Christmas 2025 came and went and we had a very quiet and peaceful time, it was all very pleasant with cold and crisp days and no rain for a change which helped the Christmas vibe but I'm glad its now over for another year and I can't help wondering what it really is all about.
To try and shift some Christmas lard we had a walk along The Plym from Laira Bridge to Marsh Mills and back on Tuesday 30th December and it was the only birding I did over the Christmas period. The tide was heading in and I kept an eye out along the river for the reported Great Northern Diver and male Goldeneye but with no luck.
The female Red-crested Pochard was on the duck pond and I finally saw a Saltram Redwing for the year with a single bird in the wet wood alongside a single Song Thrush. 4 Goosanders (1 male) and 2 Little Grebe were along the river near Marsh Mills and 2 Chiffchaff were feeding in the trees along The Ride.
We had a walk around Plymouth Hoe on New Years Day to start off my birding list for 2026, it was cold, crisp, dry and sunny and very pleasant but also very busy with walkers. However I was very pleased to find a pair of Blackcap feeding on Ivy berries near Fisherman's Nose, a Purple Sandpiper feeding with 2 Turnstones on the jetty below the Pier One cafe and a Chiffchaff and a male Black Redstart feeding around the Lifeboat Station at Rusty Anchor and I ended up seeing 23 species of bird without really trying.
It was another cold and crisp morning on Friday January 2nd as I headed out to catch an early train to Topsham for my first proper birding day of the year. For some reason I was able to use my Devon and Cornwall Railcard before 9am despite it being a Friday and not a Bank Holiday but I wasn't going to argue as I paid just £9.75 for my ticket and caught the 7:45hrs train.
With the recent cold weather and some strong easterly winds there has been quite an influx of White-fronted Geese into the UK and in amongst them there have been a few Tundra Bean Geese, both species have been reported from Bowling Green Marsh and so I was keen to catch up with them. Sadly it wasn't meant to be for me today but despite my dipping the Geese I saw some good birds and had an enjoyable time.
I arrived at the Bowling Green Hide at around 10:30am, later than planned due to the train guard slipping on ice at Newcourt station which resulted in the train being terminated and my having to walk from there to Topsham! Annoyingly there had been 2 Russian White-fronted Geese on Bowling Green Marsh earlier but they had gone by the time I arrived - I would have seen them if the train had arrived into Topsham on time but never mind.
It was a day of lovely lighting conditions in the cold air and mostly sunny skies and the highlights of my day were an Egyptian Goose at Darts Farm, a Spotted Redshank off the Viewing Platform along with Avocets and a Knot, yet more Avocets off The Goatwalk along with a Great Crested Grebe out on the river, a female Shoveler, a female Pintail and a pair of Gadwall on a nearly frozen over Bowling Green Marsh and a Marsh Harrier and a Raven overhead.
The highlight of my walk was a male Goldeneye out on the river off the Rowing Club, a rare sight indeed these days here in Devon and my first one on The Plym since 1997. It was busily diving away and at one point flew a short distance down river when it looked absolutely stunning in the sunshine, a very handsome bird and a much appreciated cold weather visitor.
After seeing just 1 Redwing at Saltram last year (on the 30th December!) it was good to see quite a few on todays visit, yet more cold weather migrants, and while I had some good views they were their usual skulky, flighty selfs. Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers were both initially heard but eventually gave themselves up and showed well and a male Blackcap was seen busily eating Ivy berries alongside Blackbirds. A Kingfisher was diving for fish near the gas pipe while out on the river a Little Grebe, a pair of Goosander and 11 Wigeon were seen. A perched up Buzzard along The Ride was getting short shrift from a Magpie before flying off and 3 female Roe Deer were feeding out in the open near the Parakeet tree.
The female Red Crested Pochard had departed the duck pond again with just a few Moorhen and Mallard present as The National Trust continue their feeding ban while Mandarin Ducks are still conspicuous by their complete abscence.
