Dartmoor Leating

May 17th was to be the next important date in the COVID lockdown easing schedule with hotels finally being allowed to open up for overnight guests and so we decided to tempt fate and book a night away at The Two Bridges Hotel on Dartmoor. The lockdown easing did indeed happen as planned and so off we headed to Dartmoor for a walk on Tuesday 18th May before heading to the hotel for our overnight stay.

The weather however was less than great with cloudy skies, a strong, cold wind and heavy showers, pretty typical of the May we are having this year.

We parked up at Burrator Reservoir to begin our walk along the Devonport Leat towards the tunnel near Old Bridge. It was further than we had expected and the strong wind and boggy ground made the going difficult at times but at least it didn't begin to rain until we were nearly back at the car.

The walk along the Leat was very interesting and the views of the Moors were stunning and along our route I had some nice views of a singing Redstart at the Stanlake Farm ruins, a Grey Heron and a male Mallard feeding along the Leat, a very odd looking, brown toned presumed immature Peregrine Falcon flying over and the ubiquitous Stonechats, Meadow Pipits and Skylarks. Cuckoo, Whinchat and Crossbill were also heard and 2 Small Copper were a nice sighting flitting around some Dandelion flowers in a brief sunny spell. A Green Tiger Beetle was also seen hunting in the grass by the side of the footpath and we even saw a Mavis in her natural habitat, out on a hike with her walking group! 

Redstart

Green Tiger Beetle

Our night at the hotel was very nice, with a hot bath, a nice meal and the best night's sleep I have had for weeks very much enjoyed and appreciated while it rained and blew a hoolie outside for most of the evening and night. 

The next morning was bright and sunny but still very cool in a strong wind and after a very hearty breakfast we started our second Devonport Leat walk, heading out from the hotel and up the West Dart River to the head weir and the start of the Leat. 

We had a look around Wistmans Wood along the way, the first time we have visited here, and I was pleased to find my first 2 Spotted Flycatcher of the year along with a Treecreeper and a Coal Tit. A Redstart and a Cuckoo were also heard. 

Wistmans Wood

Onwards to the Weir and we began our walk along the Leat, eventually venturing up the Cowslic River to see the Leat head weir there too, and again it was further than we expected but interesting with stunning scenery, strong winds and boggy ground. 

West Dart Weir

Cowslic Weir

Yomping Royal Marine Recruits

Another 2 Redstart were heard singing along the way and a Cuckoo also called a few times. Meadow Pipit, Stonechat and Skylark were also seen along with a pair of Wheatear, a Buzzard and flyover Siskins. 

We finished our walk back at the hotel and enjoyed a cream tea before heading back home, having had a very enjoyable and restorative couple of days away despite the weather.

(And Wally the Walrus seems to have left Tenby and was seen off Padstow in Cornwall on Wednesday 19th May!). 

Where's Wally?

COVID-19 lockdowns over the past 15 months have been  restrictive for everyone in many different ways. For me the restrictions on travel have been difficult, preventing me from getting out and about and visiting the places I would usual travel to for birding but fortunately there has been the Internet to keep me informed and updated as to what has been going on in the natural world. Twitter, blogs, bird news sites, etc, have all helped to let me know that wildlife has been getting on with it as usual and the images, stories and sighting reports have kept me (almost) sane.

There were 3 reports though that really sparked my curiosity and that I yearned to go and see, the first being the Northern Mockingbird found in Exmouth in January 2021. I finally managed to travel to Exmouth on April 8th to go and see it but unfortunately it did an overnight flit to Sussex the night before.

The second report was of an American Herring Gull in Newlyn Harbour in March this year which piqued my love/hate relationship with Gulls and which did stay around until May when I managed to get to Newlyn to see it. This bird was ridiculously confiding and almost came to sit on my lap as I sat on the beach eating my lunch, a throw back from all the visiting toggers with their massive camera lenses throwing food out to the Gulls to attract them closer.

The third report was of a Walrus, first seen in Ireland in March of this year and then relocating and seemingly settling at Tenby in Wales a few days later. This sighting was the one that gave me the most excitement but Tenby seemed such a long way away. 

However with my NHS Trust giving all staff an extra day of annual leave as a thank you for working through the COVID pandemic (and quaintly named a Well Being Day) I cashed it in along with a normal day of annual leave and made plans to go and try my hand at Where's Wally?

Originally we had planned to travel by train but it would be a long and expensive journey and with GWR services having a meltdown due to a manufacturing flaw in their carriages resulting in cancellations and rescheduling of services we decided to drive to Tenby instead. 

The weather on leaving Plymouth on Thursday 13th May was foul with torrential spells of heavy rain amongst the constant drizzle but by the time we were heading into Wales over the Severn Bridge the heavy rain spells were noticeably easing. The drive in Wales was new and interesting and despite the grey skies and misty mizzle hampering the scenic views I did see 2 Red Kites overhead before we eventually arrived in Tenby at around 1:30pm.

Tenby in the rain

On arriving in Tenby we headed down to the RNLI lifeboat station where Wally is mostly seen hauled out but there was no sign of him and a large crowd of people were milling about looking quite despondent. I scanned around offshore with my binoculars and quickly found Wally logging on the water surface and occasionally showing his head above the water before he disappeared from sight for good but at least we had seen him albeit briefly and distantly. 

We returned to the lookout later in the afternoon but there was still no sign of him although a diminutive looking Glaucous Gull flying past and landing on the old lifeboat slipway provided some distraction.

Glaucous Gull

Glaucous Gull

The weather was still foul with continuing mizzle and rain spells and so David headed off to the hotel to dry off and warm up while I decided to take a walk along the coast by the golf course for a look around.

Whitethroat, Chiffchaff and Blackcap were all heard singing away despite the poor weather conditions but all kept themselves hidden away in cover. A Lesser Whitethroat briefly singing was a nice surprise and I managed a few obscured views as it sulked in the bushes before flying off to sing again further away.

Rooks, Jackdaws, Carrion Crows and Magpies were feeding out on the greens of the golf course and I was very pleased to find a Chough amongst them before it was disturbed by golfers and flew off.

Chough

Also on the greens were a feeding flock of 17 Whimbrel and in the rough were quite a few short stemmed Green-winged Orchids coming into flower. 

Green-winged Orchid

Along the beach a summer plumaged Dunlin and 2 Sanderling were feeding along the waters edge while offshore Gannets were diving for fish.

Dunlin

Sanderling

By now I was wet and cold so headed back to the hotel for a COVID secure evening meal and a good nights sleep with plans made for an early start the next day to do some more Wally watching.

I awoke the following morning at around 6am and headed out to the RNLI station despite the continuing heavy rain. There was no sign of Wally on the slipway on the incoming tide but suddenly he appeared close to the rocks just below the footpath and I had some fantastic views of him until he moved further out into the Bay. And I had him all to myself, even hearing his breath sounds as he surfaced in the still and flat calm seas.

Walrus

I telephoned David to come and join me and shortly after he arrived Wally reappeared at the waters surface out in the Bay but heading towards the slipway at quite a speed and eventually he finally hauled himself out and showed himself off in all his wonderful gloriousness. And what a beast he is, absolutely amazing and utterly beautiful to see, certainly one of the bizzarest things I have seen in the UK in May.

Wally the Walrus

Wally the Walrus

Walrus

Walrus

Wally Watchers started to arrive and David returned to the hotel but I stayed a bit longer to watch Wally along with a very showy Harbour Porpoise very close to shore which actually leaped out of the water a few times.

Harbour Porpoise

Harbour Porpoise

Gannets, a Fulmar, juvenile Kittiwakes, 5 whistling Whimbrel flying over and Cormorants were also seen before I headed back to the hotel for breakfast and at least by now the rain was noticeably easing.

After breakfast the rain finally stopped and we had a final wander around Tenby before taking a last look at Wally who was still on the slipway and giving great views in better light but eventually we had to leave and head back to Plymouth.

Walrus

Walrus

Walrus

Walrus

Walrus

Wally on the RNLI slipway

The journey home was interesting again and with the sun beginning to shine from behind the clouds we had better views of the scenery. Another 2 Red Kites were seen overhead along the way and we duly arrived back in Plymouth with no incidents, having had a very wet but very enjoyable time away and amazing views of a Walrus.