The Heatwave Continues

With the heatwave continuing I headed out to Wembury on Wednesday 27t May, I caught the 6:30am bus in order to avoid the worst of the heat and the crowds but the dog walkers were already out in force when I arrived at 7am and it was already feeling very hot in the sunshine. However there was a brisk easterly breeze blowing but it felt like being under a hairdryer as the air was so warm, it felt very humid too and as I walked along the coastpath I heard rumbles of thunder over the sea where clouds were beginning to build.

Thunderclouds building at Wembury

With Spring migration all but over now and the Summer Doldrums knocking at the door I wasn't expecting much in the way of birdlife but a Redshank along the beach with 4 tardy Whimbrel was a surprise and a single Feral Pigeon flying over heading east was unusual. Offshore I picked up a single Manx Shearwater flying west along with a few Gannets while plenty of Whitethroat were flitting about in the pathside vegetation including a few birds carrying food for hungry nestlings.

I had a look for Green Hairstreaks but with no luck and there were actually very few Butterflies seen despite the hot conditions, just a few flitty Painted Lady and a Red Admiral, a Small White and a Speckled Wood. However I did find my first Wembury Beautiful Demoiselle along the stream but it soon flew off out of sight.

Beautiful Demoiselle (Female)

I very quickly had had enough of the heat and humidity and so I caught the 9;45am bus back home and just after getting into the house a heavy rain shower arrived but the heat and humidity remained after it had passed through.

I had planned to meet up with Dave the Butterfly Guy to look for Marsh Fritillaries up on Dartmoor on Thursday 28th May but with cloudy skies and cooler temperatures forecast I decided to give it a miss. It was noticeably cooler overnight and I finally had a good night's sleep and on waking up in the morning it felt cooler and fresher but the sky was overcast and so I decided to head out to Roborough Down for a walk.

I arrived off the bus at around 11am and despite the grey sky it was starting to feel very hot and humid and as the day went on the clouds cleared and it became very unpleasantly hot again, however I did end up having an interesting walk although I was glad to head home and get out of the sun.

As I started my walk I immediately noticed Painted Lady butterflies flitting about, they were everywhere after what has been a big influx into the UK. Some were worn and faded but many looked in pristine condition and they were feasting on Blackberry flowers, basking in the sun or dashing about all over the place.

Painted Lady

Painted Lady

Painted Lady

I also quickly found Small Pearl Bordered Fritillaries dashing about too, they have emerged in good numbers this year. They were constantly flitting about and I had forgotten how small, fast and flitty they are as they just disappeared from sight when flying low over the ground amongst the vegetation. A few did stop very briefly to nectar on Blackberry flowers and I managed to get a few photos before they were off again but it was a very tricky undertaking and I could never get very close to them.

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary 

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary 

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary 

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary 

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary 

There were good numbers of Silver Y and Brown Silver-line moths being kicked up from the grass as I walked along the leat and I was also very pleased to find 2 Green Hairstreaks, 2 Small Heath, 2 Red Admiral, 2 Holly Blue, a female Common Blue, both male and female Brimstones and a very smart looking Clouded Yellow.

Green Hairstreak

Clouded Yellow

Clouded Yellow

The small pools across the Down were all dried up except for 2 and they were both looking mucky and in dire need of some rain to stop them from disappearing too. The main Dragonfly pond had the most water in it and buzzing over the surface were a male Broad-bodied Chaser and a male Emperor Dragonfly and they were constantly tussling with each other. There were 2 female Broad-bodied Chasers egg-laying in the water but this didn't stop the male regularly grabbing hold of them and trying to mate with them before letting them go. The females seemed to have a clear mucus-like substance on the tip of their abdomen at times, apparently this surrounds the eggs and on contact with the water forms a jelly to help stick the eggs to the underwater vegetation. 

The Emperor Dragonfly never settled for a second and it was interesting to watch it snatch small flies out of the air to feed on but the Broad-bodied Chasers did occassionally settle for short periods. Azure Damesfly were also present with at least 2 pairs seen mating.

Broad-bodied Chaser (male)

Broad-bodied Chaser (male)

Broad-bodied Chaser (female)

Mating Azure Damselfly

There were a few Heath Spotted Orchids in flower across the Down, they were small but very delicate and pretty looking, most had a pinkish hue but a few looked very white.

Heath Spotted Orchid

Heath Spotted Orchid

Bird wise it was quiet with a Skylark, 2 songflighting Meadow Pipit, 3 Swallow, 3 Swift, 3 singing Yellowhammers, a male Bullfinch and Stonechats of note. Willow Warblers were vocal and showy at times while a Green Woodpecker, a Chiffchaff and 2 male Pheasant were heard only. The highlight though was a male Dartford Warbler which popped up on the Gorse near me as I was being scolded by a pair of Stonechat nearby.

Yellowhammer

Dartford Warbler

A Broad-biled Sandpiper was found at Dawlish Warren on Friday 29th May but with plans for the day I couldn't go to look for it. I really didn't expect it to stick around and I wasn't in the mood to endure the chaos of Dawlish Warren again on a sunny Saturday during Half Term Holiday Hell but news came through that it was still present in the morning on Saturday 30th May and so I grabbed my stuff and headed out.

I didn't arrive off the train at Dawlish Warren until 09:52am, a little later than I would have liked, and I headed straight out to The Bight where the Sandpiper has been showing. It was a bit of schleck in the hot sunshine and over the soft sand but I walked as quickly as I could and told myself it would be good for my core muscles.

There were birders lined up along the dune ridge at Groyne 13 with telescopes trained upriver and as soon as I joined them they quickly pointed out the Sandpiper to me as it fed fairly close to us out on the mud with a few Dunlin and Ringed Plover. It was quite dark looking with a white belly, smaller than the Dunlin it was with and sporting a very distinctive head patterning reminiscent of a Jack Snipe. It was busily feeding away and moving back and forth in front of us and I enjoyed some great scope views of it for around 45 minutes before all the waders took to the air and flew off down to the distant waters edge on the dropping tide and out of sight.

Broad-billed Sandpiper, The Bight - close but no cigar for my camera

Broad-billed Sandpiper - photo courtesy of Oli Mockridge, @yeovilbirder.bsky.social on Bluesky

With the Sandpiper unlikely to return until the evening incoming tide I headed back to the nature reserve for a look about where it felt hot and airless. The Southern Marsh Orchids were still in flower but mostly looking the worse for wear after a week of very hot and dry weather but I did notice quite a few Wild Asparagus in flower around the site. A showy male Whitethroat was songflighting whereas a singing male Cirl Bunting kept itself hidden in the vegetation  and at the Main Pond at least 2 Reed Warbler were singing and I managed to get a few decentish views of at least 2 more birds. 

A few Meadow Brown were flitting about, my first of the year, and I rescued a Yellow Belle moth from the grasp of what looked like a Robber Fly but it wasn't in a very good way as I tucked it away in the grass and out of the sun.

Yellow Belle

Male Broad-bodied Chaser, Main Pond

Canada Geese pair with 8 Goslings on the Main Pond

Canada Geese

By Midday I had had enough of the heat and crowds and so decided to head home early, my train was delayed (as usual) but the hold up had  been caused by the Sir Nigel Gresley steam train coming through on a rail enthusiasts day trip. The delay also meant I had distant views of the Red Arrows display team and their coloured smoke trails as they did their thing over nearby Torbay for the Paignton Airshow.

The Sir Nigel Gresley

I was home by 2pm after what was quite the easy Twitch of a new bird for me and it only cost me £7.15 return on the train with my railcard. The Broad-billed Sandpiper showed straight away when I arrived and showed well for around 45 minutes and the small crowd of birders present were a nice bunch to chat with. It also goes to show that even though Spring is virtually over there are still a few surprises to be had.

Heatwave Wildlife

After my interesting visit to Exminster Marshes in April I had planned to revisit there again in May but the often grotty weather thwarted my plans. However with the current heatwave forecasted to build I decided to head out there on Saturday 23rd May on what will probably be my last proper birding day out for a few months now as the Summer Doldrums arrive. It was sunny and feeling very warm when I arrived off the bus at around 9:45am and I walked over to the Powderham Marsh viewpoint first in the hope that the glare and heat haze wouldn't be too bad but it already was and viewing conditions were challenging.

I scanned about for a Little Ringed Plover but with no luck although the waterside vegetation was much more luxuriant than on my April visit and they could have been hidden away out of sight. I did find a male Shoveler and 3 Tufted Duck (2 males) amongst the Gadwall and there were a large number of Canada Geese present including many goslings, the most I think I have ever seen. Also of note here were flyover Collared Dove, Jay and Great Spotted Woodpecker, a singing Whitethroat and a male Beautiful Demoiselle.

I then did my usual walk around the Marsh starting along the back path, there were numerous Reed Warblers singing away along with Sedge Warblers and Reed Buntings, all showed very well at times and especially the Reed Warblers which are suckers for a bit of Phishing and can't help themselves but look at what is making all the noise.

A flyover Black-tailed Godwit was a surprise and there were 5 Tufted Duck (4 males) on the lagoon but an immature Spoonbill was the highlight here, it was roosting out on the Marsh before being spooked by cattle and flying off over to The Exe. A female Marsh Harrier was also picked up circling high overhead towards the M5 bridge and a Hobby was a dramatic sight as it dashed over the Marsh towards Exminster village at high speed.

With the heat continuing to rise, the heat haze getting worse and the birds going skulky and quiet I decided to head to Dawlish Warren for a look about. As I alighted off the delayed (as usual) train at Dawlish Warren I really questioned my sanity as it was absolutely heaving with people, not surprising on a sunny Bank Holiday weekend, but after a quick look off the seawall where a female Eider and 6 Common Scoter (5 males) were seen I hurried into the nature reserve itself where things were much more of an oasis of calm.

I had a wander around the main pond where I saw 2 Reed Warbler, a Little Grebe, a pair of Moorhen with 2 chicks and a male Broad-bodied Chaser while in the surrounding grassland there were loads of Southern Marsh Orchids in flower, a few flowering Blue-eyed Grass and a Painted Lady butterfly flitting about.

Southern Marsh Orchids

Southern Marsh Orchid

Southern Marsh Orchid 

Blue-eyed Grass

Broad-bodied Chaser

With higher temperatures forecast again for Sunday 24th May I decided to head out to The Plym to look for butterflies, I had planned an early start but didn't get myself organised until news of a singing Reed Warbler came through and I quickly headed out on the bus to Laira Bridge to start my walk.

There were butterflies on Chelson Meadow with Common Blue, Small Heath and Painted Lady flitting about along with my first Large Skipper of the year. I was very pleased to find at least 5 Dingy Skipper across a large area of the Meadow, maybe various small colonies or maybe one large one, and I dare to hope that they may survive somehow when the solar farm is built here. Even better though was my first Plym Green Hairstreak, I've always thought they should be present on the Meadow but have never found one until today, it was a little worn but I'll take it!

Large Skipper

Dingy Skipper

Dingy Skipper

Dingy Skipper 

Dingy Skipper 

Dingy Skipper 

Green Hairstreak

Green Hairstreak

I had a look and listen for the reported Reed Warbler and eventually heard it quietly singing away in the undergrowth but unfortunately it never showed itself, this one obviously hadn't read the Reed Warbler handbook and didn't respond to any amount of phishing despite being a new Plym bird for me! A male Kestrel was also seen hovering overhead, a Plym year first, and I was pleased to see evidence of successful Stonechat breeding with a female flitting about the bushes with 4 well grown fledglings in tow. A Whitethroat was seen briefly and I also found around 20 Southern Marsh Orchids which seem to have just suddenly come into flower.

Southern Marsh Orchid 

Otherwise my visit was much the same with the usual birds seen and yet another unsuccessful search for Spotted Flycatchers undertaken and with the heat building it was time to head home to cool off.

It was hotter still the next day, Bank Holiday Monday May 25th, and it was too hot to do anything other than take a quick walk down to The Allotment to look for Bee Orchids in the nearby flower meadow. I eventually found just 1 in flower but a singing Whitethroat was a surprise and I also saw a male Common Blue, a Painted Lady and a Burnet Companion moth.

Bee Orchid

With the high night-time temperatures I had the moth box out in the back yard that night for the first time this year and with the bedroom window being open I was woken up at 5am by the screeching of around 50 Ring-necked Parakeets in the trees across the road. They must have decamped there from their usual roost in the trees on nearby Charles Cross Roundabout but they were making a hell of a noise, I hope they don't make a habit of it. I was therefore a little bleary eyed as I sorted out the trap at this very early hour, a few moths got away as I'm a little bit rusty with using the collection pots but I was pleased to find a Buff-tip amongst the egg trays, the first one in the garden for some time now, and other highlights from the trap were a Bordered Straw, 2 Small Mottled Willow, a Lychnis, a Silver Y and 10 Diamond-back Moths.

Bordered Straw

Small Mottled Willow

Lychnis

Buff Tip