Dartmoor Leating

May 17th was to be the next important date in the COVID lockdown easing schedule with hotels finally being allowed to open up for overnight guests and so we decided to tempt fate and book a night away at The Two Bridges Hotel on Dartmoor. The lockdown easing did indeed happen as planned and so off we headed to Dartmoor for a walk on Tuesday 18th May before heading to the hotel for our overnight stay.

The weather however was less than great with cloudy skies, a strong, cold wind and heavy showers, pretty typical of the May we are having this year.

We parked up at Burrator Reservoir to begin our walk along the Devonport Leat towards the tunnel near Old Bridge. It was further than we had expected and the strong wind and boggy ground made the going difficult at times but at least it didn't begin to rain until we were nearly back at the car.

The walk along the Leat was very interesting and the views of the Moors were stunning and along our route I had some nice views of a singing Redstart at the Stanlake Farm ruins, a Grey Heron and a male Mallard feeding along the Leat, a very odd looking, brown toned presumed immature Peregrine Falcon flying over and the ubiquitous Stonechats, Meadow Pipits and Skylarks. Cuckoo, Whinchat and Crossbill were also heard and 2 Small Copper were a nice sighting flitting around some Dandelion flowers in a brief sunny spell. A Green Tiger Beetle was also seen hunting in the grass by the side of the footpath and we even saw a Mavis in her natural habitat, out on a hike with her walking group! 

Redstart

Green Tiger Beetle

Our night at the hotel was very nice, with a hot bath, a nice meal and the best night's sleep I have had for weeks very much enjoyed and appreciated while it rained and blew a hoolie outside for most of the evening and night. 

The next morning was bright and sunny but still very cool in a strong wind and after a very hearty breakfast we started our second Devonport Leat walk, heading out from the hotel and up the West Dart River to the head weir and the start of the Leat. 

We had a look around Wistmans Wood along the way, the first time we have visited here, and I was pleased to find my first 2 Spotted Flycatcher of the year along with a Treecreeper and a Coal Tit. A Redstart and a Cuckoo were also heard. 

Wistmans Wood

Onwards to the Weir and we began our walk along the Leat, eventually venturing up the Cowslic River to see the Leat head weir there too, and again it was further than we expected but interesting with stunning scenery, strong winds and boggy ground. 

West Dart Weir

Cowslic Weir

Yomping Royal Marine Recruits

Another 2 Redstart were heard singing along the way and a Cuckoo also called a few times. Meadow Pipit, Stonechat and Skylark were also seen along with a pair of Wheatear, a Buzzard and flyover Siskins. 

We finished our walk back at the hotel and enjoyed a cream tea before heading back home, having had a very enjoyable and restorative couple of days away despite the weather.

(And Wally the Walrus seems to have left Tenby and was seen off Padstow in Cornwall on Wednesday 19th May!). 

Marsh and Moor and Coast

Despite Storm Hannah barrelling across the UK overnight on Friday 26th April I decided to head off to Exminster Marsh anyway on Saturday 27th in sunny skies but with continuing strong winds. I caught a later train than planned and being a Saturday it was exceptionally busy but I arrived off the bus at The Swans Nest at Exminster at around 11:20am without any mishaps or delays.

It was very windy and I wasn't sure if I would see my target birds (sedge warbler and reed warbler) but I could hear both species singing away deep in cover as soon as I began my walk along the road to the car park. I did eventually manage brief sightings of 2 sedge warblers and 2 reed warblers on my walk around the marsh with many more heard only and I also heard a whitethroat, a Cettis warbler, blackcap and chiffchaff.

A few sand martins were buzzing around with just 2 swallows and amongst the Canada geese and shelduck out on the marsh I picked out a few teal, 2 male and a female shoveler and a male wigeon. The highlight though was a cattle egret feeding close to the road with little egrets amongst some cows, looking quite smart as it develops into summer plumage and my first sighting of one on Exminster Marsh.

 Cattle Egret, Exminster Marsh

 Cattle Egret

Cattle Egret

I carried on to Powderham Marsh, seeing female orange tips and a green veiled white in more sheltered spots along the way, and from the viewing platform there were many Canada geese including a pair with 5 very yellow and fluffy goslings. Lapwings were noisily displaying and a few small chicks were also seen running around, and other waders noted were 2 oystercatcher, a flighty flock of around 80 black-tailed godwits in mixed summer and winter plumage and 4 little ringed plover.

Black-tailed Godwits, Powderham Marsh

 Orange Tip

Orange Tip

3 Egyptian geese were found amongst the Canada geese before 2 flew off towards Turf and the single bird left went to sleep amongst the grass and also seen were teal, 2 pairs of tufted ducks and 2 male and a female shoveler (possibly the birds seen earlier on Exminster Marsh).

A nice surprise though was a little gull feeding along the waters edge and occassionally flying around , a sub adult bird in summer plumage but with a white speckled black head. It had been reported on the bird sites a few days previously but reports had dried up and I assumed it had moved on so I was very pleased to see it although it was quite distant. It appeared a bit weak and wobbly on its feet as it fed along the waters edge but flew strongly and I guess its wobbly gait was due to the continuing strong winds.

 Little Gull

Duchess of Sutherland

Monday 29th April and it was time for my annual Dartmoor bird day with Mavis, a little earlier than usual but we still had a great day despite the grey skies and drizzly mizzle. We parked up at Bennets Cross and walked down to Golden Dagger in Soussons and as we began our walk we could hear skylarks singing away and a distant cuckoo calling. Willow warblers were very vocal and showy too and we eventually found the calling cuckoo perched in a tree being mobbed by a small bird (probably a pipit) but it remained very distant.

A pair of stonechat, a male reed bunting, 2 songflighting tree pipits, a kestrel, a buzzard, swallows overhead, 2 mistle thrush, 3 male whinchats and 3 redpolls continually flying around calling were also seen with a green woodpecker also heard yaffling despite the wet conditions but the undoubted highlight was a reeling grasshopper warbler. We picked it up giving brief and quiet reels at first before it reeled loudly and strongly and then appeared on top of a bramble bush allowing some close and good views for around 15 minutes before it went quiet and disappeared from view.

 Grasshopper Warbler , Soussons

 Grasshopper Warbler

Grasshopper Warbler 

I wasn't expecting to see any green tiger beetles in the cool and wet weather but we did manage to find one which allowed very close views as it enjoyed the warmth of my hand and showed off it's absolutely gruesome set of jaws.

 Green Tiger Beetle

 Green Tiger Beetle

Green Tiger Beetle

After some lunch at Warren House Inn we drove round to Challacombe Farm for the second part of our walk and fortunately the mizzle had stopped but the skies remained grey. 4 Tamworth piglets running around at the farm kept us company as we walked around and we managed to see swallows, a grey wagtail, 2 songflighting redpolls, a song thrush, more willow warblers and a singing male redstart which was very mobile and elusive.

Redstart, Challacombe Farm

We eventually heard a cuckoo calling and managed to find it perched in the top of a dead tree where we managed to get some very good views before it flew off into cover.

 Cuckoo

 Cuckoo

 Cuckoo

Cuckoo

We had a look in the fields by the roadside as we began our drive back home and we managed to eventually find a male whinchat along with a pair of linnets and 2 pairs of wheatears, a nice end to a very enjoyable day out.

 Wheatear

Whinchat

Tuesday April 30th and a dry morning with sunny spells saw me heading out to Wembury for a quick walk before yet another dreaded night shift. It was fairly quiet and not too busy and along the beach I found a lone winter plumaged bar-tailed godwit, a curlew and 7 noisy whimbrels with the oystercatchers. A cirl bunting was heard singing with blackcaps and chiffchaffs and there seemed to be whitethroats singing everywhere. I finally managed to see my first Wembury swallows of the year with a group of 8 coming in off the sea and heading off straight inland followed by a trickle of 1 or 2 birds in off the sea on the rest of my walk.

Stonechat, Wembury

The toilet block held a green carpet and a double-striped pug which I caught and released outside.

 Green Carpet

Double-striped Pug

A few orange tips and green-veined whites were seen along with a single speckled wood plus 2 common lizards and bloody-nose beetle larva before it was time to head back home.

Bee Sp.?

Bee Sp.

Double Dartmoor Days

Wednesday 2nd May and it was off to Warren House with Mavis and Mike for our annual Dartmoor Day. It had been very wet and windy overnight so we headed out later than usual, meeting up at Yelverton at 09:30, and the clouds were just beginning to clear away in the strong, cold breeze. By the time we arrived at Warren House the sun was beginning to shine and a skylark was singing away overhead as we got out of the car but the wind remained bitter.

We headed off down the valley towards Soussons and along the way we saw and heard meadow pipits, tree pipits and more skylarks, reed buntings, willow warblers, wrens and chaffinches with the highlight being a cuckoo calling and seen briefly flying over - it continued to be heard calling away but we never caught another sight of it again. A male whinchat was also briefly seen along with a male stonechat and swallows and house martins were hawking for insects in the shelter of the trees at Soussons Plantation.

An oil beetle was a nice find along with a green tiger beetle which unfortunately had a damaged wing and wing case.

 Oil Beetle, Soussons

 Green Tiger Beetle, Soussons

Green Tiger Beetle

Onwards to Challacombe Farm and more swallows and house martins were seen overhead along with a great spotted woodpecker, 2 coal tit, 2 mistle thrush, a stock dove, a nuthatch and a nice singing male redstart. A single male orange tip and a green veined white fluttered by despite the cold wind but a walk along the road towards Grimspound failed to produce any whinchats although we did see a couple of wheatears.

Wheater, Challacombe

Onwards for lunch at the Warren House Inn which was very delicious as always and then it was time to head back home on what had been a very enjoyable day out despite the less than ideal weather conditions.

Sunday 6th May was a total contrast with clear skies and little breeze and it became a very hot day indeed. I had planned to visit Dawlish Warren for the optics day being held there but with it being Bank Holiday weekend and a gorgeous day I decided to give the packed trains and hordes of tourists a miss and headed off to Grenofen Woods again for a look around.

Gorgeous Grenofen Woods

There was no sight nor sound of garden warblers in their usual place but 2-3 male blackcaps were busily singing away instead, the same situation as in 2016. Willow warblers, chiffchaffs, mistle thrush and chaffinch were also seen and heard but the highlight was a cuckoo continuously calling and flying back and forth across the downland - I managed to get 2 flight views of it as it moved around the area and it pretty much called the whole time I was there despite the building heat.

I managed to find 3 singing tree pipits on the usual hillside, the territories being quite close together resulting in the birds constantly singing and songflighting much to my enjoyment.

 Tree Pipit

 Tree Pipit

 Tree Pipit

 Tree Pipit

Tree Pipit

A male stonechat, linnets and yellowhammers were also seen and blackcaps were heard but eventually I picked out the song of a garden warbler in an area I have never seen or heard them before and after a bit of a wait I eventually managed some nice views of the bird singing in a small tree before it flew off into cover.

Brimstones were flying around everywhere and I watched a female laying eggs on young leaves of a small alder buckthorn. A small tortoiseshell, a speckled wood, green veined whites, a male orange tip and a painted lady were also seen along with some small micro moths buzzing around some gorse flowers and a carpet species flitting around in the leaf litter.

 Brimstone

 Micro Moth Sp.

 Carpet Sp.

Nuthatch, a pair of bullfinch, a song thrush, a buzzard, long tailed-, blue- and great tits, siskin, robin, wren, a swallow and woodpigeons were also seen before it was time to get out of the heat and head home after another enjoyable day on Dartmoor in totally different weather conditions.

High Brown Fritillary on Dartmoor, June 27th 2016

A warm and mostly cloudy day with occasional sunny spells saw us heading off to Dartmeet on Dartmoor for a walk. We parked up in the Badgers Holt car park and strolled off downriver along the Dart, enjoying the song of yellowhammer, chiffchaff, willow warbler and blackcap along the way.

I hoped to see some insect life especially during the sunny spells we were experiencing at times and I wasn't disappointed.

Beautiful demoiselles were very obvious along the river bank and surrounding vegetation with females easily out numbering the males and I managed to get some lovely views (if not the best photos).

Male Beautiful Demoiselle

 Female Beautiful Demoiselle

 Male Beautiful Demoiselle

Male Beautiful Demoiselle

A green tiger beetle gave some amazing views too - it flew off for a short distance during a cloudy interval when the temperature noticeably dropped and it seemed to run out of steam allowing close approach in a usually skittish insect.

 Green Tiger Beetle

 Green Tiger Beetle

Green Tiger Beetle

A golden ringed dragonfly allowed a quick photo before flying off and a dark skimmer type dragonfly flew by but never appeared again.

Golden Ringed Dragonfly

Butterflies were on the wing too with some nice views of 2 green hairstreaks, a large white, a speckled wood, a meadow brown and a peacock.

 Green Hairstreak

Green Hairstreak

Best of all though was a high brown fritillary which I managed to get a few record shots of as it nectared on bramble flowers. I first caught a brief view of it flitting about looking very smart and bright orange but it quickly moved off and out of sight. Initially I thought it was a silver washed fritillary but quickly realised it was either a high brown or a dark green fritillary. I found it again a few minutes later when I managed to ID it as a high brown fritillary and get a few record shots of it before it again flew off and out of sight and I never saw it again. A very nice find though and very pleasing too.

 High Brown Fritillary - showing indented and noticeably small third spot on upper forewing

High Brown Fritillary - zooming in shows the characteristic row of rust-red spots with silver centres on the underwing

Heading home and it had become a lot more cloudy and we stopped off at The Two Bridges Hotel for a belly busting but delicious afternoon tea before driving home via my workplace to visit my sister-in law who continues with yet more ups and downs in her current treatment.