With April arriving a quarter of the year has now gone, it really has passed by so very quickly. The settled weather is continuing into April too, we haven't had any proper rain now for a couple of weeks and while it is mostly sunny it has also been quite breezy and this has kept the temperatures down somewhat.
I caught up with my first Brimstone of the year on a flying visit to Exminster Marsh on Monday 31st March, a brief sighting only as it flitted about along the roadside before flying off when a car passed by. I had a very quick look across the Marsh from the railway bridge too but it was very hazy and all I could pick out were a few Canada Geese.
I saw a few Peacocks and a Speckled Wood on a rearranged walk from Mount Batten to Bovisands with my friend Jan the following day but more interesting were 2 Cetti's Warblers heard calling along our route, 1 from the cliffpath near Fort Bovisand and 1 at the Cliffedge Cafe where we stopped for lunch - maybe the Wembury population expanding in range or new migrants?
Thursday 3rd April was another sunny and breezy day and so I headed out to The Plym for a look about. High tide was around 9:30am but with it being a spring tide Blaxton Meadow was still a lake by the time I arrived at around 11:30am. A surprise sighting here though were a pair of Shoveler roosting amongst the Shelducks out on the water, they didn't seem very settled and were eventually spooked by some of the Shelducks having a spat nearby and flew over to the river and out of sight. Another surprise was a single male Wigeon which also flew out to the river, a little late now to still be here.
Around 70 Redshank were roosting at the back of the Meadow with 5 Dunlin, 2 of which were in summer plumage, and 7 Greenshank and 6 Oystercatcher were present too. A Raven caused a bit of a kerfuffle amongst the Gulls, Shelducks and Carrion Crows when it flew down onto one of the islands on Blaxton Meadow to grab a beakful of mud before flying off with Carrion Crows in pursuit.
The pair of Red-crested Pochard were still at the duck pond, the female seems a little bit more tolerant of the male now, and the female Wood Duck was still present too amongst the Mandarin Ducks. A Swallow occassionally dashing about overhead was nice to see, presumably a returning breeding bird from the nearby old stables.
I had a look at Chelson Meadow, no clearance work has started yet for the planned solar farm so presumably the wildlife here will be able to reproduce in peace this summer for one last time. A male Stonechat, 3 Bullfinch (2 males), a male Kestrel and a Song Thrush were seen here but the highlight was a Wheatear, my first of the year.
There were a few butterflies flitting about but views were difficult in the strong breeze with 2 Speckled Wood, a Small White, a Comma, 2 Peacock and a male Brimstone all noted.
Friday 4th April and news came through of an immature Kittiwake being found on Blaxton Meadow and so I decided to go and have a look for it as I've never seen a Kittiwake on The Plym before. I'm always wary with news of unusual birds being found on The Plym as invariably they don't stick around for very long and I end up dipping them and today was no exception! On the walk from Marsh Mills down to Blaxton Meadow I met local birder Martin who had found the Kittiwake but the news was negative - a twat of a fisherman had walked out along the river wall which is supposedly no access and had flushed everything off the Meadow and downriver including the Kittiwake! Never mind.
Birds were beginning to return to the Meadow when I arrived at the viewing platform but despite sticking around for a bit in the forlorn hope the Kittiwake might return it wasn't meant to be. However I did manage to see a few birds including a male Wigeon, 4 winter plumaged Dunlin, 13 Oystercatcher, 8 Greenshank, 6 Little Egret and around 70 Redshank.
Saturday 5th April was yet again sunny but windy as I headed out to Wembury for a walk. The easterly wind was very brisk and became increasingly so as the morning wore on making birding more and more challenging but I had an interesting visit.
The highlight was a male Black Redstart along the beach, a smart looking bird but mobile and wary and my first at Wembury for some time now.
At least 9 Sand Martin and 5 Swallow were seen along my walk as they came in off the sea and headed inland, I don't often see Sand Martins at Wembury in the spring so today's count was notable. Chiffchaffs were singing away but only one Blackcap was heard and the Cetti's Warbler kept its usual silence. A Mistle Thrush at the radar station, 2 Red-legged Partridge in the sewage farm field, 4 Shelduck (2 pairs) in the wheatfield and 18 Turnstone feeding along the beach were also of note.
A male Orange-tip and a Large White were year firsts and a Speckled Wood, a Small White and 2 Peacock were also seen despite the strong wind.
