It was a warm and sunny day as I headed out to The Plym and Saltram for a walk on Thursday 22nd May although the wind did pick up a bit as the afternoon wore on.
Recent reports of Spotted Flycatchers had me checking out the usual spots and I eventually found 2 birds although they were a little distant. I watched 1 flycatching amongst the trees before a second bird appeared and chased after it so possibly 2 males or hopefully a pair.
The tide was heading in and the only wader present on Blaxton Meadow was an Oystercatcher roosting amongst the Gulls. The Canada Geese families with goslings had decamped to the nearby river, 1 family still had 5 goslings from the original 6 but the other family is now down to 3 from 4. The 4 Mute Swans were all together on the river too as they rested and preened on the mud near the gas pipe.
I found 2 moths in the Marsh Mills underpass, a Common Marbled Carpet and a male White Ermine, it really is turning out to be quite a little hot spot for moths here at the moment.
With half-term school holiday hell looming large on the horizon alongside yet another long Bank Holiday weekend (the 3rd one in 6 weeks!) I decided to make the most of the good weather on Friday 23rd May and headed off to Berry Head for a walk and a look about before it all gets rather busy.
There has been a recent flurry of reports of Small Blue at Berry Head on the Internet pages and social media sites followed by the usual silence but I hoped they would still be showing and assumed access to the quarry was now possible following its closure last year due to ongoing anti-social behaviour.
I caught the 9:15am train, the first train of the day that I could use my railcard on, and after a celebratory meal out with drinks the night before I was in no mood for an earlier start anyway. I eventually arrived at Berry Head at around 11:30am and found the gate across the quarry access road open so off I headed with fingers crossed.
I needn't have worried though as within just a few steps past the gate I found a Small Blue flitting about amongst the roadside vegetation and further along the road I found at least another 6. I'm not very familiar with Small Blue having only seen them 3 times before but they were certainly small and not particularly blue although bizarrely they appeared bluer when in flight. They were also very flitty and surprisingly difficult to keep track off as they flew low over the ground but they certainly kept me on my toes and entertained although I did find them a little underwhelming.
Some were very smart and pristine looking but others were looking tired and worn, needless to say the smart ones rarely stopped for long and often kept their wings closed when resting while the worn ones were very much more showy and approachable.
Also seen were at least 3 Wall Brown and they were totally chaotic and hyped up and never stopped for more than a few seconds. A faded Painted Lady was as equally neurotic but Common Blues and a Large Skipper were easier to view and I also had a brief view of a Meadow Brown at rest before it flew off down the cliffside and out of sight.
A few Pyramidal Orchids were coming into flower but with the recent lack of rain most were small and floppy and weedy looking. A noisy pair of Stonechat weren't very happy with my butterflying prescence and a Song Thrush was singing away while a second bird flew past with a beakful of worms.
After having my fill of the Small Blues I headed back up the quarry road and then had a wander around the old fort area at the top of Berry Head, somewhere I've only visited twice before. A Cirl Bunting was singing away from the top of the Gorse but Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Whitethroat kept themselves hidden as they sang. I had a look at the colony of Guillemots on the cliffs, there must have been over a thousand birds present, and I enjoyed watching their comings and goings and listening to their noise. Kittiwakes were also present and added their distinctive calls to the cacophony while down on the water I eventually picked out 2 Razorbills hidden amongst the large raft of Guillemots present.
It was soon time to walk back to Brixham to catch the bus back to Paignton train station, along the way I found some Early Purple Orchids flowering on a grassy cliff top while Swallows and House Martins were seen flying around overhead. The journey home was uneventful and surprisingly to time although the trains were very busy with all the Bank Holiday holiday makers heading down to Devon and Cornwall.
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