Yet another Storm arrived on Monday 26th January, this one was named Chandra and it brought yet more very wet and very windy weather with it.
We had a walk along The Plym the next day (Tuesday 27th January), it was still blowing a hoolie but the rain was now in the form of very heavy showers which we managed to dodge or shelter from along the way.
I kept a look out for Little Gulls amongst the numerous Black-headed Gulls feeding out over the water of The Plym on the high tide but I was out of luck. However I did find an adult Gannet sat out on the water and looking a little moribund although it did fly a short distance at one point and regularly flapped its wings in between sleeping. It was close in to The Embankment so the views from Saltram were a little distant but it is only the second time I've seen a Gannet on The Plym following adult and juvenile birds in September 2022 and again after stormy weather.
Blaxton Meadow was well flooded again on the high tide and birds were roosting there on the high tide with all the usuals seen including Curlew, Redshank, Dunlin, Oystercatcher, Shelduck, 2 Grey Heron, a Little Egret, 8 Greenshank and 23 adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls although I failed to find the reported Bar-tailed Godwit.
With possibly up to 4 juvenile Caspian Gulls being seen in Brixham Harbour recently I've been keen to go and have a look for them but with all the recent bad weather there have been big problems on the local rail network with cancellations and delays to services. The bad weather conditions haven't been very condusive for birding either and along with yet more dentistry problems I haven't made the trek out to Brixham to go look for them but with Saturday 31st January looking to be a decentish day of weather and the trains now running to schedule I set off with my fingers crossed.
Things didn't start off very well as I realised after I'd bought my train ticket at the self-service machine at Plymouth Station that I had picked up our Two Together Railcard and not my Devon and Cornwall Railcard so I had to pay an excess fare to upgrade to a full price ticket. Luckily I found out before I set off otherwise I could have potentially been fined but as it was I never had my ticket checked once on any of the 4 trains I travelled on!
I eventually arrived at Brixham Harbour at around 10am, news had come through on the sightings pages while I was on my train journey that the Caspian Gull was present but by the time I arrived in Brixham it had flown off and after nearly 5 hours of searching it never reappeared before I headed home - drat! Caspian Gull may have been a no show but the star bird of the day was a very showy Black-throated Diver, certainly the best views of one I've ever had before as I watched it diving in the Harbour and later off the Breakwater.
Great Northern Divers were literally littered across the Bay, they were everywhere you looked and amongst them were Shag, Guillemot (some im summer plumage), Razorbill and a Red-throated Diver. Gannets and Kittiwakes were also seen flying around over the water with the Gannets regularly seen diving for fish.
There were Grey Seals everywhere too - hauled out on pontoons or swimming about around The Breakwater and one was even hauled out on the nearby beach where volunteers were keeping a delighted public from getting too close to it.
An adult Mediterranean Gull was regularly seen patrolling along The Breakwater and 3 Purple Sandpiper were seen on the ruined pier while in The Harbour a pair of Mallard were noted along with Mute Swans and Turnstones.
A sorry sight was a Kittiwake that had taken the bait on a fishermans line and had gotten caught on the hook and tangled up, fortunately he was able to free it and it flew away but who knows what state its mouth and throat are in.
I enjoyed my time at Brixham but it was a shame a Caspian Gull didn't make an appearance for me today after the birds having been so showy over the past week but never mind. I've only ever seen Caspian Gull once before, a 1st winter bird in Suffolk in 2015 and a distant view only, and I've also seen a few probables at Minsmere and Cromer too but it would have been nice to have gotten a better view of one and here in Devon where it is still quite uncommon. It certainly seems to be appearing more and more in the South West though, whether an increase in numbers, expansion of range or better observer coverage but hopefully I'll catch up with another one sometime soon.
And so January comes to a close with 2 dips already under my belt ( Tundra Bean Goose and Caspian Gull) but my year list stands at 122 which is my highest January total ever so I can't complain in what has been a varied and interesting month of birding.
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