Moor and Coast (Or Burrator and Rame Head)

Despite the grey skies and continuing strong and bitter easterly wind I met up with Mavis on Monday 15th April for an afternoons walk around Burrator Reservoir on Dartmoor. Conditions for birding were challenging but we managed a few good sightings anyway, the highlight being around 30 Sand Martins flying low over the water hawking for insects with the odd Swallow and House Martin amongst them. I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for them in the very chilly conditions but they appeared to be robust enough to cope with the less than ideal weather.

Out on the water a pair of summer plumaged Great Crested Grebes were a nice find and also seen were 2 Canada Geese, the now lone white farmyard goose, Mallard, 2 Cormorant and 2 adult GBBGulls and 1 adult LBBGull with variously aged Herring Gulls.

The woods held Blue, Great, Coal and Long-tailed Tits with Nuthatch calling and Siskins flying over. Despite the weather Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Willow Warbler were singing and a Grey Wagtail was found feeding along a stream near Cuckoo Rock.

We luckily arrived back at the car just as it started to rain and as we drove back to Yelverton a Mistle Thrush was seen feeding by the roadside, a nice end to an enjoyable but windy afternoon.

The next day was a total contrast with a gentle breeze and sunny skies and by the afternoon it was pleasantly warm. We had a quick walk around Plymouth Hoe and I finally saw my first Sandwich Tern of the year being hassled by a 1st Summer Herring Gull before it headed off out towards The Breakwater and was lost from sight.

Wednesday 17th April and with the improving weather I decided to catch the bus out to Rame Head for a walk. It was cold and grey and breezy as I stepped off the bus at Polhawn Fort at around 9:15am but the skies did eventually brighten and it became a pleasantly warm day again.

The first birds I saw after getting off the bus were 2 Sand Martins which flew in off the sea and headed straight inland and were quickly followed by another 2 birds. I then picked up 3 Swallows which also headed off straight inland and over the course of the morning there was a constant trickle of birds arriving, mostly Swallows but with a few Sand Martins and just 1 House Martin.

Walking along the cliff path and a Jay was a surprise skulking in the bushes down on the cliffs but more usual birds included a pair of Stonechats, singing Blackcaps, 2 singing Willow Warblers, a singing Chiffchaff and 2 singing Whitethroats. A fulmar flew along the cliffs along with a male Kestrel, 2 Buzzards and a pair of Peregrines while down on the rocks Shag and Cormorant were resting and 4 Oystercatcher were making an almighty racket.

Offshore a few Gannets were diving for fish and I picked up a distant Sandwich Tern slowly flying East into the breeze.

Fallow Deer were seen on the cliffs including a skittish group of 15 animals that were running back and forth along the paths before disappearing into the undergrowth and a Minotaur Beetle was a nice surprise as it trundled along the footpath.

 Fallow Deer, Rame

 Fallow Deer, Rame

 Minotaur Beetle, Rame

 Minotaur Beetle,  Rame

Minotaur Beetle,  Rame 

A few butterflies were seen flitting about with at least 3 Wall basking on the rocks below the Chapel along with 2 flyby Holly Blue, Peacocks and 2 Green Veined Whites.

 Wall, Rame

 Wall, Rame

 Wall, Rame

 Green-veined White, Rame

Green-veined White, Rame

I walked along the road to Rame Church and along the roadside hedge I found a beautifully bright looking male Yellowhammer, a female Blackcap, a male Cirl Bunting and a silent Chiffchaff while Skylarks were singing high overhead.

It was soon time to meet up with David and Mum-in-law back at Polhawn Fort and we headed off to the nearby Clifftop Cafe for lunch where we admired the stunning views in the warm sunshine as we ate our sandwiches, a nice end to a very enjoyable morning of wildlife.

Red Kite at Grenofen Woods

A trip to Grenofen Woods on April 30th and another sunny but cold and windy day and again there was not a butterfly to be seen but I did manage to see some good birds including a very nice red kite.

I was looking out for any hobbys flying over the woods but could only see buzzards soaring and displaying overhead. I caught a brief view over the trees of what I initially thought was a buzzard but as I got my binoculars on it it disappeared from view but I was sure from my brief view that it was actually a red kite. Despite watching and waiting it didn't reappear and so I carried on with my walk. I kept an eye out overhead for any further signs of it and finally it reappeared soaring high overhead heading west and giving some good views - it was moulting some of its primary feathers and it spooked a flock of gulls feeding in a field as it passed over before being lost from sight. A nice surprise and my first Grenofen sighting although I still find it strange that red kites haven't colonised Dartmoor yet.

 Red Kite

Red Kite



I didn't get to see any hobbys and I also didn't get to see (or hear) garden warblers, the bird I was really hoping to see (or hear) - I guess it was too cold for them to sing and they were probably too busy trying to find food. I did see a nice tree pipit which flew up from the ground into a tree top where it sang for a while before songflighting over to another tree, dropping to the ground and totally disappearing from sight! Also seen were 2 male redstarts which were having a sing off and chasing each other through the trees, their song was quite spiky and aggressive sounding, subdued and almost growly in nature. I also heard a 3rd redstart singing the much more usual type of pleasant song.

Willow warblers were seen and heard along with a male blackcap and chiffchaffs,  2 marsh tits, a raven, 2 jays and 2 nuthatch. Both green and great spotted woodpeckers were heard. Blue tits were very noticeable throughout the woods and it was nice to see 2 well grown mistle thrush chicks in a nest in a tree with an adult bird feeding in a grassy field nearby.

A minotaur beetle was ambling across the grass near some horse poo and a bee fly was feeding on violet flowers but there was very little other insect life on view - please get warmer soon!

Minotaur Beetle

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