Chasing SnoB's and A Return to The Plym

Friday 5th November was meant to be a stay at home day with unknown times for a delivery of a radiator and repair men coming to fix some windows but both were done and dusted by 10:15 and with the weather dry and occasionally sunny we headed out to Slapton Ley for a walk.

With up to 4 Snow Buntings being seen along the beach at Slapton I kept a good eye open for them along our walk but unfortunately I was out of luck. However the walk was very enjoyable anyway with the highlights being a large Pike harassing small fish under the bridge, a few Red Admirals flitting about, Cettis Warblers and Water Rails heard in the reeds and Great Crested Grebes out on the Ley with Tufted Ducks.

Saturday 6th November and with a night shift due I decided to head out to Wembury for a morning walk. However with a Bluethroat being seen along The Plym the previous day I switched plans and headed there instead but with Bluethroats being notoriously skulky I wasn't surprised not to find it.

It has been 9 weeks since I last visited The Plym and Saltram and it was nice to be back again and despite dipping the Bluethroat I saw a very nice selection of birds.

The best bird was a Woodcock which must have been flushed by dogs running through the leaf litter under the trees and which then flew right past in front of me, my best views ever and looking surprisingly large and dumpy. A very strong runner up though was a Jack Snipe flushed from some boggy ground before landing in a small thicket and which I then almost stood on when I went over to try and get a better look. A calling fly over Snipe completed the hat trick. 

Jays were very noticeable flying overhead between the trees and the Evergreen Oaks along The Ride where they were busily cramming acorns into their crops. A Raven feeding amongst the Rooks and Carrion Crows out in the grass was my first of the autumn too. 

Blaxton Meadow held 14 Wigeon, a Grey Heron and 2 Mute Swans while out on the Estuary 6 adult Common Gulls, a Common Sandpiper, 4 redhead Goosander and a Kingfisher were noted. 

A male Kestrel, 2 flyover Green Woodpecker, a male Stonechat, a very confiding female Pheasant, a Grey Wagtail around the Recycling Centre, 20 Fieldfare flying high overhead towards Dartmoor and 3 Shag near Laira Bridge were other noteworthy sightings. 

Pheasant, Blaxton Meadow

Shag,  Laira Bridge

4 Grey Squirrels ( 3 busily caching Evergreen Oak acorns), 3 Roe Deer and a battered Red Admiral were also seen. 

Roe Deer

Red Admiral

Monday 8th November and with reports of a Snow Bunting being seen at Wembury Beach the previous day I headed out there on the 2pm bus for a look. I would have gone earlier in the day but I had arranged to meet my friend Monica that morning for a catch up and the weather was wet and misty first thing but by the time I arrived at Wembury it was a glorious afternoon with calm seas, sunny spells and eventually a beautiful sunset. 

As expected there was no sign of the Snow Bunting but a very nice surprise was a very late Wheatear feeding on the huge mass of seaweed washed up on the beach along with Rock Pipits, Meadow Pipits and Pied Wagtails, probably the latest I have ever seen one in the UK. 

Wheatear, Wembury

Also seen were a Grey Wagtail in the Valley to the Beach, 5 adult Gannets offshore heading west, 4 Little Egrets flying up the Yealm to roost at dusk and a single adult Mediterranean Gull flying around the rocky foreshore. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was heard calling in the pines and while waiting for the bus as it got dark I heard a Green Woodpecker yaffling away in nearby gardens, my first for Wembury this year. 

Tuesday 9th November and with Snow Buntings again being seen at Slapton Ley the previous day I decided to head out there for another look. 

I arrived off the bus at Torcross at around 10:45 and walked along the top of the beach towards the Memorial car park but there was no sign of any Snow Buntings. I then walked back along the beach to Torcross and got quite the workout as I trudged over the shingle but still no Snow Buntings were to be seen.

I then walked back to the Memorial car park along the Ley side path but again there was no sign of them and I was beginning to think yet another dip was imminent. I decided it was time to have a sit down on the beach to eat my lunch but just as I settled down to enjoy my sandwich a Snow Bunting popped up amongst the shingle and was quickly joined by a second bird - result! 

Snow Bunting

Snow Bunting

Snow Bunting 

Snow Bunting

Snow Bunting

Snow Bunting

Snow Bunting

They eventually came closer and closer and then gave some great views, the best I have ever had, and they were an absolute delight to watch especially as they were so totally unfazed by my prescence. 

Snow Bunting

Also seen on a quick scan of the Ley were the usual Coot, Moorhen, Tufted Duck, Mute Swan, Great Crested Grebe, Cormorant and Gadwall while offshore Gannet and Shag were noted. Along the Ley side Cettis Warblers were heard and I managed a good view of one individual. At least 3 pairs of Stonechat were also seen.

And so it really was a case of third time's a charm with the Snow Buntings, only the second time I have seen them in Devon, and after constant images of them showing up on my Twitter feed in what has been a bit if an influx of them into the UK this autumn it was nice to finally see some of my own.

Isles of Scilly Day Trip, September 16th

After missing out on my annual day trip to the Isles of Scilly last year due to COVID restrictions, weather, work and life I was really looking forward to going this year and with all the planets aligned perfectly for September 16th I booked a last minute train and ferry ticket and headed off for the day. 

It was an early start with an 04:45hrs alarm call to catch the 05:40hrs train from Plymouth and I arrived in Penzance with no delays at 07:40hrs. After a bacon butty, a coffee and a poo I was all set as we sailed out of the harbour at 09:15hrs on the Scillonian III in clear skies and with a flat calm and oily looking sea. As we headed out into the English Channel the swell took hold but the sea state remained relatively flat and calm and the light was perfect for sea watching.

Shearwaters were seen flying around and rafting on the sea but most were fairly distant and the few that came close to the ferry were all Manx. A group of 4 Balearic Shearwater did fly right past the ferry though, showing very well and with a noticeably more languid flight style as they headed west.

The usual Gannets were seen in various plumage states along with a few Kittiwakes (adult and juveniles), a Fulmar, an adult winter plumaged Mediterranean Gull, 2 Sandwich Terns, Commic Terns, Guillemots, Great Black-backed Gulls and Herring Gulls. Even better were sightings of 2 Storm Petrels flying low over the sea and 2 Great Skuas, 1 flying across the front of the ferry and one resting on the sea. 6 Grey Seals were also seen, 2 off Penzance, 2 off the Scillies and 2 as we headed into Hugh Town. 

Pods of Common Dolphins were very noticeable in the ideal conditions but most were distant and not overly showy although a few did come to the front of the ferry to briefly bow ride. A Rissos Dolphin was the highlight though, distant but with a very large dorsal fin looking like a massive shark fin and with a very distinctive rolling action as it logged at the surface.

The Isles Of Scilly from St.Marys

Arriving in St.Marys and the clouds unfortunately rolled in but it remained dry and warm and with a Western Bonelli's Warbler being seen on The Garrison I decided to concentrate my efforts here. I had a sense of de ja vu about this decision though as I failed to see the Warbler, just as happened on my trip in 2014 when I spent a fruitless time on The Garrison looking for a Greenish Warbler but I had an enjoyable time anyway.

The sun did eventually reappear and on my wandering around The Garrison I managed to find at least 2 Pied Flycatchers, surprisingly my first of the year, along with at least 2 Spotted Flycatchers.

Pied Flycatcher

Spotted Flycatcher

A Whitethroat, a Chiffchaff, a pair of Blackcap, a Wheatear, a Whinchat and Swallows were seen along with Stonechat, Collared Dove, Song Thrush, House Sparrow, Blackbird and Starling while Robins were heard singing their mournful autumn tunes.

Wheatear

Butterflies were flitting about with Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Holly Blue, Large White, Small White and the Scilly form of Speckled Wood all seen.

Speckled Wood - Scilly form (insula)

All too soon it was time to head back to Hugh Town to catch the ferry back to Penzance and while waiting to set sail a look around the harbour revealed 6 Turnstone, a Bar-tailed Godwit, Curlews, Oystercatchers and Sandwich Terns.

The sea was still relatively calm on the sailing back to Penzance with little swell but a rippley surface although the light was not so good for sea watching as it was in the morning.

Common Dolphins were again seen but in smaller numbers and mostly distant. Gannets were again very noticeable and Manx Shearwaters were much more showy. No Kittiwakes or Sandwich Terns were seen but Fulmars were more numerous and Commic Terns were again noted along with Guillemots.

The highlight was a Sooty Shearwater, first seen resting on the sea amongst a small raft of Manx Shearwater and close to the ferry before they all took flight as we approached them. It showed very well, larger and longer winged than the Manxies and with a lovely silvery white flashing on its underwings contrasting with its overall dark brown plumage.

We arrived back in Penzance as the sun was beginning to set and with St.Michaels Mount looking stunning in the fading light. The train ride back to Plymouth was uneventful and on time and I arrived home at 22:30 hrs, absolutely knackered but having had a wonderful day out, probably the best Scilly day trip I've ever had so far.

St.Michaels Mount

Marsh Harriers

Tuesday 7th September was sunny and hot (25°c+) but very breezy and it felt like being under a hot hair dryer in the strong wind as we headed down to Perranporth in Cornwall for our annual September trip. 

We expected it to be busy again as it was on last years trip but it was ridiculously so in the good weather, and the strong breeze meant a gritty and hazy walk along the beach as it blew fine sand out of the dunes. The Watering Hole kitchen was closed so no cooked breakfast on the beach again and The Dolphin Cafe where we had a cooked breakfast last year was closed too and by the time we had wandered around looking for somewhere to get a breakfast we had missed the cut off times. We did however eventually get a cooked breakfast at The Cove, a cafe on the main street in Perranporth, and very good it was too. 

It was an enjoyable but strange day out again though, just as it had been last year, and again we had to drink our cider on the beach in plastic cups and we didnt have an ice cream but such is life in these COVID times. 

The usual Gannets were flying around offshore and the usual Trout were dashing about in the stream while in the dunes Wheatears were flitting about and Autumn Ladies Tresses were looking wilted in the dry soil while Sand Martins and Swallows were hawking about overhead. 

Wheatear

Along the beach a small flock of waders were being moved around by walkers but I managed some nice views of Sanderlings feeding in the surf with distant flight views of Dunlin and Ringed Plover. 

Sanderling

The highlight though was a juvenile Marsh Harrier picked up flying in off the sea towards the dunes, battling against the very strong wind and being mobbed by the occasional Gull. 

In total contrast the morning of Wednesday 8th September was wet with thunder and lightning and so we headed to IKEA in Exeter for some retail therapy (a rare event these days). By the time we had completed our respects to the God's of shopping it was dry and sunny and so we headed off for a quick walk at the nearby Exminster Marshes. 

I only had a short time but things started off well with 2 Spoonbill found roosting out on the marsh while a Marsh Harrier quartered overhead. 

Marsh Harrier

A Hobby briefly flew over, hawking for dragonflies as it went, and 2 Cattle Egret were chasing insects amongst the cattle. 

Cattle Egret

5 Ruff, a Lapwing and 4 Black-tailed Godwit were feeding around a muddy pool close to the road with viewing difficult into the light but a Comma showed very well as it basked in the sunshine. 

Comma

Comma

With the hot weather I had the moth box out in the back yard, adding a few species to my year list in the process and bringing the back yard list to 115 for 2021.

Marbled Green, Mullein Wave and Four-spotted Footman all put in an appearance along with Treble Bar, Small Square Spot, Common Marbled Carpet, Snout and Mecyna acinalis. 

Treble Bar

Small Square Spot - hidden in plain sight amongst the square Spot Rustics

Common Marbled Carpet

Mecyna acinalis

Thursday 9th September was grey and claggy and wet again but I headed off on the early train to Hayle anyway for the high tide wader roost. By the time I arrived at Hayle the rain had stopped but it remained overcast and the tide was just beginning to drop. 

Small flocks of little waders were flitting about around the Estuary and on scanning the saltmarsh by the road opposite the car wash I found 4 Little Stints feeding together amongst Dunlin and Ringed Plover before they all took off and headed over to the exposed mud on the opposite side of the river. 

I then spent an enjoyable couple of hours scanning through the constantly flighty and mobile waders out on the estuary, finding a grand total of 12 Little Stints amongst the Dunlin and Ringed Plover along with 3 Curlew Sandpipers, 2 Knot, 4 Bar-tailed Godwit, 2 Greenshank, 4 Black-tailed Godwit and 2 Common Sandpiper and the usual Curlews, Oystercatchers and Redshanks. 

Black-tailed Godwits

Black-tailed Godwit

Bar-tailed Godwit

Dunlin

Teal, Wigeon, Mallard, Shelduck, Canada Geese, Little Egrets and a Grey Heron were also seen along with a noisey Sandwich Tern and around 50 variously aged and plumaged Mediterranean Gulls amongst the Herring, Black-headed, Lesser Black-backed and Great Black-backed Gulls. 

A Wheatear was found amongst the rocks of the Carnsew Pool and a juvenile Peregrine dashing low over the estuary in hunting mode was presumably the cause of the continuous movement of the small waders. 

Wheatear

While waiting for the train back to Plymouth I watched a Painted Lady sunning itself on the concrete sleepers at the station along with a Red Admiral, both looking very pristine and presumably getting ready to migrate southwards for the winter.

Painted Lady

Balearic Shearwaters, more Yellow Wagtails and another Osprey

Tuesday 31st August was dull and grey and with Anglia Windows due to visit for some window repair work a quiet day at home was on the cards. However the repair visit was unfortunately cancelled at lunchtime and so we made the most of it and headed out to Saltram for a walk, parking in a layby along The Ride and walking to Blaxton Meadow and back.

Yellow Wagtails had been reported at Saltram over the previous few days and I was keen to catch up with them as not only are they one of my favourite birds but they would also become the 100th bird species I've seen this year for the Plym/Saltram and would complete the second of my 3 100 challenges for this year.

On my visit to Saltram last week I had noted cattle feeding in the grass field by the footpath near the "wet wood" and with a good showing of Yellow Wagtails occurring this autumn I thought it looked like a good spot for them. Despite a quick scan of the field I drew a blank but the grass was very long and Yellow Wagtails could have been silently lurking amongst it.

I assumed that the recent sightings had been from this field but when we arrived at the field the grass had been well and truly munched and the cows had gone! However I could see a few cows through the trees in a field near the children's playground and so we walked over there for a look. 

There were plenty of Swallows and House Martins hawking over the cows as they disturbed insects from the grass and eventually I managed to find a Yellow Wagtail poking its head out of the long grass with a second bird heard calling briefly nearby. The bird I could see then flew up into a small dead tree where it was joined by 3 others before they all dropped down into the long grass and out of sight, strangely remaining quiet the whole time. 

Yellow Wagtail

Also seen on our walk were the 2 juvenile Shelduck feeding together out on the estuary, 6 Little Egret, a Grey Heron and 6 Oystercatcher on Blaxton Meadow on the dropping tide, 21 Mandarin Duck and 7 Moorhen on the duck pond and a Sparrowhawk flying over Laira Bridge.

Curlew

Thursday 2nd September and I had hoped to visit Hayle or Exminster by train for some wader action but with the trains all messed up due to a damaged rail bridge in Plymouth my plans were kind of scuppered. It was dull and breezy and so I decided to visit Wembury for a walk instead and fortunately I took my telescope with me, a very good decision.

As it turned out there was a good bit of wader action along the beach at Wembury despite the constant disturbance by walkers and dogs and I had maximum counts of 24 Turnstone, 13 Ringed Plover, 12 Dunlin, 3 Sanderling, 2 Redshank and a Bar-tailed Godwit along with the usual Oystercatchers. 

Redshank

Mediterranean Gulls were also present along the beach with the Herring, Black-headed and Great Black-backed Gulls but with the disturbance I didnt count them although at least 3 juveniles were present including a bird moulting well into 1st winter plumage.

While scanning along the beach near the sewage pipe the Gulls suddenly all flew up into the air with very little noise and the waders all stopped feeding and looked skywards and eventually I found the cause, a very nice if distant Osprey circling over the mouth of the River Yealm before it drifted east along the coast towards Stoke Point, only my second sighting of one at Wembury.

I then spent some time scanning offshore with my telescope and found a distant Sandwich Tern along with quite a few Gannet including a small group diving together which on closer inspection were diving over a feeding pod of 6+ Harbour Porpoise which were moving swiftly west before being lost from sight.

A small flock of waders, presumably Dunlin, were picked up flying east low over the waves too but the highlight were 2 distant Balearic Shearwater flying east together, my first of the year.

Also seen were 2 Whitethroat, 4 Swallow, 4 Chiffchaff, 4 Wheatear, 5 Cirl Buntings, Stonechats, a noisey juvenile Bullfinch and the first 2 flyover Meadow Pipits of the autumn. A good count of 187 Canada Geese were also resting in the stubble field before noisely flying off east.

Wheatear

Wheatear

Wheatear

Canada Geese Flock

Common Lizards, 3 Long-winged Coneheads, good numbers of Small White and a few Large White, Red Admiral and Meadow Brown were also seen.

Long-winged Conehead

Large White

Osprey, River Plym

Monday 23rd August and it was a warm and sunny morning as I headed off for a River Plym/Saltram walk before a looming night shift.

I caught the bus to Laira Bridge to start my walk and this turned out to be a smart move as within a few minutes of arriving all the gulls started to go beserk and looking around I picked up an Osprey casually gliding past heading downriver, my first Plym sighting of one. It sadly didnt linger for long, disappearing from sight as it headed towards Plymouth Hoe but a very nice surprise.

The rest of my walk wasn't quite as exciting with the highlights being a Greenshank on Blaxton Meadow on the ebbing high tide, 2 Mute Swan and 7 Oystercatcher along the Plym, a small flock of around 40 Redshank roosting on The Embankment, 3 Mandarin Duck at the Duck Pond, 3 Spotted Flycatcher, 5 Stonechat, 2 Skylark and at least 2 Whitethroat. 

The warm weather meant plenty of insect activity and I recorded 1 Holly Blue, 1 Peacock, 1 Small Tortoiseshell, 1 Painted Lady, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral, 1 Comma, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Small Heath, Common Blue and Large White.

Painted Lady

Painted Lady

Common Darters were buzzing around but a surprise were at least 3 Golden-ringed Dragonfly along with a Treble Bar flushed from the grass. 

Common Darter

Golden-ringed Dragonfly

Golden-ringed Dragonfly 

Treble Bar

With the improved weather I have had the moth box out in the back yard overnight with the highlights being 2 very smart looking Black Arches, a Marbled Green, an Old Lady, 4 Jersey Tiger, 2 Mullein Wave, 2 Flounced Rustic and 2 male and 3 female Four Spotted Footman. 

Black Arches

Black Arches

Pyrausta despicata

Wednesday 25th August and I met my mate Mavis for a walk along the Leat at Roborough Down before a spot of lunch at The Dartmoor Diner. It was sunny but cool and we took a slow ramble along the Leat with 2 Redstart and a Grayling being the highlights. 

Grayling

Thursday 26th August was a warm and sunny day and so we headed out to Stoke Point for our usual coast path walk to Noss Mayo and back. 

The warm weather brought out the butterflies and there seemed to be Small Whites everywhere, especially on the Buddlea flowers. A Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Meadow Brown, a Green-veined White, Red Admiral and Painted Lady were enjoying the blossom too along with a Silver Y and along the walk I also saw a Wall, Common Blue, Large White, a Holly Blue and Speckled Wood. A Silver-washed Fritillary on the Buddlea flowers by the community orchard in Moss Mayo was a nice surprise. 

Small White

The usual Linnet, Stonechat, Swallow, Whitethroat and Cirl Bunting were seen and there were Wheatears everywhere, the walls and posts all seemed to have one present on them. I also had a brief view of a Whinchat before it flew off and some distant views of at least 6 very skittish and mobile Yellow Wagtails. 

Wheatear

Yellow Wagtail

2 juvenile Kestrel were practising their flying skills along the cliffs and a lone adult Gannet was picked up offshore heading west. 

Autumn Squill was flowering well in the usual place and I also found plants in flower at a new spot along the walk. 

Autumn Squill