Searching for Summer Migrants

I returned to Wembury on Friday 10th April, the weather had reverted to the more usual April conditions and it was overcast and cool with a gentle breeze. I caught the 9am bus and as the morning wore on the wind picked up, the temperature dropped and rain arrived and as a result I didn't see a single butterfly, in fact the only insects I saw were a few robust Bumblebees. It was therefore a surprise to see a male Adder in the usual spot despite the lack of sunshine but there was no sign of a female this time.

Adder

I've enjoyed quite a few sightings of Adders at Wembury this spring but have yet to see a Common Lizard or Black Oil Beetle following the National Trusts path upgrade and removal of the old fencing and hedgerow. I also haven't seen a Dartford Warbler since the National Trust cleared away a lot of Gorse in their usual breeding territory but apparently this is all so-called conservation management. At least the Green Hairstreaks are still present in their usual area following yet more Gorse clearance by the National Trust but there were none seen today in the chilly conditions.

The usual birds were seen and heard along my walk with at least 3 Whitethroats still present and singing away and 2 Swallows seen flying overhead and heading west. The highlight though were 2 White Wagtails feeding along the beach amongst the Pied Wagtails, a male and a female bird with the female showing a less demarcated line between the black head and light grey back than the male.

White Wagtail

White Wagtail

White Wagtail

White Wagtail

I had a quick walk along The Plym on Saturday 11th April, starting at Laira Bridge and finishing at Marsh Mills. It was mostly sunny but cool and breezy and again not a single butterfly was seen along my walk. All the usual birds were present though with Blackcap and Chiffchaff heard singing away and a single Swallow seen flying north overhead.

It was coming up to a high neap tide but Blaxton Meadow had even less water in it than on my visit on Monday and only Shelduck, Canada Geese, a Little Egret and Gulls were present roosting out on the mud with Redshanks and 6 Greenshanks choosing to roost on The Embankment on the opposite side of the river. 

Blaxton Meadow on the high tide - a thoroughly depressing sight

Blaxton Meadow

A single Curlew was present on the mudflats near the gas pipe along with 13 Oystercatchers and 2 Common Sandpipers,  the Curlew had a yellow leg flag on its left leg but it was too far away to read the code, presumably it is the headstarted Dartmoor bird J7 that is a frequent sighting along The Plym. It's ironic that the "habitat improvement" being undertaken by the National Trust on Blaxton Meadow to create saltmarsh for endangered Curlews has seen them vacate the site and the headstarted bird pushed off the Meadow to roost along the nearby river.

I had planned a quiet day for Monday 13th April but on waking up in the morning the sun was shining and so I caught the 9am bus out to Wembury for a quick walk. It was a beautiful morning and by midday had become very warm, helped in part by the recent cold and brisk wind having abated, and I had an enjoyable walk.

Wembury - Just Gorgeous

As the bus headed down into Wembury village I was pleased to see 4 House Martins over the rooftops, my first of the year, and along my walk other summer migrants seen or heard were 2 Sandwich Tern, Whitethroats, Blackcaps, 4 Swallows, a Whimbrel and Chiffchaffs. Also of note were 4 Red-legged Partridge feeding in the sheep field.

Stonechat

The warm sunshine brought out the insects too and I saw my first Orange-tips of the year along with Peacock, 2 Speckled Wood, 2 Red Admiral, a Holly Blue and 2 Green Hairstreaks. The female Adder was sunning herself in the usual spot but I again failed to find any Common Lizards, Black Oil Beetles or Dartford Warblers.

Orange-tip

Green Hairstreak

Adder

Adder

St.Marks Fly

Easter in Hampshire and a Mini Heatwave

It was off to Andover in Hampshire on Thursday 2nd April (Maundy Thursday) to meet up with my Mum and Sister for a few days away over the Easter break to celebrate my Mums 80th Birthday. The weather wasn't kind and it was cool, breezy, mostly overcast and damp but we had an enjoyable time and I had a few interesting wildlife sightings along the way.

"King Arthurs" Round Table, Winchester

The highlight was a sighting of a Brook Lamprey while out walking my sisters rescue dog Morse at Anton Lakes, it was swimming around in the gravel in the crystal clear water of the River Test and at first I thought it was an Eel before I saw it  moving small stones around with its suckered mouth, unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me! 

A close runner up though for the sighting of the trip were at least 3 Spotted Bee-fly seen while on another dog walk at Danebury Fort, they were buzzing around Primrose flowers in brief sunny spells while a Violet Oil Bettle was also seen bimbling along nearby.

Spotted Bee-fly

It was too chilly for a single butterfly sighting on our visit but it was great to  regularly see Red Kites soaring overhead and also to see plenty of Cowslip in flower and I was pleased to hear a Cetti's Warbler calling away on yet another dog walk at Rooksbury Mill.

We drove back to Plymouth on Easter Sunday 5th April and expected a nightmare journey along the A303 but the road was pretty clear, even around Stonehenge, and along the way I saw more Red Kites and a Roe Deer and sadly lots of road kill consisting of mostly Badgers, Deer and Pheasants.

Easter Monday 6th April was sunny but cool and breezy as I headed out to The Plym for a walk. It was high tide but Blaxton Meadow was virtually (and depressingly) waterless as usual although there were birds present and including 8 Greenshank, 3 Curlew, an Oystercatcher, Redshanks, 5 Black-headed Gulls and 2 very dark-backed adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls presumably of the Larus fuscus fuscus race.

At the duck pond the pair of Red-crested Pochard were present with the female looking much more relaxed around the male, maybe we will have baby Red-crested Pochards later in the year. It was lovely to see 3 Swallows flitting about overhead, my first for The Plym this year, and a female Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen in a nearby tree.

Red-crested Pochard

Other sightings of note were 4 Roe Deer (1 male), 4+ Linnet, a pair of Grey Wagtail, 2 Kingfisher, a Common Sandpiper, a female Brimstone and a Coal Tit.

Canada Geese

I headed out to Wembury on the 7am bus on Tuesday 7th April, it was a sunny day but there was a strong easterly wind, stronger than I had expected, and as a result the birding was a little heavy going. 

Along the beach I inadvertently flushed a roosting flock of Gulls when I peered over the cliff top, all were variously aged Herring Gulls except for an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull with very yellow legs and a very black back and presumably another fuscus type. Also along the beach were the usual Oystercatchers with 3 Little Egret, 3 male Mallard and 9 Turnstone.

I picked up 2 Swallows coming in off the sea with a further 5 seen heading east along the coast, 3 Sand Martins were also seen overhead and heading inland.

I had taken my scope with me in the hope of some offshore action and even though the winds were stronger than forecasted I had a good seawatch (for Wembury). The highlight were 3 flocks of Common Scoter (7, 12 and 8) all heading east, a high count for Wembury, and amongst the Gannets and Fulmars flying about were a few Manx Shearwaters, Auks and Kittiwakes although all were mostly distant. I also had a brief view of a Common Dolphin fin breaking the surface but in the choppy seas I failed to refind it or any others.

A male Brimstone flitted past me in the relative  shelter of the valley to the beach and an Adder was again sunning itself in the usual spot and presumably the same one I've seen on my previous visits.

Adder

With a Hoopoe being seen at Heybrook Bay in the afternoon after I had returned home and a weather forecast later that evening of a hot and sunny day to come I decided to revisit Wembury to have a look for it on Wednesday 8th April. Needless to say there was no sight or sound of the Hoopoe but it was a very hot and sunny day as forecasted and unlike the previous day there wasn't a breath of wind and I had a very interesting walk.

A Whimbrel roosting on the rocks amongst the Oystercatchers started things off well swiftly followed by a Peregrine seen perched up high on The Mewstone before it launched itself after a passing Woodpigeon which somehow managed to evade being caught. There were at least 4 Whitethroats singing away too, presumably fresh in overnight, and a Swallow was seen coming in off the sea. Offshore was much quieter than yesterday but at least 15 Manx Shearwater were picked up moving east and 4 Common Scoter flew west. At least 3 Common Dolphins were seen leaping out of the water before disappearing behind The Mewstone and at least 6 Harbour Porpoise were seen moving west and doing their usual blink and you'll miss it surface rolls.

Butterflies were on the wing in the heat and sunshine with a Wall Brown, a Small White, a Comma, a Speckled Wood, a Holly Blue and Peacocks seen but the best were at least 3 Green Hairstreaks, my earliest ever sighting of them and thankfully seen flitting about in the Gorse bushes in their usual spot despite The National Trusts clearance work.

Green Hairstreak

Green Hairstreak

Green Hairstreak

The Adder was in the usual place and enjoying the sunshine but today she was joined by an amorous male and I watched spellbound as the male entwined around the female although she didn't seem very receptive to his advances. The views were unfortunately obscured by the vegetation and so I quietly moved away and left them to it.

Adders

Adders

Flowering Pear Tree - not a Plymouth Pear

Dusky Warbler and Another Bonaparte's Gull

It was mostly overcast and cool as I headed out to The Plym for a walk on Monday 30th March, a flock of 8 Black-tailed Godwit had been present the previous day but as expected they had moved on although I can't help but wonder if The National Trust wasn't messing about with the water levels on Blaxton Meadow they might have lingered for longer.

Anyway, I started my walk at Laira Bridge, it was low tide and from the Bridge the usual birds were seen including a Mute Swan, a Shag, a Common Sandpiper and a Greenshank while a Sparrowhawk was seen flying over the river being pursued by a Carrion Crow.

From The Amphitheatre I scanned the mudflats and found the now long staying 1st winter Bonaparte's Gull roosting amongst a flock of 20 Common Gull along with a single Black-headed Gull, distant views only before something spooked them and they all flew off upriver and out of sight.

There were no Red-crested Pochards on the duck pond again but a male Mandarin was present before flying off and the pair of Grey Wagtail were still catching Flies from the pond edges. The blue Ring-necked Parakeet was also in the usual tree and defending the nest hole from all comers along with her green mate.

Syrphus Sp.

Ring-necked Parakeet

With a Dusky Warbler having been found at Boscathnoe Reservoir near Penzance in December last year and with it still being reported this month I decided it was high time I went to have a look for it on Tuesday 31st March as it has only been present now for over 3 months!

I caught the train down to Penzance and then the bus to Madron with the bus stop being very close to the reservoir entrance. It was cool and overcast again but within minutes of checking out the Willows where it is usually seen I had found a Chiffchaff closely followed by the Dusky Warbler. It showed ridiculously well as it fed in the Willows along the waters edge before moving up into the bare branches of a nearby tree where it caught a massive Fly, scarfed it down and promptly disappeared into cover, never to be seen again. 

Dusky Warbler

Dusky Warbler

It had been very showy for what is usually a bit of a skulky bird and I enjoyed my views of it, certainly better than the views I had of my only other sighting of one at Landguard in Suffolk in 2014 where I saw it flitting between Bramble patches being chased by Twitchers.

While waiting around for the Dusky Warbler not to reappear I also saw 4 Sand Martins overhead, a Green Woodpecker, 2 Jays, a pair of nest building Little Grebes, a Moorhen sitting on eggs and a male Blackcap before I caught the bus back to Penzance and then the train to St.Erth for a look at the Hayle Estuary.

On arriving at the causeway bridge there were plenty of the usual Gulls out on the mudflats - Herring, Common, Great Black-backed, Mediterranean, Black-headed and Lesser Black-backed - and I easily found the reported 1st winter Bonaparte's Gull amongst them. It showed very well and quite close to the bridge at first, sometimes busily preening and other times settling down on the mud for a nap. A Little Gull and a Ring-billed Gull had also been reported but I failed to find them although while scanning around for them I did see 2 redhead Goosanders, 9 winter plumaged Bar-tailed Godwits, 13 Sandwich Tern and 2 Greenshank before heading back to.St.Erth to catch the train back to Plymouth.

Hayle Estuary

Bonaparte's Gull with Black-headed Gulls

Spring Slowly Marches Onward

Sunday 22nd March was another sunny but cool start to the day as I headed out to The Plym for a look about. It was a spring high tide but sadly no water was coming through the Blaxton Meadow sluice gates thanks to The National Trusts continuing misguided habitat management plans. There were birds roosting out on the Meadow though and the 1st winter Bonaparte's Gull was easily found amongst them, sitting out on the mud all on its own and occassionally flying around the Meadow before flying off upriver and out of sight.

The usual birds were seen along the River and included a male Goosander, a Common Sandpiper, 8 Greenshank and 4 adult and a 1st winter Common Gull. The usual birds were also seen around the Park and included a male Linnet, a single Rook and an unseen singing Mistle Thrush.

Comma and Peacock were flitting about and my first Small White of the year flew past me at Longbridge. I also saw my first Dark-edged Bee-fly of the year.

Comma

I headed out to Wembury on the 7am bus on Monday 23rd March, it was sunny but cool yet again but warmed up nicely as the day went on. The tide was starting to ebb and along the beach I found my first Wembury Dunlin of the year amongst a small flock of 12 Turnstone. A Stock Dove flying over the fields above the sewage farm was also a Wembury first along with a Feral pigeon flying over the village.

I took my telescope with me but a quick scan offshore with my binoculars revealed nothing! However on setting up my scope at The Point and having another look about offshore I picked up a pod of around 40 Common Dolphins moving west, some were closer in but the group further out had attracted inquisitive Gannets along with Manx Shearwaters, another first for the year and my earliest ever sighting. There were also Auks flying about offshore and resting on the sea, those close enough to ID were all Razorbills.

Spring arrives and so do the fishing boats in the Marine Conservation Area

Other highlights along my walk were 3 knackered looking Wheatear amongst the rocks below the footpath at The Point, presumably having just made landfall, and there were 2 nervous looking Red-legged Partridge in the wheatfield where Cirl Buntings were also being unusually showy.

Wheatear

Cirl Bunting

It was sunny but cool on Thursday 26th March as I headed out for a quick walk along The Plym. It was very quiet with a single Greenshank, a pair of Linnets, a male Goosander, a Shag, a pair of Mandarin, a Common Sandpiper and 2 pairs of Grey Wagtails the highlights with a single Peacock also seen despite the chilly conditions. I also saw a pair of Ring-necked Parakeets mating, a green type male and a blue phase female.

Mandarin

Ring-necked Parakeet 

I headed off on the train to Dawlish Warren on Friday 27th March, it was a last minute decision and I didn't arrive off the train until around 12:30 but I fancied a change of scenery. It was damp and claggy and I only spent a couple of hours there before returning home but I had an enjoyable walk.

It was quite calm offshore but quiet too and the highlight was a Great Northern Diver moulting into summer plumage and struggling to swallow a flat fish it had caught before the nearby Great Black-backed Gulls realised. A summer plumaged Great Crested Grebe, 2 Razorbill (1 in summer plumage) and Gannets were also seen and it was great to see returning Sandwich Terns patrolling back and forth along the beach.

Great Northern Diver

At the main pond 2 Little Grebes were heard trilling away with a third bird seen, a male Teal was dabbling away and a Chiffchaff was flitting about in the reeds. A Collared Dove in the nearby trees was a surprise while a pair of Cirl Buntings showed well out on the open grassland.

Saturday 28th March was sunny but cool and breezy again as I caught the 9am bus out to Wembury for a walk. Being a sunny Saturday and the start of the Easter school holidays there were dogs and people everywhere and with the National Trust now having completed the footpath upgrade all the way to the sewage pipe it was busy the whole way along my walk - I will have to avoid weekends and holidays in the future and catch the early morning bus if I want a less disturbed visit. Despite this I did enjoy todays walk and had some interesting sightings along the way although with it still being the early days of Spring it was quiet.

Upgraded Path, Wembury Point

I did however see my first Speckled Wood of the year and an Adder was again seen basking in the sunshine out of the wind while a few Peacock were seen dashing past in the strong breeze and a few Chiffchaffs were heard singing away. It was quiet offshore too with just 2 adult Gannets seen flying west and there were no Fulmars to be seen on The Mewstone while along the beach there were 11 Turnstone, 20 Oystercatchers, 3 Little Egret, 5 male Mallards and a 1st winter Mediterranean Gull.

Adder

Yet Another Wild Goose Chase

Saturday 14th March was forecasted to be dry and sunny but cool and indeed it was, I had thought about going to look for Goshawks but with even better weather forecasted for later next week I decided to head off to Exminster Marshes instead to look for the 8 remaining Russian White-fronted Geese that are still lingering there.

I caught the 08:14hrs train from Plymouth which was a big mistake as it was jam packed with drunken Plymouth Argyle football fans heading up to Reading for a match and despite managing to get a seat I was very glad to change trains at Newton Abbot. My train to Starcross was much quieter and also on time and as I set off on my walk up to Exminster Marshes a Blackcap and a Chiffchaff were heard singing away.

Grey Heron, Powderham Park

Fallow Deer, Powderham Park

It's that time of year when winter birds are already departing and summer birds are yet to arrive and the estuary was very quiet with Curlew, Redshank and Oystercatcher seen along with a Greenshank and a few Turnstone. However Exminster Marshes still held quite a few Ducks with good numbers of Wigeon still present along with Teal, Mallard, Shoveler, a few Gadwall and Tufted Ducks and a pair of Pintail.

On arriving at the viewing platform I quickly found the 8 Russian White-fronted Geese feeding amongst a flock of Canada Geese along with a single Barnacle Goose, they showed very well but regularly hunkered down for a nap in the long grass when they would just disappear from sight.

Five of the eight Russian White-fronted Geese, Exminster Marsh

I also picked up a distant flock of Hirundines feeding high over Powderham Marshes too, probably Sand Martins but too far away to call. A male Marsh Harrier was seen quartering over the Marsh and spooking the Ducks while my first Brimstone of the year dashed past me and 3 Peacock were also seen.

I then decided to visit Dawlish Warren on the way home which turned out to be a bad choice. The bus from Exminster to Starcross was late and as it eventually pulled into Starcross station I watched my train to Dawlish Warren pull away. I had an hours wait until the next train so I bought some lunch and sat and watched 2 male and 3 female Red-breasted Mergansers diving away out on the river off Starcross station.

Unfortunately the next train to Dawlish Warren was cancelled due to trespassers on the line near Topsham and all subsequent trains were cancelled or delayed! Finally after a 2 hour wait at Starcross station a train did come through but with further trains still delayed or cancelled I gave Dawlish Warren a miss and just headed back to Plymouth while I had the chance.

While it may not have been the best end to the day at least I finally saw some of the wintering Russian White-fronted Geese on The Exe after all the dipping I experienced at the beginning of the New Year.

I managed to get myself organised for a change and caught the 7am bus out to Wembury for a walk on Wednesday 18th March. It was sunny but chilly as I stepped off the bus but it did warm up as the morning progressed although a brisk easterly wind kept things on the cool side.

Bull, Wembury

There were signs of spring everywhere along my walk and I managed to see my first Wheatear, Sand Martin and Sandwich Tern of the year. A Blackcap and a few Chiffchaffs were also heard singing away while a single Adder was seen basking in the sun and 4 Peacock and a Comma were flitting about.

Wheatear, Wembury

Adder

Peacock

Sadly there was no sign of the Water Pipit along the beach and there were only 4 Rock Pipit present, the Siberian Chiffchaff also seems to have moved on but there were at least 3 collybita Chiffchaffs flitting about in the dead reeds. The Sea Kale has begun to sprout but it has taken quite a battering and the tubers and roots are all exposed where the sand has been eroded away in the winter storms.

Sea Kale

A Firecrest in a village garden and 3 Shelduck along the beach were also of note, otherwise the usual birds were seen including 9 Little Egret, 4 Raven, a 1st winter Mediterranean Gull, Cirl Buntings and a Buzzard. Offshore the usual Gannets, Fulmars, Shags and Cormorants were noted along with an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull and 3 adult Common Gulls flying east. There were also a few Auks resting out on the sea and fairly close in to shore but just too far out to properly ID without a scope, 4 Razorbills and a Guillemot were close enough to identify though.

I experienced yet more travel woes on the journey home, there was road resurfacing work being undertaken in the village and the bus had been rerouted after I had arrived and with it no longer serving my usual stop I missed it and had to walk up into the village and wait an hour for the next one along the revised route - I'm not having much luck with public transport at the moment!

We headed out to Slapton Ley for a look about on Thursday 19th March, it was another fine and sunny day but still feeling cool in a brisk easterly breeze. With the road having been washed away again in places along the Slapton Line following the winter storms we drove to Torcross and walked to Slapton Bridge and back and had a look at all the damage caused to the road and to the buildings at Torcross.

Torcross

The wind was keeping the birds hunkered down but out on the water of The Ley were Tufted Duck, Gadwall, Coot, Great Crested Grebe, Mallard, Cormorant, Mute Swan and Canada Geese. There were 2 Great White Egrets feeding in the reedbeds at the back of the Ley and Cetti's Warblers were heard calling along the Ley side with 1 bird seen briefly at the bridge. 

It was bright and sunny the next morning (Friday 20th March) and the wind had finally eased down so I headed out to look for Goshawks, later in the spring than I usually visit but I kept my fingers crossed. I caught an earlier bus than usual and it arrived on time (!) and the highlights on my walk up to my usual vantage point were a Marsh Tit, 2 tardy Redwing, a pair of Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Mistle Thrush and 2 Red-legged Partridge amongst the numerous Pheasants.

Pheasants

As the morning wore on it became pleasantly warm which brought out the butterflies and I managed to see 4 male Brimstone, 4 Comma and a Red Admiral flitting about along with numerous Peacock that I gave up counting.

Red Admiral, Peacock, Comma

On arriving at my vantage point I set up my scope and scanned across the valley only to find nothing on view except for Woodpigeons flying about but as it warmed up a few Buzzards began to appear on the thermals with a male Sparrowhawk joining them briefly and looking tiny next to them. A distant Red Kite moving east was a nice surprise and at least 2 Raven were also seen riding the developing thermals. A female Sparrowhawk was also briefly seen before disappearing into the trees and this was quickly followed by a sighting of a Goshawk soaring high over the valley before plummeting down and out of sight - result!

Goshawk View Point

Sheep watching Me watching a Goshawk

Over the next 3 hours I had regular sightings of the Goshawk soaring over the trees, a presumed female due to its size. It had very white looking underparts and brown toned upperparts and showed bright-white, fluffed-out thigh feathers which were especially noticeable when seen from the side as it banked in the air. At times it would soar up quite high before drifting off out of sight, at other times it would circle lower down and fly with flapping wings before plummeting downwards. At one point it was joined briefly by a tiny looking male Sparrowhawk who quickly realised its mistake and moved away, it was also hassled in the air by a slightly smaller looking but persistent Carrion Crow before it also flew away and left the Goshawk to carry on displaying in peace.

I'm not sure if it is good news seeing just the one continually displaying bird, in previous years I've seen more than 1 bird dispaying on my visits, maybe this bird is unpartnered and is still looking for a mate at this late stage - I guess I'll find out more on my visit this time next year.