I had been thinking of taking a trip to Dawlish Warren for a change of scenery, I used to visit there regularly but with the demise of the bird hide and the eroding away of the dune ridge path it has fallen off my birding radar a bit, a shame really as it is an easy place to get to and produces some good birds. However with news of a Snow Bunting being found along the beach near Groyne 11 and with it seeming to be sticking around I headed off for a look about on Wednesday 5th November.
Before I left the house for the walk to the train station news came through that it was still present (it was first found on the Monday) and so I breathed a sigh of relief. However the news coming through wasn't quite so positive while I was on the train from Newton Abbot to Dawlish Warren as it had been spooked by a circling Coastguard helicopter and had flown off!
I arrived off the train and headed straight to the area of beach where it was mostly being seen but there were no birders present and I couldnt find the Snow Bunting either. I did eventually find it near Groyne 14 as it busily fed away in the dune edge along the beach and as usual for Snow Buntings it was ridicously tame and confiding and gave some great views although it did not stop moving for a second.
Snow Bunting
Snow Bunting
Snow Bunting
It then flew off back to the beach near Groyne 11 where it fed out on the sand but it was surprisingly easy to ovelook and again was mostly unconcerned by people walking past nearby.
Snow Bunting
Snow Bunting
Snow Bunting
My camera battery then died and so I replaced it with the spare that I always carry with me, however I had forgotten to charge up the spare and it was totally flat so photo opportunities came swiftly to an end which was a shame as the Snow Bunting was so close!
It was otherwise quite quiet around The Warren in claggy skies and a fresh breeze with a Chiffchaff and a Great Spotted Woodpecker seen in the woodland, 6 Common Scoter on the sea offshore, a juvenile Mute Swan on the main pond and a Rush Veneer kicked up from the grass the only sightings of note before I headed home.
Mute Swan
With a male Lesser Scaup being found at Helston Boating Lake on Tuesday and with it being joined by a female bird on the Wednesday I headed down there for a look about on Thursday 6th November. It was a grey and claggy morning but it did clear through by the time I arrived in Helston and it became bright and sunny day and the wind had dropped too.
I caught the 08:09am train to Redruth from Plymouth, it was too early to use my Devon and Cornwall Railcard and the fare was a whopping £28.20 return but I used Split Ticketing and brought the cost down to £14.05! I caught exactly the same train but bought a day return ticket to Saltash for £4.30 and then a day return to Redruth with my Devon and Cornwall Railcard for £9.75, I travelled on exactly the same trains with no need for a change along the way and it was less than half the price - ridiculous and what a rip off too.
Anyway, I arrived at Helston Boating Lake at around 10:30am and with a gaggle of Toggers at the far end poking huge lenses at some Ducks out on the water I headed down there for a look. The Lesser Scaup were easily picked out amongst the Tufted Ducks present, both were busily diving away and often coming quite close to the shore although they spent most of their time apart from each other.
Lesser Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Mallard, Coot, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Shoveler (4 males, 11 females) and a Common Sandpiper were also seen here but after a while I decided to walk over to the nearby sewage farm for a look about. Along the lane by the sewage plant I saw Chiffchaff, Firecrest, Goldcrest, Blue and Great Tit, Blackbird and Robin all flitting about in bushes still sporting a lot of leaves in the continuing mild weather while a Jay and a Great Spotted Woodpecker were heard and a Buzzard flew overhead.
Tufted Duck
Coot
I returned to the Boating Lake for another look and the 2 Lesser Scaup were still showing very well although they still did not stay still for a second and were constantly diving for food. The views were excellent though, the best I've ever had of this species and it was very enjoyable and very interesting to watch them so closely from the comfort of a strategically placed bench by the lake.
Lesser Scaup and Black-headed Gull
Lesser Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Lesser Scaup
The weather forecast for Saturday 8th November was looking grand and so I caught the 7am bus out to Wembury for a walk. It was thick mist in Plymouth when I got on the bus but it was all blue sky and sunshine when I arrived at Wembury and with very little breeze it became a pleasantly warm morning, so much so that I saw a Red Admiral, a Clouded Yellow and a Peacock flitting about.
Clouded Yellow
I started my walk with a scan about from the church but it was very quiet with just the odd Chaffinch over heading west. Woodpigeon flocks were flying over too but in a haphazard manner, no flock was larger than a 100 birds and they were flying all over the place as though they didn't know where they were and where they wanted to go.
Wembury Church
The Waning Beaver Moon
It was a spring high tide and despite the lack of wind the surf was rough as it crashed onto the beach where 16 Little Egret and 14 Turnstone were roosting along with the usual Oystercatchers. There were Gannets diving for fish offshore while a Great Northern Diver flew high over the water heading east.
There had been a notable increase in Blackbird and Goldcrest numbers along the walk and also of note were a Firecrest, 2 Sparrowhawk, a pair of Blackcap, a Chiffchaff and 3 Dartford Warbler amongst the usual birds. A look for Water Pipit and Purple Sandpiper drew a blank again though.
Dartford Warbler
Stonechat
Rock Pipit
The footpath upgrade continues and the path has been rerouted slightly inland into the wheatfield edge which probably means I'm unlikely to be able to view the beach from the clifftop in the future which is a shame. More hedgerow has been cut down too which is even more of a shame as this is where the Cirl Buntings skulk when disturbed from feeding in the wheatfield. When the new path is completed it is certainly going to get a lot more footfall along it too which will mean yet more disturbance to the wildlife, looks like I'm going to have to catch the early bus more often.
Cirl Buntings
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