More of the Bonaparte's Gull

I had planned to visit Wembury for a walk on Tuesday 10th March but with the Bonaparte's Gull still present and showing well on The Plym I decided to go and have another look.

I caught the bus to Marsh Mills and headed straight down to the hide at Blaxton Meadow where a bunch of birders were watching the Bonaparte's Gull roosting out on the mud amongst the Black-headed Gulls. It was closer than on Saturday and I had some excellent views of it although it frequently flew over to the river before returning to the meadow until the tide had dropped enough and it didn't return.

Bonaparte's Gull

Bonaparte's and Black-headed Gull

Common and Bonaparte's Gull 

Bonaparte's Gull

Other sightings of note were 8 Greenshank, a Common Sandpiper, 4 Dunlin, 2 singing Chiffchaffs and my first Peacock butterfly of the year. There were also a pair of Mandarin Ducks on the duck pond but the female Red-crested Pochard had done a bunk again along with a male bird that had turned up on Saturday and which presumably is the same male that appeared this time last year.

Greenshank

Peacock

Robin

I caught the bus out to Yelverton on Wednesday 11th March to meet up with my mate Mavis. Before meeting Mavis I checked out the toilet block at Yelverton Roundabout for moths and was pleased to find an Oak Beauty and a Mottled Grey resting on the walls near the outside lights.

Oak Beauty

Mottled Grey

After some lunch and a catch up with Mike we headed out to Burrator Reservoir for a walk. It was sunny but breezy and cool and again it was fairly quiet on the bird front but we enjoyed views of a Grey Wagtail, 2 Coal Tits, a pair of displaying Great Crested Grebes, 8 Cormorants, 2 Muscovy Ducks and 2 White Farmyard Geese.

Muscovy Duck

Violet Oil Beetle

Despite the strong winds and mizzle on Thursday 12th March we headed out to Saltram for a quick walk and look about, we parked at Sainsbury's and walked up to Saltram House where we enjoyed a cup of tea and a scone before heading back to the car. The Bonaparte's Gull was reported as still present that morning but on very quick looks at Blaxton Meadow and the nearby River Plym there was no sign of it in the grotty conditions.

Both the male and female Red-crested Pochards were present on the duck pond this time but there were no Mandarin Ducks to be seen. The male Red-crested Pochard was being very attentive to the female again but she really didn't seem very impressed with him and constantly kept swimming away when he came too close. A Grey Wagtail was also present along the pond side and took regular sorties into the air to catch passing insects.

Red-crested Pochard

Also of note were 4 Roe Deer feeding together in the field near Blaxton Meadow, they were close to the footpath but looked quite wary as people passed nearby and they eventually moved off into cover.

Roe Deer

Bonaparte's Gull on The Plym

I had planned to catch the train down to Penzance on Saturday 7th March to look for a Ross's Gull found in Newlyn a few days ago but with it seeming to have moved on I switched plans and decided to visit the River Plym and Saltram instead. I still wasn't feeling great and the thought of a 4 hour return trip on the train didn't really appeal to me even though there are also some other good birds around in the Penzance area at the moment and including a Bonaparte's Gull.

Anyway, high tide on The Plym was around 8am and so I arrived off the bus at Marsh Mills at around 9:30am to start my walk. I headed straight down to Blaxton Meadow for the high tide roost although with The National Trust continuing to mess around with the sluice gates I wasn't sure what the water levels would be like there. Despite it being a high high tide there was very little water on the Meadow but there were birds to be seen out on the mud with 12 Curlew, Oystercatchers, 4 adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Shelduck, Common Gulls, a 1st winter Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gulls and around 100 Black-headed Gulls all present.

I decided to go through the Black-headed Gulls to look for a Mediterranean Gull amongst them, I was out of luck but I did find a 1st winter Bonaparte's Gull instead! At first I dismissed it until my brain caught up with my eyes and I realised what it was but its bubblegum pink, dumpy legs, black bill, large black neck splodge and smaller size were obvious. It was resting out on the mud a little way away from the Black-headed Gulls but after I took a few record shots it promptly took to the air and flew off upriver before disappearing from sight.

Bonaparte's Gull,  Blaxton Meadow 

Bonaparte's Gull, Blaxton Meadow 

I carried on with my walk and it was good to hear 3 Chiffchaffs singing away and see Wood Anemones in flower under the trees as Spring continues its onwards march. The usual birds were all seen on my walk with 2 Snipe, a Common Sandpiper, a Kingfisher, 2 male Goosander and a Redwing the highlights but it was too cool and overcast for any butterflies. 

Wood Anemones

Goosanders

Robin

As I headed back towards Marsh Mills to carch the bus home I had a quick look off the viewing platform overlooking the river near the gas pipe and was pleased to refind the Bonaparte's Gull flying around before it settled on the mud amongst the Black-headed Gulls to have a good preen. The views were a bit more distant and I didn't have my scope with me but its smaller size was very apparent along with the pink legs, black bill and black neck splodge.

Bonaparte's Gull (centre)

Finding a 1st winter Bonaparte's Gull on The Plym was so not on my radar this morning  but it was a very nice surprise and I was pleased a few other birders saw it after I put the news out and before I headed home, hopefully it might stick around for a bit. I'm also very glad I didn't go down to Penzance after all!

Back Home

The weather since my return to the UK has been pretty good but unfortunately I haven't felt well enough to make the most of it as I continue to struggle through jetlag and a shitty virus. I did get out for a short walk at Saltram on Tuesday 3rd March where I was pleased to finally see 2 pairs of Mandarin Ducks and the female Red-crested Pochard back on the duckpond for the first time this year but I was also very glad to return home to the comforts of the sofa.

I also took a short walk down to the allotment on Wednesday 4th March which provided me with my first proper butterfly sighting of the year in the form of a Comma sunning itself on a fence before dashing off and out of sight.

Comma

I felt a little better on Thursday 5th March as I headed out to Wembury on the bus for a slow walk, it was overcast and cool after a few days of warm sunshine so there were no reptiles or butterflies to be found but it was good to be back out birding locally after my trip to Japan.

The coast at Wembury has taken quite a bashing while I've been away on my holidays with the seemingly constant wind and rain we have been experiencing so far this year continuing in my abscence. There has been more cliff slippage, the beach has been gouged out in places including the area where the Sea Kale grows (or used to) and I sadly found 2 dead Puffins washed up on the tideline, a trend reflected elsewhere in the UK and around Europe as seabirds have "wrecked" due to the ongoing difficult weather conditions.

Puffin, 1 of 2 washed up along the beach

There may not have been any reptiles or butterflies around on my walk but there was a feel of spring in the air with Daffodils in flower and a pair of Canada Geese prospecting for nest sites on The Mewstone although a Great Northern Diver feeding close inshore just off the beach was a reminder that winter is not yet done.

Daffodils

Canada Goose feeding in the Sheep field

A pair of Bullfinch were feeding together at The Point where the National Trust have undertaken yet more "habitat management" and cleared tracts of Gorse and shrub right through the Dartford Warbler territory, they have also cleared most of the Gorse along the footpath where a colony of Green Hairstreak resides - oh dear.

The Water Pipit was still present along the beach but was showing no signs of moulting into summer plumage. The Siberian Chiffchaff was still present too and feeding amongst 4 collybita Chiffchaffs, its facial plumage was a bit of a mess though so presumably it has been feeding around blossom, probably Sloe blossom, which is beginning to flower in the nearby hedgerows.

I have also received my BirdTrack summary for 2025 from the BTO, always an interesting read and with Wembury and The Plym sharing first place as my most visited birding site for the year.

My BirdTrack Year 2025

Japan Part 5 - Back to Tokyo

It was back on a Bullet train to Tokyo on Wednedsay 25th February for our last 2 nights in Japan with a stay at the Sotetsu Fresa Inn Roppongi. The journey was very pleasant although the weather had turned and it was raining but as we whizzed across the countryside we still had a very brief view of the lower slopes of Mount Fuji before it disappeared amongst the clouds.

Bullet Train, Osaka

Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo - very, very underwhelming

Fortunately the next day was dry but overcast and cool as we headed out for some final sight seeing around Tokyo and we visited the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Buildings, Tokyo Central Station, the Imperial Palace Gardens and the Tokyo Tower.

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Buildings - we visited the observation decks on the 45th floor of both towers (for free)

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

Tokyo Central Station from the roof of the KITTE Shopping Mall

Tokyo Station Ceiling 

Dragon Mould, Tokyo Station

Monkey and Tiger Mould, Tokyo Station

I was pleased to find some Falcated Duck in the moat of the Imperial Palace, much better views of them than I had in Kushiro, and also present out on the water were Teal, Shoveler, Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Wigeon, Mallard, Coot, Little Grebe, Eastern Spot-billed Duck and Cormorant. A Dusky Thrush was also a nice find feeding on the grassy slopes of the moat.

Falcated Duck, Imperial Palace Moat

Teal

Falcated Duck

White Wagtail

Mute Swan 

While David visited the Tokyo Tower I had a walk around the nearby Shiba Park and in just an hour of wandering about I saw Oriental Turtle Dove, Japanese White-eye, Oriental Greenfinch, Japanese Tit, Brown-eared Bulbul, Feral Pigeon, Carrion Crow, White-cheeked Starling, Large-billed Crow and best of all around 10 Azure-winged Magpie which were showy and vocal before disappearing into the leaf cover. I have always hoped to see Azure-winged Magpie on my visits to Spain but have always been out of luck so to see them here in Japan was a nice surprise.

Zojo-ji Temple and Tokyo Tower

Shiba Park

Brown-eared Bulbul

Oriental Greenfinch

Azure-winged Magpie

Azure-winged Magpie

Azure-winged Magpie 

Plum Blossom

It was time to head back to Tokyo Airport for our flight back to the UK on Friday 27th February, the weather had improved and it was clear and sunny, just as it was on the day we had arrived, and we had clear views of Mount Fuji again from the monorail to the airport. We even had views of its snow-topped peak poking out through the clouds as we took off on the plane, a nice end to our visit to Japan. Interestingly we ended up flying back to the UK via Canada and Greenland instead of returning the way we came over Eurasia and so we ended up doing a full circle of the Earth for our trip.

We stayed the night at Heathrow before training back to Plymouth the following morning (Saturday 28th February) where displaying Buzzards and Red Kites were seen in the sunny skies, flowering Daffodils and Blossom were seen in the hedgerows, feeding Roe Deer were seen in the fields and a Great White Egret was seen on the still very flooded Somerset Levels.

And so our trip around Japan came to an end and what a journey it had been. Japan is a fascinating place, very clean, neat, tidy, organised and efficient and the people are polite and friendly too, sometimes a little too polite but probably the nicest people I've ever met. There are no litter bins anywhere but interestingly no litter either, there's no dog shit, no graffiti, no beggars and no rough sleepers (not that we saw anyway) and it was easy getting around on the trains and subways with signage and announcements in English and Chinese as well as Japanese. The food and drink were interesting, tasty and cheap and I enjoyed trying new things, even sashimi, sushi and Whelks (never again!) and overall I loved my time there including the wonderful scenery, snowy landscapes and interesting wildlife although many of the bird species I saw are familiar birds I see in the UK.

While the Japanese are a lovely people they are also a little weird, very childlike in their manner and affectation with high pitched squeaky voices frequently used and they seem obsessed with androgynous teenage boys and over-sexualised teenage girls. There are "cute" animal mascots and puppets everywhere with the evening news weather report and Winter Olympics coverage on the TV regularly including cute animal puppets as presenters, most bizarre, but overall it was a very interesting and fascinating cultural experience. Japan is now one of my favourite places and I would love to return despite the awful 14 hour flight to get there.

I managed to bring back a little surprise from my trip too, a nasty COVID-like bug which kicked in the day after my return to Plymouth and what is now my 3rd cold in 3 months. This one's a bitch though and the worst yet and also not much fun on top of the 9 hour time difference jetlag but never mind.