tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24980230718630630382024-03-18T22:14:58.486+00:00Stuart's Wildlife DiaryStuart Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562828875993764020noreply@blogger.comBlogger884125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498023071863063038.post-80329225903832446992024-03-17T17:34:00.001+00:002024-03-17T17:38:26.972+00:00Bramblings, a Little Bunting and a WaxwingWednesday 13th March was forecasted to be grey but dry and so indeed it was as I headed off to Dartmoor to do some birding with Mavis. It was chilly in the breeze and a bit misty and mizzely at times but we had an enjoyable time.<div><br /></div><div>We started off at Postbridge to look for the reported Bramblings and while I went to the machine to buy a parking ticket for the car Mavis was enjoying views of 2 Bramblings on the bird feeders in a nearby garden! We both then enjoyed good views of at least 3 Bramblings (2 males) coming into the feeders along with Chaffinches, Coal Tits, a Goldfinch, 2 Nuthatches, a Robin, Great Tits and a Marsh Tit.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaES7mRAv81EV5tHMvAXHg2UbocsMPl_uJ1sVYfZ2ip0X8__hFAHFAut4EbcdmFgKfS9yoz1_KzaaaHnoFawMtyxPvPzqhRdziAwQ25LwRr2rCc0-fUWeoI1hl4Se9znxPIhUxIstnQpgFP23o9iwAy5iV6Pp_qiC1JfpDvmjYg7qLYdujzSNL4bm4Flw/s1366/P1000584_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaES7mRAv81EV5tHMvAXHg2UbocsMPl_uJ1sVYfZ2ip0X8__hFAHFAut4EbcdmFgKfS9yoz1_KzaaaHnoFawMtyxPvPzqhRdziAwQ25LwRr2rCc0-fUWeoI1hl4Se9znxPIhUxIstnQpgFP23o9iwAy5iV6Pp_qiC1JfpDvmjYg7qLYdujzSNL4bm4Flw/s320/P1000584_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Brambling, Postbridge</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_7DPucCX1XiptnQqNR8gQ-WRot8FxH_Uurr_G7Z_lwI14KIduABuvQyA41BL9dirrcP1w57zOLuaPMaMNbLctSQOVkbLAQMNshX3nS-jgTNzJiKxgRPYTtyNUTZDRvMcsNAkBPxRSugXytja-856gAtLd1KP2Ly90wI23WVvTm-6xCT2Bg0xGBVPLro/s1366/P1000541_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_7DPucCX1XiptnQqNR8gQ-WRot8FxH_Uurr_G7Z_lwI14KIduABuvQyA41BL9dirrcP1w57zOLuaPMaMNbLctSQOVkbLAQMNshX3nS-jgTNzJiKxgRPYTtyNUTZDRvMcsNAkBPxRSugXytja-856gAtLd1KP2Ly90wI23WVvTm-6xCT2Bg0xGBVPLro/s320/P1000541_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Brambling</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7-x3N1UUgHHOC_9sn8iNC9kb23tHA0gpWhfyOTPTGHK_m8jdmQ-Ssofn1-75gEaStjcd_CMUxQWQsJXbieUFr5rCr4G25VLSckCyr3EFY6_qJUHm8AcG-fHlnlImUhiGiJ56oBdtDsFt_JPfQoSLcERgJ6cYVXs2qwGYwXDKVvS4TCVBErp2f4F3wuE/s1366/P1000465_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7-x3N1UUgHHOC_9sn8iNC9kb23tHA0gpWhfyOTPTGHK_m8jdmQ-Ssofn1-75gEaStjcd_CMUxQWQsJXbieUFr5rCr4G25VLSckCyr3EFY6_qJUHm8AcG-fHlnlImUhiGiJ56oBdtDsFt_JPfQoSLcERgJ6cYVXs2qwGYwXDKVvS4TCVBErp2f4F3wuE/s320/P1000465_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Brambling</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqNrIGjFCbLt-pDjUwqVtIUDEpS1ZlYTuW9MRAmBiv6_mTe9857Orgatcjm3IrN5wxBbvNX9NUJZ4dCgumSKTVqUqheQn1BM4dgBk_UbjTABK1pIlG1RhH3Sg0anifoz8uh1qZIPd8pq6UBXrDI1VA5IY8TPnSq4I7rVaPuAxQRMRK6WY844efExsUTGA/s1366/P1000588_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqNrIGjFCbLt-pDjUwqVtIUDEpS1ZlYTuW9MRAmBiv6_mTe9857Orgatcjm3IrN5wxBbvNX9NUJZ4dCgumSKTVqUqheQn1BM4dgBk_UbjTABK1pIlG1RhH3Sg0anifoz8uh1qZIPd8pq6UBXrDI1VA5IY8TPnSq4I7rVaPuAxQRMRK6WY844efExsUTGA/s320/P1000588_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Brambling</div><div><br /></div><div>We then headed off to Burrator Reservoir for a walk where we had good views of another Marsh Tit along with Siskins, Coal, Great, Blue and Long-tailed Tits, a Grey Heron, a Cormorant, a female Goosander and a Sparrowhawk.</div><div><br /></div><div>Wild Daffodils were coming into flower and we found a few Scarlet Elf Cups on pieces of rotting wood.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAGn5shZFl19_S1m_7PC38CUbNOpRqUqNhXVBPlUEIEBsUUICqzntFpG74Wj32g2vuw2vvRRKpx2uIzFTejqkZ4v7qPMfOH_cDjNz9CPBYogPE3CM_m_N9AQSy1UZFPUCvdiuIXXbsuLc-NZmGknmR_Mz5Z9KFfz6fOSku00NEZe2J8elpdfLqDS7uojQ/s1366/P1000625_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="1025" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAGn5shZFl19_S1m_7PC38CUbNOpRqUqNhXVBPlUEIEBsUUICqzntFpG74Wj32g2vuw2vvRRKpx2uIzFTejqkZ4v7qPMfOH_cDjNz9CPBYogPE3CM_m_N9AQSy1UZFPUCvdiuIXXbsuLc-NZmGknmR_Mz5Z9KFfz6fOSku00NEZe2J8elpdfLqDS7uojQ/s320/P1000625_edited.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Wild Daffodil, Burrator</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvGo8xHu5oKagHBC_Dr_A6fW27LHlKI2-OIgpMml89bFJbVzmOfLSmberXDa1NAtFrcrH8dymPsaBahRImsiqFYqRH73RM3ckQbjcDVnWZUTyqpClOBV6rhpCQs0x_RrPwzs0VUzTP34KnSyUVdJXhxc_f7AMDZe1Xi0ow-E86WkR-l9TTo4hv5ktyM4/s1366/P1000635_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="1025" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvGo8xHu5oKagHBC_Dr_A6fW27LHlKI2-OIgpMml89bFJbVzmOfLSmberXDa1NAtFrcrH8dymPsaBahRImsiqFYqRH73RM3ckQbjcDVnWZUTyqpClOBV6rhpCQs0x_RrPwzs0VUzTP34KnSyUVdJXhxc_f7AMDZe1Xi0ow-E86WkR-l9TTo4hv5ktyM4/s320/P1000635_edited.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Scarlet Elf Cup</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9otieS9cjNRUJwRavIBx3Y0OCFFAO_LGNYOk4BxsZNGlzdD5atini8UCPAVq5dWiEbpOqhysjw9cVV24gG6yWSQ_T8QoBrWKVfGxmSkSn5jGm65suRy5G1B5h31IBAuUijW3BdTaVtxFrT5GfXk_Up0VIBwii1cvWl5rm5YxaC9fVwK5LhKu0WTSYMo/s1366/P1000651_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9otieS9cjNRUJwRavIBx3Y0OCFFAO_LGNYOk4BxsZNGlzdD5atini8UCPAVq5dWiEbpOqhysjw9cVV24gG6yWSQ_T8QoBrWKVfGxmSkSn5jGm65suRy5G1B5h31IBAuUijW3BdTaVtxFrT5GfXk_Up0VIBwii1cvWl5rm5YxaC9fVwK5LhKu0WTSYMo/s320/P1000651_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Scarlet Elf Cup</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwe_vHuDb2RoT2YDXWkNksiHmtoT9tZcdVTqAcUqYGAyQRHfKGrnIpezgzbit6hjo8siy2qUuq8cvjHzo6GxhwA76-Eq0eiATawDNu1tIW4jcIOd8RZZ-YDzQT-pCOMNNTqH2FqG7yhKuVpXCmDXIhRX_W-KrXwY8_hozc7HWdWCx-Ve4FdXICo1LnC4/s1366/P1000613_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="1025" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwe_vHuDb2RoT2YDXWkNksiHmtoT9tZcdVTqAcUqYGAyQRHfKGrnIpezgzbit6hjo8siy2qUuq8cvjHzo6GxhwA76-Eq0eiATawDNu1tIW4jcIOd8RZZ-YDzQT-pCOMNNTqH2FqG7yhKuVpXCmDXIhRX_W-KrXwY8_hozc7HWdWCx-Ve4FdXICo1LnC4/s320/P1000613_edited.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Mossy Trees, Burrator</div><div><br /></div><div>It was grey and claggy yet again on Saturday 16th March, I can not recall such a wet, miserable and seemingly endless winter ever, but with a Little Bunting having been found at Broadsands near Paignton I decided to ignore the wet weather and head out for a look. Unfortunately there were no trains running between Plymouth and Newton Abbot due to a week long schedule of engineering works and so I had to catch a bus from Plymouth to Paignton instead, it actually didn't take too much longer than the train and it worked out cheaper as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>I arrived at the car park at Broadsands at around 10am and immediately found the Little Bunting feeding on seed put down over the winter period as supplementary food for the local population of Cirl Buntings which were also present. It was a very distinctive and smart looking bird and it showed very well for a few minutes before flying off, it then didn't reappear for almost 2 hours as a growing number of increasingly anxious birders began to assemble.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFml0bekAnsOFTHDxJG7U6NGs97SkzkN8KwSHQPq1kBETqMfGEiF44lpLfPzelhLKGQFmQFOgavpL7QkgdOaSvhCV0W9JuTtzJBdhOMu68oHVfKQxZ5DWpHBWUximgLMdUn2VJsxcE2NiIXQ6Qh9NLM4XNrM-HAXc_8Gd58Vn-RZFU0bV4j1B4SIEs13M/s1366/P1000752_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFml0bekAnsOFTHDxJG7U6NGs97SkzkN8KwSHQPq1kBETqMfGEiF44lpLfPzelhLKGQFmQFOgavpL7QkgdOaSvhCV0W9JuTtzJBdhOMu68oHVfKQxZ5DWpHBWUximgLMdUn2VJsxcE2NiIXQ6Qh9NLM4XNrM-HAXc_8Gd58Vn-RZFU0bV4j1B4SIEs13M/s320/P1000752_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Little Bunting</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixpsrifuPiBxh1j9xhdm5lb26kLpiqxioiLnW2Vc_RPJAx5-sPgq1M_09nxthl0qtfhIKsBic0m1_N9QbgdbgxefISkN8qlI954WEvnSuk1mZ8rP-hXPAymomx2lzUEi2jEqY7MV50J27gLIo368h5kH2pZ4y6j1RkPhbx5HvbB7PC9kjYMFa-xiFUSfY/s1366/P1000743_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixpsrifuPiBxh1j9xhdm5lb26kLpiqxioiLnW2Vc_RPJAx5-sPgq1M_09nxthl0qtfhIKsBic0m1_N9QbgdbgxefISkN8qlI954WEvnSuk1mZ8rP-hXPAymomx2lzUEi2jEqY7MV50J27gLIo368h5kH2pZ4y6j1RkPhbx5HvbB7PC9kjYMFa-xiFUSfY/s320/P1000743_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Little Bunting</div><div><br /></div><div>It finally reappeared and again showed very well but with the weather continuing to be drecky and the Bunting eventually disappearing again most of the birders present dispersed. I decided to hang around for a bit longer and despite increasing levels of disturbance from dog walkers and children on bikes it eventually showed very well again before it was time for me to leave and head back to Plymouth. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjboJWEgaSsfBABlQwWRIm1IY7eHJaH_938_PLwvhRxFxYcJQQ1xBMpWFqIXgwPorA5NQ46dpBQOveGw-_ItsGm15dhomp-bS-6lZN4bgkzciBtifliYLkBw3SW8YNLhTbyKp-Wua97SrzXXXYo9d0F4MR_jR8t16MZPvTE3iYn6PB1rXfyHei3pWSPHF0/s1200/GIucxXqW8AA4mQ1.jpeg.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="1200" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjboJWEgaSsfBABlQwWRIm1IY7eHJaH_938_PLwvhRxFxYcJQQ1xBMpWFqIXgwPorA5NQ46dpBQOveGw-_ItsGm15dhomp-bS-6lZN4bgkzciBtifliYLkBw3SW8YNLhTbyKp-Wua97SrzXXXYo9d0F4MR_jR8t16MZPvTE3iYn6PB1rXfyHei3pWSPHF0/s320/GIucxXqW8AA4mQ1.jpeg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Little Bunting - courtesy of @billcoulson3 on Twitter/X - a fabulous image</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>I have seen Little Bunting only twice before, brief views of a bird at Wembury over 2 days back in 1997 and distant views of a bird at St.Germans in Cornwall in 2010 so todays bird was a very welcome sighting. The weather and lighting weren't great but the views of the Bunting were very good especially now that I have a telescope to view through unlike back in 1997 and 2010. </div><div><br /></div><div>While waiting around for the Little Bunting to show I also saw 2 Buzzards and a Sparrowhawk overhead and a feeding flock of around 40 Linnet feeding in a weedy field. A Cetti's Warbler and 2 Chiffchaff were heard and a quick look offshore in the misty conditions revealed a Great Northern Diver and a Great Crested Grebe out on the water with a Little Egret and an Oystercatcher along the rocky shoreline.</div><div><br /></div><div>Despite getting great views of the Little Bunting it was all a little bit too twitchy for my liking, the birding crowd were mostly a friendly and amiable bunch but I'm just not overly sociable when it comes to my birding time!</div><div><br /></div><div>Sunday 17th March was actually a dry day, we even had glimpses of sunshine and blue skies and it felt quite warm and so despite being Sunday we decided to make the most of it and headed out for the day. I had casually suggested a trip to Killerton House near Exeter, luring David with the promise of tea and cake in the cafe there and the fact that a Waxwing had been showing in gardens in nearby Cranbrook did not have any bearing on my plans (much!).</div><div><br /></div><div>We drove to Cranbrook first and after navigating the joys of the soulless estate roads we arrived at where the bird had been reported as showing and before even getting out of the car I could see the Waxwing sat atop of a bare tree with a gaggle of Toggers staring up at it.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAfnOMueOhLSWr_bxJaTRFHz7A5S-gj_SzOoj0qdN3D6rV42iTifPevysjlXDMrN66N8o6AZ6xkxosdwLYrEa-RJKlsGUp5hNdmeSwMX6ludsllJa5RnYTLJp6w-LL9ouheVO0lbZEG3ioVZfoOUVOEGW75BlCrwUmNLbIRqHg3jNUshVVrBbHTMIpCIU/s1366/P1000767_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAfnOMueOhLSWr_bxJaTRFHz7A5S-gj_SzOoj0qdN3D6rV42iTifPevysjlXDMrN66N8o6AZ6xkxosdwLYrEa-RJKlsGUp5hNdmeSwMX6ludsllJa5RnYTLJp6w-LL9ouheVO0lbZEG3ioVZfoOUVOEGW75BlCrwUmNLbIRqHg3jNUshVVrBbHTMIpCIU/s320/P1000767_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Waxwing</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd-jNcYEeG01Wv3QARm9S7JuPuiPE3HM6iHEANCK_H5PkrZ7DpNzAimXCwlP3KKgA2vubkPzVFallkE4nW7P7WLdY0pKWcT6FqJM2QgX2jcyrDSs2hQPB-Suoc7L1Sq7H-5QQcurxv8YoNX4QuGkowXDcSiFHWT4VX3h5cJKANZYUdiYmQLwpvoTLXopY/s1366/P1000809_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd-jNcYEeG01Wv3QARm9S7JuPuiPE3HM6iHEANCK_H5PkrZ7DpNzAimXCwlP3KKgA2vubkPzVFallkE4nW7P7WLdY0pKWcT6FqJM2QgX2jcyrDSs2hQPB-Suoc7L1Sq7H-5QQcurxv8YoNX4QuGkowXDcSiFHWT4VX3h5cJKANZYUdiYmQLwpvoTLXopY/s320/P1000809_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Waxwing</div><div><br /></div><div>I enjoyed some good views of the Waxwing either perched up in the treetops or gobbling down rosehips in the nearby gardens but it was often tricky to get a clear look at it amongst the branches. Apparently it had nearly been taken out earlier by a cat as it came down to drink in a nearby stream.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFVmXJ8EtUFuu5JhMdlkJAlZG109-FG2oYID8otomeZrWXK0jfc_HyHyYbl4Nz5cxfmgCeErGXESw1cOkUhDlJvw9z8NcaQ4qEBZXXRVy7Nr_jZHxmxECgAa_e0oPL6AKas6mU2J9QFvB7c7RWIqwPGEnVyF7W1tevZp1ARdvo3Bhduv64Uk9KpuegT4/s1366/P1000775_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFVmXJ8EtUFuu5JhMdlkJAlZG109-FG2oYID8otomeZrWXK0jfc_HyHyYbl4Nz5cxfmgCeErGXESw1cOkUhDlJvw9z8NcaQ4qEBZXXRVy7Nr_jZHxmxECgAa_e0oPL6AKas6mU2J9QFvB7c7RWIqwPGEnVyF7W1tevZp1ARdvo3Bhduv64Uk9KpuegT4/s320/P1000775_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Waxwing</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF4q6oApYhD3ASxOPIe9r2Axz5mC6b3I_Hzm-jWVWOEdrnJoSjyNqmk2Nbn5h7cWozq9RV6UvbCfJMJOL7gjtpQEcbAzAgxk17osJm7t92yJn3J4ZMCaLWJGZ1q8bU3MhR1uKtypsWWb274fiZonN-UgMgDoN94BpiBXCK55lLMmvSgzmLV1-_33XR2aw/s1366/P1000786_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF4q6oApYhD3ASxOPIe9r2Axz5mC6b3I_Hzm-jWVWOEdrnJoSjyNqmk2Nbn5h7cWozq9RV6UvbCfJMJOL7gjtpQEcbAzAgxk17osJm7t92yJn3J4ZMCaLWJGZ1q8bU3MhR1uKtypsWWb274fiZonN-UgMgDoN94BpiBXCK55lLMmvSgzmLV1-_33XR2aw/s320/P1000786_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Waxwing</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH_qT9IO7L-x_s-yvzkbCKhLySsUDGxkStNbg_EcAhQJzpr9J51K5NQmnKmrOmUQEsLgy8KD-diuAKt7MeFTcla9KMOT4dboa0nylFblLH6JSwK94hw8RkYuj-gg9uugoytfpiwTnLpSogz58M4VI9IoN2YgAoC9JdYePVIu8PX8-XpN954GZQloVCfgk/s1366/P1000801_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH_qT9IO7L-x_s-yvzkbCKhLySsUDGxkStNbg_EcAhQJzpr9J51K5NQmnKmrOmUQEsLgy8KD-diuAKt7MeFTcla9KMOT4dboa0nylFblLH6JSwK94hw8RkYuj-gg9uugoytfpiwTnLpSogz58M4VI9IoN2YgAoC9JdYePVIu8PX8-XpN954GZQloVCfgk/s320/P1000801_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Waxwing</div><div><br /></div><div>David's patience limit was reached after half an hour and so it was time to move on but I was glad to finally catch up with a Waxwing in what has been a good winter for them here in the UK. An added bonus while watching the Waxwing had been a male Brimstone flitting by, my first of the year and as always a surprisingly bright yellow colour.</div><div><br /></div><div>We ended up visiting nearby Poltimore House instead of Killerton, we had a quick look around the gardens but it was incredibly waterlogged and difficult to navigate and so a repeat visit later in the year will be on the cards. The house itself is a bit of a ruin and unvisitable but the cafe was very good with very nice cakes which we enjoyed before heading home.</div><div><br /></div><div>And so it's been quite the birding week this week despite the iffy weather with some very nice sightings and a definite feeling of spring being just around the corner.</div>Stuart Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562828875993764020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498023071863063038.post-1855871614752294082024-03-12T08:04:00.002+00:002024-03-12T08:04:57.005+00:00Burrator, Plym and ExeWe had a walk around Burrator Reservoir on Wednesday 6th March, it was a beautiful day and surprisingly warm in the sunshine when sheltered from the brisk wind. We did our usual walk around the whole reservoir and it was dry and relatively mud free along the roads and paths and there was plenty of water still rushing over the Dam after yet more recent heavy rain.<div><br /></div><div>There were actually some birds around this time too with the highlight being 3 Crossbill that flew over the treetops calling before disappearing from sight, my first of the year.<div><br /></div><div>A Mistle Thrush was heard singing, 5 Buzzard mewed overhead, 2 Green Woodpecker were heard yaffling and a Great Spotted Woodpecker was heard drumming. Ravens and Siskins were also displaying overhead while out on the water 2 male Goosanders, 2 Great Crested Grebes, an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull and the White farmyard Goose were seen.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thursday 7th March was sunny again but still breezy and so I headed out to The Plym for a walk, starting at Laira Bridge and finishing at Marsh Mills. The tide was heading in when I arrived but it had been a high low tide and the mudflats were rapidly disappearing under water.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was very pleased to finally find my first Plym Red-breasted Merganser of the year, a male bird busily diving away off the Rowing Club. This winter has been poor for Red-breasted Mergansers locally with odd reports here and there of a pair on The Plym or The Tamar so I was glad to catch up with one of them before they head off north to breed. The only local record I have this winter is of an immature male on The Plym at the beginning of December, maybe today's adult male bird is that same one now all grown up.</div><div><br /></div><div>Otherwise all the usual birds were present today on my walk with the highlights being a Common Sandpiper, a Snipe, 2 Turnstone, a Little Grebe, 3 Mandarin (2 males) and 2 pairs of Goosanders along the river near the gas pipe, 18 Curlew, 10 Oystercatcher, 3 Greenshank, 6 Little Egret and 2 Grey Heron roosting on Blaxton Meadow as the water headed in through the sluice gates, 3 Greenshank and 28 Common Gulls (27 adults, 1 1st winter) with Dunlin, Redshank and Shelducks out on the mudflats and 6 Ring-necked Parakeets, 3 Stock Dove and a singing Chiffchaff in the Park.</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVTKyoxN1X-Q3krMXcJenbOQ_rNP42LjfUE3AxLRjqm95bnXq8wF5tf-RrMNEKTrprv4cy2mL8fI690tuvZ1Y7XhjhZ3In4WiDEY8i-1turbaD4n2_G0KvoV0HI9WciyYB96itr5tNpu-5ndcvQpzhY3BuigX9SDlx4eUSAYhcueMGSzQI0Zx2eChY-L0/s1366/P1000331_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVTKyoxN1X-Q3krMXcJenbOQ_rNP42LjfUE3AxLRjqm95bnXq8wF5tf-RrMNEKTrprv4cy2mL8fI690tuvZ1Y7XhjhZ3In4WiDEY8i-1turbaD4n2_G0KvoV0HI9WciyYB96itr5tNpu-5ndcvQpzhY3BuigX9SDlx4eUSAYhcueMGSzQI0Zx2eChY-L0/s320/P1000331_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Mandarins</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjmgkNoPaRLJ7uZS9_7RnHhwuIS-lJQJ4r5O3ON4SKh7ITizClsV8wbM2cwZNOJH9T99BXfBJyaKFdK839pXgQGk-Yn3ra6P9UgfqBoLWtpxLHy9nxXdRO49I-MEjiDLEUBE16JJr2uW2rGyaSFlF08LRdKXpaF3pB2fYRlbI9YSU29ltbkf4o1HPBFg/s1366/P1000315_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjmgkNoPaRLJ7uZS9_7RnHhwuIS-lJQJ4r5O3ON4SKh7ITizClsV8wbM2cwZNOJH9T99BXfBJyaKFdK839pXgQGk-Yn3ra6P9UgfqBoLWtpxLHy9nxXdRO49I-MEjiDLEUBE16JJr2uW2rGyaSFlF08LRdKXpaF3pB2fYRlbI9YSU29ltbkf4o1HPBFg/s320/P1000315_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Blaxton Meadow Roost</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdBrVuuYqpIh09Hzxv1p2sr4yaUhMNqVi9F-9EIKpixf9CSwnojU9GQkoiLCZH_7lHc-pj751a2sqXWGzBbtsiU3KK1qgn9-tMzpESCzu17m2SCAcAQ_QEJpS7n7krOQnDRY3li9ZWKkd4Bu4kRXqer8mZFSMMhR9S-0HXNfCQi__WTWZ0f-_W6lrA7zk/s1366/P1000310_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdBrVuuYqpIh09Hzxv1p2sr4yaUhMNqVi9F-9EIKpixf9CSwnojU9GQkoiLCZH_7lHc-pj751a2sqXWGzBbtsiU3KK1qgn9-tMzpESCzu17m2SCAcAQ_QEJpS7n7krOQnDRY3li9ZWKkd4Bu4kRXqer8mZFSMMhR9S-0HXNfCQi__WTWZ0f-_W6lrA7zk/s320/P1000310_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Stock Dove</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOqdVSBJp2zhldApa00uU-z-eeu0Pm63saVTHhwzoH50WA6AQSRc13Bc0pwSldjbw8ednaQGWGlUemx0-BvobPMlyPby7McFSBsMbxA7mT40MUzPpGUF4s3eP3uMMqFLls73ZWTvEjuB7fps1aC3TABF9Ys80FdCv-J73SnRYA44oDw80LL4CWfPyOvCY/s1366/P1000321_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOqdVSBJp2zhldApa00uU-z-eeu0Pm63saVTHhwzoH50WA6AQSRc13Bc0pwSldjbw8ednaQGWGlUemx0-BvobPMlyPby7McFSBsMbxA7mT40MUzPpGUF4s3eP3uMMqFLls73ZWTvEjuB7fps1aC3TABF9Ys80FdCv-J73SnRYA44oDw80LL4CWfPyOvCY/s320/P1000321_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Wood Anemones</div><div><br /></div><div>On the morning of Friday 8th March news of 7 Dark-bellied Brent Geese on The Plym came through on the bird news channels, unfortunately I was busy at the time but we had a walk down to Laira Bridge that afternoon for a look. The tide was now high and as expected there was no sign of them but there was a nice adult Shag in its breeding finery out on the water just above the bridge. </div><div><br /></div><div>Brent Geese are only occassionally seen on The Plym, I've never managed to see any there before so missing today's birds was a shame but there's always another time.</div><div><br /></div><div>With reports of Wheatears arriving along the South Devon coast and the weather for Monday 11th March set fair I had planned to visit Wembury but I had a hankering for something different for a change and so I switched plans and headed up to The Exe instead. I caught the train to Starcross and then walked up to the viewing platform at Exminster Marsh and back and I had a very enjoyable time.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was indeed a beautiful day with some nice sunny spells and feeling warm in the very gentle breeze, 2 Chiffchaffs heard quietly singing and a brief view of a flyby Small Tortoiseshell on my walk made it feel even more spring like. </div><div><br /></div><div>Despite signs of spring there were still plenty of winter birds around with the Brent Geese noisely feeding in the grassy fields close to the footpath before decamping to the estuary mudflats when the tide receded. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5VQS49y9jwfjMQsQseZRrWXIGT6EaBuEoJverzpRmhz0DK0rBdc7mqc-fLtDcruLV8C80XtY7C836oNzSJZdYtLyesRDppa6PVfBonTMU01PJNWgJs4xNQoF3X_052STXR5o27XCAvh9A4iSaWSd9Mb6XQTQ4rp5IslFs6_BHgb6lx36rPvQu4EY57dM/s1366/P1000405_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5VQS49y9jwfjMQsQseZRrWXIGT6EaBuEoJverzpRmhz0DK0rBdc7mqc-fLtDcruLV8C80XtY7C836oNzSJZdYtLyesRDppa6PVfBonTMU01PJNWgJs4xNQoF3X_052STXR5o27XCAvh9A4iSaWSd9Mb6XQTQ4rp5IslFs6_BHgb6lx36rPvQu4EY57dM/s320/P1000405_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Brent Geese</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">There were still good numbers of waders feeding out on the estuary too - Dunlins, Oystercatchers, Curlews and Redshanks with Grey Plovers, Knot, Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits, Greenshank and around 35 Avocets along with a distant roosting flock of Golden Plovers. Teal, Wigeon, Shelduck and Canada Geese were also present.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii2D6H1bikiHk_iLeMxHe-NF1UGVuGH4UTYQcrIcza3udBuuInvzC5PUCDojyzqEVOtVB4cP3ws55ftC7Vb4BgvlXnyZbWY-2DoAwsaAAVQmdQnh1k0BggT4iRSya37y91oSONuBm7GbOiLwb0gayTgaQlYEbcXDD9PIdpFEdr715WWT4TAzC6SKFsOpM/s1366/P1000421_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii2D6H1bikiHk_iLeMxHe-NF1UGVuGH4UTYQcrIcza3udBuuInvzC5PUCDojyzqEVOtVB4cP3ws55ftC7Vb4BgvlXnyZbWY-2DoAwsaAAVQmdQnh1k0BggT4iRSya37y91oSONuBm7GbOiLwb0gayTgaQlYEbcXDD9PIdpFEdr715WWT4TAzC6SKFsOpM/s320/P1000421_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Avocets</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwSr0Lrhyphenhyphenn_7hsExH7Aru9EGXKjIaF_lqdCBvhSUrqT6YtsYdBK5ifMOt5Ot7AZ6NNCOhU2KdTK_JPZS-wFIiTMGlB9I8MlZWT6Lu_acg6IJLImnC_NVMeq6ylTYHycVzWBAJOlXScSzbz2PoJnXFIDGQzP1YiGDduS7mm4t91ywcqMpMDtzKG-8lgvmY/s1366/P1000416_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwSr0Lrhyphenhyphenn_7hsExH7Aru9EGXKjIaF_lqdCBvhSUrqT6YtsYdBK5ifMOt5Ot7AZ6NNCOhU2KdTK_JPZS-wFIiTMGlB9I8MlZWT6Lu_acg6IJLImnC_NVMeq6ylTYHycVzWBAJOlXScSzbz2PoJnXFIDGQzP1YiGDduS7mm4t91ywcqMpMDtzKG-8lgvmY/s320/P1000416_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Teal</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The Fallow Deer were showing very well in Powderham Park with a pair of Gadwall, 4 Stock Dove, a Raven and a Kestrel also of note here and both a Green and a Great Spotted Woodpecker were also heard.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7uFuj1iwtHhSDNY1S2aZSESVBdY2CXild0YIWASUdYobNkSyIXzCP3D7RTyrWZkG88T3ALw24Gci25L-S97GemxJfEp28z2hInMPuUqebCvKUBzf9AKfWwzFLPO_5U_MYPIwWFuI7e-BriF20DB4S8xORipavUGXHsyoNsRUOP8224RrFVf0VjN18xZM/s1366/P1000371_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7uFuj1iwtHhSDNY1S2aZSESVBdY2CXild0YIWASUdYobNkSyIXzCP3D7RTyrWZkG88T3ALw24Gci25L-S97GemxJfEp28z2hInMPuUqebCvKUBzf9AKfWwzFLPO_5U_MYPIwWFuI7e-BriF20DB4S8xORipavUGXHsyoNsRUOP8224RrFVf0VjN18xZM/s320/P1000371_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Fallow Deer</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRH7LRXjPpPuvgNwkKxUEIdhEpptrgDv9dMQRAv7wfYdVgx5EbnLf_H2ePA7WFacfVdQDlqoXXxYzbsPA9vr37oxIn9JPozHZ9B_D8vuDIxA6rV6Gb8gp3PqTIzeSn8l4O4IG_kJJlnmYgWuhHCgjqqVCOFvi0N_7Ykb-4m6nuDRt6vNoSplFXlGT1Wjs/s1366/P1000397_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRH7LRXjPpPuvgNwkKxUEIdhEpptrgDv9dMQRAv7wfYdVgx5EbnLf_H2ePA7WFacfVdQDlqoXXxYzbsPA9vr37oxIn9JPozHZ9B_D8vuDIxA6rV6Gb8gp3PqTIzeSn8l4O4IG_kJJlnmYgWuhHCgjqqVCOFvi0N_7Ykb-4m6nuDRt6vNoSplFXlGT1Wjs/s320/P1000397_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Kestrel</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGBPrxzkHUgRGBIo-k1KR96dnN-nmfIhbB1D2VjIghQkfGErQctunPw8Wu1SqPGEDVZe5D8WXy0RmDxZV08nidKaZmPL9Hf0E_20ZbmENWm6hicuWDgC5w7VVeahexuqltXE76dxsCEgepMSbvl1TY-aK71w0x36fxzugnddQjGq5AJBsigmzew71yAxQ/s1366/P1000386_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGBPrxzkHUgRGBIo-k1KR96dnN-nmfIhbB1D2VjIghQkfGErQctunPw8Wu1SqPGEDVZe5D8WXy0RmDxZV08nidKaZmPL9Hf0E_20ZbmENWm6hicuWDgC5w7VVeahexuqltXE76dxsCEgepMSbvl1TY-aK71w0x36fxzugnddQjGq5AJBsigmzew71yAxQ/s320/P1000386_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Mallard - resplendent in the sunshine</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">A hunting immature male Marsh Harrier spooking all the wildfowl and 2 female Pochard on the lagoon with 4 male and a female Tufted Ducks were the highlights on Exminster Marsh with 2 male Reed Buntings also seen here my first of the year.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigGtijwHpIG2II18k-5wFuMT3yT2GzxeTatTC6X3UillcT-yNDa-0JOcJjI6pRckwAyTMrR_dWBHBXVi1bR3ub9A1EZYoLwTf7mM4Rp4UiazJRD-2tNH6Zzl9CML-r732be0brav-n6k8oj4LLOgqG63_PrR_NrfBLzbEeEelQYM4kf8WtG6yLNn2SwNk/s1366/P1000436_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigGtijwHpIG2II18k-5wFuMT3yT2GzxeTatTC6X3UillcT-yNDa-0JOcJjI6pRckwAyTMrR_dWBHBXVi1bR3ub9A1EZYoLwTf7mM4Rp4UiazJRD-2tNH6Zzl9CML-r732be0brav-n6k8oj4LLOgqG63_PrR_NrfBLzbEeEelQYM4kf8WtG6yLNn2SwNk/s320/P1000436_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Reed Bunting</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsbNNxyL7uupEyUsT1zPrdj5JgcTttB8ovoJkl0XWgT_4VPTsiOoO0sFGSHeKmP3_MTg4nXLL23csTuQAJNwzE6giASe5LbZBv0rZ42l26q5ZgKknS8cMpHNA8ON13x2v10qtTJkhHbYx_BAtKdA5D_1bnNZNIjqmVtjXlgif1jOZMmie0OMam1NRn_ic/s1366/P1000431_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsbNNxyL7uupEyUsT1zPrdj5JgcTttB8ovoJkl0XWgT_4VPTsiOoO0sFGSHeKmP3_MTg4nXLL23csTuQAJNwzE6giASe5LbZBv0rZ42l26q5ZgKknS8cMpHNA8ON13x2v10qtTJkhHbYx_BAtKdA5D_1bnNZNIjqmVtjXlgif1jOZMmie0OMam1NRn_ic/s320/P1000431_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Reed Bunting</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">A Cattle Egret was found in the flooded field just outside Starcross when I first arrived off the train, it looked a little sickly but it had disappeared on my return walk.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1oOtNx1beKby_F9gto_hr5R5ME8ge4y-31zwMmIOpZUOZvDIWUrt6yZrpyNVPBp7Gv94bYRUL7OIljjjcWJHk669IEdApX1WTdK5vWMy522-kjU-W6hmdBN8q8Ua8x1LKY9N8KPbc1hROj_hygxP59TXqeIDyY4UGDhKPirRBOwdlrUi4NG36LBRhrqQ/s1366/P1000364_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1oOtNx1beKby_F9gto_hr5R5ME8ge4y-31zwMmIOpZUOZvDIWUrt6yZrpyNVPBp7Gv94bYRUL7OIljjjcWJHk669IEdApX1WTdK5vWMy522-kjU-W6hmdBN8q8Ua8x1LKY9N8KPbc1hROj_hygxP59TXqeIDyY4UGDhKPirRBOwdlrUi4NG36LBRhrqQ/s320/P1000364_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Cattle Egret</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Before catching the train back to Plymouth from Starcross I spent some time scanning the river from the station platform as the tide headed in. An immature male Eider was picked up diving off Exmouth, distant views only through the scope, but 2 Great Northern Divers, 7 Great Crested Grebes and 3 pairs of Red-breasted Mergansers showed a little closer.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3hxvjSnfxeuFYDs-ZppfyV0OYwbSD5V7-TnPYrG_Q_guMGD0EO7tWoaWSBQfVnj2zAOrX875eK0DpdU8FqBK7c5OX1POP5BBkrOAyaThpe-RUNbdSVQlGzCLzFPYtsLBqc9-YaDlBxmLTtFdYBN6ZKNF2HkvU34wLn6zpfre5AHRr1zjoqhLUINUlyY/s1366/P1000451_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3hxvjSnfxeuFYDs-ZppfyV0OYwbSD5V7-TnPYrG_Q_guMGD0EO7tWoaWSBQfVnj2zAOrX875eK0DpdU8FqBK7c5OX1POP5BBkrOAyaThpe-RUNbdSVQlGzCLzFPYtsLBqc9-YaDlBxmLTtFdYBN6ZKNF2HkvU34wLn6zpfre5AHRr1zjoqhLUINUlyY/s320/P1000451_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Red-breasted Merganser</div>Stuart Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562828875993764020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498023071863063038.post-1387729219607235952024-03-06T07:30:00.000+00:002024-03-06T07:30:25.270+00:00Still no PurpleIt was cold and sunny on Saturday 2nd March and there was a dusting of snow on the Dartmoor hilltops as viewed from the top deck of the bus as I travelled out to Wembury for a walk. The sunny skies eventually gave way to some heavy showers and later when I caught the bus back to Plymouth the snow on the Moors had all melted away.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP-q57MDp3zdNH7PSvzbVfO10JpFxO7HN0G_bCuPhCTRY4POvzkXDHIvekLJZoHpIVTIBFDkvMZ_lC4slH_FuIekdCMtxZY_ssdtO3meZer_D-CzkliEFgA0KjuYQ1AmvVQ4Nrwg_akawQhNjpk9ym6JxeAYUs3IhBkRBBcnOnG_eQ6SraVmuvvlM1J-k/s1366/P1000220_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP-q57MDp3zdNH7PSvzbVfO10JpFxO7HN0G_bCuPhCTRY4POvzkXDHIvekLJZoHpIVTIBFDkvMZ_lC4slH_FuIekdCMtxZY_ssdtO3meZer_D-CzkliEFgA0KjuYQ1AmvVQ4Nrwg_akawQhNjpk9ym6JxeAYUs3IhBkRBBcnOnG_eQ6SraVmuvvlM1J-k/s320/P1000220_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Wembury (before the showers)</div><div><div><br /></div><div>It was high tide and with it being a Saturday and the clifftop footpath being a complete quagmire there was a lot of disturbance along the beach but I did find the wintering Redshank, 6 Turnstone, 4 Little Egrets and Oystercatchers trying to roost, however 3 Mallards (2 males) had given up and were resting in the stubble field and 2 Canada Geese were in the cowfield.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaILnOWZKvCVUOJhUJW83VktrQ1OlCo4ZIbW4LYv0Bm2C1YcAcTGmdMp0zy4yHzwF9HeHMrMetuvDQUHUTagiHYiqVlZjAoIa1R7lZLVeY_5pE9Yw04xNgx9RuVQUm_nurGH9_Thm_0cH6zhoKBLaRGe7v6YEvOAXM2zY4qUflVX92N3zXvUhHCVaME74/s1366/P1000279_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaILnOWZKvCVUOJhUJW83VktrQ1OlCo4ZIbW4LYv0Bm2C1YcAcTGmdMp0zy4yHzwF9HeHMrMetuvDQUHUTagiHYiqVlZjAoIa1R7lZLVeY_5pE9Yw04xNgx9RuVQUm_nurGH9_Thm_0cH6zhoKBLaRGe7v6YEvOAXM2zY4qUflVX92N3zXvUhHCVaME74/s320/P1000279_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Redshank</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-Me_BI1rhPD4Al1AqE78o0fb5M33jiHuLzDQ0D6gbyNWvh3QQWhOWEhVzEfCqdOsLZtXZF47rF9802kyru-1GuccTqGQAEfGGR6QNdpNOTbojWGAK9hYK_V3pyI8yMDv1DJxC0g6XvtEvcgbC1JLftsulaaUmphnjciaomMEFS8DlnPelZW0rnIWsug/s1366/P1000223_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-Me_BI1rhPD4Al1AqE78o0fb5M33jiHuLzDQ0D6gbyNWvh3QQWhOWEhVzEfCqdOsLZtXZF47rF9802kyru-1GuccTqGQAEfGGR6QNdpNOTbojWGAK9hYK_V3pyI8yMDv1DJxC0g6XvtEvcgbC1JLftsulaaUmphnjciaomMEFS8DlnPelZW0rnIWsug/s320/P1000223_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Canada Geese</div><div><br /></div><div>I had a good scan of the rocky foreshore for any Purple Sandpipers as the tide headed out but there were none to be found, the mystery of where 70 Purple Sandpipers roosting at high tide on the nearby Plymouth Breakwater go when the tide heads out continues. Maybe they stay and feed on the Breakwater at low tide?</div><div><br /></div><div>Rock Pipits and Pied Wagtails were feeding on the seaweed mass along the beach with a pair of Stonechats and 2 Chiffchaffs also present, there was no sign of the Water Pipit again which must have cleared out during the cold spell back in January but I did find a Scandinavian Rock Pipit coming into breeding plumage, the bold eyestripe, pink flush to the breast and blue tinge to the head very noticeable as it chased off any nearby Rock Pipits. </div><div><br /></div><div>The usual Gannets were diving for fish offshore and Fulmars were wheeling around The Mewstone with Cormorants and Shags flying back and forth to The Mewstone too. Another Chiffchaff was seen in the village gardens along with a very smart male Pheasant and there was just 1 Roe Deer this time feeding on the hillside above the wheatfield. </div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOpaUT9GjGDDtaKsZ7lcD35smFMrpuh8KDD_b6VHnL_eDaAFccGc7oWxdjpjpY1TDJc6BJFiacnH1e0BE5NBDjC5lWqFWsmw-SwwvRTLsrRVge8IoBIIwI1Y2LOluYs4h6tfeHwKfalWhoFIgwuaTS9l3E67IIjJ9I_PzxYToqpuNPXhu80-CoF1tIFE8/s1366/P1000275_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOpaUT9GjGDDtaKsZ7lcD35smFMrpuh8KDD_b6VHnL_eDaAFccGc7oWxdjpjpY1TDJc6BJFiacnH1e0BE5NBDjC5lWqFWsmw-SwwvRTLsrRVge8IoBIIwI1Y2LOluYs4h6tfeHwKfalWhoFIgwuaTS9l3E67IIjJ9I_PzxYToqpuNPXhu80-CoF1tIFE8/s320/P1000275_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Great Black-backed Gulls, Wembury</div><div><br /></div><div>Tuesday 5th March was forecasted to be sunny with a gentle breeze and so I headed out to my usual place to look for Goshawks. It was indeed a beautiful sunny morning but became quite cloudy with an occassional shower of rain which was not what was forecast. </div><div><br /></div><div>When I first arrived at my lookout point there wasn't a cloud in the sky and I quickly found a pair of Goshawks displaying together. I watched them for around 20 minutes as they soared about overhead and flapped their wings in a nightjar-like style. A second female was also seen displaying and at one point she briefly joined the displaying pair before heading away. Neither of the female birds had any missing secondaries but I guess they would have regrown since my last visit on 16th February.</div><div><br /></div><div>With the cloud arriving the displaying ceased and the pair quickly disappeared, never to be seen again, but later I did manage another brief view of the lone female as she circled around during a sunny spell being mobbed by a Carrion Crow.</div><div><br /></div><div>Also on view overhead were the usual Ravens and Buzzards plus a displaying pair of Sparrowhawks. There were Woodpigeons and Redwings flying around too and the fields were full of Pheasants, Rooks and Jackdaws but I again failed to find any Red-legged Partridge.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy0dhPDmKlhADb5-MV9ZPFl64yE5DRIQp-03k2A084w2q0HdL-EGwskYqAg_oNZbDvjf8Cq5E_oHk6UCa2lrDEu0YEgsAacsbjnu2xJ87sigqQDNtb6E_0Ypzbnh5BHJqRcfdmjfuEcwT_TiGOwUcT7__YPzyJ7C1EQQwjA7nDTe3qaW62OT2ZT91gcmQ/s1366/P1000294_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy0dhPDmKlhADb5-MV9ZPFl64yE5DRIQp-03k2A084w2q0HdL-EGwskYqAg_oNZbDvjf8Cq5E_oHk6UCa2lrDEu0YEgsAacsbjnu2xJ87sigqQDNtb6E_0Ypzbnh5BHJqRcfdmjfuEcwT_TiGOwUcT7__YPzyJ7C1EQQwjA7nDTe3qaW62OT2ZT91gcmQ/s320/P1000294_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Plenty of Sheep and Lambs in the fields</div><div><br /></div><div>A look about in the wet wood was productive with a Fieldfare, a Marsh Tit, a Mistle Thrush, a Nuthatch, a Goldcrest and 3 Siskins (2 males) all seen along with Robin, Blackbird and Great, Blue and Long-tailed Tits. Two Great Spotted Woodpeckers were heard drumming, Primroses were in flower and I finished my walk with a flock of around 50 Linnet feeding in a weedy field.</div><div><br /></div><div>Not so good were very muddy and waterlogged paths resulting in very wet feet, also not so good was a 90 minute delay getting home, firstly due to my scheduled bus being cancelled due to a lack of staff and then delays to all further buses caused by a car accident blocking the roads. </div>Stuart Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562828875993764020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498023071863063038.post-59047597769242026912024-03-03T08:50:00.004+00:002024-03-04T08:44:34.576+00:00Black Redstart<p>We had a walk around Plymouth Hoe on Thursday 29th February, it was grey and still with a flat calm sea and the rain held off until we returned home. With 70 (!) Purple Sandpipers having recently been counted roosting on The Breakwater I kept an eye out for any along The Hoe foreshore but with it being low tide there were none to be found. It does beg the question though of where do they all go when it's not high tide?</p><p>A distant Auk was seen diving away out in The Sound, probably a Guillemot, and the usual Shags and assorted Gulls were present too. There were 6 Turnstones feeding on the rocks below Rusty Anchor and 2 Canada Geese flew over heading towards The Cattewater.</p><p>The male Black Redstart was still present at Rusty Anchor, I managed to get a few record shots of it but it was never still for very long and it never came too close.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkjpG2BUqKJx6oG3-aQL11BHTv9OtAHPdSI-6p32xyGHhFaj9KbGeeez-q5fvXT1qsf89vj9To10lBeVwwlE65VZflR-PJy8b08y_hLQ-2Ea8el0Bpxa3jVoS5vRARSwHZ8nyyr1HLWBpi21TzuLTnhyphenhyphenT98MCsovYODUbfT_y7dcN3xE96E2T6Kazffl8/s1366/P1000045_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkjpG2BUqKJx6oG3-aQL11BHTv9OtAHPdSI-6p32xyGHhFaj9KbGeeez-q5fvXT1qsf89vj9To10lBeVwwlE65VZflR-PJy8b08y_hLQ-2Ea8el0Bpxa3jVoS5vRARSwHZ8nyyr1HLWBpi21TzuLTnhyphenhyphenT98MCsovYODUbfT_y7dcN3xE96E2T6Kazffl8/s320/P1000045_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Black Redstart </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLWh0BKw-CJfNK3JmfhE64cj3K6I3e9r0_3pSe6VSaD9m7UeVtI9qNJaVI9qw-8QKC2_ffi2HoXzziLtX5IU3KKa6cz-juJsm4zJr9S-Cw4aNrwDCdXithJfZVzT-IjaVf0rtccyLnFN8bvWZlvXYAHTLLSc_pa34rGYnXqELPi6diEprhu5cUjqbITbA/s1366/P1000014_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLWh0BKw-CJfNK3JmfhE64cj3K6I3e9r0_3pSe6VSaD9m7UeVtI9qNJaVI9qw-8QKC2_ffi2HoXzziLtX5IU3KKa6cz-juJsm4zJr9S-Cw4aNrwDCdXithJfZVzT-IjaVf0rtccyLnFN8bvWZlvXYAHTLLSc_pa34rGYnXqELPi6diEprhu5cUjqbITbA/s320/P1000014_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Black Redstart </div><p>Friday 1st March was cool and breezy with sunny spells and heavy showers including some hail at times as I headed out to Marsh Mills for a River Plym walk. Yet more heavy rain overnight meant even more muddy footpaths but it was relatively quiet on the walker and dog front.</p><p>It was a very high tide and Blaxton Meadow was well flooded with nearly all the Redshank and Dunlin roosting out on the Embankment wall instead of the Meadow until a passing paddle boarder flushed them all, eventually most of them returned to the wall but some did fly over to the Meadow to roost. Also on the Meadow were 6 Snipe, 10 Greenshank, 13 Oystercatcher, 15 Curlew, 3 Grey Heron and 3 Little Egret along with Shelduck, Mallard and Canada Geese plus 8 Common Gull and a Mediterranean Gull amongst the usual assorted Gulls.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmCkSyZJ108xBX0PP5F0i4pmJOL2eM6EynQx9V-ZBltIxldjCGzJa3cGCwDGPv1O1tEZ1OSOC90Fuu9Gqu5vmsj5YpB8HIZNALFhgymSY6Wk7Fqp9TTXda7clng07oQowK901KDXlEl6sYeWQVmW7V0l8Q1CncLke9y4a1XlKmoI0MAGolAdzhFZAz4Ys/s1366/P1000155_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmCkSyZJ108xBX0PP5F0i4pmJOL2eM6EynQx9V-ZBltIxldjCGzJa3cGCwDGPv1O1tEZ1OSOC90Fuu9Gqu5vmsj5YpB8HIZNALFhgymSY6Wk7Fqp9TTXda7clng07oQowK901KDXlEl6sYeWQVmW7V0l8Q1CncLke9y4a1XlKmoI0MAGolAdzhFZAz4Ys/s320/P1000155_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Curlew</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtrZtlj1AFylmIjwcEgTxlYAJMv1xNCioQWcrUS76qTkFm7lple0D-hK-i5rn8xzHv2b48hm_5OUHAKDJsDTm9jiLSpmRaB3eOYGp66FB55wM4AHM3hIm__OyUxrbFdK5cjWEzr-TzcgNgGugp_Wmwk1Rf8K4PDdaKww1wIZ7VmzP8s9OS8z4kDwLhYuQ/s1366/P1000115_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtrZtlj1AFylmIjwcEgTxlYAJMv1xNCioQWcrUS76qTkFm7lple0D-hK-i5rn8xzHv2b48hm_5OUHAKDJsDTm9jiLSpmRaB3eOYGp66FB55wM4AHM3hIm__OyUxrbFdK5cjWEzr-TzcgNgGugp_Wmwk1Rf8K4PDdaKww1wIZ7VmzP8s9OS8z4kDwLhYuQ/s320/P1000115_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Mediterranean Gull</div><p>A look around the Wet Wood was productive, still no sign of a Water Rail but a Kingfisher, a male Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Grey Wagtail, a Goldcrest, a Treecreeper and skittish Redwings showed very well.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJet3TJOzVajwCiCy_78OIdr7xnpCoP0oWi50j9fk5sv5TodVeaU8QK7Hc4gUVQ0J2iDh6QY16AYjBE3nRIgK1iQlmoFWSTs4dzvOMIERSTUS6guOx2AiozD3VPVy7TCbzmPc24gLSw3UA92vaTQ0wqtBEghMsEEFVX2l80s8L5Q-eZ_RPzMEk_QviytA/s1366/P1000175_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJet3TJOzVajwCiCy_78OIdr7xnpCoP0oWi50j9fk5sv5TodVeaU8QK7Hc4gUVQ0J2iDh6QY16AYjBE3nRIgK1iQlmoFWSTs4dzvOMIERSTUS6guOx2AiozD3VPVy7TCbzmPc24gLSw3UA92vaTQ0wqtBEghMsEEFVX2l80s8L5Q-eZ_RPzMEk_QviytA/s320/P1000175_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Treecreeper</div><p>Along the river there were 2 Little Grebe, 2 pairs of Goosander, 2 Common Sandpipers, another Grey Wagtail and 2 Mute Swans.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUQgM45H80QelCABnR8puOdWVH8pKOZAGp5meUxuRfmCxjgMo61jqUmq0qgYgcGokeWZ1PF-suNDNu5rUAEI1UBBI22eNznW4TVeZtUqNKyEP5nZscgyN7C6rFWUTufABYkVTdIUqYzljNon-mPIvsV6jvbjixb9TQKaxsbu6prYjS6VszDVcufZ9Eec/s1366/P1000207_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUQgM45H80QelCABnR8puOdWVH8pKOZAGp5meUxuRfmCxjgMo61jqUmq0qgYgcGokeWZ1PF-suNDNu5rUAEI1UBBI22eNznW4TVeZtUqNKyEP5nZscgyN7C6rFWUTufABYkVTdIUqYzljNon-mPIvsV6jvbjixb9TQKaxsbu6prYjS6VszDVcufZ9Eec/s320/P1000207_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Common Sandpiper</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivbEIo0__UDxyiz3q9PrCk8CQbi1huw_hYXWpGQwnStqYnCTt8YEXAI-Hn8HXejtfpfYYvOvZl_bPemBIIcPnOuZ9ok5CR4TVs582nchCgLjG1qXMWfwwNU4xXRdenWrOewVfChyphenhyphenIntBNmdGzpnl_i21RajGzMGPKJFWZ969VXhFmDsFVktS8_Q2Kf5o8/s1366/P1000048_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivbEIo0__UDxyiz3q9PrCk8CQbi1huw_hYXWpGQwnStqYnCTt8YEXAI-Hn8HXejtfpfYYvOvZl_bPemBIIcPnOuZ9ok5CR4TVs582nchCgLjG1qXMWfwwNU4xXRdenWrOewVfChyphenhyphenIntBNmdGzpnl_i21RajGzMGPKJFWZ969VXhFmDsFVktS8_Q2Kf5o8/s320/P1000048_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Mute Swan</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">There was an interesting looking immature Gull found amongst the roosting flock, slightly paler than the nearby Lesser Black-backed Gulls but too dark for a Yellow Legged Gull although this varied depending on the light and angle of view, it was also larger sized and longer legged than the nearby Lesser Black-backs. Probably just a large Lesser Black-backed Gull or maybe a hybrid bird? Gulls just fascinate and frustrate me in equal measure!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR-u7taUBd74I2DHn8hmk2nZrVFqRhLmsvQZS9KqbNcAya8iE9PRTS3b-IPe4jaOiIBmLHaPVt4SZbOcwlrQpdXWeGqm-C_hxQUmd0i4wuPF9_7DLa8yA-8wTlKK-mDgzqTZ7oofk-uj5hWKkgNqFqwxa1wblDLvy6NVslOPOUrHYQBilXrZWkfLUf04o/s1366/P1000060_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR-u7taUBd74I2DHn8hmk2nZrVFqRhLmsvQZS9KqbNcAya8iE9PRTS3b-IPe4jaOiIBmLHaPVt4SZbOcwlrQpdXWeGqm-C_hxQUmd0i4wuPF9_7DLa8yA-8wTlKK-mDgzqTZ7oofk-uj5hWKkgNqFqwxa1wblDLvy6NVslOPOUrHYQBilXrZWkfLUf04o/s320/P1000060_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Gull</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Ogjku8mALymEGWqbf2Cpj6RH4ZnH8qB9S6Y7ZN0VDoCCGXhfSoOSUWvK_0-bwDWYDjCnLQgbDhGDIiFk4v-edSekkBDILGcT2s4m041UZgPmWC5rDfTzuw13f0ftfsn23oEvxMnwGoPhHkchq-U7zN8VtSuG-5mToOrCC96SlfvX76aUTH5Ky5wYItY/s1366/P1000125_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Ogjku8mALymEGWqbf2Cpj6RH4ZnH8qB9S6Y7ZN0VDoCCGXhfSoOSUWvK_0-bwDWYDjCnLQgbDhGDIiFk4v-edSekkBDILGcT2s4m041UZgPmWC5rDfTzuw13f0ftfsn23oEvxMnwGoPhHkchq-U7zN8VtSuG-5mToOrCC96SlfvX76aUTH5Ky5wYItY/s320/P1000125_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Gull (left bird)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS9RGJftvOX0bMmNq9keNYLb97_gBW5aZsnuecTlo1sto6O0YGVKf6k8mgChAEnKxV0smA-AGb5uL7QdvSi1OqdSxXsP_d_vez5Xok5lhT2odkTo6PgB69myP6FQxkPuH1zotjTXrwOpxdx3cvQlDyxB0LyAYUGj7Apa3iEuBQEjJX57PHipeJStxT3a0/s1366/P1000089_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS9RGJftvOX0bMmNq9keNYLb97_gBW5aZsnuecTlo1sto6O0YGVKf6k8mgChAEnKxV0smA-AGb5uL7QdvSi1OqdSxXsP_d_vez5Xok5lhT2odkTo6PgB69myP6FQxkPuH1zotjTXrwOpxdx3cvQlDyxB0LyAYUGj7Apa3iEuBQEjJX57PHipeJStxT3a0/s320/P1000089_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Gull (right bird)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVfXaFQuV25sF3sDc6mHQqhdN9lHXecF_vCowhKMLhyaaDqCpen2gvKglFpsdb1O6TmciYrYBAI6C544tIiHSKTwuXW_eyvF3BeYW3sY8ino0zc1DFGiJFkLf5b_MwG6hmRenmbPHDTVZautY6dA4uF5g8e6q1rTtFdOx0E0ykIzAoya7MrYr3sXveJak/s1366/P1000053_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVfXaFQuV25sF3sDc6mHQqhdN9lHXecF_vCowhKMLhyaaDqCpen2gvKglFpsdb1O6TmciYrYBAI6C544tIiHSKTwuXW_eyvF3BeYW3sY8ino0zc1DFGiJFkLf5b_MwG6hmRenmbPHDTVZautY6dA4uF5g8e6q1rTtFdOx0E0ykIzAoya7MrYr3sXveJak/s320/P1000053_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Gull</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Stuart Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562828875993764020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498023071863063038.post-68734781220612682222024-02-29T09:12:00.000+00:002024-02-29T09:12:48.723+00:00Stover and Wembury<p>Monday 26th February was dry and sunny and so we decided to head out and make the most of the day despite the strong wind blowing from the north east. With everywhere being waterlogged and muddy we chose to visit Stover Lake where the footpaths were more likely to be passable and we also wanted to see how the improvement works are progressing since our last visit over a year ago.</p><p>On arriving at Stover there was some further clearing work going on where a dense stand of conifer trees had been removed previously but not much else seemed to have changed, however there are plans afoot with the lake due to be dredged very soon.</p><p>It was very busy around the lake and in the surrounding woods but despite a lot of disturbance I managed to see some good birds, I guess the wildlife is used to all the dogs and people wandering around.</p><p>The feeders at the walkway were busy with birds and amongst the Blue, Great and Coal Tits, Nuthatches and Chaffinches was a very confiding Marsh Tit which regularly flew in to snatch seeds put out onto the wooden posts. A further 2 Marsh Tits were also seen on our walk, both quite confiding and again coming in to feed on seeds put out onto wooden posts and fencing.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZg33qUkrkd1mI-LCEGpxJBeYtnxK47zqAyuX45C7YLRxYC6F9hiXOAz5D309uQHVCNGAtQOvCy9XbCilrVsFizswmMRpssImepdN8GUyQJ1IIBvUKppVZS08REJCrLcYBdjekOlUaVmIwtKubvfVlFXujNs69wLTpVaN1M2y8yJM-oCIV2xxzZmav5hY/s1366/P1590927_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZg33qUkrkd1mI-LCEGpxJBeYtnxK47zqAyuX45C7YLRxYC6F9hiXOAz5D309uQHVCNGAtQOvCy9XbCilrVsFizswmMRpssImepdN8GUyQJ1IIBvUKppVZS08REJCrLcYBdjekOlUaVmIwtKubvfVlFXujNs69wLTpVaN1M2y8yJM-oCIV2xxzZmav5hY/s320/P1590927_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Marsh Tit</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3CHCJES9MWVP0BZ4cq1U0P1dQ6hJL9y8LPxVFLkBkn9AH0EfIHwZfmSf0yPjBgGfT92wGzZu-7LnBWM8ElV9uVgjcjrEpGywjICyoY_tG-WfdCbCPFNaao_SJE8zBQyTd_ARGfrLPJyN6XH28yi0o3WiZkGil_M_IWq2mSuTO2GALLxCd-zRwDiXHDGg/s1366/P1590930_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3CHCJES9MWVP0BZ4cq1U0P1dQ6hJL9y8LPxVFLkBkn9AH0EfIHwZfmSf0yPjBgGfT92wGzZu-7LnBWM8ElV9uVgjcjrEpGywjICyoY_tG-WfdCbCPFNaao_SJE8zBQyTd_ARGfrLPJyN6XH28yi0o3WiZkGil_M_IWq2mSuTO2GALLxCd-zRwDiXHDGg/s320/P1590930_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Marsh Tit</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZuI4VRYtfI1pmsyidWAim0XnYrDtsLOcIqhOWyHAK1ckdQ-8tCa-1_o4GLcJrhimp2qsU6NnTn3j89chknbBo996ADzz8lSPkCcvfiKmG8UxmdQIsiY5TU9Rhhol7YSfrgSS4PHVjIXKWGVDmvgoAqOXhYRfTERRKOF-k5gDL4Co-OWYTXuFXvQYcxo/s1366/P1590988_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZuI4VRYtfI1pmsyidWAim0XnYrDtsLOcIqhOWyHAK1ckdQ-8tCa-1_o4GLcJrhimp2qsU6NnTn3j89chknbBo996ADzz8lSPkCcvfiKmG8UxmdQIsiY5TU9Rhhol7YSfrgSS4PHVjIXKWGVDmvgoAqOXhYRfTERRKOF-k5gDL4Co-OWYTXuFXvQYcxo/s320/P1590988_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Marsh Tit</div><p>A Siskin was heard calling overhead and later 4 birds were seen feeding in a stand of short Alders right by the side of the footpath.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsB4Sgv8B6P5lFwyefIWluMQsW_NWp7BWJ8R4yEV5deXSYVQbDHOnH8D64t28YBZ6uAHfw_F4j3IqwMAw9hpIV8v82k3UgtYIaeKlyaHL2MB5Kyj6gylFTORYwwBOQSI-XIjpdJn2OmiZv_q-qCz3Q5WKwrbw1r1O4cKJxckbvpEtX_uyOGgjlkpwcyFw/s1366/P1600006_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsB4Sgv8B6P5lFwyefIWluMQsW_NWp7BWJ8R4yEV5deXSYVQbDHOnH8D64t28YBZ6uAHfw_F4j3IqwMAw9hpIV8v82k3UgtYIaeKlyaHL2MB5Kyj6gylFTORYwwBOQSI-XIjpdJn2OmiZv_q-qCz3Q5WKwrbw1r1O4cKJxckbvpEtX_uyOGgjlkpwcyFw/s320/P1600006_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a>Siskin</div><p>Mallards, Coots, Moorhens, Tufted Ducks and Mute Swans were seen out on the lake and with them were 2 summer plumaged Great Crested Grebes, a pair of Mandarin Duck and 7 pairs of Wigeon.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz0wxE_-RCMJs2oexYlPJVjiF09ZF5ILzw6sTFK5SYdAH8ij82la8921QEzVXTmZvt9HZZ4GTU2LGtLqVig5KEaVXdXDJgrZ0TE50sqxcf92WUw_C4d3b0IhyphenhyphenSwb7VZZ0SymlWbEm_W2RpdF7f8fPls0H8U2BkoI1RiypT4IDiriyoizanUoqKX5NpIns/s1366/P1590943_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz0wxE_-RCMJs2oexYlPJVjiF09ZF5ILzw6sTFK5SYdAH8ij82la8921QEzVXTmZvt9HZZ4GTU2LGtLqVig5KEaVXdXDJgrZ0TE50sqxcf92WUw_C4d3b0IhyphenhyphenSwb7VZZ0SymlWbEm_W2RpdF7f8fPls0H8U2BkoI1RiypT4IDiriyoizanUoqKX5NpIns/s320/P1590943_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Tufted Duck</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0pDl2IA-605Tai2AjcJzozPgzwgeEDdXUYSPB0aVd1EYs6EdGCdvA7uaKep-aj3ccO-4r-LWijNdvH2yhgsr7DSbu_TsxI34zovZE5weM-Vw6a2tmBDbnTqJt5M-wuKprVvgMGfJ68q0UFjSMeolvAfLLHHDkAjsFlQ7HM1WER26pxCR89Y_lJAeI14/s1366/P1590949_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0pDl2IA-605Tai2AjcJzozPgzwgeEDdXUYSPB0aVd1EYs6EdGCdvA7uaKep-aj3ccO-4r-LWijNdvH2yhgsr7DSbu_TsxI34zovZE5weM-Vw6a2tmBDbnTqJt5M-wuKprVvgMGfJ68q0UFjSMeolvAfLLHHDkAjsFlQ7HM1WER26pxCR89Y_lJAeI14/s320/P1590949_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Tufted Duck</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6aZPXo1AkDQzQgRvK1rERuAuILIFyagIdRqhIrb0G6cVW5dC5tAK-pWLkANfFhbSpLZjzwLYQbqN0QWVnjhft2vt3TpTMdvSYuRT0203KtrN00dYjRgNupRxdBpS_sEDWKt6pOgxf_pyW7uhT0BkLs9ywK6mwLU2V3rR_jnYD3-FOunDhqD5J08bthLc/s1366/P1590933_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6aZPXo1AkDQzQgRvK1rERuAuILIFyagIdRqhIrb0G6cVW5dC5tAK-pWLkANfFhbSpLZjzwLYQbqN0QWVnjhft2vt3TpTMdvSYuRT0203KtrN00dYjRgNupRxdBpS_sEDWKt6pOgxf_pyW7uhT0BkLs9ywK6mwLU2V3rR_jnYD3-FOunDhqD5J08bthLc/s320/P1590933_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Tufted Duck</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRNDuL-eWPHldk5_27tGbAg_4OvgZrjeUC-zQDODLJXH2BVKmg6Vc9-NxstBHrIcqLrrmfPZnqjVd-BEqAQGC28wOz6hAp4UfluAp8iLOaU-vRCJ_CALphi-dOR5B529BBmaeKLJ7qfPE4JC12DsidLpyzfmXDaVdYbR4NrSev_MH75QSRYbQo4aiQkwg/s1366/P1590952_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="1025" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRNDuL-eWPHldk5_27tGbAg_4OvgZrjeUC-zQDODLJXH2BVKmg6Vc9-NxstBHrIcqLrrmfPZnqjVd-BEqAQGC28wOz6hAp4UfluAp8iLOaU-vRCJ_CALphi-dOR5B529BBmaeKLJ7qfPE4JC12DsidLpyzfmXDaVdYbR4NrSev_MH75QSRYbQo4aiQkwg/s320/P1590952_edited.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Mute Swan</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Tuesday 27th February was cold and grey but windless and so I headed out to Wembury for a morning walk. The sun did appear from behind the clouds occassionally and when it did it felt noticeably warmer but it still felt quite chilly.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">A Great Northern Diver on the sea off The Point was a nice find although it remained distant while 2 Firecrests feeding together in the bushes along the footpath near the sewage pipe showed very nicely. A female Sparrowhawk, 2 Buzzards and 2 Ravens were seen overhead with one of the Ravens briefly settling on the clifftop.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The tide was heading out when I arrived and along the beach the Redshank was still present with 12 Turnstone, 2 Little Egrets, 4 Mallards (1 female) and the usual Oystercatchers. The usual Rock Pipits were present too along with Pied Wagtails, a Grey Wagtail and 4 Chiffchaff.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">A Cirl Bunting was singing away in the horsefield hedgerow with a second male at The Point heard only. At least 4 pairs of Stonechat were present along the footpath, Skylarks were singing away overhead and there were 3 Roe Deer feeding out in the open on the hillside above the wheatfield.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpyDX9xFrXZEHzkHYunpBSipR6SNGoCApz3HVhyphenhyphenA88D5CNSV2TfiAmoKjpMryGcwzAABJtxBgO_CrmezinhA-7pPLsgFbJsLax0Cxx4OaPiWKkQ2HOSLri_7D9r8RTHgfVyC__hVeCDpakwSMQOGk8AFymZpzVgktISotfHhmWb9v-FptXX906IeCKUOw/s1366/P1600015_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpyDX9xFrXZEHzkHYunpBSipR6SNGoCApz3HVhyphenhyphenA88D5CNSV2TfiAmoKjpMryGcwzAABJtxBgO_CrmezinhA-7pPLsgFbJsLax0Cxx4OaPiWKkQ2HOSLri_7D9r8RTHgfVyC__hVeCDpakwSMQOGk8AFymZpzVgktISotfHhmWb9v-FptXX906IeCKUOw/s320/P1600015_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Stonechat</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH4IS1NakVEo2OYD6aceI7-w01X5w06rtPWtUx9oDkp8usBtVQ0PRPPTKXCb7KnbxHeYyEYisMzPs8cFFPlSLij5jw0M1q8-nwmY1EGO3RFMGIkR-FwvBjSLmFbYzRGZUry_S0dJdSzoJ0BYhQWtLT_njZlqsNrhfevStjilJBVkzuwDdPk8LXjqn0oSM/s1366/P1600010_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH4IS1NakVEo2OYD6aceI7-w01X5w06rtPWtUx9oDkp8usBtVQ0PRPPTKXCb7KnbxHeYyEYisMzPs8cFFPlSLij5jw0M1q8-nwmY1EGO3RFMGIkR-FwvBjSLmFbYzRGZUry_S0dJdSzoJ0BYhQWtLT_njZlqsNrhfevStjilJBVkzuwDdPk8LXjqn0oSM/s320/P1600010_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Roe Deer</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Stuart Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562828875993764020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498023071863063038.post-5686533587245631402024-02-25T15:25:00.007+00:002024-02-26T09:54:16.926+00:00Spoonbill at Hayle<p>We had a walk around Burrator Reservoir on Monday 19th February, we did a lap of the reservoir and it was very wet and muddy along the road after all the recent heavy rain. The water level in the reservoir was also very high and so there was a good flow of water going over the Dam.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinGTUgIAtCb7e25NUbjQF6sOY8II9tzb7lvTQnDpTlDsJwIXLMNZ-luRw8z3Ovtm-nazLCvmQ_wujcg-zxuEzRynLHZ_qgphWwefN0ZbM3z6X9zEQWVMXVhBvknkIbtiYkhUamYgfBPUzJaZW9VyC55ObOKz082ZRL7mCCS-q5p5N7nAHpPhyhdJPPdQw/s1366/P1590766_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinGTUgIAtCb7e25NUbjQF6sOY8II9tzb7lvTQnDpTlDsJwIXLMNZ-luRw8z3Ovtm-nazLCvmQ_wujcg-zxuEzRynLHZ_qgphWwefN0ZbM3z6X9zEQWVMXVhBvknkIbtiYkhUamYgfBPUzJaZW9VyC55ObOKz082ZRL7mCCS-q5p5N7nAHpPhyhdJPPdQw/s320/P1590766_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Burrator Reservoir Dam</div><p>It was very quiet on the bird front with a singing Mistle Thrush the highlight. A Green Woodpecker, a Buzzard and a Nuthatch were also heard and 2 Grey Wagtail, 3 Cormorant and Siskins were also seen and the White Feral Goose was still hanging out with the Mallards and Canada Geese.</p><p>After our walk we stopped off at Mavis and Mike's for a Cream Tea to celebrate Mike's Birthday, sadly there were no Siskins on Mavis's bird feeders but 2 Long-tailed Tits were present and a Raven flew overhead and the scones and cake were delicious.</p><p>I headed off to the Hayle Estuary for another Gull torture-fest on Tuesday 20th February, it was overcast, breezy and mild with more heavy rain forecast to arrive in the evening. Unfortunately my train to St.Erth was delayed by 50 minutes so I lost some of my birding time but I get to claim the princely sum of £2.20 under GWR's Delay Repay scheme so silver linings!</p><p>I disembarked off the train at St.Erth and walked to Lelant, noting large numbers of roosting Gulls out on the Hayle mudflats along the way. On arriving at Lelant Station I set up my scope and scanned through the Gulls and amongst the throng of Lesser Black-backed, Herring, Black-headed, Common and Great Black-backed Gulls present were a sprinkling of Mediterranean Gulls and best of all a distant 1st winter Iceland Gull hidden amongst them. </p><p>There has been both a 1st winter Iceland Gull and a 1st winter Kumlein's Gull present at Hayle recently but this bird was too distant to confirm exact ID. Kumlein's Gull is considered to be a subspecies of Iceland Gull so it's basically an Iceland Gull anyway although I reckon the bird I saw was indeed the Kumlein's.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZvRW63pPfeQbE6Z5e1-6OegatvGm9EVsME2ryU7FNM0y-qJ4ThcyS-0z4VSSPucGi-cU2_oprCaMFNN_pXf5SQ_MXRVvUVCXETH9FSxT5h4L7QsYeBLO5e3l_KBLJFM5SYO2oyw2v-SgugMN-9IgeMCWK6YdfO0R-SUFWyIGfrmPDWBB4SH6WkOwL02U/s1366/P1590782_edited~2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZvRW63pPfeQbE6Z5e1-6OegatvGm9EVsME2ryU7FNM0y-qJ4ThcyS-0z4VSSPucGi-cU2_oprCaMFNN_pXf5SQ_MXRVvUVCXETH9FSxT5h4L7QsYeBLO5e3l_KBLJFM5SYO2oyw2v-SgugMN-9IgeMCWK6YdfO0R-SUFWyIGfrmPDWBB4SH6WkOwL02U/s320/P1590782_edited~2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Iceland Gull</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWd3Hcj6rYrPbWkbKqYaYHt5hv5xBralgo-ZWSHH6UCPOaCfQmMJ4uDhXTKCj-63IU5fOjuTYbK2r6KH8liq7C8GQhP-VROBDenITAh6BwdDRmHLK1-6WUxhLedivBgeGj1KWivs7I1Fi_IdNFH9w-eQBVYQwFpzFzoQLjFQHl140F0WOB9zgUYlPHH-g/s1366/P1590786_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWd3Hcj6rYrPbWkbKqYaYHt5hv5xBralgo-ZWSHH6UCPOaCfQmMJ4uDhXTKCj-63IU5fOjuTYbK2r6KH8liq7C8GQhP-VROBDenITAh6BwdDRmHLK1-6WUxhLedivBgeGj1KWivs7I1Fi_IdNFH9w-eQBVYQwFpzFzoQLjFQHl140F0WOB9zgUYlPHH-g/s320/P1590786_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Iceland Gull </div><p>The tide was heading in quite quickly and the Gulls were slowly flying off upriver to resettle on the remaining exposed mud and so I walked back to Lelant Saltings Station where I had much better but still distant views of the Iceland Gull before it eventually flew off downriver. </p><p>A surprise sight was a juvenile Spoonbill fast asleep amongst the Gulls, it eventually woke up and promptly flew off to Ryan's Field so I hoped to catch up with it a little later.</p><p>I scanned and scanned the Gulls present but couldn't find any Caspian Gulls, Yellow-legged Gulls or the Ring-billed Gull but I did find 2 Knot, 25 Bar- tailed Godwit, 4 Greenshank, 12 Goosander (5 male) and 9 Grey Plover amongst the usual Dunlin, Redshank, Oystercatcher, Curlew, Shelduck, Wigeon and Teal.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5mRfFXFuCFL98GTfmcwYVyiYMilE73YzQTwDkWbtHDRTf_uSpPZDPinmfMCXfHQbMifaAvqEMthGuZ8R02nMLp9wy4uxZhoIXAIW4Tq_aPiheYUOUo29xVnGCLfBRz5dpxcxX2TzXdBzbtLmxfoTItPZVLSLgKvrgPBDCRhykNoecJLsq5bCWtr0UBYQ/s1366/P1590771_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5mRfFXFuCFL98GTfmcwYVyiYMilE73YzQTwDkWbtHDRTf_uSpPZDPinmfMCXfHQbMifaAvqEMthGuZ8R02nMLp9wy4uxZhoIXAIW4Tq_aPiheYUOUo29xVnGCLfBRz5dpxcxX2TzXdBzbtLmxfoTItPZVLSLgKvrgPBDCRhykNoecJLsq5bCWtr0UBYQ/s320/P1590771_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Knot, Dunlin and Bar-tailed Godwit </div><p>I then walked over to Ryan's Field where the Spoonbill was still present and as expected fast asleep but fortunately it woke up and began to feed and I had some great views of it as it fed quite unconcernedly right in front of the hide. It is a ringed bird from Denmark and has been present in the area for a few months now, it was a joy to watch it feeding as my usual Spoonbill views are of sleeping birds.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggQeRO4K4430J1CGVzJ-EHB5uIiMp6IznZUKIPwUmCoum8Y9yfR_LZoSFysrCE-APNdraenCF58ABCBf5xYS8An6rHw8qw2eZfk8ggEVNy-2D-2lJWxKhDwXvV0dbhIorzTqslL5Hypu80O1GS980Y5_ehhxsB2knax0MAl7uwB0cZJa6vO8TsIBIEiWM/s1366/P1590806_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="1025" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggQeRO4K4430J1CGVzJ-EHB5uIiMp6IznZUKIPwUmCoum8Y9yfR_LZoSFysrCE-APNdraenCF58ABCBf5xYS8An6rHw8qw2eZfk8ggEVNy-2D-2lJWxKhDwXvV0dbhIorzTqslL5Hypu80O1GS980Y5_ehhxsB2knax0MAl7uwB0cZJa6vO8TsIBIEiWM/s320/P1590806_edited.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Spoonbill - off white and scruffy looking</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4xsIy39fhP0ZnHP4bf-746Qs7dBxTB5vUkEeA5fY2Cuyd0yLdyhY3MwD5mUd8JzL-qg_tGi6yRFqN8vmlg9matXdsN23yA9TaoGZoBVRT9CiZS9RCFYts51T5ekkv_F-wioSQ-CJypD6jACZBogV6dWcgCBMHG1xakHPgypmEeAsa1QrXwced5he-4vo/s1366/P1590819_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4xsIy39fhP0ZnHP4bf-746Qs7dBxTB5vUkEeA5fY2Cuyd0yLdyhY3MwD5mUd8JzL-qg_tGi6yRFqN8vmlg9matXdsN23yA9TaoGZoBVRT9CiZS9RCFYts51T5ekkv_F-wioSQ-CJypD6jACZBogV6dWcgCBMHG1xakHPgypmEeAsa1QrXwced5he-4vo/s320/P1590819_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Spoonbill</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvnL9_3RsHCEXdTyxIe3RRkaK_SXAY1mIQSkApHzDmVN-8dQTLwczdUN4MX62zPd2WbHEcPcvtr-Ezt4msXMkI4wqib2hk44FTHxauERC8p4wCzONR-aWwBOz0zUy3JZLuNsAWpJ_AehXqNMAj9j_fa9grlQEfzb5o_Rc0g4cH_M_Ae1JnAnlIyvzAi04/s1366/P1590861_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvnL9_3RsHCEXdTyxIe3RRkaK_SXAY1mIQSkApHzDmVN-8dQTLwczdUN4MX62zPd2WbHEcPcvtr-Ezt4msXMkI4wqib2hk44FTHxauERC8p4wCzONR-aWwBOz0zUy3JZLuNsAWpJ_AehXqNMAj9j_fa9grlQEfzb5o_Rc0g4cH_M_Ae1JnAnlIyvzAi04/s320/P1590861_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Spoonbill</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzr28TfH3TUIoWHLp6w1XgWZqsMDOCJp_kBSbhfKXbBc82gswyqrTCNmQYrYvcJhe8h8rrJA601HapqpZN4OG-5cL6ndwYC_9MjDHDXUW_upe_DV7WZ5Cn0ubUrtAnAW4tZzg580vzIeTU64rQbL9_jR9aFifR0q2irM4sfF2c4XvKlprSYyhMKbjSOZ4/s1366/P1590870_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="1366" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzr28TfH3TUIoWHLp6w1XgWZqsMDOCJp_kBSbhfKXbBc82gswyqrTCNmQYrYvcJhe8h8rrJA601HapqpZN4OG-5cL6ndwYC_9MjDHDXUW_upe_DV7WZ5Cn0ubUrtAnAW4tZzg580vzIeTU64rQbL9_jR9aFifR0q2irM4sfF2c4XvKlprSYyhMKbjSOZ4/s320/P1590870_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Spoonbill</div><p>Time was marching on and it was soon time to walk back to St.Erth to catch the train home after my shorter than expected day out birding, this train was delayed too but arrived into Plymouth just under 15 minutes late so no Delay Repay to claim this time but the whole trip ended up only costing me £6.60 so I can't complain. Fortunately I also arrived home before the heavy rain arrived too so all in all not a bad day out.</p><p>We had a walk around Plymouth Hoe on Friday 23rd February, we dodged the showers as we went but enjoyed the sunshine when it broke out from behind the clouds. There was no sign of any Purple Sandpipers on the low tide but I did find a very smart male Black Redstart at Rusty Anchor, my first of the year and presumably the bird I saw here back in November last year.</p><p>Saturday 24th February was noticeably cooler than of late but mostly sunny with occassional showers as I headed out to The Plym for a walk. I arrived off the bus at Marsh Mills to find a pair of Goosander busily diving for fish just below Longbridge and as I walked down river towards Blaxton Meadow they drifted past me on the outgoing tide along with another pair of birds.</p><p>The highlight of my walk was finding the female Red-crested Pochard, unusually out on the river near the gas pipe and fresh from her wintering Dartmoor reservoir sojourns. She looked very unsettled and eventually flew onto Blaxton Meadow where she promptly went to sleep amongst the vegetation on one of the small islands.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPndtMnOQenfGYbJZ10wrQ1-bWmCs0MTykIPY5kFnaz9_HNLvie1okwBpher7UwsJmqi0GM7XwZxrW1U9PubiHSpkggJLIGcc-JL5i6JJZDCr7aLfXKIfITnOut2Srx3GzejWGdN6IwyKy4VwBDRV2oX2d-IEqbdTb3ydylpde1L9RIpwaf6QViVtmDWk/s1366/P1590880_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPndtMnOQenfGYbJZ10wrQ1-bWmCs0MTykIPY5kFnaz9_HNLvie1okwBpher7UwsJmqi0GM7XwZxrW1U9PubiHSpkggJLIGcc-JL5i6JJZDCr7aLfXKIfITnOut2Srx3GzejWGdN6IwyKy4VwBDRV2oX2d-IEqbdTb3ydylpde1L9RIpwaf6QViVtmDWk/s320/P1590880_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Red-crested Pochard</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_SJT7EJ6ercYqbQtIZPPMiipaOjXLRpUzMBWIsHx7gtBo8XKdFsFpyzTOoqBPMCL35ep92Q4nVvZjbpbOpYZnOoj2Dm6e-OYIqIXERNnCXIieP4aKmvtD6unv4QKXkqIOPWvUO0brqamQ90stQJPoApDxfGLJCbkdsjsLvy6NYqqS2ZTiYDvA6Intbo/s1366/P1590879_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_SJT7EJ6ercYqbQtIZPPMiipaOjXLRpUzMBWIsHx7gtBo8XKdFsFpyzTOoqBPMCL35ep92Q4nVvZjbpbOpYZnOoj2Dm6e-OYIqIXERNnCXIieP4aKmvtD6unv4QKXkqIOPWvUO0brqamQ90stQJPoApDxfGLJCbkdsjsLvy6NYqqS2ZTiYDvA6Intbo/s320/P1590879_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Red-crested Pochard </div><p>Otherwise it was fairly quiet on my walk, the usual birds were seen with the highlights being 3 Common Sandpiper, 4 Little Grebe, 3 Greenshank and 2 Grey Wagtail along the river, a male Mandarin and 7 Snipe on Blaxton Meadow and 4 Stock Dove, a Treecreeper, a Great Spotted Woodpecker (heard) and a Goldcrest in the Park. A good count of 13 Roe Deer was notable too with 2 seen in the Park and 11 on Chelson Meadow.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgip7hh06k6rsWwz8PlDVUHHRIXnXB2OastNREY4J0TSHYx0zkPdo9xZHkhmykfUYQAPrfQLUADsS7HQHXBFBdhSaIM9EEC784jmpJ8bJM3tE2w9myNH5VYunXpVTBfHoiC8u1C35OaRXtW1iI9Jjl_OajXz1_oAnGEB7nijEhH89nfEjt1e3NrkheyA4s/s1366/P1590893_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgip7hh06k6rsWwz8PlDVUHHRIXnXB2OastNREY4J0TSHYx0zkPdo9xZHkhmykfUYQAPrfQLUADsS7HQHXBFBdhSaIM9EEC784jmpJ8bJM3tE2w9myNH5VYunXpVTBfHoiC8u1C35OaRXtW1iI9Jjl_OajXz1_oAnGEB7nijEhH89nfEjt1e3NrkheyA4s/s320/P1590893_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Shelducks, Blaxton Meadow</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFeTi_MpnuYkqlcEANGU4zWrVQH8o-VaZKAh4jSDA7tR85GXB91uSvHqS7c58Qh4XCHBpujniggnEKnwztQ0z_hXavr48v6C78-wH3i7sBIgVTNiSaq4RHz3vpcPHfoZwjU7JxnoHjkV-w6eJlY4ZHOdSVOydD6OtG_FFrkz7uR2h9-chRk6knR4BW2w/s1366/P1590898_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="1025" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFeTi_MpnuYkqlcEANGU4zWrVQH8o-VaZKAh4jSDA7tR85GXB91uSvHqS7c58Qh4XCHBpujniggnEKnwztQ0z_hXavr48v6C78-wH3i7sBIgVTNiSaq4RHz3vpcPHfoZwjU7JxnoHjkV-w6eJlY4ZHOdSVOydD6OtG_FFrkz7uR2h9-chRk6knR4BW2w/s320/P1590898_edited.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bee Orchids, Chelson Meadow</div><p><br /></p>Stuart Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562828875993764020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498023071863063038.post-53491539459327474832024-02-17T18:18:00.003+00:002024-02-17T22:16:11.879+00:00A 3 Egret Day at Slapton LeyIt was a glorious day on Monday 12th February with an overnight frost giving way to blue skies, sunshine and a light breeze and with the forecast for the rest of the week being the usual grey and windy mizzle we decided to make the most of it and head out for the day despite it being Half Term Holiday Hell.<div><br /></div><div>I caught the early bus to Slapton, the road at Modbury has now reopened and the buses are running to the usual timetable again, and I arrived at the Slapton Turn at around 9:20am to begin my birding day by walking along the muddy footpath around Ireland Bay. Cetti's Warblers were very vocal along the way and I managed to get some brief views of them at times as they skulked in the vegetation, Water Rails were equally noisy but remained well hidden.</div><div><br /></div><div>The male Ring-necked Duck was quickly found out on the water amongst the Tufted Ducks but there was no sign of the recent Lesser or Greater Scaups. All the usual waterfowl were present though - Coot, Great Crested Grebe, Wigeon, Mallard, Gadwall, Moorhen, Canada Goose, Mute Swan and Cormorant - and 2 Little Grebe and 2 pairs of Goldeneye were also found.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwf48ndzU2qiZcl_L6Ltql8CPGNwYEWProwHFYqLA9UbZULni9KSmrbOkwY55H2pBwLQEL5ylu8IxIdK39tUsMXkbSbtQEK9OR5Qb-5iwDldeYXszQvXPVccGgG3LjPItO3hrSrGzI0YVH95oSlbe_kjYM9-amCzJdiVmGExEhFHzzEM0zOSDAlGihNiQ/s1366/P1590683_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1079" data-original-width="1366" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwf48ndzU2qiZcl_L6Ltql8CPGNwYEWProwHFYqLA9UbZULni9KSmrbOkwY55H2pBwLQEL5ylu8IxIdK39tUsMXkbSbtQEK9OR5Qb-5iwDldeYXszQvXPVccGgG3LjPItO3hrSrGzI0YVH95oSlbe_kjYM9-amCzJdiVmGExEhFHzzEM0zOSDAlGihNiQ/s320/P1590683_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Ring-necked Duck</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp_I2KvGrp2zH5qyQ2L9TpM6f0gY0zgsTHD2aB7tDSx9nfjYl7vJ2X92K3Iur1cP9Lehj5VC7cGQjTEn3PIT8ggwEG_d-G_5G8koc8nEUDN9Ciy1VJboqCQpz06XeDTph2cvp3WdkJOWVK-69Ezqgk6nOJbzCx3PY09n1dC0X4OGzS68jA3uGqoEMKj5M/s1366/P1590672_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp_I2KvGrp2zH5qyQ2L9TpM6f0gY0zgsTHD2aB7tDSx9nfjYl7vJ2X92K3Iur1cP9Lehj5VC7cGQjTEn3PIT8ggwEG_d-G_5G8koc8nEUDN9Ciy1VJboqCQpz06XeDTph2cvp3WdkJOWVK-69Ezqgk6nOJbzCx3PY09n1dC0X4OGzS68jA3uGqoEMKj5M/s320/P1590672_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Tufted Duck and Ring-necked Duck </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBOEa6s1MQ0pi2o_hx5EaAhNk0Qn5nHbi98_PAr_4h8buCAeY1t1sFYndwV0g-zfHEw4cU2US63DSEj6MzNAa1rS33063JNhYHIOnDTxQzArtyH8OlThZDNwnoEUQcSaSbGJbHA2caIk1By9flqZ6V9fgx2eaAtLPTnlFYHzgjhnN8TdDHndOQPNGMEFM/s1366/P1590646_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBOEa6s1MQ0pi2o_hx5EaAhNk0Qn5nHbi98_PAr_4h8buCAeY1t1sFYndwV0g-zfHEw4cU2US63DSEj6MzNAa1rS33063JNhYHIOnDTxQzArtyH8OlThZDNwnoEUQcSaSbGJbHA2caIk1By9flqZ6V9fgx2eaAtLPTnlFYHzgjhnN8TdDHndOQPNGMEFM/s320/P1590646_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Goldeneye</div><div><br /></div><div>Gulls were bathing out on the water - Common, Black-headed, Herring, Lesser Black-backed and Great Black-backed Gulls - and amongst them were at least 6 Mediterranean Gulls with their delightful laughing calls giving them away as they flew about.</div><div><br /></div><div>I walked back to the Bridge and then along the Ley side to Torcross, keeping an eye out for the Scaup along the way but with no luck. However a strange sight (for Devon at least) were regular flyovers by Great White Egrets, they were huge looking and very white in the strong sunshine with 2 seen together at one point. There were also 2 Little Egrets roosting in the trees at the back of the Ley, looking very white too but much smaller. Later before heading home I saw 6 Cattle Egrets around the pond at nearby Stokenham Farm, reportedly gorging themselves on the local Frog population coming in to spawn there and completing my Egret trio for the day, the first time I have seen 3 species of Egret on a day out in Devon.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj48j87DQSgy627MuaghyphenhyphenDrD3kk1_9JFsB85DNIs8fZddNYQv96L5KC0n4Ms0rfF-a4ze6SwXyHdUXtSa7k5QTc1fixIhDy5VlSGqqV-As7fNSCyHrEMEkQYhH5eJ4J3Deziw6uFHVNX3gby-BUxjwd6YHRl9YSUbTGkwLcP0dPsInBT1J-APl92BLrZfc/s1366/P1590689_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj48j87DQSgy627MuaghyphenhyphenDrD3kk1_9JFsB85DNIs8fZddNYQv96L5KC0n4Ms0rfF-a4ze6SwXyHdUXtSa7k5QTc1fixIhDy5VlSGqqV-As7fNSCyHrEMEkQYhH5eJ4J3Deziw6uFHVNX3gby-BUxjwd6YHRl9YSUbTGkwLcP0dPsInBT1J-APl92BLrZfc/s320/P1590689_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Great White Egret</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1UPPQcjFkHrsEISmjfAvIEoTO27TeJhXPfgn7kubMoF-HhifNXjNaM6Rx8sW0Zb8QZmHYjR5zWJTcLTN4TWEwYaEaNQvFWqVgJ2xyFWTJDRv2IsFIOCtPg2a4rfsk36RSrQrBb5Uucg3Rzh1gO4Nd4dM8cz2Q2Uznia9_-dqk6ZbjN3bb49nRc4i0C4/s1366/P1590718_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1UPPQcjFkHrsEISmjfAvIEoTO27TeJhXPfgn7kubMoF-HhifNXjNaM6Rx8sW0Zb8QZmHYjR5zWJTcLTN4TWEwYaEaNQvFWqVgJ2xyFWTJDRv2IsFIOCtPg2a4rfsk36RSrQrBb5Uucg3Rzh1gO4Nd4dM8cz2Q2Uznia9_-dqk6ZbjN3bb49nRc4i0C4/s320/P1590718_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Cattle Egrets</div><div><br /></div><div>Offshore was quiet but I did find a Great Northern Diver, a Razorbill and 11 Common Scoter (1 male) out on the flat calm sea with the Scoters showing very well quite close in to the beach.</div><div><br /></div><div>David duly arrived in the car and we had a fish and chip lunch in The Start Bay Inn at Torcross, we had Megrim which we don't see on menus very often and it was very tasty (and a massive size too!). A post prandial waddle along the sea front promenade in the sunshine was enjoyed afterwards before we headed home, having had an enjoyable day out - blue skies and sunshine make such a difference to mood after all the grey and drecky weather we have been enduring of late.</div><div><br /></div><div>The next 3 days were wet, grey and windy, but following a rainy and muddy internment of Mother-in-laws ashes into Father-in-laws grave on Thursday 15th February the next day was forecasted to be dry with sunny spells and so I headed out for a birding walk. It was very grey when I awoke in the morning and I nearly changed my plans of going out to look for Goshawks but I decided to carry on anyway. </div><div><br /></div><div>On the bus journey to begin my walk the skies darkened and the heavens opened, not what was forecasted at all, but it quickly cleared and remained dry for the rest of the day. The sunny spells were, however, few and far between until later in the day and just as I was heading home but I had a very productive time anyway.</div><div><br /></div><div>After getting off the bus I walked up to my usual viewpoint to begin my sky scanning. Along the way I had some distant views of 6 Fieldfare perched up in the trees before they flew down into the fields to feed. There were plenty of Pheasants about in the fields too but I never found any Red-legged Partridges this time. A big surprise were 2 Egyptian Geese flushed from a field and flying off out of sight, a bird I don't often see in Devon. A pair of Stonechat feeding along the roadside hedgerow was also unusual.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ZQ_X8xbGpOk21EjcHtOcmbsKc-zO222qYJ-4psHajIp65UM6cE6odYl8WlE9VR-a8BkD6oMgiiKLI48Jf13_sfUgoHAP-Ol-RJOUTHZKrVqC3LguV9afOxLZBVHzSUtCyo8TNcDhgi41ADxfOcXRAoc5i2uLmRr0fnbXGFRgxPxcMsX8aU8g83l2GyQ/s1366/P1590738_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ZQ_X8xbGpOk21EjcHtOcmbsKc-zO222qYJ-4psHajIp65UM6cE6odYl8WlE9VR-a8BkD6oMgiiKLI48Jf13_sfUgoHAP-Ol-RJOUTHZKrVqC3LguV9afOxLZBVHzSUtCyo8TNcDhgi41ADxfOcXRAoc5i2uLmRr0fnbXGFRgxPxcMsX8aU8g83l2GyQ/s320/P1590738_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Stonechat</div><div><br /></div><div>I set up my scope and began my scanning and quickly found a displaying Goshawk being harangued by 3 Carrion Crows, distant views but a large bird lacking some secondary feathers on its right wing and also lacking white underparts so presumably an immature bird. It eventually lost its Crow entourage and flew off out of sight just as I picked up another bird on the opposite side of the valley, another large bird with very white looking underparts which quickly disappeared into the trees. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7I8aeJuOntd1Q_dZnqgUDtyvDIkE12lgwJU7b9FrCeVQEkvKrIQ_YNZXF4GXn9PQ5cV2wvbFwVyZQJ0DjQDYvnoEow4smI9Ini4amQDzIqyXqmf4XOCrWD0zXjpCOVHOqJ6puhWBEN1esnMCFrcBROzX8O4AmPTRXNVW4FXApwB2y8EYRVck93C7XW8I/s1366/P1590731_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7I8aeJuOntd1Q_dZnqgUDtyvDIkE12lgwJU7b9FrCeVQEkvKrIQ_YNZXF4GXn9PQ5cV2wvbFwVyZQJ0DjQDYvnoEow4smI9Ini4amQDzIqyXqmf4XOCrWD0zXjpCOVHOqJ6puhWBEN1esnMCFrcBROzX8O4AmPTRXNVW4FXApwB2y8EYRVck93C7XW8I/s320/P1590731_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Goshawk Viewpoint</div><div><br /></div><div>I then regularly saw the bird with the missing secondaries overhead in its distinctive butterfly display flight while another bird with very brown toned upperparts and very white looking underparts passed low over the tree tops scattering Woodpigeons and Corvids in its path. I also saw a pair in display flight too, the female being larger than the male and both birds very pale looking underneath so there were at least 4 birds present. </div><div><br /></div><div>Ravens, Buzzards and a Sparrowhawk were also seen overhead, the Buzzards were very vocal with a maximum of 14 seen in the air at any one time and the Ravens were very vocal too. A Goldcrest and 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers (2 seen) were also of note but distant Egrets in the fields amongst the cattle were all Little.</div><div><br /></div><div>Saturday 17th February was back to being drecky and claggy and with more heavy rain forecast for later in the day I headed out to Wembury on the 9 O'clock bus for a short walk. It was grey and misty when I arrived but at least I could see The Mewstone this time and it felt suprisingly mild.</div><div><br /></div><div>The beach and cliffs have been getting even more of a battering with all the recent stormy weather and a sad sight was another Common Dolphin corpse washed up on the tide line.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjglRUDmsrD-mVWt_kMV-SFT_yQPMn3u_8Y4MGxEpw8CDZte8dpkgyJl4DiuWTqNoU2FXwGAqRA5-zW-9ZpiBPPA_LJKwRzcBpELIXajwCz_4sEOp8Mayck62NsMUTBpOJ0KVfOAkiw48CXQxaCo-8XWbGaGfifZ8YlitZqSSkRxtMJ0wufOeBjcYoMFec/s1366/P1590762_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjglRUDmsrD-mVWt_kMV-SFT_yQPMn3u_8Y4MGxEpw8CDZte8dpkgyJl4DiuWTqNoU2FXwGAqRA5-zW-9ZpiBPPA_LJKwRzcBpELIXajwCz_4sEOp8Mayck62NsMUTBpOJ0KVfOAkiw48CXQxaCo-8XWbGaGfifZ8YlitZqSSkRxtMJ0wufOeBjcYoMFec/s320/P1590762_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Common Dolphin Corpse</div><div><br /></div><div>The Redshank and Curlew were both still present along the beach on the high tide along with the usual Oystercatchers, 13 Turnstone, 7 Little Egrets and 10 Mallards (7 males). The usual Rock Pipits and Pied Wagtails were also seen and a Grey Wagtail was a splash of colour in the gloom. A pair of Peregrine were buzzing low over the beach, one even briefly hovered before moving on but I couldn't see what it was investigating.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuFcpekETbYZFQ9MjNB-uc1LOf89qrnrsAfYffYEQVEWlA1xFX6TvszbJtEqsyYiz_3u8h7q4tnqBaMV9tLhhr7Kf7e9X1Zne7xE6oNqz6dV218t6tIA11O6eKCNB14LQg6louEZUl4oTpkXMI351WfdU8XGXC4wFzxKH-JaXOVLFnwcGFFJh05i7a5Jo/s1366/P1590756_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuFcpekETbYZFQ9MjNB-uc1LOf89qrnrsAfYffYEQVEWlA1xFX6TvszbJtEqsyYiz_3u8h7q4tnqBaMV9tLhhr7Kf7e9X1Zne7xE6oNqz6dV218t6tIA11O6eKCNB14LQg6louEZUl4oTpkXMI351WfdU8XGXC4wFzxKH-JaXOVLFnwcGFFJh05i7a5Jo/s320/P1590756_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Redshank</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT1s3tm5JLXlfPscm5cronUW4Fydu5Mai1rZUtkscxfbFWZNJwhC-ag8C8HuoA4BPsW7WP2Jw4as6lzLtBmFRfObBJXIu7jv44GIE1uwi4cSl4THNx8QIZBeCfwsMfRZrrVUJnxbEvMT3Sj3cNNb4V3sNO25GVfak4QPkxggbDBQra8HNTgiFZid-Pbgo/s1366/P1590750_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT1s3tm5JLXlfPscm5cronUW4Fydu5Mai1rZUtkscxfbFWZNJwhC-ag8C8HuoA4BPsW7WP2Jw4as6lzLtBmFRfObBJXIu7jv44GIE1uwi4cSl4THNx8QIZBeCfwsMfRZrrVUJnxbEvMT3Sj3cNNb4V3sNO25GVfak4QPkxggbDBQra8HNTgiFZid-Pbgo/s320/P1590750_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Turnstones</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYWI5Uf38poKyllZb5r6Uz8VdufYr-Vs4BRdw3_pBaehPWkfvhFzjdiNwCaM9RztHcyA-B3VK1GIBhDNHVY_Tul8RWl8DQk3rQbXTeYf6c6xtCGBg-f7xqkCp1qOTRsobq-9ZCS_kc1KuNKK27wQYz_YjZaGKzsqjxu5GzCOS93vDpXVZ0ZFJ4GgfZJEg/s1366/P1590744_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYWI5Uf38poKyllZb5r6Uz8VdufYr-Vs4BRdw3_pBaehPWkfvhFzjdiNwCaM9RztHcyA-B3VK1GIBhDNHVY_Tul8RWl8DQk3rQbXTeYf6c6xtCGBg-f7xqkCp1qOTRsobq-9ZCS_kc1KuNKK27wQYz_YjZaGKzsqjxu5GzCOS93vDpXVZ0ZFJ4GgfZJEg/s320/P1590744_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Mallards</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>A Cirl Bunting was heard singing in the mist and 3 Chiffchaff were seen, 1 along the beach, 1 along the stream and 1 in a village garden. A sad sight was the "habitat management" that has been undertaken at The Point by the National Trust, all the Gorse growing along the footpath has been cleared but this is where I find Green Hairstreaks in the spring, hopefully some will have survived. I understand that work has to be undertaken and vegetation cleared but sometimes you need to know what is present and where it is before you clear it all away.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiETguuZyRka2K7Cc-kYdXqbAZ3P9rZVaeqiI7em_njTta4lcK8hAr_S7MSOqRjcK5nk-NzXAOxP9Vu0DV9CQ-pWCD-ofNhmoHxVc6Tk4L2aiGarUAS3bmboYblSWTaJOl-sqDUce56SIf_Em6zEQYawWoz0UpwNfOJwXVK0ercKtwMrx721aXKdkdGhOw/s1366/P1590748_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiETguuZyRka2K7Cc-kYdXqbAZ3P9rZVaeqiI7em_njTta4lcK8hAr_S7MSOqRjcK5nk-NzXAOxP9Vu0DV9CQ-pWCD-ofNhmoHxVc6Tk4L2aiGarUAS3bmboYblSWTaJOl-sqDUce56SIf_Em6zEQYawWoz0UpwNfOJwXVK0ercKtwMrx721aXKdkdGhOw/s320/P1590748_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Gorse clearance at The Point</div><div><br /></div>Stuart Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562828875993764020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498023071863063038.post-91811837351810857422024-02-11T09:12:00.004+00:002024-02-14T17:18:14.172+00:00A Plym Guillemot, a Trip to Cornwall & a River Tamar/Lynher Cruise<p>The start of a new week on Monday 5th February but yet again more claggy weather with grey skies and mizzle. Despite this I headed out for a look about around The Plym, starting at Laira Bridge and walking upriver as the tide headed in. It was a Neap tide so there was no mud on show when I arrived despite the high tide being just over 3 hours away but there was quite a strong flow of water heading in with a Guillemot found out on the river above Laira Bridge and busily paddling away into the flow to keep itself in position. I've never seen a Guillemot on The Plym before so I was very pleased to find one, it may be a bird that isn't too well and is struggling to survive although it looked OK and was paddling quite strongly.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSCIgs2DFZPQWEerNoigP2EnKUhFhNpoXcZUrbSelCIW5-5l3mbV883B_mtwDBVrXCnu_eF_lxT7JOPFe_FtpPMYpklcS93RLLtoyqeIt9ljm6fye8UUM2HdQwjixR9ojxUUyDsfmIvCLLK0b22ITCb2iUOfSrw55h7jXoDnGjOUqreQ8zt3yXP23keN4/s1366/P1590416_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSCIgs2DFZPQWEerNoigP2EnKUhFhNpoXcZUrbSelCIW5-5l3mbV883B_mtwDBVrXCnu_eF_lxT7JOPFe_FtpPMYpklcS93RLLtoyqeIt9ljm6fye8UUM2HdQwjixR9ojxUUyDsfmIvCLLK0b22ITCb2iUOfSrw55h7jXoDnGjOUqreQ8zt3yXP23keN4/s320/P1590416_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Guillemot in the gloom, River Plym</div><p>A Great Northern Diver and a Great Crested Grebe were also seen out on the water, continually diving away and moving downriver against the incoming tide. A Shag was also noted roosting out on one of the boats mid-channel along with some Cormorants and a Kestrel was flying around before heading down towards The Cattewater.</p><p>The Park held the usual birds with 10+Ring-necked Parakeets, 6+Redwing, 3 Goldcrest, 4 Nuthatch, a pair of Stonechat and a Jay of note. A look for Water Rail in the Wet Wood was fruitless but excellent views of a flitty Firecrest was some consolation.</p><p>Blaxton Meadow was pretty much waterless even at high tide but 24 Curlew, 4 Greenshank, 37 Wigeon (21 males) and at least 22 Snipe were noted here along with 3 adult Common Gull and 3 adult Lesser Black-backed Gull amongst the roosting Gull flock. A pair of Goosander flew in briefly to the small pool by the sluice gates before flying off and a Kingfisher was busily diving for fish in the pool too. A male and 3 female Goosander were then seen on a quick look at the nearby river and 2 Mute Swan, a Common Sandpiper and a Grey Wagtail were also present. </p><p>Tuesday 6th February was grey, claggy and windy as we headed off on the train to West Cornwall. We arrived in Penzance at Midday and while David went off to look around the shops I walked over to Sandy Cove via Newlyn to do a bit of birding.</p><p>It was very windy along the seafront but I had some excellent views of at least 31 Purple Sandpipers roosting on the rocks at The Jubilee Pool along with Ringed Plover, Turnstone, Sanderling and Dunlin. A Common Seal was also fishing just offshore here and was attracting a lot of attention from Herring Gulls and a Common Gull as it brought its catch to the surface to eat.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO7bmPGx8GLLmxmxPXBlKXOPuJ28Y9XgNOO5BqivPQQTnSJ4gbfPG0woSIgSutjLSrTYw8nQCKEcmefUEIBqX1QixtQBuXaGRWbYWKheXj426T7pVLBnV_wpXzzAlrNHTb8rJCS2e943LWpY7IsstfPhBAJgZiOYbiONRc5SMskGE_24dD08z5Fq8vL88/s1366/P1590520_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO7bmPGx8GLLmxmxPXBlKXOPuJ28Y9XgNOO5BqivPQQTnSJ4gbfPG0woSIgSutjLSrTYw8nQCKEcmefUEIBqX1QixtQBuXaGRWbYWKheXj426T7pVLBnV_wpXzzAlrNHTb8rJCS2e943LWpY7IsstfPhBAJgZiOYbiONRc5SMskGE_24dD08z5Fq8vL88/s320/P1590520_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Purple Sandpiper</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij8BNbpnKtCs-xnJgyr4uCAoAn84qtdk0kjgao4030A6yY8WdaPkx264RurWOfcodTTYTD3-sWAYFJoXU0u6Yw1iT0njnzk0MSjhB8G0Gkx0tNng7-dGIEFeLeFV0wZ5UguuFNCsn1HeTV4tqPiTPp0LBnAjUrE04yWAzm-c0Yi3SjWcJomZOzYi_5suo/s1366/P1590510_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij8BNbpnKtCs-xnJgyr4uCAoAn84qtdk0kjgao4030A6yY8WdaPkx264RurWOfcodTTYTD3-sWAYFJoXU0u6Yw1iT0njnzk0MSjhB8G0Gkx0tNng7-dGIEFeLeFV0wZ5UguuFNCsn1HeTV4tqPiTPp0LBnAjUrE04yWAzm-c0Yi3SjWcJomZOzYi_5suo/s320/P1590510_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Ringed Plover</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTkkHXPouFqlWmahdH0jrn68dMPNMeFbexcPybJDeq5BPkDICeSOBzpEGk8y1SHSelWpYBEQb184PDYy4MHKNQUeSWb7v82xxt_f2dVjowxtkLSZAprFDnODmnoa2D95WfyIzDlT7wZmUOg7QMDoPYFB7MXhXzVT4BaW35UnwTvrpFFc0pmWm_5e23Ds/s1366/P1590553_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTkkHXPouFqlWmahdH0jrn68dMPNMeFbexcPybJDeq5BPkDICeSOBzpEGk8y1SHSelWpYBEQb184PDYy4MHKNQUeSWb7v82xxt_f2dVjowxtkLSZAprFDnODmnoa2D95WfyIzDlT7wZmUOg7QMDoPYFB7MXhXzVT4BaW35UnwTvrpFFc0pmWm_5e23Ds/s320/P1590553_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sanderling</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcYEtabamFl2rW-gMjtcE-RfpAdsvDoTnFaSfWKtm9-3yeutrVQM_Kixy_jBZhSBQJ5pnPtc-wXytayeVyAqSOEjPp6xPcDFeMK1VWzPV38MfQMUwL5qzZKSAYb3evX5oPdNmCLhGYLtVF0o2A0FrhUCKyZ_JAS2dKAF9ZofgddgtvBfAaVywklX1bsRE/s1366/P1590515_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcYEtabamFl2rW-gMjtcE-RfpAdsvDoTnFaSfWKtm9-3yeutrVQM_Kixy_jBZhSBQJ5pnPtc-wXytayeVyAqSOEjPp6xPcDFeMK1VWzPV38MfQMUwL5qzZKSAYb3evX5oPdNmCLhGYLtVF0o2A0FrhUCKyZ_JAS2dKAF9ZofgddgtvBfAaVywklX1bsRE/s320/P1590515_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Dunlin</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg48oenB8EFNipeVqkBBFKV8KsxqVhLkC2jmb9LjqQiOPV-xuzO0jBfA6Uf1AK3uWxVIwqbiinX8TuE_Y6uFh2_nngHiF4GdZb97EInxOvqIHKWiG0VU-Q9BH0-_wdpMCDAgaei0XgolkmOb2PHxnGR8F08Wd040mEwGKFUtUiP8XRvnXBCBqTdCZDYEt4/s1366/P1590500_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg48oenB8EFNipeVqkBBFKV8KsxqVhLkC2jmb9LjqQiOPV-xuzO0jBfA6Uf1AK3uWxVIwqbiinX8TuE_Y6uFh2_nngHiF4GdZb97EInxOvqIHKWiG0VU-Q9BH0-_wdpMCDAgaei0XgolkmOb2PHxnGR8F08Wd040mEwGKFUtUiP8XRvnXBCBqTdCZDYEt4/s320/P1590500_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Where's Wally Part I - Sanderling with a Ringed Plover</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpeqR3o6AhFWbPH9l_7oCAhSW7qd0rL58z55-HM4vQ2o2twZnxXec7sxYbD3_rqq4WpvwrRAnz6Li3Fq0wwCylgq_d_Q40IVok5mgp5BWL5UXxr0iDYnFTJOLO3akuUOD1GiWW-xcbhHpg5W1ZIXcYqGsqEdFuPxosu5B-7ziopoRbmHlSmgVvIkhtf7E/s1366/P1590479_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpeqR3o6AhFWbPH9l_7oCAhSW7qd0rL58z55-HM4vQ2o2twZnxXec7sxYbD3_rqq4WpvwrRAnz6Li3Fq0wwCylgq_d_Q40IVok5mgp5BWL5UXxr0iDYnFTJOLO3akuUOD1GiWW-xcbhHpg5W1ZIXcYqGsqEdFuPxosu5B-7ziopoRbmHlSmgVvIkhtf7E/s320/P1590479_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Where's Wally Part II - Sanderling with a Dunlin</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpOwEmWcIQ7vESe7ZZMlMhYm1aZR_KZPmI82uPL7QQbABRFEWN6jmlWT9wrAEzeSez4RR9yESEWoO1016YtRjfvqH0wuvfO4uGMgNf6FDeNF45cgUD4WrM4sDRN3adI99OpHJ7NHUBVDZ04OqQtGJtHzb7aTfIlDFZ8Cs6GJWt13_16Ycwlm0TpRw_Va8/s1366/P1590531_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpOwEmWcIQ7vESe7ZZMlMhYm1aZR_KZPmI82uPL7QQbABRFEWN6jmlWT9wrAEzeSez4RR9yESEWoO1016YtRjfvqH0wuvfO4uGMgNf6FDeNF45cgUD4WrM4sDRN3adI99OpHJ7NHUBVDZ04OqQtGJtHzb7aTfIlDFZ8Cs6GJWt13_16Ycwlm0TpRw_Va8/s320/P1590531_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Common Seal</div><p>It was calmer at Newlyn out of the wind but it was quiet birdwise too with the usual tame Turnstones around the fish quay and a Lesser Black-backed Gull roosting amongst the Herring Gulls of note. Sandy Cove was also sheltered from the wind but again quiet with a Razorbill on the sea and a Raven overhead the highlights.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ9oCBQxUkoXgcbnQ3wfrF4eW6TjUhiWvjFM-hrg7oW2sLPp7tppt9BJCGO2dAB4ykvWd6LDmaHiQVKTSgV4hMTe9xMREOeHxb1CA_UDsJImflExXJqTZrX7R3schhL8v_uyHf8udSU8lv9ZVCJ4XKdqpqs0DM_gk7iYpxO7_XmcASph5-sWNyqbjnjU4/s1366/P1590467_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ9oCBQxUkoXgcbnQ3wfrF4eW6TjUhiWvjFM-hrg7oW2sLPp7tppt9BJCGO2dAB4ykvWd6LDmaHiQVKTSgV4hMTe9xMREOeHxb1CA_UDsJImflExXJqTZrX7R3schhL8v_uyHf8udSU8lv9ZVCJ4XKdqpqs0DM_gk7iYpxO7_XmcASph5-sWNyqbjnjU4/s320/P1590467_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Turnstone</div><p>I met up with David back in Penzance for a bit of lunch before we caught the train to Carbis Bay for an overnight stay at The Carbis Bay Hotel courtesy of my lovely work colleagues who gifted me a very generous voucher on my retirement to redeem towards a stay here. It was a very nice stay indeed, we had a great time, our room was upgraded to a Junior Suite with a sea view and our evening meal with cocktails and wine was very good.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8MTz2gnbVZBYdkVarjrCpmWZk4lwHVluARQzSif1KUP8GyScmjxgkOtmoyfgCFP-2KXd0DVDw7Y8cIBW42JjXz8ZL9W0GUa5voajp7f8wcFY9udfKZol3e0u8uv8KBSRyYnsslUPAdrGqzzhKwmS9WOnC4fba6vzZa_JJ9DUNSWDV2mT9RvTAY-bMqZI/s1366/P1590609_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="1025" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8MTz2gnbVZBYdkVarjrCpmWZk4lwHVluARQzSif1KUP8GyScmjxgkOtmoyfgCFP-2KXd0DVDw7Y8cIBW42JjXz8ZL9W0GUa5voajp7f8wcFY9udfKZol3e0u8uv8KBSRyYnsslUPAdrGqzzhKwmS9WOnC4fba6vzZa_JJ9DUNSWDV2mT9RvTAY-bMqZI/s320/P1590609_edited.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdjDU13mqvKeTdVu2Da_76emKTUBGm2qKINPLpfCe_GiJs56JPRQZIh-AevClqmcJ7ZQvFwvNJ60yldne_RFuIUzfD77FrwILHiJz1Vee_SMVW_nCgNjIQBv9i5hISRSTxVv2eLG9k3Kq-NI7GVfUgTJlYeuKtsNwGhsLuoaZGo5m4WQEdBD62i6lmAY/s4080/20240207_085836.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="4080" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdjDU13mqvKeTdVu2Da_76emKTUBGm2qKINPLpfCe_GiJs56JPRQZIh-AevClqmcJ7ZQvFwvNJ60yldne_RFuIUzfD77FrwILHiJz1Vee_SMVW_nCgNjIQBv9i5hISRSTxVv2eLG9k3Kq-NI7GVfUgTJlYeuKtsNwGhsLuoaZGo5m4WQEdBD62i6lmAY/s320/20240207_085836.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The view from our room, Carbis Bay Hotel </div><p>The next morning from our room balcony I saw at least 9 Grey Seals dotted around the bay, all poking their heads out of the water before diving out of sight. A group of 6 summer plumaged Great Crested Grebes were also seen fairly close in to the beach while further out a few Gannets were milling around.</p><p>Breakfast sadly wasn't the best and a little bit disappointing but after checking out of the hotel we walked along the coast path to St.Ives for a look around the town. It was grey and claggy but the mist did eventually clear and the light was beautiful despite the lack of sunshine, however by the time we were waiting to catch the train back to Plymouth it had started to rain.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUy1bCK3UVMagbScR12c53iqpXHsxHX0htPWfpjhBxPRtT-AdjuHr8yfOAKDwCvRytfE7UDPos1mri_TD7cH1VTg00h-7J3PTCv5PX-b37vltKcZ6dcYgD34RvE-o8lm_bPzHaxeVcutxnEOikVNXMjN7nbDvekkclKT4vIY8-DxKlJPRHDvcuMdLKDsY/s4080/20240207_122910.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="4080" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUy1bCK3UVMagbScR12c53iqpXHsxHX0htPWfpjhBxPRtT-AdjuHr8yfOAKDwCvRytfE7UDPos1mri_TD7cH1VTg00h-7J3PTCv5PX-b37vltKcZ6dcYgD34RvE-o8lm_bPzHaxeVcutxnEOikVNXMjN7nbDvekkclKT4vIY8-DxKlJPRHDvcuMdLKDsY/s320/20240207_122910.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">St.Ives</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2TlM8fx_R09GGTCUVsK6aWYZE5jEKJkmyWYC04nrYomIYdUe9f6qbi5AQVDWrw3En8SRa63PExR0q-KgYcDD2Qe8Ns9ZoiSqr3fEueoMGRoPwKopKcfUNtTtvxdfWrSNV_UYjKGgJDR3bs1wnC8L12JE_az0cZijivm7KTmSSogH9j7-Nx0IMzFJLBug/s4080/20240207_113458.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="4080" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2TlM8fx_R09GGTCUVsK6aWYZE5jEKJkmyWYC04nrYomIYdUe9f6qbi5AQVDWrw3En8SRa63PExR0q-KgYcDD2Qe8Ns9ZoiSqr3fEueoMGRoPwKopKcfUNtTtvxdfWrSNV_UYjKGgJDR3bs1wnC8L12JE_az0cZijivm7KTmSSogH9j7-Nx0IMzFJLBug/s320/20240207_113458.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">St.Ives</div><p>With a Humpback Whale having been seen at times out in the Bay recently I kept an eye out for it but without any luck (but it was seen off nearby Newquay that lunchtime!). I did however manage to see a few Common Dolphins but they were mobile and unobtrusive at the surface so were difficult to track. A distant Great Northern Diver was also picked up offshore along with distant Auks and more diving Gannets while a flock of 7 noisy Oystercatchers flying past the Coastguard Lookout included 2 Purple Sandpipers. </p><p>The usual tame Turnstones were scurrying around the Quayside and amongst the Herring Gulls also loitering about here were 2 ringed adult birds from a Cornish Gull ringing scheme. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSPQLlhVED1foVOBsa4X5XkJIsgJS-wDkPc8PAHuouwFnOWfV5QUraKJzPL1zV46yUfcuRS8xiXomC2UpHfFSyXLy3N6ksdUKFWsu7PiCxywecFrnUSaoWztWdnThAwHF3mK4uW1jP3aCJ1XjehEFjDBWNmP43wzYpC25v-vMwCdcJATeC4R5sXot3EEA/s1366/P1590592_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSPQLlhVED1foVOBsa4X5XkJIsgJS-wDkPc8PAHuouwFnOWfV5QUraKJzPL1zV46yUfcuRS8xiXomC2UpHfFSyXLy3N6ksdUKFWsu7PiCxywecFrnUSaoWztWdnThAwHF3mK4uW1jP3aCJ1XjehEFjDBWNmP43wzYpC25v-vMwCdcJATeC4R5sXot3EEA/s320/P1590592_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Turnstone</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCIB9duWlTk4QMiZ0fs-DEhTOVAsqKG6y-KytwIoD5s-5nEwwSLrYuValCLQiGjyZrc0rWYDUlrPa11cI3uHu6zdmP3P170V8hPL4CYrTMG-QWQwJAJEEw6JoFXAHtu9vorOuWHCeNeS5q0qbiobOHcq-K9TBBVkMOZauBmq4KP9mUdIrQu-wU-UuFso/s1366/P1590598_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1223" data-original-width="1366" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCIB9duWlTk4QMiZ0fs-DEhTOVAsqKG6y-KytwIoD5s-5nEwwSLrYuValCLQiGjyZrc0rWYDUlrPa11cI3uHu6zdmP3P170V8hPL4CYrTMG-QWQwJAJEEw6JoFXAHtu9vorOuWHCeNeS5q0qbiobOHcq-K9TBBVkMOZauBmq4KP9mUdIrQu-wU-UuFso/s320/P1590598_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">W-195</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCk07vjzUMNQHD09H6xkgdgOCJp1k3sRMJUi5GBdxndGGSswgpNraOgNPmEhntTpYG_rfwxQr2X8-m0VgQZGM24-U2hjcC8kmJIOmEDO8nTWvAZR2hgs0d_GbNZfWckDLxPUlA_YcTzgwDuvaiid9Hwvv6Yuq8BcsWe0n9uRitFBxc721qAtO2Bqwj6QQ/s1366/P1590606_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="1212" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCk07vjzUMNQHD09H6xkgdgOCJp1k3sRMJUi5GBdxndGGSswgpNraOgNPmEhntTpYG_rfwxQr2X8-m0VgQZGM24-U2hjcC8kmJIOmEDO8nTWvAZR2hgs0d_GbNZfWckDLxPUlA_YcTzgwDuvaiid9Hwvv6Yuq8BcsWe0n9uRitFBxc721qAtO2Bqwj6QQ/s320/P1590606_edited.jpg" width="284" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">W-918</div><p>It was grey and windy with the odd sunny spell and heavy shower as I headed down to The Barbican on Saturday 10th February to board a boat for a birding cruise on the Rivers Tamar and Lynher. It's been quite a few years now since I last did this trip, while it is never as bird filled as The Exe boat trip and sightings are more distant it always throws up something interesting. Being local is also a bonus, from my house it is just a 10 minute walk down to the quayside to catch the boat and seeing my home city from the water adds an alternative and interesting perspective on the landscape.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitTs7u8A5N0F77DsVbajtVHMrHFYuPBJUshk4J-BdAnDJTnNmFuVy3YqHd9RH6hmgdwlYFTB_Vn3JaXPFM_BPuJ28vXhkxRci0iE0EiF3RuM2rY2BN5YxLf22TUgVJ3x31gFSKM5aGRLI3oO9lhGKmYsOj-23QsA9XFdOMDVFosgSW-BW9KLecJddBnt8/s1366/P1590623_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitTs7u8A5N0F77DsVbajtVHMrHFYuPBJUshk4J-BdAnDJTnNmFuVy3YqHd9RH6hmgdwlYFTB_Vn3JaXPFM_BPuJ28vXhkxRci0iE0EiF3RuM2rY2BN5YxLf22TUgVJ3x31gFSKM5aGRLI3oO9lhGKmYsOj-23QsA9XFdOMDVFosgSW-BW9KLecJddBnt8/s320/P1590623_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Tamar and Brunel Bridges</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpAvTN1v68SffPiDRPFLnpDD7kvDENKoCLDbS18JXU_sQL_Ig-_y8H668VlsDhkgd1fn-vZ_adCSoFlu01GdmVV783B0y3yCVMvol5a-xHzPMaAY1lm0EYGY0P49HHJgsA_vPuRSBhKVazeDoUkcxRzXXfq6oUPaBUu_1HW4GzsSGbSYX7QmI51Mii32o/s1366/P1590634_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="1025" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpAvTN1v68SffPiDRPFLnpDD7kvDENKoCLDbS18JXU_sQL_Ig-_y8H668VlsDhkgd1fn-vZ_adCSoFlu01GdmVV783B0y3yCVMvol5a-xHzPMaAY1lm0EYGY0P49HHJgsA_vPuRSBhKVazeDoUkcxRzXXfq6oUPaBUu_1HW4GzsSGbSYX7QmI51Mii32o/s320/P1590634_edited.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">King Billy, Mutton Cove</div><p>Bird numbers did seem to be down compared to previous trips, maybe due to the weather conditions on the day or maybe due to the very mild winter this year. The highlights were a Whimbrel at Wilcove, a Kingfisher at Jupiter Point, an adult Mediterranean Gull roosting amongst a flock of Black-headed Gulls, 50+ Avocet (c.15 on The Lynher, c.35 on The Tamar), at least 10 Great Northern Divers (3 at St.Johns Lake, 3 between Torpoint and Kingsmill Lake and 4 along The Lynher), 200+ Golden Plover wheeling around high in the sky and 11 Cattle Egret flying over at Kingsmill Lake.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIvbv0-NFL1N7GWMnNfiOX-EInL4uGPaApSqw3r1eXtMCrkxNQyH53qpRcZCUQlT30QbQmd3u5wCB__a9OpMYNeqtqVNNmv_HYuxe4FcqiCeX2pTmBz6zrUrwNtzO4YK1cVVhbaMAcDs1VO32nOGPNz5giL1K6yw37O2TBG13ukb_iodjCI37FjnjVROg/s1366/P1590621_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIvbv0-NFL1N7GWMnNfiOX-EInL4uGPaApSqw3r1eXtMCrkxNQyH53qpRcZCUQlT30QbQmd3u5wCB__a9OpMYNeqtqVNNmv_HYuxe4FcqiCeX2pTmBz6zrUrwNtzO4YK1cVVhbaMAcDs1VO32nOGPNz5giL1K6yw37O2TBG13ukb_iodjCI37FjnjVROg/s320/P1590621_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Avocets, River Tamar</div><p>Only 6 Redshank were seen (1 on The Tamar) and no Dunlin at all, maybe the tides and weather meant they were elsewhere. However Curlew, Oystercatcher, c.20 Black-tailed Godwit and 4 Greenshank were all seen along with Shelduck, Mallard, Teal, Wigeon, Canada Goose, Grey Heron and Little Egret.</p><p>Fortunately the rain held off except for one very brief shower but there were regular rainbows in the sky as the rain fell elsewhere. The 3 hours on the boat just whizzed by and all too soon we were back at The Barbican but it had been a very enjoyable trip. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWRzEC7sZ62a-0t0W-oZF5aaV19vp1zTXPntqPPbnPGAz4s-xKFtF73bgg3D93UF46ekQv1V13XdP2W7KKEeLadH7Rn6CfsydkQpZ26ib8VaLpMpxd0aWjH0ASBL6TGZOi6u_Hyuz5s2vekqo_sudpNgt2u9vMQvuFiJZDcEfmLM91YzZkh1FyWUxlPik/s1366/P1590629_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="1025" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWRzEC7sZ62a-0t0W-oZF5aaV19vp1zTXPntqPPbnPGAz4s-xKFtF73bgg3D93UF46ekQv1V13XdP2W7KKEeLadH7Rn6CfsydkQpZ26ib8VaLpMpxd0aWjH0ASBL6TGZOi6u_Hyuz5s2vekqo_sudpNgt2u9vMQvuFiJZDcEfmLM91YzZkh1FyWUxlPik/s320/P1590629_edited.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Rainbow, River Lynher</div>Stuart Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562828875993764020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498023071863063038.post-45667943089615782942024-02-06T07:09:00.001+00:002024-02-07T17:36:54.479+00:00Snow Bunting - Parts I and II<p>Thursday 1st February was a beautiful and sunny day and with no real plans I decided to head over to Tregantle Beach to look for a reported Snow Bunting. I've never visited here before, having just passed by on the way to Rame Head, and so it was somewhere new and different to explore. The area is part of an active military firing range and access down to the beach is prohibited if it is in use and so I checked the official website beforehand to see what was going on. Unfortunately the range was supposed to be in use for all of the week but with the bird being reported daily since Monday I decided to risk it and head out anyway.</p><p>Needless to say the range was in use when I arrived off the bus and the gates to the paths leading down to the beach were locked so there was no Snow Bunting for me. However it was a beautiful day and the scenery was stunning and so I had a wander along the clifftop footpath instead. I hadn't brought my scope with me which was a shame as the sea was flat calm but scanning offshore I managed to find a Red-throated Diver and a flock of around 20 Common Scoter fairly close in with 2 Great Northern Divers, a further 3 Common Scoter and Auks further out. The Common Scoter flock often dived in unison, one minute they were at the surface, the next minute there was no sign of any of them but eventually they all flew further out offshore.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9c3-c_3N4GPDCgN4sKEFU7GzTyWTCZjcdCCmr6zlRGMPaJ641WtRJisSdzruuM0fi2cIx-UOfAwm8AT14hLBx93bGPhywK0ogV3Pb6rDLoMetqcbhKbXRWoTIRYb1njZr3pUxfBjOLFl965e4Gqzx_wTDcA44LXaGD7k1oWCOOl9BtUWzZ-zDymEbHgo/s1366/P1590057_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9c3-c_3N4GPDCgN4sKEFU7GzTyWTCZjcdCCmr6zlRGMPaJ641WtRJisSdzruuM0fi2cIx-UOfAwm8AT14hLBx93bGPhywK0ogV3Pb6rDLoMetqcbhKbXRWoTIRYb1njZr3pUxfBjOLFl965e4Gqzx_wTDcA44LXaGD7k1oWCOOl9BtUWzZ-zDymEbHgo/s320/P1590057_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Tregantle Beach - so close but yet so far</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi767sxxPyviUoZW_JeZGNqrhU2ISGQQ4yyLAD00vp5qkwP0tyB_nMOutLsvTHAJ_wESUAT3IdHAOVi40FG5nR73rtffWkJJrwDJ5mLqxdCg8aJSIJhXg5hdD8hXfeFqfLtxeml8FKjQIkc3vdteh4Ze4t8hiWQNb6gbvIFAFGY2qWBQR6iab4D-TkGFjo/s1366/P1590055_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi767sxxPyviUoZW_JeZGNqrhU2ISGQQ4yyLAD00vp5qkwP0tyB_nMOutLsvTHAJ_wESUAT3IdHAOVi40FG5nR73rtffWkJJrwDJ5mLqxdCg8aJSIJhXg5hdD8hXfeFqfLtxeml8FKjQIkc3vdteh4Ze4t8hiWQNb6gbvIFAFGY2qWBQR6iab4D-TkGFjo/s320/P1590055_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Whitsand Bay and Rame Head</div><p>Along the cliff top Skylarks were singing away, Meadow Pipits and Jackdaws were feeding in the fields, a Kestrel over was mobbed by 3 Goldfinch, Robins and Stonechats were flitting about on the cliff slope and 2 noisy Buzzards were displaying overhead. </p><p>I had noticed some distant white blobs in the cow fields just before I got off the bus at Tregantle so I headed back there for a closer look, hoping that the white blobs could be some of the Cattle Egret flock wintering in the area. At first I couldn't see any cows or white blobs but eventually I found a herd of cattle hidden behind some hedges and with them were 3 Cattle Egret, 2 Little Egret and Black-headed Gulls. A Fox was also seen trotting across the fields and a few Sloe flowers were beginning to appear in the hedgerows.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp3M9qrQCyrt20-W3-072nhLz3Yu60E9nkZYq41o3TpLYcBrmfZcC820H2PDbU09XfNFn2lg7_CObRVG9F2VwWAsriY1lTeg6VmIssp4n0SLqa5nAu0PP_EU470Ckxkppj6ndMX6B8LmhvkcgFsFXhaR_8x0DTeqh0d7lfDM59CI48air_JvQiP3goVxc/s1366/P1590066_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp3M9qrQCyrt20-W3-072nhLz3Yu60E9nkZYq41o3TpLYcBrmfZcC820H2PDbU09XfNFn2lg7_CObRVG9F2VwWAsriY1lTeg6VmIssp4n0SLqa5nAu0PP_EU470Ckxkppj6ndMX6B8LmhvkcgFsFXhaR_8x0DTeqh0d7lfDM59CI48air_JvQiP3goVxc/s320/P1590066_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Cattle Egret</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZpIp6ESaWYMVEp2x6IoqYD78xays3p8rJlbkzK31QGA_bRVHR0bW5Kx1TzcAW2zsTBqJ_cO9pIWnbOi_9sV9lSttDQLWpDWVtESreG47Qt_kX-MNE1KYArfdImgS8vJMLeo5kFyPrEvyEWPZ36iMARXwzTcOX2qiPKP3AK1JHBEpveXRPXMe7vnfaMq4/s1366/P1590093_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZpIp6ESaWYMVEp2x6IoqYD78xays3p8rJlbkzK31QGA_bRVHR0bW5Kx1TzcAW2zsTBqJ_cO9pIWnbOi_9sV9lSttDQLWpDWVtESreG47Qt_kX-MNE1KYArfdImgS8vJMLeo5kFyPrEvyEWPZ36iMARXwzTcOX2qiPKP3AK1JHBEpveXRPXMe7vnfaMq4/s320/P1590093_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Cattle Egret</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinA4uHvB-zbMS3wTfcCnyB3EoIUN5y87kVzFaqCT5VqtL8RJEWbsYxyrWYVa9U9k4Q9-LUV1CFnyK1EmSWwwZZbVgEttPFPHVFoy_K56WOtGpbhswA7IjVfJ-DNCWNPyIeqJUhYl2GbN4iNRwGiZndVBSxA6nHm1oIROMQ-BUF8AU2kwKP6LeG7-ZAdyU/s1366/P1590077_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinA4uHvB-zbMS3wTfcCnyB3EoIUN5y87kVzFaqCT5VqtL8RJEWbsYxyrWYVa9U9k4Q9-LUV1CFnyK1EmSWwwZZbVgEttPFPHVFoy_K56WOtGpbhswA7IjVfJ-DNCWNPyIeqJUhYl2GbN4iNRwGiZndVBSxA6nHm1oIROMQ-BUF8AU2kwKP6LeG7-ZAdyU/s320/P1590077_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Cattle Egret</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6j3yBas1bKkYGpeoRMBK9xVGvvNA0DVC3sZi46znsQbAUBlwgya2rrfAr0S3NKOeDhaspQg5FBJde8yJPErwz2tMQPfG6uugt2FofDYL7oSr_Fnc7Yub6m6ecSVQfRRfscTl2rjONEA2ZQrpp8ymgQpb1AtL7QF7yESJKQpt43A_GGhAR1Mz129N9AYM/s4080/20240201_115024.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6j3yBas1bKkYGpeoRMBK9xVGvvNA0DVC3sZi46znsQbAUBlwgya2rrfAr0S3NKOeDhaspQg5FBJde8yJPErwz2tMQPfG6uugt2FofDYL7oSr_Fnc7Yub6m6ecSVQfRRfscTl2rjONEA2ZQrpp8ymgQpb1AtL7QF7yESJKQpt43A_GGhAR1Mz129N9AYM/s320/20240201_115024.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sloe Blossom</div><p>I caught the bus back to Plymouth but stopped off at Torpoint for a quick look off Marine Drive before continuing my journey home, the tide was low, I was looking into the sun and I was scopeless but I managed some good sightings despite this. The usual Waders, Wildfowl and Gulls were present, there was no sign of any Brent Geese though but the highlights were 2 Great Northern Divers, 10 Great Crested Grebes, 2 Little Grebes and a Black-necked Grebe out on the water. The strangest sighting was of a female Sparrowhawk which swooped low over the mudflats and took out a Dunlin before flying off into some bushes along the shoreline being noisily pursued by Carrion Crows.</p><p>Friday 2nd February was back to being all grey and claggy but I headed out to Wembury for a walk anyway. On arriving it was so misty I couldn't even see The Mewstone but it did eventually clear although the mist did return at times. At least the grotty conditions kept the fair weather dog walkers indoors.</p><p>It was quiet as expected with the highlights being sightings of a female Bullfinch and 2 Canada Geese, both Wembury year firsts, and the Redshank, 14 Turnstone, 5 Little Egrets and the Curlew along the beach. It's good to see the Redshank is sticking around despite all the beach disturbance, not so good is seeing just the one wintering Curlew.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_w2GfSEzlttE1Z1_myA5Bc8tkMiYOrX9akRs3na3Km5knZGzk9E-QHlOmuV6UerJczY-DO32IH4TE5ZRlmh_KK_6eEAUOnBIlNlpuUhk2y_0U7pCDVqZFrR3xG-nNknGgXwLzmaRiPEFAcl0vFgdnAUKA1jyDQyQqUxLkums31453FNdFC9ofLHJp2ac/s1366/P1590152_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_w2GfSEzlttE1Z1_myA5Bc8tkMiYOrX9akRs3na3Km5knZGzk9E-QHlOmuV6UerJczY-DO32IH4TE5ZRlmh_KK_6eEAUOnBIlNlpuUhk2y_0U7pCDVqZFrR3xG-nNknGgXwLzmaRiPEFAcl0vFgdnAUKA1jyDQyQqUxLkums31453FNdFC9ofLHJp2ac/s320/P1590152_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Little Egrets</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOg2ATmA09QZqXJXOeeOUNqMm-056OkIR-ObN4xOW3BVxBe-clLkJyIT2cGjxZXqDLZbeBjywnVuYhK7f6uvGzmKFg_82t2hNZ_argnZH8C1uuEa8tXppm616-UXch3b33hRMzEpZWa-rZOQVEje3o0GtK_mRGLmcDLAq6mvc8afmdzDRqF6CSiuTRr8/s1366/P1590108_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOg2ATmA09QZqXJXOeeOUNqMm-056OkIR-ObN4xOW3BVxBe-clLkJyIT2cGjxZXqDLZbeBjywnVuYhK7f6uvGzmKFg_82t2hNZ_argnZH8C1uuEa8tXppm616-UXch3b33hRMzEpZWa-rZOQVEje3o0GtK_mRGLmcDLAq6mvc8afmdzDRqF6CSiuTRr8/s320/P1590108_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Curlew</div><p>A female Blackcap and 3 Chiffchaff were also of note along with 25+ Stock Doves still present in the fields above the sewage farm. A female Sparrowhawk dashed through the village gardens but didn't catch anything for its breakfast and Fulmars were again wheeling around The Mewstone.</p><p>There was a lot of flotsam deposited along the beach following the recent storms and more of the cliff face has been eroded away but a sad sight were 4 Guillemot and 2 Razorbill corpses.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO4hGW8gt9ASXwf7tcdublT6ciWvcOlv_2TLGGwrm75RK7SitzeCImbZrtSWpflDSAA5uKcRD331aNxS2HSaK3MSeE1pjZexi2TLudfdbc4G-CfcxCUGKAIAXFXgtGdEoUxZkRfg0ly3QUtB1ppWUuzzFVEgQxb4pKtbOmDEyvGAGD2XJFznaK8tptbo0/s1366/P1590206_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO4hGW8gt9ASXwf7tcdublT6ciWvcOlv_2TLGGwrm75RK7SitzeCImbZrtSWpflDSAA5uKcRD331aNxS2HSaK3MSeE1pjZexi2TLudfdbc4G-CfcxCUGKAIAXFXgtGdEoUxZkRfg0ly3QUtB1ppWUuzzFVEgQxb4pKtbOmDEyvGAGD2XJFznaK8tptbo0/s320/P1590206_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Guillemot - very yellow legs and a yellow based bill, a very Red-necked Grebe vibe</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHAvPV_rs2k8C_OHcTJQ1c2E2g6HXvi3Xuhqn4DP_9Sgx7puaGrccTUneivMz02KOInB7nHr8mRyGfgjHWIyrMYAZBJRuxJD_xFwWu7XmUpmX6YWcGWTMM_uTmyn1-S3nc2u7ueyWcP26Zob_YUH9cESZtxp6AlkxHnB-Nf4-VoFU7bv5lRPSip6Vx0kQ/s3195/20240202_165258-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3195" data-original-width="2400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHAvPV_rs2k8C_OHcTJQ1c2E2g6HXvi3Xuhqn4DP_9Sgx7puaGrccTUneivMz02KOInB7nHr8mRyGfgjHWIyrMYAZBJRuxJD_xFwWu7XmUpmX6YWcGWTMM_uTmyn1-S3nc2u7ueyWcP26Zob_YUH9cESZtxp6AlkxHnB-Nf4-VoFU7bv5lRPSip6Vx0kQ/s320/20240202_165258-COLLAGE.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Razorbill and Guillemot Bills</div><p>A very decomposed Dolphin or Porpoise corpse was also washed up on the rocks, it looked like something from an alien horror film and was providing a juicy but gory meal to Carrion Crows, Herring Gulls and Great Black-backed Gulls. There were also plenty of Cuttlefish "bones" washed up along the beach too.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEzTst_4iVYCma2FRLTah1GN5ub8l5ap3eDh_v0PloSNrhGvZ0or9MpuOjLzsyqwikB5_2Gs9zwInwW9pKDD3lfMpmDBdpEKMLxrtjXgzdg6JTNNlvg-0owog6g74Oj1EYFvsao3Oj2jggnyL_9h040u3DBCJ-2c1oGnD-GVH38gWfUdChDrl2e35Oq1k/s1366/P1590155_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEzTst_4iVYCma2FRLTah1GN5ub8l5ap3eDh_v0PloSNrhGvZ0or9MpuOjLzsyqwikB5_2Gs9zwInwW9pKDD3lfMpmDBdpEKMLxrtjXgzdg6JTNNlvg-0owog6g74Oj1EYFvsao3Oj2jggnyL_9h040u3DBCJ-2c1oGnD-GVH38gWfUdChDrl2e35Oq1k/s320/P1590155_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Gruesome Dolphin/Porpoise Corpse</div><p>Saturday 3rd February was grey and claggy yet again but with the firing range at Tregantle Fort not in use and access to the beach now open I decided to go for a revisit to look for the Snow Bunting. It remained claggy throughout my time there with mizzle at times but there were also a few very brief brighter spells too.</p><p>After alighting from the bus I headed down the steep footpath to the beach, noting a female Sparrowhawk in full hunting mode and a pair of Blackcap skulking in the undergrowth along the way. I then wandered back and forth along the base of the cliffs as the tide receded, keeping my eyes and ears open although the gentle noise of the surf meant hearing any bird calls over it was almost impossible. Despite the grotty weather the beach was busy with walkers, dogs and children but they mostly kept away from the cliff base and so I managed to get some good views of a White Wagtail and 3 Rock Pipits here.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBlybmDNeY-36sLwdy_WuYmXR3gVnktvlZCi_hdhAQOqoCwZ7unQpPxkUEtc6ZSGNU6X27ofhq19to3Xi2byZCSjuW8M7q-OkDWMYcI3YJsW4i98yJkMY0yJm-HYdjCP7m0fczVmBokvum-KEDrIKQfb5QTqni-qHvcD64qGpCS3EPAOCLXI0Z1QzUs8/s1366/P1590269_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBlybmDNeY-36sLwdy_WuYmXR3gVnktvlZCi_hdhAQOqoCwZ7unQpPxkUEtc6ZSGNU6X27ofhq19to3Xi2byZCSjuW8M7q-OkDWMYcI3YJsW4i98yJkMY0yJm-HYdjCP7m0fczVmBokvum-KEDrIKQfb5QTqni-qHvcD64qGpCS3EPAOCLXI0Z1QzUs8/s320/P1590269_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">White Wagtail</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE-ShKYW0EtEXHLgLliAOWEO_VsPPJ8brLt0CF_WTVnkVxPfA6duRQ7k1vh2YHFTu8axu9KqBZ-_a1gnmtIXtW10-2OxcNkwvolImwK400aqZjB8hb3ZtfPM-q2TX9hdnF8gdC2yc7dE0FvRLRmxVYkYrux7jREcLCE626emCoOQ5GqJDEgAWXiHxOwB4/s1366/P1590265_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE-ShKYW0EtEXHLgLliAOWEO_VsPPJ8brLt0CF_WTVnkVxPfA6duRQ7k1vh2YHFTu8axu9KqBZ-_a1gnmtIXtW10-2OxcNkwvolImwK400aqZjB8hb3ZtfPM-q2TX9hdnF8gdC2yc7dE0FvRLRmxVYkYrux7jREcLCE626emCoOQ5GqJDEgAWXiHxOwB4/s320/P1590265_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">White Wagtail</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqxhRSUn8kPWFy2HGsj2VSoWpxY0Q6JkL9uQwiyDNvIgxJJLOqkPuFDo4bznSm-uyrO9MKo0SxPTrSNXW3CNcr9PEVsAa4SHd7xmYF4TG2accb86slpiq7ra_Nkff6Ik5FY9G-rK5j0VBdta0cTEAKJVHz9vjspORkA9DE-wXZZKbtbPwD_bGXyr0TxkQ/s1366/P1590287_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqxhRSUn8kPWFy2HGsj2VSoWpxY0Q6JkL9uQwiyDNvIgxJJLOqkPuFDo4bznSm-uyrO9MKo0SxPTrSNXW3CNcr9PEVsAa4SHd7xmYF4TG2accb86slpiq7ra_Nkff6Ik5FY9G-rK5j0VBdta0cTEAKJVHz9vjspORkA9DE-wXZZKbtbPwD_bGXyr0TxkQ/s320/P1590287_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">White Wagtail</div><p>I found a dead Razorbill along the tide line, it had been partly eaten, presumably by the pair of Ravens and the adult and the 1st winter Great Black-backed Gull present as they also tucked into a Dolphin corpse nearby. A further 2 Dolphin/Porpoise corpses were found but they were much more decayed and I also found a tiny Cuttlefish amongst all the Cuttlefish "bones".</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZPfX8JbQx3Ec7aZ3wfzzpCpFpm4cjlWimMpzhEjUqexYR5fsFbAE5GLzbPgnToKMnClPX0Efy9b8HGK887orVKxyCxwNWIMmxgQdH6qXXbpFJnrceMxZ4a-oWxspJiVmrFevoQc4MrMYJEBjsUquPhcEHIdm97Dd8B5NcMV8b0XTG9Z17MgeFA-UERM/s1366/P1590234_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZPfX8JbQx3Ec7aZ3wfzzpCpFpm4cjlWimMpzhEjUqexYR5fsFbAE5GLzbPgnToKMnClPX0Efy9b8HGK887orVKxyCxwNWIMmxgQdH6qXXbpFJnrceMxZ4a-oWxspJiVmrFevoQc4MrMYJEBjsUquPhcEHIdm97Dd8B5NcMV8b0XTG9Z17MgeFA-UERM/s320/P1590234_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Remains of a Dolphin/Porpoise</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGoZQynw2tJb_DkKd77JraWP985aI7UdTGJu0kZt8m-umuShTLlzCqCCIgKM3wMcZmGF5hlgJ6RTt75KmSQLg30iNw_HdvJYKn9G5i_aXiiZXD64p7kYn3dpxqr0dbCreoEUgDLgHpYGaTjhjT44xlAkgiX3B6AAm4MhO0_PEgXkFN9QFBbizPSmTipDM/s1269/P1590235_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="1269" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGoZQynw2tJb_DkKd77JraWP985aI7UdTGJu0kZt8m-umuShTLlzCqCCIgKM3wMcZmGF5hlgJ6RTt75KmSQLg30iNw_HdvJYKn9G5i_aXiiZXD64p7kYn3dpxqr0dbCreoEUgDLgHpYGaTjhjT44xlAkgiX3B6AAm4MhO0_PEgXkFN9QFBbizPSmTipDM/s320/P1590235_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Common Dolphin Corpse</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWIty_Vnvi91UaSEeZn2QgGq9Kq075-Huf1uf2gCEYFHr21uiksjS1JdE1nMD4ot7dPCyTRTpGujmYfBxLWhdc0CB2G5cTQOhEm3lJ4qblZtfRp7yWq_ifugOgMcnLylQ2kkXcqNkqX41rKFSed5hJtncvoiqoiAF_x3pMxkqanvxz9_qTabaCGv_U88c/s1366/P1590256_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWIty_Vnvi91UaSEeZn2QgGq9Kq075-Huf1uf2gCEYFHr21uiksjS1JdE1nMD4ot7dPCyTRTpGujmYfBxLWhdc0CB2G5cTQOhEm3lJ4qblZtfRp7yWq_ifugOgMcnLylQ2kkXcqNkqX41rKFSed5hJtncvoiqoiAF_x3pMxkqanvxz9_qTabaCGv_U88c/s320/P1590256_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Cuttlefish</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuinlhrpla-dB29AfWgH7G0UqGIKTg-JGTH9RvSVE1eOtecXQadmlaggRG3npUy-OlxhnEHvvKx4qyS1mxN1cRpYApswfvWt7VV5r12Q0qjmhyM34m3GWz0KNi7dyYEyqE_ciO0Ds8v4CNhHcdZCqLUeBPurNsAmOQmQRfRjNwziTo8OdkCDpD5fTMHsY/s1366/P1590251_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="1025" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuinlhrpla-dB29AfWgH7G0UqGIKTg-JGTH9RvSVE1eOtecXQadmlaggRG3npUy-OlxhnEHvvKx4qyS1mxN1cRpYApswfvWt7VV5r12Q0qjmhyM34m3GWz0KNi7dyYEyqE_ciO0Ds8v4CNhHcdZCqLUeBPurNsAmOQmQRfRjNwziTo8OdkCDpD5fTMHsY/s320/P1590251_edited.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Ray Egg Case</div><p>Offshore the flock of Common Scoter had grown to 60+ birds, mostly female/juvenile types and all diving in unison as juvenile Herring Gulls danced attendance close by in the hope of stealing a morsel of food.</p><p>Along the beach I also found lots of plastic nurdles, tiny pellets of plastic used in the manufacture of plastic goods which end up accidently finding their way into the sea. I've never really seen them before but then I haven't really looked for them before, they are considered very toxic within the marine environment and are, ironically, known as Mermaid Tears - a better name considering their high pollution factor might be Kraken Snot Drops or Neptune's Turds.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vF2IFu93gplB25N3btM4YgKnGNN-vOj1INtTje4yQOXrnRBi0tJwjSI7tP6QdG4mecoQJhU_hDNMWKXIX4Y4L0obyXF6d30fRPj4BGGcI-KtXyeA0g7BGnsRmuXw57cyJ0bstAZGT9YpbBtWJQF332vbAjnrseZjiNOJMLpDiwMTR5ipLQsIcZfMD0s/s1366/P1590408_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vF2IFu93gplB25N3btM4YgKnGNN-vOj1INtTje4yQOXrnRBi0tJwjSI7tP6QdG4mecoQJhU_hDNMWKXIX4Y4L0obyXF6d30fRPj4BGGcI-KtXyeA0g7BGnsRmuXw57cyJ0bstAZGT9YpbBtWJQF332vbAjnrseZjiNOJMLpDiwMTR5ipLQsIcZfMD0s/s320/P1590408_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Plastic Nurdles</div><p>After 3 hours of searching there was no sign of the Snow Bunting and with the conditions getting wetter it was time to call it a day and head back up the hill to catch the bus back to Plymouth. I had a quick and final look along the beach just by the wooden steps that lead down onto the sand and movement caught my eye, sadly it turned out to be a male Stonechat but a further glimpse of another bird flitting about close by turned out to be the Snow Bunting - result!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxZzNmKoDCAJrGagTaVJ-SP8zTxcSmOLXh2BSaN_j9GFQpfinqSULIjz3GBrBBIvD9kw5OiavNp4GOy1VdphLteIGOKRthXqJj6-kf7e9ca-ZgNwBlkbKsCByb_SbuxGIpJoakn83UN0VT2J8cIGtTRYxfivn24kCoQPvtibQa2Rs4bZA2G2SOiQkRiY/s1366/1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxZzNmKoDCAJrGagTaVJ-SP8zTxcSmOLXh2BSaN_j9GFQpfinqSULIjz3GBrBBIvD9kw5OiavNp4GOy1VdphLteIGOKRthXqJj6-kf7e9ca-ZgNwBlkbKsCByb_SbuxGIpJoakn83UN0VT2J8cIGtTRYxfivn24kCoQPvtibQa2Rs4bZA2G2SOiQkRiY/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Snow Bunting</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhJas5j6GYxLKkIDWSIIcEo1j6jO7Rs3Y-qtf06uUtYr_uozwDVvJNpLW1DMeVwXrco49lucJErc6ZUnEiZTkFU5bcHyY_wU5v4KBtGhDKRaIskslQslmv_LheCNTa_CDOSfk2psmDVPV-YjvOIazm-8lADj9KeIquuiw1xUrkIWl_xM1QdiPFh5zCLE/s1366/P1590367_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhJas5j6GYxLKkIDWSIIcEo1j6jO7Rs3Y-qtf06uUtYr_uozwDVvJNpLW1DMeVwXrco49lucJErc6ZUnEiZTkFU5bcHyY_wU5v4KBtGhDKRaIskslQslmv_LheCNTa_CDOSfk2psmDVPV-YjvOIazm-8lADj9KeIquuiw1xUrkIWl_xM1QdiPFh5zCLE/s320/P1590367_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Snow Bunting</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45EqynI-P1Z34SOV6JZ-nq60U5XeowrM5XVTD8Wj6B9ZYi93Za1bjTZWFkBxeG8NeSaf0fab6KrCX0qOhXcdwfdjMO1EamSxuBtHhzP7CnaHRD-rUmTu0LC-HGXJJzr79NLpkkM4T5UANxNhKszLIf5tLYsTPh4Fgwcpf8cTY9PdMKNQePS80zXSbIpY/s1366/P1590365_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45EqynI-P1Z34SOV6JZ-nq60U5XeowrM5XVTD8Wj6B9ZYi93Za1bjTZWFkBxeG8NeSaf0fab6KrCX0qOhXcdwfdjMO1EamSxuBtHhzP7CnaHRD-rUmTu0LC-HGXJJzr79NLpkkM4T5UANxNhKszLIf5tLYsTPh4Fgwcpf8cTY9PdMKNQePS80zXSbIpY/s320/P1590365_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Snow Bunting</div><p>It showed wonderfully, allowing very close approach as they usually do and I enjoyed a quiet 10 minutes with it all to myself before I had to leave to catch the bus - a fantastic little bird indeed, just a shame I hadn't found it sooner!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3dxsdIyQMTr9xCDfEfijAMNUPnxZ7O0e4BmpVkcloADKrilGL6ZNlps-55u9af7TwNilu1W24n_b6yB5X8VCtmzhKHJ80-dXOlF4_gEcomVm4MqV5LD6M906REA53VAoKStga1IXdCU3VD2pgvNzJwx0Tig5aRLYBvYpW_tRvCVwXiY7Ni6gnzvDvJRY/s1366/P1590369_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3dxsdIyQMTr9xCDfEfijAMNUPnxZ7O0e4BmpVkcloADKrilGL6ZNlps-55u9af7TwNilu1W24n_b6yB5X8VCtmzhKHJ80-dXOlF4_gEcomVm4MqV5LD6M906REA53VAoKStga1IXdCU3VD2pgvNzJwx0Tig5aRLYBvYpW_tRvCVwXiY7Ni6gnzvDvJRY/s320/P1590369_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Snow Bunting</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXEqdxYI79IXoSeb11NJpBWahItL6lcVfJncUtbpr5KEEsqB0WjIs5Nt8SMg1Jf2iFv63G27kJ6dXtJC1aQVEFO09quIusrdI8zfu15Rcd1iuGhOCVCerFTZNC6-KRapG2NrPq-wpsjIC81usaWn86BrHjpe51tTbzWsVtv4MWk5RvULhuImw3P4lgJbc/s1366/P1590360_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXEqdxYI79IXoSeb11NJpBWahItL6lcVfJncUtbpr5KEEsqB0WjIs5Nt8SMg1Jf2iFv63G27kJ6dXtJC1aQVEFO09quIusrdI8zfu15Rcd1iuGhOCVCerFTZNC6-KRapG2NrPq-wpsjIC81usaWn86BrHjpe51tTbzWsVtv4MWk5RvULhuImw3P4lgJbc/s320/P1590360_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Snow Bunting</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRhZLY21ojAWKI7d_Yr7yxjBBRtJzrldNvBVjgS_30MoccQ8-Xrh6mZBPQcjJW2LRdhPO7I-PSc5FsfrwJkqz2MvWZTy4ouBABskIuAkL5jfUJTwK3S2JS-aa6QuxIOb8hx3uGRDNjK8SZoAqrE9CfRBmqtQBpFS0uNdz7XB4KNeiqLsv8Ga35XdPvMGk/s1366/P1590333_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRhZLY21ojAWKI7d_Yr7yxjBBRtJzrldNvBVjgS_30MoccQ8-Xrh6mZBPQcjJW2LRdhPO7I-PSc5FsfrwJkqz2MvWZTy4ouBABskIuAkL5jfUJTwK3S2JS-aa6QuxIOb8hx3uGRDNjK8SZoAqrE9CfRBmqtQBpFS0uNdz7XB4KNeiqLsv8Ga35XdPvMGk/s320/P1590333_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Snow Bunting</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4YzMesbjViykdpqmyVwuxQJdWjSJssWsLPW0yENEWQnFvijd2U1tM6AyBKLDE9ubbEHxXmrauLA4OhyphenhyphenXuEpYMMInL6eBvkVCr3EIbLV9G1s3vmyK6LDqs19CmthiThl4cPyUfeVe4GtlvDqNEMCZJNJmKNCHVAAEoaF9swIfdHbtkOTvIiIH1WLaBf10/s1366/P1590343_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4YzMesbjViykdpqmyVwuxQJdWjSJssWsLPW0yENEWQnFvijd2U1tM6AyBKLDE9ubbEHxXmrauLA4OhyphenhyphenXuEpYMMInL6eBvkVCr3EIbLV9G1s3vmyK6LDqs19CmthiThl4cPyUfeVe4GtlvDqNEMCZJNJmKNCHVAAEoaF9swIfdHbtkOTvIiIH1WLaBf10/s320/P1590343_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Snow Bunting </div>Stuart Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562828875993764020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498023071863063038.post-26096242779542674692024-02-01T18:25:00.002+00:002024-02-02T07:32:26.123+00:00Red-necked Grebe!Monday 29th January was grey, claggy, mizzley and breezy as I headed over to Torpoint for a look about. I arrived at around 09:00hrs, about an hour after high tide, and the water was just beginning to ebb. The wind and the choppy conditions made viewing difficult but as I scanned across the waters of St.Johns Lake I picked up a Great Northern Diver, 2 Little Grebe, 2 Great Crested Grebe and finally the mobile and elusive Red-necked Grebe!<div><br /><div>It showed very nicely albeit a bit distantly as it constantly dived away, leaping into the water in a very Shag-like way and indeed when I first glimpsed it diving I almost dismissed it as such! It was covering quite a large area and was difficult to keep track of but it eventually stopped for a quick preen and then flew off across the Lake and out of sight, flashing its white upper wing markings as it went. (Interestingly a Red-necked Grebe was reported on The Plym on BirdTrack that day too, no time given but maybe the same bird or maybe there are 2 birds?).</div><div><br /></div><div>The usual birds were also present but mostly on the opposite shore - Turnstone, Curlew, Dunlin, Redshank, Oystercatcher, Shelduck, Wigeon, etc. - and amongst a large distant flock of Canada Geese roosting out on the water were around 20 Brent Geese of unassigned race and the White farmyard type Greylag Goose.</div><div><br /></div><div>I haven't heard anything back as yet about the ringed Pale-bellied Brent Geese I've seen at Torpoint on my recent visits but somebody has posted some details about them on the Cornwall Birds website - both birds were ringed in Iceland, 4C was ringed on 18/5/14 and LC was ringed on 19/5/09, and both have regularly been reported from Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT7CadymUA33Gl9b8rIujuGxpApiWakFMIDoKWlk0nSye0iBwmLE_cS8t0_td7tzTzW5TK4uHsNajFqUFTyZSqJPVdPF-nmxkwMkFQRD3xrBAHe5n9zC_mm1X9uVZkj5AoXdA1rr1359fNC_LwhlT44RM_lkrPzqAm_2Y6VbGJKaUFoIAlYI1ykWE3Xcw/s3195/20240129_164802-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="3195" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT7CadymUA33Gl9b8rIujuGxpApiWakFMIDoKWlk0nSye0iBwmLE_cS8t0_td7tzTzW5TK4uHsNajFqUFTyZSqJPVdPF-nmxkwMkFQRD3xrBAHe5n9zC_mm1X9uVZkj5AoXdA1rr1359fNC_LwhlT44RM_lkrPzqAm_2Y6VbGJKaUFoIAlYI1ykWE3Xcw/s320/20240129_164802-COLLAGE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">4C and LC from 20/1/24, Torpoint </div><div><br /></div><div>With the Red-necked Grebe being seen and the wind and mizzle increasing I decided to call it a day and headed home before the mudflats became properly exposed on the lowering tide but it had been an enjoyable couple of hours despite the conditions.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was grey and claggy again on Wednesday 31st January as I headed off to Bowling Green Marsh with Mavis for a day's birding. It wasn't too breezy and there were very brief glimpses of blue skies and a bit of sunshine but it was mostly dull and sometimes mizzley as well. </div><div><br /></div><div>We arrived at the hide fairly early at around 09:00hrs just as the tide was reaching its highest point and there were plenty of birds already roosting out on the Marsh with pride of place going to a pair of juvenile Spoonbills fast asleep amongst a sea of Avocets and Black-tailed Godwits.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULUu3r3PndsqOnK_ZkCZrMOcGD8IguWRhdilBAHS-P5Mxgd4EGvUtTnXKnbVGXNHySeVV-R1ZgEpUmgaiA2cwPqQN_JHkySsh1Mho0hTMex0ZSFgMX65YALB3cInSwYo0V51j-sQToNOxdiWOOcO5W-4KrMVxk-ET4Uzs6-BQ6JI7EpX0Y9lmWtnixAk/s1366/P1580970_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULUu3r3PndsqOnK_ZkCZrMOcGD8IguWRhdilBAHS-P5Mxgd4EGvUtTnXKnbVGXNHySeVV-R1ZgEpUmgaiA2cwPqQN_JHkySsh1Mho0hTMex0ZSFgMX65YALB3cInSwYo0V51j-sQToNOxdiWOOcO5W-4KrMVxk-ET4Uzs6-BQ6JI7EpX0Y9lmWtnixAk/s320/P1580970_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Spoonbills - both awake at the same time!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA8N75TRINXViOzhyphenhypheniWkSKKLRy27lJRnx6KPwmQHL2pFpO9Ke4EnOx2E3BvuxrpXf_YL8lJCJ27AsAssU1Cbg1BPiOdDwsvpnyurFrsYz1VfZ9Vd5FwR3eSxxurwvy99My3RQsW6PFfl2bJNpBhpHXS9kld_5k4Joc_rOtIOGCFXy5T1udBOiTSOzw_n0/s1366/P1590004_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA8N75TRINXViOzhyphenhypheniWkSKKLRy27lJRnx6KPwmQHL2pFpO9Ke4EnOx2E3BvuxrpXf_YL8lJCJ27AsAssU1Cbg1BPiOdDwsvpnyurFrsYz1VfZ9Vd5FwR3eSxxurwvy99My3RQsW6PFfl2bJNpBhpHXS9kld_5k4Joc_rOtIOGCFXy5T1udBOiTSOzw_n0/s320/P1590004_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Spoonbill, Avocet and photo bombing Jackdaw</div><div><br /></div><div>The Spoonbills occassionally awoke for a bit of a preen and a shuffle about before returning to their slumbers and even after the tide had headed out and the waders had flown over to the estuary they remained behind to continue their dreaming.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDMJpQS9evEk4kmsXy-lOReKYsx-BV1S7J6aGyJXNj_eeO0_OP9VAGok2kRciHlcuzdNah9lAPjFkxyzzXYcHvYJKbOHrOYczNV2tfEw1dv3YEA8SuTYPe3sudIbSOgsya7cKoJSwpl-0HLsDgjSj6QC4zx5iT4G0aVtcliIFlk-VO_Cu1rB4_LgEoMkA/s1366/P1580984_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDMJpQS9evEk4kmsXy-lOReKYsx-BV1S7J6aGyJXNj_eeO0_OP9VAGok2kRciHlcuzdNah9lAPjFkxyzzXYcHvYJKbOHrOYczNV2tfEw1dv3YEA8SuTYPe3sudIbSOgsya7cKoJSwpl-0HLsDgjSj6QC4zx5iT4G0aVtcliIFlk-VO_Cu1rB4_LgEoMkA/s320/P1580984_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Spoonbill</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Some of the Black-tailed Godwits were sporting coloured leg rings but I never managed to get a full look at the combinations as they jostled for position in the large flock. A single Bar-tailed Godwit was also present amongst them with Redshank, Dunlin, Snipe and Lapwing also seen along with a Greenshank and 2 Curlew.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-d_EYadx03dnKckgcP0Xg6VXZWfJbCdHWov-U13sCBfdYwo2QD8Xcnf83VluhX7ck8Rigv2R3awxKWaTyN_4Rf9M5H3YuTyfDuUxfqDAlO4OExx-g8qM3Q8YaoK-aenyQQl8Af89V09REqfQdVV7IOq1U9Hia_ZXmcginoTKayvp1oOStpauWG892qM/s1366/P1580919_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-d_EYadx03dnKckgcP0Xg6VXZWfJbCdHWov-U13sCBfdYwo2QD8Xcnf83VluhX7ck8Rigv2R3awxKWaTyN_4Rf9M5H3YuTyfDuUxfqDAlO4OExx-g8qM3Q8YaoK-aenyQQl8Af89V09REqfQdVV7IOq1U9Hia_ZXmcginoTKayvp1oOStpauWG892qM/s320/P1580919_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Snipe</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It was good to see 3 female Pochard out on the water, an increasingly rare bird in Devon, and also present were Mallard, Wigeon, Teal, Shoveler, Shelduck, a male Tufted Duck, Canada Geese, Greylag Geese, Moorhen and a Coot.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7hvcA7F9LBevBgv8SmHwmDEqSICJVvDHkyU5T0t_quK4iKcicq9DGztGdRrZtgdw1_vgR6CWkje94u4fDv5twPXXpxkZ_TUih0GFMZ6Sc1QnmPrnpyOUCmHORIkBbW5kZnsbmrvcFnFnXKkSSqEa1x_X7DytlcGl-_8HNbECIHwamNqzuVJutQ1Dr7vA/s1366/P1590015_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7hvcA7F9LBevBgv8SmHwmDEqSICJVvDHkyU5T0t_quK4iKcicq9DGztGdRrZtgdw1_vgR6CWkje94u4fDv5twPXXpxkZ_TUih0GFMZ6Sc1QnmPrnpyOUCmHORIkBbW5kZnsbmrvcFnFnXKkSSqEa1x_X7DytlcGl-_8HNbECIHwamNqzuVJutQ1Dr7vA/s320/P1590015_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Shoveler</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_eNwme8CoDj4EwUdoBrWcIB7NfQBhKfPXrvs9k7RN8wmv9uAUmbSJdX4fkDSKECJkybe-kGOHsZy3niwTPaJSQhDbsm2HrZAC5YKzK9W2s3A7t_i4SHM8WxABfDO3Ur1fLuGwGE7Z5qP_2-7Fq-1um9g7zM6jodRtgySYzQEduURdMfQHd3-lkcTRIbw/s1366/P1590009_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_eNwme8CoDj4EwUdoBrWcIB7NfQBhKfPXrvs9k7RN8wmv9uAUmbSJdX4fkDSKECJkybe-kGOHsZy3niwTPaJSQhDbsm2HrZAC5YKzK9W2s3A7t_i4SHM8WxABfDO3Ur1fLuGwGE7Z5qP_2-7Fq-1um9g7zM6jodRtgySYzQEduURdMfQHd3-lkcTRIbw/s320/P1590009_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Shoveler</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5UryZ1VSXIiKnGdSibjaK42XpLvy5RIjxHYEHCTRJfMNEqTWXJOAMWZluFSsSo6KtpcI7nz8cxJPVXqqv0TWoroOn2FuJpsp2TahKghJIiA1chdB0Xq2dXldmAtox3TK6-9P_xH7aJBmEIc1Px2NkMPcT8EiaattLBuObTdnCkTpWr9j-aANwCAu0m-w/s1366/P1580940_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5UryZ1VSXIiKnGdSibjaK42XpLvy5RIjxHYEHCTRJfMNEqTWXJOAMWZluFSsSo6KtpcI7nz8cxJPVXqqv0TWoroOn2FuJpsp2TahKghJIiA1chdB0Xq2dXldmAtox3TK6-9P_xH7aJBmEIc1Px2NkMPcT8EiaattLBuObTdnCkTpWr9j-aANwCAu0m-w/s320/P1580940_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Teal</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Brent Geese regularly flew over, gently honking as they went, and Psycho the Lesser Black-backed Gull regularly caused panic amongst the roosting birds as it tried to make a meal of an unwary bird. A Buzzard had the same effect as it flew over but the highlight were 3 Marsh Harriers which also drifted over, an immature male and 2 female-types, all causing panic too and getting grief from Carrion Crows.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPY-eivNIvFrvP9nJd0zv0hDX6mwf41h9tB41Opgm_FsgJ17pcdnQQF2263EHxHavTrXzMxESwdOwqec8VF5iMSnw1ELcYtbCW1SgGSWSQhcSOFvb9BEoAbQu9i6-iDjU33Wpa_F7WmaXJlv9MHZhs24v4GAJMrCF1oR3DNz721bDh7HVOVFgiF5OuK-o/s1366/P1580876_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPY-eivNIvFrvP9nJd0zv0hDX6mwf41h9tB41Opgm_FsgJ17pcdnQQF2263EHxHavTrXzMxESwdOwqec8VF5iMSnw1ELcYtbCW1SgGSWSQhcSOFvb9BEoAbQu9i6-iDjU33Wpa_F7WmaXJlv9MHZhs24v4GAJMrCF1oR3DNz721bDh7HVOVFgiF5OuK-o/s320/P1580876_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Brent Geese</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhknXapnbmHJP4kBjPLBVL-qim0ZXrR3Kau7YplOmJMarCkSYzRSxKs6N0MGoqxKXOFJjBn6UcGX4ksFEeu6qV_6AcuVkMRSLnENmk3C8UWFMhPo5VoTk1To-niNnSGSR63YJZnYLp5jdWh8batd_JoEeWsfvgzrRFBZwIlMf5jPzP3nW40e3TO1J4_yOQ/s1366/P1580886_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhknXapnbmHJP4kBjPLBVL-qim0ZXrR3Kau7YplOmJMarCkSYzRSxKs6N0MGoqxKXOFJjBn6UcGX4ksFEeu6qV_6AcuVkMRSLnENmk3C8UWFMhPo5VoTk1To-niNnSGSR63YJZnYLp5jdWh8batd_JoEeWsfvgzrRFBZwIlMf5jPzP3nW40e3TO1J4_yOQ/s320/P1580886_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Grey Heron</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKt1zbRazxfg26LCEGBnt6hYqBXov1vvzSGjTlFbRRQPt42H974indrmIWTDaFWoYna7623ztjPiubH0Rkn84oo7fw9ncbgiRjgoHE6nEz5e_DRaVzU5WNgq5n11Y38W1_LR1DFAvI2uYkdvoYLxq7PbQ0ULPqisrQwdykgVihy_AVFFsTOolJT-o7uTM/s1366/P1580927_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKt1zbRazxfg26LCEGBnt6hYqBXov1vvzSGjTlFbRRQPt42H974indrmIWTDaFWoYna7623ztjPiubH0Rkn84oo7fw9ncbgiRjgoHE6nEz5e_DRaVzU5WNgq5n11Y38W1_LR1DFAvI2uYkdvoYLxq7PbQ0ULPqisrQwdykgVihy_AVFFsTOolJT-o7uTM/s320/P1580927_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Black-tailed Godwit </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsgnZG11zyQR5MG1WwySZ4KJY4TiXbLvWg8dK-JSeFPR0foOOJeFqa9IKovu1DynmYRXLJTNEhrAjRNevv1wsUpe1ynwc5TuMNEZWgnJyCx0TlpSzgrXzz0QMADDNeMGtJLw2HFv8ZRSWc5G400KzAChZQiyVT7jC4WVmM3uBwwgMUBRPlzkVK5TzsvsA/s1366/P1580937_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsgnZG11zyQR5MG1WwySZ4KJY4TiXbLvWg8dK-JSeFPR0foOOJeFqa9IKovu1DynmYRXLJTNEhrAjRNevv1wsUpe1ynwc5TuMNEZWgnJyCx0TlpSzgrXzz0QMADDNeMGtJLw2HFv8ZRSWc5G400KzAChZQiyVT7jC4WVmM3uBwwgMUBRPlzkVK5TzsvsA/s320/P1580937_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Black-tailed Godwit- feeding well despite a very damaged left leg</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We also had a look off the Viewing Platform and The Goatwalk and added a Kestrel, a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers, Golden Plovers and Turnstones to the days list while getting more good views of waders and wildfowl and some great close up views of feeding Avocets.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjalvvEYrFcb0ReH3SlogGWZ547nmT0Y2ca2cgOnwsNe1aWXUsfdb6JtQJp-V01fuyQ4ZJNepAASZFegMAE_8GDLIdjEP_mKYx4m3H9N4olO65Wih1tLqsMyclHtqIqXQGNsjYopAJM6VD05EUNFvGWWzBvzG58XmxiDIvjI5PsAmobJsiWkXmKAe0Murk/s1366/P1590040_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1366" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjalvvEYrFcb0ReH3SlogGWZ547nmT0Y2ca2cgOnwsNe1aWXUsfdb6JtQJp-V01fuyQ4ZJNepAASZFegMAE_8GDLIdjEP_mKYx4m3H9N4olO65Wih1tLqsMyclHtqIqXQGNsjYopAJM6VD05EUNFvGWWzBvzG58XmxiDIvjI5PsAmobJsiWkXmKAe0Murk/s320/P1590040_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Brent Geese</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghDWC8nnYYIM_deFc65TlrMG_DIwpQHKk9JNniS5s8ZWJ7fmx3jVtcmLHr3S-no0GhevqRGNOdEtq1RUrmUVpFh36BkSzOmD8FYdKfWmdvDRq3ISWcTjIEu2maLMTudcL7fG44lielmZ8U47JeXJVni8uUzyVarH-5niRJcD7ENQMYmJtQtILXG5bLTh0/s1366/P1590050_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghDWC8nnYYIM_deFc65TlrMG_DIwpQHKk9JNniS5s8ZWJ7fmx3jVtcmLHr3S-no0GhevqRGNOdEtq1RUrmUVpFh36BkSzOmD8FYdKfWmdvDRq3ISWcTjIEu2maLMTudcL7fG44lielmZ8U47JeXJVni8uUzyVarH-5niRJcD7ENQMYmJtQtILXG5bLTh0/s320/P1590050_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Avocet</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">A great day out with a nice selection of sightings and some good views too and a nice end to January with my year list now on 118.</div></div>Stuart Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562828875993764020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498023071863063038.post-2542436948569996812024-01-28T19:22:00.003+00:002024-01-29T19:33:15.435+00:00Purple Sandpipers and a Wild Grebe Chase<p>On a walk around Plymouth Hoe on Sunday 21st January before Storm Isha arrived I finally found my first Purple Sandpipers of this winter season with 2 seen feeding together on the rocks below the Tinside SLC on the incoming tide.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoErLLsqRWYtXGmQLpwiueDX3RwsAhXmWtdU_KjgEwKS09ji9Sdz_ygZBWizH8Sj5exYiU1hOijWTuSEYxJGA1J5KDxGqlG58Z14QssJA-BtQetLvOUKBGTs9241RI60UhsLlfhS90P0Eybvs0csT-8U6t0CoXRlURRjoRxEvLi6O4p_oBnL6GwphqICk/s1366/P1580780_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoErLLsqRWYtXGmQLpwiueDX3RwsAhXmWtdU_KjgEwKS09ji9Sdz_ygZBWizH8Sj5exYiU1hOijWTuSEYxJGA1J5KDxGqlG58Z14QssJA-BtQetLvOUKBGTs9241RI60UhsLlfhS90P0Eybvs0csT-8U6t0CoXRlURRjoRxEvLi6O4p_oBnL6GwphqICk/s320/P1580780_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Purple Sandpipers</div><p>They showed very nicely and allowed close approach but were rarely still for more than a second as they ran back and forth across the concrete slabs to avoid the waves. After watching them for a while I left them to it as the storm clouds began to roll in but I was very pleased to finally catch up with them here.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdGDJtyfdYoVFSUzaWXWwDriCGaymSz5ZFeOeOCPCcbl7XpitOnnJSPYZQPDsw5sGhYoCKgX-9kW4ixWOzUjRsKgbEOHU9p5srsYXBRvOK6gCsuHAHPGfO9Fy5A3vpZOTc59wWLTrczYqadrjkhWSSoxiUcr8_i5Xlw9OQDADESY6FLsOdd_noON80alQ/s1366/P1580772_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdGDJtyfdYoVFSUzaWXWwDriCGaymSz5ZFeOeOCPCcbl7XpitOnnJSPYZQPDsw5sGhYoCKgX-9kW4ixWOzUjRsKgbEOHU9p5srsYXBRvOK6gCsuHAHPGfO9Fy5A3vpZOTc59wWLTrczYqadrjkhWSSoxiUcr8_i5Xlw9OQDADESY6FLsOdd_noON80alQ/s320/P1580772_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Purple Sandpiper </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBcHKPNwMMbGx1V9u-TQNJ26MYP8_Kyg_ZGFeASikg7IPAYvFZo9vV65AI46MfTUerREVa7sPVKFSu6pyeNHz_0B4X5M85Pj5uH7BrttT02oprJM_LEjBNz1ui4aLeewuKsy-JkSS5RxSSNjjEXUmLesoh9EKs-dkQ55hhZ76QQ2E6aMFs4VEz3Ou35FQ/s1366/P1580762_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBcHKPNwMMbGx1V9u-TQNJ26MYP8_Kyg_ZGFeASikg7IPAYvFZo9vV65AI46MfTUerREVa7sPVKFSu6pyeNHz_0B4X5M85Pj5uH7BrttT02oprJM_LEjBNz1ui4aLeewuKsy-JkSS5RxSSNjjEXUmLesoh9EKs-dkQ55hhZ76QQ2E6aMFs4VEz3Ou35FQ/s320/P1580762_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Purple Sandpiper </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">With a Grey Phalarope and a presumed Leach's Storm Petrel being seen in Plymouth Sound the next day after Storm Isha passed through I decided to have a look about on Tuesday 23rd January as Storm Jocelyn began to arrive. It was mild, murky, wet, misty and windy and a scan about failed to find any Phalaropes or Petrels as expected but off Tinside Pool a Great Northern Diver, at least 5 Guillemots and at least 8 Razorbill were seen. An adult Gannet was circling around over the water in the gloom and an Oystercatcher and 3 Canada Geese flew over heading towards The Tamar. The 2 Purple Sandpipers were again feeding on the rocks below the Surf Lifesaving Club but soon flew off, never to be seen again.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVPpg8s2-wvfCIpCz2t11GrGwIWXCWpPJVpDrCbZKbYiu57f3w20Rxfer_BZcWg-pXe0mdx-y3KNqMcP3-TMYMZqE_6XLFgFmcFatLX4PE4UDNbK8WaeuayMKIrO8Uyzgg0qJ1g8SiiGJjWlTkxmPfO1xDHwx7YbPpeerjMQJJisC-7PFx345Y4T-1HE/s1366/P1580815_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVPpg8s2-wvfCIpCz2t11GrGwIWXCWpPJVpDrCbZKbYiu57f3w20Rxfer_BZcWg-pXe0mdx-y3KNqMcP3-TMYMZqE_6XLFgFmcFatLX4PE4UDNbK8WaeuayMKIrO8Uyzgg0qJ1g8SiiGJjWlTkxmPfO1xDHwx7YbPpeerjMQJJisC-7PFx345Y4T-1HE/s320/P1580815_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Guillemots, Plymouth Hoe</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I headed off to Wembury on Wednesday 24th January for a walk, it was mild and clear with just a gentle breeze although it had clouded over by the time I headed home. The footpath was very muddy as expected but the cafe was surprisingly open and I had my first Chunk pasty of the year for my lunch.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It was quiet birdwise with the highlight being some good views of a Cetti's Warbler, it was feeding in the hedgerow alongside the footpath by the horse field which seemed a strange place to find it. It was good to find the Redshank was still present along the beach but there was no sign of the Water Pipit amongst all the flitty Rock and Meadow Pipits present. A few Redwings were seen flying about, no more than 2 together at any one time but certainly more than 2 were present, and just a single Turnstone was feeding out on the rocks where 4 adult Mediterranean Gulls were also roosting. Fulmars were wheeling around The Mewstone, a single Gannet was seen offshore and 2 Cirl Buntings were heard singing away in the sunshine.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7f1vFji4YGW4rdRecEa1evHLnF33EtDN-3xHfF9uVded21hsRh5-7iektbcUssxb90bLuRvruGFAUPbYkLxHWyGlBVppeHyOSmmCRNjNwddoTwdViu6ujySFq2gum5rYyu1iiHRFj8BviIZcxG-5eSCv7r9txBLrJnR2vvhEy3jdrdL08swcsXjZJDzI/s1366/P1580831_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7f1vFji4YGW4rdRecEa1evHLnF33EtDN-3xHfF9uVded21hsRh5-7iektbcUssxb90bLuRvruGFAUPbYkLxHWyGlBVppeHyOSmmCRNjNwddoTwdViu6ujySFq2gum5rYyu1iiHRFj8BviIZcxG-5eSCv7r9txBLrJnR2vvhEy3jdrdL08swcsXjZJDzI/s320/P1580831_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Small-spotted Catshark Egg Cases, Wembury</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Friday 26th January was a beautiful winters day, all still and mild with blue skies and sunshine, and with a Red-necked Grebe being found on The Plym I headed out to have a look for it. I caught the bus to Marsh Mills and walked down to Laira Bridge, it was low tide as I started my walk at around 12:30pm and I hoped that the Red-necked Grebe, if still present, would move upriver on the incoming tide. As expected I didn't see it, it had apparently been seen at Laira Bridge at around 1:30pm but was flushed downriver by a passing boat and didn't return. It could possibly be the same bird as the one being seen at nearby Torpoint (as the Red-necked Grebe flies) maybe it's returned there but never mind, I had an enjoyable walk anyway.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhunkGGjPVFy1gton1LHnT3jk_bLGbd7jll67pPYOQ6eNhVLfJOa4dckIiMx57lOTbMXfi6VpAifMAesSAqCMjMmfvaJLUz2Gi-JIw42sH0JFa7ydVADxOvCOUxilo2DqP3VB5560XM89XxKorQTNcprnjQpf6RldNLIHRU_Bxl8kMCVmoFOXZVisuw2S8/s1366/P1580835_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhunkGGjPVFy1gton1LHnT3jk_bLGbd7jll67pPYOQ6eNhVLfJOa4dckIiMx57lOTbMXfi6VpAifMAesSAqCMjMmfvaJLUz2Gi-JIw42sH0JFa7ydVADxOvCOUxilo2DqP3VB5560XM89XxKorQTNcprnjQpf6RldNLIHRU_Bxl8kMCVmoFOXZVisuw2S8/s320/P1580835_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Snowdrops, Saltram</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The usual birds were present with the highlights being singles of Kingfisher, Common Sandpiper, Raven, Grey Wagtail, Kestrel, Firecrest, Sparrowhawk, Coal Tit and Goldcrest, 4 Buzzards soaring together overhead, 48 Wigeon on Blaxton Meadow and the nearby river, 2 male and a female Stonechat on Chelson Meadow, 5 noisy Ring-necked Parakeets arguing together in the branches of a tree around a nesting hole and around 10 Siskins in the Alder trees by the Wet Wood. A Red Admiral and 2 Roe Deer also added some non-avian interest and variety.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEios7TfOFyRTKB8qhcDqlJnyWxxX8vyqh99KDo1D4M9myj1ePVSebGqKlomy6S47ayE1oNl6_nYybQ-oqFKSzN_EhDcMu0aO5jgPI0q_JpATirdtRYnCGSFc0HKlSxVjpmj_YHcis4eyg3VkocDY-UmHRV2CQdGwajXFsLwT8QvZV7_Of9jKB91Nnnnk3I/s1366/P1580842_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEios7TfOFyRTKB8qhcDqlJnyWxxX8vyqh99KDo1D4M9myj1ePVSebGqKlomy6S47ayE1oNl6_nYybQ-oqFKSzN_EhDcMu0aO5jgPI0q_JpATirdtRYnCGSFc0HKlSxVjpmj_YHcis4eyg3VkocDY-UmHRV2CQdGwajXFsLwT8QvZV7_Of9jKB91Nnnnk3I/s320/P1580842_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Red Admiral, Saltram</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The Red-necked Grebe may have been a no show for me on The Plym but on regularly scanning the river I did find the wintering Great Crested Grebe, a pair of Goosander, 5 Little Grebes and 3 Great Northern Divers all busily diving away out on the water. (And a Red-necked Grebe was reported as present at Torpoint on BirdGuides at 18:28hrs but no time was given for the actual sighting!)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">With another fine day on Saturday 27th January I decided to revisit The Plym for a walk, this time starting and finishing at Laira Bridge. It was cooler and breezier than the previous day but still very pleasant. I had considered another visit to Torpoint but decided to try The Plym again, more in hope than expectation that the Red-necked Grebe might be present, needless to say it wasn't but I did enjoy my walk despite this.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">There were 2 Great Northern Divers still present below Laira Bridge along with 2 Mute Swan, a Kingfisher and a Common Sandpiper while upriver a Little Grebe and 2 pairs of Goosander were seen. The usual Waders, Wildfowl and Gulls were present out on the mudflats on the low tide along with at least 15 Cormorants including 1 with a very white streaked head. A Kestrel, Skylarks, Meadow Pipits, 4 Bullfinch (3 males) and 9 Roe Deer were seen on Chelson Meadow with a Green Woodpecker heard yaffling away while around the Park a Jay, at least 6 Redwings and 2 Ring-necked Parakeets were also of note.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNotkc0D1HHKXjQtnRmWtWqfRJTQkqrfGzFESS4DYBCzgmigYgzeGMOR3BXVPCiIrRzmrPyK87rkTH54JuaIoemxOk5FvMrSFpNolClSeCosXXyIGJDZqqZKPK-zAW4sk_2ZiHIKuRIaA4H1ZilzOwrlRetzTzbe_d3n0AxcGtdHXNHc8BFCcixKhyphenhyphenGJk/s1366/P1580862_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNotkc0D1HHKXjQtnRmWtWqfRJTQkqrfGzFESS4DYBCzgmigYgzeGMOR3BXVPCiIrRzmrPyK87rkTH54JuaIoemxOk5FvMrSFpNolClSeCosXXyIGJDZqqZKPK-zAW4sk_2ZiHIKuRIaA4H1ZilzOwrlRetzTzbe_d3n0AxcGtdHXNHc8BFCcixKhyphenhyphenGJk/s320/P1580862_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Kestrel</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-aiwySWwW1ZdytIgUy2V_e1SO66nQBUlF7rfM3x5uSazWWNo3v3MbqHSi3YcvAYA9aiM0fjFlu7_E-vNHYYoSPDMwfFiDLqwDrttrD6GMFiuum8JrhdRd7wBManfcicod2C4ZNUQTtHK9ie0xnrzwnePKuL3gsfa4tOE0rrj053mG7Q_Lvvv_ZZ2IgVY/s1366/P1580858_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-aiwySWwW1ZdytIgUy2V_e1SO66nQBUlF7rfM3x5uSazWWNo3v3MbqHSi3YcvAYA9aiM0fjFlu7_E-vNHYYoSPDMwfFiDLqwDrttrD6GMFiuum8JrhdRd7wBManfcicod2C4ZNUQTtHK9ie0xnrzwnePKuL3gsfa4tOE0rrj053mG7Q_Lvvv_ZZ2IgVY/s320/P1580858_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Candlesnuff Fungus </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And a/the Red-necked Grebe was reported at Torpoint again that day (no time given though) - don't you just love birds sometimes! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk5s48d_5QW-L7cgSw4OhzFIT1XXu6pLEyYU1KBY1OkFO7ndiCVBv3tJYkpy6t5L4WLYd-3Y_CpVL3zGqS7AeHtqLTmE0krT4C0uAFSgGSMuJhdca5G3j5ZxuZTbMl9c8guSjIPglF9cG8VL6-CqPUDcf6ZNNUbF1ItG16-z_BsPmSzPW4yi-hDvFE7r4/s800/unnamed.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk5s48d_5QW-L7cgSw4OhzFIT1XXu6pLEyYU1KBY1OkFO7ndiCVBv3tJYkpy6t5L4WLYd-3Y_CpVL3zGqS7AeHtqLTmE0krT4C0uAFSgGSMuJhdca5G3j5ZxuZTbMl9c8guSjIPglF9cG8VL6-CqPUDcf6ZNNUbF1ItG16-z_BsPmSzPW4yi-hDvFE7r4/s320/unnamed.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">My BirdTrack Year 2023</div>Stuart Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562828875993764020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498023071863063038.post-32318041303992797692024-01-21T07:58:00.005+00:002024-01-21T08:10:37.275+00:00Out and About in the Cold<p>The cold and dry weather continues and so I am trying to make the most of it and get out and about as much as possible before the rain and wind returns as it undoubtedly will.</p><p>Monday 15th January was another beautiful day with frosty cold air, blue skies and no breeze as I headed off on the bus to Wembury. The tide was starting to ebb by the time I arrived and there was a lot of disturbance along the beach from dog walkers but I did find a Redshank, 18 Turnstone, a Curlew, 10 Little Egrets and the usual Oystercatchers despite this.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwa3A6jgUCpz2iDpmQIq9_8PFxN3-e61Yp6M9vklgOqESiInIJ6sFtrwbke_J1vGfKYozWbkZRMdCs1Z_a3ZL8l8-0dgBd2q75Ve3eH1KCvByN9PLGLExNVWh4SZshYLqBCQKI-6LsCjuY3cSs4ppjXmbIrPoxChyphenhyphennxDWtJXmm_xlElg8IqGyzDVue47g/s1366/P1580400_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwa3A6jgUCpz2iDpmQIq9_8PFxN3-e61Yp6M9vklgOqESiInIJ6sFtrwbke_J1vGfKYozWbkZRMdCs1Z_a3ZL8l8-0dgBd2q75Ve3eH1KCvByN9PLGLExNVWh4SZshYLqBCQKI-6LsCjuY3cSs4ppjXmbIrPoxChyphenhyphennxDWtJXmm_xlElg8IqGyzDVue47g/s320/P1580400_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Wembury</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC5naWdfRL8cMRykZXhNjJWnGlynkldG8rqcV_xRwodcYyI3pKvKYBcZuMOYzA3t25Vx0XKIFqd2SgvzivBg3DOqBb9ajSo5wEPaHiqOS5CaECAPPrOBnQFuvrRrUw8O7I_HDuxFhbRDcB7RMiZ_I2ZeAiTcOF0il__j0Y-gUgIpF5YhJ-BeZjJTJ6rTs/s1366/P1580399_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC5naWdfRL8cMRykZXhNjJWnGlynkldG8rqcV_xRwodcYyI3pKvKYBcZuMOYzA3t25Vx0XKIFqd2SgvzivBg3DOqBb9ajSo5wEPaHiqOS5CaECAPPrOBnQFuvrRrUw8O7I_HDuxFhbRDcB7RMiZ_I2ZeAiTcOF0il__j0Y-gUgIpF5YhJ-BeZjJTJ6rTs/s320/P1580399_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Redshank</div><p>There was no sign of the Water Pipit along the beach but there were plenty of Rock Pipit present with at least 2 Meadow Pipit. A Chiffchaff was also seen here flitting about along the cliff edge.</p><p>A pair of Sparrowhawks were busily displaying away overhead and were a joy to watch and the flock of 40+ Stock Doves were again present in the fields above the sewage farm, only viewable when they frequently took to the air. A male Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Green Woodpecker and Redwings were seen in the woods above the valley to the beach and 2 male Cirl Buntings were seen along the coastpath with 1 of them busily singing away.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPIrINsW0Zen0sdiuwYkpqOHKXNB84OlSqBWi1O-t6QDH727OBoIHqB8qPu55BgzPxN-nQqpQd_SNZQWZpqBjLAR5yTizD7esb7v9tEEBC_iMh6bBhkLPZNUb-xlDp4a9w_Os0ZPfFh0C2g-y-QVQ-q0PVgbFwGIcuY56SEfP2ovgWB9sA9p1wPjjbBAI/s1366/P1580389_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPIrINsW0Zen0sdiuwYkpqOHKXNB84OlSqBWi1O-t6QDH727OBoIHqB8qPu55BgzPxN-nQqpQd_SNZQWZpqBjLAR5yTizD7esb7v9tEEBC_iMh6bBhkLPZNUb-xlDp4a9w_Os0ZPfFh0C2g-y-QVQ-q0PVgbFwGIcuY56SEfP2ovgWB9sA9p1wPjjbBAI/s320/P1580389_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Cirl Bunting</div><p>A Razorbill close in off the main beach, 2 female Blackcaps (1 at The Point, 1 in village gardens), Fulmars around The Mewstone and Gannets offshore were the other highlights on what was a very enjoyable walk in the sunshine and fresh, cold air (and I didn't slip over in the mud this time!).</p><p>Tuesday 16th January was a similarly sunny, cold and still day and so I headed off to Torpoint again for a look about. The sun was again lovely to see but did hamper viewing from Marine Drive on the outgoing tide. I did eventually find the wintering Black-necked Grebe although it sadly remained distant and there were at least 19 Great Crested Grebes present too plus 3 Little Grebes but there was no sign of the Red-necked or Slavonian Grebes - looks like another visit is on the cards, preferably on a cloudy day!</p><p>A Great Northern Diver, a Greenshank, 3 adult Common Gulls and 8 Ringed Plover were also of note along with 2 Peregrines flying over in an aggressive, noisy interaction involving physical contact before they flew off in opposite directions.</p><p>I was pleased to see the pale-bellied Brent Geese on this visit, there were 17 present with a lone dark-bellied bird and they were feeding close in to the shore before being flushed off by dog walkers. A further 10 Brent Geese were roosting together on the opposite shore at the same time too, probably dark-bellied but too far away to assign to race.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR5xHHYIE2VPHb8NajduVrzGXGmk7fDUM_9lIlfcY41b8xQMuVaAwTYquq-bGxt0qBrcd60NI6FPFBjzStXxv_6gwkuvw3qbYHggjnbww8nmHNFxyeq6E-U2LukrGNI0AxOBczm4PFUPjUy1BA3QXsFwADwGWTcefCYsUnAd4RM4kMaHAzPsV8Xk_8v6Y/s1366/P1580432_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1366" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR5xHHYIE2VPHb8NajduVrzGXGmk7fDUM_9lIlfcY41b8xQMuVaAwTYquq-bGxt0qBrcd60NI6FPFBjzStXxv_6gwkuvw3qbYHggjnbww8nmHNFxyeq6E-U2LukrGNI0AxOBczm4PFUPjUy1BA3QXsFwADwGWTcefCYsUnAd4RM4kMaHAzPsV8Xk_8v6Y/s320/P1580432_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Pale-bellied and Dark-bellied Brent Geese - Branta bernicla hrota and Branta bernicla bernicla</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr-S7sfMaZLNqCd3y06k8H5W20L9Oaa67wT8cLPgxbLIFh7KIvxicExm-xY-ovmGU17YUlJJUEKayWApZ2Ay4yIqutj1fxwUyKePE16nTQdY9XxNo9xEppQurljL83SZpIda7EqbRTe3e6GvMq92r2kC9V_EbIt4eOTAvpERbNZV80GmKrrOc0fGboh-c/s1366/P1580442_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr-S7sfMaZLNqCd3y06k8H5W20L9Oaa67wT8cLPgxbLIFh7KIvxicExm-xY-ovmGU17YUlJJUEKayWApZ2Ay4yIqutj1fxwUyKePE16nTQdY9XxNo9xEppQurljL83SZpIda7EqbRTe3e6GvMq92r2kC9V_EbIt4eOTAvpERbNZV80GmKrrOc0fGboh-c/s320/P1580442_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Dark and Pale-bellied Brent Geese</div><p>Two of the pale-bellied birds were sporting leg rings - a white L on red on the left leg and a black C on white on the right leg (LC) was a bird I saw here a year ago but a white 4 on red on the left leg and a black C on white on the right leg (4C) was a new bird for me. I never had any response from reporting the bird LC I saw last year but it seems to be from an Irish ringing scheme involving birds from Greenland and Canada, I'll report todays sightings and see if I get any details this time.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkb8YCwQ1MX0M86WmU20h7gdzfeSHrjfiOB0xM9ATUM1Kb9hGfIXXzkRLp7NFRQznMJMU8QIqCaF5hMQ2QkBBObogo_PxP8KC2qKOg-q-c8jZq2ll97-FXJdwdqI24vN5yavI-pqWWFpf8F20tmJNchhEJbWkzTnf3kBglyMZXcSjQzVy5WlNwwSrMZO0/s1366/P1580450_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkb8YCwQ1MX0M86WmU20h7gdzfeSHrjfiOB0xM9ATUM1Kb9hGfIXXzkRLp7NFRQznMJMU8QIqCaF5hMQ2QkBBObogo_PxP8KC2qKOg-q-c8jZq2ll97-FXJdwdqI24vN5yavI-pqWWFpf8F20tmJNchhEJbWkzTnf3kBglyMZXcSjQzVy5WlNwwSrMZO0/s320/P1580450_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Pale-bellied Brent Geese -Branta bernicla hrota</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii6t8rhlKNSL9Rvg6Gy58UAPFJzX7Ds5QV5NY8SbVsig_0H02A3i0vpnKX19X3wWjzHrHGvtXjPAsZnIK89qHrDBw9JT_ekFnTApgUMqaDygDyRG2hyphenhyphenBTaeBt-8yeUrOn6PCXcknA-u3_8ePgKRqTLw7e_Z-nhDxLMsTc5kvy0m9Yv95XhGFsSFgqjF5U/s1366/P1580466_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii6t8rhlKNSL9Rvg6Gy58UAPFJzX7Ds5QV5NY8SbVsig_0H02A3i0vpnKX19X3wWjzHrHGvtXjPAsZnIK89qHrDBw9JT_ekFnTApgUMqaDygDyRG2hyphenhyphenBTaeBt-8yeUrOn6PCXcknA-u3_8ePgKRqTLw7e_Z-nhDxLMsTc5kvy0m9Yv95XhGFsSFgqjF5U/s320/P1580466_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Brent Geese</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmaJzJ520rGIVeKXXJ1ohfv-vIxWUnFIcgHFhcI-_FXIU2A3Is0iNJ82NJ_eK2Urqq-zD6AFrl0NM9xCORVZuyCtZXCaujAWOgVcoywcIcbWXtDUdi-s7O2vDeu9OrZTQQ1mh8FPisQrcRdbcgMt0y19YPpXJckJxn-KwizqmsToBc0ci_q6aQoPUE4Dk/s1366/P1580486_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmaJzJ520rGIVeKXXJ1ohfv-vIxWUnFIcgHFhcI-_FXIU2A3Is0iNJ82NJ_eK2Urqq-zD6AFrl0NM9xCORVZuyCtZXCaujAWOgVcoywcIcbWXtDUdi-s7O2vDeu9OrZTQQ1mh8FPisQrcRdbcgMt0y19YPpXJckJxn-KwizqmsToBc0ci_q6aQoPUE4Dk/s320/P1580486_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Brent Geese</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB-4EzM2sclkF9ZS6HcLhnOCxFGr0dTXYprzJzKArzsNQqskp90thVy60r6qU8gie2NoTJsui2U0OQv5tcX07HY2G8kc43yYwxg88SgMfORqr3WXoQ53GoI-30guhnkgyUOe8PGGduX8oy-a5hcSOPIkHVNIhR0330iDzwcQPvopDyyreg1PNctGKw_p4/s1366/P1580488_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB-4EzM2sclkF9ZS6HcLhnOCxFGr0dTXYprzJzKArzsNQqskp90thVy60r6qU8gie2NoTJsui2U0OQv5tcX07HY2G8kc43yYwxg88SgMfORqr3WXoQ53GoI-30guhnkgyUOe8PGGduX8oy-a5hcSOPIkHVNIhR0330iDzwcQPvopDyyreg1PNctGKw_p4/s320/P1580488_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Brent Geese</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Three guesses what the weather was like on Thursday 18th January? - that's right, cold, clear and still! And with an invite from Mavis and her friends Kay and Sheila for a birdy day out at Slapton Ley I leapt at the chance to join them, we ended up having a really great day out on what was my first visit to Slapton in over a year.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I caught the bus out to Plympton for my pick up and had a quick look along the stream running through the town where I found 2 Dipper, one was a ringed bird and the same one that I saw this time last year. There was some singing and calling going on between them despite the below zero temperatures and they allowed some close views, presumably used to all the people and traffic passing by.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQkPNwR6-l_lky2bAdCdhEtCHUO3FmC2hf79XoYtQWdc24Pi8kdsoDj18Mgpw6PGHEcPcVzOoD5k6aEwNR6fiGcfH_6fi9phGnU2Z2WMALeIV8C2bi85fpr_TIQa9x-2vv-BpPZUtzk46jOHZwAVpUsLh3WJT75MLX63RnNsMfp1CBb6pMftRU6qTOvM/s1366/P1580536_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQkPNwR6-l_lky2bAdCdhEtCHUO3FmC2hf79XoYtQWdc24Pi8kdsoDj18Mgpw6PGHEcPcVzOoD5k6aEwNR6fiGcfH_6fi9phGnU2Z2WMALeIV8C2bi85fpr_TIQa9x-2vv-BpPZUtzk46jOHZwAVpUsLh3WJT75MLX63RnNsMfp1CBb6pMftRU6qTOvM/s320/P1580536_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Dipper, Plympton</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The journey to Slapton was a bit tortuous along narrow country lanes due to the road at Modbury currently being closed but with some excellent driving from Kay we arrived at the bridge over the Ley to start our walk around Ireland Bay to the viewing screen and back. It was a beautiful day, cold in the breeze but warm in the sunshine, the sun was lovely to see and feel but viewing the birds out on the water was challenging. Despite this we still managed to get some good views and sightings of the waterfowl out on the Ley and also of the small birds feeding in the Leyside vegetation.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiva0_y-dnNhw1-rjDbLlbZh83EmHpdLR9aMb9_WffLWP8EmkbF_QZdWaSdbmFHBhY5wwm_ExgoeQHgP2DtzqcoyHJEtO1ZNVOHIFHCN1dmaRR37S5ietr_64pxe7qfB0dQoR92SlV78ZkvI73thSHffOfkLvemdsfgju4eQSgVl_qL_uWsPR2LBs0EZKc/s1366/P1580566_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiva0_y-dnNhw1-rjDbLlbZh83EmHpdLR9aMb9_WffLWP8EmkbF_QZdWaSdbmFHBhY5wwm_ExgoeQHgP2DtzqcoyHJEtO1ZNVOHIFHCN1dmaRR37S5ietr_64pxe7qfB0dQoR92SlV78ZkvI73thSHffOfkLvemdsfgju4eQSgVl_qL_uWsPR2LBs0EZKc/s320/P1580566_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Slapton Ley</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Out on the water we found the usual Tufted Ducks, Gadwalls, Coots, Great Crested Grebes, Little Grebes, Canada Geese, Mute Swans, Wigeons and Mallards but amongst them were a male Pintail, 3 Teal (1 male), 3 Goldeneye (2 male) and the regular wintering male Ring-necked Duck. A Great White Egret was also briefly seen flying down the Ley before disappearing into the reeds, my first sighting of one at Slapton.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig1GJbYvG2PdB3ef22XJfWSKW-JdtYcOAr5I7jBUlyjv5evX_FamD3GKX2GYLZ9scFNc3QiJ4dvtERN4YmsUVu2WdbVrWQGmzt9zoTeqOCq1p7PoyO-9D27qCiFEWE0X__cAI6yG3MuXJTYXH6Op6CwZxPSXzFnUv8AnuSaqMQKdckLKC5bKc4zAsaV5c/s1366/P1580557_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig1GJbYvG2PdB3ef22XJfWSKW-JdtYcOAr5I7jBUlyjv5evX_FamD3GKX2GYLZ9scFNc3QiJ4dvtERN4YmsUVu2WdbVrWQGmzt9zoTeqOCq1p7PoyO-9D27qCiFEWE0X__cAI6yG3MuXJTYXH6Op6CwZxPSXzFnUv8AnuSaqMQKdckLKC5bKc4zAsaV5c/s320/P1580557_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Tufted Ducks and a Black-headed Gull</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXry-gATTy4-kRFTs3KDTvDsjnw6jLPJI6OveJdDZwWYVA7kMIxodxw2S0QtMT3PTsCkzbIULVajKZmGUaedB3dquoHP2t6iokicOIuOueDCT1GQF-SoOr5-3UO6YWmrvysE_CmVzGuA-ZEFNxox9PP84VsnfjbZKSFNS6hlJ4wgWJFvA3cBjoWJFJh2I/s1366/P1580565_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXry-gATTy4-kRFTs3KDTvDsjnw6jLPJI6OveJdDZwWYVA7kMIxodxw2S0QtMT3PTsCkzbIULVajKZmGUaedB3dquoHP2t6iokicOIuOueDCT1GQF-SoOr5-3UO6YWmrvysE_CmVzGuA-ZEFNxox9PP84VsnfjbZKSFNS6hlJ4wgWJFvA3cBjoWJFJh2I/s320/P1580565_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Goldeneye</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Water Rails and Cetti's Warblers were heard calling and a Sparrowhawk, at least 2 Buzzards and numerous Redwings were seen overhead. At least 4 Chiffchaffs and a Great Spotted Woodpecker were seen alongside the Ley but Goldcrests and Firecrests were birds of the day, at least 6 Goldcrests and 3 Firecrests were seen and they just seemed to pop up everywhere along our walk.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4rA59E5lAQd3snIeZCSGhKAb0bAchEvuq9IkTauSqU76n_ymDqGSIN6FBxEaLw9QLI1qqEayurjFPz2pT72BuTrdQo1uVAxcMvyconzueGUAkkKnoWAxqdo7ZYzP5sAIX0EewVe-mUvGUi7a7X1nTAgViZsL66QuSiYy-CPTtZCA51uja0JGAP1MjxEw/s1366/P1580552_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4rA59E5lAQd3snIeZCSGhKAb0bAchEvuq9IkTauSqU76n_ymDqGSIN6FBxEaLw9QLI1qqEayurjFPz2pT72BuTrdQo1uVAxcMvyconzueGUAkkKnoWAxqdo7ZYzP5sAIX0EewVe-mUvGUi7a7X1nTAgViZsL66QuSiYy-CPTtZCA51uja0JGAP1MjxEw/s320/P1580552_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Robin waiting to swoop down on our cheese scone crumbs (made by Mavis)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We had an enjoyable walk around Stoke Point on Friday 19th January, it was cold and still again and the scenery looked stunning in the sunshine. The paths weren't too muddy after the heavy morning frost and we had a nice lunch in The Ship Inn at Noss Mayo which has been taken over by Youngs Brewery but seems to be much the same at the moment with a very similar menu.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It was quiet birdwise but a swirling flock of around 150 Golden Plover overhead in fields near The Warren car park were a delight to watch in the fading sunshine on our walk back to the car. A hovering Kestrel, 3 pairs of Stonechats, flitty and skittish Redwings, a Greenshank along the estuary, a brief drumming heard from a Woodpecker in the woods and 3 Buzzards overhead were also of note along with 3 Mute Swans flying along the coast at Wembury before flying up the Yealm Estuary. The strangest sight considering the cold weather was a Red Admiral trying to warm itself up in the sunshine, my first butterfly of the year.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYbLQMZELB5RZ-e-IR7YLzX6uLaZc5h5VDu-_U9BPeCuMXsLDzH82oY71SOfq6063QsoBZguE31WdMc2DfDUooD677KnO2dTka1fG8gTxczELzqnN_xLwO8S6Cq4GcEC0U5xs4EAn7iXnkK8R8GpfDiVljBvbflqxdcCMqfWwHrXRNxDdEvy1mMb__VW4/s1366/P1580573_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1163" data-original-width="1366" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYbLQMZELB5RZ-e-IR7YLzX6uLaZc5h5VDu-_U9BPeCuMXsLDzH82oY71SOfq6063QsoBZguE31WdMc2DfDUooD677KnO2dTka1fG8gTxczELzqnN_xLwO8S6Cq4GcEC0U5xs4EAn7iXnkK8R8GpfDiVljBvbflqxdcCMqfWwHrXRNxDdEvy1mMb__VW4/s320/P1580573_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Red Admiral</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It was milder, cloudier and breezier on Saturday 20th January and with Storm Isha on her way it will soon be wet again but the morning forecast didn't look too bad so I decided to get out birding one more time before the weather keeps me a prisoner indoors again. I headed over to Torpoint again, high tide was due at 12:45pm but it was a high low tide and on arriving at around 09:00am there was no mud on show and very little of the shore uncovered. The cloud cover meant viewing was much easier without looking into the glare of the sun and the light was very good but the stiff breeze and choppy water made conditions difficult in a different way. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I scanned across the water but only found a Great Northern Diver, a Great Crested Grebe and 2 Little Grebes. A few Oystercatcher and Curlew were feeding along the shoreline while on the opposite shore distant Wigeon, Shelduck, Redshank and Turnstone were noted and 8 Avocet were seen flying upriver. Interestingly I found the mucky feral type Greylag Goose from my recent Plym visit feeding in a field with Canada Geese, distant scope views but definitely the same bird and indicating how mobile birds can be around the Plymouth area.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">There were also 14 distant Dark-bellied Brent Geese on the opposite shore but I had much better views of 20 Brent Geese which flew in to feed close off Marine Drive, 18 were pale-bellied types which included the two ringed birds seen on Tuesday, 4C and LC. With them were a dark-bellied bird and also a bird that looked like an intermediate type.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOc_23X5xB2aCGcT_1fRCkI6nvKTwpBkTRAdq7QHW18HmRFduvX-YyVC1bNkBCps-evErM99znWugnV_wLpj3P2SjnLE1Hv-pM2Sm7nZxQ24Ecxqp1xhb0Mu308SXXxuOUbO8Ki8-7r3KGhDjK-ZW6VajLxgNYwCZzE30SdJOXKKbb5lBwwqYnAjCpuuU/s1366/P1580724_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOc_23X5xB2aCGcT_1fRCkI6nvKTwpBkTRAdq7QHW18HmRFduvX-YyVC1bNkBCps-evErM99znWugnV_wLpj3P2SjnLE1Hv-pM2Sm7nZxQ24Ecxqp1xhb0Mu308SXXxuOUbO8Ki8-7r3KGhDjK-ZW6VajLxgNYwCZzE30SdJOXKKbb5lBwwqYnAjCpuuU/s320/P1580724_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Pale-bellied Brent Geese</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcYfUrk09dATjbIjPgWVzbDt6sOxGduPyMM5dwyi13axEyrnDcG9fZi9F9TPb9tvf0b25g70_qiTluVGXO5trphUmz8LmlJYI2telQxUhoeMpWGSCfn5F_4lZrrXXrO9WKgq1gbyOPr43lCkgenqGtenBEC-HcLx8S32q-J_lbAOKxBai_uzd0D2MLqQk/s1366/P1580723_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="848" data-original-width="1366" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcYfUrk09dATjbIjPgWVzbDt6sOxGduPyMM5dwyi13axEyrnDcG9fZi9F9TPb9tvf0b25g70_qiTluVGXO5trphUmz8LmlJYI2telQxUhoeMpWGSCfn5F_4lZrrXXrO9WKgq1gbyOPr43lCkgenqGtenBEC-HcLx8S32q-J_lbAOKxBai_uzd0D2MLqQk/s320/P1580723_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Pale-bellied Brent Geese </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJVYbBywy4R52wK2cVbBA10tL3mC8dsEIezDh56fDXhBH3k-XY7cdJYTXRK3aMuAAQVi4stgbtwLuh9wzU7-vUbJaxVcOVrbDi_yQKPiDXpuD4FZjBuhyphenhyphenMex9oodh4cdOrm-NlTEgEtZLuwv4S-PdC0wqe5j8p0obTo7YmQjoWEBfnEvkGFjJ4W-7IFBY/s1366/P1580658_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJVYbBywy4R52wK2cVbBA10tL3mC8dsEIezDh56fDXhBH3k-XY7cdJYTXRK3aMuAAQVi4stgbtwLuh9wzU7-vUbJaxVcOVrbDi_yQKPiDXpuD4FZjBuhyphenhyphenMex9oodh4cdOrm-NlTEgEtZLuwv4S-PdC0wqe5j8p0obTo7YmQjoWEBfnEvkGFjJ4W-7IFBY/s320/P1580658_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">LC</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvrjdQVp-c3tYsiA9aEYGiMMCpZDWY09jRTVAOubSM2YvSlEn65XkAeNjTe_5UilyOAJO2GjeJZUfzAKXWuxxr1rwaNw9Rf5HSW6H2JshCq-HNdXraGi9MhV30NvWFKFZUVawkzVGdNWmmXkiVgz6j6ZBBQbR_IdN56cf3MQQqB2raiphP9B7cYgBvppo/s1366/P1580648_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvrjdQVp-c3tYsiA9aEYGiMMCpZDWY09jRTVAOubSM2YvSlEn65XkAeNjTe_5UilyOAJO2GjeJZUfzAKXWuxxr1rwaNw9Rf5HSW6H2JshCq-HNdXraGi9MhV30NvWFKFZUVawkzVGdNWmmXkiVgz6j6ZBBQbR_IdN56cf3MQQqB2raiphP9B7cYgBvppo/s320/P1580648_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">4C</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyOgi3AUBL4yr-E0RqXMcqJXfie3bsO_ksFV7maoiNulKeyDUuO0m52GffNq2PZd4yxqWIMfT1jDQ01A27mFi3zRrHbqExcloZFX4JTvgSu7OZnV-mUSIBnGxNPRITvzBnUNh4ZO7fCQQPmFEsbvD7RfsOBD6uEgaolPTYXwoxznkvJI2xFwWMJL8NvC4/s1366/P1580682_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyOgi3AUBL4yr-E0RqXMcqJXfie3bsO_ksFV7maoiNulKeyDUuO0m52GffNq2PZd4yxqWIMfT1jDQ01A27mFi3zRrHbqExcloZFX4JTvgSu7OZnV-mUSIBnGxNPRITvzBnUNh4ZO7fCQQPmFEsbvD7RfsOBD6uEgaolPTYXwoxznkvJI2xFwWMJL8NvC4/s320/P1580682_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Pale- and Dark-bellied Brent Geese</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCthU85cWi6Ad57oG3-SouyaYIX4htYskke7nyhDVQrhCc3mbipQI0cXUOS7oIwL8sHjhhcACNvVL5LDCulu5UdMIXJxSGeb9WGO2iGEKWacJuanvLzfUKjUVNs11EgbKpkRiSGR0vMBDoX8ledy0-YaLSg6DLnJoXl-hTpQqx2TWvUJdLPVc8CPCHugA/s1366/P1580719_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCthU85cWi6Ad57oG3-SouyaYIX4htYskke7nyhDVQrhCc3mbipQI0cXUOS7oIwL8sHjhhcACNvVL5LDCulu5UdMIXJxSGeb9WGO2iGEKWacJuanvLzfUKjUVNs11EgbKpkRiSGR0vMBDoX8ledy0-YaLSg6DLnJoXl-hTpQqx2TWvUJdLPVc8CPCHugA/s320/P1580719_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Dark-bellied Brent Goose</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRGsin57Myk3qA4V2CorltevzV-x7r54upaDNruAvampSRliBNazE__dIOMZ-P7TWL9UNi7MVAlgeqB0owoAYM03XTo9_xK9w5n6ugvOhtLQMnWyY8db8ySO0NKJfVCDvIsPoFyb7FteIV-Tvb1GI9fbsEDRnsJ-eh1wdoN8H0e2Nx3WTpE-FW_DS5Uw/s1366/P1580700_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRGsin57Myk3qA4V2CorltevzV-x7r54upaDNruAvampSRliBNazE__dIOMZ-P7TWL9UNi7MVAlgeqB0owoAYM03XTo9_xK9w5n6ugvOhtLQMnWyY8db8ySO0NKJfVCDvIsPoFyb7FteIV-Tvb1GI9fbsEDRnsJ-eh1wdoN8H0e2Nx3WTpE-FW_DS5Uw/s320/P1580700_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Intermediate Type?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcuTPQlqE1Kr9RpzYpK_2Zp6Xt1eeAF5CTyQXRtS7U5IThAvnJlv7a3sE21GIMep0EBzZFw3UXPOinfa9Ew0LX4egZt3b7ekbmLch4UkauZjJfiFxQIvhhDc735ov5kTlsXWJR6ypmIVxSGYdeXq_n_10RKEE1QMGCbnAlVKwwnPOibG8IsP139d0pq9Y/s1366/P1580739_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcuTPQlqE1Kr9RpzYpK_2Zp6Xt1eeAF5CTyQXRtS7U5IThAvnJlv7a3sE21GIMep0EBzZFw3UXPOinfa9Ew0LX4egZt3b7ekbmLch4UkauZjJfiFxQIvhhDc735ov5kTlsXWJR6ypmIVxSGYdeXq_n_10RKEE1QMGCbnAlVKwwnPOibG8IsP139d0pq9Y/s320/P1580739_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Intermediate Type? with Pale-bellied Type</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">There was still no sign of the Red-necked Grebe (it was reported as present yesterday along with 2 Black-necked Grebes) and so I called it a day and headed off home after an interesting morning's birding in what has been a very cold and birdy week.</div>Stuart Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562828875993764020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498023071863063038.post-82059944072349438762024-01-15T07:41:00.000+00:002024-01-15T07:41:42.539+00:00Still Cold but Golden!Friday 12th January was cold and grey but with very little breeze and so I headed out to The Plym for a walk, starting at Laira Bridge and finishing at Marsh Mills.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-H_wNoBrOLc1enCp47AichivtOdTbvDWUgnrerI9lIJDoarYdZeWpU32z-M9wv_YypGE5ytEH_NS6X9pn6O_5zf6DFDRf-u34tUcvUNoJBF7WgCfr76s4EBT8NLfbXEJ91XEQlCwclZdSGBZropJKTbYnW9NtiQ3BVEeTTW5QL_3EpWDuSYoKw2VkU8M/s1366/P1580268_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-H_wNoBrOLc1enCp47AichivtOdTbvDWUgnrerI9lIJDoarYdZeWpU32z-M9wv_YypGE5ytEH_NS6X9pn6O_5zf6DFDRf-u34tUcvUNoJBF7WgCfr76s4EBT8NLfbXEJ91XEQlCwclZdSGBZropJKTbYnW9NtiQ3BVEeTTW5QL_3EpWDuSYoKw2VkU8M/s320/P1580268_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Blackbird, Blaxton Meadow</div><div><div><br /></div><div>The tide was ebbing when I arrived at Laira Bridge and things started off well with the wintering Great Crested Grebe found diving for fish in the small creek by Blagdons Boatyard. Out on the river 2 Shag and a pair of Goosander were also diving away and later another 2 female Goosanders were seen together out on the water.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwv2nlIOvGaTpEBQGyQ4XBJtBNdZKAE9Np2W991KQQNpKlzCfiHlKaDvxK7clhpuJxHmhF77y5ai7T6ZQq7zUZtdGDhAhx3HXn0g-W_htHx3aChOTXWnYPnB_4Ecqdmp7LPvqZPYvipv_aH5ufwSlqEzMVmgu0OGpWd-1SKSASubvvGhLKOTNzSoGPSnw/s1366/P1580224_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwv2nlIOvGaTpEBQGyQ4XBJtBNdZKAE9Np2W991KQQNpKlzCfiHlKaDvxK7clhpuJxHmhF77y5ai7T6ZQq7zUZtdGDhAhx3HXn0g-W_htHx3aChOTXWnYPnB_4Ecqdmp7LPvqZPYvipv_aH5ufwSlqEzMVmgu0OGpWd-1SKSASubvvGhLKOTNzSoGPSnw/s320/P1580224_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Great Crested Grebe and Dunlin</div><div><br /></div><div>Chelson Meadow was quiet with a silent Green Woodpecker flying away the highlight, no Stonechats were seen and sadly the site is due to be cleared in the next few weeks to make way for the new solar farm.</div><div><br /></div><div>There was no sign of the Water Rail in the Wet Wood but I did find a male Treecreeper which I picked up initially when I heard it sing - it's good to know that my ears are still working well!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIWQ-GHqYEqj96DIZlhvY_V-vBOL00XVx4-Y2Qs_UxkodhJhpKEhv4yqchrJK7HYYzTU2gW3HBa8LXIy9W_nABuEISY5KFK5F_UMPVslvRE9o1HSg4WlNG541glxPHxlRgMDdUiUqO5qpgxakVtLX0jtHk0SEf-XacmsUjAj5BvF0Pk-X3YsXELOD2bI/s1366/P1580253_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIWQ-GHqYEqj96DIZlhvY_V-vBOL00XVx4-Y2Qs_UxkodhJhpKEhv4yqchrJK7HYYzTU2gW3HBa8LXIy9W_nABuEISY5KFK5F_UMPVslvRE9o1HSg4WlNG541glxPHxlRgMDdUiUqO5qpgxakVtLX0jtHk0SEf-XacmsUjAj5BvF0Pk-X3YsXELOD2bI/s320/P1580253_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Treecreeper</div><div><br /></div><div>The mucky Greylag Goose first seen last Autumn was present again amongst the large flock of Canada Geese in the cattle fields. Redwings were quite showy for a change around the Park, small flocks were seen flying over and also flitting about in the trees eating Ivy berries. A Firecrest, a Chiffchaff and 2 Goldcrest were found in the bushes near the sewage farm but there was no sign of any Siskins in the Alders here.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU12vKYUEVfL8EkgK6ik0DOM8T9uqkDbaPDC_2ASUMIQ7DlR2LyheQknJ_zXuRJF6ExafVgNooUVOmOExdbn3WcNLRphwl_76xwr7oYaTRA_tVdwgkogNg1RxWA4IrurNZZTeDQ32mfJ3PZepT8EBQmP-_8s3aI9aMzHmlUL_R1t9XDpfJzK28be3AMKY/s1366/P1580260_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU12vKYUEVfL8EkgK6ik0DOM8T9uqkDbaPDC_2ASUMIQ7DlR2LyheQknJ_zXuRJF6ExafVgNooUVOmOExdbn3WcNLRphwl_76xwr7oYaTRA_tVdwgkogNg1RxWA4IrurNZZTeDQ32mfJ3PZepT8EBQmP-_8s3aI9aMzHmlUL_R1t9XDpfJzK28be3AMKY/s320/P1580260_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Mucky Greylag Goose</div><div><br /></div><div>A Common Sandpiper, 4 Snipe, 4 Common Gull, a Lesser Black-backed Gull, 2 Grey Wagtail, 2 Nuthatch and 4 Roe Deer were also of note and it was nice to hear 3 Song Thrush singing away in the gloom, Spring is not so far away, and I was pleased to finish the day on 58 species of birds.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0sLdeC6Bvxg7wE4jOL-T9MQGYJInscl5WTTHsswX7aw9KmsFBgNNzSP5zHrwo9b0Gx678mJXHMAzMpniA2d6qF3rQBgaT1Ne6swAxkZTLCtQMOi6xr4hYsQGp1nkp_KYihZJcFAona6CquBN9S0L9jeGmUu2PVLF-fpHavYtaKtb_sbPjtGoIVwWUsg/s1366/P1580307_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0sLdeC6Bvxg7wE4jOL-T9MQGYJInscl5WTTHsswX7aw9KmsFBgNNzSP5zHrwo9b0Gx678mJXHMAzMpniA2d6qF3rQBgaT1Ne6swAxkZTLCtQMOi6xr4hYsQGp1nkp_KYihZJcFAona6CquBN9S0L9jeGmUu2PVLF-fpHavYtaKtb_sbPjtGoIVwWUsg/s320/P1580307_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Common Sandpiper, Marsh Mills</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I had considered torturing myself some more on Saturday 13th January by revisiting the Hayle estuary to have a look at the Gulls again but the tides weren't great so I planned a visit to Wembury instead. However with news of a Golden Oriole of all things being found in Penzance I made plans to go and look for it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It was another cold, grey and windless day as I headed down to Penzance on the train and on arriving at around 09:30hrs I walked around a mile to the nearby hamlet of Gulval where the Golden Oriole was being seen. I knew it was still present from checking BirdGuides on the train journey down and at Gulval there were Birders and Toggers milling around and they reported that the bird had been showing well. Very luckily within 5 minutes of arriving I saw it perched up in a bare tree where it gave some great views before flying off, a splash of liquid colour on a cold and claggy day and a bizarre sight in Cornwall in January!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrY48HiQTf4vj00Kat6idfGPz4vcV-9tfKe4_Boczhx3tv17joOt_lapCLIi0ePpnoagRbjnpP3P48NhbKkEhsVsbexqN98v6zC1OM9-5H6kX4pecg6zidqo8yT05wYwAzFdkBM2_R-6p1-WX7AwuQNtScfEFgI-oLrFNN6gY7XcpvOE5x31LgQKHehiQ/s1366/P1580316_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrY48HiQTf4vj00Kat6idfGPz4vcV-9tfKe4_Boczhx3tv17joOt_lapCLIi0ePpnoagRbjnpP3P48NhbKkEhsVsbexqN98v6zC1OM9-5H6kX4pecg6zidqo8yT05wYwAzFdkBM2_R-6p1-WX7AwuQNtScfEFgI-oLrFNN6gY7XcpvOE5x31LgQKHehiQ/s320/P1580316_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Golden Oriole</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvK8NcGJ2w2bINAqy3msSaM7do91IO9Nf-R1_2EH7CjaDRc8OXK60Piqqth7GY13nbzj0TyBbqGE9ozfAUWTwqVShLurwHDmfEU3LGz2UF8DQIdWDUmJa-I9t-RkiGDvfOFraBWJd6Pse06_t7CPe5jlBSTPVGNVyJkukDRpTRlFug-d2WSIVaW7701UI/s1366/P1580318_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvK8NcGJ2w2bINAqy3msSaM7do91IO9Nf-R1_2EH7CjaDRc8OXK60Piqqth7GY13nbzj0TyBbqGE9ozfAUWTwqVShLurwHDmfEU3LGz2UF8DQIdWDUmJa-I9t-RkiGDvfOFraBWJd6Pse06_t7CPe5jlBSTPVGNVyJkukDRpTRlFug-d2WSIVaW7701UI/s320/P1580318_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Golden Oriole</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It was feeding on Myrtle berries and I think the entire population of Cornwalls Myrtle bushes are present in the gardens at Gulval, they were everywhere and full of berries! A game of Cat and Mouse ensued as it fed on the berries in the gardens, viewing was difficult and I was very aware of pointing my binoculars into people's privacy. It would appear briefly in one garden resulting in a mass movement of the birders present towards it only for it to promptly disappear again and then reappear somewhere else.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">While searching for the Oriole and waiting around for it to show I saw a few other birds - 2 male Blackcap and a male Sparrowhawk were year firsts and a Goldcrest, a Grey Wagtail, 2 Jay, a Buzzard, Redwings, a Song Thrush, Collared Doves, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and Chaffinch were also seen and I thought I heard a Dipper along the fast flowing stream running down through the gardens.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I eventually managed a brief view of the Oriole again in the tree where I first saw it but it was flushed by a passing bus. However it then reappeared shortly afterwards in the back garden of one of the residents who very kindly allowed access into her garden and I had some great views of it before it flew off again.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLplqSpcxilIy-RUxmxhOryob_K_00M_mAePljX0-_DYwbVV0GUgGbvjdPZuK7Uc_cHMTYZoe7hyphenhyphenPRAbREjl3GXYZKNXKP_vTmFE6NxOdXv6TuRx-BvVBqZswT3JkyFMOEz9L8ZNj9-0Wtri1FdeWDQ1VKXsPKAkdCcOEkyz7h_qBhZO5WR-jteF_-lHE/s1366/P1580322_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLplqSpcxilIy-RUxmxhOryob_K_00M_mAePljX0-_DYwbVV0GUgGbvjdPZuK7Uc_cHMTYZoe7hyphenhyphenPRAbREjl3GXYZKNXKP_vTmFE6NxOdXv6TuRx-BvVBqZswT3JkyFMOEz9L8ZNj9-0Wtri1FdeWDQ1VKXsPKAkdCcOEkyz7h_qBhZO5WR-jteF_-lHE/s320/P1580322_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Golden Oriole </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4MXGDA2FpjUxkmkyHIxZQ1UGD53zEixY0PRDOuNgl7yxp3dmEhCxvQRn_ujbENiuVcynl-eMjHDTCuIkzjDjk5BShaYrO3BBJZQlKpfLxdYNTdwkug46-VBttKsy7rIKYoKrVdNkkCtcOBfhByrva1mEs2-GsdeNXsPiMHNibxmyi2HAyVlFatEPamvc/s1366/P1580327_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4MXGDA2FpjUxkmkyHIxZQ1UGD53zEixY0PRDOuNgl7yxp3dmEhCxvQRn_ujbENiuVcynl-eMjHDTCuIkzjDjk5BShaYrO3BBJZQlKpfLxdYNTdwkug46-VBttKsy7rIKYoKrVdNkkCtcOBfhByrva1mEs2-GsdeNXsPiMHNibxmyi2HAyVlFatEPamvc/s320/P1580327_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Golden Oriole </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIladtYe5q2cdt_iS04egcxVHH74h01fJk_A09QlDDD_Y3-D7CI0ztrHK6HCRG01PAizKOk6S7Dz6Ns9Xfpynb66yE5GvjihAXAi5a8Yt4uzGjBsZp4kMNybRtfDuWS7_97ivZFJvzkhD90jicVknMECQaPlZukzRz_6bQOMJ25O_jTiHQdLbv-MnhpJk/s1366/P1580329_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIladtYe5q2cdt_iS04egcxVHH74h01fJk_A09QlDDD_Y3-D7CI0ztrHK6HCRG01PAizKOk6S7Dz6Ns9Xfpynb66yE5GvjihAXAi5a8Yt4uzGjBsZp4kMNybRtfDuWS7_97ivZFJvzkhD90jicVknMECQaPlZukzRz_6bQOMJ25O_jTiHQdLbv-MnhpJk/s320/P1580329_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Golden Oriole </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr2S7SEkaYqhmeE7kZtaPF5FG0ie4TYqE3tVLBK51uQ9zJ2EpNm0Ql32D9wIdqa8mCmIAgi4UjHxQA-oiVVq8i_1kUK6EmTcpWtLr6CrhNl8nFZV3EyI6AL8jnZ1XTH6ab733TnrS6RJ44tIdDUVYfoRpWg50sM4OjVVOdgZDaLD05jRe8xBfl6_6uJjU/s1366/P1580332_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr2S7SEkaYqhmeE7kZtaPF5FG0ie4TYqE3tVLBK51uQ9zJ2EpNm0Ql32D9wIdqa8mCmIAgi4UjHxQA-oiVVq8i_1kUK6EmTcpWtLr6CrhNl8nFZV3EyI6AL8jnZ1XTH6ab733TnrS6RJ44tIdDUVYfoRpWg50sM4OjVVOdgZDaLD05jRe8xBfl6_6uJjU/s320/P1580332_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Golden Oriole </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I finished off with more close views of it back in the original tree but after 2 hours of hanging about in the cold and with numbers of birders present steadily increasing it was time for me to try and warm up and move on and so I headed back to Penzance.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I had considered revisiting the Bonaparte's Gulls still present at nearby Marazion but decided to head to the Hayle estuary for a look about instead. I caught the train to St.Erth and walked down to the causeway bridge but the tide was well out on what was a very low low tide and the mass of Gulls roosting out on the mudflats were distant and tightly packed together. I had a scan through the Herring, Great Black-backed, Black-headed, Common and Lesser Black-backed Gulls present and managed to find a 2nd winter and 4 adult Mediterranean Gulls and 2 adult Yellow-legged Gulls amongst them but it was hard going.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY80xH9qEx517jN0Nz-ucs0yQmLBAO42DTGbeiuARNFAIorm0UHbyTE1YO7FiWVxrdnXUyZcRyhyhZcdUkVwVmKeYTrEwUoFmZTWJg01TzOxDhqLJJRmbnob4_yGX9_t-m32r8m9Bh423e5GUdOeCloLfgUPaiLXHt7x2fSg_1fvpsSGdwesVuDelshQQ/s1366/P1580368_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY80xH9qEx517jN0Nz-ucs0yQmLBAO42DTGbeiuARNFAIorm0UHbyTE1YO7FiWVxrdnXUyZcRyhyhZcdUkVwVmKeYTrEwUoFmZTWJg01TzOxDhqLJJRmbnob4_yGX9_t-m32r8m9Bh423e5GUdOeCloLfgUPaiLXHt7x2fSg_1fvpsSGdwesVuDelshQQ/s320/P1580368_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Yellow-legged Gull amongst Herring and Common Gulls</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The male Green-winged Teal was again sleeping amongst the Eurasian Teal along the waters edge just downriver from the bridge and a male Goosander was fishing in the river channel nearby. There was a notable drop in Lapwing numbers from last week's visit with just 3 present but Redshank, Dunlin, Bar-tailed Godwit, Grey Plover, Curlew, 2 Greenshank and 3 Oystercatchers showed well. There was no sign of the Spoonbill but 4 Little Grebe were seen on the Carnsew Pool with a single bird on the river nearby where a flock of 7 redhead Goosander were also busily diving for fish.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcG9AKLQkyglJX1c4MNPf9jcNa8zG-IzPwnGBjyYwrc5cQBING3yeFq7KK3_bfMrJqDmkpQhChiM547WvXououXu7v1XcI15cmExdo3b1LZheTSkNK8ISaYczNUvLYAa0Hl4Hfg9XMk23hn5d7PJX8iDIlZi77n7tL3BhVAAYUttcCCeSH76zAKBFyzP0/s1366/P1580349_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="949" data-original-width="1366" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcG9AKLQkyglJX1c4MNPf9jcNa8zG-IzPwnGBjyYwrc5cQBING3yeFq7KK3_bfMrJqDmkpQhChiM547WvXououXu7v1XcI15cmExdo3b1LZheTSkNK8ISaYczNUvLYAa0Hl4Hfg9XMk23hn5d7PJX8iDIlZi77n7tL3BhVAAYUttcCCeSH76zAKBFyzP0/s320/P1580349_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Green-winged Teal with Eurasian Teal</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjocjv7nSvNf86QW13WVf7QU-UILqBbhfH9Kf5l_e-npV2pLYMXEpeYPh6Nc9ZjM7v4jKRWTrS5qE-IxnDtB1GolFF7kb2wnXqlt190kM3usBdZE_jFKgJbzxD5tPHYDRmrIr7rh0-Bb_bqwucQY-SzsR_5YHfkwVWrdY9SjG2ztUnat3oq4gNhGHl5g-c/s1366/P1580379_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1232" data-original-width="1366" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjocjv7nSvNf86QW13WVf7QU-UILqBbhfH9Kf5l_e-npV2pLYMXEpeYPh6Nc9ZjM7v4jKRWTrS5qE-IxnDtB1GolFF7kb2wnXqlt190kM3usBdZE_jFKgJbzxD5tPHYDRmrIr7rh0-Bb_bqwucQY-SzsR_5YHfkwVWrdY9SjG2ztUnat3oq4gNhGHl5g-c/s320/P1580379_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Razorbill bill from a sadly deceased bird at The Carnsew Pool</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I caught the train back to Plymouth from the station in Hayle, I was glad to get back in the warm after a chilly days birding but seeing a Golden Oriole, only my second sighting of one in the UK, certainly warmed my soul.</div><div><br /></div></div>Stuart Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562828875993764020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498023071863063038.post-14789708429875475692024-01-11T11:16:00.001+00:002024-01-12T09:11:29.364+00:00A Cold Snap<p>The cold weather continues and it looks like it may stick around for a while, hopefully it might move a few more birds south and west after what has been a very mild winter so far and one that has also been low in winter bird numbers.</p><p>I wasn't feeling great on Monday 8th January but I wanted to make the most of the cold and sunny weather so we took a gentle walk around Saltram. It was a low high tide and the water levels on Blaxton Meadow weren't very high but the usual waders were coming in to roost although I didn't stop to count them.</p><p>The highlight was a Great Northern Diver out on the river off the Rowing Club building and busily munching away on crabs it was bringing to the surface. A pair of Goosander, 2 Mute Swan and a Common Sandpiper were also present along the river while in the Park a lone Redwing feeding on Ivy berries, a very smart male Bullfinch and at least 4 Ring-necked Parakeets were the highlights.</p><p>It was cold and grey on Tuesday 9th January as I headed out to Wembury for a walk, there was a strong easterly breeze and snow flurries in the air and it felt very gelid indeed. I still wasn't feeling great but it was nice to be out and about and the cold conditions kept my mind off of my ailments. I had hoped the below freezing temperatures overnight might have frozen the footpaths and indeed they were icy but it was still a complete mudfest and I even slipped over and fell on my ass, something I haven't done for a long time now.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg11ZMxjga4O3LWAQixCyi3ey8GDtd2URls10NZUtQHo-KoHWVfGAx_5LlT-Gg92n8mzAQriEAHUT8DGQhx6YHwDAHLPmlQoNtCq1gwy2P0fFKIjfslPAX7br9fCUnEYqrVxQCMcJz2AuQG1axwWg8UHToWLttWKyJA1JyuCSh3IP4W71KQ0rQ8IiE2jjE/s1366/P1580048_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg11ZMxjga4O3LWAQixCyi3ey8GDtd2URls10NZUtQHo-KoHWVfGAx_5LlT-Gg92n8mzAQriEAHUT8DGQhx6YHwDAHLPmlQoNtCq1gwy2P0fFKIjfslPAX7br9fCUnEYqrVxQCMcJz2AuQG1axwWg8UHToWLttWKyJA1JyuCSh3IP4W71KQ0rQ8IiE2jjE/s320/P1580048_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">A Chilly Wembury</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju4DVxrobEux9OMgWk-xxB4k306vMFkbzqWHSKlUw620EEseO0cL-ZcjQPInFdHn_JL3zVIfG1NHWyXlTxIlph5KQ2SeqZjZyL1LsY97MwxzYf1jZietsU8vx3_1ujC-Q_yf_TA2DRBFiwOJHldWUPBPBdGkV-v64cCvtnZ_Fh5nz8oSnv_HUpwmAkxQo/s1366/P1580172_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="1025" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju4DVxrobEux9OMgWk-xxB4k306vMFkbzqWHSKlUw620EEseO0cL-ZcjQPInFdHn_JL3zVIfG1NHWyXlTxIlph5KQ2SeqZjZyL1LsY97MwxzYf1jZietsU8vx3_1ujC-Q_yf_TA2DRBFiwOJHldWUPBPBdGkV-v64cCvtnZ_Fh5nz8oSnv_HUpwmAkxQo/s320/P1580172_edited.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Frozen Twigs</div><p>I had hoped for some cold weather movements on the bird front but other than a flock of 11 Lapwing flying over heading west and a Redshank along the beach there wasn't much evidence of movement going on.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaEqGtcWC6T5g8Fdsd31R35ghMeafJsgoE30ZYggUfzltYcQafsR71eyo20RRTOudRexaWWuGclaKFHaZT7B_pPBAPkG8P0xGRYNzL3li_2hPRIiloPTT86qhnzPeSSAux5nX_ihD9K55VeWmD73xvlcfPr91T1oDvYjBMb6kFiJZZwljw9ETGsWvypRQ/s1366/P1580061_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaEqGtcWC6T5g8Fdsd31R35ghMeafJsgoE30ZYggUfzltYcQafsR71eyo20RRTOudRexaWWuGclaKFHaZT7B_pPBAPkG8P0xGRYNzL3li_2hPRIiloPTT86qhnzPeSSAux5nX_ihD9K55VeWmD73xvlcfPr91T1oDvYjBMb6kFiJZZwljw9ETGsWvypRQ/s320/P1580061_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Redshank</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT3NLcYpK7k9rVSjJJQxM8r45nl9Vtj2374M_AJSNYXrFA1IDN6hvEdqL3ck9vIqONMUuEYobWGmM_RXSuDM1pDvpU83XHjzNfRCWTnZ-N_By4e6ckf_RZIUpnAW1UeNzRioDgb7NLGVdOKy4owtqI9-uqbqfy1NlzNu56ov2QtR69hjH6Y1r46hpxPNk/s1366/P1580071_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT3NLcYpK7k9rVSjJJQxM8r45nl9Vtj2374M_AJSNYXrFA1IDN6hvEdqL3ck9vIqONMUuEYobWGmM_RXSuDM1pDvpU83XHjzNfRCWTnZ-N_By4e6ckf_RZIUpnAW1UeNzRioDgb7NLGVdOKy4owtqI9-uqbqfy1NlzNu56ov2QtR69hjH6Y1r46hpxPNk/s320/P1580071_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Redshank</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVunv-_1LHsWVQapjPPti-KuyD4nugaG1XfzYcddw6uQUQAYxcdoTQ5nY_KcjyT83EtCq1r1FSRVI9luoOe3c6_iUTyjFz_XNKkB7uJ2EN7yFekwjX9_ECrDTMJvmJZzGZ4o9dCN_3IOZZXzUXJzwHOJe1IUX849b5JM0CJVdWOloOMBF_Bl2UO8-CQJY/s1366/P1580122_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVunv-_1LHsWVQapjPPti-KuyD4nugaG1XfzYcddw6uQUQAYxcdoTQ5nY_KcjyT83EtCq1r1FSRVI9luoOe3c6_iUTyjFz_XNKkB7uJ2EN7yFekwjX9_ECrDTMJvmJZzGZ4o9dCN_3IOZZXzUXJzwHOJe1IUX849b5JM0CJVdWOloOMBF_Bl2UO8-CQJY/s320/P1580122_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Redshank and Turnstone</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4aFkhVxu_N041ID4926kiB8nVJrH-Z_PRJ_zIoWR4oV3SjvlZXkMqx78aHE7aKFe-as9e3m5bZmih-b3IjsptxWo3LImx_A0L2osArNpyrVg7L6sWgoRr9d1xLY_Q2hDv6ptmplIWV2-N7NP9kbMEEcTrBB_yvBHQQSULbusic7zsGNeVcZCQPUMW4N0/s949/P1580133_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="786" data-original-width="949" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4aFkhVxu_N041ID4926kiB8nVJrH-Z_PRJ_zIoWR4oV3SjvlZXkMqx78aHE7aKFe-as9e3m5bZmih-b3IjsptxWo3LImx_A0L2osArNpyrVg7L6sWgoRr9d1xLY_Q2hDv6ptmplIWV2-N7NP9kbMEEcTrBB_yvBHQQSULbusic7zsGNeVcZCQPUMW4N0/s320/P1580133_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Redshank, Oystercatcher and Turnstone</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQOyjAzXSUeJhHiPAm1-xA6uEVxgXzoaezl_BqeTNoJDBkAd0SyJLTkCPFuqF2Q2dGnbuf-afcZXG689-8lVkVvkiAw_xSFjkToLtxdT5W2EELTqn8EMMMiajSEquxaG8HD8Bpj0A9LkUZi3bUQL-QYlidRsYk24MI4vJwVieX6YMFcjzGHUcSX68j_U/s1366/P1580115_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQOyjAzXSUeJhHiPAm1-xA6uEVxgXzoaezl_BqeTNoJDBkAd0SyJLTkCPFuqF2Q2dGnbuf-afcZXG689-8lVkVvkiAw_xSFjkToLtxdT5W2EELTqn8EMMMiajSEquxaG8HD8Bpj0A9LkUZi3bUQL-QYlidRsYk24MI4vJwVieX6YMFcjzGHUcSX68j_U/s320/P1580115_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Turnstone</div><p>I easily found the Water Pipit along the beach although it was very flitty and flighty and easily lost amongst the numerous Rock and Meadow Pipits. They were all frantically searching for food on the seaweed mass by the sewage pipe in the bitingly cold wind and were quite tetchy with each other and showing lots of aggressive posturing.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifFMpsIGjWOP6isMQGpGxhVpvP_HMjLTK2TktZ6uNGrPBo8rKBBPK-4pwXpO4UraRsQR0eg71oPecgFy2zXFzaW_SXy1wllTV2F82zJN2eRGNB54pcKC77j6-mr2O7EK0mZFy7xZA6QsXpty2_kImQ5JjI7lhisPYB5ylxOGsfb7_9Ls-2yj66LfP71gA/s1366/P1580125_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifFMpsIGjWOP6isMQGpGxhVpvP_HMjLTK2TktZ6uNGrPBo8rKBBPK-4pwXpO4UraRsQR0eg71oPecgFy2zXFzaW_SXy1wllTV2F82zJN2eRGNB54pcKC77j6-mr2O7EK0mZFy7xZA6QsXpty2_kImQ5JjI7lhisPYB5ylxOGsfb7_9Ls-2yj66LfP71gA/s320/P1580125_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Water Pipit</div><p>A flock of around 40 Stock Dove was an interesting find as they occassionally took to the air from the fields above the sewage farm before settling back down out of sight. I'm not sure if this high count is due to the cold weather as I saw Stock Doves in this area at the end of last year but not in such numbers. Also of note were a Kestrel over being mobbed by Carrion Crows, a flock of around 10 Skylark feeding in the wheatfield stubble, around 14 Turnstones along the beach, Gannets passing by offshore and a Great Spotted Woodpecker in a village garden.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXC9H9UgiDKCHuzH2SwZufNioPYXj70nLETTtRCy1yUWP7zjGPE5mhC6Gqxc2QsG1ixdhYGUNqUxzOSAHuB7jwtUqWien7sPRALdQMDTVcjhZUOpwdqYkUf0KQIJE2E_LzzkCVEFh3j_WEUvZmXg1K_-oeP4XZcpZL7p-Fqaxe6mwR6K5rwLjDHBz2i6A/s1366/P1580160_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXC9H9UgiDKCHuzH2SwZufNioPYXj70nLETTtRCy1yUWP7zjGPE5mhC6Gqxc2QsG1ixdhYGUNqUxzOSAHuB7jwtUqWien7sPRALdQMDTVcjhZUOpwdqYkUf0KQIJE2E_LzzkCVEFh3j_WEUvZmXg1K_-oeP4XZcpZL7p-Fqaxe6mwR6K5rwLjDHBz2i6A/s320/P1580160_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Blonde Ray? Egg Case</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Wednesday 10th January was yet again another cold day with a biting easterly wind but it was mostly sunny as I headed out to Torpoint for a look about. There have been reports of all 5 Grebes being present here recently but it was not to be for me as I only found 3 Little Grebe and 8 Great Crested Grebe out on the water.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The conditions were a bit challenging in the wind again and as lovely as it was to see the sun it was difficult viewing the birds while looking into it. It was also a high low tide, I arrived at low tide but it was almost in again just over 2 hours later and so I packed up early and headed home - I'll have to visit again another day.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Despite this I has an enjoyable time with the highlights being a Great Northern Diver, 11 Knot, around 40 Avocet, 27 Grey Plover and unusually a male Tufted Duck. The usual waders and wildfowl were present too and I had good views of Black-tailed and Bar-tailed Godwits, Dunlin (one of which was in full summer plumage!), Redshank, Curlew, Turnstone, Oystercatcher, Wigeon and Shelduck. I also picked up a distant group of 18 Brent Geese out on the mudflats, eventually 4 flew in closer and were dark-bellied types although pale-bellied types have also been seen here recently. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuss0yszG4pR7y2OoEZv_n5D7xH0A8jqC0w_opQT9PV0c4qyoKG38fbuwcmbEmGuIp23qSjoHeQrZ1fyyq_F7XkD-14Mz4Lcv5u6NHndEtV8O2nwu4Gg4tJUbySXvOCGi3UJcV9r04epoipCVXFQAELZMUkXD-Q7ET3j-85AOh71tqG-5vB9ub6zU32BE/s1366/P1580196_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuss0yszG4pR7y2OoEZv_n5D7xH0A8jqC0w_opQT9PV0c4qyoKG38fbuwcmbEmGuIp23qSjoHeQrZ1fyyq_F7XkD-14Mz4Lcv5u6NHndEtV8O2nwu4Gg4tJUbySXvOCGi3UJcV9r04epoipCVXFQAELZMUkXD-Q7ET3j-85AOh71tqG-5vB9ub6zU32BE/s320/P1580196_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Dunlin, Knot and Bar-Tailed Godwits</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-DymBiprzv-yJvausfxZFlEbTaE_7BCz22MhXSCZKTEruvn_AnIiZg5KT9Xpn00gdBFusUrpu0MHx4jluak4IjFbhyg9gmogKM9QGeL45X9MoDr6u_IVIOzHA3PIV9CkXxqRtnEZtT0nMzjJZb7MVNUZT8MoHNvm6lp5z2PyAaBLjsS34cfcCtA0NHVM/s1366/P1580211_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-DymBiprzv-yJvausfxZFlEbTaE_7BCz22MhXSCZKTEruvn_AnIiZg5KT9Xpn00gdBFusUrpu0MHx4jluak4IjFbhyg9gmogKM9QGeL45X9MoDr6u_IVIOzHA3PIV9CkXxqRtnEZtT0nMzjJZb7MVNUZT8MoHNvm6lp5z2PyAaBLjsS34cfcCtA0NHVM/s320/P1580211_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Dark-bellied Brent Geese </div>Stuart Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562828875993764020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498023071863063038.post-32568500023182062442024-01-07T15:43:00.001+00:002024-01-07T15:44:38.428+00:00First Plym Visit of 2024 and a Trip to West Cornwall<p>Tuesday 2nd January was yet another grey, wet and windy day in a seemingly endless run of grey, wet and windy days but with the rain forecasted to stop mid-morning I decided to head out to The Plym and Saltram for a walk. The rain did stop and there were even a few patches of blue in the sky at times but it remained very windy and the birding was a bit challenging.</p><p>The usual birds were seen and I ended up on 42 species for the day which wasn't too bad considering the weather. The highlights were 5 Goosander (2 males), a Common Sandpiper, a Kingfisher and a Grey Wagtail along the River, 60 Wigeon, 8 Greenshank and the wintering Black-tailed Godwit on a very flooded Blaxton Meadow and a Stock Dove, a Buzzard and a Kestrel overhead.</p><p>I did have a look for Water Rail and Treecreeper with no luck but I'll try again on a less windy day. I did however meet local birder Matt who I know through Twitter but have never met before, nice to put a face to a name at last.</p><p>A quick walk around Plymouth Hoe on Wednesday 3rd January was spent dodging the showers while failing to find any Purple Sandpipers or Black Redstarts but I did see a Great Northern Diver and 11 Turnstone.</p><p>With a change in the weather (at long last!) I headed off on the train to Penzance and Hayle on Saturday 6th January. It was a glorious day, all cold, clear, crisp, still and sunny. I nearly didn't go due to ongoing toothache problems but I dosed myself up on painkillers and took things slowly and had a great day out.</p><p>I arrived in Penzance at just after 9:30am and had a quick look off the seawall by the bus station while waiting to catch the bus to Marazion. The sea was flat calm but there was very little to see other than a few Cormorants and Gulls out on the water and a few Turnstone and Rock Pipit amongst the boulders.</p><p>On arriving at Marazion I headed down to the Red River mouth where 2 Bonaparte's Gulls have been showing but on arriving there it was completely birdless with just a few birders and toggers milling about! I knew the birds had been seen that morning as they had been reported on BirdGuides and after a few minutes of scanning around 1 of the birds flew in to feed just a short distance away in front of me, giving some amazing views.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjql6mZefEHRvJRNIFEH-GJckwXqQN6HuB84qht0w_G7AdQ1xQrAR4zdpv_FMcq6Fy4Zoceec1gfDM4ixXcNyi5ncgXZ-fDTMbO8rOO0TlwW8YX0sGG4_Uozkn6GcEv_LZiATnVkPUEvYl6a3RFxeyLE7-P5iSa1tCZo14OcIfwMlJELPXBTjPwkgFMfN8/s1366/P1570832_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjql6mZefEHRvJRNIFEH-GJckwXqQN6HuB84qht0w_G7AdQ1xQrAR4zdpv_FMcq6Fy4Zoceec1gfDM4ixXcNyi5ncgXZ-fDTMbO8rOO0TlwW8YX0sGG4_Uozkn6GcEv_LZiATnVkPUEvYl6a3RFxeyLE7-P5iSa1tCZo14OcIfwMlJELPXBTjPwkgFMfN8/s320/P1570832_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bonaparte's Gull </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhar-7x1ChJLAZRvkV8HExJck6vdTFR2obGZOQh0VKqlRLs1e1YJRjBscpvj6TTFJbI7LGG1iR-dSLXiywocl_X5Rkr9tqGwuvx9PGp8D-ab2gBaFzWxU1Y6Y9OJMmZyUZ9vhC9urxb77_YezV6-O0o784YJb5GkYZW4el1AkEkvoBn7H5S-vZOuBi6OA/s1366/P1570852_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhar-7x1ChJLAZRvkV8HExJck6vdTFR2obGZOQh0VKqlRLs1e1YJRjBscpvj6TTFJbI7LGG1iR-dSLXiywocl_X5Rkr9tqGwuvx9PGp8D-ab2gBaFzWxU1Y6Y9OJMmZyUZ9vhC9urxb77_YezV6-O0o784YJb5GkYZW4el1AkEkvoBn7H5S-vZOuBi6OA/s320/P1570852_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bonaparte's Gull</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggZNr80OI_fP1DJmChXo9GVupSqzBH0a0Z5uaL78FCRy7xb3ldNho2IFaPdKV80l4jkykuQgu-4-Q8CQcqpeiSK3lC3fJ5Uk-NfAdNU0iETJ44-3D0u1JzOIPor3JBS_4EOlMvWU3VAUk7p1bA8uVnlYxHx3Z3ds3pPoM_Tcrwuhn_H4TVlVgwEy-lScQ/s1366/P1570766_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggZNr80OI_fP1DJmChXo9GVupSqzBH0a0Z5uaL78FCRy7xb3ldNho2IFaPdKV80l4jkykuQgu-4-Q8CQcqpeiSK3lC3fJ5Uk-NfAdNU0iETJ44-3D0u1JzOIPor3JBS_4EOlMvWU3VAUk7p1bA8uVnlYxHx3Z3ds3pPoM_Tcrwuhn_H4TVlVgwEy-lScQ/s320/P1570766_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Bonaparte's Gull</div><p>It didn't seem too concerned by people passing close by (and being a Saturday and good weather it was very busy), but it really didn't like any dogs coming too close, giving an alarm call and flying off for a few minutes before returning.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7RXsE4A1x5desadzdHAa4HVHXWB8jdSQcS6iQcM59NtmZwmxSV42v4FvnKzgwroe8SSPXoGrY1Pq9pfd0bScqVem4UMFqZt2MBGGUV0H6uyZ9ICNTaFQChoJJRuKt-CyQ6ZPt6EgKNC_-c5xC6PAHYUHno7W9Iycnx0SbIw_XAzi4Zb44yO_BiXiOmw/s1366/P1570801_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7RXsE4A1x5desadzdHAa4HVHXWB8jdSQcS6iQcM59NtmZwmxSV42v4FvnKzgwroe8SSPXoGrY1Pq9pfd0bScqVem4UMFqZt2MBGGUV0H6uyZ9ICNTaFQChoJJRuKt-CyQ6ZPt6EgKNC_-c5xC6PAHYUHno7W9Iycnx0SbIw_XAzi4Zb44yO_BiXiOmw/s320/P1570801_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bonaparte's Gull </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_grzpCgwFaO5MR5pKRgHwNJv-YV0XhBlLss-CrdXjmMaW642d9cC98rrcSaVtD-UiQ0reTLXzCY_Dva3oms_aMlDniZeRrz87ICijUQatyeZv202K05F1sJpO0cwUo4EqmwGV-_QrKzTXYyUpfDoQBpmDs1u6EOsMKCa-aNU4YXA3Gbf1K2vcu67Ffy0/s1366/P1570788_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_grzpCgwFaO5MR5pKRgHwNJv-YV0XhBlLss-CrdXjmMaW642d9cC98rrcSaVtD-UiQ0reTLXzCY_Dva3oms_aMlDniZeRrz87ICijUQatyeZv202K05F1sJpO0cwUo4EqmwGV-_QrKzTXYyUpfDoQBpmDs1u6EOsMKCa-aNU4YXA3Gbf1K2vcu67Ffy0/s320/P1570788_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bonaparte's Gull </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAgVzO8ciFR4ovxWAKxVKf9G7rWerjydbOosB_fxp747oNx5pMMXUGaobyoohOhgNG7GRLVmMAxhWRKiX05VJ70_GYQlJbDAGqhUsn88WXMLNG_0he1EoiJVGtrne2JxmFhusOyOSnXZe8K0JgXmUYInBj0GSaBGvY1UkP9y9PqPFiPuGAWVvaCxvHzuw/s1366/P1570777_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAgVzO8ciFR4ovxWAKxVKf9G7rWerjydbOosB_fxp747oNx5pMMXUGaobyoohOhgNG7GRLVmMAxhWRKiX05VJ70_GYQlJbDAGqhUsn88WXMLNG_0he1EoiJVGtrne2JxmFhusOyOSnXZe8K0JgXmUYInBj0GSaBGvY1UkP9y9PqPFiPuGAWVvaCxvHzuw/s320/P1570777_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bonaparte's Gull </div><p>I then had a quick look at Marazion Marsh where at least 10 Chiffchaff were flitting about in the reeds and brambles and flycatching in the sunshine and a smart Firecrest was amongst them. A Water Rail and a Cetti's Warbler were heard and Snipe and Teal were roosting amongst the reeds. Along the beach a pair of Raven were feeding on the washed up corpse of a Dolphin, quite unconcerned by people passing close by, and offshore a male Eider was busily diving away with a Herring Gull in close attendance, presumably attempting to steal anything it brought to the surface.</p><p>I caught the bus back to Penzance and walked over to The Jubilee Pool for a look about, there were just a few Shag and Cormorant roosting on the rocks offshore and nothing out in the Bay. A lone Purple Sandpiper was feeding on the rocks along the shoreline, there were many "wild" swimmers present in the good weather so presumably the reason for the lack of waders here. Still, it's one more than I've seen on Plymouth Hoe this winter!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizN6EyKPQdYC1z5D1fbR-s6gUKOFsFTTZwgqpq-2EqnclwJzt3V10I3E0_PTRBLkQJETpp-umgUEuo2Yceb8k72x1HU0gBlER8axYToYd1Qp84JvdF0x7LbDVHk9Y_4bLxeC3t94lPNBgN6HFdbtLt_UZ5o-NteseoccV2pnco-8GvOWX8J0GMt10mhx0/s1366/P1570910_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizN6EyKPQdYC1z5D1fbR-s6gUKOFsFTTZwgqpq-2EqnclwJzt3V10I3E0_PTRBLkQJETpp-umgUEuo2Yceb8k72x1HU0gBlER8axYToYd1Qp84JvdF0x7LbDVHk9Y_4bLxeC3t94lPNBgN6HFdbtLt_UZ5o-NteseoccV2pnco-8GvOWX8J0GMt10mhx0/s320/P1570910_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Purple Sandpiper </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdjVrxxt4VfqxxNX8Sb7nSxdp8TP4s0VKnWdIzgmofRBxRgyD_mRvwCGv8nKvt71aZ9nZ79Ayv0ysrIdthmyJ-9qUyaAUyt64L3ZDFleBqVqAGTblotGoIB0FfQ7xdIOGV-IVjvILFlIVM3cxUUyvfEpBLrxF5gG4ApMtwwqarLnAD6M7xEaZBT056g8/s1366/P1570893_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdjVrxxt4VfqxxNX8Sb7nSxdp8TP4s0VKnWdIzgmofRBxRgyD_mRvwCGv8nKvt71aZ9nZ79Ayv0ysrIdthmyJ-9qUyaAUyt64L3ZDFleBqVqAGTblotGoIB0FfQ7xdIOGV-IVjvILFlIVM3cxUUyvfEpBLrxF5gG4ApMtwwqarLnAD6M7xEaZBT056g8/s320/P1570893_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Purple Sandpiper</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9fCSoH12T6_uuBSBeTJnLxCstMcZfs8qHweuXNAu-9e61ElD87n1R06qt2Pk2j6lnWYN82P3XzyValK233GUwUVydQ4BI6Hg4_h3Nt_ts20UoXpC9b-rUfOgdBtsvXCFqfE4bbvLNOVbhdi7mmPNQtd0MubobuQDkt51dosGAKHBNsrM4Nomlrh4yUDo/s1366/P1570927_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9fCSoH12T6_uuBSBeTJnLxCstMcZfs8qHweuXNAu-9e61ElD87n1R06qt2Pk2j6lnWYN82P3XzyValK233GUwUVydQ4BI6Hg4_h3Nt_ts20UoXpC9b-rUfOgdBtsvXCFqfE4bbvLNOVbhdi7mmPNQtd0MubobuQDkt51dosGAKHBNsrM4Nomlrh4yUDo/s320/P1570927_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Purple Sandpiper</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlk5NXBjtasWK7mMvzmmnNsVtAikW9bn8IC5m4aD6cQJXXcOGpXbzn_D2tpSRLsQRSK6hFcs9yMS6jdN98V1qSbYH1XcgNtQRWYfYplI9kRvp0sCXQKWPWFa8MXM06TKbpUeIBCuHvy4mAaKO6LmN-5GhviOE6hmFepH2jVL5cw852TCNmbqu8yszgwI/s1366/P1570923_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlk5NXBjtasWK7mMvzmmnNsVtAikW9bn8IC5m4aD6cQJXXcOGpXbzn_D2tpSRLsQRSK6hFcs9yMS6jdN98V1qSbYH1XcgNtQRWYfYplI9kRvp0sCXQKWPWFa8MXM06TKbpUeIBCuHvy4mAaKO6LmN-5GhviOE6hmFepH2jVL5cw852TCNmbqu8yszgwI/s320/P1570923_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Purple Sandpiper</div><p>I walked back to the train station and caught the train to St.Erth and then walked down to the causeway bridge overlooking the Hayle estuary. Various birders were present and were scanning through the large numbers of Gulls roosting out on the mudflats, Caspian Gulls were being called but I failed to find them amongst the assorted throng of Herring, Lesser Black-backed, Greater Black-backed, Black-headed and Common Gulls present. I did find 3 Mediterranean Gulls (2 adults and a 1st winter) and at least 2 adult Yellow-legged Gulls which I was pleased about but with the birds distant, tightly packed and restless it was quite challenging.</p><p>The wintering Spoonbill was roosting along the embankment wall, a juvenile bird sporting a green leg ring from a ringing project in Denmark. It occassionally woke up for a quick preen but mostly stayed asleep, it's feathers were quite a mucky white compared to the pristine white of nearby Little Egrets.</p><p>A scan through the Teal flock eventually revealed the wintering male Green-winged Teal, it came closer and closer before roosting on the rocks close to the bridge. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc94SzL1bVpP7ZDN3F_tCbbPhM9Q9D5zmNEku95JoryLq7BrBWC9If_TzahvB2XBtqlLgHGM11rZTCUSYLFXoWWe5LEuZfM6mUSInr9brCqg_g3IXi859yfJfuX0F_qhxO9JES3mVxLB5oSxDokB6BS0FtAKKudeZubjl2sHnY7L_Fq-yQPtq0WhrUcGY/s1366/P1580003_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc94SzL1bVpP7ZDN3F_tCbbPhM9Q9D5zmNEku95JoryLq7BrBWC9If_TzahvB2XBtqlLgHGM11rZTCUSYLFXoWWe5LEuZfM6mUSInr9brCqg_g3IXi859yfJfuX0F_qhxO9JES3mVxLB5oSxDokB6BS0FtAKKudeZubjl2sHnY7L_Fq-yQPtq0WhrUcGY/s320/P1580003_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Green-winged Teal with Teal</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZaZNDLX1-RSJvMb-7aDtZA-NmHg1ydcg_RAExSNbjky5mDjlN4CkAjzIZymyupvCDCeAAcMuinHegV6AttqQqmjebvbLjJdkk3DluHq4nP7DMYMkSLGwK-pFdp5gorsfY7jFJ4ZZbjn3zzJHuAsRO1jZ1EiO8MvfZLBELabx9HprtdZacNUelQMOhgWU/s1366/P1570981_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZaZNDLX1-RSJvMb-7aDtZA-NmHg1ydcg_RAExSNbjky5mDjlN4CkAjzIZymyupvCDCeAAcMuinHegV6AttqQqmjebvbLjJdkk3DluHq4nP7DMYMkSLGwK-pFdp5gorsfY7jFJ4ZZbjn3zzJHuAsRO1jZ1EiO8MvfZLBELabx9HprtdZacNUelQMOhgWU/s320/P1570981_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Green-winged Teal with Teal</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWLriFU0dXCmXRq6MKlygJM0OgfNxNu-Is5rncru-pctJDI5MAPERZ0Pp0avEwBklIDmfuMc2HBtqo6UQxx8Vb3iC_pzqy6cKRtbCZcESPz7ol0t-dqegvmkh4Q5oR6Y1FAstXuze_rnbbEQoqxgjUoMmvWyUgfwvUFvIGBwKQM0O07aSCLH55LUzjYY/s1366/P1570963_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWLriFU0dXCmXRq6MKlygJM0OgfNxNu-Is5rncru-pctJDI5MAPERZ0Pp0avEwBklIDmfuMc2HBtqo6UQxx8Vb3iC_pzqy6cKRtbCZcESPz7ol0t-dqegvmkh4Q5oR6Y1FAstXuze_rnbbEQoqxgjUoMmvWyUgfwvUFvIGBwKQM0O07aSCLH55LUzjYY/s320/P1570963_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Green-winged Teal with Teal</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvlVV6JUasXifAZM-nw5cGhUmPIuBxKaeZDdZNbln0cxQPGk-DWK1qXJRU7_FJIIpz0Ssit_zKr5YE91RfCQZ5ASs4G8vJ0yLzCvLwsE-JHeTQCG4eVY3_VxAww766uQbw4kpcXKUhPLBT-cPiHwsUL_PxBw9sLCPsmTG67P67oZw8uJLPa18LN69EWo/s1366/P1580015_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvlVV6JUasXifAZM-nw5cGhUmPIuBxKaeZDdZNbln0cxQPGk-DWK1qXJRU7_FJIIpz0Ssit_zKr5YE91RfCQZ5ASs4G8vJ0yLzCvLwsE-JHeTQCG4eVY3_VxAww766uQbw4kpcXKUhPLBT-cPiHwsUL_PxBw9sLCPsmTG67P67oZw8uJLPa18LN69EWo/s320/P1580015_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Green-winged Teal with Teal</div><p>Otherwise the usual estuary birds were present with the highlights being good views of 2 Knot, 3 male and a female Goosander, Lapwing, Bar-tailed Godwits and Grey Plover but it was soon time to head back to St.Erth to catch the train back home to Plymouth.</p><p>A grand day out and with my Devon and Cornwall rail card it only cost me £8.80 for the train fare, a bargain, and the bus fare only came to £3.60 as well (although I probably could have walked one leg of the journey and saved some money!). And hopefully the good weather will stay for a while longer.</p>Stuart Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562828875993764020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498023071863063038.post-77728695746471460212024-01-01T20:09:00.003+00:002024-01-03T08:09:01.237+00:002024 Arrives!Christmas 2023 came and Christmas 2023 went and it was all very pleasant in the end but as 2024 begins I can't help but wonder just what the hell Christmas is actually really all about. <div><br /></div><div>For me, I've eaten too much, drank too much and sat on the sofa too much as I've lounged about in my Christmas cocoon while the world goes on around me. It has felt very decadent and also very restorative but now that the New Year is here I shall have to get off my butt, stop eating and drinking so much and get out and face the world again.</div><div><br /></div><div>No birding as such was done during "Chrimbo Limbo" but a Great Northern Diver was close in to shore for a change on a Boxing Day walk around Plymouth Hoe although "wild" swimmers in the water soon pushed it back out into The Sound. A walk around Burrator a few days later was grey, wet, windy and muddy and also pretty birdless but it was nice to see the white farmyard Goose was still present having avoided the attentions of Christmas goose rustlers for another year.</div><div><br /></div><div>We actually managed to stay awake until Midnight on New Years Eve to see the New Year in but on waking up on New Years Day it was grey and claggy and with rain forecasted for later in the day we headed out in the morning for a walk around The Barbican and The Hoe.</div><div><br /></div><div>There were 22 Mute Swans and 3 Canada Geese on Sutton Harbour but a confiding Razorbill was the best sighting although it was rarely on the water surface for more than a few seconds.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjh4f3w12QERK3M3D7aZLgzCU0M61k1oDhCLUay4TBChcsfnsizZmqJFxwHvKGNI9eHGLS1YErLuOp_ViPKPjM3-rKmejB39Jgbzf8Gr7ZLQ4Trarz7c-3pALnBsSsHMldcQezSaCKJyo8yGDNPz2-CLDSG70dXIDMcAj9dMb7pi_3G5RbMXvR34T4kfM/s1366/P1570674_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjh4f3w12QERK3M3D7aZLgzCU0M61k1oDhCLUay4TBChcsfnsizZmqJFxwHvKGNI9eHGLS1YErLuOp_ViPKPjM3-rKmejB39Jgbzf8Gr7ZLQ4Trarz7c-3pALnBsSsHMldcQezSaCKJyo8yGDNPz2-CLDSG70dXIDMcAj9dMb7pi_3G5RbMXvR34T4kfM/s320/P1570674_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Razorbill </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3EqhhLSlI3Ao-YoGMemgyGJd9o0eWIn0MrQKiAzwvuuMEOypOLgmu_6wdpjWOHy1HQfGLnWgXxGnd3LRG327aTSmf_r2RZ7rSaiY66usFzh2xN4FqTbKjCaG4hNHrXgL2_lzs_spNC4KI5nia_IOqhZIR7t31qaAr7YoD7OY-Njju7sfL3a_pvA8ZmRk/s1366/P1570673_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3EqhhLSlI3Ao-YoGMemgyGJd9o0eWIn0MrQKiAzwvuuMEOypOLgmu_6wdpjWOHy1HQfGLnWgXxGnd3LRG327aTSmf_r2RZ7rSaiY66usFzh2xN4FqTbKjCaG4hNHrXgL2_lzs_spNC4KI5nia_IOqhZIR7t31qaAr7YoD7OY-Njju7sfL3a_pvA8ZmRk/s320/P1570673_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Razorbill</div><div><br /></div><div>Off Fisherman's Nose there were 2 Great Northern Divers fairly close in, busily diving away and bringing up crabs to the surface to munch on.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEgbqM9tAz2vTfFFtYbx1fsN2uQB7o-J5nRQIGWwfdUwQAX4LVbHYCL-EiNzdey41oFoxY8b_9qbNFZx5TzJMsAbAVf3YZ9Xc1ob_rneKbrWOT_kDT7s9jNOJB8E3uwwx37U8rIsvgSsVEsYJLVlcgItC0nNFFYQxl3ITcAfvdXmwA6qEIswUJNMD2ST0/s1366/P1570677_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="1366" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEgbqM9tAz2vTfFFtYbx1fsN2uQB7o-J5nRQIGWwfdUwQAX4LVbHYCL-EiNzdey41oFoxY8b_9qbNFZx5TzJMsAbAVf3YZ9Xc1ob_rneKbrWOT_kDT7s9jNOJB8E3uwwx37U8rIsvgSsVEsYJLVlcgItC0nNFFYQxl3ITcAfvdXmwA6qEIswUJNMD2ST0/s320/P1570677_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Great Northern Diver</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYSoNf6corToicZ88MBmjfnxED8QB4FUgmtK2cNfNwtVITAzt8SbqBl6f2D09spSi0IhgidGtnfMxhyvRUP8OXL4X4wWbfyzY-elXORjKzdSQUSEkm2L6hkYcv_kIvTWPkwksC-j4TYiOMqfSvMQoU0hZ7jn9FHjlZhvHTTpDGDYRUQZFQDjHUhzoYsSs/s1366/P1570684_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYSoNf6corToicZ88MBmjfnxED8QB4FUgmtK2cNfNwtVITAzt8SbqBl6f2D09spSi0IhgidGtnfMxhyvRUP8OXL4X4wWbfyzY-elXORjKzdSQUSEkm2L6hkYcv_kIvTWPkwksC-j4TYiOMqfSvMQoU0hZ7jn9FHjlZhvHTTpDGDYRUQZFQDjHUhzoYsSs/s320/P1570684_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Great Northern Diver</div><div><br /></div><div>Turnstones were feeding on the rocks below the Pier One cafe, unfortunately they flew off before I could get a good look at them but a circling Gannet off Rusty Anchor showed well as it regularly dived into the water.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt8lEX962bPHrFBn4fOB-q5v_6MTLa3MscnIrfr5wolN02v4grR7CShnOUNzwr_eFbIkaRFwVk1pSGBQu2ji4vgqrhJRzv_DRt1NSB0brxgEHw8oJ4HUfin8YtmZM9aljxYOS_gh4N5rxpfpi6kHXgcgNry-vFKHPGPiQli1oEBCo31KQxgql6AQJuRms/s1366/P1570716_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1356" data-original-width="1366" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt8lEX962bPHrFBn4fOB-q5v_6MTLa3MscnIrfr5wolN02v4grR7CShnOUNzwr_eFbIkaRFwVk1pSGBQu2ji4vgqrhJRzv_DRt1NSB0brxgEHw8oJ4HUfin8YtmZM9aljxYOS_gh4N5rxpfpi6kHXgcgNry-vFKHPGPiQli1oEBCo31KQxgql6AQJuRms/s320/P1570716_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Gannet</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVABbCandghnZAqwssx8Tf_-isnrsv97JYQDEgmWw5QjPGgadtr6fUIRXZfvttb4hEEm9XTHrL7FIASPn-wlSjMGPrG9zMB7HTk8tG1qprHWpZyibJcXT_AdHmq-bthyn5LGj-2k2cz5CaT_bJr-GbWgIRCFix7p5NO8_JnOTYgAhg0KsBE34DUa9H-XY/s1366/P1570701_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVABbCandghnZAqwssx8Tf_-isnrsv97JYQDEgmWw5QjPGgadtr6fUIRXZfvttb4hEEm9XTHrL7FIASPn-wlSjMGPrG9zMB7HTk8tG1qprHWpZyibJcXT_AdHmq-bthyn5LGj-2k2cz5CaT_bJr-GbWgIRCFix7p5NO8_JnOTYgAhg0KsBE34DUa9H-XY/s320/P1570701_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Gannet</div><div><br /></div><div>The rain was beginning to fall heavily by the time we were heading home but I had a quick look around Beaumont Park before going indoors. A Chiffchaff was a nice find feeding in the undergrowth out of the rain but not so nice were 2 Brown Rats feeding on bread scraps put out for the Pigeons, both were as bold as brass, not even flinching as people walked by, and are presumably the source of our seemingly endless plague of rats trying to burrow under our house foundations in the front garden.</div><div><br /></div><div>Welcome to 2024, Happy New Year!</div>Stuart Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562828875993764020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498023071863063038.post-60853369061413605172023-12-25T07:41:00.001+00:002023-12-25T07:42:54.323+00:00The Year 2023<p>With 2023 coming to a close I have never, ever been so glad to see the back of a year in my life. It has been a very challenging year beset by funerals and ill health and I hope that 2024 sees an upturn in our fortunes. It has however been another fantastic year for wildlife but with everything going on it hasn't always been the balm to my soul that it usually is and at times I haven't really fully enjoyed my wildlife sightings and have just felt like I was going through the motions.</p><p>Being unwell throughout the year has been quite the eye-opener too, having to navigate the ins and outs of the NHS and the shocking lack of proper patient care from my GP has been an "interesting" experience and one that I was aware of but never had to deal with myself. Also as someone who has enjoyed very rude health up until now it has been quite a humbling experience, I take so very much for granted with my health and it has been a surprise to me at how impacting ill health can be on my day to day activities and how anxious and low in mood being unwell has made me feel, sadly something I was begining to forget when dealing with patients - I think leaving nursing was a good decision for me this year.</p><p>Still, forwards and upwards, let's see what the New Year brings, at least I no longer have to endure the stresses and strains of nursing in the NHS. And here are my Top Ten wildlife experiences of 2023.</p><p><b><u>1. Seawatching</u></b></p><p>I always viewed seawatching as a birding activity beyond my reach, requiring dawn starts to remote headlands in wind and rain to watch distant birds flying by but once I had purchased myself a decent telescope and had done some homework I started to take more of an interest.</p><p>I've been on a few sea watches now and yes, they have been cold, wet and windy at times but despite that I've really enjoyed them although I still have a lot to learn. I never managed to get to Berry Head this year for a seawatch but 2023 has been a remarkable year for seabirds off the coasts of Cornwall and Devon and I took full advantage of this, getting my first UK sightings of Cory's Shearwater and Sabine's Gull and a lifer in the form of Wilson's Storm Petrel in the process.</p><p>Great, Manx, Sooty and Balearic Shearwater, Arctic Skua and Storm Petrel also gave great views but the stand out sighting was the Cory's Shearwater I found on the deck of the ferry as we headed into port in Plymouth and which I released into the air off the side of the ship, I only wished I'd checked it more closely to see if it was in fact a Scopoli's but never mind!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaLNCwA8djKHvVIRB-zAYHboCagCYkm4T5nKxNae8UuKAXxDHfe1Vwh6zzGScbHnU9lnpUyY4A0E6hNPuA8DmRpvt7NeiOHiNwUG9Sw7rsidOJVOXax26z-bmm19rcGvWZUvl6aw8d6Pl7A5r_RLjUtflcN6EA7C3vXtKsjpN7Nef13CkRUZkQfZ4SuEM/s2046/P1530130_edited-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2046" data-original-width="2046" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaLNCwA8djKHvVIRB-zAYHboCagCYkm4T5nKxNae8UuKAXxDHfe1Vwh6zzGScbHnU9lnpUyY4A0E6hNPuA8DmRpvt7NeiOHiNwUG9Sw7rsidOJVOXax26z-bmm19rcGvWZUvl6aw8d6Pl7A5r_RLjUtflcN6EA7C3vXtKsjpN7Nef13CkRUZkQfZ4SuEM/s320/P1530130_edited-COLLAGE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Shearwaters (from boats)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQSp5zzTc3J52XjUJpzG4Y8g9_8ZyLJrMSOPRZdulZPVH0PPIOcrxslU-XrmcmGVhwjYr3jv_KcKAdr9x-KAR8tv3_Ke-hYqId3iHKLVPgJOX1UQrvA_JXyEI3AO3vJg0IuEl19wo_b1kgDSXYKNvgAS23ddkAmEPtXD8xPpXsWFWj9Ku4eQ8cLcItAUI/s1420/P1550558_edited-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1420" data-original-width="1420" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQSp5zzTc3J52XjUJpzG4Y8g9_8ZyLJrMSOPRZdulZPVH0PPIOcrxslU-XrmcmGVhwjYr3jv_KcKAdr9x-KAR8tv3_Ke-hYqId3iHKLVPgJOX1UQrvA_JXyEI3AO3vJg0IuEl19wo_b1kgDSXYKNvgAS23ddkAmEPtXD8xPpXsWFWj9Ku4eQ8cLcItAUI/s320/P1550558_edited-COLLAGE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Cory's Shearwater on The Pont Aven Ferry in Plymouth</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><b><u>2. Wembury</u></b></p><p>I made a concerted effort to visit Wembury more often this year and it paid off with some remarkable bird sightings and I finished the year on 114 species, knocking The Plym and Saltram into second place for the first time since starting my 100 species in a year challenge back in 2021.</p><p>My first UK Cory's Shearwaters were seen at Wembury this year with Sooty Shearwater, Storm Petrel, Turtle Dove, Black-tailed Godwit and Red Kite all Wembury firsts too and Wryneck, Curlew Sandpiper and Arctic Skua other highlights. I wonder what next year will bring?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkVgjC7j5pcDOnUOdhxzE7t0rrfVrzVoWlruFKdeO-Fn75klHdCT6cGLsdtLQIQPINPRakgtvZ3pQ9k4drsrY8MVQKIzOB6W9fkh-HEm-yDtx9diGF29elVluezelpKKvlHTKY7qKdrLUVVyE0CJx27btOcXz0uyRvKi-eBYzLC9gX57TF2fYoYEZCp5E/s1892/P1500026_edited-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1892" data-original-width="1420" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkVgjC7j5pcDOnUOdhxzE7t0rrfVrzVoWlruFKdeO-Fn75klHdCT6cGLsdtLQIQPINPRakgtvZ3pQ9k4drsrY8MVQKIzOB6W9fkh-HEm-yDtx9diGF29elVluezelpKKvlHTKY7qKdrLUVVyE0CJx27btOcXz0uyRvKi-eBYzLC9gX57TF2fYoYEZCp5E/s320/P1500026_edited-COLLAGE.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Black-tailedGodwit, Turnstone, Curlew Sandpiper</div><p><b><u>3. Local Wildlife</u></b></p><p>This comes up every year on my Top Ten but I really am so lucky with the wildlife present right here on my doorstep. Wembury aside, I've seen a great range of flora and fauna not that far from home with highlights being Little Gull, Goshawk, White-letter Hairstreak, Black Guillemot, High Brown Fritillary, Purple Sandpiper, Spotted Flycatcher, Bee Orchid, Great White Egret and Black Redstart to name but a few.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwP4Eu8ozesBQuSXpSuYHt2_YpPgle_ANmxD045YKxrzD84L4-cU2ZnD84iqq_mNcRZHkmd8CHrVxxyKsvs3XB8r-3QNQHOk4_qxqv0h4bCGKi_ZT44NBhULxe8yawlCGRhPX3HFL9cdh-XdyXLvP8fWWOjTDk9KgQqDhKNxH4EEfFKlJ-KRu_5px_yc/s2880/20231221_075538-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="2880" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwP4Eu8ozesBQuSXpSuYHt2_YpPgle_ANmxD045YKxrzD84L4-cU2ZnD84iqq_mNcRZHkmd8CHrVxxyKsvs3XB8r-3QNQHOk4_qxqv0h4bCGKi_ZT44NBhULxe8yawlCGRhPX3HFL9cdh-XdyXLvP8fWWOjTDk9KgQqDhKNxH4EEfFKlJ-KRu_5px_yc/s320/20231221_075538-COLLAGE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Purple Sandpiper, White-letter Hairstreak, Spotted Flycatcher, Great White Egret</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqWcy9dcsGn1R-iQq4ef5JI32Xbjr3iuu-wVyWzxFxQYiDhhqBb7gAX7NAhrp8JZEo6CQcwiY293fs08vzV6FO8eVEj8JjCLgql-Omv5RRxD4iHAvC-1ki34O6BCoh4mGjk7xyUcfpkZBomHxqXgQctHVxXERJGUCAbJ3lp0bbTBXT4bozvXFmejUs6N0/s1802/P1510140_edited-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1802" data-original-width="1802" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqWcy9dcsGn1R-iQq4ef5JI32Xbjr3iuu-wVyWzxFxQYiDhhqBb7gAX7NAhrp8JZEo6CQcwiY293fs08vzV6FO8eVEj8JjCLgql-Omv5RRxD4iHAvC-1ki34O6BCoh4mGjk7xyUcfpkZBomHxqXgQctHVxXERJGUCAbJ3lp0bbTBXT4bozvXFmejUs6N0/s320/P1510140_edited-COLLAGE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">High-brown Fritillaries</div><p>I didn't have the moth box out in the back yard very often this year, a combination of working lots of night shifts, poor weather and a lack of motivation but I did catch 3 Vestals and hopefully next year will be better.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuc2kLEZyxDgrdhvJlPmgWMuu5qp2F1edKJnZOYlrMFMVt2Jgb5abn-4x3wCNZLmolQJP8wGGgPlYze9CfIZOpS7pCIQrXAegUQuLDplFEcWovOUHKs5tyy_MjsAyfPPysSoTj22S4oqgMZcIoyYnsA0CyjcgvUJw2rxsjVTTXaScc-jpdLaqZ3D3yujk/s1892/P1540607_edited-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1892" data-original-width="1420" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuc2kLEZyxDgrdhvJlPmgWMuu5qp2F1edKJnZOYlrMFMVt2Jgb5abn-4x3wCNZLmolQJP8wGGgPlYze9CfIZOpS7pCIQrXAegUQuLDplFEcWovOUHKs5tyy_MjsAyfPPysSoTj22S4oqgMZcIoyYnsA0CyjcgvUJw2rxsjVTTXaScc-jpdLaqZ3D3yujk/s320/P1540607_edited-COLLAGE.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Vestals (2 of the 3 caught)</div><p><b><u>4. Isles of Scilly Day Trip</u></b></p><p>My (mostly) annual day trip to the Isles of Scilly in 2023 was my best one ever, a long and tiring day but well worth it. I nearly didn't go because of ongoing health issues but I'm very glad I did as it was a fantastic day in perfect conditions.</p><p>Sea watching from The Scillonian ferry was fantastic with brilliant views of Cory's, Great, Sooty and Manx Shearwaters in flat calm seas. My first UK Sabine's Gulls were a lovely bonus despite being a little distant and Common Dolphins, Harbour Porpoise, a Risso's Dolphin and a Bottle-Nosed Dolphin were the icing on the cake.</p><p>My 4 hours on St.Mary's flew by but I did get to see my first UK Western Bonelli's Warbler after dipping one on my last visit in 2021, it was active and mobile in the very top of a stand of pine trees but I managed some decent views despite getting a crick in my neck from staring upwards for over an hour!</p><p>An absolutely amazing day out, can't wait for next year!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcPfAhImULgZxgVY51wTMnQfMDFRqDzW-VQNoOtmbtwvv87n3YCnr_HnmCxlp-5X-uPl4jebWf1tPzFyrZs3QHy1IqsSh_BqC85JEVcluz88lEpLb5bDflSpSIiGxMPHvMge1Gt-oHPLo4V9lRujw5wQLYTY7tGaZ74EN2b2uvJRwVo085-jJD9gTqmWg/s1892/20230911_132958-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1420" data-original-width="1892" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcPfAhImULgZxgVY51wTMnQfMDFRqDzW-VQNoOtmbtwvv87n3YCnr_HnmCxlp-5X-uPl4jebWf1tPzFyrZs3QHy1IqsSh_BqC85JEVcluz88lEpLb5bDflSpSIiGxMPHvMge1Gt-oHPLo4V9lRujw5wQLYTY7tGaZ74EN2b2uvJRwVo085-jJD9gTqmWg/s320/20230911_132958-COLLAGE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Porth Hellick Beach on St.Marys, Scillonian Ferry Crest</div><p><b><u>5. Northern Ireland</u></b></p><p>I remember watching all the troubles in Northern Ireland on the news as a kid growing up and never imagined it would be a part of the UK that I would ever visit. However things have changed and with Northern Ireland being the only place in the UK where Cryptic Wood White butterflies are found we planned a trip to go and see them.</p><p>And what a trip it was, Belfast was a delight, I saw my butterflies and we had a great time. We did visit Dublin for the day during our trip and as enjoyable as our visit was we much preferred Belfast to Dublin.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU6xhJRa7JRAFoRtztQ4mJHDB4WHqV4X1X6iEkYd3qT6qKj3rxfz3iMLFrmRZ0PFF0Bv20bruUiKrBZjhtByMLcr5K9CkOsKtSxOFbdZgZOD6cXveB8VhPiM7VFPzyOdxl5Nkyp2Mo4WGzCFOgWcgj5MHBgEv_D2Iq5yH2pZbA5q0MTJkDR0qpvw1vpi8/s2046/P1490359_edited-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2046" data-original-width="2046" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU6xhJRa7JRAFoRtztQ4mJHDB4WHqV4X1X6iEkYd3qT6qKj3rxfz3iMLFrmRZ0PFF0Bv20bruUiKrBZjhtByMLcr5K9CkOsKtSxOFbdZgZOD6cXveB8VhPiM7VFPzyOdxl5Nkyp2Mo4WGzCFOgWcgj5MHBgEv_D2Iq5yH2pZbA5q0MTJkDR0qpvw1vpi8/s320/P1490359_edited-COLLAGE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Giants Causeway, Common Tern, Black Guillemot, Cryptic Wood White</div><p><b><u>6. Dorset</u></b></p><p>My sister and brother-in-law moved to Dorset at the start of the year and gave us a Christmas gift voucher for a day trip by boat and steam train from Poole to Corfe along with an invite to stay with them and so we duly booked up a visit in June.</p><p>We were very lucky with the weather on the day of our trip and had a fantastic time with the highlight being excellent views of Lulworth Skippers at Durlston Country Park near Swanage and at Corfe Castle.</p><p>Dorset is a very beautiful county and one we rarely visit despite being next door to Devon, we had a very enjoyable few days away with some interesting wildlife sightings and it was great to spend some time with my sister.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBNROl0TBlS1eFF7_IkazreRlkOhypbeiNbbcN30z2JH4KvYUMycFucsEQEqkR2vdfPpeHoD1nN-terPw2Cmi2WYPgFl2l2sqPwL34Ev2drWf7b7HDITXqqA_UnVdV-FYsMuQMaLSQkwFg-nKnJppp75TbHbNaleR1juPHnebQArc2PTOCdeHpnb1l3sI/s2046/P1500541_edited-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2046" data-original-width="2046" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBNROl0TBlS1eFF7_IkazreRlkOhypbeiNbbcN30z2JH4KvYUMycFucsEQEqkR2vdfPpeHoD1nN-terPw2Cmi2WYPgFl2l2sqPwL34Ev2drWf7b7HDITXqqA_UnVdV-FYsMuQMaLSQkwFg-nKnJppp75TbHbNaleR1juPHnebQArc2PTOCdeHpnb1l3sI/s320/P1500541_edited-COLLAGE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Lulworth Skippers, Corn Bunting, Marbled White</div><p><b><u>7. Minsmere</u></b></p><p>We visited my Mum and Dad in Suffolk back in July for a few days and during our time away I managed to get an early morning visit to Minsmere. Usually I get dropped off at Minsmere mid-morning for just a few hours but this time I decided to catch an early train and then a taxi and get picked up at lunchtime giving me a much longer visit, an expensive option but well worth it.</p><p>Back in my youth I visited Minsmere regularly by train and bike and always remember having a fantastic time. However when I have visited Minsmere more recently it seemed to have lost some of its sparkle but this trip was an absolute corker, just as I remembered my visits as a teenager with some amazing sightings - Little Gull, Spoonbill, Hobby, Marsh Harrier, Avocet, Ruff, Spotted Redshank, Bearded Tit, Little Tern, Essex Skipper, White Admiral, Great White Egret, Norfolk Hawker, Bee Wolf and Willow Emerald Damselfly were some of the highlights and I was really disappointed when Mum and David arrived to take me home!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcXLICm5dYcoCsJxjyTCZl-wjrTkDCxVkFLJ9CCLDE7dB7uRwX-scgb4HD8EBmSYJyMv_D8ISDG_danfWpdOy95FwlRh3MkjSAFoeYU1C9DMugVRI7KA2cpsmfs7pIN08gHQd5HL9fyzVTvECxaumKRHired5xHw1cFkTWbIuyunBuwze36iW7z_NyTCU/s2046/P1510589_edited-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2046" data-original-width="2046" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcXLICm5dYcoCsJxjyTCZl-wjrTkDCxVkFLJ9CCLDE7dB7uRwX-scgb4HD8EBmSYJyMv_D8ISDG_danfWpdOy95FwlRh3MkjSAFoeYU1C9DMugVRI7KA2cpsmfs7pIN08gHQd5HL9fyzVTvECxaumKRHired5xHw1cFkTWbIuyunBuwze36iW7z_NyTCU/s320/P1510589_edited-COLLAGE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Avocets, Norfolk Hawker, Essex Skipper, Great White Egret </div><p><b><u>8. Black-winged Stilt and Alpine Swifts</u></b></p><p>I have seen many Black-winged Stilts over the years on my foreign travels but have always failed in my quest to see one in the UK, having endured quite a few dips in my time. However with an influx of birds into the UK this spring I finally managed to catch up with one at Bude, distant views but I was very glad to see it!</p><p>There was also an influx of Alpine Swifts into the UK at the same time, again a bird I have seen many times on trips to Europe but never in the UK. Multiple birds and sightings were being reported in Devon but work, ill health and a prebooked trip to London meant I couldn't get out to try and see them. However 3 birds were regularly coming in to roost at a church tower in Teignmouth and I eventually managed to catch up with them there, seeing 2 birds on my first visit and just 1 bird on my second visit.</p><p><b><u>9. Gulls</u></b></p><p>I love to hate to love Gulls but it has been a very good year for Gull sightings. The year started off very well with a 1st winter Little Gull found feeding off Plymouth Hoe on New Years Day, I thought it might have been a good omen for the coming year but there you go. Little Gull is probably my favourite UK Gull so I was also pleased to find 4 together in Plymouth Sound in November after Storm Ciaran with sightings of 4 at Minsmere in July also a bonus.</p><p>A Laughing Gull at Beesands in January gave everybody the run around before finally giving itself up, only my second sighting of one, but Penzance and Hayle was the place to be that month with an 11 Gull species day out had on the 16th - Kittiwake and Herring, Black-headed, Common, Lesser Black-backed, Mediterranean, Glaucous, Great Black-backed, Yellow-legged, Caspian and Ring-billed Gull all logged on a great day out.</p><p>Juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls were also a feature of late summer and it was great fun picking them out amongst the assorted Gulls along the beach at Wembury. More frustrating was trying to find one on The Plym but eventually I managed to nail one, my first at this site.</p><p>No Iceland Gulls were seen this year, I dipped one at Newlyn Harbour in January, but then I mustn't be too greedy!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh02PIUsOJS9rEU0wUp9TJm-gfo_j1hD9YG47HtiMWzWAjC2Gt9chq1E1MGe9nm0XLdoCSbQWuHukYrAPbzEquOOL7x4sqJhuA8Y51EYHkAXOdRzE7_dQY0_RxbZDxXXWDqGJaU-WaWGddAdB2r8LnS2leuiOIVnroSZ0c4kVUG6J6u7qVBGz_FJDjQbcw/s1420/P1460148_edited-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1420" data-original-width="1420" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh02PIUsOJS9rEU0wUp9TJm-gfo_j1hD9YG47HtiMWzWAjC2Gt9chq1E1MGe9nm0XLdoCSbQWuHukYrAPbzEquOOL7x4sqJhuA8Y51EYHkAXOdRzE7_dQY0_RxbZDxXXWDqGJaU-WaWGddAdB2r8LnS2leuiOIVnroSZ0c4kVUG6J6u7qVBGz_FJDjQbcw/s320/P1460148_edited-COLLAGE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Yellow-legged, Laughing and Little Gulls</div><br /><p><b><u>10. A Trip to Slimbridge</u></b></p><p>I have been to Slimbridge many times over the years and it is always a fantastic days birding and as I haven't been there for 3 years now I treated myself to an (expensive) pre-Christmas visit in December.</p><p>It was a great trip as always and while I failed to see the wintering White-fronted Geese for the first time ever I had a brilliant time with some amazing close up views of the wintering Bewick's Swans which are always an absolute delight. How much longer the Bewick's Swans will return to Slimbridge is anyone's guess as globally their numbers continue to decrease and climate change encourages them to winter further east on the continent and so I really should make the most of them while they are still visiting Slimbridge for the winter.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFI75nQZXu4TskZJKWRSU-b1NZDzdzzhxb0PEQ5hafVixCzsZgmtxjlLy6Wszbv0dLBMAETgr3KAYEghRWfqUR1UJJdIJIiotBgFSLpqgXKuVOGOAbx2Q300d6J1nTmokPlWu_jpegqxb2gE26LiG30hxvhtB2C8jxCmrHl46V8jGv6qi7mtu9K3oj1ZM/s2880/20231217_172613-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="2880" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFI75nQZXu4TskZJKWRSU-b1NZDzdzzhxb0PEQ5hafVixCzsZgmtxjlLy6Wszbv0dLBMAETgr3KAYEghRWfqUR1UJJdIJIiotBgFSLpqgXKuVOGOAbx2Q300d6J1nTmokPlWu_jpegqxb2gE26LiG30hxvhtB2C8jxCmrHl46V8jGv6qi7mtu9K3oj1ZM/s320/20231217_172613-COLLAGE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bewick's Swans </div><p><u style="font-weight: bold;">Runner Up : Hume's Leaf Warbler </u></p><p>It was relatively quiet on the bird front as the year came to an end but a Hume's Leaf Warbler was found at Clennon Valley Lakes in Torbay in December and it seemed to be sticking around and showing well so I went to have a look for it. </p><p>It was a trip reminiscent of last Decembers Olive-backed Pipit in Exmouth which likewise was sticking around and showing well, the visits were all blue skies and sunshine sandwiched between the more usual wind and rain and the birds showed exceptionally well. Both birds were also lifers for me and were nice ways to end the years although both trips were also a little bit too twitchy for my liking.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5doHAjSFU2oN9EGoC9K6SGJDdLiVk_4TTRq1M08IQAD9dJYZJJTLI_Fr1iYrXpSq1uLIANRPeuD4KNfKK9pSxHLIrpZcQG7K62ykqapYb27tz-D8A6PmsLU_xad100wi2GLhcs2d4pO_9AuEG_NMAM2r6RB1qgZ2gs8xftdVoUjAS5LsYyi8P0ZBQWoI/s1366/P1570215_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5doHAjSFU2oN9EGoC9K6SGJDdLiVk_4TTRq1M08IQAD9dJYZJJTLI_Fr1iYrXpSq1uLIANRPeuD4KNfKK9pSxHLIrpZcQG7K62ykqapYb27tz-D8A6PmsLU_xad100wi2GLhcs2d4pO_9AuEG_NMAM2r6RB1qgZ2gs8xftdVoUjAS5LsYyi8P0ZBQWoI/s320/P1570215_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Hume's Leaf Warbler, December 2023</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOYpCwbDmg79k1ab9mSoVoRDOxTmVre9TA5n8w2m8H2fMRbWxrzeE7rDvEvTmNU5dY8nHOoggInDrtxnfilBaUUZT7WDmxJ9hzX579KrfqrTy7V4kz5T5Qhk8Ou2pp1i_67hz_bd_XKF8O4SgLK1RKU32BccWFLmL1cjSXA9qG57jiY1Ju7Neu_d-EOpM/s1920/P1460045_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOYpCwbDmg79k1ab9mSoVoRDOxTmVre9TA5n8w2m8H2fMRbWxrzeE7rDvEvTmNU5dY8nHOoggInDrtxnfilBaUUZT7WDmxJ9hzX579KrfqrTy7V4kz5T5Qhk8Ou2pp1i_67hz_bd_XKF8O4SgLK1RKU32BccWFLmL1cjSXA9qG57jiY1Ju7Neu_d-EOpM/s320/P1460045_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Olive-backed Pipit, December 2022</div><p>And so that was 2023, probably no proper birding now until the New Year so roll on 2024. There's lots to look forward too, plenty of wildlife out there to try and see and things will get better!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqxAdt44vwv9zNDyT_J0enz2LAlwjEkIzbiyel5GoFFCXVRhU0ftoM7vYE0GXJjkj1gFXY_zFNrr5kDgCcMpELAQGdFJIc6QJo3k6Db4Ov9FmY5aWBMsZqerDKQ_-U6vsW8oTcAQG8qMZj-d4R9hjkZxbih5zFSBu01FSlCPP-R4T0oMdcHbw98X8BWKA/s3728/original_78c68eb8-fbdc-4cd1-b302-fda89d245566_20231223_135655.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3728" data-original-width="2846" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqxAdt44vwv9zNDyT_J0enz2LAlwjEkIzbiyel5GoFFCXVRhU0ftoM7vYE0GXJjkj1gFXY_zFNrr5kDgCcMpELAQGdFJIc6QJo3k6Db4Ov9FmY5aWBMsZqerDKQ_-U6vsW8oTcAQG8qMZj-d4R9hjkZxbih5zFSBu01FSlCPP-R4T0oMdcHbw98X8BWKA/s320/original_78c68eb8-fbdc-4cd1-b302-fda89d245566_20231223_135655.jpg" width="244" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Merry Christmas!</div>Stuart Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562828875993764020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498023071863063038.post-32367399996052811902023-12-23T07:21:00.004+00:002024-01-03T11:25:05.195+00:00A Windy Plym and a Muddy Wembury<p>Christmas is nearly here and it is proving to be a strange experience this year with none of the extra anxiety, worry and stress that usually accompanies it when working in the NHS. The strange part is that these feelings haven't been replaced by any others except relief and so far Christmas just seems like any other time of the year but with a hint of something different in the air. We are going to be having a very quiet Christmas time this year and have very few plans, just what I certainly need, and maybe this is why it doesn't feel overly special but I'm sure that it's going to be an enjoyable time.</p><p>Anyway, I headed out to The Plym on Thursday 21st December for a walk, it was dry but very windy and became increasingly so and as a result the birds were keeping themselves hunkered down although I still had a productive walk.</p><p>It was around 10:00am when I stepped off the bus at Marsh Mills and with the high tide not due until 12:30pm I had expected to see some exposed mud out on the estuary but there was none to be seen. However Blaxton Meadow was still uncovered and no water was entering through the sluice gates and so I settled down to count the assorted birds already present and arriving in to roost. The regular Black-tailed Godwit was present amongst a flock of 48 Curlew but just as I began to count the Oystercatchers a low flying Buzzard passed overhead and everything took to the air. A lot of the birds didn't return and those that did continued to be unsettled and I eventually realised the cause as I picked up a juvenile Peregrine buzzing around overhead. I did however manage to count 8 Greenshank, 5 Turnstone, 3 Dunlin, 7 Wigeon and 9 Snipe in the melee along with the usual Redshank and Shelduck while 2 Kingfisher were seen flying together low over the Meadow before disappearing from sight.</p><p>It was quiet around the Park due to the strong winds but a Mistle Thush, a Raven, a Kestrel, skittish Redwings, 3+ Ring-necked Parakeets and a Buzzard were of note while 2 pairs of Goosander were seen along the river and 25 Mandarin Duck (17 males) were present on the duck pond. I did have a look for the recently reported Water Rails but there was, as expected, no sign of any, I'll maybe try again on a less windy day before the end of the year.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLgmsK6nZjoaHeUJB1KcxCdAMS_1swjlm4MXnmR_dxxnJYXNmJ3xPlaWI6HBevoTu3B8CZqvaNhl0FyPeZ_k62VfBXkqz75gTElRmaUOCxtH2_w04WJsnYsDqp18ChWTrfigY0xTzDsGeN398oyQAlVCwA3cirJGxnlUsc0CI_UYHga38Y_cBlLtLg9yo/s1366/P1570586_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLgmsK6nZjoaHeUJB1KcxCdAMS_1swjlm4MXnmR_dxxnJYXNmJ3xPlaWI6HBevoTu3B8CZqvaNhl0FyPeZ_k62VfBXkqz75gTElRmaUOCxtH2_w04WJsnYsDqp18ChWTrfigY0xTzDsGeN398oyQAlVCwA3cirJGxnlUsc0CI_UYHga38Y_cBlLtLg9yo/s320/P1570586_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Mandarin</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK58p4JPVvPUtOPl0dtvdwQhyphenhyphenngT8hxbHzZ3DHpnpe37Ax_r9RhwEL8LH9FllkFC3aQt5_rFkkxhWVangs7jhgtja6ZnxQsbaLT6N6TTpHJve2QAKMqAaZWUD_R0K65B1jAdDMRIrK04DInQndp9dRKsmap8Ncp4Ukugx3j9Qv2kNWbNhyphenhyphenjcLDGPmPvSk/s1366/P1570568_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK58p4JPVvPUtOPl0dtvdwQhyphenhyphenngT8hxbHzZ3DHpnpe37Ax_r9RhwEL8LH9FllkFC3aQt5_rFkkxhWVangs7jhgtja6ZnxQsbaLT6N6TTpHJve2QAKMqAaZWUD_R0K65B1jAdDMRIrK04DInQndp9dRKsmap8Ncp4Ukugx3j9Qv2kNWbNhyphenhyphenjcLDGPmPvSk/s320/P1570568_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Goosander</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4n-JrT89Px2e3eIc_z9NcUHE9F3irRKol9Z6g3dI2_ytzsBfVHLUOLx8iXteEUOm7lkQnoXGAaBkH54-o-al-jhn4srwGNpnV9Es8Ya7AiNz9Ytf3HvPveMfKIPAQUz_tV49se8ulaazhyphenhyphen8-0t5J_07rkD3LY6RWIxyklT_D_ex46OUNtVqUx7LWyP8/s1366/P1570552_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1186" data-original-width="1366" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4n-JrT89Px2e3eIc_z9NcUHE9F3irRKol9Z6g3dI2_ytzsBfVHLUOLx8iXteEUOm7lkQnoXGAaBkH54-o-al-jhn4srwGNpnV9Es8Ya7AiNz9Ytf3HvPveMfKIPAQUz_tV49se8ulaazhyphenhyphen8-0t5J_07rkD3LY6RWIxyklT_D_ex46OUNtVqUx7LWyP8/s320/P1570552_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Goosander</div><p>It was another breezy day on Friday 22nd December as I headed out to Wembury for a walk but less so than the previous day. It was grey and claggy with occassional mizzle in the wind but there were a few sunny spells too, the footpaths though were the usual mudfest but I managed to negotiate them successfully.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHC8rK3MYgBdA8B6ACWrHR4QszeElFN6hECslzIgYzlbkKhHebPn7SdV0NhlGcGcqFfd39QDc1P3LI61QShyphenhyphenGWs2reqmK2hwtT0azYx_kN-MBc7bStN6jmWr8NCU5Po3UWI4Upxnb8a4N0PdcCXGGgHigBluBS_HoOH7cWuHvHADMjamRcLiUNzcqJJQE/s1366/P1570631_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHC8rK3MYgBdA8B6ACWrHR4QszeElFN6hECslzIgYzlbkKhHebPn7SdV0NhlGcGcqFfd39QDc1P3LI61QShyphenhyphenGWs2reqmK2hwtT0azYx_kN-MBc7bStN6jmWr8NCU5Po3UWI4Upxnb8a4N0PdcCXGGgHigBluBS_HoOH7cWuHvHADMjamRcLiUNzcqJJQE/s320/P1570631_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Geological processes in action along the raised beach at Wembury</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt8UBT7dQjuNMW9Vywst_TEjGTRoQ7FrMSsucMs_mUjJCCt98WgDxOfTTkd4O55SuQ0MiYdatM0-yLZDLf6iVeAbwp62TfrBCINrbTGlzW_sOujGuxhi7_lkaz3FBEzkqZ3tw_cgmqRzG0mswedRP0BNmi2kycHIEXCRoXDiS9ojrQNeTOBx-_RkkwNSs/s1366/P1570637_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="1025" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt8UBT7dQjuNMW9Vywst_TEjGTRoQ7FrMSsucMs_mUjJCCt98WgDxOfTTkd4O55SuQ0MiYdatM0-yLZDLf6iVeAbwp62TfrBCINrbTGlzW_sOujGuxhi7_lkaz3FBEzkqZ3tw_cgmqRzG0mswedRP0BNmi2kycHIEXCRoXDiS9ojrQNeTOBx-_RkkwNSs/s320/P1570637_edited.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">More landslip action</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb-v_Y4REFax_HdxjRacftMrIRjZbFskZGJ_CfZPa7mH275-C3CIceP4ufTVPVm1RxBknlwGaih7on5NJKxvgZx5dE5IRTSlr4rt-GtnXCisOhOIdSdyU8Dx07RFAI1rTlXZ4CkNH6C2jCgKYi5mhwojGE6-r0QxsBJrSnquRSPhrsnKdHfYXMJf7RBRU/s1366/P1570643_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb-v_Y4REFax_HdxjRacftMrIRjZbFskZGJ_CfZPa7mH275-C3CIceP4ufTVPVm1RxBknlwGaih7on5NJKxvgZx5dE5IRTSlr4rt-GtnXCisOhOIdSdyU8Dx07RFAI1rTlXZ4CkNH6C2jCgKYi5mhwojGE6-r0QxsBJrSnquRSPhrsnKdHfYXMJf7RBRU/s320/P1570643_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Hibernating Snails</div><p>I didn't take my scope with me due to the wind but I wished I had as there was a movement of Auks offshore when I first arrived, over the course of an hour around 500 passed west in small groups and fairly close in for Wembury. A look offshore at The Point though revealed around 50 Razorbills feeding quite close in along with a single Guillemot and I managed some good views despite the choppy seas. A Great Northern Diver preening and diving off the beach near the sewage pipe was also a nice find although it was difficult to track between dives amongst the waves.</p><p>It was good to see the Fulmars back on The Mewstone cliffs although they were mostly keeping themselves huddled down on the ledges. It was also good to see quite a few Gannets flying past offshore too after the recent ravages of bird flu.</p><p>The tide was heading in and along the beach were 2 Little Egret, 15 Turnstones, a Curlew, a Grey Wagtail and 2 pairs of Mallard plus the usual vocal and mobile Oystercatchers. I had a look for the Water Pipit but again it was a no show but a few Meadow Pipit were present amongst the numerous Rock Pipits.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR9gKfk-CBBxLW0kj6_b7_MKc5TJ5IG5tenfxqY3t3y0BPRG5yav8Bpky9CpFrnQ-XRsv9E_buwYuXhxDyewIH-gPjWcfOZwxwM4gfgFMiXoSRYW335b_HYnB2Ids6y1PmlB0UuCeOXm5mOH8VzS9IyjaZMMcWKygLKNyob8TrRnw_s5TuLSJLj9_wMys/s1366/P1570603_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR9gKfk-CBBxLW0kj6_b7_MKc5TJ5IG5tenfxqY3t3y0BPRG5yav8Bpky9CpFrnQ-XRsv9E_buwYuXhxDyewIH-gPjWcfOZwxwM4gfgFMiXoSRYW335b_HYnB2Ids6y1PmlB0UuCeOXm5mOH8VzS9IyjaZMMcWKygLKNyob8TrRnw_s5TuLSJLj9_wMys/s320/P1570603_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Turnstone</div><p>There was no sign of any Cirl Buntings in the windy conditions but Stonechats eventually appeared including the very showy and confiding pair by the boatyard bridge.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ewjakQLj1VnGkf4U1RDEWuEqW_iKUKxvEtA9JqUlED_SOjHDvFd8qou1BMcRmWJUT0pcGXiLIaTENNXnyUYybwJheBywmHR7f32j3nWgb8e1Y1jFwm7R5-4SbrASBR6SBqGaTKQ6eWWvwm7Ec-dwPwY4ba9rvT7Hypif1C3VlfLkilm0ZjGC5Wj7uaE/s1366/P1570652_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ewjakQLj1VnGkf4U1RDEWuEqW_iKUKxvEtA9JqUlED_SOjHDvFd8qou1BMcRmWJUT0pcGXiLIaTENNXnyUYybwJheBywmHR7f32j3nWgb8e1Y1jFwm7R5-4SbrASBR6SBqGaTKQ6eWWvwm7Ec-dwPwY4ba9rvT7Hypif1C3VlfLkilm0ZjGC5Wj7uaE/s320/P1570652_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Stonechat</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPY0weSGHbt6T-_1ls-0Dfq4uIMaqzGxpAjG9ZTkmGn1dPIqehtLxY7Oi9h-DGMtldWfyjPpWjNiYc2E1t3iX89DkdA8tTQZ0ftuOmU6GTkbEjcU0Lu2F_0wCo64G2nyQXAkJWIabUBtPWOrC7Qonbp2SFWL8-wkiGqIgfdTrjCiAALmLhuHLYtkzdsmc/s1366/P1570660_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPY0weSGHbt6T-_1ls-0Dfq4uIMaqzGxpAjG9ZTkmGn1dPIqehtLxY7Oi9h-DGMtldWfyjPpWjNiYc2E1t3iX89DkdA8tTQZ0ftuOmU6GTkbEjcU0Lu2F_0wCo64G2nyQXAkJWIabUBtPWOrC7Qonbp2SFWL8-wkiGqIgfdTrjCiAALmLhuHLYtkzdsmc/s320/P1570660_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Stonechat - same bird, different light and angle</div><p>A Buzzard, a Kestrel and a Sparrowhawk were noted overhead along with at least 6 Redwing and also of note were a male Blackcap, a Chiffchaff and a Goldcrest in village gardens and a Goldcrest and a Chiffchaff in the valley to the beach. </p><p>Two very enjoyable walks despite the wind and mud and probably my last proper birding days of 2023.</p>Stuart Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562828875993764020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498023071863063038.post-45088618593805283492023-12-18T07:16:00.002+00:002023-12-18T15:52:20.534+00:00A Trip to SlimbridgeAfter much deliberation and procrastination I finally booked my train tickets for a day trip to Slimbridge on Saturday 16th December. It's been 3 years since my last visit and I was very much looking forward to my day out although it was grey, claggy and breezy, not exactly what was forecasted but at least it didn't rain. I used the Split Ticketing website to plan my trip which knocked the price of the train ticket down from £91 to £45, absolutely insane as I caught exactly the same trains but bought 4 separate tickets instead of just the one.<div><br /></div><div>The journey to Slimbridge went smoothly and ran to time, courtesy of a 6:30am start, but the journey back late afternoon was, as expected, subject to delays. However it didn't detract from a great days birding and I eventually arrived home later than planned but very contented.</div><div><br /></div><div>On arriving at Slimbridge I headed straight to The Rushy where Bewick's Swans were showing very well and it was good to see 6 juveniles amongst them. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit2AiPsQopDcWf9a-ohR3jT7HFX3OjkIiY70QmlaNe407uVIJLFSykZBZIR4NKLFsvRWFfiZhCMpWtql6IGGD3RoVCuOjdsfS_GCXjU49Pkgat7H_y8g8B8pXkIQjCModhgH9x48IBHb22WdnE7uCJLAsmOwqKl1kjzjVKzkHvrlxzFPbkRDXL5AfooMw/s1366/P1570405_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit2AiPsQopDcWf9a-ohR3jT7HFX3OjkIiY70QmlaNe407uVIJLFSykZBZIR4NKLFsvRWFfiZhCMpWtql6IGGD3RoVCuOjdsfS_GCXjU49Pkgat7H_y8g8B8pXkIQjCModhgH9x48IBHb22WdnE7uCJLAsmOwqKl1kjzjVKzkHvrlxzFPbkRDXL5AfooMw/s320/P1570405_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bewick's Swans </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjynuX6s9IGF8tM7ex24LhKyYcrz9fL1hJ1NcTmNZHH2cHXJdwvy3yYUsFhIljOXcg-qkwqmI5zImvR8x-iqRgg8j09n5TJUQMyEw1sdwk4bkam1yYBwlhUt0G1a1gdUucnJNXYem71hHgqTItuWDNlXuwMGAeyO_l_d-heFNDGjpROcN1weIHI6IlABto/s1366/P1570404_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjynuX6s9IGF8tM7ex24LhKyYcrz9fL1hJ1NcTmNZHH2cHXJdwvy3yYUsFhIljOXcg-qkwqmI5zImvR8x-iqRgg8j09n5TJUQMyEw1sdwk4bkam1yYBwlhUt0G1a1gdUucnJNXYem71hHgqTItuWDNlXuwMGAeyO_l_d-heFNDGjpROcN1weIHI6IlABto/s320/P1570404_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bewick's Swans </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhlznVEtsU7Ban3dOPNfYdYRVCr44Rte2b9fDFa21sURjk8KOtCSDMOR9MQs6iq7kXmgq7lgYldFbInrztssFhnSrced6BCWrc1vcPhhfsTFZhhs93xz3W2lM_uyXvd19xIYQBlgfy8mQhGBI6W1XIRBW5gQufhyMVFaQCPp8qG5ohqcGNZrN1P4GHJWQ/s1366/P1570301_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhlznVEtsU7Ban3dOPNfYdYRVCr44Rte2b9fDFa21sURjk8KOtCSDMOR9MQs6iq7kXmgq7lgYldFbInrztssFhnSrced6BCWrc1vcPhhfsTFZhhs93xz3W2lM_uyXvd19xIYQBlgfy8mQhGBI6W1XIRBW5gQufhyMVFaQCPp8qG5ohqcGNZrN1P4GHJWQ/s320/P1570301_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Bewick's Swans </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIq49GNwlQS6WxGsG0v91j42Azzw4bDL2NKWghpPHjXx8459eaudGRFBQfl2o3sE8m6G9dZJRllItzCBj-VzL1t_7P4RjDcUjKr39yUR2m2-7JkVAIKA5B2mg6TiPlByiUj_5_NaUYdTHbLPWSOoUDDr2oqef1cbY7Ype_wZ10r4Lm44iGsx3txH-fTJg/s1366/P1570516_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIq49GNwlQS6WxGsG0v91j42Azzw4bDL2NKWghpPHjXx8459eaudGRFBQfl2o3sE8m6G9dZJRllItzCBj-VzL1t_7P4RjDcUjKr39yUR2m2-7JkVAIKA5B2mg6TiPlByiUj_5_NaUYdTHbLPWSOoUDDr2oqef1cbY7Ype_wZ10r4Lm44iGsx3txH-fTJg/s320/P1570516_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bewick's Swan</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">A few adults were sporting leg rings too and I have had a very quick response back from WWT with their details. Left leg rings indicate females, right leg rings males, and white rings indicate birds ringed as adults (older than 2 or 3 years) and yellow rings indicate birds ringed as cygnets.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcbj4NJmhrNzGA3vq3hbEkfBd2vT7Hp4WEBZo09HKv0peLBpDttNmmi3d1FuA_VlDuW7XRH9vYxWYSUbIFJnmApJFFEup9P_REMxMZKORJIcrZDZ6l3aGmRgTwB21KDE_KW37fNbeBc2Mdnz70oScFeJmQ9BV7fPAwSkHqMxE8D0UUtBAACrMIa0jju-0/s1366/P1570426_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcbj4NJmhrNzGA3vq3hbEkfBd2vT7Hp4WEBZo09HKv0peLBpDttNmmi3d1FuA_VlDuW7XRH9vYxWYSUbIFJnmApJFFEup9P_REMxMZKORJIcrZDZ6l3aGmRgTwB21KDE_KW37fNbeBc2Mdnz70oScFeJmQ9BV7fPAwSkHqMxE8D0UUtBAACrMIa0jju-0/s320/P1570426_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bewick's Swan Maisie - UNN - a female ringed as an adult at Slimbridge on 19/1/2015</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4HEfhyphenhyphen65xZzG0GhGGjW3K_LvKyH8jcwJ4F9Drz6-mMQdFHbxk7utnevBRsuzYfDXYt3mpMtBAroDSI_UiaU-lDstqlkFiz2gPPw8_bSWCTIfJYHPJJYwKOgygbJa11d5whJMYI9vbkvRQ8W-pYP779pxuMBhwhT-l-9AssC_cfqe3hoiOP_ptpwbcdW8/s1366/P1570292_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4HEfhyphenhyphen65xZzG0GhGGjW3K_LvKyH8jcwJ4F9Drz6-mMQdFHbxk7utnevBRsuzYfDXYt3mpMtBAroDSI_UiaU-lDstqlkFiz2gPPw8_bSWCTIfJYHPJJYwKOgygbJa11d5whJMYI9vbkvRQ8W-pYP779pxuMBhwhT-l-9AssC_cfqe3hoiOP_ptpwbcdW8/s320/P1570292_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bewick's Swan Demidov - BPD - a female ringed as an adult at Slimbridge on 9/1/2018</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZKQF0pUzeYBrM1qIzLtaxzfUM3zHfIfb7OP0TWWPVnGhrhFlNUa-n2I7ReLxte-qufr6tMTY8Izaej-VVWp8cEaiCsrf3wGeTueSlaP4qkiQrHBe5yhNpAbLMmHbys7GVEe6qQgNZ-LncInm5bhAGqAKd1CDiTOSHtm0FVqgsHhIg-HuOb9Rdu1vWmI/s1366/P1570499_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZKQF0pUzeYBrM1qIzLtaxzfUM3zHfIfb7OP0TWWPVnGhrhFlNUa-n2I7ReLxte-qufr6tMTY8Izaej-VVWp8cEaiCsrf3wGeTueSlaP4qkiQrHBe5yhNpAbLMmHbys7GVEe6qQgNZ-LncInm5bhAGqAKd1CDiTOSHtm0FVqgsHhIg-HuOb9Rdu1vWmI/s320/P1570499_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bewick's Swan Allington - 915 - ringed as a cygnet at Slimbridge on 30/1/2019</div><div><br /></div><div>(I also saw BUZ, a male ringed at Slimbridge on 27/1/2023 as an adult and delightfully called Lightyear!).</div><div><br /></div><div>I carried on towards the Estuary Tower, stopping in the hides along the way and admiring the assorted assemblage of birds - Wigeon, Mallard, Coot, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Tufted Duck, Shoveler, Teal, Pintail, Lapwing, Redshank, Pochard, Golden Plover, Shelduck, Black-tailed Godwit and Dunlin - and amongst them were at least 15 Ruff and a Spotted Redshank.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg4cyLALSTo_UukrQTDxJhqUiKjrKcwzsrDz3YTa1EVniGEuqqfUqxt-zG36_dGFwusXNBeNeLBJWi2G7RuRmg6mc5WgzLDfk0VGwK4TYyQQrhcOnfAnaM9hRvEoROGClxZvpYqLJXqarOj1KRqK8g68ky5d27cIvMKtPJdNK7Owx3SLqjNn8aziBJXWw/s1366/P1570273_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1217" data-original-width="1366" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg4cyLALSTo_UukrQTDxJhqUiKjrKcwzsrDz3YTa1EVniGEuqqfUqxt-zG36_dGFwusXNBeNeLBJWi2G7RuRmg6mc5WgzLDfk0VGwK4TYyQQrhcOnfAnaM9hRvEoROGClxZvpYqLJXqarOj1KRqK8g68ky5d27cIvMKtPJdNK7Owx3SLqjNn8aziBJXWw/s320/P1570273_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Teal</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8vk5LTo9570T_eaY3X09_ks5nsx4U-PtTwm-pjJgvyO5tnNn3S85VCgeqQDdqCEBIaP9q0inAFPCEDKF8iK5444_m2iCZKZsDjSY39eZQ7wffl8NT31zxzkV-BGpTmX9Vi2y1lpjZUFeQReRuDhx9zRTAJLOk-6yrc8orWyIhtiUrBe8GUxSN8PCsJY/s1366/P1570327_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="1366" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8vk5LTo9570T_eaY3X09_ks5nsx4U-PtTwm-pjJgvyO5tnNn3S85VCgeqQDdqCEBIaP9q0inAFPCEDKF8iK5444_m2iCZKZsDjSY39eZQ7wffl8NT31zxzkV-BGpTmX9Vi2y1lpjZUFeQReRuDhx9zRTAJLOk-6yrc8orWyIhtiUrBe8GUxSN8PCsJY/s320/P1570327_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Pintail</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig5v3RccMDjm-9GFe9lwEIyg0QVH13y1KyJIrVDrlDmOabSK3_U3YbZ-_u6QW3qCwXliNo1Ql-X9PxjO8MiHPBwy6lEY_jvWwQm-7mYVTx7tz9Cyc-x958buqPNJ5OKkVl1iD6j1kHuktrXHlBcAblsksDVBpfpvykwfeMEQbTkHhrXmvBCn3mLzAVDT0/s1366/P1570501_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig5v3RccMDjm-9GFe9lwEIyg0QVH13y1KyJIrVDrlDmOabSK3_U3YbZ-_u6QW3qCwXliNo1Ql-X9PxjO8MiHPBwy6lEY_jvWwQm-7mYVTx7tz9Cyc-x958buqPNJ5OKkVl1iD6j1kHuktrXHlBcAblsksDVBpfpvykwfeMEQbTkHhrXmvBCn3mLzAVDT0/s320/P1570501_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Pochard</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzhNWFATixTPAArTsqTDMx8F1QtTdnE8BBrkiBm0Qtqr6sMo4jb3usGCHG4gsJlubNUFZUWQv3uju1pcH7N5XxuURhWBZofbesqa1imgyNOOs6d1wi6sNL0OLjeJ_VNbakLq9LqFSfjA9voz2hJcDTRZMsBk4dGp4FNgEn0lIMSgK5WrcmSAXRMXqZouU/s1366/P1570326_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="937" data-original-width="1366" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzhNWFATixTPAArTsqTDMx8F1QtTdnE8BBrkiBm0Qtqr6sMo4jb3usGCHG4gsJlubNUFZUWQv3uju1pcH7N5XxuURhWBZofbesqa1imgyNOOs6d1wi6sNL0OLjeJ_VNbakLq9LqFSfjA9voz2hJcDTRZMsBk4dGp4FNgEn0lIMSgK5WrcmSAXRMXqZouU/s320/P1570326_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Pintail</div><div><br /></div><div>From the Estuary Tower a hunting Peregrine was spooking the Lapwing, Golden Plover and Dunlin present but the Barnacle Goose flock was unperturbed by it's attentions and amongst it were a Snow Goose and 2 white Farmyard Geese. Also present were 4 Common Cranes, 2 of which were unringed.</div><div><br /></div><div>News of a poorly looking Whooper Swan on The Rushy saw me heading back there for a look but there was no sign of it when I arrived. There have been 2 Whooper Swans present at Slimbridge this winter but they have been difficult to see, spending time feeding in the fields not easily viewable from the hides so it would have been good to catch up with one on The Rushy, even a poorly looking one.</div><div><br /></div><div>I then headed off to the South Lake for a quick look where 8 Avocet and an adult Mediterranean Gull amongst the Common and Black-headed Gull flock were the highlights before carrying on to the Zeiss hide. The usual birds were present from here too and so I headed down to the Kingfisher Hide were 15 Gadwall (10 male), a Goldcrest, a calling Chiffchaff (heard only) and 3 Grey Squirrel were noted.</div><div><br /></div><div>I returned to The Rushy and the Estuary Tower for the rest of my time, just enjoying the birds on view and adding a brief and distant flight view of a Great White Egret, 3 Snipe, a Great Spotted Woodpecker (heard), 2 Stock Dove, 2 Water Rail and another 2 Common Crane (in flight) to the days list.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjttLpqac8lrcf8eHkKYjUwEQKr8NtFubM-B-DSHzWOMX_tIyPgSpfbJgS7AiQ3xLbE6Y9hDs0NIlphtjDV0nwNhxWdgC7dBGubhDVDbgmz5W7v4QJEHxHDy4gY0IrfiTKbQLHSbPEvOicr3OGIk5m1Fn2LMIjdsYG8OTq47TCbPd0-110tDBmzfqHA0Qw/s1366/P1570384_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjttLpqac8lrcf8eHkKYjUwEQKr8NtFubM-B-DSHzWOMX_tIyPgSpfbJgS7AiQ3xLbE6Y9hDs0NIlphtjDV0nwNhxWdgC7dBGubhDVDbgmz5W7v4QJEHxHDy4gY0IrfiTKbQLHSbPEvOicr3OGIk5m1Fn2LMIjdsYG8OTq47TCbPd0-110tDBmzfqHA0Qw/s320/P1570384_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Water Rail </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4M4-dhAfivdBbEYBKHSaWR4fVx4RJWwU5Ievv00WokUaIJbyQxiPQ1eYU5q4ACIe5nMmT2pvnJWWwRkckXmVDWNuNAoI1mGKN_8n8qpV4bfZWNBbWpn7r1G2d9m-nPQS62269Ct5bSw_oVXSxIbo7sR6Yz53NZGvgpPFvMtTKGiWF208h-ZBKx_gCbOA/s1366/P1570378_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1326" data-original-width="1366" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4M4-dhAfivdBbEYBKHSaWR4fVx4RJWwU5Ievv00WokUaIJbyQxiPQ1eYU5q4ACIe5nMmT2pvnJWWwRkckXmVDWNuNAoI1mGKN_8n8qpV4bfZWNBbWpn7r1G2d9m-nPQS62269Ct5bSw_oVXSxIbo7sR6Yz53NZGvgpPFvMtTKGiWF208h-ZBKx_gCbOA/s320/P1570378_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Water Rail </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYfcuK6XkoN55Hx88ZOajIJIBQMQ6cQsP21dc96WYkuHn_HfWQeCu7LiuFz7gOLPnqUZb81ZFf79FHMs6-A9WTkpwUnWE3nWky0S0n3j47r0l9mSXEkteuSe_K6Vw2CZZuqkSCh-REc2CI4oItL4S9e9TgPZ8PAVx2NZDKI90RgLCyZPwMhV2VG3d1FF4/s1366/P1570346_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYfcuK6XkoN55Hx88ZOajIJIBQMQ6cQsP21dc96WYkuHn_HfWQeCu7LiuFz7gOLPnqUZb81ZFf79FHMs6-A9WTkpwUnWE3nWky0S0n3j47r0l9mSXEkteuSe_K6Vw2CZZuqkSCh-REc2CI4oItL4S9e9TgPZ8PAVx2NZDKI90RgLCyZPwMhV2VG3d1FF4/s320/P1570346_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Water Rail </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYUnXj9Eaiz6XG0qqTnlaYod3FqZHFMyCK_QIm3n66Zpi6cvW6MiGP-HqvFJZNt7CX13KE5XugvV0jDYZDPGmlA3B2Spze11kxdZH-JBd6YWtxK31T7PebZBOcIDuq5JfFqdoJWpZtC5S3G8C61PFOgeJYKrcd2FwBj26gt30-3WRKmdmUxnr_qkkYUX8/s1366/P1570351_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYUnXj9Eaiz6XG0qqTnlaYod3FqZHFMyCK_QIm3n66Zpi6cvW6MiGP-HqvFJZNt7CX13KE5XugvV0jDYZDPGmlA3B2Spze11kxdZH-JBd6YWtxK31T7PebZBOcIDuq5JfFqdoJWpZtC5S3G8C61PFOgeJYKrcd2FwBj26gt30-3WRKmdmUxnr_qkkYUX8/s320/P1570351_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Water Rail </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGrhyphenhyphen-Yw9IaXJ-KEOZnrOLqpHdTm_V1Prg0i2Ktizv8xh3zrA6N_C2WqRt9WTb4Qa3mE-Lu3ZnsNNQ6_h550GhrdLXALhDxrJ_duglXUW6bXQ4tt6-5W0P-AY292VN_HCDhYqC3awZOccVILf814AR2rquyf3JZ2Jt8eeGZ5-CNyFcSUGTAljwGBKxz8s/s1366/P1570353_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGrhyphenhyphen-Yw9IaXJ-KEOZnrOLqpHdTm_V1Prg0i2Ktizv8xh3zrA6N_C2WqRt9WTb4Qa3mE-Lu3ZnsNNQ6_h550GhrdLXALhDxrJ_duglXUW6bXQ4tt6-5W0P-AY292VN_HCDhYqC3awZOccVILf814AR2rquyf3JZ2Jt8eeGZ5-CNyFcSUGTAljwGBKxz8s/s320/P1570353_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Water Rail </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim6SOQ_ekIrGg29u_t7lARnFwjSAmBxN_zHnixb2-VyVzr9mzExRytzcT_b1GOeCX8rlWS-7PmB3ijR5K7eKHgZ9M6Kkg_j31H8aFXjU8ds8IqmCBeXncWo_urUN00XaGQZCGodjVdSBFCDtT-PJZ_PDTeOJtWsnaw47GRRVTqXJq0IDxiarxda4cqPcY/s1366/P1570253_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim6SOQ_ekIrGg29u_t7lARnFwjSAmBxN_zHnixb2-VyVzr9mzExRytzcT_b1GOeCX8rlWS-7PmB3ijR5K7eKHgZ9M6Kkg_j31H8aFXjU8ds8IqmCBeXncWo_urUN00XaGQZCGodjVdSBFCDtT-PJZ_PDTeOJtWsnaw47GRRVTqXJq0IDxiarxda4cqPcY/s320/P1570253_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bewick's Swan </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg33lARMts9VdrqcC-DMPSpL8tDsnQRNHLLDh64iQSBGqrWKP-3d8F6XQqkFX23EGjPAGmBzzhGvpaBN2H7OTQP_wCrFjKVAq1EYZsExzrvkoYtW1KdDRccqxlipAd2UTssrDvb7zKDVpSRjpDbJfA0QyTSfssKQGcLJ4YUGuCqWl2sYpvK2YvLkSX7-IU/s1366/P1570296_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="938" data-original-width="1366" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg33lARMts9VdrqcC-DMPSpL8tDsnQRNHLLDh64iQSBGqrWKP-3d8F6XQqkFX23EGjPAGmBzzhGvpaBN2H7OTQP_wCrFjKVAq1EYZsExzrvkoYtW1KdDRccqxlipAd2UTssrDvb7zKDVpSRjpDbJfA0QyTSfssKQGcLJ4YUGuCqWl2sYpvK2YvLkSX7-IU/s320/P1570296_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bewick's Swans </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9GXkpVjcCvLPQulDqsiD5tTCmsKfG1bLrZR3Z-L3_4OTuUeYAYK2jzZvbS_nEzQCOQeRNldyDd1Q248i9h3b3VDC_hkOtVe7gX3FR54ulX0PWHOKwDCVEvtSp8KiqNKIpyxdOlcEVddBf2WtmBlkiq8XFTDbXmXzi_4t0CigJcxJ8SFHrf7kyCAnong/s1366/P1570309_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9GXkpVjcCvLPQulDqsiD5tTCmsKfG1bLrZR3Z-L3_4OTuUeYAYK2jzZvbS_nEzQCOQeRNldyDd1Q248i9h3b3VDC_hkOtVe7gX3FR54ulX0PWHOKwDCVEvtSp8KiqNKIpyxdOlcEVddBf2WtmBlkiq8XFTDbXmXzi_4t0CigJcxJ8SFHrf7kyCAnong/s320/P1570309_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bewick's Swan </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPuLiPTmHZ1jyqFLtj8cJoCJLq_QZ5gsOQdKtzucrH65pErbvqXcV4TsF0Uxrqk2yFl198kPVHeAAaXoYpZ3dgYiF2pMYqHMCMWGG2AMI8VInRC_-M-2hRu9R_9RR7QWqppNeWlzM3QxSZvPBXuo8oWlif0FMNCuX_6QXSgdV_3cRLUhbgNFDitSF7WQc/s1366/P1570421_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPuLiPTmHZ1jyqFLtj8cJoCJLq_QZ5gsOQdKtzucrH65pErbvqXcV4TsF0Uxrqk2yFl198kPVHeAAaXoYpZ3dgYiF2pMYqHMCMWGG2AMI8VInRC_-M-2hRu9R_9RR7QWqppNeWlzM3QxSZvPBXuo8oWlif0FMNCuX_6QXSgdV_3cRLUhbgNFDitSF7WQc/s320/P1570421_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bewick's Swan </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhklOL9B90go2_CxDB0A25GJBmbLYg3YuGnDOVzEDgzGHcuVo3KU7wZbJAotzBZv7PTUtV0TUJJiGm1NRlUX7OQ0Z4vkvQN7V-iIYa2kpp4o_jdUmNv9u9w8AgD3elk1K8yaiZ4XgXn-aCVK8ApGJuu3dmh_Tyg2kD3SqcNfG8xF5lT8P6_Pcqhl-OfP_c/s1366/P1570442_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1111" data-original-width="1366" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhklOL9B90go2_CxDB0A25GJBmbLYg3YuGnDOVzEDgzGHcuVo3KU7wZbJAotzBZv7PTUtV0TUJJiGm1NRlUX7OQ0Z4vkvQN7V-iIYa2kpp4o_jdUmNv9u9w8AgD3elk1K8yaiZ4XgXn-aCVK8ApGJuu3dmh_Tyg2kD3SqcNfG8xF5lT8P6_Pcqhl-OfP_c/s320/P1570442_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bewick's Swan </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJ332MwO1IgOkylyUhPt6bq3f97FuFNw-AWIuc0RiutIqrNYeqm3SZFwKJAwKVmAIJ84RNls_OImm8VR5zkVPxLyVwb_frOemLPg6Gn35jPKR-3gGV-4-y-hzSR0JScz1YPeBrMl53xoNCeGyWeruvpCRWIBl1RyPJW8UzyeZaNrsw1b6oMONlzwjLnE/s1366/P1570446_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJ332MwO1IgOkylyUhPt6bq3f97FuFNw-AWIuc0RiutIqrNYeqm3SZFwKJAwKVmAIJ84RNls_OImm8VR5zkVPxLyVwb_frOemLPg6Gn35jPKR-3gGV-4-y-hzSR0JScz1YPeBrMl53xoNCeGyWeruvpCRWIBl1RyPJW8UzyeZaNrsw1b6oMONlzwjLnE/s320/P1570446_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bewick's Swans </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDf5lPgiBp8frjPJD_kkKK-jnJG0jDrMJnraETJc1u0c2hN4vXMAbvJtjgYQF9MQR-4LC3sexVIuGiQ4_BjWaMQrMnzh62aloPFDjr-5ESCICg5R6y1mZdlDueMwZ1hBRo18i7cW-0C9oZsCR5hrfY2elynIbX7UphyKCF1CdljK0dGZUxyYWqKPPM2k/s1366/P1570448_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDf5lPgiBp8frjPJD_kkKK-jnJG0jDrMJnraETJc1u0c2hN4vXMAbvJtjgYQF9MQR-4LC3sexVIuGiQ4_BjWaMQrMnzh62aloPFDjr-5ESCICg5R6y1mZdlDueMwZ1hBRo18i7cW-0C9oZsCR5hrfY2elynIbX7UphyKCF1CdljK0dGZUxyYWqKPPM2k/s320/P1570448_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bewick's Swans </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9p1fFsni2Q8l14372zX2RwgmPCcRiTv_S_a-EIYtCHGzVPzS1j0PJi-Yda6dk5q9sLPacA_1qFBOtySoN-CeeqN8wNzDgqfe96LGp9Xx9j_3bU-2AoDA0swLAKmTVxuoXiKtKaAsZtWLVvqlPXoxczM-h1m_a2vQVtPrB9LOsYAwTzBnbslaapUBpZk/s1366/P1570489_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9p1fFsni2Q8l14372zX2RwgmPCcRiTv_S_a-EIYtCHGzVPzS1j0PJi-Yda6dk5q9sLPacA_1qFBOtySoN-CeeqN8wNzDgqfe96LGp9Xx9j_3bU-2AoDA0swLAKmTVxuoXiKtKaAsZtWLVvqlPXoxczM-h1m_a2vQVtPrB9LOsYAwTzBnbslaapUBpZk/s320/P1570489_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bewick's Swans </div><div><br /></div><div>All too soon it was time to catch the taxi back to the train station, the time had just flown by and for a change it wasn't too cold as I usually find Slimbridge to be. I failed to see the White-fronted Geese flock which was feeding in the fields out of view behind the hedges and the 2 Whooper Swans were reported with them (presumably the poorly looking one on The Rushy earlier in the day wasn't quite as poorly as first thought!) - it would have been nice to have seen them but sometimes you just can't have it all!</div>Stuart Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562828875993764020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498023071863063038.post-26826815024915044992023-12-14T07:29:00.003+00:002023-12-15T11:32:59.927+00:00Hume's Leaf Warbler<div>Monday 11th December was a fine, dry and mild day as I headed off on the train to Paignton for some birding around the Torbay area. It's the first time I've left the Plymouth area to do some birdwatching since September and I finally used the Devon and Cornwall Railcard I bought back in November for the first time too.</div><div><br /></div><div>I wasn't sure of my plans for the day but with a Hume's Leaf Warbler having been found at Clennon Valley Lakes I decided to focus my efforts there first and see how the time went as it is a bird I have never seen before and I wasn't sure how long it would take for me to connect with it (if at all). </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOsI8TyAfeQIvsAklyO9-6QeLW42y1k8k9vuYz098taiotK5uMnzJJ9vUE4UB_pc714rwMemlyco-S33ZZupTgTtUYUcmp8ghGZemsNBDAmMOyeV_tET8vQcmTy3P7QjCFjluMbnfSwrYZ8C0t_mOBcUMuHO9keaOzoB75OxzJxT3jeOKSfpW0kd7Vm_4/s1366/P1570202_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOsI8TyAfeQIvsAklyO9-6QeLW42y1k8k9vuYz098taiotK5uMnzJJ9vUE4UB_pc714rwMemlyco-S33ZZupTgTtUYUcmp8ghGZemsNBDAmMOyeV_tET8vQcmTy3P7QjCFjluMbnfSwrYZ8C0t_mOBcUMuHO9keaOzoB75OxzJxT3jeOKSfpW0kd7Vm_4/s320/P1570202_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Clennon Valley Lakes</div><div><br /></div><div>I walked from the train station at Paignton to the Lakes and after negotiating the very muddy footpaths towards the area where it was being seen I found a group of birders aiming huge cameras at the trees overhanging the water. I had a quick scan with my binoculars and there it was, flitting about like a demented sprite as it searched non-stop for food amongst the branches, a new bird for me (only my second one this year) and luckily seen as soon as I arrived on site.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxw7Z_8GhTIQeKTtFimtPKY9TxXHf4nZICDmENyw2jCQ8hNXxmf2t2lP-U3Glw9WbyrMPqYNr22A70PYgCgC4LInXij-_rhOMdytMjADYpO4nzzZEY_dhpl12XWYqyoFgE9rFkM-m37XAOtLPY2qlPbIS5OzluRhEkOafyDmdB-XtVTpp22wtFZHkol78/s1366/P1570188_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxw7Z_8GhTIQeKTtFimtPKY9TxXHf4nZICDmENyw2jCQ8hNXxmf2t2lP-U3Glw9WbyrMPqYNr22A70PYgCgC4LInXij-_rhOMdytMjADYpO4nzzZEY_dhpl12XWYqyoFgE9rFkM-m37XAOtLPY2qlPbIS5OzluRhEkOafyDmdB-XtVTpp22wtFZHkol78/s320/P1570188_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Hume's Leaf Warbler</div><div><br /></div><div>It gave some wonderful views and was quite unconcerned by everybody looking at it, it came quite close at times but never stopped moving for more than a second or two. It looked like a very washed out Yellow-browed Warbler and gave a distinctive call, reminiscent of a Pied Wagtails, and it was a delight to watch, so much so that I spent 2 and a half hours in its company - and I even managed to get a few record shots!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYU5J4zkxt9Jjd5pF7sebypOt-C5weuQSE2y7VNQzTIRina4R55dntPXEHN4HJqE38TJcvX0aNKFcCk1RvUhWZ8yst2lexPXwWZkF4AqqLYRQoIrRQcisi2i7q1iQn4aS1OmdkeN5lTfVjLmfCYqXkZncQMqn-biB-nQaLnBM3MFNAVe0BDR5nhiNx6Oc/s1366/P1570194_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYU5J4zkxt9Jjd5pF7sebypOt-C5weuQSE2y7VNQzTIRina4R55dntPXEHN4HJqE38TJcvX0aNKFcCk1RvUhWZ8yst2lexPXwWZkF4AqqLYRQoIrRQcisi2i7q1iQn4aS1OmdkeN5lTfVjLmfCYqXkZncQMqn-biB-nQaLnBM3MFNAVe0BDR5nhiNx6Oc/s320/P1570194_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Hume's Leaf Warbler </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLM8dj2EDIYBZbccv1v6h5BObHA2sVChYx0hyPhnHUgzaxNHBVMwlnXyxgScIfwGR9jC5l41wgeMyesij5NcRGqzdua5xDB_Rwg7CyQb2EtyoJoHw1pHQBx7rGqOv1wTswfSsDFF2mw-FmpGH47MbjjniAuIoyGEPD9ozzBDBwSS9L83zQTyakY821-HI/s1366/P1570206_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1135" data-original-width="1366" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLM8dj2EDIYBZbccv1v6h5BObHA2sVChYx0hyPhnHUgzaxNHBVMwlnXyxgScIfwGR9jC5l41wgeMyesij5NcRGqzdua5xDB_Rwg7CyQb2EtyoJoHw1pHQBx7rGqOv1wTswfSsDFF2mw-FmpGH47MbjjniAuIoyGEPD9ozzBDBwSS9L83zQTyakY821-HI/s320/P1570206_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Hume's Leaf Warbler </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYCNKw2D_jGFdbGM4AA2ztXekYRPdzd8fZ3DQLimQPGk_9YH6xybLCzwhdsjsbIrqoMDauI1xfu12SOTd8d5iJ_iHfoGe6flxQ15_vF4dR4Kw99rSf4_OLXgMnB74NreYdEENDGhjjsH06FTjDHF2z8F-HZS_sCyE043j90SXL4nhowOeC5ws9s14QVa0/s1366/P1570213_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="1366" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYCNKw2D_jGFdbGM4AA2ztXekYRPdzd8fZ3DQLimQPGk_9YH6xybLCzwhdsjsbIrqoMDauI1xfu12SOTd8d5iJ_iHfoGe6flxQ15_vF4dR4Kw99rSf4_OLXgMnB74NreYdEENDGhjjsH06FTjDHF2z8F-HZS_sCyE043j90SXL4nhowOeC5ws9s14QVa0/s320/P1570213_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Hume's Leaf Warbler </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_79fX8qG9wIOWhxmKQGOSbM03lh958NZ0hLFTDdmPw5TUEQRbGNAXTcMqiXwDXkzz0kv8DfhNvFqK_c2VC76pRa6VhMli0qhyyDnQ5BUpfgvdHGAzzrd6eGHd_3btCxyGbNK7gi-h5c-lIfxcaxT9s4srfWC53Gs9OnutAyhJrKUKR5oTR5ZrvBPLNg/s1366/P1570215_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_79fX8qG9wIOWhxmKQGOSbM03lh958NZ0hLFTDdmPw5TUEQRbGNAXTcMqiXwDXkzz0kv8DfhNvFqK_c2VC76pRa6VhMli0qhyyDnQ5BUpfgvdHGAzzrd6eGHd_3btCxyGbNK7gi-h5c-lIfxcaxT9s4srfWC53Gs9OnutAyhJrKUKR5oTR5ZrvBPLNg/s320/P1570215_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Hume's Leaf Warbler </div><div><br /></div><div>It would regularly disappear for short periods of time and during its absences I kept an eye out for other birds with the highlights being a flyover Redwing, a flyover male Teal, 4 Coot, a Goldcrest, a Grey Heron, a Little Egret and 2 Little Grebe. Chiffchaffs were flitting about in the trees too but were very active and mobile, at least 3 were present, and a Cetti's Warbler and a Water Rail were also heard.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL39ZIaY6kgz5olgOmrTaDVYMI82benGR2Fkgn-ikW3DcJkcrRJcSjur7xFSSng2ZVQ73WTae9wu0P8eJtqcH8AzUTR9dkZ8vYqBSmol72Xv1qVMOkQWMv2whXxVnvRs1IjIh1-f7FL2kAQKmUQRpQcJJKjfg-8w7UjClLQp-VlNkjLhn5-QUWxfJhEyM/s1366/P1570170_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL39ZIaY6kgz5olgOmrTaDVYMI82benGR2Fkgn-ikW3DcJkcrRJcSjur7xFSSng2ZVQ73WTae9wu0P8eJtqcH8AzUTR9dkZ8vYqBSmol72Xv1qVMOkQWMv2whXxVnvRs1IjIh1-f7FL2kAQKmUQRpQcJJKjfg-8w7UjClLQp-VlNkjLhn5-QUWxfJhEyM/s320/P1570170_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a>0</div><div style="text-align: center;">Little Grebe</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1JSUircGpq6FNLdzs-CVPp_Op9PvVpPp3M29GyGuNGrh4JdmsoOETSVp1Q9PaNHDN-PTIiC0v6q0eA95f6VazEVyyDwHydUFhJq1xEzPSf7cRqxfceKJMf2CaV-zq0ZBLZIebwoU8E3xoJOyqM4mZEiq0tmvroIi0xxJ0IcN96ZWrbc0vBkIbydl0Vo/s1366/P1570198_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1JSUircGpq6FNLdzs-CVPp_Op9PvVpPp3M29GyGuNGrh4JdmsoOETSVp1Q9PaNHDN-PTIiC0v6q0eA95f6VazEVyyDwHydUFhJq1xEzPSf7cRqxfceKJMf2CaV-zq0ZBLZIebwoU8E3xoJOyqM4mZEiq0tmvroIi0xxJ0IcN96ZWrbc0vBkIbydl0Vo/s320/P1570198_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Robin</div><div><br /></div><div>I eventually tore myself away and walked over to the beach at nearby Goodrington for a look across the Bay with my telescope. It was flat calm and birds were scattered across the water but sadly most were quite distant even with my scope, however I did pick up Great Crested Grebes, Great Northern Divers, Kittiwakes, Gannets and Razorbills along with probable Guillemots, bizarrely 2 Mute Swans and 12 female Common Scoters.</div><div><br /></div><div>A look at the nearby Boating Lake in Goodrington Park revealed 6 male and 5 female Tufted Ducks, a Cormorant and 2 Mute Swans with Mallards, Moorhens and Gulls but it was soon time to walk back to the railway station in Paignton to catch the train home. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAIGBdDshYhOXqgcZu_LCypTopD5GuKiMLNTHaVg_VZRwmGXcspIfcAqDQSJFybwHYOdUXgyVhF4DW8_H5txaFSSKAyKieARgP2AZhP6xyhnwgd7dN8-o_eQL2Ux0x_4mbDKpFCptaPijdc3YYo5hZ4nBFLaH463MDNMLy3xI0FpKz3akzONHPfQvDiN8/s1366/P1570226_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAIGBdDshYhOXqgcZu_LCypTopD5GuKiMLNTHaVg_VZRwmGXcspIfcAqDQSJFybwHYOdUXgyVhF4DW8_H5txaFSSKAyKieARgP2AZhP6xyhnwgd7dN8-o_eQL2Ux0x_4mbDKpFCptaPijdc3YYo5hZ4nBFLaH463MDNMLy3xI0FpKz3akzONHPfQvDiN8/s320/P1570226_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Mute Swan</div><div><br /></div><div>And so it was quite a nice day out, it was good to get away from Plymouth and visit somewhere different for a change and it only cost me £6.45 on the train. Even better was seeing a new bird although it was a little bit twitchy at times and that is never one of my favourite birding experiences.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEyw-sABmU4FL_Jo1rCvb1fXOMv6GWxVSaZHJ7Afqr5DZUK24DmAoeDGDDC8oHgQdwxKAT9bVgbKQulKwHFxOhMx3cuUPqOwORoy92vMxpz2TV-1ZgI7m3FmWNOpd6pPauGHwpWRzi3YdKQMxdg6eUKy_zCv1GIue8WwZ8SK0UAxbLA2NvnSxLYqYEGco/s680/GBFnFMMWcAAWwaQ.jpeg.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="523" data-original-width="680" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEyw-sABmU4FL_Jo1rCvb1fXOMv6GWxVSaZHJ7Afqr5DZUK24DmAoeDGDDC8oHgQdwxKAT9bVgbKQulKwHFxOhMx3cuUPqOwORoy92vMxpz2TV-1ZgI7m3FmWNOpd6pPauGHwpWRzi3YdKQMxdg6eUKy_zCv1GIue8WwZ8SK0UAxbLA2NvnSxLYqYEGco/s320/GBFnFMMWcAAWwaQ.jpeg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Hume's Leaf Warbler - the best shot of it I've seen on social media courtesy of Mwills@21_mwills on Twitter/X</div>Stuart Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562828875993764020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498023071863063038.post-51554811936243467212023-12-11T15:56:00.002+00:002023-12-11T21:05:08.266+00:00Germany, Great Northern Divers and Goosanders<p>A trip to Cologne in Germany for a few days away to enjoy the Christmas Markets was a haze of food, drink and shopping, we even had snow when we arrived on Monday 4th December but it had melted away by the next morning. It has been 5 years since our last visit to what is one of my favourite places and it was comforting to find that not much has changed although it was much, much busier than I remember before.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSYeAi8HnBO7FGPoOhbTGWjdaciTYVAq21StKGdfm_eXRwL3TUPKq0pSIgmk-Aswrv4jprHFtcqRi1S7iKum9J40Di9s23egs0w6l90rr-I29Yv1Bk-aNbIIQ8FaTGOKMKwjWDDM_qqhqzcPtgLc27uAMazqP5ipnOfNXjnNpjhqQoqn4dqT28eFqStKM/s4080/20231207_105933.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3060" data-original-width="4080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSYeAi8HnBO7FGPoOhbTGWjdaciTYVAq21StKGdfm_eXRwL3TUPKq0pSIgmk-Aswrv4jprHFtcqRi1S7iKum9J40Di9s23egs0w6l90rr-I29Yv1Bk-aNbIIQ8FaTGOKMKwjWDDM_qqhqzcPtgLc27uAMazqP5ipnOfNXjnNpjhqQoqn4dqT28eFqStKM/s320/20231207_105933.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cologne</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrm2zDEcaFKVYQOPWidRLkXDmyyZh3YGelJC2exnUkBpsUfCOCB7zj16ZKBqx0VyfoljXwGzXt2-96DAQgtjwLcD7H4Wy3Xa11T9m-Tx8ci17RO_39A5DueA9wf578UddNKO4e4hPEIiDKFNmcEGnG5Xr5jCiUeqdenUNZGXRIdg453yZk_1ppMvSt4PI/s4080/20231207_105338.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrm2zDEcaFKVYQOPWidRLkXDmyyZh3YGelJC2exnUkBpsUfCOCB7zj16ZKBqx0VyfoljXwGzXt2-96DAQgtjwLcD7H4Wy3Xa11T9m-Tx8ci17RO_39A5DueA9wf578UddNKO4e4hPEIiDKFNmcEGnG5Xr5jCiUeqdenUNZGXRIdg453yZk_1ppMvSt4PI/s320/20231207_105338.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cologne</div><p>I didn't take my binoculars or my camera with me this time but I managed a few wildlife sightings during our visit despite the very urban setting and Christmas themed activities.</p><p>The usual Ring-necked Parakeets were seen and heard screeching overhead and perched up in trees, early each morning flocks of them would appear outside our hotel room window to drink and bath in the puddles on the nearby flat roofs before dispersing for the day. Amongst them were at least 3 Alexandrine Parakeets, larger and with a louder and deeper screeching call. Also from the window I managed a few brief and distant views of totally black Red Squirrels as they dashed about in the nearby gardens.</p><p>A very noisy Peregrine was a nice sighting near the Cathedral as it gave an incredibly white looking Buzzard flying over a very hard time before being hassled itself by a very brave Carrion Crow. A Shag feeding on The Rhine near The Chocolate Museum was a surprise so far inland but the occassional Cormorant flying over was more expected. Very distant flocks of Geese were seen flying over fields as we whizzed by on the train on a visit to nearby Aachen, probably Grey Geese but also maybe just Canadas.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-5W_oLbQg7DhNYgl-KZaqlqWktMGT_00XmTGikXKksvAuGa4taaMK_DZfiTno6GBSiJ2rOE51Ss3-MYrP-9oeekG2_ImN4pouTCRlwVirmxOTTPKlSTkVDfMjNyUQa413rvPsJ6D_oZiqJ1Z8EhWXeoDa-_Pz1xGlOydAAzkHqIEwjr8EMx28GasdqRk/s4080/original_016dc403-3377-429a-b4bf-44caf83ed03f_20231206_164912.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3060" data-original-width="4080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-5W_oLbQg7DhNYgl-KZaqlqWktMGT_00XmTGikXKksvAuGa4taaMK_DZfiTno6GBSiJ2rOE51Ss3-MYrP-9oeekG2_ImN4pouTCRlwVirmxOTTPKlSTkVDfMjNyUQa413rvPsJ6D_oZiqJ1Z8EhWXeoDa-_Pz1xGlOydAAzkHqIEwjr8EMx28GasdqRk/s320/original_016dc403-3377-429a-b4bf-44caf83ed03f_20231206_164912.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Aachen</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">All in all a very enjoyable trip and a nice start to the Christmas festivities, it's not my most favourite time of the year but maybe this year I might actually start to regain some of my previous Christmas spirit.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">With the River Plym Great Northern Diver still being reported as present during our time away I was keen to go and look for it on our return to the UK and so I headed out on Saturday 9th December to see if I could find it. I caught the bus to Laira Bridge to start my search and quickly found it downriver heading towards me on the incoming tide, unfortunately a passing dinghy spooked it and it headed back down towards The Cattewater busily decimating the local crab population along the way. I then had a look upriver from the Bridge and was surprised to find a second bird floating about on the water just off Blagdon Meadow.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnsHK0e0vvwnS2leUHZPovC6HiZEUkWhvYMFgsgcgEJbO-xwMCmAX4aw7FP7FCxMvKnGCQsMK_IqXcksQ7TmUKGymDX4j-HKFg0Ek5LG2RK_3P2OKq-Bjdd4N_Vtu-470E_4poR5o2BZkZ4L8dyjx661zRxPswp80qSvArEGE63XMROgMS2fZ4uq016lI/s1366/P1570096_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnsHK0e0vvwnS2leUHZPovC6HiZEUkWhvYMFgsgcgEJbO-xwMCmAX4aw7FP7FCxMvKnGCQsMK_IqXcksQ7TmUKGymDX4j-HKFg0Ek5LG2RK_3P2OKq-Bjdd4N_Vtu-470E_4poR5o2BZkZ4L8dyjx661zRxPswp80qSvArEGE63XMROgMS2fZ4uq016lI/s320/P1570096_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Distant) Great Northern Diver, The Cattewater</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Low tide was at 8:45am and on arriving at Laira Bridge at around 11:45am I was expecting to see some exposed mud along the estuary but the tide was already quite high with no mud on show at all and so I headed up along The Ride to have a look at Blaxton Meadow.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Very little was seen along the way in the strong breeze and the footpaths were incredibly muddy following all the recent heavy rain but I saw 2 Jay, a male Pheasant, a flock of 16 Redwings flying over with skulking birds later seen in the Holly bushes, a Stock Dove, at least 4 Ring-necked Parakeets and 3 Grey Squirrels.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPx0yFqUHbpCz9YO-J_ZWoaazcU_a2G7tTH52llFJ0igdQjuX9ob3zH5mgVpWkepXQ20ZLWAZxafEOYphhlfDEdGJzxg1gQgz9TehqokP0y-MrFKWouo0nwk6plad-h0LDJC-nsm5A1A91bwo_FMsZ-74jBIWR0cNPO41SlG3krtfS1HG_5dXICKV1tk0/s1366/P1570105_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPx0yFqUHbpCz9YO-J_ZWoaazcU_a2G7tTH52llFJ0igdQjuX9ob3zH5mgVpWkepXQ20ZLWAZxafEOYphhlfDEdGJzxg1gQgz9TehqokP0y-MrFKWouo0nwk6plad-h0LDJC-nsm5A1A91bwo_FMsZ-74jBIWR0cNPO41SlG3krtfS1HG_5dXICKV1tk0/s320/P1570105_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Redwing</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikrbKzYk04dOYXPuq6c5Ga5z6U4bxkHwyV-PZE_hdvTmg-tT9toMwgcPplrTmIxxCaYtYoJi1H2rVt1ySjUKMXe0UKkPQojYk6cJBeLhyhq9ezYa3KMWllskt-1WTF6Nxj4tgKtYIWj-Dvl9QMV25XYhvEMicQT7RRg5Ygypzgqp3T9wKB_xsEBV_0liY/s1366/P1570099_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikrbKzYk04dOYXPuq6c5Ga5z6U4bxkHwyV-PZE_hdvTmg-tT9toMwgcPplrTmIxxCaYtYoJi1H2rVt1ySjUKMXe0UKkPQojYk6cJBeLhyhq9ezYa3KMWllskt-1WTF6Nxj4tgKtYIWj-Dvl9QMV25XYhvEMicQT7RRg5Ygypzgqp3T9wKB_xsEBV_0liY/s320/P1570099_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Ring-necked Parakeet - one of an introduced population competing for nest holes with native species </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Blaxton Meadow wasn't flooded but the water was rushing in through the sluice gates and out on the mud the usual birds were present - 40 Shelduck, 37 Curlew, 34 Wigeon, at least 28 Snipe, 16 Oystercatcher, 8 Greenshank, a Black-tailed Godwit, 3 adult Lesser Black-backed Gull, 2 adult Common Gull, an adult Mediterranean Gull, an adult Great Black-backed Gull, 8 Heron and a Little Egret along with Redshank, Mallard, Herring Gulls and Black-headed Gulls and surprisingly only 3 Dunlin.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I continued onwards towards Marsh Mills to catch the bus home and on the way there I found 3 male and 4 female Goosander resting and preening near the gas pipe with a single male seen further upriver near the railway bridge, a nice finish to my walk.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSlJylci8K6Mj5R603FaT3OzjASYukgHLPosHiPPdcgNrhfYi_YvxrqelapCnI1-h-OLMJyMAaT3fJo2xNn5nyXdVpGYMEgcRExNXsc4fr3D90wINqQBFnzNEkSCG1EPvmMq63SFEiB7qR2j_u_mkJLRjWT_dy0nWL8-7iik2XhzLRVllQHKNJEuSep6M/s1366/P1570137_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSlJylci8K6Mj5R603FaT3OzjASYukgHLPosHiPPdcgNrhfYi_YvxrqelapCnI1-h-OLMJyMAaT3fJo2xNn5nyXdVpGYMEgcRExNXsc4fr3D90wINqQBFnzNEkSCG1EPvmMq63SFEiB7qR2j_u_mkJLRjWT_dy0nWL8-7iik2XhzLRVllQHKNJEuSep6M/s320/P1570137_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Goosander</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqu4J_FykKYONMlKpi6hJbkjbvSj2yD0DIhtu0D0xPI03CsrNC8iERtjgnm1A9s2rDDp-8H0hCGSTDSGX0AdiIRDPgvz4EITDLxyFKc2QnSbLpkW-_C8UIpWCDIdwCpJFvOnrManx37uuaFb4EZhv77ACdY2wdu16OthY072izAvBuoIi-zrJ3whdF7dk/s1366/P1570147_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqu4J_FykKYONMlKpi6hJbkjbvSj2yD0DIhtu0D0xPI03CsrNC8iERtjgnm1A9s2rDDp-8H0hCGSTDSGX0AdiIRDPgvz4EITDLxyFKc2QnSbLpkW-_C8UIpWCDIdwCpJFvOnrManx37uuaFb4EZhv77ACdY2wdu16OthY072izAvBuoIi-zrJ3whdF7dk/s320/P1570147_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Goosander</div>Stuart Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562828875993764020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498023071863063038.post-32684499624658458952023-12-03T07:34:00.005+00:002023-12-04T07:31:35.697+00:00Chilly!It was freezing cold (literally) as I set off in the dark on the 7am bus to Wembury on Friday 1st December. The first proper cold spell of the winter is here and it became a beautiful day when dawn arrived, all blue skies, still air and chilly temperatures and I had a very pleasant walk.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigapvXdKkghtGGdQAFqoMWyDkzPkwV5WyLJfl5SfOIOeyLYHkfIzL950Q0-8wJNfMsQJd8LO6mcCaeaxczAyi1asTU2m3RqV5r35u-e_tJK1BCtI76Kzw85OoXhMv57R0jaZACLQNXulioadhekRkAcYY3KRm5z5I46YBnAU3HwKELfIcbcetsAZS4nHE/s1366/P1560848_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigapvXdKkghtGGdQAFqoMWyDkzPkwV5WyLJfl5SfOIOeyLYHkfIzL950Q0-8wJNfMsQJd8LO6mcCaeaxczAyi1asTU2m3RqV5r35u-e_tJK1BCtI76Kzw85OoXhMv57R0jaZACLQNXulioadhekRkAcYY3KRm5z5I46YBnAU3HwKELfIcbcetsAZS4nHE/s320/P1560848_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Wembury at first light - and no one else there! (But not for long)</div><div><div><br /></div><div>After stepping off the bus I walked down the road to the beach and despite the poor light had some good views of 2 Firecrests feeding in village gardens, they were keeping together but were constantly getting into skirmishes with each other. Sadly there was no sign of them on my return walk when the light was better.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was high tide and unusually the Oystercatchers were roosting on the rocks below the horse field. I was pleased to find 3 Knot amongst them but even better was finding 2 Purple Sandpiper amongst the 30+ Turnstones feeding on the seaweed mass on the beach nearby.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2K0JQ_uV3MEpIKO4CEA5UJTOoDO9TPZ3hM0KEHYBe04PZ_zDcwtsEkfDju8kIDwRixg2kvTJSNzSY9lg2Ytuo3JmIj26n_7Px26rnpYX0NtBOg4nAFtYhbp8PuACOA7X4IM8wCymM5Q8lOZV7oTUSvuwDFWKrlOIIAT5amYTXZY0S8TmxWOhDc_U_ql8/s1366/P1560893_edited~2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2K0JQ_uV3MEpIKO4CEA5UJTOoDO9TPZ3hM0KEHYBe04PZ_zDcwtsEkfDju8kIDwRixg2kvTJSNzSY9lg2Ytuo3JmIj26n_7Px26rnpYX0NtBOg4nAFtYhbp8PuACOA7X4IM8wCymM5Q8lOZV7oTUSvuwDFWKrlOIIAT5amYTXZY0S8TmxWOhDc_U_ql8/s320/P1560893_edited~2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Knot with Oystercatchers</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijlCnaDUzIVv3TfAZpvuNw9HYIwV7bP89Jf4vuL2D9GfLyVamPZRqYgx1LirTqjWd71JEtQ2FBXXU_ZCON_jQ5BPulAWFQBw1OJ0G-roz11mdRizR-hQlEHHLDcAy6yOlKy2ae6bsnPL6Iwyl2-9iejQSE-o0i9Q9wX41JNIyO_DZ4VB_V6cePbEeWW_o/s1366/P1560930_edited~2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijlCnaDUzIVv3TfAZpvuNw9HYIwV7bP89Jf4vuL2D9GfLyVamPZRqYgx1LirTqjWd71JEtQ2FBXXU_ZCON_jQ5BPulAWFQBw1OJ0G-roz11mdRizR-hQlEHHLDcAy6yOlKy2ae6bsnPL6Iwyl2-9iejQSE-o0i9Q9wX41JNIyO_DZ4VB_V6cePbEeWW_o/s320/P1560930_edited~2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Purple Sandpipers</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOzqMcUwYKleHp1iycESbz_eqKbu0pt6ncY_EEW_9CtjYLNtInEYPbL_Apg0FdCav_5bXOvcb4k2b5t9DW3D6O4c8NXMA0-1H8-GCKHt_Z6MOcQHbktG-oxlRVpj0qVFLbtjjI4xAfmdEbktRXhLoKT5qfbOxaIfbNQRU48tV1DrOIs8ki0iQ8fqcN8mo/s1366/P1560972_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOzqMcUwYKleHp1iycESbz_eqKbu0pt6ncY_EEW_9CtjYLNtInEYPbL_Apg0FdCav_5bXOvcb4k2b5t9DW3D6O4c8NXMA0-1H8-GCKHt_Z6MOcQHbktG-oxlRVpj0qVFLbtjjI4xAfmdEbktRXhLoKT5qfbOxaIfbNQRU48tV1DrOIs8ki0iQ8fqcN8mo/s320/P1560972_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Purple Sandpiper</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghYpu6WBJMwHRUHf9_WAr7YHfJ5jxuZ-g8VPaijsyI-sC1Id6_yPAZCngSL4q8AZmxDE2SPL6_4i12E_VuBRp33UbmVracaP5A1CDPW8b76x4WLgOwXSA-3Mf62xkJWOVHuh14hyetWJtJZClBIOaMeFep2qKw4h6Y-DOiRX34KrlHLJTQlnqA_AJUnvg/s1366/P1560979_edited~2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghYpu6WBJMwHRUHf9_WAr7YHfJ5jxuZ-g8VPaijsyI-sC1Id6_yPAZCngSL4q8AZmxDE2SPL6_4i12E_VuBRp33UbmVracaP5A1CDPW8b76x4WLgOwXSA-3Mf62xkJWOVHuh14hyetWJtJZClBIOaMeFep2qKw4h6Y-DOiRX34KrlHLJTQlnqA_AJUnvg/s320/P1560979_edited~2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Purple Sandpiper</div><div><br /></div><div>Also along the beach were 5 Little Egret, a Curlew and an adult Mediterranean Gull plus the usual Rock and Meadow Pipits and Pied Wagtails, I had a quick look for the Water Pipit but with no luck although a Grey Wagtail was a nice find.</div><div><br /></div><div>Offshore Gannets were diving for fish and further out small flocks of Auks were flying around low to the water but too far out to ID. 2 Stock Doves heading out to sea was a surprise and at least another 3 were seen flying around the fields above the wheatfield.</div><div><br /></div><div>Cirl Buntings, Stonechats, Skylarks and Meadow Pipits were showy but flighty, not helped by 2 female Sparrowhawks passing by in a low to the ground parallel flight which seemed to be some sort of stylised display. A Chiffchaff was seen at The Point with another later in the village gardens on the walk back to the bus stop, a male Blackcap was seen in the Valley to the Beach where the Cettis Warbler was heard calling briefly and a male Bullfinch was seen at the Church. A pair of Roe Deer and 4 Rabbits also added some non-avian interest to an enjoyable morning.</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh16BU8MLGbm9yMtIp3lc_AWe2y6GSA-Fb-1w2TXokCzoBToF9Y6SiB1fbNycXSSdSEtTCZ47l6VPpMIB_TRO-QxAQL-jq99PeWQam4V4tsWrKl3tLd9HVv6-oWYWPEcVtlgCCulqMoH8SEGy_sn-SKdxYr_e4uiC76KAKDvo4K68W46WRH1kn59w8mbOE/s1366/P1560992_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh16BU8MLGbm9yMtIp3lc_AWe2y6GSA-Fb-1w2TXokCzoBToF9Y6SiB1fbNycXSSdSEtTCZ47l6VPpMIB_TRO-QxAQL-jq99PeWQam4V4tsWrKl3tLd9HVv6-oWYWPEcVtlgCCulqMoH8SEGy_sn-SKdxYr_e4uiC76KAKDvo4K68W46WRH1kn59w8mbOE/s320/P1560992_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Stonechat</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4kj5Z5NNM1xCdCxhjqSkSvgiDfXJTtU44YGzp2vIMi4kIBco8bAxeLpML_Da22KEWRDtTFehXhy0QScaMU9ahZ_hhRA8c9JBqTjfDOTGmB1EYeaTMLuYDsM_afbAJGs765fnGnWI3U5VwWxVfOSngFbDNXXs0w2PxqlVXO5Sg0GUJd9r6otKoEN6kORc/s1366/P1570013_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4kj5Z5NNM1xCdCxhjqSkSvgiDfXJTtU44YGzp2vIMi4kIBco8bAxeLpML_Da22KEWRDtTFehXhy0QScaMU9ahZ_hhRA8c9JBqTjfDOTGmB1EYeaTMLuYDsM_afbAJGs765fnGnWI3U5VwWxVfOSngFbDNXXs0w2PxqlVXO5Sg0GUJd9r6otKoEN6kORc/s320/P1570013_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Stonechat</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz9AdEM6kxUW5Pio0QbsWy3zqCHX8PIVh89a5z0BgiKs31OVuxReiuitexG_En3TY_a15sNwYFAvWX5QoKb0bjycW5nfSbtKQtIhSpjPOISwhfnG1pLOTYXGm2kv-lWGTIx8rY_B_CMQqHzq7r3c8jzlqyE6jE7xXLV1KuGr3vLSm1kTvF3U4FLCbGSUk/s1366/P1560988_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz9AdEM6kxUW5Pio0QbsWy3zqCHX8PIVh89a5z0BgiKs31OVuxReiuitexG_En3TY_a15sNwYFAvWX5QoKb0bjycW5nfSbtKQtIhSpjPOISwhfnG1pLOTYXGm2kv-lWGTIx8rY_B_CMQqHzq7r3c8jzlqyE6jE7xXLV1KuGr3vLSm1kTvF3U4FLCbGSUk/s320/P1560988_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Roe Deer</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It was even colder the next morning (Saturday 2nd December) as I headed off in the dark again but this time for a visit to The River Plym and Saltram. It was just getting light as I stepped off the bus at Long Bridge and it became another beautiful winters day with a lovely heavy frost everywhere.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It was high tide and Blaxton Meadow held the usual roosting birds with counts of 23 Snipe, 40 Curlew, 16 Oystercatcher, 9 Greenshank, a Turnstone, a Black-tailed Godwit, a male and 2 female Teal and 51 Wigeon amongst the Redshank, Dunlin, Shelduck, Canada Geese, Mallard and Gulls.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEtaFgArW8b6agZHw1P9ftpcn_1hWcxrULmGTheh5xsDR9HhH91fQp2ejORI0oFl0myUfyU56mjyEHOtPBLtWae1lqSTsvrg_oSnkfMFW3kSCYkNGqN5Wh1XtdMZE5uZ5Yzbi1NC4N-xvKVEHKbO0k4TjoDWKJDIZzhkQd96teg37mWG11MWmTo4urlDk/s1366/P1570020_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEtaFgArW8b6agZHw1P9ftpcn_1hWcxrULmGTheh5xsDR9HhH91fQp2ejORI0oFl0myUfyU56mjyEHOtPBLtWae1lqSTsvrg_oSnkfMFW3kSCYkNGqN5Wh1XtdMZE5uZ5Yzbi1NC4N-xvKVEHKbO0k4TjoDWKJDIZzhkQd96teg37mWG11MWmTo4urlDk/s320/P1570020_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Blaxton Meadow at dawn</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmaXwdaNCf2oCbe6uM7Zs02PpuKm6RrSCJb-bU2MyFQxIi56WJIgV6_aVSrUoOihn0vyViYRBkxWacFlOu8TQstXMR4-sV4zO67V66ZPTEAiVHSangQMQXjcUpO01rCyThNDiW216YjRCAcKOUxaLqsDYnoSb2Jw0ltF78mR6k5AStidWg-ZNYli37epA/s1366/P1570088_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1043" data-original-width="1366" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmaXwdaNCf2oCbe6uM7Zs02PpuKm6RrSCJb-bU2MyFQxIi56WJIgV6_aVSrUoOihn0vyViYRBkxWacFlOu8TQstXMR4-sV4zO67V66ZPTEAiVHSangQMQXjcUpO01rCyThNDiW216YjRCAcKOUxaLqsDYnoSb2Jw0ltF78mR6k5AStidWg-ZNYli37epA/s320/P1570088_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Oystercatchers</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Around The Park a male Stonechat, Redwings, 2 Goldcrest, 2 Coal Tit and a Green Woodpecker were the highlights along with a distant flock of around 30 Golden Plover which I viewed from above The Amphitheatre as they wheeled around in the sky above Boringdon before heading north towards the Moors.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzyGuX7Gavqny8vWnG81b7zWnKmi1gBjKU_SJjzfFo2sb8FQMfIpODADm2CAApjI_7lTZ1nYIKzaPVPGJKtieK14nPV20OGh1YvsvGDF6v014g08IUK6CNT3DIlSGJGAZWKr5pFqfjIBcJZoki4f27IpExrVHHGqwbc2uGs_f_PIoWE10LRUGV1JY9yPk/s1366/P1570055_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="906" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzyGuX7Gavqny8vWnG81b7zWnKmi1gBjKU_SJjzfFo2sb8FQMfIpODADm2CAApjI_7lTZ1nYIKzaPVPGJKtieK14nPV20OGh1YvsvGDF6v014g08IUK6CNT3DIlSGJGAZWKr5pFqfjIBcJZoki4f27IpExrVHHGqwbc2uGs_f_PIoWE10LRUGV1JY9yPk/s320/P1570055_edited.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Frozen Teasel</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7dknm3lXdS5nunOHD9XJJomWP5u7kKw1HKeVVjaL8W7wYbEXXr5aufhLaWi18HwCdrdgMuPQwnhd7aHtCz7ndw_3z_b8WCmeL2dgeq9H-NCYoLfBo_d5XqE8xLV_Edn0Ow6ad_TPlPiUmKClck198FPxhtkCWVntfWGzBZ3vvntyFu4Y2B6m40CQzQmc/s1366/P1570024_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1132" data-original-width="1366" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7dknm3lXdS5nunOHD9XJJomWP5u7kKw1HKeVVjaL8W7wYbEXXr5aufhLaWi18HwCdrdgMuPQwnhd7aHtCz7ndw_3z_b8WCmeL2dgeq9H-NCYoLfBo_d5XqE8xLV_Edn0Ow6ad_TPlPiUmKClck198FPxhtkCWVntfWGzBZ3vvntyFu4Y2B6m40CQzQmc/s320/P1570024_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Frozen Nettle</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Out on the river there were 12 Goosander (4 males), 5 Little Grebes and a scruffy looking presumed 1st winter male Red-breasted Merganser which was happily displaying to itself (as you do!). A Common Sandpiper, a Kingfisher and a Grey Wagtail were also seen.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I failed to find a reported Great Northern Diver but hopefully it will stick around and reappear and maybe the current cold snap will bring in some more birds too, here's hoping.</div>Stuart Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562828875993764020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498023071863063038.post-21219981893263991592023-11-27T07:14:00.003+00:002023-12-23T09:12:35.201+00:00Goosanders and GrebesA quick walk around Plymouth Hoe on Thursday 23rd November was Purple Sandpiper-less but there were 15 Turnstones feeding together on the rocks below the Pier One cafe, I think the highest count I have had here before. Even better was a smart male Black Redstart feeding on the rooftops at nearby Rusty Anchor but unfortunately mobile and distant.<div><br /></div><div>Saturday 25th November was cold, still and mostly sunny as I headed out to the River Plym for a walk. I started at Laira Bridge on the low tide and finished at Marsh Mills on the incoming tide and despite the cool temperatures I managed to see 2 Red Admirals and a Common Darter which was a surprise.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBh27trEgZFDxKkF9bltQ-VC7fgH7CadqxgO_k652X-y6BHZbKQA8lBD29a4PykzjblPn19vWYjpwmM3PvdzRiqrllRhTbfJ0428TEOExWzJWQJGlnxMkCH8iXXcM31TsfGQ1MPGKhwQ889Owd7EVq0_t_7waRZrWxgt7GoCJ9GL9XMfLOmtLwjurUj04/s1366/P1560801_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1207" data-original-width="1366" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBh27trEgZFDxKkF9bltQ-VC7fgH7CadqxgO_k652X-y6BHZbKQA8lBD29a4PykzjblPn19vWYjpwmM3PvdzRiqrllRhTbfJ0428TEOExWzJWQJGlnxMkCH8iXXcM31TsfGQ1MPGKhwQ889Owd7EVq0_t_7waRZrWxgt7GoCJ9GL9XMfLOmtLwjurUj04/w320-h283/P1560801_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Common Darter</div><div><br /></div><div>There were 26 Turnstone and a Common Sandpiper feeding on the seaweed along the shoreline at Laira Bridge, later there was a Turnstone on Blaxton Meadow and a Common Sandpiper along the river nearby. Other waders were seen feeding out on the mudflats but by the time I reached Blaxton Meadow they were heading in to roost on the incoming tide with 26 Curlew, 17 Oystercatcher, 3 Snipe, 8 Greenshank and a Black-tailed Godwit noted amongst the Redshank and Dunlins. The Wigeon flock was also present on the Meadow but before I could count them they all flew off, never to return, but there must have been 30+ present.</div><div><br /></div><div>There were also Goosanders busily diving for fish along the river on the low tide, spread out and difficult to count as they spent very little time at the surface but by the time I reached Marsh Mills they had flocked together at the gas pipe to rest on the small piece of beach not covered by the tide and there were a total of 4 males and 5 females present.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM215DCUdEHKlYDiy_5tlfrES3OIGzZ8P_gm3hEzwF7r0lB4l89V8_xHmuv8369UpSOPx-mC6PZGBU3LV9UQuKgKKeR-O2gyQmH4OrEqJjyzVw9Cw3nRlPnYMGRxFkGAyuCjiiyxDxNJGvMZthM05CLiJR_Q8tjfLcJY4yzkD8N_I0UxJ9fPelmRWsFWs/s1366/P1560819_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM215DCUdEHKlYDiy_5tlfrES3OIGzZ8P_gm3hEzwF7r0lB4l89V8_xHmuv8369UpSOPx-mC6PZGBU3LV9UQuKgKKeR-O2gyQmH4OrEqJjyzVw9Cw3nRlPnYMGRxFkGAyuCjiiyxDxNJGvMZthM05CLiJR_Q8tjfLcJY4yzkD8N_I0UxJ9fPelmRWsFWs/s320/P1560819_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Goosanders (6 of 9 present)</div><div><br /></div><div>A Great Crested Grebe, Mallards, Shelducks and 6 Little Grebe were also seen along the river and around the Park 2 Coal Tit, 4 Song Thrush and 3+ Ring-necked Parakeets were of note. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0lwwbqrau7JTAFwR1cZPvAe9G-0xGqNIMl4hYisuO0Tja4QfnGQwmv_I2AKPw7ZXi7AT-vPL8QHUx_wUox0vo8Jan-mu_MKGkcyJwYes8l6JLvyif4qqKMXTQm5GYQg2k23zzwCkuL1zpGtm48TOfeIcfhL_9jOyMPdOSvE13Fxq4dc24EcP4F9aciRk/s1366/P1560810_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0lwwbqrau7JTAFwR1cZPvAe9G-0xGqNIMl4hYisuO0Tja4QfnGQwmv_I2AKPw7ZXi7AT-vPL8QHUx_wUox0vo8Jan-mu_MKGkcyJwYes8l6JLvyif4qqKMXTQm5GYQg2k23zzwCkuL1zpGtm48TOfeIcfhL_9jOyMPdOSvE13Fxq4dc24EcP4F9aciRk/s320/P1560810_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Great Crested Grebe (as seen from above The Amphitheatre)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-El5xgngGbVrIKXoLPEzR5xu-kQ0BgBIn8hguOVp3A9PLifzZ6ERaqMqyncu4H5uo9TJN_OIDOZUFBUfg32VEWK1YLhKwlMhEUbAmcdIu6pqaZwmuj1YasI0MOXOPreXG-xOgfos6wvtCiZbMDoZzuMJIs__vRVoE_aDRdFvPaNReHjohmlAR734qiE/s1366/P1560847_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-El5xgngGbVrIKXoLPEzR5xu-kQ0BgBIn8hguOVp3A9PLifzZ6ERaqMqyncu4H5uo9TJN_OIDOZUFBUfg32VEWK1YLhKwlMhEUbAmcdIu6pqaZwmuj1YasI0MOXOPreXG-xOgfos6wvtCiZbMDoZzuMJIs__vRVoE_aDRdFvPaNReHjohmlAR734qiE/s320/P1560847_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Mallard</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Chelson Meadow was actually a bit more productive than usual with a Buzzard, a Kestrel and a female Sparrowhawk seen along with a pair of Stonechat, 3 Stock Dove over heading east, a Mistle Thrush, a Chiffchaff (heard), 2 Green Woodpecker, 2 Snipe and 8 Roe Deer.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMrG3-hXCb_0MgORTJPGFZvbwFhCMrB_04fAg_yrct2SO0t0fmYNeoPvoWXW2swodbxK4t1jxJmwRZkug9bX4-SZtgY21-zES6mfd9KZV28vfXMb858DXBA1ubXj0hAvoeK4IVQtukM9oomfPk4cpz_9CNsbz8vdA3eXgMQKO1-qzajQfGOT9yQyejXyw/s1366/P1560797_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMrG3-hXCb_0MgORTJPGFZvbwFhCMrB_04fAg_yrct2SO0t0fmYNeoPvoWXW2swodbxK4t1jxJmwRZkug9bX4-SZtgY21-zES6mfd9KZV28vfXMb858DXBA1ubXj0hAvoeK4IVQtukM9oomfPk4cpz_9CNsbz8vdA3eXgMQKO1-qzajQfGOT9yQyejXyw/s320/P1560797_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Roe Deer (1 of 8 present)</div><div><br /></div>Stuart Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562828875993764020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498023071863063038.post-77499730961944537092023-11-23T08:30:00.005+00:002023-11-23T08:37:55.180+00:00Wembury Water Pipit<p>After more wet and windy weather overnight I headed out to the River Plym on Saturday 18th November for a quick look about on the morning high tide before heading down to Truro for the night to celebrate our friend Julie's birthday. It was grey and claggy but dry and it wasn't too windy either and Blaxton Meadow was back to being a lake again.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLfT1AXkvI4dYe5uvobLEozLrhq43mGqI7rqNRHb0WzfI5RVZvjd-spvVYgTLKrVaqOXrDPm_fbwx7LS8K4W-RstUgi4EEYJbb6Ai5zSJ8QYxbYpHBqhgwzvr9l8TV7g-Lg5d0hOq48HzRSrlBCmJM2RjuC1NLCDpWIhzr-rwWOOwmv5G6QHfpcHz9zkc/s1366/P1560420_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLfT1AXkvI4dYe5uvobLEozLrhq43mGqI7rqNRHb0WzfI5RVZvjd-spvVYgTLKrVaqOXrDPm_fbwx7LS8K4W-RstUgi4EEYJbb6Ai5zSJ8QYxbYpHBqhgwzvr9l8TV7g-Lg5d0hOq48HzRSrlBCmJM2RjuC1NLCDpWIhzr-rwWOOwmv5G6QHfpcHz9zkc/s320/P1560420_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Blaxton Meadow/Lake</div><p>The usual birds were present on the Meadow despite the high water level and included a 2nd winter Mediterranean Gull, 2 adult Common Gull, 40 Wigeon, a female Teal, 26 Curlew and 10 Greenshank. There were 2 redhead Goosander present too, unusual here but obviously making the most of the high water levels while on the river nearby a male Goosander and 3 redheads were also present.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimsyYLbgqHUzxc3Kbfyqh0gv_DGd0bW74Zz5zsYoItfHT4RLidIWxOfnsTmOAt7un6VC8wb59vcYsBvnHgEyhdfCcFdteBaPJFmTe_xWJ9mGDqcEQRrwsV_PfPecPGDOJGnetJNcVDUYsCh_VNB6Y4ZmrDbc6pIdAyDQLgz9KTAxidbvp3orj-tI6OtLI/s1366/P1560405_edited~2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimsyYLbgqHUzxc3Kbfyqh0gv_DGd0bW74Zz5zsYoItfHT4RLidIWxOfnsTmOAt7un6VC8wb59vcYsBvnHgEyhdfCcFdteBaPJFmTe_xWJ9mGDqcEQRrwsV_PfPecPGDOJGnetJNcVDUYsCh_VNB6Y4ZmrDbc6pIdAyDQLgz9KTAxidbvp3orj-tI6OtLI/s320/P1560405_edited~2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Curlews</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifb9V4Xi5vM4KKIRxVS4htV1PFcQFV0vKqJM7yDAKX6HiWj1aweifpfUAGVgVUnYuHyrVhwk5J2wAg2dhi_K19_Gs43anZoRm9-ls8hxhlv1MMWlpVZl3TW0OcEZc-FCuZUvdEpn-vEfQ9OxPQ0WtymG1QljuxVDRRAv4SHCXkw9yVcB4dhiptLXxe8P0/s1366/P1560415_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifb9V4Xi5vM4KKIRxVS4htV1PFcQFV0vKqJM7yDAKX6HiWj1aweifpfUAGVgVUnYuHyrVhwk5J2wAg2dhi_K19_Gs43anZoRm9-ls8hxhlv1MMWlpVZl3TW0OcEZc-FCuZUvdEpn-vEfQ9OxPQ0WtymG1QljuxVDRRAv4SHCXkw9yVcB4dhiptLXxe8P0/s320/P1560415_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Wigeon</div><p>Tuesday 21st November was all blue sky and sunshine and with repairs to the living room fireplace and redecorating completed we headed out to Burrator Reservoir for a walk. It was very quiet on the bird front with a flyover Siskin, an unseen singing Mistle Thrush, the resident white farmyard Goose and a Cormorant the highlights. There was a lot of felling of the coniferous trees going on while we were there and the road was a complete mudbath in places, the recent weather has not been ideal for logging work. There was no sight or sound of any Crossbills on our walk but I hope that some of the pine trees which are covered in cones are left standing for them.</p><p>I headed out to Wembury on Wednesday 22nd November, it was dry and calm for a change but mostly overcast and I had a very enjoyable walk despite the very muddy footpath!</p><p>The Water Pipit was still present along the beach near the sewage pipe, it was very active and mobile and regularly chasing off any other Pipits that came too close.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6GAnKQVkQYhs9M5lk0RyJ7w5wQG6TEzmZK5Oz5tGQatGJH9rUMxZ9WG5raX1xBhArZKOiQwcWHvWQlhh2qApvECc46oU8AEm_22gmxiDNIKpANuIxnQ-dlHc1_f-EdGqgSJXERXnzRiwVTf1ofZYCxf7UWB_y7Fq7qegtVuBF25WelVeowCQMA0lsET0/s675/P1560675_edited~2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="542" data-original-width="675" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6GAnKQVkQYhs9M5lk0RyJ7w5wQG6TEzmZK5Oz5tGQatGJH9rUMxZ9WG5raX1xBhArZKOiQwcWHvWQlhh2qApvECc46oU8AEm_22gmxiDNIKpANuIxnQ-dlHc1_f-EdGqgSJXERXnzRiwVTf1ofZYCxf7UWB_y7Fq7qegtVuBF25WelVeowCQMA0lsET0/s320/P1560675_edited~2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Water Pipit</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX6OCqUJ8QpwWlgZhiorn11Zrjc8CBW4Pnxp1ymIeSoJpNSH9jJe4B6Uf9dGLVde4yUgtJG9HIAyauiapZEbQX8VK2Q2eljehAhzA0Gh9Z06UHNuEEh9I1RyOi0NFmaqlVszrlKwCeGOZF6YNPv2Jk84eDs3AVT1bnfc7Posz5ObL7GI5kMPB8ycdGAQw/s1366/P1560717_edited~2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX6OCqUJ8QpwWlgZhiorn11Zrjc8CBW4Pnxp1ymIeSoJpNSH9jJe4B6Uf9dGLVde4yUgtJG9HIAyauiapZEbQX8VK2Q2eljehAhzA0Gh9Z06UHNuEEh9I1RyOi0NFmaqlVszrlKwCeGOZF6YNPv2Jk84eDs3AVT1bnfc7Posz5ObL7GI5kMPB8ycdGAQw/s320/P1560717_edited~2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Water Pipit</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxH_BS4F6Dq3VdpbcmWjqP732BRjFEtNdwGg4gsaY2r4-MfWqBMwFAzkOrEmHJTK27YmG5eVaov550dGZZduM-d594Qtir3cXYgkyD-6qHj9RHhjLcFpBmP37092ObX2ZY6O6weRQvVCVzUBDGLu1eCHGYbzClZw93Yz-d5DkeelOJXqUO85yjSqdPys/s1366/P1560752_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxH_BS4F6Dq3VdpbcmWjqP732BRjFEtNdwGg4gsaY2r4-MfWqBMwFAzkOrEmHJTK27YmG5eVaov550dGZZduM-d594Qtir3cXYgkyD-6qHj9RHhjLcFpBmP37092ObX2ZY6O6weRQvVCVzUBDGLu1eCHGYbzClZw93Yz-d5DkeelOJXqUO85yjSqdPys/s320/P1560752_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Water Pipit </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVh950rrPQXhCvJbvmNpjI75gn8ODUT3BbbY1pHPvQSz1-wl27-VWwofPKIx9SC9O1Cjo8If1QoCZdBZphpGIMLPZ_KJyKVrKsc6riWBIla4AFcIfQpr7XYe6pWZzaliEKY83fXriQq5f_3HEWyEhlv5QeB2dr7bVv7wUC2g7L-_nSvIKiTaIeE4kmEqg/s1366/P1560760_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVh950rrPQXhCvJbvmNpjI75gn8ODUT3BbbY1pHPvQSz1-wl27-VWwofPKIx9SC9O1Cjo8If1QoCZdBZphpGIMLPZ_KJyKVrKsc6riWBIla4AFcIfQpr7XYe6pWZzaliEKY83fXriQq5f_3HEWyEhlv5QeB2dr7bVv7wUC2g7L-_nSvIKiTaIeE4kmEqg/s320/P1560760_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Water Pipit</div><p>A Reed Bunting was in amongst the Cirl Buntings perched up in the sewage farm hedge although it was chasing off any that came too close before it had had enough and flew off east.</p><p>Offshore a Great Northern Diver flew west and 3 Common Scoters (a male and 2 female) were also seen flying west before they landed on the sea. There were feeding flocks of Gulls further out but an adult Kittiwake passed by closer to shore as it headed west too.</p><p>A flock of 21 Turnstone were feeding along the beach with 2 Curlew, 3 Little Egrets, 2 pairs of Mallard and Oystercatchers also present.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisBanCKzqaT5Pw2AzpLutgVf4Qk9t-efnogM7ShJIOUy6KDUEuGtQzKn69ULy1seEAW4e4kkNhVo2eydUU8718DUB4sG7A2klIknQyoXObQ1L87bI-zUYp5f2OGl-53XWBzTpewkle_O0MGQl6okGUv-XlmwSFwK7Ur-WUfBLlJkBQj54sBpGsllXkvUw/s1366/P1560537_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisBanCKzqaT5Pw2AzpLutgVf4Qk9t-efnogM7ShJIOUy6KDUEuGtQzKn69ULy1seEAW4e4kkNhVo2eydUU8718DUB4sG7A2klIknQyoXObQ1L87bI-zUYp5f2OGl-53XWBzTpewkle_O0MGQl6okGUv-XlmwSFwK7Ur-WUfBLlJkBQj54sBpGsllXkvUw/s320/P1560537_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Oystercatcher</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFf48aa5l7zBZ-kUshLNlDuCzhzgPwswTi0d4ckjQkajxGrkQYiogtDx_11auFQr-Gp62RmUHcyLoaBQyrSJSIVsPe3JaEf7htqgpBkTs-IiwH_UYqpUrITDiUunk_94p-siJcCNMYTylNcNYCSWhR_UAYfrZ7IHisLa5vhiJiHh64i67EKzY601NF4AY/s1366/P1560549_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFf48aa5l7zBZ-kUshLNlDuCzhzgPwswTi0d4ckjQkajxGrkQYiogtDx_11auFQr-Gp62RmUHcyLoaBQyrSJSIVsPe3JaEf7htqgpBkTs-IiwH_UYqpUrITDiUunk_94p-siJcCNMYTylNcNYCSWhR_UAYfrZ7IHisLa5vhiJiHh64i67EKzY601NF4AY/s320/P1560549_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Great Black-backed Gull </div><p>A light passage of Woodpigeon passed overhead heading west, around 300 birds in total in small, irregular flocks and with them were 3 Stock Doves. Also of note were a Chiffchaff, 2 Goldcrest, a male Bullfinch, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Green Woodpecker.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKPS1-3b5rex0sh83RdCupY6qNZ8XmeJ5ATlybQnR9gphyKY6jO9p26a3ePWxS9nXGLBEzyrtFEkytb3ZZiB_8GUtE257LvBCCfhlJ_uNLUe63yvwFLEjUASLJVl2o9Bo3dWx_8fPRqTuqjSxG4J1bG-f7WS4eo7_p7uBH3o49BwtqVTfKfLu_hkrmDCs/s1366/P1560792_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKPS1-3b5rex0sh83RdCupY6qNZ8XmeJ5ATlybQnR9gphyKY6jO9p26a3ePWxS9nXGLBEzyrtFEkytb3ZZiB_8GUtE257LvBCCfhlJ_uNLUe63yvwFLEjUASLJVl2o9Bo3dWx_8fPRqTuqjSxG4J1bG-f7WS4eo7_p7uBH3o49BwtqVTfKfLu_hkrmDCs/s320/P1560792_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Stonechat</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWyd3tPgPipIZXRJcbEHB2sKU4vO3Ynun5OkFC1q3BaJIYa0EcPC5ItmwBwmvwgQ1NxicIG6OOz-VvuQLKlfYAmM2Eaex6XWnbg9hRRPQAQxe8OtLd0kIgoCW5z6NNRUfefQeOii_pSkZQyn7d_C5NsCj4FIzZrRXEEMadSjwc5Uo7WdT-f4ql_HERugo/s1366/P1560786_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWyd3tPgPipIZXRJcbEHB2sKU4vO3Ynun5OkFC1q3BaJIYa0EcPC5ItmwBwmvwgQ1NxicIG6OOz-VvuQLKlfYAmM2Eaex6XWnbg9hRRPQAQxe8OtLd0kIgoCW5z6NNRUfefQeOii_pSkZQyn7d_C5NsCj4FIzZrRXEEMadSjwc5Uo7WdT-f4ql_HERugo/s320/P1560786_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Stonechat</div>Stuart Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562828875993764020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498023071863063038.post-14099169700048233612023-11-14T08:07:00.011+00:002023-12-02T18:20:30.262+00:00Storm Debi<p>Monday 6th November saw us heading off in the car for a few days away in Suffolk to attend the funeral of my lovely Godfather Uncle Kevin. It was unfortunately to be a birding-less visit but on the car journey there and back it was nice to see good numbers of Kestrels, Buzzards and Red Kites and a few Sparrowhawks too in what were very pleasant weather conditions for a change (and the journey there and back went very smoothly too, only 6 hours each way and with no delays although the usual bad driving was still very much on display).</p><p>Saturday 11th November was sunny and calm too, a change from the mostly wet and windy weather we have had of late and so I decided to head out to the River Plym for a walk to make the most of it. It had clouded over by the time I arrived off the bus at Marsh Mills but it remained dry and I was just glad to be out birding for the first time in a week.</p><p>Things started off well with 3 Dipper seen at Long Bridge, they were very vocal as they sang, called, displayed and chased each other back and forth along the river before they all flew off upstream. Downstream a pair of Common Sandpiper were much more aminable as they rested and preened together along the waters edge and 6 Little Grebe were diving for fish nearby. Later a Great Crested Grebe was seen out on the river as the tide came in, no doubt pushed upriver by the water skiers, paddle boarders and rowers present.</p><p>It was low tide when I began my walk and Blaxton Meadow was no longer a lake, no birds were present as I passed by but on my return walk the tide was heading in and birds were coming in to roost with 21 Curlew, 11 Oystercatcher, 8 Greenshank, 8 Wigeon and a Snipe all seen amongst the usual Redshank and Dunlin.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcW4-n8UrB-2HIp11QhzuUk8zRIZ-6CTBRfJAWC0Q7AFcXljss8xRx_rJ1rFI8avporuXzU3EXrkV9oF0ag4iBfjUW5L4cZEED4vE3qgoXUqqqc-lQlXt7qYe3sLOBLCLLf226uGD5ZSK96xoOrqaM7ksf6M-GPJmrTYZ5Yce5FJbuSeAeKSKqai7yFKI/s1366/P1560319_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcW4-n8UrB-2HIp11QhzuUk8zRIZ-6CTBRfJAWC0Q7AFcXljss8xRx_rJ1rFI8avporuXzU3EXrkV9oF0ag4iBfjUW5L4cZEED4vE3qgoXUqqqc-lQlXt7qYe3sLOBLCLLf226uGD5ZSK96xoOrqaM7ksf6M-GPJmrTYZ5Yce5FJbuSeAeKSKqai7yFKI/s320/P1560319_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Blaxton Meadow on the incoming tide</div><p>It was quiet around the Park with the usual birds seen and included 2 Goldcrest, 2 Chiffchaff (1 seen, 1 heard), 4 Jay, a pair of Stonechat, a Raven, 2 Song Thrush and around 20 Redwing. Both Green Woodpecker and Great Spotted Woodpecker were heard too but kept well hidden as did a noisy Buzzard.</p><p>There were at least 20 Moorhen on the duck pond but again no sign of any Mandarin nor the Red Crested Pochard.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFXY95_tit5r61cxrvdiwgXtQzrZK3ZynYvOlqhKDJAGBp8jmxORZjA-cx0i0_V5RUYWtkwNX2PpSwUtrcUkAE6KFwyA0zMWJbeOLhwkoRA7v14ub7RFZHG7WzaJW8O6kyt78bFSMRUzhN7sU40xlNzeukHBImyZGt04o_rFqNixSK5S9WR97NRF5tx0/s1366/P1560345_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFXY95_tit5r61cxrvdiwgXtQzrZK3ZynYvOlqhKDJAGBp8jmxORZjA-cx0i0_V5RUYWtkwNX2PpSwUtrcUkAE6KFwyA0zMWJbeOLhwkoRA7v14ub7RFZHG7WzaJW8O6kyt78bFSMRUzhN7sU40xlNzeukHBImyZGt04o_rFqNixSK5S9WR97NRF5tx0/s320/P1560345_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Muscovy Duck, Saltram Duck Pond</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwFV8-0VXrOLmXuafyO62aGoAnyd-BYWpI2d-iVuP7iX6c9-MhUJj6M0Vxj8duXXqI1XGQy-KUVcklAKXTL4_sQfYgQ0gwuhjojwpkaChMvX7RaxLcmgOPFZmCKRrECdDGp2tX6PGzX7ugltGcnqdAo5IafEt0V4TLsFraPBNKcHPMk2LHjy-P48-Y3m0/s1366/P1560349_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwFV8-0VXrOLmXuafyO62aGoAnyd-BYWpI2d-iVuP7iX6c9-MhUJj6M0Vxj8duXXqI1XGQy-KUVcklAKXTL4_sQfYgQ0gwuhjojwpkaChMvX7RaxLcmgOPFZmCKRrECdDGp2tX6PGzX7ugltGcnqdAo5IafEt0V4TLsFraPBNKcHPMk2LHjy-P48-Y3m0/s320/P1560349_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">A face only a Mother could love</div><p>It was also quiet on Chelson Meadow with Skylark, Meadow Pipit, a male Stonechat, a Red Admiral and a pair of Roe Deer the highlights but the best sighting was of 3 Snipe and 2 Jack Snipe flying high overhead, they came over from the direction of Laira and then flew towards Saltram House before being lost from view. The smaller size of the Jack Snipe was very noticeable and at first I thought they were Dunlin until they came close enough to properly ID.</p><p>I headed out to Wembury again on Monday 13th November after another wet and windy night as Storm Debi rattled through, it was still very windy when I arrived off the 7am bus although the rain had cleared through and the footpaths were as expected a complete mud bath but I still enjoyed my walk.</p><p>I had hoped for some sea watching excitement but all I saw offshore in the choppy seas were 4 Gannet (3 adults and 1 immature bird), a Fulmar, a few Shag and around 10 adult Kittiwakes along with the usual Gulls.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxR5ZlQuzz0dJ7XwKwSwNaBc6vmUa-8LigbcNdBjZyFLwnrsKvKI1WnEXOcKqQa8IQSptllVquJiTuZbcTosnlOU0kYnb6wAUHQYgf1cd_LkvZ-95o66aH3obzzu98zo0ta57jrUeAWIMAjlPaLTa3PDv-YM9ilC9AUBU5JvQaPvXutV-H9tHmySwsOHA/s1366/P1560373_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxR5ZlQuzz0dJ7XwKwSwNaBc6vmUa-8LigbcNdBjZyFLwnrsKvKI1WnEXOcKqQa8IQSptllVquJiTuZbcTosnlOU0kYnb6wAUHQYgf1cd_LkvZ-95o66aH3obzzu98zo0ta57jrUeAWIMAjlPaLTa3PDv-YM9ilC9AUBU5JvQaPvXutV-H9tHmySwsOHA/s320/P1560373_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Mewstone - and not many birds</div><p>The usual Gulls were also loafing about along the beach and some Black-headed Gulls were also feeding in the surf along with 2 adult and 2 2nd winter Mediterranean Gulls. Only 3 Little Egret were present this time after the recent high of 12 birds and the usual Oystercatchers were present with a Curlew and a Grey Heron.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfOvL08ZGC3VBEu8MFWOwOs_PLLcZtsEeBVU8mfgDx8pmVpwuE24pUVDe95e8RMT-TZ-RTczYZu8NjQQioj7WZi3QSdNC9N_I4FIqP2Z9NJYPmoF7nHrViPaeOlFU_FQQ0usvGTEPZviQhk-eDR3PGyvT50tL1D4A-BqrMbk7As3ToIG9GZ7bE00tbzuQ/s1366/P1560371_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfOvL08ZGC3VBEu8MFWOwOs_PLLcZtsEeBVU8mfgDx8pmVpwuE24pUVDe95e8RMT-TZ-RTczYZu8NjQQioj7WZi3QSdNC9N_I4FIqP2Z9NJYPmoF7nHrViPaeOlFU_FQQ0usvGTEPZviQhk-eDR3PGyvT50tL1D4A-BqrMbk7As3ToIG9GZ7bE00tbzuQ/s320/P1560371_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Black-headed and Mediterranean Gull</div><p>Most small birds were keeping hunkered down in the strong wind but the usual Stonechat, Cirl Buntings, Chaffinch, Robins and Goldfinch were seen along with a pair of Kestrels, a Song Thrush, a Goldcrest and 3 Pheasants. The Cettis Warbler was heard calling in the usual place but there was no sign of the Water Pipit along the beach although the Rock and Meadow Pipits and Pied Wagtails present were being blown about like leaves in the strong wind.</p><p>The beach has taken more of a battering in the recent rough weather, I'm not sure if the Sea Kale has survived but the Phragmites is still hanging on. A single Portuguese Man O'War was found washed up on the beach and amongst the seaweed mass were Edible Crab and Spider Crab shells.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_TUka-eJ4qx79B5iefdoncZY1m2zjJ29uacQ4j5dxpJOijEoxOf4z7JFrh2lf8lx4mqwrB14pApBORWHCWNPmXmNSCi3a_2fv6Ax4RoT0MmWMZRf1ynWGBK2rYK-EWyxQVbiXUvW4UkL20oGjHDAv-p3f4bJqUs4XAlnn7hhuj578ZsfAHJe0mjv-BU/s1366/P1560388_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_TUka-eJ4qx79B5iefdoncZY1m2zjJ29uacQ4j5dxpJOijEoxOf4z7JFrh2lf8lx4mqwrB14pApBORWHCWNPmXmNSCi3a_2fv6Ax4RoT0MmWMZRf1ynWGBK2rYK-EWyxQVbiXUvW4UkL20oGjHDAv-p3f4bJqUs4XAlnn7hhuj578ZsfAHJe0mjv-BU/s320/P1560388_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Portuguese Man O'War </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVFhvsHmbTnRNrtWeh18fuCLVogsJ5zjI0UHqy9ea95uVdx4CgpmxxovzEljCEhI4d6xWSrzteBrlq8__QcGWSttiaojPGPL-gHXx-7vb0wvofyi8ajRZBViaAOCYulhqcI_ZVeDzC4OyQfYaMd2ZYWXpfR60Xapsdm7p_-gafFt0g_W4OjSsr__j42lY/s1366/P1560387_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVFhvsHmbTnRNrtWeh18fuCLVogsJ5zjI0UHqy9ea95uVdx4CgpmxxovzEljCEhI4d6xWSrzteBrlq8__QcGWSttiaojPGPL-gHXx-7vb0wvofyi8ajRZBViaAOCYulhqcI_ZVeDzC4OyQfYaMd2ZYWXpfR60Xapsdm7p_-gafFt0g_W4OjSsr__j42lY/s320/P1560387_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Edible Crab shell</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigwWXQnJsDXXnoZy6qmQ18T4fXMLGhQtvL9ENVa_zQNCikgbmb2nx4ToCuXLPfkqebVO4f-bRLaO4S3CY8Rcc2Qj_1oGviSHksRia-IK9mlgpl9SAU6lghXFTC7ZfmR1qLv7dp4zF6UjImWT8Uta0EL0W8BdJEShDxN5bqOFOwaKQbU5jyImLzmodyQck/s1366/P1560378_edited.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1366" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigwWXQnJsDXXnoZy6qmQ18T4fXMLGhQtvL9ENVa_zQNCikgbmb2nx4ToCuXLPfkqebVO4f-bRLaO4S3CY8Rcc2Qj_1oGviSHksRia-IK9mlgpl9SAU6lghXFTC7ZfmR1qLv7dp4zF6UjImWT8Uta0EL0W8BdJEShDxN5bqOFOwaKQbU5jyImLzmodyQck/w320-h240/P1560378_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Spider Crab shell</div><p><br /></p>Stuart Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562828875993764020noreply@blogger.com0