Curlew Sandpiper at Wembury

Along with Glossy Ibis there is quite an influx of Curlew Sandpipers going on at the moment and with them being one of my favourite waders I've been keen to try and catch up with one. A single bird had been reported on The Plym but it must have moved on as I failed to find it there on my visit on Friday 12th September but there have been regular reports coming through of birds being seen at Bowling Green Marsh and so I planned a visit there the next day for the high tide roost.

The September weather continues to be dire, it's mostly cool, wet and windy but I figured I would at least keep dry in the hide at Bowling Green Marsh if it rained. However I had a message from local birder Jenny of a Curlew Sandpiper being found along the beach at Wembury and so I switched plans and decided to visit there instead. The weather may be dire but the forecasting isn't that great either, Saturday 13th September was meant to be breezy and dry with sunny spells but as I was getting ready to leave the house to catch the 7am bus a torrential downpour rattled through. Luckily I decided to take an umbrella with me and I was very glad I did as more heavy downpours passed through while I was on my walk at Wembury but at least it kept the majority of walkers and dogs at home.

On arriving off the bus at Wembury I headed straight out to the sewage pipe at The Point where Jenny had seen the Curlew Sandpiper the previous day. The tide was heading in and it was going to be another high spring tide with the onshore breeze pushing the water up even higher onto the beach. I had a look about but all I could find were a few Oystercatchers hunkered down on the sand along with a few Black-headed and Mediterranean Gulls. Eventually 4 Bar-tailed Godwits appeared from under the cliff where they had been feeding out of sight and with them was a small wader which turned out to be the Curlew Sandpiper - result!

Curlew Sandpiper with Bar-tailed Godwit

Curlew Sandpiper and Bar-tailed Godwit

It gave some great views as it fed along the beach in the company of the Godwits and was eventually joined by 2 Sanderlings with all 3 species often in binocular view at the same time and all showing very crisp and smart plumage. It is only my third Wembury sighting of a Curlew Sandpiper and so much better (and cheaper) than travelling up to Bowling Green Marsh to see one.

Curlew Sandpiper and Sanderling

Curlew Sandpiper and Sanderling

Curlew Sandpiper

Curlew Sandpiper 

Also seen along the beach were 6 Little Egrets, 2 Curlews, a Turnstone, a Common Sandpiper and a Wheatear but the biggest surprise was a Kingfisher which flew into the bushes on the cliff face before being chased off by a Chiffchaff, not a regular sighting at Wembury. 

Other sightings of note included Gannets offshore, 5 Cirl Buntings (2 males) in the stubble field with 2 Canada Geese and 2 Pheasants, overhead Kestrel and Buzzard, an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull amongst the Gulls in the stubble field and 3 Rabbits in the horse field. Best of all though was a Peregrine which swooped along the beach scattering the waders, it chased down one of the Bar-tailed Godwits out to sea before giving up and heading off towards The Yealm.

I walked up to the dead tree along Brownhill Lane again before catching the bus home, the Rose-coloured Starling hasn't been seen for a week now and it wasn't present today although the usual Starlings were perched up on the nearby telegraph wires.

And so I've achieved my Autumn Five quite straightforwardly this year with Curlew Sandpiper completing the set (although I did see the overwintering bird on The Plym back in January and February). I've also managed to see 4 out of the 5 in the Plymouth area as well (Osprey, Yellow Wagtail, Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper) which is not particularly easy to achieve and I've never seen Wood Sandpiper in the Plymouth area before anyway.  However it does now feel like summer is done and I'm entering what is for me the quietest birding time of the year but who knows what is next?

Another Plym Osprey

The weather is very changeable at the moment, very unlike recent Septembers which have been mostly very pleasant affairs, and with Monday 8th September looking likely to be the best day of weather for the week I headed out to The Plym for a walk.

I didn't get going until late and arrived off the bus at Laira Bridge at just before 1pm on what was a very low tide. The usual birds were seen out on the mudflats including the 3 juvenile Shelduck when suddenly most of the Gulls took to the air although they made relatively little noise and quickly began to return back down to the mudflats. I had a good scan about but couldn't find anything to indicate what had spooked them and then I finally saw an Osprey quite high up in the sky and carrying a fish as it headed over Chelson Meadow towards Stag Lodge, loosing height as it went. I hadn't seen it catch the fish although the water level was extremely low on The Plym with it being a low Spring tide and it quite possibly is the same bird I saw on the 25th August as it took exactly the same route with it's fish.

I decided to take a walk up The Dell footpath towards Stag Lodge, a route I rarely take, and I checked out all the big trees along the way in the hope of finding the Ospreys feeding tree but I had no luck. 

The other highlight of my walk were 2 Whinchat on Chelson Meadow,  unfortunately they were very mobile and distant and viewing into the sun was tricky but I was glad to find them. A Small Copper, a Small Heath, Common Blues, Meadow Browns and 3 Clouded Yellows were also seen here along with a male Stonechat.

The tide was heading in by the time I arrived at Blaxton Meadow and from the bird hide I counted 30 Curlew, 17 Oystercatcher, 10 Greenshank, 2 Dunlin and a Common Sandpiper plus the usual uncounted Redshanks. The 3 juvenile Shelduck seen earlier out on the estuary were now roosting here and the juvenile Great Crested Grebe was back in its usual spot by the sluice gates.

Redshanks

I had the moth box out in the back yard that night, it was forecast to be clear and cool but again looked likely to be the best night of weather for the week so I gave it a go as my mothing endeavours will begin to wind down for the year now.

It did at least remain dry overnight and in the morning there were moths (and Wasps) in the trap. There were 6 Large Yellow Underwings, my highest catch of the year so far but way down on my usual back yard numbers and with them was a single Lesser Yellow Underwing. A Pale Mottled Willow was the highlight with a Box Tree Moth, a Mullein Wave, a Tachystola acroxantha, 2 Willow Beauty and a Garden Carpet making up the rest of a small catch.

Pale Mottled Willow

I had planned to be up and out of the door early on Friday 12th September and walk around Saltram and The Plym before the showers arrived but I couldn't get myself going, however news coming through of a juvenile Knot on Blaxton Meadow had me getting my arse into gear and heading out for a look.

I arrived at the viewing bench at The Meadow at around 9:30am as the spring high tide was reaching its zenith, water was pouring through the sluice gates but the breezy conditions were pushing water over the top of the sluice gate wall as well. Blaxton was a lake but amongst the roosting Redshanks along the back wall I eventually found the Knot, it was mostly sleeping but showed a beautiful peachy pink flush to its grey plumage along with a lovely pair of green legs.

There were also 2 Dunlin, 2 Common Sandpiper, 11 Greenshank, 21 Oystercatcher, a Whimbrel and 31 Curlew present along with the 3 juvenile Shelduck, a single Mandarin and an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull amongst all the usuals.

Whimbrel with Curlew

News of a Wryneck on Chelson had me heading over there for a look but as expected it was a no show for me (my third Wryneck dip here now) although I didn't spend as long as I should have looking for it especially as it was reseen later in the afternnon. Clouded Yellows were flitting about here though, at least 3 were seen, and also present were a Small Copper, a Small Heath, a Painted Lady, Large Whites, Common Blues, Red Admirals and Meadow Browns.

Clouded Yellow

Meadow Brown

I headed back to Blaxton Meadow and along the way sightings of note were 2 Green Woodpeckers, a Swallow, 2 Stock Dove and Ring-necked Parakeets while at the duck pond the female Wood Duck was present with a single Mandarin.

Back at The Meadow the Knot was still amongst the roosting Redshank, the regular juvenile Great Crested Grebe was seen out on the water and 2 Mute Swans were sleeping on one of the islands amongst the Canada Geese. On the walk back to Marsh Mills another Mute Swan was seen sleeping amongst the Canada Geese out on the mudflats by the gas pipe and along the river my first 3 Little Grebes of the autumn were noted, 2 adults still in breeding plumage and a juvenile bird.

Vapourer Caterpillar rescued off the footpath

Glossy Ibis

Friday 5th September was pleasantly warm and sunny after all the recent wind and rain and so we decided to take a walk from Thurlestone to Hope Cove and back. The summer school holidays are now finally over so it was fairly quiet on the people and dog front and therefore a much more enjoyable walk for it.

The walk to Hope Cove was uneventful with the only sightings of note being a Raven flying overhead and a lone Moorhen on South Huish Marsh where Swallows, House Martins and Sand Martins were flitting about over the water. 

South Huish Marsh

We had lunch in The Cottage Hotel in Hope Cove, we've never been there before and it was quite delightful with good food and beer, a calm and genteel old world charm and a lovely view of the sea from the terrace from where we watched a Grey Seal poking its snout out of the water just off the main beach before it disappeared beneath the waves. 

The walk back to Thurlestone was more eventful with a Kestrel and 2 Buzzards seen along the cliffpath and 2 Shags seen resting down on the rocks. With Glossy Ibis popping up everywhere in Devon and Cornwall at the moment I checked out a Glossy Ibis type bird flying over South Huish Marsh but it turned out to be just a Cormorant as I expected, however on scanning across the back of the Marsh I picked up an actual Glossy Ibis circling around and as it turned in the sky the sunlight caught the beautiful iridescence of its plumage. It landed and began to feed although unfortunately it soon moved into a ditch and was lost from sight but I was very pleased to catch up with one after having missed the 2 seen on The Plym on Wednesday.

I checked out the toilet block near the golf course, it used to be a good spot for moths but today only a Bloxworth Snout was present. I took a photo of it using my flash but everytime I pushed the shutter button the hand drier came on briefly, very bizarre, but I've often thought butterflies and especially moths can also detect the camera sensor as they will often fly off just as I take a photo.

Bloxworth Snout

It was forecasted to be another good day of weather the next day (Saturday 6th September) so I decided to head out to Wembury on the 7am bus for a look about. It was indeed a nice day but there was a stiff south-easterly breeze which hampered viewing a bit and I really should have had a lie in and caught the 9am bus instead but never mind.

The tide was ebbing and along the beach with the usual Oystercatchers were a Curlew, 3 Ringed Plover and a Turnstone. Also present were 4 Little Egret and 2 Wheatear along with Herring, Black-headed, Mediterranean, Great Black-backed and Lesser Black-backed Gulls. One of the adult Mediterranean Gulls was sporting a yellow leg ring but without my scope it was too far away to read, I moved closer for a better look but it had disappeared amongst the roosting flock when I tried to refind it.

Curlew

Wheatear

Gulls

Otherwise it was all much the same with the highlights being a few Gannets offshore, a Sparrowhawk, 2 Buzzards and 2 Kestrels overhead, a trickle of Swallows and House Martins moving east along with a Sand Martin, a Whitethroat sunning itself out of the wind at The Point and 9 Canada Geese feeding in the stubble field.

I decided to have another look for the Rose-coloured Starling before heading home although the news had been negative so far that morning. I had seen the Starlings in their usual dead tree earlier when passing by on the bus but on walking up the hill to the dead tree there wasn't a Starling in sight, Rose-coloured or otherwise. A flock of Starlings did fly overhead at one point but the Rosy wasn't in with them and it remained a no show until the bus arrived to take me home.

Rose-coloured Starling at Wembury

Meteorlogical Autumn has arrived and the weather on Monday 1st September was definitely feeling autumnal, all cool and breezy with sunny spells and occassional spits of rain, and with a Rose-coloured Starling having been found at Wembury over the weekend I caught the 7am bus out there to go and have a look for it.

The Rose-coloured Starling had been hanging out with a mobile flock of Starlings and was regularly being seen in a dead tree at the junction of Brownhill Lane and Mewstone Avenue, right opposite a bus stop, but on arriving off the bus there the tree was birdless. I walked to the other end of the lane and met local birder Paul checking out a flock of Starlings perched up on the telegraph wires but the Rose-coloured version was nowhere to be seen amongst them. The flock was very mobile and regularly flew back and forth along the lane but after an hour and a half of a no show I decided to go for a walk around the nearby streets for a look about. There was still no sign of it but on arriving back at the bus stop I suddenly saw it fly in with a few Starlings and land in the dead tree - result!

Rose-cloured Starling

Rose-coloured Starling with Starlings

Rose-coloured Starling with Starlings

It showed very well but was quite mobile at times, flying off and out of view before eventually returning to the dead tree and I enjoyed some good views of what is only my 5th sighting of one and my 2nd at Wembury, the others being seen at Exminster, Penzance and Paignton.

Rose-coloured Starling 

Rose-coloured Starling with Starling

I then headed out to The Point for a look about, there was a big feeding flock of Gulls close to shore in the choppy seas but I could only find Black-headed, Mediterranean, Herring, Great Black-backed and 2 Lesser Black-backed present. Gannets and Kittiwakes were more distant offshore and a single Auk species was seen heading west.

A Clouded Yellow, a Comma, a Common Blue, a Painted Lady, Meadow Brown and Large and Small Whites were seen despite the windy conditions and the only other sighting of note was a poorly looking juvenile Mediterranean Gull along the footpath which seemed unable to fly despite vigorously flapping its wings.

We had a walk around Saltram on Tuesday 2nd September, it was warm and humid with occassional mizzle spells in cloudy skies and the neap tide was heading in but with no water coming through the sluice gates into Blaxton Meadow. The usual birds were seen on our walk with the highlights being 9 Greenshank on the Meadow, a Common Sandpiper and a Kingfisher from the railway bridge, 4 Mute Swan along the river and the female Wood Duck on the duck pond.

Wood Duck

It was forecasted to be wet and windy overnight and so I decided to try a seawatch on Wednesday 3rd September. I did think of going to Berry Head but couldn't be arsed with all the faffing about to get there and I also considered trying Penlee for the first time but again the faff of getting there put me off and so I headed out to good old Wembury instead, that well known mecca for seawatching (not!).

I had heard heavy rain falling at times during the night but there seemed to be very little wind and when the alarm clock went off at 5:30am the rain was beginning to ease off and it was all very quiet. I caught the 6:30am bus out to Wembury and the rain had stopped by the time I arrived, the wind wasn't very strong either as I headed out to The Point to meet local birder Jenny. We began to scan about, the seas weren't as choppy as I was expecting but there was quite a swell and frequent heavy showers rattled through in the grey skies. We easily found Gannets moving about offshore as well as Kittiwakes, Mediterranean Gulls, at least 2 Fulmars and "Commic" Terns along with the usual Shags and Gulls but otherwise it seemed very quiet.

I did pick up a small Shearwater feeding closer in to shore, it flew short distances away from me before ditching down on the water and I eventually caught a glimpse of its dusky underparts indicating it was indeed a Balearic (or Mediterranean) Shearwater. A group of 3 Balearic Shearwaters were then seen feeding together in the same style and then later another single bird was seen a bit further out. There were also 5 Manx Shearwaters seen flying west, a pair and 3 singles and showing off their white underparts as they sheared over the waves.

I also picked up a pale phase Arctic Skua moving west but quickly lost sight of it, shortly after I picked up another pale phase bird harassing a Kittiwake, this one was darker looking than the first one I saw but I eventually lost sight of it as well.

The birds offshore started to fizzle out and Jenny headed home as I started the walk back towards the bus stop. Along the way I saw the usual birds with a Sanderling, 6 Sandwich Tern (3 adults, 3 juveniles), at least 120 Mediterranean Gulls and 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls of note before another hefty shower arrived and I sheltered in the lee of a hedge to avoid the worst of it. After it cleared through I had another scan offshore and picked up a feeding group of Gannet and Kittiwake and flying past behind them was an immature Great Skua which was a nice but sadly all too brief surprise.

I decided to go and have another look for the Rose-coloured Starling before catching the bus home, it was still being reported as present in the same area as on Monday and on arriving I quickly found it perched up on telegraph wires with the Starling flock and flying down into nearby gardens to feed on Elderberries. Suddenly everything took to the air and the flock flew off high to the south, probably due to the overhead prescence of 2 soaring Sparrowhawks, and the flock hadn't returned by the time my bus back to Plymouth arrived but at least I'd had another view of it.

Rose-coloured Starling with a Starling

Rose-coloured Starling