We planned to head out for a walk along the South Devon coast on Tuesday 1st September but realised it was still school holiday time so diverted to Burrator Reservoir instead. The reservoir was around 50% full, higher than expected considering the heat and lack of rain over the summer and we've certainly seen it lower in the past. It was quiet birdwise as usual with the highlights being Siskins, Nuthatch and a singing Chiffchaff heard, 2 white Geese and a white Muscovy Duck in amongst the Mallards, 4 Goosanders and 7 Cormorants at the Main Dam and House Martins feeding overhead.
I headed out to The Plym on Thursday 3rd September for a walk, high tide was around 10:20am so I had planned a late start anyway but just as I left the house news came through of a Glossy Ibis on Blaxton Meadow which certainly made me get a move on. I eventually arrived at the viewing platform overlooking the Meadow where there was actually water to be seen and in amongst the roosting birds present was the Glossy Ibis, my first for The Plym.
Also roosting on the Meadow amongst the Redshank and Black-headed Gulls were a very smart looking juvenile Knot, a juvenile Ringed Plover, a Black-tailed Godwit, a Bar-tailed Godwit, 11 Greenshank, 11 Oystercatcher and 5 juvenile Shelduck. It's amazing what will turn up when water gets in to the Meadow - Please Take Note National Trust!
Sadly there was a sudden and loud noise, it sounded like a gun shot or maybe a car back-firing up near the house and all the birds took off including the Glossy Ibis, very few birds returned to the Meadow and the Ibis was watched flying off north until lost from sight.
I then decided to walk down to Laira Bridge on the dropping tide in the hope of catching a sight of an Osprey, I walked via the duck pond and was pleased to find the female Wood Duck was back amongst the Mandarin Ducks, my first sighting of her this year.
There were Martins and Swallows hawking over the fields as I walked down towards the Wet Wood, earlier I had seen 3 late Swifts flying over Blaxton Meadow, and on scanning through the swirling birds I eventually picked out at least 1 Sand Martin amongst them. The viewing was tricky and also to confuse things some of the juvenile House Martins were quite brown toned and with dusky rather than white rumps so I was pleased to pick a Sand Martin out amongst them in the dull and misty light. A Spotted Flycatcher feeding in a nearby tree was a nice find too.
I eventually arrived at the slipway near Laira Bridge where I sat awhile watching the estuary on the dropping tide but an Osprey was a no show. I did find a Shag, 2 Turnstone and a Common Sandpiper and the 5 juvenile Shelducks seen earlier at the Meadow were now feeding out on the exposed mud but it was soon time to head home for lunch (and an Osprey was seen fishing later that afternoon but you can't have it all).
My plans for Saturday 5th September ended up being cancelled so I headed out to Wembury instead on what was a warm, sunny and humid September morning, all bus journeys starting from Plymouth are free this weekend which was a bonus and I began my walk by heading off along the clifftop footpath towards Noss Mayo.
The Highland Cattle were out in a field at the farm, there were no Yellow Wagtails to be found amongst their feet but a Moorhen was heard calling from the farm ponds. I carried on towards the Clitter Woods area, I found Whinchats and a Yellow Wagtail in a ploughed field on my first ever visit here a year ago but this year the field is now pasture with cows feeding on it and again there were no Yellow Wagtails to be found amongst their feet. I did find 3 Tree Pipits though which flew up into the hedgerow before flying off and they were all totally silent as all my Autumn Tree Pipits so far have been.
Disaster then struck, I needed to give my glasses a clean only for the lens to pop out of the frame and the screw to fling off into the undergrowth which then rendered me almost blind. My eyesight is crap without glasses but even looking through my binoculars without them was surprisingly difficult and the rest of my walk was a bit of a blurry haze and I probably missed a few birds. I did eventually find a Whinchat in the same hedgerow as I had seen the Tree Pipits, it was with some Stonechats but quickly disappeared from view and with my crap eyes I never refound it despite a good search.
I received a message from local birder Jenny who was in the area and had seen an Osprey along The Yealm but I failed to see it as I was already heading back towards the main beach at Wembury, however along the way I did hear the distinct sound of flying Mute Swans and saw 5 adults flying out of the Yealm Estuary along the coast towards Plymouth.
As I was having a look about at The Point Jenny messaged me again to say she had found a Wryneck in the Clitters Wood area but shortly afterwards as I walked along the "Wryneck Path" at The Point I flushed a Wryneck-like bird off the path, it landed in the Blackthorn bushes where I confirmed it was indeed a Wryneck before it disappeared into the foliage, never to be seen again (and yes, even with my crap eyes I was able to ID it!).
Roosting at The Point on the high tide were a Common Sandpiper, a Curlew, 3 adult Mediterranean Gulls and 6 Little Egrets plus the usual Oystercatchers but there was nothing happening offshore on a brief scan about. A Sparrowhawk, a Kestrel, a Green Woodpecker, Cirl Buntings, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Whitethroats were also of note and there were still good numbers of Clouded Yellows flitting about including an helice type.
I caught the bus back to Plymouth, this time I had to pay for my ticket, and I was very glad to get my glasses repaired at Boots after a very strange and frustrating experience of trying to birdwatch without them. After a quick sandwich and with my glasses fixed I decided to make the most of the free buses and the beautiful day and head out to The Plym to look for an Osprey, one had been seen the past 2 days fishing along the lower estuary on the dropping high tide so I thought I'd try my luck.
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The tide was still quite high but dropping so I had a very quick look around Chelson Meadow where I eventually found the 5 reported Whinchat along with a single Stonechat. The Whinchat were loosely keeping together but there was the occassional bout of aggression between them at times.
I headed back to the ruined slipway near Laira Bridge and settled down to watch the estuary as the water receded with fingers crossed while a 1st Winter Mediterranean Gull, a Common Sandpiper and 2 Sandwich Terns kept me entertained along with all the usual Plym birds out on the mud.
After about an hour of waiting all the Gulls suddenly and noisely took to the air to announce the arrival of an Osprey. After a bit of scanning around amongst the flying throng I eventually found the fishing Osprey causing all the ruckus, it caught a decent sized fish on its 4th attempt despite the attentions of some of the Gulls and after 2 quick shakes of its feathers it gained a bit of height, headed downriver and disappeared east over Laira Bridge - result!
