Temminck's Stint at Stithians Reservoir

A short break to Cologne in Germany with friends Julie and Matt with free flights courtesy of Airmiles again (or Avios as it now known as) was very enjoyable and a bit of a blur with all the food and drink we consumed.

The drive up to Heathrow Airport on December 1st was uneventful with a few red kites, red-legged partridges and kestrels seen along the way. Very few birds were seen in Cologne as expected but the highlight again were the ring-necked parakeets roosting in the trees at Heumarkt. There were many more birds present this year compared to last year, probably in excess of 200 birds, and it was great to hear them screeching away and to watch them flying off in small groups in the morning from our hotel bedroom.

Cologne Cathedral Christmas Market

The drive back to Plymouth from Heathrow Airport on December 5th was uneventful too but in dreadful weather and I only managed to see a few red-legged partridges
again in the fields by the road near Stonehenge.

Interestingly the Temminck's stint first reported at Stithians Reservoir in Cornwall on October 22nd was still present on December 4th and with a free day on December 6th before returning to work after our trip away I decided to head off for a look despite the awful weather forecast.

I caught the train to Truro, hearing the distinctive calls of Plymouths population of ring-necked parakeets screeching in the trees outside Plymouth railway station as I arrived to catch my train. From Truro I caught the bus to Carnkie and then walked about a mile to the reservoir dam where the bird has been seen from and it was as windy, misty, drizzley and rainy as forecast. On arriving at the dam I scanned along the waters edge and within a minute my binoculars were soaked along with the rest of me and there was no sign of the bird either. After around 15 minutes of searching and constantly trying to dry off my glasses and binoculars I decided to head over across the dam to the Stuart Hutchings bird hide where at least I would be in the dry.

From the hide there were good numbers of lapwing and snipe roosting and feeding and being disturbed into flight on a regular basis by mischievous carrion crows along with a coot, mallards, a shelduck, 2 female goldeneye, wigeon, a grey heron, little grebes, roosting gulls and flyover fieldfares. I casually scanned through the gulls not expecting much variety but amongst the herring gulls and black-headed gulls I picked up a few common gulls and lesser black-backed gulls and a very smart adult yellow legged gull looking dazzling white with off yellow legs and being given a wide berth as usual by the gulls nearby.

 Lesser Black-backed Gull (upper left), Herring gulls and Yellow-legged Gull (bottom right)

 Yellow-legged Gull

 Yellow-legged Gull

 Yellow-legged Gull 

Yellow-legged Gull 

I walked back across the dam for another look for the stint but there was still no sign of it and with the bad weather not abating I was just about to give up and head back home when a small bird along the shoreline caught my eye and had my heart racing. Unfortunately it turned out to be a pied wagtail but nearby I quickly picked up another small bird feeding along the shoreline and it revealed itself to be the Temminck's stint - result! The stint was tiny, being slightly smaller than the pied wagtail, and despite the poor light and rain spattered binoculars and glasses I managed some nice views with the stints yellowy/green legs being quite noticeable. I even managed some of my usual quality photos although I can partly blame the wet weather and poor light for the results but all things considered they actually aren't that bad.

 Temminck's Stint

 Temminck's Stint

  Temminck's Stint

 Temminck's Stint

Temminck's Stint

It was soon time to leave for the walk back to Carnkie to catch the bus back to Truro and I was absolutely soaked through but it had been great to catch up with only my second ever Temminck's stint and this time getting much better views than I did of my first one at Bowling Green Marsh in 2014.

Temminck's Stint at Bowling Green Marsh

Despite being August Bank Holiday Sunday and the hide at Bowling Green Marsh being closed for refurbishment I headed off to Topsham anyway as some good birds have been sighted there recently. The train was packed and 15 minutes late but I still arrived on time at Topsham at 10:30, the earliest I could get there, and was greeted with the sight of birders and their assorted optics crowded around the gaps in the hedge overlooking the Marsh. Two of my target birds were on show but by the time I got my scope out and managed to find a viewing gap in the throng the Temminck's stint had disappeared from view and I had a brief view of a spotted crake running off across the mud and out of sight - not a great start!

Eventually the spotted crake reappeared but for short periods only and it was distant, the light was crap and there was quite a heat haze so I couldn't make out any real plumage detail or bill colouration but its size and distinctive jizz gave it away. I was surprised how small it was, being around the size of a green sandpiper which was feeding nearby and being dwarfed by a nearby moorhen.

The stint didn't reappear but I managed to see 4 lapwing and a ruff amongst the black tailed godwit, curlew, redshank and dunlin feeding on the Marsh, and so I headed off to the viewing platform which has reopened. The tide was low and there was little on show other than 2 greenshanks feeding along the River Clyst and so I then headed off to the recreation ground where yellow legged gulls (target bird number 3) are often reported (as per Tim Worfolks excellent blog the Two Bird Theory) but despite searching amongst the roosting, preening and bathing gulls I couldn't find anything unusual except a few very smart looking adult lesser black backed gulls.

Heading back to the Marsh and a second ruff and a peachy/pink knot where new and there were quite a few pied wagtails flitting about but no yellow wagtails. Scanning through a flock of around 16 dunlin feeding on the mud at the back of the Marsh and there was what I thought was a pied wagtail feeding behind them but as the dunlins moved it revealed itself to be the Temminck's stint, a tiny bird with white underparts, brown/grey, plain looking upperparts and a crouched posture, and reminiscent of a small common sandpiper. It flew a little closer but was often obscured by clods of mud and vegetation along the waters edge before it disappeared again but at least I had had some distant views of what is my first British lifer of the year.

While watching the stint some birders arrived who had been watching 2 ospreys (target bird number 4) over the Exe and so I headed off to the viewing platform again but there was no sign of them. I then headed off to the The Goatwalk for a better view and settled down on some rocks to scan the river while having something to eat and drink but there was still no sign. I was just about to leave when on my last scan of the river I saw a large raptor flying over the trees at Powderham heading towards the river which turned out to be an osprey (and not a buzzard). I watched it for around 10 minutes as it hovered and swooped down to the water trying to catch fish but it was unsuccessful, eventually giving up and flying off over Exminster Marsh. I have seen ospreys a few times but never fishing, I've only seen them perched on posts or flying over so it was a real treat to watch and I was totally spellbound.  It was a juvenile bird with light patterning on its brown upperparts and obviously not having mastered the art of fishing yet - it was low tide and it never fully dived in to the water, only snatching at the surface, hopefully it will get better with practice.

I then headed back to the Marsh where the Temminck's stint had disappeared again but another spotted crake had been showing in a different part of reed bed at the back of the Marsh and eventually I managed some nice but distant views as it fed out in the open. This time I could make out the red and yellow bill and the delicate plumage patterning and I was again struck by how small it was when stood near a juvenile moorhen. At least I have now had some better views of spotted crake after my very brief sightings of a bird at Marazion Marsh a few years ago.

I headed home just as a smart winter plumaged spotted redshank flew in with some redshank and the forecasted rain began, having had a fantastic day birding and with a lifer in the bag and a year list now on 187.