Wildlife Walks

Lock Down UK 2020 due to COVID-19 continues and it really is "eat, sleep, go to work, repeat" with some wildlife walks thrown in here and there to mix things up a bit.

I have resigned myself to the fact that I will be unlikely to see certain summer migrants this year - eg, Wood Warbler, Pied Flycatcher, Little-ringed Plover, Sedge Warbler, etc. - but I was very pleased and surprised to find a Reed Warbler singing away in the hedgerow at the allotment on The Barbican here in Plymouth on May 7th, one of the summer migrants that I wasn't expecting to connect with this year. I have heard both Reed and Sedge Warblers in the past singing from trees and shrubs in Plymouth city centre at this time of year but this one I actually got to see, brief views only as it moved through the vegetation but a very welcome sight and sound.

Reed Warbler

I have also finally managed to get out on 2 long walks to the edge of Dartmoor, a long walk on May 1st and a very long walk on May 6th, and I managed to see a good selection of wildlife with Green Tiger Beetle, Early Purple Orchid, Wall  Brimstone, Green-veined White, Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Red Kite, Cuckoo, Tree Pipit, Redstart, Garden Warbler, Yellowhammer, Willow Warbler, Swift, Sand Martin, Common Sandpiper, Reed Bunting, Grey Wagtail, Kestrel, Slow Worm and Beautiful Demoiselle being the highlights in sunny but breezy conditions - very restorative in these continuing difficult times.

Green Tiger Beetle

Brimstone

Green-veined White

Green-veined White

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Small Pearl-birdered Fritillary

Willow Warbler

Tree Pipit (with tick behind eye)

Tree Pipit

Yellowhammer

Yellowhammer

Cuckoo

Cuckoo

Slow worm

Slow worm

Moth boxing in the back yard overnight on May 9th/ 10th produced my first Buff Ermine and Heart and Dart of the year along with a new moth for me, a Grey Birch albeit a very faded one (with thanks to ID help from @MothIDUK on Twitter). Best of all was a Buff-tip, one of my top 10 back yard moths, maybe I'll get all 10 of them this year? ( I've already got Early Grey).

Grey Birch

Diamond-back Moth (pale form)

Common Pug

Buff Ermine

Buff Tip

Heart and Dart

Sunday May 10th was warm and sunny and after an early start sorting out the moth box I took my usual weekly walk to the River Plym and Saltram. The vegetation was again noticeably more advanced than on my previous visit and bird song seemed to be lessened but it was still an interesting walk.

It was a very high tide and on Blaxton Meadow there were 3 Whimbrel roosting with 3 Oystercatcher and 2 Curlew along with a Little Egret, Shelduck, a Canada Goose and 3 Mallard (1 female).

Whimbrel and Curlew

Little Egret

Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Swallow, Ring-necked Parakeet, Stock Dove, Buzzard, Coal Tit, Song Thrush, Grey Heron and Skylark were seen and/or heard and I managed to find my first Small Heath and Common Blue of the year along with Orange Tip, Holly Blue, Red Admiral, Peacock, Green-veined White and Large White.

Grey Heron

Small Heath

Common Blue

Common Blue

A pair of Roe Deer passed very close by me as I sat quietly against a tree, the male looking very smart with his short antlers and giving a little bark as he ran off when he realised I was there.

Roe Deer

Roe Deer

Roe Deer

Grey Squirrel

I stopped off at Blagdons Meadow on the walk home where it continues to be very dry underfoot but I did find 3 Southern Marsh Orchids coming into flower in a damper area along with Early Purple Orchids which were small and stunted and mostly going over (and smelling like Tom cats).  It was also nice to see Swallows and House Martins collecting mud from the estuary for nest building.

Early Purple Orchid

Southern Marsh Orchid

House Martin

Nearing home and 2 Willow Warblers were heard singing on the waste ground by St.Judes church, a nice surprise and a nice end to an enjoyable walk.

More Migrant Waders and other Birds

Sunday 24th April and it was off to Bude for the day with The Outlaws to sort out the caravan ready for the summer. It was sunny but cool and remained so for the whole day and we managed to get everything done before heading home.

There were no moths in the toilet block and the only butterfly sighting was a brief view of a small tortoiseshell flying past. Maer Lake was much more productive with 3 common sandpiper, a greenshank and 8 dunlin showing well amongst the teal, mallard and moorhen. Swallows and sand martins were hawking over the water and a chiffchaff was heard singing in the hedgerow. Best of all was a male whinchat perched on top of some brambles, looking very smart in the sunshine as it chased after insects before returning to the bramble tops and my first Bude sighting.

Distant Male Whinchat, Bude



Monday 25th April and it was cool, cloudy and breezey again but with occassional glimpses of sunshine and I decided to cash in my voucher for a trip to Yarner Wood with David. I wouldn't normally go to Yarner quite so early in the spring but with all the target birds being reported on the web pages I thought it was time to pay a visit.

David dropped me off at the car park before heading off to Trago Mills and I walked up through the trees to the heathland and I soon heard and then saw a male redstart feeding in the trees along the heathland edge. A tree pipit was also quickly seen as it songflighted over the heath before perching in a pine tree while a second bird was heard nearby. 2 male stonechats and a singing willow warbler were also seen while overhead swallows and my house martins of the year were trying to hawk for insects in the cool conditions.

Tree Pipit, Yarner Wood



Heading back into the wood and I soon found my first male pied flycatcher singing away and as I walked through the woods quite a few more were seen including 2 females. I am always surprised at how tame pied flycatchers at Yarner Wood can be and I had some lovely views. Also seen were a nuthatch, 2 mistle thrush, a marsh tit, a male blackcap, chiffchaffs and a great spotted woodpecker. Another male redstart was seen with a second bird heard nearby but unfortunately there was no sight nor sound of the bird I really wanted to see - wood warbler - and hearing from other birders wandering around the wood that there had been 5 singing earlier did not help!

 Male Pied Flycatcher, Yarner Wood

 Female Pied Flycatcher, Yarner Wood

Male Redstart, Yarner Wood



Around the pond by the car park were 4 mandarins (3 male, 1 female) while on the feeders in front of the hide were siskins and coal and great tits but there were no butterflies to be seen again.

 Male Mandarin, Yarner Wood

Male Mandarin, Yarner Wood



David duly arrived and it was off to the Brookside Cafe at Bovey Tracy for tea and cake as promised but despite having had a good birding time I was a bit down at having dipped wood warblers, one of my favourite birds and one that is alarmingly declining.

Tuesday 26th April and a sunny day again but with a bitingly stiff breeze from the north and it felt more like the end of February and not the end of April. I had planned to visit the River Exe and nearly changed my mind due to the unseasonal cold wind  but I was glad I stuck to my plans as I ended up having a good day.

Arriving at Exminster Marsh and I soon heard my first reed warbler chuntering in the reeds and I eventually managed good views of 5 birds with more heard. I also had brief views of 2 sedge warblers with a third bird heard, quite surprising as sedge warblers are usually quite showy and reed warblers quite skulky.

Reed Warbler, Exminster Marsh



Also seen and heard were a male reed bunting, a male whitethroat, 3 blackcaps (1 female), chiffchaffs and Cettis warblers with a female redstart feeding in the hedgerow along the back footpath a nice surprise. Sand martins, swallows, 2 house martins and 4 swifts were hawking overhead, there must have been slim pickings in the cold wind, and a common sandpiper, 2 male gadwall and a pair of tufted duck were out on the marsh with the usual wildfowl and a female mallard with 12 ducklings.

 Female Redstart, Exminster Marsh

 Incubating Mute Swan, Exminster Marsh

Mute Swan



Heading on to Dawlish Warren and a reed warbler was heard in the reeds by the main pond and 3 little grebes were out on the water with 1 bird carrying 2 small young on its back.

Little Grebe with 1 young on back, Dawlish Warren



6 whimbrel flew in to Greenland Lake and began to feed giving some nice views despite regular disturbance from nearby walkers.

Whimbrels, Dawlish Warren



A pair of treecreepers in the woodland were a surprise, my first at Dawlish Warren, while a singing whitethroat, chiffchaffs and a pair of bullfinch were more expected, and offshore 2 adult gannets, a summer plumaged great crested grebe and Sandwich terns were seen.

Treecreeper, Dawlish Warren 



Still no butterflies to be seen, not surprising in the cold wind, and the sand crocus must have all gone over as I couldn't find any flowering in the bright sunshine but it had been a very enjoyable day out despite the cold wind. I really hope it warms up soon.

Warblers and Damselflys at Exminster Marsh

Despite the bad weather forecast on May 8th I headed off to Exminster Marshes anyway - the forecast kept changing and so I just decided to go for it and take my chances. It was cool and overcast and breezey but the rain didn't arrive until I got on the train back to Plymouth.

Arriving at the RSPB car park at Exminster Marsh at 9:30 and it was surprisingly quiet with very little bird song. Swifts, swallows, house martins and sand martins were very active over the marsh, flying low over the ground trying to find food, and Canada geese and shelducks were roosting amongst the cows.

I walked along the back path towards the Turf Hotel and began to hear bird song - a few very quiet reed warblers and 2 noisey reed buntings. Sedge warblers were much more vocal and showy and Cettis warblers were explosive but secretive amongst the vegetation. A lone willow warbler was heard along with chiffchaffs and blackcaps but there were no whitethroats or lesser whitethroats.

 Reed Warbler in a tree!

 Reed Warbler

 Sedge Warbler

Sedge Warbler
 

Sedge Warbler

 



A peregrine was perched on the usual pylon, taking short flight sorties around the marsh causing complete panic amongst the nesting lapwings. A small falcon high overhead turned out to be a hobby, it was joined by a second bird and both flew off north, while a female kestrel flew low along a hedgerow.

 Nervous looking Grey Heron

Oh Dear!

A male gadwall, a pair of tufted duck, 8 whimbrel, 11 summer plumaged dunlin and a great spotted woodpecker were also seen but the best surprise was a yellow wagtail which flew over calling, gaining height and flying off east. I rarely see a springtime yellow wagtail and was pleased with my brief and distant view although I keep hoping that they will start breeding on the marshes soon.

Despite the cool conditions I found a few damselflys perched on vegetation by the footpath in more sheltered areas. They were small and easily overlooked but nice to find.

 Large Red Damselfly - male

Damselfly sp.

 Large Red Damselfly - female

Damselfly sp.

Walking back to the bus stop and a hobby circled overhead, a much better view as it flashed its red thighs before dashing off and out of sight. I headed on to Dawlish Warren with a common sandpiper, around 18 turnstones and 2 whimbrel flying over calling seen at Starcross along the way. At Dawlish Warren I hoped for some birds offshore in the windy conditions but it was fairly quiet - 2 great crested grebes, distant Sandwich terns, a few adult gannets and a flock of around 40 common scoters were the best of it. The scoters flew across the Bay from Berry Head in a loose, strung out flock before landing on the sea and totally disappearing from sight.

At least 3 reed warblers were singing in the reeds at the main pond with 1 bird seen, the birds were keeping low down in the strong breeze. A blackcap, a chiffchaff and 4 whitethroats were more showy. A green woodpecker, a great spotted woodpecker, a female stonechat and 8 whimbrel feeding on the grass in Greenland Lake were the other avian highlights and a brief sunny spell brought out a female orange tip, green veined whites and my first small copper of the year.

 Female Orange Tip on Cuckoo Flower

 Flower sp.

Small Copper