River Plym and Rame Head

Sunday 18th October was sunny and calm and so I decided to have my usual River Plym/Saltram wander on the last day of my "Should have been in France" weekend off. 

The tide was ebbing but it had been a very high tide and Blaxton Meadow was totally underwater again with 27 Curlew roosting on one of the small islands before flying off out onto the mudflats. A female Wigeon and 5 Shelduck were out on the water and a Kingfisher was perched in a tree along the river embankment before flying upriver.

Ring-necked Parakeets were heard squawking away in the trees along with a yaffling Green Woodpecker and the usual birds were seen including Nuthatch, Jay, Coal Tit, Goldcrest, 9+ Stock Dove, Long-tailed Tit, a Great-spotted Woodpecker and 2 Chiffchaff. A few Speckled Wood were still flitting about in sheltered spots too. 

Speckled Wood

Out on the estuary a Dunlin and 3 Greenshank were feeding with Redshank, Curlew and 4 Oystercatcher. Mallard, Canada Geese, Cormorant, Little Egret and Grey Heron were seen too. 

I had the moth box out in the back yard that night, the first night that has been dry and above 10 degrees for some time, and in the morning I had 3 moths of 3 species, 3 more than I had expected - a Light Brown Apple Moth, a Rusty Dot Pearl and an Angle Shades. 

Angle Shades

Monday 19th October and a sunny start gave way to grey skies and a chilly breeze on my walk around Rame Head with work colleague Sue and her dog Daisy. We hoped to see some Dolphins but were out of luck although the usual Gannets were seen offshore along with a few Kittiwake and at least 3 Mediterranean Gull (1 2nd winter and 2 adults).

A Stonechat, 2 Chiffchaff and a Firecrest were seen on our walk around the cliffs where 3 Fallow Deer were seen feeding. Swallow, Kestrel and Sparrowhawk were seen overhead and a few Meadow Pipits were heard flying over too.

Fallow Deer

Cirl Buntings and Sand Martins at Slapton Ley

A trip to Gatwick Airport on Sunday 20th March with an overnight stay in order to pick up the Outlaws on March 21st and as usual there was the familiar and sad sight of dead badgers, foxes and pheasents by the roadside on the journey there and back. More pleasent were the sightings of 3 roe deer (M3), fieldfares in a bare field (A303) and 7 red kites (M3/A303 area and M25).

A walk at Wembury on March 23rd and it was still quiet with a chiffchaff singing and busily catching flies in the valley to the beach being the only summer migrant. A pair of shelduck on the beach and yet more mating bloody nosed beetles were more hints of Spring along with a singing cirl bunting. A male yellowhammer seen in the HMS Cambridge hedgerow was my first of the year and my first at Wembury for some time. A nice summer plumaged great crested grebe close to shore was my first at Wembury for some time too.

 Great Crested Grebe

Sloe Blossom

A stop at Laira Bridge over the River Plym on the way home and a chiffchaff was heard singing in the pine trees by the bus depot. 8 little egrets and a curlew were along the river at a very low tide and a female goosander was feeding in the river channel with a cormorant.

David had bought a gooseberry plant from Wilkinsons and on getting it home an angle shades moth was found in the plastic wrapping which I photographed and released outside in the backyard - most bizarre.

Angle Shades

March 24th and I headed off to Slapton Ley for a walk on a grey and cold morning  and I managed to see a few birds before the rain arrived at 11:30. Amongst the coot, gadwall, tufted duck, mallard and great crested grebes were 3 male and a female pochard, 2 male and a female wigeon and 3 male and 2 female goldeneye. There were 64+ mute swans around the Ley, quite mobile birds with a mix of adults and immatures and with 2 birds on nests in the reedbeds.

There were 6+ sand martins buzzing over the Ley looking out of place on what was a cold and dreary day, I bet they wished they were still in Africa. They were very mobile too and it was difficult to assess numbers accurately.

Along the Leyside were a very confiding pair of cirl buntings along with a male reed bunting.

 Cirl Buntings

 Cirl Buntings

Cirl Buntings

From the bridge a chiffchaff was heard singing along with Cettis warblers and I managed to get brief and obscured views of at least 3 Cettis as they skulked in the vegetation. 2 water rails were heard squealing in the reeds but I couldn't catch a view of them.

A large peregrine flew down the Ley spooking the ducks and gulls, it had pale grey/brown upperparts and based on size was probably a female bird.

Offshore a great northern diver was busily diving and an adult gannet flew west but then the rain arrived and it was time for a bacon sandwich and a cup of tea in the Seabreeze Cafe before heading off home.