Yellow Browed Warbler, Bowling Green Marsh, January 23rd 2019

A very cold but sunny and still morning saw me heading off to Topsham on the train to look for a yellow browed warbler that has been showing well here for a while. It was first reported on Twitter on January 6th but wasn't widely seen until January 10th and with it being particularly showy it seemed too good an opportunity to miss.

I caught the first train out of Plymouth after 9am to save myself £11.40 on the ticket price (and to have a lie in!) and arrived at Topsham at just after 11am. I walked along the lane towards the hide scanning the hedgerow as I went and within a few minutes had found the yellow browed warbler feeding in the vegetation low to the ground on the roadside verge - result.

It showed very well, down to a few feet at times, and was very unconcerned by people walking past, certainly the best views ever I have had of one. However like my previous encounters with yellow browed warblers this one was just as active and mobile, always on the move and disappearing for short periods only to reappear elsewhere. I managed to get a couple of decentish record shots but there are far better photos on Twitter, some of which show the bird with a squinty right eye due to a tick which was apparent at times as it flitted through the undergrowth.

 Yellow-Browed Warbler

 Yellow-Browed Warbler 

Yellow-Browed Warbler 

The water levels at the Marsh were very high still and having missed high tide there were just a few curlew and redshank around along with lapwing, snipe and black-tailed godwits. A male gadwall, a male pintail, 6 male and 2 female tufted ducks and 2 shelduck were seen amongst the shoveler, wigeon, teal and mallard. The lone ruff was found sleeping on a small island too, having been spooked earlier by a male sparrowhawk skimming by which also spooked 2 feeding redwings.

 Lapwing and Ruff

Teal and Shoveler

Onwards to Goosemoor where an adult common gull and 2 greenshanks were seen along with a hunting female sparrowhawk and from the hide at Darts Farm a feeding flock of 50+ fieldfares were feeding in the fields with a few redwing and starling. Scanning around and I picked up a few meadow pipits and eventually 2 water pipits although the views were distant. The water pipits were quite feisty and often chased each other around but later I managed to see 3 feeding  together much closer to the hide with another bird feeding on it's own nearby.

I then caught the train to Dawlish Warren for a quick look off the sea wall in very flat calm conditions but the sky had clouded over and the light was poor. From the wall I picked up a few gannets flying around and diving for fish and 5 great crested grebes resting on the sea. 3 Brent geese flew past and landed on Langstone Rocks to feed and a few shag, cormorant and great black-backed gulls were also noted but there was no sign of the recent velvet scoter (although it was reported that afternoon).

And so not a bad day out and with a few mammal sightings too - 2 rabbits at Bowling Green Marsh with 2 grey squirrels in the nearby trees, a fox from the train at Topsham,  fallow deer from the train at Powderham, a grey seal poking its head out of the water at Dawlish Warren and 2 roe deer from the train at Totnes.

Birding around Topsham, January 17th 2017

A grey and claggy day but I needed to get out birding as I am tired, stressed and over emotional with the ongoing crap currently happening in my life. I checked the times and prices of the trains on the internet the night before and saw that I could get a single to Topsham on the 07:48 train for £11 but when I bought the ticket at Plymouth railway station the next morning it cost me £17.60! Apparently the cheaper ticket was only for bookings made in advance - not impressed but I've learnt a lesson for next time.

I arrived at Topsham at around 09:30 and headed off to the recreation ground for a look around. A flyover snipe was a surprise and it was nice to see reed buntings feeding on the seed heads of the phragmite reeds with goldfinches and blue tits. The tide was high and there was nothing on show but I quickly and easily found the yellow browed warbler feeding in the trees by the children's playground, picked up at first by its calls and showing well in the lower branches of the trees unlike the Beaumont Park birds in Plymouth. At times it leapt up in the air to catch small flies and was very active and mobile but the views were pretty good, the best I have probably had.

 Yellow Browed Warbler

  Yellow Browed Warbler

Yellow Browed Warbler

 Yellow Browed Warbler

Yellow Browed Warbler - zoomed in

I carried on to the hide at Bowling Green Marsh, seeing a grey wagtail, a great spotted woodpecker, 2 mistle thrush and 10 song thrush and redwings in a grassy field and a female bullfinch along the way.

From the hide a large flock of avocets were roosting on the marsh on the high tide, around 300 birds, along with a large mixed flock of black tailed godwits, bar tailed godwits and redshanks. Greylag geese and Canada geese were feeding on the grass and skeins of brent geese flew over towards Darts Farm and included a group of 14 barnacle geese (feral or wild birds? - to tick or not to tick?) which veered off and flew back towards Exminster Marsh. 2 male tufted duck were busily diving and I had some nice views of pintail and shoveler with the wigeon and teal.

I headed over to Darts Farm after news of waxwings being seen there were reported by Dave (of Daves Diary fame who was present in the hide) but a quick look around Darts Farm drew a blank and so I headed back to Bowling Green Marsh via Goosemoor where I had some distant and drizzly views of a nice spotted redshank with 3 greenshank, a common gull and a dunlin.

From the viewing platform I added grey plover to the year list and had some nice views of the avocets and godwits feeding on the mudflats as the tide receded, the avocets being very much appreciated by a family visiting from Northern Ireland who had never seen them before.

 Avocet from The Goatwalk, Topsham

Male Teal, Topsham

Male Teal, Topsham - blue looking speculum

Male Teal, Topsham - usual green looking speculum

I met David for lunch at The Lighter Inn but there was a cock up with the order and our food didn't arrive and so we left empty stomached and headed back to the recreation ground for another look around on the now low tide. A male goldeneye showed very well with 2 females showing a little more distantly and I eventually found the female long tailed duck which gave some very nice views along with a pair of red breasted mergansers and an adult winter plumaged Mediterranean gull.

Male Goldeneye

 Female Long Tailed Duck

Female Long Tailed Duck

We drove over to Darts Farm where we finally had something to eat but there was still no sign of any waxwings and as the light faded we headed off back to Plymouth, having had a very enjoyable day out (and I've decided to tick the barnacle geese!).

Christmas Time

Saturday 17th December and it was the night of the wards Christmas Do and for the first time ever in the 14 Christmases I have worked there I actually went along! It was held in the Officers Mess at the Royal Marine Barracks in Stonehouse, Plymouth, and it was a really enjoyable night - everybody dressed up, the food was very nice, the setting very interesting and historical and the Mess bar was ridiculously cheap.

December 20th and it was off to The Two Bridges Hotel on Dartmoor for afternoon tea to celebrate Mother-in-laws 80th birthday, a subdued and emotional affair with a brief visit from sister-in-law post her transplant and the physical if not mental prescence of father-in-law in a wheelchair on a few hours leave from Mount Gould Hospital.

December 21st and my plan was to visit Ford Park Cemetery to look for the ring necked parakeets after meeting my friend Monica for coffee on Mutley Plain but the forecast was for rain so I gave it a miss. On the walk up to Mutley Plain I had a brief view of a yellow browed warbler in Beaumont Park along with a nuthatch, a coal tit, 2 goldcrests and blue, great and long tailed tits but on the walk home I had much better views of a very vocal bird snaffling down a large bluebottle fly before having a good old preen while a second bird was heard calling nearby. A grey squirrel was also seen with no tail, maybe a genetic abnormality or maybe from an injury?

The forecasted rain had still not arrived by the time I got home and so with reports of a female eider off Mountbatten I headed off to Fishermans Nose on Plymouth Hoe to have a look for it. I quickly found the eider diving regularly off Turnchapel where it was attracting the attentions of passing gulls but the views were distant and the light was very gloomy - still it was nice to see only my second Plymouth eider and just before the rain finally arrived.

December 22nd and the last day of 2016 that I will probably have to do some proper birding and so I decided to head off to the Penzance area by train, managing to get the back of my hand off my forehead and my arse of the sofa and I'm very glad I did..........

Yellow Browed Warblers in Beaumont Park, Plymouth

A female type black redstart and a grey wagtail feeding on the rooftops at Derriford Hospital brightened up my tea break at work on Monday 12th December, as viewed from the staff room window - it's always nice to see black redstarts, their quivering red tails providing a flash of colour on dark winter days, and grey wagtails are pretty smart looking too.

A walk from Mount Batten to Bovisands with my recently retired from the ward friend Jan on December 16th was pleasent and interesting. I've never done this walk before and it gave some lovely and different views of Plymouth Sound. It was very mild and I wished I hadn't worn my winter coat as I soon overheated, this December is yet again unusually warm, not a good sign of the state of the world. I even saw a red admiral butterfly flitting past but the only bird of note was a flyover raven.

Saturday 17th December and I had a walk around Beaumont Park to try and find the yellow browed warblers again. It was sunny and mild and I saw 2 small tortoiseshells flying together and checking each other out, presumably 2 males. A jay calling in the tree tops before flying off was a surpise, the first time I have seen one in the park, and I also found a female type black redstart in the lower branches of a tree before it flew off, only my second park sighting.

I soon found the long tailed tit flock feeding in the tree tops and quickly found a yellow browed warbler with them - the tit flock moved off but the warbler stayed behind, frequenting the trees near the north gate of the park and mostly staying in the higher branches. It called a few times and was then seen chasing off a second yellow browed warbler before resuming its feeding foray. I later refound the second bird feeding in the higher branches of the trees in the centre of the park but I spent most of my time watching the bird by the north gate which was much more showy and vocal. I even managed to get a few rubbishy record shots of it as it continually moved through the tangled branches of the trees but distance and lighting and branches hampered getting a good photo.

 YBW playing Hide and Seek amongst the branches

 YBWarbler

 YBWarbler

 YBWarbler

YBWarbler

YBWarbler - My best shot

Also seen were a nuthatch, a coal tit, at least 4 goldcrests, goldfinches and blue and great tits, and the grey squirrels were very tame and inquisitive as they scurried over towards me to see if I had any food for them.

 Young Grey Squirrel with short tail

 Adult Grey Squirrel

Grey Squirrel close up

Waders, Warblers and Wandering around in the Mist

Back to Plymouth and back to reality after a nice time away - the stress of work, family illness's and Christmas all back with a vengence - and with Sunday 4th December being the last day of my week off from work my plan had been to visit Exminster Marshes. However I was a bit disorganised and my heart wasn't really in it and so I had a quick walk along the River Plym and around Saltram Park instead.

It was sunny and cold but not too busy and from The Ride I saw the usual birds along the estuary although there was no sign of any little grebes or greenshanks along the stretch of river I could view. A nice surprise were a flock of around 20 dunlin feeding on the mudflats on the outgoing tide, a rare sight these days on the Plym (a total of 52 birds were reported on the DBWPS website that evening).

The grassy fields in Saltram Park held a large flock of Canada geese, a goose species I didn't see in Suffolk or Scotland, and 2 redwing with 10 song thrush were a nice find feeding together in the grass.

 Canada Geese, Saltram Park

Redwing with Woodpigeon, Saltram Park

With a bit of deduction and some info from a local birder I finally managed to find a Jack snipe. I flushed 2 snipe which both careered off calling noisely but a third snipe flew off silently and landed not far away - birds don't always follow the text books! A 4th snipe flushed appropriately and finally a Jack snipe took off, silent and flying off low for a short distance only and noticeably smaller and shorter billed than the snipe. It landed ahead of me and as I continued walking it flushed again, this time flying higher and further and giving me some nice views before landing out of sight.

Friday 9th December and there was a report of a yellow browed warbler in Beaumont Park, right on my doorstep, and having missed the bird found in the park last November I decided to have a look for it the next morning. It was grey and damp with heavy rain forecasted for later but within 10 minutes of wandering around the park I found the yellow browed warbler feeding in the lower branches of a tree before it moved up higher until I lost sight of it. It was loosely associating with a group of long tailed tits which moved on too and as I carried on walking around the park to refind them I saw a nuthatch, a goldcrest, a coal tit, goldfinches, blue and great tits, robins, wrens and blackbirds and a chiffchaff.

I heard the yellow browed warbler calling and refound it in the low branches of a tree where it gave some nice views and then I seemed to hear it in stereo - a second bird had begun calling nearby which eventually I found in a different tree. Both birds called noisily before the first bird I saw moved off and then both became silent again although the second bird gave some very good views before also moving away. The rain then duly arrived and so I decided to call it a day, hopefully I'll get a chance for another look at them soon.

Sunday 11th December and I headed off to Exminster Marsh for the day but on the train journey I was a little concerned at the dense fog patches that were dotted here and there despite the sunny weather. Dawlish was bathed in sunshine but The Warren and the mouth of the Exe were shrouded in fog and when I arrived by bus at Exminster Marsh it was totally enveloped in fog too.

Black Swan with Cygnets at Dawlish, doing well since I saw them 3 weeks ago

I made the most of the conditions but viewing was quite difficult in the gloom - at one point it started to lift but quickly returned even foggier than before but it did mean that the large numbers of Canada geese, brent geese and wigeon were quite close to the road. A few teal, mallard, shoveler and pintail were also seen along with moorhens and 3 coot and waders were represented by a curlew, a redshank, 2 snipe, lapwings and black tailed godwits.

 Brent Geese in the Gloom, Exminster Marsh

 Dark Bellied Brent Goose

Brent Geese in a brief respite from the mist

Amongst the geese flocks I found 2 barnacle geese, presumably the resident feral birds, but there was no sign of the small flock of up to 24 birds that has been present for a short while which could potentially be wild birds (or birds from the feral flock at Slimbridge?). 4 greylag geese and a pale bellied brent goose amongst the dark bellies were also seen.

Pale Bellied Brent Goose

Pale Bellied Brent Goose with Dark Bellied

I had a look across the River Exe to the Topsham Recreation Ground from the canal path, hoping to see the long tailed duck that has been seen along this stretch of water recently but it was way too gloomy in the fog to see much at all. I did manage to find a little grebe and 7 male and 2 female red breasted mergansers on the river, a flyby adult common gull and a dunlin and 10+ reed buntings feeding on the reed seed heads by the footpath.

 Topsham Ferry before the mist returned

Topsham Rec - the best view I got

Heading back to the bus stop and I also managed to pick out a male stonechat, a male kestrel and a goldcrest in the mist and heading back to Dawlish on the bus we drove out of the fog near Starcross to be met with sunny skies - typical! - and I saw a covey of 10 red legged partridges in a field with pheasents as we drove along.

Long Tailed Tit, Exminster Marsh

I enjoyed some chips for lunch from a chippy in Dawlish (much better than those from Dawlish Warren) and while scanning the sea from the raised railway station platform I managed to find a razorbill diving for fish, a red throated diver preening quite close to shore before moving further out, a second red throated diver flying by towards Brixham along with 2 male and 4 female common scoter, and 2 very smart adult winter plumaged Mediterranean gulls feeding amongst a flock of black headed gulls and herring gulls - not a bad end to the day after a 4 hour wander around Exminster Marsh in the total mist!

Mediterranean Gull, Dawlish

Yellow Browed Warbler and Ring Necked Parakeets

A quick walk at Wembury on Sunday 28th February was very quiet after the excitement of my visit last Thursday with 2 buzzards, a male stonechat and quite a few mating bloody nosed beetles being the highlights. The café was open but there was only one Chunk pasty left which I graciously let David have - unfortunately that night David was ill with copious vomiting, I don't know if it was the pasty but it was the only thing he ate that I didn't.

Heading home from Wembury and we had a quick stop off at the allotments in Central Park to have a look for the regularly reported ring necked parakeets - no sight of them but I did hear two birds calling. And so on Wednesday 2nd March and after a couple of shitty days at work I left early as I had some time owing and caught the bus home, stopping off on the way at Central Park for another look around - again I heard birds calling and eventually found 4 of them perched in trees right by the footpath - I have seen them at last! - but no binoculars or camera with me to get a really good look at them.

Thursday 3rd March and I had planned to head down to Penzance to have a look for the Hudsonian whimbrel near Marazion but it hadn't been reported for a few days and I wasn't in a great mood so I stayed local and went for a walk along the nature trail at The China Fleet Club near Saltash to look for a reported yellow browed warbler. I have only visited here once before, back in March 2012 when I saw my first lesser yellowlegs, and it was nice to visit here again despite the muddy and chilly conditions.

I checked out any small birds flitting about in the trees and bushes along the path to the bird hide and there was no sign of the yellow browed warbler but I did see a male bullfinch,  a goldfinch, greenfinch, chaffinch, goldcrest, blue tit, wren, robin, great tit, dunnock, blackbird and long tailed tit.

Primrose, China Fleet Club

Primrose

From the hide a lone avocet was roosting amongst some black headed gulls on the shoreline at the high tide along with 7 black tailed godwits, a snipe, 3 dunlin, redshank, grey heron, little egret and curlew, while on the water were 2 male and a female red breasted merganser, teal, wigeon and shelduck.

Heading back along the path and again I checked out all the small birds and eventually found a very smart firecrest  which showed very well amongst the brambles despite not staying still for a second. Some birders nearby then called the yellow browed warbler and I eventually got onto the bird and had some excellent views of it although it too didn't stay still for very long - it did at least move up into the bare branches of some small trees where it was easier to watch than the firecrest had been. While trying to keep tracks on the yellow browed warbler I also found a chiffchaff flitting about in the undergrowth along with a great spotted woodpecker flying over and I heard 2 water rails squealing in the reeds along the nearby foreshore.

Yellow Browed Warbler - record shot

Yellow Browed Warbler - another record shot

Walking back to Saltash and a flock of 25 redwings were seen flying into the tree tops from the nearby fields along with some starlings. I caught the bus back to Plymouth and stopped off at Central Park again and this time I found 2 ring necked parakeets in the same area as yesterday - this time some nice binocular views and a few poor record shots with my camera.

Black Headed Gull, Central Park

 Ring Necked Parakeet

 Ring Necked Parakeet

 Ring Necked Parakeet

Ring Necked Parakeet

I was pleased to finally connect with the ring necked parakeets after a few missed attempts recently - there have been 9 reported together now including a very blue looking bird. The Hudsonian whimbrel was reported that afternoon as well but I was actually pleased that I had stayed local as it had been an interesting and enjoyable day out and again on my doorstep.

Yellow Browed Warbler - At Last!

A sunny but cool and breezey day on Wednesday 9th December and so I decided to visit Broadsands where some good birds are being reported. David dropped me off at the car park on the beach and went off to the shops for a couple of hours, giving me time for a good look around without interruption.

A quick look off the seawall and a few great crested grebe were dotted around the bay with a black necked grebe showing briefly close to the shore towards Elberry Head before diving out of sight. I walked off along the cliffpath towards Elberry Cove to get a better look at the black necked grebe and managed some decent views although it spent little time at the surface and was difficult to track between dives.

Walking further along the cliffpath and there were 4 more black necked grebes, 3 together which gave some nice views as they rested and preened at the surface for a while and a single bird which was constantly diving too.

Further scanning across Torbay with my telescope and I managed to find a great northern diver and a gannet along with shag, cormorant and gulls. A very distant small grebe looked good for Slavonian and I had a brief view of a diver which looked good for black throated but I couldn't refind it after it dived.

 Great Black Backed Gull trying to eat a tennis ball!

After 5 minutes it was still attempting to peck it open!

Heading to the back of the car park and I had a strong sense of deja vu as I scanned the bushes and trees for a reported yellow browed warbler - back on December 23rd last year I visited the same spot and had some good views of a wintering bird. I was in luck again today and had 2 brief and obscured views of the warbler as it constantly moved through the undergrowth before finally getting some amazing views as it fed amongst a clump of ivy less than 5 metres away - a smart looking bird in the bright sunshine.

I also managed to get some excellent views of at least 2 firecrests, a male with a bright orange crest and a presumed female with a yellower crown. Again they did not stay still for a second but I did manage to get 2 crappy record shots. 2 chiffchaffs were also flitting about with 1 bird snaffling down a large bluebottle type fly it caught (it was surprisingly warm in the sunshine when sheltered from the wind).  A male cirl bunting, a singing song thrush, goldfinch, goldcrest, long tailed tit, blue tit and great tit were also seen.

 Firecrest - record shot

Firecrest - another record shot

I managed a further brief view of the yellow browed warbler but that was it before David arrived to pick me up and we headed off to Totnes for some lunch - not a bad couple of hours birding away from the increasing frenzy of Christmas time. And I have finally seen a yellow browed warbler in 2015 in what has been a bumper year for them.