Curlew Sandpiper at Wembury

Along with Glossy Ibis there is quite an influx of Curlew Sandpipers going on at the moment and with them being one of my favourite waders I've been keen to try and catch up with one. A single bird had been reported on The Plym but it must have moved on as I failed to find it there on my visit on Friday 12th September but there have been regular reports coming through of birds being seen at Bowling Green Marsh and so I planned a visit there the next day for the high tide roost.

The September weather continues to be dire, it's mostly cool, wet and windy but I figured I would at least keep dry in the hide at Bowling Green Marsh if it rained. However I had a message from local birder Jenny of a Curlew Sandpiper being found along the beach at Wembury and so I switched plans and decided to visit there instead. The weather may be dire but the forecasting isn't that great either, Saturday 13th September was meant to be breezy and dry with sunny spells but as I was getting ready to leave the house to catch the 7am bus a torrential downpour rattled through. Luckily I decided to take an umbrella with me and I was very glad I did as more heavy downpours passed through while I was on my walk at Wembury but at least it kept the majority of walkers and dogs at home.

On arriving off the bus at Wembury I headed straight out to the sewage pipe at The Point where Jenny had seen the Curlew Sandpiper the previous day. The tide was heading in and it was going to be another high spring tide with the onshore breeze pushing the water up even higher onto the beach. I had a look about but all I could find were a few Oystercatchers hunkered down on the sand along with a few Black-headed and Mediterranean Gulls. Eventually 4 Bar-tailed Godwits appeared from under the cliff where they had been feeding out of sight and with them was a small wader which turned out to be the Curlew Sandpiper - result!

Curlew Sandpiper with Bar-tailed Godwit

Curlew Sandpiper and Bar-tailed Godwit

It gave some great views as it fed along the beach in the company of the Godwits and was eventually joined by 2 Sanderlings with all 3 species often in binocular view at the same time and all showing very crisp and smart plumage. It is only my third Wembury sighting of a Curlew Sandpiper and so much better (and cheaper) than travelling up to Bowling Green Marsh to see one.

Curlew Sandpiper and Sanderling

Curlew Sandpiper and Sanderling

Curlew Sandpiper

Curlew Sandpiper 

Also seen along the beach were 6 Little Egrets, 2 Curlews, a Turnstone, a Common Sandpiper and a Wheatear but the biggest surprise was a Kingfisher which flew into the bushes on the cliff face before being chased off by a Chiffchaff, not a regular sighting at Wembury. 

Other sightings of note included Gannets offshore, 5 Cirl Buntings (2 males) in the stubble field with 2 Canada Geese and 2 Pheasants, overhead Kestrel and Buzzard, an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull amongst the Gulls in the stubble field and 3 Rabbits in the horse field. Best of all though was a Peregrine which swooped along the beach scattering the waders, it chased down one of the Bar-tailed Godwits out to sea before giving up and heading off towards The Yealm.

I walked up to the dead tree along Brownhill Lane again before catching the bus home, the Rose-coloured Starling hasn't been seen for a week now and it wasn't present today although the usual Starlings were perched up on the nearby telegraph wires.

And so I've achieved my Autumn Five quite straightforwardly this year with Curlew Sandpiper completing the set (although I did see the overwintering bird on The Plym back in January and February). I've also managed to see 4 out of the 5 in the Plymouth area as well (Osprey, Yellow Wagtail, Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper) which is not particularly easy to achieve and I've never seen Wood Sandpiper in the Plymouth area before anyway.  However it does now feel like summer is done and I'm entering what is for me the quietest birding time of the year but who knows what is next?

Another Plym Osprey

The weather is very changeable at the moment, very unlike recent Septembers which have been mostly very pleasant affairs, and with Monday 8th September looking likely to be the best day of weather for the week I headed out to The Plym for a walk.

I didn't get going until late and arrived off the bus at Laira Bridge at just before 1pm on what was a very low tide. The usual birds were seen out on the mudflats including the 3 juvenile Shelduck when suddenly most of the Gulls took to the air although they made relatively little noise and quickly began to return back down to the mudflats. I had a good scan about but couldn't find anything to indicate what had spooked them and then I finally saw an Osprey quite high up in the sky and carrying a fish as it headed over Chelson Meadow towards Stag Lodge, loosing height as it went. I hadn't seen it catch the fish although the water level was extremely low on The Plym with it being a low Spring tide and it quite possibly is the same bird I saw on the 25th August as it took exactly the same route with it's fish.

I decided to take a walk up The Dell footpath towards Stag Lodge, a route I rarely take, and I checked out all the big trees along the way in the hope of finding the Ospreys feeding tree but I had no luck. 

The other highlight of my walk were 2 Whinchat on Chelson Meadow,  unfortunately they were very mobile and distant and viewing into the sun was tricky but I was glad to find them. A Small Copper, a Small Heath, Common Blues, Meadow Browns and 3 Clouded Yellows were also seen here along with a male Stonechat.

The tide was heading in by the time I arrived at Blaxton Meadow and from the bird hide I counted 30 Curlew, 17 Oystercatcher, 10 Greenshank, 2 Dunlin and a Common Sandpiper plus the usual uncounted Redshanks. The 3 juvenile Shelduck seen earlier out on the estuary were now roosting here and the juvenile Great Crested Grebe was back in its usual spot by the sluice gates.

Redshanks

I had the moth box out in the back yard that night, it was forecast to be clear and cool but again looked likely to be the best night of weather for the week so I gave it a go as my mothing endeavours will begin to wind down for the year now.

It did at least remain dry overnight and in the morning there were moths (and Wasps) in the trap. There were 6 Large Yellow Underwings, my highest catch of the year so far but way down on my usual back yard numbers and with them was a single Lesser Yellow Underwing. A Pale Mottled Willow was the highlight with a Box Tree Moth, a Mullein Wave, a Tachystola acroxantha, 2 Willow Beauty and a Garden Carpet making up the rest of a small catch.

Pale Mottled Willow

I had planned to be up and out of the door early on Friday 12th September and walk around Saltram and The Plym before the showers arrived but I couldn't get myself going, however news coming through of a juvenile Knot on Blaxton Meadow had me getting my arse into gear and heading out for a look.

I arrived at the viewing bench at The Meadow at around 9:30am as the spring high tide was reaching its zenith, water was pouring through the sluice gates but the breezy conditions were pushing water over the top of the sluice gate wall as well. Blaxton was a lake but amongst the roosting Redshanks along the back wall I eventually found the Knot, it was mostly sleeping but showed a beautiful peachy pink flush to its grey plumage along with a lovely pair of green legs.

There were also 2 Dunlin, 2 Common Sandpiper, 11 Greenshank, 21 Oystercatcher, a Whimbrel and 31 Curlew present along with the 3 juvenile Shelduck, a single Mandarin and an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull amongst all the usuals.

Whimbrel with Curlew

News of a Wryneck on Chelson had me heading over there for a look but as expected it was a no show for me (my third Wryneck dip here now) although I didn't spend as long as I should have looking for it especially as it was reseen later in the afternnon. Clouded Yellows were flitting about here though, at least 3 were seen, and also present were a Small Copper, a Small Heath, a Painted Lady, Large Whites, Common Blues, Red Admirals and Meadow Browns.

Clouded Yellow

Meadow Brown

I headed back to Blaxton Meadow and along the way sightings of note were 2 Green Woodpeckers, a Swallow, 2 Stock Dove and Ring-necked Parakeets while at the duck pond the female Wood Duck was present with a single Mandarin.

Back at The Meadow the Knot was still amongst the roosting Redshank, the regular juvenile Great Crested Grebe was seen out on the water and 2 Mute Swans were sleeping on one of the islands amongst the Canada Geese. On the walk back to Marsh Mills another Mute Swan was seen sleeping amongst the Canada Geese out on the mudflats by the gas pipe and along the river my first 3 Little Grebes of the autumn were noted, 2 adults still in breeding plumage and a juvenile bird.

Vapourer Caterpillar rescued off the footpath