Goodbye 2020, Hello 2021

And so 2020 has finally ended and 2021 has begun with big hopes that things will slowly start to get better in this mad and mixed up world of ours.

Devon and Cornwall were moved up to Tier 3 restrictions on New Year's Eve and so my plan to visit Torbay to try and mop up a few more year ticks before the years end were unfortunately shelved and so I took a walk along the River Plym and around Saltram instead. It was a beautiful winters morning with blue skies and no breeze with a heavy frost in the below freezing temperatures and I wished I had gotten out earlier to enjoy it for longer before the day warmed up and the crowds descended.

The usual suspects were seen on my walk with the highlights being 3 Greenshank, a Common Sandpiper, Kingfisher, Dipper (heard only), Grey Wagtail, 19 Wigeon (10 males), 2 Goosander (male and female), a Little Grebe, Ring-necked Parakeet, Redwing, Mistle Thrush, 3 Pheasent (1 male), Nuthatch and 7 Mandarin Duck (4 male). The best sighting though was a Green Woodpecker flying up into the trees, a nice treat after hearing them all year at Saltram but never seeing them with their yaffling sounding like mocking laughter to me.

Goosander

Ring-necked Parakeet

Blackbird

5 Roe Deer, 4 Brown Rats and a Winter Moth were non-avian highlights and I was disappointed not to find a Snipe or a Jack Snipe but it was a nice walk anyway.

Winter Moth - on the wall of the Marsh Mills Underpass, my first moth of 2020 in the same spot and now my last moth of 2020 

A quick walk around Plymouth Hoe on my return home and a Great Northern Diver showed very well off Fisherman's Nose, a nice sighting to end the year.

And so my 2020 list ended on 206 species, not bad at all, and including 3 species heard only (Wood Warbler, Bittern and Tawny Owl). I haven't included Common Crane, Ridgway's Cackling Goose and Snow Goose on the list nor 4 sub-species seen during the year - Pale-bellied Brent Goose (with Dark-bellied Brent Geese), White Wagtail, Scandinavian Rock Pipit (a ringed bird from Norway seen at Dawlish Warren) and Siberian Chiffchaff. 

Considering the lock down year we have had I am very pleased with this total of 206 species and even more pleased that all but 12 of these species were seen in Devon and Cornwall. 

And so to 2021. I worked a long day on New Year's Day and the first and only bird of the day seen was a Herring Gull flying overhead as I looked out of the window of the staff room while eating my lunch.

With the day off on Saturday 2nd January we took a walk around The Barbican and Plymouth Hoe and I was pleased to find 2 Great Northern Divers out in Plymouth Sound in flat calm seas but they were unfortunately distant this time. A flock of around 70 Dunlin flying low over the water towards Penlee Point were a surprise sighting amongst the more usual birds.

On returning home I had a quick look around Beaumont Park and added Nuthatch, Chaffinch and Goldcrest to the year list before the rain duly arrived and with my 2021 year list now starting at 27 species, here's hoping that this year will be as bird and nature filled as the last. 

Lock Down (Again!)

And so Lock Down Part 2 has begun, initially for 4 weeks, and all my plans and holidays have gone out of the window yet again. I've managed to get vouchers or my money back for my trips to Germany, Czechia, Cornwall and Suffolk so that is something and as I have to remind myself I am healthy and still working which others are not in a position to say.

I had to attend Track and Trace for a (routine) COVID swab on Saturday 7th November, my 4th one and something I now have to do weekly for my job (and all negative so far). Afterwards we drove up to Burrator Reservoir on Dartmoor for a walk. However it was absolutely packed with people when we arrived, the busiest I have ever seen it, and so we carried on up onto the Moor where it was quieter and had a quick 30 minute walk before the rain arrived (again). 

Fungus Sp., Dartmoor

Monday 9th November and I met my work colleague Sue and her dog Daisy at Saltram for (a Lock Down allowed) walk. It was grey and cloudy but mild although as I headed home later the rain duly arrived again.

We had an enjoyable walk and a catch up and along the way saw a few birds too. The woodland held the usual Blue, Great, Coal and Long-tailed Tits, Goldcrest, Wren, Goldfinch, etc, with a yaffling Green Woodpecker heard only and a Raven seen flying overhead cronking away.

The tide was coming in but it wasn't a very high tide and on Blaxton Meadow 3 Greenshank, a Grey Heron and an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull were roosting with the usual Redshank, Curlew, Oystercatcher, Shelduck and Common, Black-headed, Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls.

Along the River Plym at Marsh Mills 2 redhead Goosander busily diving for fish showed very well along with 2 Grey Wagtail, a Common Sandpiper, a Kingfisher, a pair of Mallard and a flyover Sparrowhawk.

Goosander, River Plym

I have also received some information back regarding 2 gulls with leg rings I saw at Wembury back in September this year. The first was a 2nd Calendar Year Great Black-backed Gull seen on 9/9/20 with a white plastic leg ring P04D and which was ringed at Portland, Dorset as a pullus on 27/6/19 and which was also seen in Dorset on 15/7/20.

GBBGull, Wembury, 9/9/20

The second was an adult Mediterranean Gull on 11/9/20 with a white plastic ring 3LKT and which was ringed as a pullus on 21/6/12 in The Netherlands. It had been seen at Wembury the year before on 17/9/19 and  had also been seen at Broadsands in Devon on 14/7/20 by local birder Bill Coulson (@billcoulson3).

Fascinating stuff and all made possible by ringing schemes, I must make more of an effort to read leg rings when I come across them (and gulls are big enough birds to read leg rings fairly easily). 

Ross's Gull Run Around along the River Plym

A Ross's Gull was found at South Huish Marsh on Monday 9th March but after 2 hours it flew off, never to be seen again. Fast forward to Thursday 12th March and I'm sitting on the sofa at 9am with a cup of tea, watching BBC Breakfast and contemplating my plans for the day considering the strong winds and heavy showers forecasted when on checking the Bird Guides Website a report of a Ross's Gull on the River Plym flashed up - Whaaaattttt!

It was indeed the South Huish bird but the report said it had flown down from Blaxton Meadow at the top of the estuary towards The Cattewater and so I waited to see if there were any more sightings but with no news forthcoming I caught the bus to Laira Bridge to start my search, arriving at just past 11am to be greeted with some very strong winds and a vicious hail shower.

I met local birder Ian on the bridge but he hadn't seen the bird and then we met up with local birder Paul at the Recycling Centre Car Park who had just seen the bird before the hail shower had arrived and had watched it fly off high to the north - drat!

We all headed off up along the Plym with Luke, a birder from Dawlish, and we collected 3 more birders from Cornwall along the way. The tide was receding and there were quite a few gulls out on the mudflats at the top of the estuary - common, herring, lesser black-backed, black-headed and great black-backed with a smart adult Mediterranean gull with a plastic yellow leg ring also present - but no Ross's Gull.

Paul then had a call from local birder Keith who was watching the bird from the exact same spot Paul had seen it from earlier - and so we all began the walk back down the estuary towards Laira Bridge and the Recycling Centre!

Along the walk to Blaxton Meadow and back a few birds were noted - a Stock Dove flying over, a Ring-necked Parakeet squawking in the trees, a pair of Red-breasted Merganser diving for fish, a pair of Goosander asleep on the mudflats and a female Goosander diving for fish along a small creek with a Little Egret in attendance.

Goosander, River Plym

Goosander

Little Egret and Goosander, River Plym

Back at the Recycling Centre and the Ross's Gull had just flown off down river again and so everybody jumped into their cars to drive down to Oreston Quay where the bird had been noted earlier, leaving me to wander down to Laira Bridge for a scan about before beginning the 20 minute walk down to Oreston Quay in yet another vicious hail shower.

Arriving at Oreston Quay and Luke and Dave Boult from Exeter were the only birders there and as expected the news was that it had just flown down river towards Mount Batten! More birders arrived but despite scanning about there was no sign of the Gull. The tide was beginning to come in and I managed to see a distant Great Northern Diver off Mount Batten, a pair of Red-breasted Merganser flying upriver and a Common Sandpiper feeding along the shoreline under a jetty but after another nasty hail shower and with the winds strengthening and time marching on I began the walk back to Laira Bridge to catch the bus home, figuring I would have another try for the bird the next day.

Back at Laira Bridge and I decided to have one last look around, walking down the footpath behind the car workshop where I had watched the Red-necked Grebe a few years ago, and there it was, the Ross's Gull, feeding with Black-headed Gulls close in to the quayside, flying around and dipping down to the waters surface - result!

Ross's Gull, River Plym

Ross's Gull

Ross's Gull

Ross's Gull

The gulls all flew off down stream to feed on the opposite side of the river and unfortunately the skies had decided to clear at this point and so viewing the bird was very difficult looking into the sun but when small clouds passed over I managed some decent views. After a few minutes something spooked the gulls and they all flew up high including the Ross's which flew over my head and then Laira Bridge and out of sight. I headed over the Bridge too and found the Ross's Gull preening on the mudflats quite close to the path where I watched it for around 10 minutes before it flew off downriver yet again and I decided it was time to head off back home - but what an absolutely gorgeous bird to watch (eventually) and I had had it all to myself! And the views were much better than my first sighting of one on the Plym back in March 1988 (a 1st winter bird) and the brief flight views of one at Bowling Green Marsh in June 2014 (another 1st winter bird).

Black-headed Gull and Ross's Gull

Black-headed Gull and Ross's Gull 

And so an interesting and very twitchy day. It was nice to catch up with familiar faces and to put faces to names but I still don't enjoy twitches, I am just not a very sociable birdwatcher, preferring my own company, and I also don't feel worthy enough to be really considered a part of the twitching birders club, silly really.

Muddy Walks

The weather continues to be relentless in bringing yet more wind and rain and bird watching opportunities have remained limited but with a night shift looming on Monday 2nd March I decided to brave the strong winds and squally showers and have a quick morning walk along the River Plym. It was wet and muddy underfoot and I got soaked by the showers but I did manage to see a few Redwings feeding on ivy berries, a pair of Bullfinch, 2 Jay, 4 Stock Dove and a skulking female Blackcap in Saltram Park and on the Plym on the high tide there were a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers and 2 male Goosanders. I also managed to find a single Jack Snipe on my wanderings along with 9 distant Roe Deer.

Wednesday 4th March and we visited Saltram House on another grey, wet and windy day with the highlight being the elusive female Red-crested Pochard finally giving itself up as it tarted around at point blank range on the stable pond by the cafe - presumably it is the same bird that has been seen on and off on the Plym for the last couple of years that I have continuously dipped and which has also been reported from Burrator Reservoir (where I did manage to see it on one occassion) and Portworthy Dam.

Thursday 5th March was dry but cloudy and breezy and we visited the National Trust estate at Parke near Bovey Tracy, our first visit there, and after lunch in the cafe we had a muddy walk around the woodland and along the very swollen river where the only birds of note were a showy pair of Mistle Thrush feeding in the fields and a fly over Raven.

Friday 6th March and we drove out to Lopwell Dam for a walk but the paths were a complete mudfest and it was showery and breezy yet again and so we didn't walk far. Along the river 4 Common Sandpipers were seen along with 2 pairs of Grey Wagtails and there were lots of beautiful daffodils in flower. In between the showers a male Sparrowhawk and 6+Buzzards displayed overhead but the highlight were 30+ Ravens croaking and tumbling together over the trees in a mass display.

Daffodils, Lopwell

Daffodils, Lopwell

And with a feeling of deja vu on Monday 9th March I decided to have a walk along the River Plym again before yet another dreaded night shift, setting out early at 9am in order to be back home before the forecasted rain and wind rolled in.

I had left my camera at home on my visit to Saltram House on the 4th March and so I wanted to return to the stable pond to try and get some photos of the Red-crested Pochard and I wasn't disappointed as it showed very well. Initially it was asleep amongst the assorted Mallards before waking up to feed on grain being thrown into the water by Yummy Mummies with kids although it was quite wary and wouldn't come close to people. It was interesting to watch it dive for the sunken grain while the Mallards and 3 pairs of Mandarin Ducks dabbled for the grain on the surface instead.

Mandarin and Red-crested Pochard, Saltram

Mallard and Red-crested Pochard, Saltram

Mandarin and Red-crested Pochard, Saltram

Red-crested Pochard, Saltram

Red-crested Pochard, Saltram

Red-crested Pochard, Saltram

Red-crested Pochard, Saltram

Mandarin, Saltram

Mandarin, Saltram

In Saltram Woods a pair of Ring-necked Parakeets showed very well low down in a tree as they excavated a nest hole while another bird was heard screeching nearby, and the Woods also held a few skittish Redwings feeding on ivy berries, a singing Mistle Thrush, a showy Jay, a Nuthatch, at least 3 Stock Doves and a singing Goldcrest.

Ring-necked Parakeet , Saltram

Ring-necked Parakeet, Saltram

Along the River Plym I found 3 Greenshank, a pair of Goosander, 5 Mute Swans and a Common Sandpiper along with all the usuals - Redshank, Common Gull, Curlew, Oystercatcher, Shelduck, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Mallard, etc.

Goosander, River Plym

Common Sandpiper, River Plym

Primrose and Daffodil were flowering and I found some pretty looking Scarlet Elf Cup fungus on a dead log along with an unknown fungus species and despite the weather it was feeling, dare I say it, a little Spring like - thank goodness although I hope the weather soon dries up a bit. And I managed to get back home before it started to rain yet again!

Scarlet Elf Cup, Saltram

Fungus, Saltram

Amarylis Flowers in my Living Room

Rivers Hayle and Plym

The weather remains dire and yet again my birdwatching plans for Friday 28th and Saturday 29th of February were scuppered due to some more shite conditions forecasted. However after some heavy overnight rain Thursday 27th February was looking good and so despite feeling absolutely knackered after working 2 long days and then a night shift I decided to head to Hayle on the train for a look at gulls.

I have wanted to visit Hayle properly ever since I bought my telescope last December in order to scan through the roosting gulls at low tide but other than a quick look at the estuary back in January on my journey home from Penzance I haven't managed to get down there for a good look around. And with an over wintering adult ring-billed gull and multiple Caspian gull and yellow-legged gull reports I have been really keen to have a look for these 3 species.

I caught the first timetabled train after 9am in order to save half the ticket cost (£11.40 instead of £22.80!) and also to have a little bit of a lie in and I arrived uneventfully in Hayle at around 11am to sunny skies but with a cold and brisk wind.

I began my walk at the Carnsew Pool along a very boggy and muddy footpath but I did see a little grebe in the harbour and 2 on the pool along with an adult Mediterranean gull moulting into summer plumage, a very smart looking Greenshank and a redhead Goosander asleep on the mudflats.

Greenshank, Hayle Estuary

Greenshank

Greenshank

Greenshank

Ryan's Field was very quiet with 3 Snipe asleep in the reeds the only birds of note and from the causeway a few bar-tailed godwit were feeding out on the estuary with curlew, redshank, oystercatcher and 4 grey plover. Teal, Wigeon and Shelduck were noted along with a male Goosander asleep on the mudflats and I had a brief fly past view of my first kingfisher of the year.

Buzzard, Lelant

Numbers of gulls roosting on the estuary were noticeably lower than usual and most were on the other side of the estuary between Lelant and Lelant Saltings train stations and so I walked around the estuary to get a slightly closer look at them, starting at the station at Lelant. I scanned through the gulls but couldn't find anything unusual amongst them and the same was true at Lelant Saltings Station, it seems I am too late to the party as a lot of the gulls seem to have moved on already although Caspian gulls and yellow-legged gulls were reported by other birders present.

It was enjoyable though to scan through the gulls with my telescope despite the birds being distant, the bright light harsh and heat hazy and the breeze keeping the gulls mostly hunkered down and asleep. I did however manage to find another 4 adult Mediterranean Gulls along with a 1st summer bird amongst the Black-headed, Herring, Lesser Black-backed, Common and Great Black-backed Gulls present but there was to be no rare gulls for me today (although typically all 3 gull species were reported on the internet as present on the estuary that day!).

Saturday 29th February was windy again with squally hail showers but I decided to have a walk along the River Plym anyway. I caught the bus to Marsh Mills and walked along the Plym and around Saltram before returning to Marsh Mills for the bus journey home and it wasn't too busy with people in the breezy conditions.

On Blaxton Meadow there were 36 Curlew and 34 Shelduck roosting on the high tide along with 4 Little Egret and a mixed flock of gulls containing a noticeable increase in adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Common Gulls.

Lesser Black-backed Gull, Blaxton Meadow

On the river a Common Sandpiper and a Greenshank were seen along with Redshank, Dunlin and Oystercatcher and with the Mallards were 3 male and 4 female Goosanders and 2 male and 3 female Red-breasted Mergansers.

 Goosanders, River Plym

Red-breasted Merganser, River Plym

A Stock Dove and 2 Jay were seen in the woods along with a noisy Ring-necked Parakeet and Blue, Great and Coal Tits coming down to feed on seed put out on the wall by the hide.

 Great Tit, Saltram

Coal Tit, Saltram

I was very pleased to find 2 Jack Snipe which flew up silently and settled again quickly nearby while Skylarks were heard singing overhead and 12 Roe Deer were seen grazing on the nearby grassy slopes.

A Grey Squirrel was chewing the bark off a tree and snowdrops, daffodils and primrose were all in flower too, Spring is on the way.

 Grey Squirrel, Saltram

Primrose, Saltram

River Plym and River Exe Trips

Sunday 26th January was dull and wet but as I had been able to buy a weekly bus pass again I wanted to make full use of it and so I headed off anyway on the bus to Marsh Mills for a walk. It was very wet and very muddy underfoot as I began my walk towards Plymbridge from Marsh Mills but it did eventually stop raining.

Stepping off the bus at Marsh Mills and from the bridge I quickly found a dipper feeding along the waters edge but by the time I had gotten my binoculars out of their case it had flown off. However I did get better views later of 2 or possibly 3 birds on the walk back to Marsh Mills, firstly an unringed bird bathing and preening before it flew off upriver and then a sighting of a ringed bird with an unringed bird before they too flew off upriver and out of sight.

 Dipper, River Plym

 Dipper with leg rings, River Plym

Dipper

While carefully negotiating the very muddy footpath along the river I also found 5 pairs of Mandarin Ducks and a female Goosander on the water while in the trees I saw 2 Goldcrest feeding with Long-tailed Tits, a Treecreeper and 2 Nuthatch along with a Marsh Tit heard but not seen.

Goosander, River Plym

Arriving back at Marsh Mills and with the rain having abated I decided to have a wander downriver on the ebbing tide to the Saltram Folly and back. On Blaxton Meadow 7 male and 6 female Wigeon were busily feeding while on the river 2 pairs of Mandarin Ducks were feeding with Mallards and a male and 2 female Goosanders were busily diving for food. Ring-necked Parakeets were squawking in the trees in Saltram Park but I couldn't find them amongst the branches and with my feet wet and muddy it was time to call it a day and head back home for a cup of tea.

Goosander, River Plym

Snowdrops, Saltram

Saturday 1st February and it was off on the train to Bowling Green Marsh at Topsham for the high tide wader roost and a look for the wintering Long-billed Dowitcher which has become a little more erratic in its sightings. The weather was mild and sunny with a brisk breeze, the train journey was uneventful and a flock of around 20 Fieldfare seen from the train flying over a stubble field just outside Topsham was a nice sighting.

The hide was busy on arriving at around 11:15am but it was good to see a large roost of waders out on the Marsh, mainly Black-tailed Godwits with Redshank and Curlew, a lone Dunlin and 7 Greenshanks but alas there was no sign of the Dowitcher.

Teal, Shoveler, Pintail, Mallard, Wigeon, Greylag Geese, Shelduck, Coot, Moorhen and Canada Geese were also seen with 2 pairs of Pochard and 2 male and a female Tufted Duck but a surprise were 2 Egyptian Geese roosting amongst the assorted wildfowl, my first for the Marsh.

 Wigeon, Bowling Green Marsh

 Pintail

 Pintail

 Teal

 Teal

Shoveler and Teal

As the tide receded the waders headed out to the estuary but the only other waders of note seen from the River Clyst Viewing Platform and The Goat Walk were a few Avocets and Bar-tailed Godwits.

I decided to catch the train back to Plymouth with a stop off at Starcross to look for a reported Red-necked Grebe, walking under the railway line at Bishops Arch to scan the river out of the breeze in the shelter of the sea wall. There was as expected no sign of the Red-necked Grebe nor of Herbert the Slavonian Grebe but I did find at least 17 Great-crested Grebes feeding out on the water with a few Red-breasted Mergansers and a male and 2 female Goldeneye.

Dunlin, Starcross

Back at Starcross station and while waiting for the 16:15pm train back to Plymouth I scanned the sandbanks upriver and found a distant pre-roost gathering of 25 Cattle Egrets, the most I have seen together in the UK. It was interesting to watch them foraging along the shoreline and catching small crabs while being harrassed by nearby Herring Gulls who kept trying to steal their catch, sometimes successfully - a nice end to a good day out.

Cattle Egrets, Starcross