Local Walks and Dartmoor Days

I had a quick walk around The Plym on Thursday 24th April, it was fairly quiet but I was pleased to see and hear a songflighting Whitethroat along The Ride and there were 5 Whimbrels roosting on Blaxton Meadow with 11 Oystercatcher, 3 Redshank and 2 Greenshank. The male Wigeon was still present too, maybe he'll oversummer?

The following day I had a quick walk at Wembury, it was also fairly quiet but it was lovely to see and hear migrating Whimbrel with at least 25 mobile, wary and vocal birds along the beach, a flock of 15 heading east offshore and a flock of 6 heading east over the bus stop in the village.

Whimbrel

Whitethroats were everywhere and noisily songflighting and 3 Wheatears were seen, a female along the beach and 2 males in the wheatfield.

Wheatear

The highlight though was a Red Kite over The Point, I was on the lower footpath and had a brief view of it overhead before it disappeared from sight and so I quickly headed up the footpath to the top of The Point and managed to refind it but it was much higher and distant and moving away to the east.

Sunday 27th April was a fine and sunny day so I headed out to Grenofen for a walk. Sunday buses meant I didn't arrive there until 10am, later than I would have liked, and it's also a little earlier in the year than I would normally visit but it was just a joy to be up on the edge of Dartmoor at one of my favourite places and in beautiful weather.

I was hoping to see Tree Pipit but was out of luck, I hope they haven't gone the way of Wood Warbler and Pied Flycatcher which are also no longer present here. Also noticeable by their abscence were Yellowhammer with none seen or heard and I thought Redstart was going to be a blank too but eventually I had some nice views of a male singing away in the top of a tree. 

Garden Warblers were in fine voice though and I managed to get some good views of 2 singing males with at least another 3 heard. A calling Cuckoo was a nice bonus too , I even had a very brief view of it as it flew over the downland on the opposite side of the valley.

Garden Warbler

Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Blackcap were all very vocal while overhead a group of 9 feeding Swift were my first of the year. There were good numbers of Brimstone flitting about with a female seen egglaying but I didn't see any Fritillaries, I guess it is still too early for them but there were plenty of Violets in flower.

Monday 28th April was a glorious day, all blue skies and sunshine and just perfect for a Dartmoor birdy day out with my mate Mavis. We started our day at Emsworthy Mire, only the second time I have been here, and we had an interesting time wandering around the nature reserve while admiring the views and the wildlife.

As per our visit last year it was too early for the Bluebells to be out in flower but we did see a few Orange-tip and Green-veined Whites flitting about and my Emperor Moth lure hasn't lost its potency despite being a few years old now and a few male Emperor Moths arrived to check it out although we didn't manage to get any photos of them.

The Cuckoos and Redstarts were the stars of the show though and we had some great views of them along with the many birders and toggers also present on site with us. At least 3 male Redstarts were seen and heard along with a lone female and at least 2 Cuckoos were seen and heard but they were all very mobile so possibly more were present. 

Redstart

Watching a pair of male Cuckoos having a fight in mid-air was pretty spectacular and something we've never seen before. We also watched a Cuckoo sat up in the bushes and regularly dropping down to the ground to grab insects to eat, it seemed to be catching what looked like caterpillars or worms or grubs and it would vigorously shake them before swallowing them down. Occassionally it would call and give its position away but it was so easily overlooked when perched up in the vegetation.

Cuckoo

Cuckoo

Cuckoo

Mavis watching a Cuckoo watching a Mavis

After lunch we carried onwards to Challacombe Farm where we had a gentle stroll about in the continuing sunshine, it's usually freezing cold here but it was delightfully warm for a change. Pied Flycatchers were the star birds here with 3 males and a female seen and heard and all making use of the numerous nest boxes dotted around the place. A Redstart was heard singing too but we never did get a view of it but we did get a good view of a Cuckoo with a bit of an off-key call getting mobbed by 3 Meadow Pipits.

Pied Flycatcher 

Marsh Marigold

As usual it had been a fabulous day out with some great birding in beautiful surroundings, Dartmooor is always gorgeous at this time of year and especially so when the sun shines. Even better is spending it with a good friend and we were both pooped, sun-kissed but very content when we arrived back home.

It was hotter still the next day (Tuesday 29th April) as we headed out to Wembury for a walk in our shorts, the first day of this year that we have had our lily white legs out in public. It was a dropping very low tide but out on the rocks with the usual Oystercatchers were at least 9 Whimbrel, 9 Turnstone and 2 Bar-tailed Godwits, one of which was in breeding plumage but sadly fast asleep.

The highlight though were 3 Green Hairstreaks at The Point, the earliest I think I have ever seen them before. They are probably my favourite UK butterfly and were absolutely gorgeous to watch.

Green Hairstreak

Green Hairstreak

Wednesday 30th April and the last day of the month saw temperatures soar to 23°c as we headed up to Dartmoor for a walk in what we hoped might have been slightly cooler conditions. It probably was cooler up on The Moor and there was a refreshing and cooling breeze but it still felt pretty hot.

David headed off to explore some Leats while I wandered off to do some birding. We didn't arrive on site until Midday, later than I had planned, and with the heat I wasn't sure if the birds would be very showy but I actually had an interesting walk.

A Cuckoo was heard but remained unseen along with a Garden Warbler but 2 Tree Pipits were showy and songflighty. Redstarts and Pied Flycatchers were also vocal, I only managed to actually see 1 male Redstart but did see at least 4 male Pied Flycatchers. A Spotted Flycatcher was a nice surprise but was difficult to track through the trees and I quickly lost sight of it. 

The highlight though was a Wood Warbler singing away in the trees, it was very mobile through the canopy, sometimes singing strongly and sometimes quietly but an absolute joy to see and hear as it sadly continues towards extinction as a breeding bird in Devon.

Heaven! (Unfortunately the same can not be said for my videoing skills!)

All in all a good day out in beautiful scenery despite the heat, Dartmoor is so stunning at this time of year.

Dartmoor Woodland

Dartmoor View

A Return to Marazion

With the Marazion Marsh Savi's Warbler still reeling and showing well but mostly at dawn and dusk I decided against all sensible judgement to go and try for it again on Monday April 21st. With it being Easter Monday a weekday train service was operating so there were early trains available from Plymouth and as it was a Bank Holiday I would be able to use my Devon and Cornwall Railcard too with a return ticket only costing £9.75. My alarm clock going off at 4:30am was not a very welcome sound though, we had been out the evening before at our friend Julie's house and had enjoyed a drink or two and after finally getting home and into bed at Midnight I wasn't feeling my best at such an ungodly hour.

The train journey to Penzance was uneventful and I arrived on time at 7:30am. There was a 20 minute wait for a bus to Marazion so I asked how much the fare would be from a taxi driver outside of the station and he quoted me £18 so that wasn't going to happen and I waited for the bus instead (which only cost £2.50).

I had seen some birders on the railway bridge overlooking the Marsh as we passed underneath it on our way into Penzance but on arriving there at 8:00am there was no one present. I set up my scope and listened but with no joy. It wasn't looking or sounding promising in the chilly breeze with occassional sprinkles of rain in between the sunny spells but after half an hour and just as a birder appeared who was telling me he had seen the Savi's Warbler earlier that morning it suddenly appeared at the top of the reeds and reeled for about a minute before disappearing back into cover. Over the next 45 minutes I saw it a further 3 times but always for a brief 30-60 seconds only. It was also difficult to hear properly, it was distant and the breeze was carrying the sound away from me, the almost constant traffic noise from passing vehicles didn't help either and I'm still having hearing issues with my right ear. The bird always seemed to reel mostly facing away from me too but it was a very distinctive sound and one I was very pleased to hear, a new bird species for me as well.

Also of note were 3 Sand Martin and a Swallow over, a Little Grebe, Reed Warblers, a male Teal and 2 male Reed Buntings. Also seen were around 30 Whimbrel flying high overhead heading north and whistling away with a further 2 seen heading north later on and also 10 along the beach.

I caught the bus back to Penzance and then walked over to Newlyn Harbour where the Azorean/Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis atlantis) from last year has reappeared. As I approached Newlyn along the coast path I could see it on the fish quay roof and on arriving at the harbour it was still present and showed very nicely, a joy to see now it's sporting its summer plumage. Sometimes I just love Gulls (sometimes!).

Azorean Gull

Yellow-legged Gull - atlantis race

Yellow-legged Gull 

Yellow-legged Gull

Yellow-legged Gull 

Yellow-legged Gull 

Yellow-legged Gull 

On the walk to and from Newlyn I had a look at the rocks at Jubilee Pool where a high count of 60 Purple Sandpipers were seen roosting on the high tide.

Purple Sandpipers

Unfortunately the train from Penzance to St.Erth at 11:50am was cancelled and then the 12:15pm train was delayed by 15 minutes so I ended up sitting around Penzance station for nearly an hour which was annoying as I could have stayed at Newlyn for longer. Anyway, I eventually arrived at St.Erth at around 12:45pm and walked down to the causeway for a scan of the estuary on the low tide.

The usual Gulls were loafing around, mostly Herring Gulls with a few Great Black-backed, Lesser Black-backed and Black-headed present amongst them. There were 4 Oystercatchers, 4 Bar-tailed Godwits in non-breeding plumage, Shelducks, a Grey Heron, a Cormorant, Canada Geese and 5 Whimbrel out on the mudflats with 3 Redshank, 6 Little Egrets and a non-breeding plumaged Black-tailed Godwit on Ryans Field.

I walked back to St.Erth station and caught the extremely busy and packed 2:30pm train back to Plymouth, travelling on trains in Cornwall on Easter Monday is not to be recommended. I was feeling very tired but it had been a very good day out and I was pleased to have gained a life tick - and Marazions success rate for target birds this year increases to 50%!

Marazion Dipping

It was overcast and cooler on Saturday 12th April and with showers/rain forecasted for the afternoon I planned to have a quiet day at home. However news of a Sedge Warbler and a Whitethroat at Saltram saw me heading out for a quick look about before the rain arrived, needless to say I saw neither but I had an enjoyable walk anyway with a singing Mistle Thrush, a Common Sandpiper, the pair of Red-crested Pochard and 3 Linnet the highlights. A Nut-tree Tussock moth found in the Marsh Mills Underpass was also my second moth sighting of the year.

Mistle Thrush

Male Red-crested Pochard - plastic but fantastic

Mandarins

Stock Dove

I had planned to have a quiet day at home again on Sunday 13th April but with news of a Savi's Warbler reeling at Marazion Marsh and during the daytime too I decided to go and have a look for it. Savi's Warbler is a bit of a bogey bird for me, it was regular at Minsmere back in the 1980's but every time I visited I neither saw or heard one although I was never there at dawn or dusk when they mostly do their "singing". Also my success rate this year for target birds at Marazion is just 33% with Hoopoe seen but Booted Eagle and Pacific Diver dipped and I really wasn't sure how the day would pan out.

The bird had been reported on Birdguides that morning at 08:11hrs so I knew it was still present before I left Plymouth on the 08:45hrs train, the first train to Penzance on a Sunday. When I finally arrived at Marazion Marsh at around 11:20am there was quite a crowd of birders at the railway bridge overlooking the Marsh but there had been no sight or sound of the bird since it had been reported earlier. The conditions weren't great either, it was overcast, cool and breezy, and in a case of deja vu I wished I had my winter coat and gloves with me again as I did 3 weeks ago when I visited Marazion Marsh to see the Hoopoe.

Marazion Marsh - There's a Savi's Warbler in there somewhere

I wandered around the Marsh to keep warm and to stop getting bored but regularly returned to the bridge to look and listen for the Savi's Warbler but it was not meant to be today and my success rate at Marazion this year has now dropped to 25% - never mind.

I did find a very vocal and showy Sedge Warbler, my first of the year, and at least 3 Reed Warblers were heard chuntering away in the reeds. Cetti's Warblers were vocal and occassionally showy too and other sightings of note were a pair of Stonechat, a Raven, 7 Teal (4 males), a female Mallard with 5 very small ducklings and a male Reed Bunting.

Sedge Warbler

Stonechat

The sun was beginning to appear from behind the clouds when I left at 15:00hrs although the cold wind wasn't easing any. The journey home was uneventful and the Savi's Warbler was, as expected, finally seen and heard again at dusk but nothing ventured, nothing gained. Maybe I'll try again?

With Easter looming large we had planned to have a day out on Maundy Thursday (April 17th) and then a quiet Easter weekend at home. However with Thursday forecasted to probably be the best day of weather over the Easter break David decided to head down to the allotment for the day while I headed out to Wembury for a walk.

I managed to get myself organised again and caught the 6:30am bus on a chilly and mostly overcast morning although it did warm up and get sunnier as the day wore on. It wasn't too busy at Wembury either with the cool temperatures probably helping to keep people away.

A Cetti's Warbler was singing in the valley to the beach , I even managed to get a brief view of it for a change but I still couldn't confirm if there are actually 2 males present. However on checking out the wheatfield I found 2 pairs of Red-legged Partridge present confirming my 4 bird theory.

I set my scope up for a seawatch at The Point, I nearly didn't bring it out with me but I'm very glad I did. I scanned across the sea for about an hour from 8am onwards, at first it seemed very quiet with just a few Gannets and Fulmars seen but then I picked up small groups of Auks moving about offshore, mostly heading west with a few east and a few landing on the sea but all too distant to fully confirm ID. Cormorants and Shags were also moving about and a winter plumaged Great Northern Diver was seen resting and preening on the sea. A pair of Common Scoter flew east and around 30 Manx Shearwater were seen moving west over a 5 minute period but the best birds were 2 Red-throated Divers flying west together, my first confirmed sighting of this species at Wembury.

A probable Wheatear was picked up heading over the sea towards land but I lost sight of it while a silent Pipit was seen flying away along the coast and probably of the Tree persuasion but I wasn't able to confirm or deny its ID. A Swallow also came in off the sea and later 2 were seen hawking insects over The Point where the male Dartford Warbler also made a very brief appearance.

 

Dartford Warbler - the full zoom on my camera has packed up so this was the best shot I could get

Cirl Bunting

Along the beach a Whimbrel was roosting with 24 Oystercatcher but it sadly never called. 5 Turnstone, 8 Little Egret, 3 Mallard (2 male), 2 Shelduck and 3 Canada Geese were also seen.

Whimbrel

My first Holly Blue of the year was a welcome sight and I was pleased to also get a good view of my second Red Admiral of the year after January's very brief sighting of one. A brief flight view of a Speckled Yellow moth became my third moth species of the year and I also thought I had found some Spring Squill growing at The Point but they turned out to be Bluebells that were very stunted due to being grazed by horses.

Red Admiral

Stunted Bluebell

Not so nice was seeing 3 young men with paddleboards/sea kayaks who were wild camping out on The Mewstone despite it being a No Landing Site and right in the middle of the breeding season for the sea birds present there. Even worse was seeing a small fishing boat arrive just off the beach near the sewage pipe and start to gather in its fishing nets despite it being in a marine conservation area where fishing is actively discouraged (although it is not illegal to do so), quite a few large silver fish were seen being hauled in before it headed back towards Plymouth. In all the 38 years I've been visiting Wembury I've never seen either of these things before, a sad state of affairs and showing a continuing decline in respect towards the natural world around us. I did report the incidents to staff at the Marine Centre at the main beach and have forwarded details and photos to them but I guess there isn't much that can be done about it.

Mewstone Trespassers

Wembury Marine Conservation Zone Fishermen on the "Carly D" (P600)

Wembury, The Plym, Beesands, The Plym, Wembury

With the good weather continuing I've made the most of it and have been out and about as much as possible before it all comes to an end.

The sun was shining and the wind had eased a little on Monday 7th April as I headed out to Wembury for another walk. I had meant to catch the early bus but that didn't happen, I really must start getting my arse in gear in the mornings, and I arrived at Wembury at the later than planned time of 09:45hrs.

As the bus headed into the village there were 3 House Martins flitting about over the houses and on alighting off the bus I heard a Willow Warbler quietly singing away in a village garden but unfortunately I couldn't get a sighting of it. Later another one was heard quietly singing away near the horse stables too but again it kept itself out of sight. I also heard the Cetti's Warbler in the valley to the beach, Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps were heard singing away too and not to be outdone the Dartford Warbler was briefly heard (and seen) at The Point.

There was no sign of the Black Redstart but the 2 Red-legged Partridge showed very well, this time they were feeding in the horsefield. A Kestrel, a Buzzard, a Sparrowhawk and 2 Swallow were seen overhead and 2 Sandwich Tern and a 1st summer Common Gull flew east offshore. Also of note were 3 Turnstone and 2 Shelduck.

Red-legged Partridge 

I had a look for Adders with no luck but then nearly stood on one along the footpath which scared the bejesus out of me as it quickly slithered away.

Adder

Butterflies were on the wing in the sunshine with a Large White, Speckled Woods, Peacocks, 2 Comma, Small Whites and 3 male Orange-tips all seen.

Orange-tip

The wind had eased down some more the following day (Tuesday 8th April) as I headed out to The Plym for a walk on the low but incoming tide. I caught the bus to Laira Bridge and walked up to Marsh Mills and considering it was Easter school holiday hell time and the weather was good it was surprisingly not that busy with people.

It was a warm and sunny day again and as I was scanning the clear skies from above The Amphitheatre I picked up 2 Red Kites soaring high over Marsh Mills and heading east, closely followed by another one. This is only the second time I have seen Red Kites here at The Plym although they are occassionally reported flying over and especially in the spring.

The male Wigeon was still present out on the river along with the 3 Mute Swans, 4 Swallows were seen overhead, a Great Spotted Woodpecker was heard drumming and a Kestrel hovered over Chelson Meadow, also a male Orange-tip was seen flitting about along with Peacocks, Speckled Woods and Small Whites.

Speckled Wood

It was sunny but breezier again on Wednesday 9th April as we headed out for the day to Slapton and Beesands. With a Night Heron having being reported at Slapton Ley that morning we stopped off  briefly at the bridge between the lower and upper Ley for a look but as expected there was no sign of it.

Slapton Ley from Torcross - looking gorgeous!

We carried on to Torcross where we parked the car and then we walked over to Beesands via the beach on the low tide. I had a quick look at Beesands Ley and quickly found the male Ring-necked Duck present amongst the Tufted Ducks, it was busily diving away and was sporting a muddy face and stained white plumage when it surfaced from dabbling around in the bottom mud. There were  also 4 male Gadwall out on the water along with a single Great Crested Grebe while a skulking Reed Warbler was heard quietly singing down in the reeds along the Ley side.

Ring-necked Duck

After some lunch at The Britannia we headed back to Torcross via the cliffpath as the incoming tide had now cut off the route along the beach. A male Wheatear was a nice find along the walk and at one point was heard quietly singing to itself. A few Early Purple Orchids were also seen in the hedgerow just coming into flower.

Wheatear

Early Purple Orchid

Back at Torcross a quick look across Slapton Ley revealed more Tufted Ducks, Coot, Moorhen and Great Crested Grebes along with 3 Gadwall (2 males) but the highlight was a Great White Egret flying down the back of the Ley towards the bridge. 

Tufted Duck

It was another day of sunshine on Thursday 10th April as I headed back out to The Plym for a walk. It was low tide when I arrived at Marsh Mills at around 11am and along the river the highlights were a Common Sandpiper, a Greenshank, 3 Mute Swan, 2 Oystercatcher and the lingering male Wigeon while on Blaxton Meadow 18 Redshank were feeding along with a Ringed Plover, an uncommon bird here.

Ringed Plover with Redshanks

After not seeing a Mistle Thrush last year at Saltram I was pleased to hear and eventually see a male bird singing away at the top of a tree, also of note were a male Bullfinch and a male Stonechat on Chelson Meadow.

Non-avian highlights on my walk were 4 Roe Deer (2 male, 2 female), my first Green-veined White of the year, a Small Tortoiseshell, a Comma and a male Brimstone.

Peacock

Small Tortoiseshell 

Green-veined White 

Brimstone 

I decided to head out to Wembury again on Friday 11th April, I planned to catch the 7am bus but managed to get my shit together for a change and caught the earlier bus at 6:30am instead! There wasn't a cloud in the sky and no breeze as I left the house but it was really chilly, however it soon warmed up as the day wore on and it felt like the hottest day of the year so far and as a result Wembury was swarming with people by the time I caught the 12:45pm bus back to Plymouth.

It really was a case of the early birder catching the bird with an amazing sighting of a Short-eared Owl flying around the pine trees by the radar station at The Point, it settled in the pines twice but was hassled by Magpies and eventually flew off over the fields and out of sight - if I hadn't have caught the earlier bus I would have missed out on my first ever sighting of a Short-eared Owl at Wembury!

Short-eared Owl

It was also a joy to see and hear my first Whitethroats of the year with at least 5 seen and heard and I was also pleased to find my first Wembury Wheatears of the year too (4 males, 1 female), a species that is usually easier to see in the autumn than in the spring. A Great Northern Diver sat on the sea and still in winter plumage was an interesting sighting and I managed to get a brief and distant view of a quietly singing Willow Warbler flitting about in a hedgerow.

Wheatear

There were still 8 Turnstone along the beach on the ebbing high tide along with 33 Oystercatcher, 9 Little Egret, 3 Canada Geese, 2 Shelduck and a pair of Mallard. Offshore Gannets, Fulmar, Shag and Cormorant were seen while a male Kestrel and 2 Swallow were seen overhead. There were 2 Red-legged Partridge in the wheatfield and I suspect there are actually 4 birds present in the area, likewise I heard the Cetti's Warbler in the valley to the beach but suspect there are actually 2 males present.

Red-legged Partridge

A Stoat along the beach was a surprise although it was seen in the same area as last years sighting of one. A female Black Oil Beetle, a male Brimstone and 3 male Orange-tip were also non-avian highlights.

Black Oil Beetle