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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
