Stuart's Wildlife Diary

Sunday, 17 May 2020

Wembury at last!

Lock down rules have been amended and it is now permissible to drive somewhere for an exercise walk and even to meet somebody outside of your household (but just one person) as long as social distancing is maintained and this has resulted in more birders getting out and about and subsequently more birds being reported. And with a Woodchat Shrike being reported at Wembury Point on May 13th it was time to finally head out to Wembury on Thursday May 14th for a long wished for springtime walk.

It was so lovely to be at Wembury for a walk, I have so missed my walks there this spring and I wasn't disappointed with the Woodchat Shrike showing very well to a steady trickle of birders, my 3rd sighting of one and my second at Wembury.

Woodchat Shrike

Butterflies were flitting about in the sunshine although it was chilly in a strong breeze and I found Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Small Copper, Large White, Orange Tip, Common Blue, Small White, Speckled Wood and Holly Blue along with Speckled Yellow moths. A Lackey moth nest was also found on a hawthorn bush but there was no sign of any Green Hairstreak, not helped by the National Trust chopping back the gorse bushes by the footpath where I usually see them.

Speckled Wood

Small Copper

Red Admiral

Peacock

Orange Tip

Lackey Moth Nest

Thick-thighed Flower Beetle

The usual birds were seen along my walk including Cirl Bunting., Whitethroat, Swallow, Swift, Stonechat, Linnet, Gannet and Fulmar and I also saw a Raven, 2 Shelduck, 3 Canada Geese, a Little Egret and a Kestrel.

A newly emerged male Beautiful Demoiselle was a nice find along the stream flowing down to the beach where Yellow Flag Iris were in flower.

Beautiful Demoiselle

Yellow Flag Iris

While at Wembury I received a text from Russ regarding a sighting of a Little Bittern at Radford Lake in Plymstock and so on the way home I stopped off for a look and managed to get some very good views of it as it fed from branches overhanging the water of the lake, a UK life tick for me. It soon disappeared into the vegetation though when a "yoof" wandered by along the nearby shoreline listening to his music through his cans.

Little Bittern

Friday May 15th and I met my mate Mavis at Roborough Down for a birdy walk. It was a sunny day and the breeze had lessened and we had an interesting walk around the area.

The highlight was a male Dartford Warbler singing away and song flighting with a probable female skulking in the vegetation nearby. It looked quite dark in the strong sunlight and was mostly difficult to view amongst the gorse bushes before it went silent and disappeared but it was a nice bird to see.

A Cuckoo was heard calling briefly in the distance but Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Blackcap were more vocal and Stonechat, Yellowhammer, Redpoll, Skylark, Bullfinch and Meadow Pipit all showed very well. I also thought I heard a Nightjar churring briefly but I wasn't absolutely sure.

Brimstone, Holly Blue, Speckled Wood, Large White, Wall, Small Heath and Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary were all flitting about with the fritillaries being particularly flitty and difficult to get good views of and I also saw Brown Silver Lines and Speckled Yellows.

Small Heath

Wall - record shot, very flitty

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary - my only photo, very flitty too

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary - Photo courtesy of Mavis

A very small Common Lizard seemed to take a shine to my shoe as it kept trying to hide underneath it and a few Heath Spotted Orchids were found in flower despite the dry conditions.

Common Lizard

Heath Spotted Orchid

A lovely couple of days out in these lock down times, wonderful to finally get out to Wembury and see the sea, a UK lifer a bonus and again some amazing wildlife so close to home.

Monday, 11 May 2020

Wildlife Walks

Lock Down UK 2020 due to COVID-19 continues and it really is "eat, sleep, go to work, repeat" with some wildlife walks thrown in here and there to mix things up a bit.

I have resigned myself to the fact that I will be unlikely to see certain summer migrants this year - eg, Wood Warbler, Pied Flycatcher, Little-ringed Plover, Sedge Warbler, etc. - but I was very pleased and surprised to find a Reed Warbler singing away in the hedgerow at the allotment on The Barbican here in Plymouth on May 7th, one of the summer migrants that I wasn't expecting to connect with this year. I have heard both Reed and Sedge Warblers in the past singing from trees and shrubs in Plymouth city centre at this time of year but this one I actually got to see, brief views only as it moved through the vegetation but a very welcome sight and sound.

Reed Warbler

I have also finally managed to get out on 2 long walks to the edge of Dartmoor, a long walk on May 1st and a very long walk on May 6th, and I managed to see a good selection of wildlife with Green Tiger Beetle, Early Purple Orchid, Wall Brimstone, Green-veined White, Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Red Kite, Cuckoo, Tree Pipit, Redstart, Garden Warbler, Yellowhammer, Willow Warbler, Swift, Sand Martin, Common Sandpiper, Reed Bunting, Grey Wagtail, Kestrel, Slow Worm and Beautiful Demoiselle being the highlights in sunny but breezy conditions - very restorative in these continuing difficult times.

Green Tiger Beetle

Brimstone

Green-veined White

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Small Pearl-birdered Fritillary

Willow Warbler

Tree Pipit (with tick behind eye)

Tree Pipit

Yellowhammer

Cuckoo

Slow worm

Moth boxing in the back yard overnight on May 9th/ 10th produced my first Buff Ermine and Heart and Dart of the year along with a new moth for me, a Grey Birch albeit a very faded one (with thanks to ID help from @MothIDUK on Twitter). Best of all was a Buff-tip, one of my top 10 back yard moths, maybe I'll get all 10 of them this year? ( I've already got Early Grey).

Grey Birch

Diamond-back Moth (pale form)

Common Pug

Buff Ermine

Buff Tip

Heart and Dart

Sunday May 10th was warm and sunny and after an early start sorting out the moth box I took my usual weekly walk to the River Plym and Saltram. The vegetation was again noticeably more advanced than on my previous visit and bird song seemed to be lessened but it was still an interesting walk.

It was a very high tide and on Blaxton Meadow there were 3 Whimbrel roosting with 3 Oystercatcher and 2 Curlew along with a Little Egret, Shelduck, a Canada Goose and 3 Mallard (1 female).

Whimbrel and Curlew

Little Egret

Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Swallow, Ring-necked Parakeet, Stock Dove, Buzzard, Coal Tit, Song Thrush, Grey Heron and Skylark were seen and/or heard and I managed to find my first Small Heath and Common Blue of the year along with Orange Tip, Holly Blue, Red Admiral, Peacock, Green-veined White and Large White.

Grey Heron

Small Heath

Common Blue

A pair of Roe Deer passed very close by me as I sat quietly against a tree, the male looking very smart with his short antlers and giving a little bark as he ran off when he realised I was there.

Roe Deer

Grey Squirrel

I stopped off at Blagdons Meadow on the walk home where it continues to be very dry underfoot but I did find 3 Southern Marsh Orchids coming into flower in a damper area along with Early Purple Orchids which were small and stunted and mostly going over (and smelling like Tom cats). It was also nice to see Swallows and House Martins collecting mud from the estuary for nest building.

Early Purple Orchid

Southern Marsh Orchid

House Martin

Nearing home and 2 Willow Warblers were heard singing on the waste ground by St.Judes church, a nice surprise and a nice end to an enjoyable walk.