Lakenheath Fen and Fowlmere

Wednesday 16th May and after visiting antiques shops and meeting up with my Aunty Maureen for a coffee we headed off to RSPB Lakenheath Fen for a walk. On the drive there I saw a brief flyby turtle dove which was a nice surprise and 2 red legged partridge crossing the road in front of us but unfortunately the weather was grey and cold with a strong breeze and so Mum and David stayed in the visitors centre while I headed off for a quick whizz around the reserve.

I walked out to the Joist Fen Viewpoint where common cranes are often seen but I was out of luck today but I did see a pair of tufted duck, 2 pairs of marsh harriers, 2 oystercatchers, chuntering reed warblers, swifts, swallows, house martins and 6 distant common terns. At least 5 hobbies were dashing around the reed beds catching insects despite the chilly breeze with 1 bird perching up in a tree right by the footpath and making sorties right over my head - I thought it may have been curious about me but more likely it was catching insects I was disturbing from the footpath as I was walking along but I had some amazing views of it.

 Hobby, Lakenheath Fen

 Hobby

 Hobby

 Hobby

 Hobby

Back at the visitors centre I had a closer view of a common tern flying over a lake and a flyby cuckoo along with a kingfisher and a stoat, both of which Mum and David had been watching while drinking hot chocolates.

Kingfisher

Thursday 17th May and it was time to head off to Aylesbury for the night. Along the way David visited the Imperial War Museum at Duxford for a few hours after dropping me off first at nearby RSPB Fowlmere, somewhere I haven't visited before. Fowlmere was originally a water cress farm centred on a natural spring but was taken over by the RSPB and made into a reed bed. A footpath through woodland circled the reed bed with 2 hides giving views over the reeds and another hide overlooking a tree lined pool and it was a very pleasant walk in sunny but breezy conditions.

Warblers were seen and heard - willow, Cettis, reed and sedge warblers and whitethroat, chiffchaff and blackcap - with greylag goose, a spotted flycatcher, a little grebe with a chick, 2 hobbies dashing around over the reeds, a male marsh harrier quartering over the reed bed ( a pair are nesting here this year) and a red kite flying over being mobbed by a carrion crow also being seen. There was no sight or sound of any turtle doves despite 2 pairs breeding here this year but I did flush a red legged partridge from the surrounding fields as well as startling a muntjac deer and a small herd of fallow deer. A burnet companion was a surprise find and holly blue, orange tip, brimstone, peacock, speckled wood and green veined white were also noted along with a male broad bodied chased, hairy dragonfly, large red damselfly and blue damselfly species.

 Muntjac Deer, Fowlmere

 Burnet Companion

 Large Red Damselfly

 Blue Damselfly

Hairy Dragonfly

While waiting for David to come and pick me up I wandered along the reserve entrance road and spooked a pair of red legged partridge which flew off over the fields. Even better was a male corn bunting which flew in and landed on a bush very close by, singing for a short time before flying off - I had seen 2 birds perched on telegraph wires on the drive to the reserve but was very pleased to get a much better view of one.

Corn Bunting

David duly arrived and had found an angleshades in the back of the car which I photographed before releasing into the hedgerow and we drove on to Aylesbury, seeing red kites soaring over the town buildings as we arrived at our hotel.

Angleshades

We stayed at The Bell, a Wetherspoons hotel which was actually very nice but it was a little strange eating breakfast by the bar while various assorted gentleman knocked back pints at 9 o'clock in the morning. After breakfast we drove to Waddeson Manor, a National Trust house and estate once owned by the Rothschilds that David wanted to visit. The grounds and gardens and house looked stunning in the beautiful sunshine but the house interior, while interesting, was for me a little soulless and staged. 

Waddeson Manor

Red kites were regularly seen soaring overhead as we wandered around the garden and I also saw holly blues, mistle thrushes and a "singing" spotted flycatcher high in a copper beech tree.

 Red Kite

 Red Kite

Red Kite

The drive back to Devon was ok with a traffic snarl around Oxford made more bearable by watching red kites flying over and 2 hares in a field and we eventually arrived back in Plymouth having had a great time away.

Breezey Birding in Bude

A few days away at the caravan in Bude from June 7th to June 10th and it was gloriously sunny for most of the time. However there was a stiff north-easterly breeze for the whole time which meant it was cool, unpleasently so at times. It was also very chilly at night with the wind and clear skies giving poor mothing conditions.

I didn't find any moths in the toilet blocks and I only had the moth box out for one night and the best of a small haul were 2 pebble prominent, a bordered sallow and a bordered straw, a new moth for me. More exciting was seeing at least 2 hummingbird hawkmoths along the clifftops on our daytime walks, whizzing around in the warm sunshine in areas out of the cool wind.

Bordered Straw

Bordered Sallow

A few butterflies were seen as well - a red admiral, a painted lady, a small tortoiseshell, male common blues, a small copper and my first meadow brown of the year.

The water levels at Maer Lake were high and amongst the mallards were a pair of shelduck and a male teal along with 2 black-tailed godwits. I only visited the clifftops once for an evening walk due to the cold wind and managed to see a few distant Manx shearwaters in small groups flying towards Lundy along with a few gannets. The choppy seas meant no luck with spotting any cetaceans.

Along the Bude Canal there were 2 Cettis warblers and 2 reed warblers singing. A male whitethroat was songflighting and a male reed bunting was seen with 2 others heard. Beautiful demoiselles, blue-tailed damselfly, azure damselfly and a scarce chaser were seen flying around along the footpath.

Blue-tailed Damselfly

Banded Demoiselle - male

Banded Demoiselle - female

Azure Damselfly

Scarce Chaser - male

Some swallows flying over having a hissy fit as we walked up Bude high street had me looking skywards and I just caught a brief glimpse of a hobby disappearing behind the buildings. It reappeared, gaining height before being mobbed by a female kestrel and heading off inland - a very nice surprise. Even more exciting was seeing a red kite flying overhead at Stratton as we drove back to Plymouth - it was mobbed by a carrion crow as it headed East, part of what has been a large influx and movement of red kites in Cornwall and Devon recently and a nice end to our trip.

Warblers and Damselflys at Exminster Marsh

Despite the bad weather forecast on May 8th I headed off to Exminster Marshes anyway - the forecast kept changing and so I just decided to go for it and take my chances. It was cool and overcast and breezey but the rain didn't arrive until I got on the train back to Plymouth.

Arriving at the RSPB car park at Exminster Marsh at 9:30 and it was surprisingly quiet with very little bird song. Swifts, swallows, house martins and sand martins were very active over the marsh, flying low over the ground trying to find food, and Canada geese and shelducks were roosting amongst the cows.

I walked along the back path towards the Turf Hotel and began to hear bird song - a few very quiet reed warblers and 2 noisey reed buntings. Sedge warblers were much more vocal and showy and Cettis warblers were explosive but secretive amongst the vegetation. A lone willow warbler was heard along with chiffchaffs and blackcaps but there were no whitethroats or lesser whitethroats.

 Reed Warbler in a tree!

 Reed Warbler

 Sedge Warbler

Sedge Warbler
 

Sedge Warbler

 



A peregrine was perched on the usual pylon, taking short flight sorties around the marsh causing complete panic amongst the nesting lapwings. A small falcon high overhead turned out to be a hobby, it was joined by a second bird and both flew off north, while a female kestrel flew low along a hedgerow.

 Nervous looking Grey Heron

Oh Dear!

A male gadwall, a pair of tufted duck, 8 whimbrel, 11 summer plumaged dunlin and a great spotted woodpecker were also seen but the best surprise was a yellow wagtail which flew over calling, gaining height and flying off east. I rarely see a springtime yellow wagtail and was pleased with my brief and distant view although I keep hoping that they will start breeding on the marshes soon.

Despite the cool conditions I found a few damselflys perched on vegetation by the footpath in more sheltered areas. They were small and easily overlooked but nice to find.

 Large Red Damselfly - male

Damselfly sp.

 Large Red Damselfly - female

Damselfly sp.

Walking back to the bus stop and a hobby circled overhead, a much better view as it flashed its red thighs before dashing off and out of sight. I headed on to Dawlish Warren with a common sandpiper, around 18 turnstones and 2 whimbrel flying over calling seen at Starcross along the way. At Dawlish Warren I hoped for some birds offshore in the windy conditions but it was fairly quiet - 2 great crested grebes, distant Sandwich terns, a few adult gannets and a flock of around 40 common scoters were the best of it. The scoters flew across the Bay from Berry Head in a loose, strung out flock before landing on the sea and totally disappearing from sight.

At least 3 reed warblers were singing in the reeds at the main pond with 1 bird seen, the birds were keeping low down in the strong breeze. A blackcap, a chiffchaff and 4 whitethroats were more showy. A green woodpecker, a great spotted woodpecker, a female stonechat and 8 whimbrel feeding on the grass in Greenland Lake were the other avian highlights and a brief sunny spell brought out a female orange tip, green veined whites and my first small copper of the year.

 Female Orange Tip on Cuckoo Flower

 Flower sp.

Small Copper

More Summer Migrants

April 24th and lunch at Torcross and a walk along Slapton Ley was relatively quiet with a noticeable change in the weather - grey skies, stiff south-westerly breeze, cool and a hint of rain to come.

Reed warblers were chuntering away and I managed some very brief, obscured views as they skulked in the reed bases. Cettis warblers were also very vocal but I couldn't catch a sight of one. Chiffchaffs and blackcaps were vocal and showy as was a smart male cirl bunting near the bridge. A whimbrel flew over calling and 4 Sandwich terns were noisely patrolling back and forth along the beach.

The highlight were 4 swifts in a feeding flock of swallows, house martins and sand martins over the Ley at Torcross - they gave themselves away by screaming noisely and chasing each other and are I think the earliest I have seen here in the UK.

April 26th and we had a quick visit to Cotehele in Cornwall to have a look at the apple blossom in the orchards. The older trees in the established orchard were in full bloom and looking stunning despite the grey sky but the flowers on the new orchard trees were not quite ready to open.

Apple Blossom, Cotehele

 



A male yellowhammer singing in the top of a bare tree, a chuntering reed warbler hidden in the reeds at Cotehele Quay and a pair of male whitethroats having a sing-off in a hedgerow were the avian highlights.

April 28th and it was time to head off to Grenofen Woods for my annual walk. It was sunny but cool and breezey, out of the breeze it was quite pleasant though. The only butterfly I saw was a lone speckled wood but I did see a few longhorn moths flitting about in the tree tops.

 Longhorn Moth, Grenofen Woods

 

Longhorn Moth (Adela reaumurella)

 



A redstart singing in the trees in the usual place on the walk up through the woods kept well hidden but as I emerged out of the trees on to the common I had some good views of a singing male before it disappeared in the undergrowth. I later had good views of at least another 3 singing males, all very vocal but active and mobile.

Blurry, distant male Redstart

 

A garden warbler singing in the usual place by the footpath on leaving the woods gave some good views but was very mobile too - at times its song was quite scratchy and almost grating to the ears before switching back to the more usual pleasant tones. I managed to see another 2 singing males which gave better views and I also heard a 4th male which kept itself hidden in the bushes.

 Singing Garden Warbler

 

Garden Warbler

 



Sitting on the hillside overlooking the valley enjoying a chocolate bar and the view and a small falcon caught my eye - it turned out to be a hobby flying over the trees heading towards Dartmoor, a very nice surprise and my second Grenofen sighting. A tree pipit started singing nearby and gave some nice views before flying off and I had some more distant views of a 2nd song-flighting bird. A male yellowhammer also sang briefly before flying off.

Tree Pipit

 



Along the river a pair of grey wagtails were busily feeding but there was no sign of any dippers. As usual there were sadly no wood warblers or pied flycatchers.

Male Grey Wagtail

 



A female great spotted woodpecker, 2 jays, 3 buzzards, 2 ravens, a yaffling green woodpecker, a grey heron flying over, 3 house martins, 2 swallows and a male bullfinch were also seen along with the usual woodland species. A minotaur beetle was also a first for me (although I didn't realise it was a dung beetle as it crawled all over my hands!) and a nice end on what had been a very enjoyable day out.

 Minotaur Beetle

 

Minotaur Beetle close up

 



Catching up with Summer Migrants

Summer migrants are now arriving in numbers and so in between work and wet weather I have been out and about trying to see them.

A quick walk at Wembury Point on 23rd April and the usual suspects were on view - 2 Canada geese resting in the wheatfield, 2 shelduck on the beach by the sewage pipe, 3 whimbrel, a raven flying out to The Mewstone, a female kestrel and singing chiffchaffs and whitethroats. Best sighting was a very smart looking wall butterfly, presumably freshly emerged and my first of the year.

Friday 25th April and I headed off to the River Exe, arriving at Exminster Marsh at 09:30 to be greeted by a singing Cettis warbler in bushes by the RSPB car park. It gave some very close views before disappearing amongst the scrub, and walking around the Marsh more Cettis warblers were seen and heard along with sedge warblers, reed warblers, chiffchaffs, blackcaps, a whitethroat and best of all 3 lesser whitethroats, a bird I do not see that often. The lesser whitethroats were mobile and vocal but gave some great views with 2 birds in the hedges along the railway line near the car park and a third bird in a hedge near the Turf Hotel.

Singing Sedge Warbler, Exminster Marsh



On the Marsh a pair of gadwall and a greenshank were seen with a pair of tufted duck diving on the lagoon. Swallows and sand martins flew over with a single house martin and a peregrine was watching all from a pylon. A hobby flew in from the south and almost casually fed on insects overhead, catching them and eating them in flight as it headed north and out of sight.

 Male Orange Tip, Exminster Marsh

Peacock, Exminster Marsh



I decided to head out to nearby Powderham Marsh, somewhere I haven't visited before, and along the way I met a birder looking for cirl buntings. I know they are in the area but have never seen them here before so suggested he try the RSPB reserve at Labrador Bay near Torquay, not far from where he was staying. He duly left and I headed on and as I passed some stubble fields 2 birds flew up into the hedge and as I got my binoculars on them I found they were a pair of cirl buntings! Another male was also seen busily singing away in a garden by the road. I only hope that the birder did eventually connect with cirl buntings somewhere in Devon.

Powderham Marsh was quiet with a greylag goose amongst the Canada geese, a pair of teal and 2 pairs of tufted duck being the best sightings, with a very smart male reed bunting and a pair of stonechats also being seen.

I then headed off to Dawlish Warren to catch the high tide and in The Bight amongst the roosting oystercatchers, ringed plover and summer plumaged dunlin were 3 whimbrel, a winter plumaged knot and a winter plumaged grey plover. A lone brent goose was resting on the golf course looking a little forlorn but later it did start feeding on the nearby grass.

Male Pheasant, Dawlish Warren



Offshore 4 adult gannets flew west and 12 whimbrel flew east, Sandwich terns were busily diving for fish and on the sea were 2 summer plumaged great crested grebes. Around the main pond 2 reed warblers were singing and a pair of little grebes were feeding 2 chicks with a second pair of adults nearby. A lone sand martin was flying over the water and was showing some interest in the artificial nesting bank.

2 Little Grebe Chicks, Dawlish Warren Main pond



A male sparrowhawk gave a great view perched on a sign before flying off in hunting mode and fortunately didn't notice a very smart male cirl bunting in some nearby bushes with possibly a female bird as well, my first Dawlish Warren sighting. A very large brown rat was seen crossing the footpath near the railway station and it was nice to see some sand crocus still in flower too.

 Male Sparrowhawk, Dawlish Warren

Male Cirl bunting, Dawlish Warren

Sand Crocus, Dawlish Warren



Sunday 27th April and a wet and windy walk to the Avon Dam was quiet bird wise but I did see my first willow warblers of the year along with a male stonechat, a male reed bunting and a grey wagtail, and on the way home I saw some early purple orchids by the roadside near the A38.

Early Purple Orchid