With the cold and settled weather continuing I decided to head off to Slapton Ley for a visit on Tuesday 14th January. Visiting Slapton Ley by public transport is my least favourite birding trip, it involves a frustratingly slow and fraught bus ride down narrow country lanes from Plymouth to Kingsbridge and then another frustratingly slow and fraught bus ride down narrow country lanes from Kingsbridge to Slapton, no fun at all, and it all has to be repeated on the journey back to Plymouth. As a result I don't tend to visit Slapton very often these days which is a shame as it's a great place for birding with this visit being no exception.
I caught the 7:30am bus from Plymouth and finally arrived at Slapton at around 9:30am, it was a double decker bus which was fortuitous as from my seat on the top deck I was able to see 8 Cattle Egret feeding in fields just outside Frogmore as we drove by. Later as we travelled along The Ley towards my bus stop a Great White Egret flew up from the reeds so I had 2 good bird sightings before I'd even stepped off the bus.
I got off the bus at the Slapton Turn and began by having a look offshore, the sea was flat calm but there was very little to be seen with just 2 distant Gannets flying south, 2 Razorbills with a few Shag resting on the sea and a few distant Auks flying by.
From the bridge a Cetti's Warbler was heard half-heartedly singing but a pair of Cirl Buntings showed very well and another Great White Egret flew over heading down The Ley. Also seen were 2 Little Egret making it a Three Egret day in Devon in January, unthinkable not that very long ago.
I then walked along the Ley side to Ireland Bay and began looking for the reported Red-necked Grebe but there was no sign of it, indeed there was very little out on the water with wildfowl numbers very low. However there were Coots present complete with their attendant Gadwalls stealing the vegetation they were bringing up to the surface along with 3 Mute Swans, Cormorants, Tufted Ducks and Gulls (including good numbers of Common Gulls). A Water Rail showed very well amongst the reeds and a male Bullfinch looked stunning in the sunshine perched up in the brambles.
At the quarry I finally found a Firecrest and a Chiffchaff flitting about and a Cettis Warbler showed very well in the nearby waterside vegetation. I decided to head back to the bridge and on the way eventually found the Red-necked Grebe asleep out on the water near a large flock of bathing Gulls, occassionally it would wake up very briefly, flashing off its yellow based black bill before going back to sleep. The views were distant and looking into the sun but I was pleased to catch up with it.
I began the walk down the Ley towards Torcross and found another 5 Chiffchaff along the way and also noted were 2 Water Rails (heard), 2 Cetti's Warblers (1 seen, 1 heard), 5 Stonechats (2 males), 2 Meadow Pipits, 4 Mediterranean Gulls (2 adults (1 ringed), a 1st winter and a second winter), 3 Greenfinch and 2 Goldfinch. Out on the water at least 7 Great Crested Grebes were present along with a male and 3 female Goldeneye, such very smart looking ducks and always a very welcome sighting.
I met David at Torcross and we had some lunch in The Start Bay Inn followed by a short wander about before we headed home in the car, a great day out and I didn't have to endure the bus ride home!
With a Booted Eagle being reported at Marazion in Cornwall I had considered taking the train down to Penzance for a look about on Saturday 18th January but I didn't relish a 4 hour return train journey and I wasn't in the mood to deal with weekend twitchers so I decided to visit Wembury instead. As I was leaving the house to catch the bus news came through of the Curlew Sandpiper being seen on the River Plym again and I nearly switched my plans but then decided to carry on with my visit to Wembury anyway.
It was cold, overcast and still when I arrived at Wembury and the sea was flat calm but a scan about offshore revealed little of note except for Gulls, Fulmars, Cormorants and Shags. The high tide was just beginning to ebb and still present along the beach with the roosting Oystercatchers was the Redshank (maybe last January's bird returning?) along with 12 Turnstone, 15 Mallard (10 males), 8 adult Mediterranean Gulls and 2 Little Egrets.
I had a look about around the sunflower field at The Point where the large flock of Linnet (100+) was still present and very flighty. An even larger flock of Chaffinch (200+) was present too and even more flighty and amongst them were a few Goldfinch and Greenfinch, Cirl Buntings, Meadow Pipits, Skylarks and 3 Yellowhammers, my first at Wembury for many years now.
Also of note on my walk about were a male Kestrel, a Grey Wagtail, a pair of Blackcap, 3 Pheasant, a Collared Dove and 2 Song Thrush. A Primrose, a Winter Heliotrope and Violets were in flower too, a sign that Spring is getting closer.
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