Billacombe Railway and Blagdons Meadow, Plymouth

Sunday June 5th, a hot and sunny day and a day off to myself and after pottering around the house in the morning I headed off to Billacombe Quarry for a nose around. I visited here in July 2012 just before planning permission was given to develop a housing estate on the site and it has certainly changed. The whole area has been filled in and levelled off and houses are popping up at one end of the site. The cliff sides of the quarry have been stabilised and in places planted with trees and as a result still look wildlife friendly. I had a clamber about and saw common blues, orange tips, small whites and green veined whites along with a small tortoiseshell which was obsessed with a dried up dog turd on the ground, regularly returning to settle on it when disturbed.

A blackcap was busily singing away in a small wood and a riband wave and at least 3 treble bars were also disturbed from vegetation but there was no sign of any orchids or slow worms.

Treble Bar

I headed back to Billacombe Railway to have a look at what is happening there as it is right next too where the houses are being built in the quarry and I was a bit trepidatious at what I might find. The first part of the railway line opposite Morrisons  is becoming overgrown with invasive vegetation and the old sleepers are rotting away to dust. Common blues and burnet companions were seen in the remaining open areas where birds foot trefoil is still growing and speckled woods were seen in the shady woodland but there were no orchids.

Burnet Companion

The railway line behind The Range is also becoming very overgrown and all the felt squares present last year where slow worms and common lizards were sheltering had all gone. Again common blues and burnet companions were flitting about and a party of long tailed tits moved through the bushes. No orchids were found until just before I was about to leave when I luckily caught sight of 2 bee orchids, my first here at this site and almost missed - they were taller than those I see at nearby Blagdons Meadow and very nice to find.

Bee Orchid

Bee Orchid

I am not sure what is happening to the site which is owned by Plymouth City Council. I get the feeling that it is being left to overgrow so that it loses its wildlife and industrial heritage value so that it can be built on as part of the housing development. More likely is the continuation of the cycle path through it following the opening of the cycle bridge across the River Plym. Very sad.

I walked along the roadside towards the cycle bridge looking for orchids but with no luck - it has been cool and dry recently which may have delayed development. The tide was coming in as I walked over the bridge and I saw a pair of shelduck on the mudflats amongst the gulls. Swallows were flitting about the derelict boat by the footpath with a long tailed male constantly chasing a short tailed female around and house martins chittered overhead.

Blagdons Meadow was looking very lush but was very dry underfoot and I managed to find a few early purple orchids which had mostly gone over. No bee orchids but southern marsh orchids were putting on quite a show, I have never seen so many here before and they were present in a much wider area of the Meadow than previously.

Early Purple Orchid

Southern Marsh Orchid

Southern Marsh Orchids

Common blues and burnet companions were flitting about with the burnet companions in flight doing a good impression of small heaths at times but unfortunately I didn't find any small heaths on this visit. A silver y was a first for the year and a large white flying past  was a first for the day.

Two skylarks were feeding in the long grass and I found a male azure damselfly resting on vegetation but by now I was hot and tired from being out in the bright sunshine and so I headed home for a cup of tea and a cool down.

Male Azure Damselfly

Slow Worms and Southern Marsh Orchids

My plans for a day out on Sunday 31st May went out of the window due to strong winds and rain but by 2pm the rain had cleared and I needed to get out of the house and so I went for a walk at Billacombe Railway and Blagdons Meadow.

Arriving at Billacombe Railway and it was cool and grey with a strong breeze but eventually the sun appeared and it was pleasant out of the wind. I checked out the felt squares again and found at least 30 slow worms, mostly small black and buff coloured ones but 6 large and brown coloured ones too. I also found a common lizard which played dead for a while before it scuttled off. I wonder if on my last visit the slow worms were there but hidden in the dead vegetation due to the warm weather but today they were closer to the surface as it was cooler.

 Slow Worm - small, and black and buff coloured

 

 Slow Worm - large and brown coloured

 

 Slow Worm

 

Common Lizard playing dead

 



Also seen were a Pyrausta aurata moth, a male common blue, a Southern marsh orchid and a flyover greenfinch. A chiffchaff was heard singing and I snacked on some wild strawberries, very small but very delicious.

 Pyrausta aurata

 

 Southern Marsh Orchid

 

Cricket Sp. Nymph

 



I headed over to Blagdons Meadow and quickly found more Southern marsh orchids in flower. The early purple orchids were starting to go over but there was no sign of any bee orchids. Male common blues were on the wing with quite a few burnet companion moths disturbed from the grass. Swallows were skimming low over the grass in the cool breeze and a pair of greenfinch flew overhead. So all in all not a bad couple of hours out and about and not far from home.

 This Maids Ocean Days are over - but a nest site for swallows on the River Plym

 

 Southern Marsh Orchids

 

Burnet Companion