A Quiet Walk at Wembury

I headed out to Wembury for a walk on Wednesday 28th May, it was cool and breezy with occassional sunny spells following the previous days wind and rain and a lot of seaweed had been washed up along the beach. It didn't feel particularly birdy though as I stepped off the bus and so it proved to be now that spring migration is pretty much over bar the odd tardy bird or surprise find - it certainly feels like the summer birding doldrums have now arrived.

Bird of the day was a Jay, my first at Wembury this year and a tricky bird to see here, it gave itself away by making a load of noise as it chased after a Buzzard along the wheatfield hedgerow before disappearing into the trees. Runner up bird of the day was a 1st summer Lesser Black-backed Gull roosting along the beach amongst the assorted Herring Gulls, again my first of the year at Wembury.

Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1st Summer

Otherwise it was all much the same with the other highlights being 26 Oystercatcher, 11 Turnstone, a Little Egret, a male Mallard, 2 Shelduck and a Grey Wagtail along the beach on the high tide, Gannets and Fulmars offshore, a noisy Red-legged Partridge in the sewage farm field and the usual vocal and showy Whitethroats along the coast path. There were 2 Meadow Pipits out on the rocks too and regularly chasing after each other, definently Meadows with orangey legs but an odd sighting in terms of habitat and time of year.

Other wildlife provided a bit more interest with a Common Lizard seen basking in the occassional sunny spells along with a variety of insects flitting about in the more sheltered spots.

Common Lizard

Swollen-thighed Beetles (Oedemera nobilis)

Common Spiny Mason Wasp - Odynerus spinipes

Argolamprotes Micella (Bramble Bronze)

Mullein Moth Caterpillar

I was dreading seeing the Cardy D P600 fishing boat pillaging the Marine Conservation Area on the high tide yet again but thankfully there was no sign of it today. In fact there was no sign of any of the buoys marking the position of crabbing pots either, previously the whole bay was littered with them, and so maybe the area is now being bettered monitored and protected.

On the way home I got off the bus by the allotment and had a look for Bee Orchids in the nearby wildflower meadow, eventually I found 5 very small ones just coming into flower alongside a few flowering Yellow Rattle and a Burnet Companion Moth.

Bee Orchids