Dawlish Warren

Saturday 4th May saw me heading off to Dawlish Warren on the train on a sunny but chilly and breezy day. It was May Day Bank Holiday weekend and the trains were very busy but it wasn't too bad at Dawlish Warren with people probably keeping away due to the cool conditions.

In Focus were holding an optics field day which was the main reason for my visit, I did get to look through a Swarovski ATS80 telescope but there were no other models to compare it with (I am considering buying the ATS65 model) but I did buy a more lightweight tripod than my current Opticron and Manfrotto one in preparation for my eventual purchase.

I managed a few good wildlife sightings too with my first small copper of the year along with a green-winged orchid and Southern marsh orchids, blue-tailed damselfly, azure damselfly and pair of common scoter offshore.

 Small Copper

 Green-winged Orchid

 Southern Marsh Orchid

Blue-tailed Damselfly

Azure Damselfly

Orange tip and peacock were also noted and I found a lackey nest and a few brown tail nests in the bramble bushes.

 Lackey Moth Larva

Brown Tail Larva

It was quiet offshore in the choppy seas but the common scoter pair were a nice if distant surprise and there were a few gannets diving and flying around and at least 5 mobile Sandwich terns too.

Around the main pond at least 3 reed warblers were singing with sightings of 2 of them and a little grebe fed 2 fluffy chicks while mallard, moorhen and Canada goose watched on and 2 swallows hawked for flys overhead. Elsewhere at least 3 whitethroats were singing and songflighting with blackcap and chiffchaff heard along with a great spotted woodpecker "chipping" away.

It was nice to see at least 25 whimbrel feeding in the grass in the Greenland Lake area, they were mobile and flighty but always returned to feed and giving their lovely whistling calls.

 Whimbrel

 Whimbrel

Whimbrel

A very enjoyable trip topped off with a portion of chips before catching the train back to Plymouth.