Pre-Christmas Birding

As the usual Christmas hyper-frenzy whips itself up into a spumey froth COVID continues to rear its ugly head with the new Omicron variant rampaging through the populace at a frightening pace and threatening a Christmas lock down again. At least I have my wildlife as a soothing antedote to all the current nonsense.

Despite the grey skies we had a quick walk around Plymouth Hoe on Tuesday 14th December to look for Purple Sandpiper and very luckily we found 2 feeding on the rocks below the Pier One Cafe along with 3 Turnstones. 

Purple Sandpiper, Plymouth Hoe

Purple Sandpiper

Thursday 16th December and I took a walk around Saltram and along the River Plym. It felt quite mild but I was still surprised to see a Red Admiral flying around. Less surprising was a male Winter Moth on the wall of the underpass at Marsh Mills. 

Winter Moth -  my first moth of 2021 and probably my last of 2021

I had a gentle saunter around and spent a bit of time looking for the reported Water Rail at the Wet Wood but without any luck. However the male Teal was still present on the duck pond with the Moorhens, Mallards and Mandarins and had now been joined by the wandering female Red-crested Pochard. 

Red-crested Pochard, Saltram

Male Teal, Saltram

Male Chaffinch with Fringilla papillomavirus on its feet

Chaffinch with Fringilla papillomavirus

Out on the Estuary a male and 4 female Goosander and 9 Wigeon were seen along with a Common Sandpiper, 3 Little Egret and 3 Grey Heron. 

With the tide heading in Blaxton Meadow was full of roosting birds and amongst the Dunlin, Redshank, Shelduck and Gulls were a Greenshank, a Black-tailed Godwit and a single adult Common Gull. 

That evening we headed out to the Plymouth Christmas Market for a look at the lights and decorations and very Christmassy it felt too, the first time I have felt festive this year although it may have been down to imbibing a little Christmas spirit. 

Christmas Drinkies in The Bread and Roses sat next to this beast of a tree! 

The plan had been to head off the next morning to Exmouth with Mavis for our usual Stuart Lines bird cruise on the River Exe but with COVID issues growing fast Mavis felt uncomfortable about going so unfortunately we decided to cancel. This resulted in me imbibing a little too much Christmas spirit the night before and so I had a bit of a thick head the next morning for my early start to catch the train to Torbay for a day's birding. 

My Birding Mojo is still flat but with the very real potential of another lock down coming I wanted to make the most of the current freedom and dragged myself out of bed, hangover headache or not. I arrived at Paignton at around 9:00 and decided to walk along the coast towards Broadsands and save myself the £5 bus fare and also to get rid of some of my Pre-Christmas blubber. The conditions weren't great as I had feared but also as I had expected, the recent calm weather and occasional sunny spells had gone and it was grey, dank and dull with a brisk Easterly breeze and swelly and choppy seas. 

I stopped off first at Saltern Cove and set up my scope from the beach and immediately picked up a probable Pomarine Skua distantly offshore hassling Kittiwakes but it quickly settled on the sea and was never seen again. I also found a smart Black-throated Diver closer in as it appeared and disappeared in the swell but it dived and then also wasn't refound. 

I carried on along the coast path towards Broadsands but stopped off at a bench on the cliff top before reaching there for a better scan about although it was quite exposed and quite chilly in the breeze. Gannets, Kittiwakes, Shag, Fulmar, Razorbill and Guillemots were all seen along with very brief views of 3 Great Northern Divers and more prolonged views of a Red-throated Diver. A flyover Peregrine, Sparrowhawk and Raven along with 2 Brent Geese flying west added some variety and interest. 

Torbay not looking at its best from my clifftop bench - Brixham is in the distance

I headed back to Goodrington where offshore a Black-throated Diver and a dark looking Great Crested Grebe were seen and a look at the boating lake revealed 6 male and 3 female Tufted Duck and a Coot amongst the Mallards and Gulls.

Tufted Duck, Goodrington Boating Lake

Male Mallard with Angel Wing

I picked out a very white headed juvenile Gull, a 2nd winter Yellow-legged Gull, resting on the side of the lake amongst the assorted Gulls present and noticed it had a yellow ring on its right leg with black letters just as it decided to drop down onto the water before I could read it properly. It sat around on the water for a while before flying off out to sea and I never did get a proper read on its ring.

Yellow-legged Gull hiding its right leg ring (Yellow with black letters) 

Yellow-legged Gull

Yellow-legged Gull

Yellow-legged Gull

I carried on to nearby Clennon Lakes to play hide and seek with a Yellow-Browed Warbler but the Warbler won and I failed to see it although I think I did hear it calling a few times. I did however see up to 4 Chiffchaff, a Firecrest, Goldcrests, a male Bullfinch, a male Gadwall, a Little Grebe and a Little Egret and I heard a Water Rail squealing and a Great Spotted Woodpecker chipping away before I gave up and headed home. 

Male Gadwall, Clennon Lakes

My train to Plymouth from Newton Abbot was cancelled and so I sat on the platform for an hour waiting for the next one, not the best end to a so-so birding day but in keeping with my general mood at the moment. 

Saturday 18th December and back to work with another busy shift as it always is these days but it was brightened up by a female type Black Redstart flitting about the rooftops as viewed from the staff room window when I grabbed myself a quick cup of tea. 

After working two very busy long days over the weekend and with a night shift then looming large on Monday 20th December I had planned for a quiet day but with news of a male Pochard on the River Plym I headed out to Marsh Mills for a quick look. Needless to say I didn't see it but it was good to be out for a bit of exercise despite the cold and grey conditions. 

I did see a few good birds though on my hour and a half visit with the highlights being a Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Common Sandpiper, 8 Goosander (4 males), 8 Little Grebe, a Kingfisher, a Jay and a Greenshank.

A Kingfisher in the gloom, River Plym

 

I was very knackered after a busy night shift with no break following on from my 2 busy day shifts but I headed out for a repeat walk along the River Plym and around Saltram Park on Wednesday December 22nd. It was another cold and grey day but I did briefly see something rare - the sun! - and it was good to get out for some fresh air and exercise despite feeling so tired.

Little Egret - with reflection!

The usual birds were seen again - the Red-crested Pochard on the duck pond ( but no sign of the male Teal), 4 noisey Ring-necked Parakeets, a Greenshank, a Black-tailed Godwit, just 2 Common Sandpipers, a Kingfisher, a Grey Wagtail, 4 Little Grebe and a male and 2 female Goosander.

Red-crested Pochard

Mandarin Ducks on the River Plym including the male with the unusual head pattern

A Peregrine was seen flying over and spooking all the Gulls out on the estuary including 3 adult Common Gull. Also seen were 3 male Red-breasted Mergansers, 2 Goldcrest, at least 8 Redwing and 27 Wigeon (10 males). Unfortunately a stake out of the Wet Wood didn't provide a sighting of the Water Rail again.

It's unlikely I'll get any more birding in between now and New Year what with Christmas and work and stuff but I've enjoyed all the wildlife distractions on the lead up to the "Big Day" itself. And I'm getting excited to see what next year will bring on the wildlife front.

March Doldrums

Mid-march is here and it's that weird time when winter birds depart and summer birds are yet to arrive and things are expectantly stagnant. 

Sunday 7th March and a morning walk around Plmouth Hoe before the crowds arrived was Purple Sandpiper-less but the female Long-tailed Duck was still present in The Cattewater, distant and active as usual.

Thursday 11th March and another Plymouth Hoe walk was Long-tailed Duck-less in choppy seas but the Purple Sandpiper showed well along with 6 Turnstones at Rusty Anchor.

Purple Sandpiper

Friday 12th March was showery and breezy but despite the low tide I headed out to Saltram and the River Plym for a walk. It was a very low tide but out on the water and mudflats of the Plym I found an unringed adult winter plumaged Mediterranean Gull amongst the Herring, Black-headed and Great Black-backed Gulls present along with a notable increase in Common and Lesser Black-backed Gulls. A Greenshank, a redhead Goosander, a Curlew and a few Redshank were also seen.

The female Red-crested Pochard was back on the duck pond along with 22 Mandarin Duck (12 males, 10 females) and assorted Feral Ducks and Moorhens.

Red-crested Pochard

Mandarin Duck

The usual birds were seen in Saltram Park  - Stock Dove, Goldcrest, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Mistle Thrush, Greenfinch, Nuthatch, Kestrel, Peregrine, Ring-necked Parakeet and Pheasant the best - but the highlight was a Reed Bunting found and pointed out to me by local birders Pete and Ian and only my second Plymouth sighting of one. 

It was good to see the pair of Stonechat again and showing very well by the main footpath heading down from the house to the beach. The female was absent during the very cold spell we had recently so it was good to see her back with the male, presuming it is indeed the same female. 

Stonechat - male

Stonechat - female

Sunday 14th March was Mothers Day and with it being a dry and mostly sunny day I decided to avoid the crowds and potter about the house doing chores with just a short trip out to Sainsburys to break the day up.  However on returning home from shopping I checked out the sightings pages to see a report of a Sandwich Tern in The Cattewater and so after quickly eating my lunch I headed down to Duttons Cafe on The Hoe for a look. Needless to say there was no sign of it but the female Long-tailed Duck was still present, distant and mobile and rarely at the surface for very long as usual.

Spring is beginning to arrive! 

January Lock Down Listing -101

I usually do a January 100 list every year, a perfect antidote to the post Christmas blues when all the tinsel and lights get put away and you realise you're fatter and poorer, the weathers shite and it seems a long way off until the next pay day. It is fairly easy to reach 100 species in January with a bit of planning, a bit of luck and visiting a variety of habitats but it has been a lot more difficult this January due to the lock down and the subsequent restrictions on travelling. With my year list standing at 94 on January 28th, just 6 short of the target of 100, and with 3 days off work but with a dreadful weather forecast I wasn't sure I would reach the magic 100.

Friday 29th January was grey and windy but with clear skies and calmer winds forecasted for the afternoon and so I headed out for my usual River Plym and Saltram walk. I had an interesting walk as usual and I managed to find 3 species for my year list - Barnacle Goose, Red-crested Pochard and Stock Dove. 

I found the Barnacle Goose amongst the large Canada Geese flock feeding in the fields, it has been reported for a while now but I've failed to find it on my recent visits until now. Later on it was out on the mudflats on the incoming tide having a wash and brush up. 

Barnacle Goose

Barnacle Goose

Barnacle Goose

The Red-crested Pochard was on the duck pond and giving great views as it dived for weed, presumably it is the regular bird that has frequented the River Plym and the Saltram House duck pond on and off for the past few years. 

Red-crested Pochard

Red-crested Pochard

Red-crested Pochard

Also at the duck pond were 4 male and 2 female Mandarin Ducks adding a splash of garish colour to the proceedings and a few Brown Rats were skulking about at the waters edge as they snaffled down food being put out for the ducks.

 

Mandarin Ducks

Mandarin Ducks

Brown Rat

Brown Rat

The Stock Doves were flying around the Park as usual, firstly 2 together overhead and then 2 singles perched up in the trees and finally 2 together, presumably a pair, flying around and perched in a tree. 

Along the River were 3 male and 6 female Goosander, 2 Little Grebe, 8 male and 9 female Wigeon, 2 Greenshank and 2 Common Sandpiper along with the usuals. Amongst the Gulls roosting out on the mudflats were a few Common Gulls along with a noticeable increase in adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls. 

Around the Park were Meadow Pipits, a Grey Wagtail (at The Dell), a pair of Stonechat, a Great Spotted Woodpecker (heard) and the usual squawking Ring-necked Parakeets. 

Ring-necked Parakeet

Saturday 30th January and the forecast was for heavy rain but with a bit of a lull for a few hours in the morning and so I headed across the River Tamar to Mount Edgecumbe for a walk. There wasn't much of a lull in the rain and so I got completely soaked but I had a very enjoyable walk. 

Things started off well with 13 Cattle Egret feeding in the fields just uphill from the ferry slipway along with Little Egrets, Grey Herons, Oystercatchers, Herring Gulls and Canada Geese. They looked a bit peed off in the rain although they always look a bit hunchy. 

Little Egret with Cattle Egrets

Cattle Egrets with Little Egret and Grey Heron

Cattle Egrets

Cattle Egrets with Little Egrets

Cattle Egrets

Onwards to Millbrook and Goldcrest, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Redwing, 2 Greenshank, a surprise Whimbrel, 3 Great Crested Grebe, Teal, Curlew, Redshank and Shelduck were all seen along the way. 

At Millbrook Lake I quickly found the reported male Scaup out on the water busily diving for food in the rain. A Little Grebe was also seen and amongst the Herring Gulls and Black-headed Gulls were a few Common Gulls, Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 4 Mediterranean Gulls. 

Scaup

Scaup

Scaup

Mediterranean Gull with Black-headed Gull

Back to Cremyll and the Cattle Egrets were still present in the fields as I walked down the hill towards the ferry slipway. I carried on into the park towards the duck pond where a Little Grebe and 2 male Gadwall were present amongst the Mallards. 

Gadwall and Little Grebe

Gadwalls

Gadwall

By this time I was pretty soaked through and so I headed back home having added 4 new birds to my year list and ending January on 101 species - not bad at all considering the lock down and again I am amazed at what wildlife is right on my doorstep.

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