River Plym and Rame Head

Thursday 12th April and while working a long day I received a text from local birder Russ that a ring ouzel was showing well near the River Plym - but unfortunately there was nothing I could do about it! The next day I headed out on a cool and gloomy morning for a look around and there was no sign of the ring ouzel as I expected but I had an enjoyable walk anyway.

I caught the bus to Marsh Mills and walked down river through Saltram Park to Laira Bridge from where I caught the bus back home and the highlight was my first swallow of the year which flew over a few times chittering away before flying off out of sight. Runner up highlight was the still present red necked grebe fishing mid channel off the Chelson Meadow Recycling Centre on the incoming tide, more distant views than on previous visits but good to see.

Red Necked Grebe

Other sightings included 1 greenshank, 1 curlew, 32 turnstone and 2 redshank along the river with 32 redshank on Blaxton Meadow, 11 common gulls (5 adults) on the mudflats amongst the herring, black headed and great black backed gulls, 7 stock doves feeding together and 2 roe deer resting on a grassy slope. Chiffchaffs, a green woodpecker and a great spotted woodpecker were heard with blackcaps seen and heard.

 Turnstones

 Roe Deer in the Gloom

Catkins

Monday 16th April and I headed off to Rame Head on the bus on a mostly sunny but suprisingly cool and breezey morning. The views of Whitsand Bay were stunning as I stepped off the bus and a quick scan around offshore revealed a gannet sat on the sea with a diving red throated diver in winter plumage and a guillemot nearby and a grey seal poking its head out of the water close to shore.

The walk to Rame Head along the coast path was accompanied by singing chiffchaffs and a swallow flew around overhead before heading off inland. Bloody nosed beetles were trundling along the path and a small pond by the path held a few small tadpoles. From the chapel at the headland a raven flew over carrying what looked like a golf ball while offshore a few gannets were flying past and a bit of scanning around revealed a guillemot flying east and 9 Manx shearwaters (2 together, 3 together and then 4 singles) heading west.

Heading inland towards Rame Church and 6 fallow deer does showed briefly on the cliffs before disappearing into the scrub while along the lane I found a skittish flock of buntings with at least 2 male and a female yellowhammer and 3 male and a female cirl bunting being noted as they flew around and skulked in bushes. A buzzard, a brief view of a butterfly species dashing past (small tortoiseshell?) and another (or the same?) swallow flying around overhead were also noted before I caught the bus back to Plymouth after an enjoyable mornings walk.

 Yellowhammer

Cirl Bunting

No Garganey but more of the Red Necked Grebe

Saturday 7th April was again cold and grey and mizzly but with 3 garganey having been reported on the River Plym the previous day (while I was working a long day!) I decided to head out to look for them. I didn't hold out much hope and indeed there was no sign of them but I had a pleasent walk anyway.

On getting off the bus at Plympton I had a quick look off the road bridge where a dipper was feeding along the waters edge, the lowest point of the Plym that I have seen a dipper before. It was sporting coloured leg rings and flew up into some branches overhanging the water where it sang briefly before flying upriver.

 Dipper - cropped shot showing leg rings

Dipper

The tide was high but Blaxton Meadow wasn't flooded this time and so 3 curlew, a greenshank, 4 little egrets, redshanks, shelducks and mallards were resting and feeding there. A stock dove flew over, a mistle thrush was rattling away in a tree top, nuthatch and jay were calling in the nearby woods and 2 chiffchaffs were singing with a 3rd non singing bird seen. 2 willow warblers were also seen feeding together in the trees by the A38 flyover.

I walked downriver along The Embankment to Blagdons Meadow where another willow warbler was seen feeding in the hedgerow, a smart male wheatear was feeding on the grass before it was chased off by a dog and a skylark sang away overhead.

Wheatear, Blagdons Meadow

Onwards to Laira Bridge and there was no sign of the red necked grebe still being reported but just as I was about to head home on the bus I found it just below the bridge in exactly the same place I had seen it on Thursday - it must have been out of sight along Pomphlett Creek and appeared on the main river on the outgoing tide. It gave some nice views again as it busily dived, spending little time at the surface as it headed upstream under the bridge and out of sight.

 Red Necked Grebe

 Red Necked Grebe

 Red Necked Grebe

Red Necked Grebe

Another Red Necked Grebe

Easter Monday April 2nd was as expected for an early Easter cold and grey with spots of rain but I managed to drag myself off the sofa and headed off for a quick walk along the River Plym from Marsh Mills to Blaxton Meadow and back.

The tide was dropping but Blaxton Meadow was totally flooded so all the birds were out on the estuary mudflats and included 5 greenshank, a common sandpiper, 7 common gulls amongst the bathing and roosting herring, black headed, great black backs and lesser black backs and 6 goosanders busily diving for fish (a pair together and 4 redheads further upriver).

 Goosanders, River Plym

Little Egret

A stock dove perched in the trees, 2 singing chiffchaffs and a songflighting greenfinch were also seen but the highlight was my first willow warbler of the year busily feeding in the trees under the A38 flyover.

 Stock Dove

 Wood Anenome

Primrose

Early (Danish) Scurvy Grass

Thursday April 5th was in contrast a bright and sunny day and I considered heading out to Wembury again but the thought of the muddy footpath and Easter holiday crowds made me change plans and head off to Dawlish Warren on the train instead. The trains were delayed and cram packed but after negotiating the tourist village at Dawlish Warren and walking on into the nature reserve it became all worthwhile as the crowds melted away and wildlife appeared.

A peacock butterfly was feeding on catkin flowers and later 2 were seen duelling together as they spiralled upwards with a brief flyby comma also noted.

Peacock, Dawlish Warren

The sand crocus were in flower, initially I found 3 in flower but later on my return I counted at least 50 flowers opened up in the sunshine.

 Sand Crocus

Sand Crocus

A great spotted woodpecker and a female bullfinch were seen in the woods and 2 singing chiffchaffs were heard (with 1 seen) around the main pond. A pair of shoveler were on the full and overflowing pond along with 2 pairs of Canada geese having a goose down while a little grebe was heard trilling and a male reed bunting was seen singing in the nearby trees, my first of the year.

 Shoveler

 Shovelers

 Canada Geese

Reed Bunting

From the hide on the high tide the only waders roosting were oystercatchers while upriver distant Sandwich terns were diving for fish and 2 pairs of red breasted mergansers were fishing off Cockwood. Unfortunately I had missed a fishing osprey in front of the hide by around 30 minutes but never mind.

Offshore Sandwich terns showed a little closer with 9 great crested grebes and an immature male eider on the sea and a red throated diver flew in and did a circuit of the bay before flying back out to sea.

Heading home on the 14:23 train (packed but at least on time) I checked the Devon birds website to find a red necked grebe had been reported on the River Plym off Arnolds Point. I wasn't sure where Arnolds Point was but on arriving home I received a text from local birder Russ who was watching the grebe from Laira Bridge so I headed off straight away for a look. There was no sign of the grebe from the bridge when I arrived and I soon found Russ who had last seen the grebe moving off down river but after another scan around I found it just below Laira Bridge before it moved back under the bridge and upriver on the incoming tide - some nice views of my 4th grebe species on the Plym and my 5th for the Plymouth area.

 Red Necked Grebe, River Plym

 Red Necked Grebe

 Red Necked Grebe

Oiled Mute Swan , River Plym

4 Grebe Day at Slapton and Beesands Ley

A walk around Plymouth Hoe on Sunday 4th March and things were back to normal in the warm sunshine with the only reminder of the recent bad weather being the sad sight of a dead lapwing floating in the water on The Barbican. A more pleasent sight was a female type black redstart at Tinside Pool busily catching plenty of small flies that were buzzing around.

A Lapwing casualty after Storm Emma

Female type Black Redstart, Tinside Pool

After 2 particularly crappy long days at work on Monday 5th and Tuesday 6th March and the impending funeral of my father-in-law on Friday 9th March I really needed to get out for a bit of birding and with Wednesday 7th March being a particularly sunny but cold day we headed off to Beesands Ley for a walk.

On the drive to Beesands I was surprised to see patches of snow still lying on the ground along hedgerows out of the sun but there were no redwings or fieldfares or lapwings or golden plovers to be seen in the fields.

From the hide at Beesands Ley I quickly found the reported red necked grebe busily preening out on the water, good but a little distant views of my least familiar grebe species.

Red Necked Grebe, Beesands Ley

Red Necked Grebe

Red Necked Grebe

Red Necked Grebe - courtesy of Thurlestone Bay Birds website

I also picked up the male ring necked duck amongst the tufted ducks and eventually the male scaup along with a little grebe, 2 great crested grebes, a pair of gadwall and at least 2 female and 8 male pochard.

Canada Geese, Pochard and Tufted Duck, Beesands Ley

Ring Necked Duck

Scaup with Tufted Duck

Scaup, Tufted Duck and Ring Necked Duck

Tufted Duck and Scaup

Tufted Duck, Scaup and Ring Necked Duck

Tufted Duck, Scaup and Pochard

Ring Necked Duck, Tufted Duck, Scaup and Pochard

Following Storm Emma last week there had been a lot of damage to the beach path at Beesands with The Brittania cafe having been badly trashed and with the tide being high we walked over the clifftop footpath to Torcross to find the path and WW2 bunker above Torcross had disappeared onto the beach. The Slapton Line (the road from Torcross to Strete) was also closed due to debris and damage with the road having almost been washed away from the Slapton turn towards Strete.

A quick look at the Ley from Torcross and I found a black necked grebe busily diving close to the bird hide but by the time I had negotiated the mud and debris in the car park and found the bird hide closed due to damage the grebe had moved further away. I managed to get a record shot of it, noticing its very red eye again in the bright sunshine. I then found a second black necked grebe nearby, at first glance I thought it was a female smew before realising it was a grebe. It was very black and white and smart looking compared to the first bird and I thought it might have been a Slavonian grebe but on closer inspection it was indeed another black necked grebe before it dived and was lost from sight.

Black Necked Grebe, Slapton Ley

We had lunch in The Start Bay Inn where I watched gannets flying by from the pub window while enjoying my fish and chips before we walked back to Beesands along the beach on the low tide. A quick look at the Ley again before driving home and the red necked grebe and scaup were still on show but there was no sign of the ring necked duck.

Photo of the 2017 Slapton Humpback Whale on the Start Bay Inn menu

A very restorative day and needed before the sadness to come on Friday.

Heaven in Hayle

Saturday 16th January and a very cold but sunny day saw me heading off to Hayle on the train for a bit of serious birding. Arriving in Hayle at around 10am and I headed off straight away to the Carnsew Pool. A few minutes of scanning and I found the recently reported red necked grebe, only my 6th ever sighting of one and a beautiful bird that gave some great views although it spent very little time at the surface.

Red Necked Grebe, Hayle

Red Necked Grebe

Scanning around and I also found a very smart and confiding razorbill along with 4 little grebes while a kingfisher flew low over the water and a grey wagtail fed around a nearby puddle.

Razorbill, Hayle

Walking around the Pool towards the estuary and a smart and confiding guillemot was feeding on the river along with a great northern diver which dived just as I got onto it and despite watching and looking I couldn't refind it. An adult winter plumaged Mediterranean gull flew over looking quite ghostly in the bright sunshine and a greenshank noisily flew off from a roost of oystercatchers by the riverside.

Guillemot, Hayle

At Ryans Field a few lapwing and 20 golden plover were roosting but most of the waders were now feeding on the estuary as the tide began to ebb away - dunlin, ringed plover, curlew, grey plover, oystercatcher, redshank, turnstone and a bar tailed godwit were all seen.  Shelduck, teal and wigeon were also showing well along with a pair of goosander and a female red breasted merganser which was associating with them and allowing some nice comparisons with the female goosander.

 Male Goosander, Hayle

Female Goosander, Male Goosander and Female Red Breasted Merganser, Hayle

Scanning through the large roost of gulls and I found a nice adult kittiwake preening amongst the herring, lesser black backed, greater black backed and black headed gulls, which was a bit of a surprise. I would have liked to have spent more time going through the gulls but time was against me and so I scanned around and eventually found the long staying juvenile spoonbill roosting with little egrets on the saltings. It was fast asleep but had a quite distinctive profile compared with the egrets and just as I got my scope on it it flew off downriver but at least I saw its pinky spoon shaped bill, black wing tips and outstretched neck in flight before it landed on the estuary wall and went back to sleep!

I had hoped to have a look for the yellow browed warbler being seen behind the hide at Ryans Field but decided to have another look at the red necked grebe instead as my time at Hayle was running out. I had some lovely views of the grebe again as it preened on the water, being joined by the razorbill for a while, and it was nice to get some good views of a great northern diver regularly diving nearby.

Razorbill and Red Necked Grebe

Razorbill and Red Necked Grebe

Unfortunately it was time to catch the train down to Penzance, I had thought of just staying at Hayle as the birding was so good (quite heavenly in fact) but I stuck to my plan and arrived at Penzance at around 1pm, seeing the long staying and resident male eider amongst the gull flock close to the sea wall as the train pulled in to the station.

I headed off to the sea wall by the bus station for a quick scan around and found the male eider busily displaying to adult great black backed gulls, much to their amusement and/or fascination, and while watching the eider a large and milky coffee coloured juvenile glaucous gull flew up from the water before settling again further out where I had some nice scope views, a very nice find. A Slavonian grebe was just offshore from the Long Rock carpark, distant views only and my fifth grebe species in 3 days, but 2 great northern divers were much closer in and a male common scoter flew over towards Mousehole.

I headed off to the Jubille Pool where 20+ purple sandpipers gave some nice views with turnstone and ringed plovers while offshore a grey seal popped its head up out of the water and a pair of razorbill were busily diving.

Purple Sandpiper, Penzance

Turnstone, Newlyn

I carried on along the coast path towards Newlyn and on to Sandy Cove (misnamed as not very sandy!) where the regular wintering Pacific diver has mostly been seen but there was no sign of it (it was reported off Marazion that day, the usual place I would normally have visited!). I did see a female type black redstart on the rocky shore and a few great northern divers on the flat calm sea but amongst a large feeding flock of gulls around a trawler I found another juvenile glaucous gull - this one was paler and with worn tail feathers compared to the Penzance bird - but it quickly flew off towards Mousehole and out of sight. I later found another bird resting on the water but it drifted off towards Mousehole and out of sight again, another pale bird compared to the Penzance bird but possibly the bird I had seen in flight earlier?

Another look at the purple sandpipers on the walk back to Penzance was a delight as usual, such characterful and handsome birds, and another look off the sea wall by the bus station and the milky coffee coloured glaucous gull was still loafing around along with the horny but confused male eider. A female blackcap skulking in the nearby bushes finished off an amazing days birding as I headed off to catch the train home - no Pacific diver again (as usual) but some fantastic birds anyway.