The Herring Gull chicks continue to grow, make lots of noise and poop everywhere but things ramped up a notch on Sunday 26th July with lots of wing flapping, screeching and mini-flights to nearby roofs before they returned to the flat roof to roost for the night. They were both present the next morning before disappearing for the day but only Birdy returned that night to roost so we feared the worst. I regularly checked the nearby road but there was no sign of any Herring Gull casualties and both Birdy and Burdy thankfully returned to roost in the evening on Tuesday 28th July so hopefully they have already learnt some car-smarts.
I headed out to Wembury on the 7am bus on Tuesday 28th July, it was overcast and cool when I arrived but again it soon warmed up and became very muggy despite the sun remaining behind the clouds during my walk. There were lots of butterflies on the wing as usual and included an helice type Clouded Yellow, a very smart Comma and a good number of Wall Brown.
A Cetti's Warbler was heard alarm calling in the valley to the beach and eventually showed itself briefly before going silent. The screeching call of a juvenile Sandwich Tern was heard off the main beach and I eventually picked up 2 adults and 2 juveniles diving for fish just offshore, whenever the adult caught a fish it would call to the juvenile who would settle on the sea to receive the meal from the adult before both would fly off.
At The Point a Common Sandpiper was feeding along the waters edge on the dropping tide and a Curlew was out on the rocks with the Oystercatchers. Two Whimbrel flew in towards the beach and looked like they were going to land but then changed their minds and flew off towards Plymouth.
A Sedge Warbler skulking in the Bracken at The Point was a nice surprise, it showed very well as it responded to a bit of phishing before melting away into the vegetation. There were plenty of Chiffchaff and Whitethroat flitting about too but I only found a single male Blackcap and no Willow Warbler.
I had the moth box out in the back yard that night, it was a clear and still night and feeling a little cooler than of late and the catch in the trap the next morning was a little disappointing with just 10 moths of 8 species present - a Jersey Tiger, a Bloxworth Snout, a Common Rustic Agg., a Rustic/Uncertain, a Lime Speck Pug, a Pyrausta aurata, 3 Light Brown Apple Moths and what I think is a Crocidosema plebjana.
With Yellow Wagtails being reported at Exminster Marshes on Wednesday 29th July I decided to head out there for a look the following day. It was overcast and cool but muggy as I left Plymouth and on arriving at Starcross I had just missed a heavy shower of rain but all the roads and pavements had that delicious smell that you get with rain on tarmac after a hot and dry spell.
I started my walk along Station Road towards the canal, the Yellow Wagtails had been seen amongst the cattle in the fields by the side of the road but I couldn't find any. Eventually 3 juveniles flew up out of the long grass from around the feet of the Cows and landed on the roof of a concrete bunker being flying off high to the south.
I carried on towards the canal and checked out another field with cattle, the grass was shorter here and there were Starlings and Pied Wagtails feeding around the Cows feet and amongst them were at least 6 Yellow Wagtails which were their usual flitty and flighty selfs and consisted of 1+female and 5+juveniles.
Onwards to Turf and on the lagoon were 5+ Coot and a summer plumaged Little Grebe while a female type Marsh Harrier was seen quartering overhead. Reed Warblers were noisely flitting about in the pathside vegetation and with a bit of phishing gave some decent but brief views. An adult Mediterranean Gull coming out of breeding plumage was out on the mud at Turf Locks and in the nearby trees 9 Cattle Egret were roosting.
I caught the bus back to Starcross and while waiting for the train I watched a Sandwich Tern fishing along the river and a flock of around 20 Turnstone busily feeding out on the mud and looking immaculate in their summer plumage.
It had been a very enjoyable trip and I was very pleased to catch up with the Yellow Wagtails, a bird I rarely see in July and one I usually catch up with along the South Devon coast in late August and September. The heatwaves and drought this summer are making wildlife sightings in general a bit erratic and unpredictable but hopefully I will catch up with more Yellow Wagtails in the next few weeks.
