadow Brown and a pair of Common Blue plus good numbers of Small and Large Whites. It was good to see at least 5 Wall Brown on the wing, a good 3rd generation showing in a poor year for butterfly sightings.

Wall Brown

Speckled Bush Cricket

Sadly the Brent Geese have moved on, the nearest wintering site is St.Johns Lake at Torpoint which isn't too far away from Wembury but time will tell if that's where they have ended up.