A Plymouth Rarity

Storm Emma arrived in Devon from the south on March 1st and duly slammed into The Beast from the East, a large high pressure system over Europe bringing Siberian conditions to the UK, and the result was something very rare here in Plymouth - snow!

Snow from my Bedroom window!

The conditions were pretty awful although it was much worse in the rest of Devon and it meant some impressive cold weather movement of birds.

Beaumont Park in the snow

We headed up to Plymouth Hoe in the afternoon as the snow began to arrive and it was gelid - freezing cold, a biting easterly wind that felt evil and snow mizzle that swirled around in vicious bursts. We didn't stay out for long but on the walk I managed to find 2 redwing, 11fieldfare, 1 song thrush, a lapwing, 5 meadow pipit and 7 golden plover (my first Plymouth sighting) and all unusual fare for Plymouth Hoe in March (I even had redwings and a lapwing flying over the house).

 Herring Gull hunkering down on The Barbican

Herring Gull

The following day we headed back for another look and the conditions were not much better with the snow mizzle being more snow dust in nature but there were more birds around than the previous day all desperately trying to find food in the awful conditions. Redwings and fieldfares were very mobile all around The Hoe with numbers difficult to assess due to their constant movement with 5 skylark and 10 linnet also seen along with a few meadow pipits. Lapwings and golden plovers were also flying around and trying to feed on the frozen grassy areas with most looking in a bit of a bad way, especially the golden plovers. One bird looked very poorly which broke my heart as I was unable to do anything for it - the weather may have produced some interesting birding but the reality is deadly serious and often fatal for the birds themselves, a situation mirrored across Devon.

 Fieldfare, Plymouth Hoe

 Fieldfare

 Redwing, Plymouth Hoe

 Redwing

 Lapwing, Plymouth Hoe

 Golden Plover, Plymouth Hoe

Golden Plover

 Golden Plover

 Golden Plover

Golden Plover

Saturday 3rd March and overnight rain had cleared all the snow and ice in Plymouth although it remains cold and the only reminder of the bad weather was a lone lapwing feeding on the grass near Derriford Hospital as I caught the bus home after my night shift - hopefully the improving weather will enable some of the displaced birds to have a chance of survival.

Spoonbill, Yellow Legged Gull and Great White Egret at Hayle

Wednesday 29th November and despite still feeling crappy from jet lag and post holiday blues I caught the train down to Hayle for a days birding. It was cold with a biting north wind, sunny spells and occassional heavy showers when I arrived off the train at 9am and I headed off straight away to the Carnsew Pool where I quickly found the regular spoonbill, presumably the same juvenile bird that has been hanging around Hayle on and off for a couple of years now.

I walked onwards to the causeway bridge where a flock of around 400 golden plover were roosting on the mudflats, surprisingly my first of the year, but just as I set up my telescope to scan through them to look for the reported American golden plover amongst them they all took to the air and then circled around high overhead for around 20 minutes before resettling, a pattern they then followed throughout the morning, and despite looking through them each time they settled on the ground I failed to find their American cousin amongst them.

Golden Plovers

Golden Plovers and Lapwing

There were plenty of other birds to keep me occupied though - a greenshank. 14 turnstone, 21 bar tailed godwit, redshank, dunlin, lapwing, wigeon, greylag goose, oystercatcher, curlew and teal amongst others - and a brief dash past by a juvenile peregrine which spooked all the birds on the estuary may have been the continuing cause of the golden plover flocks nervousness.

Lapwing

I spent some time scanning through the bathing, preening and roosting gulls out on the mudflats but couldn't find the recently reported glaucous gull amongst the herring, black headed, lesser black backed and great black backed gulls present but I did find an adult Mediterranean gull in winter plumage and a very smart looking adult yellow legged gull with a Daz white head.

Yellow Legged Gull (Top Centre)

Yellow Legged Gull (Middle)

Yellow Legged Gull (Top right)

Yellow Legged Gull (Top)

Yellow Legged Gull (Left) with Lesser Black Back Gull (Centre) and Herring Gull (Right)

With the tide coming in I found the spoonbill roosting on Ryans Field where it gave some nice views and while watching the circling golden plover flock overhead in the hope they would also settle on Ryans Field I picked up a great white egret flying over heading east inland, my first Cornwall sighting of one and a complete surprise.

Spoonbill

Spoonbill

The golden plover flock eventually settled out of sight over on Lelant Saltings and with a heavy shower duly arriving I got soaked as I headed back to the railway station to catch the train back to Plymouth but it had been a very enjoyable morning despite the American golden plover dip.

Franklin's Gull, Hayle Estuary

Another gloomy and dull day on Sunday 30th October saw me heading off on the train to the Hayle Estuary in Cornwall to look for a Franklin's gull that had been seen somewhat erratically for the past few days. I was feeling tired and wasn't in the mood to spend 4 hours on a train (2 hours there, 2 hours back), but armed with food and drink, my MP3 player and the Sunday paper crossword supplement the journey wasn't too bad and allowed me time to contemplate my lot in life as the gorgeous Cornish scenery passed by.

I arrived at Hayle at around 11am and walked off towards the Carnsew Pool, seeing a kingfisher and a little egret along the quay by Asda. On the Pool were at least 6 mobile little grebes all constantly diving along with 2 female red breasted mergansers. Another (or the same) kingfisher was perched on seaweed covered rocks by the waters edge before being disturbed by walkers.

Kingfisher

 A few waders were feeding on the exposed mud - dunlin, redshank, grey plover, oystercatcher, curlew and bar tailed godwit - but my attention was quickly grabbed by a very close immature spoonbill busily feeding in the shallow water, presumably the long staying bird that has been around on and off for the past year. It had a small amount of black feathering in its primary tips, noticeable only when it flapped its wings, but its bill was still a pinky, yellowy colour with some darkening to black noticeable.

 Spoonbill

Spoonbill

I was a bit distracted by the spoonbill and finally remembered why I had made the trip to Hayle when I saw the large group of birders on the causeway bridge busily pointing their telescopes and cameras at the mass of gulls, ducks and waders roosting and feeding on the mudflats. I hurried down to the bridge as quickly as I could and on arriving a birder very kindly put me onto the Franklin's gull sleeping amongst the gulls quite close to the road - result, a British/life tick for me! A smart looking bird, black headed gull sized, with dark legs, dark grey upperparts with distinct black and white wing tips and a hint of a partial black hood as its head was tucked under its wings.

Franklin's Gull (Centre)

It eventually awoke and walked down to the waters edge where it stood around and sipped water for a while before yakking up a pellet and flying off south over Ryans Field and out of sight but I was very pleased to have seen it so well.

 Franklin's Gull

 Franklin's Gull

 Franklin's Gull

 Franklin's Gull

Franklin's Gull

Franklin's Gull with Teal, Redshank, Little Egret, Black Headed Gull, Herring Gull and Wigeon

With the gull disappearing from sight I headed back to the Carnsew Pool to enjoy more close views of the spoonbill, probably the best views I have ever had, and it was nice to watch a spoonbill actually doing something! It was also very nice to point it out to a lady birder walking by who had never seen one before, she was very pleased and excited to see it.

 Spoonbill and Little Egret

Spoonbill and Little Egret

 Spoonbill

Spoonbill

Bar Tailed Godwit

At least 4 adult winter plumaged Mediterranean gulls were mobile around the Pool, feeding, preening and looking quite ghostly in flight in the sunshine which had begun to appear from behind the clouds.

Mediterranean Gull with Herring Gull

I wandered back along the estuary to the causeway bridge to admire the birdlife in what was now lovely light - a common sandpiper, 2 greenshank, teal, wigeon, ringed plover, 3 black tailed godwit, a grey plover, dunlin, lapwing, grey heron, cormorant, little egret, golden plover, Canada goose, lesser and greater black backed gull, herring gull, a 1st winter common gull, greylag goose, black headed gull, rock pipit, starling, redshank, curlew, oystercatcher, carrion crow and Mediterranean gull were all seen.

 Common Sandpiper

 Male Wigeon

 Lapwing and Teal

Lapwing and Golden Plover

Golden Plover, Teal and Black Tailed Godwit

The spoonbill appeared on the mudflats down river as the tide came in and the Franklin's gull was refound on the sand banks off Lelant railway station, distant views only through my telescope but still a striking and obvious bird amongst the black headed gulls and Mediterranean gulls.

It was time to head off home and I walked up to the railway station at St.Erth to catch the train home, having had a very enjoyable time and all for the princely sum of £10.10 for the train ticket.