Semipalmated Sandpiper at Hayle

My 2 weeks of annual leave from work eventually had to come to an end but with a glorious day of warm sunshine on Monday 11th October I took a pre-night shift walk at Wembury before my return. It has been a lovely break from work, not particularly birdy but with some nice sightings anyway (a nice White-tailed Lapwing being the highlight!), and nice to feel a little more my normal self instead of the usual knackered, grumpy, impatient and fed up version that work brings out in me. Having a 2 week break has really felt like being let out of a cage and I really, really, really don't want to get back in it but there you are. 

Anyway, the walk at Wembury was glorious, it was a beautiful day and quite warm in the sunshine. There was little bird movement overhead but plenty of Meadow Pipits and Skylarks were still feeding in the fields with Meadow Pipits also feeding along the beach.

Meadow Pipit

The tide was very high and at The Point only 10 Oystercatcher were roosting with 3 Curlew and 3 Little Egret while offshore a lone Gannet was seen in the flat calm conditions. An adult Mediterranean Gull flew past and later 2 adults and 6 1st winters were seen resting on the emerging rocky shore, numbers have certainly now dropped from earlier in the autumn.

I spent some time around the pine trees at The Point and was pleased to find around 20 Chiffchaff flitting about, they were very mobile with a few calls and some singing heard. At least 6 Blackcaps were also seen but they were much more skulky, at least 2 males and 4 females were present. The highlight though was a very tardy Garden Warbler which flew across the brambles before disappearing into cover. It eventually reappeared to investigate some blackberries before flying off again, a late date for one and only my second sighting of one at Wembury. 

A Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Coal Tit, a Song Thrush and Cirl Buntings were also seen around the pines along with Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Blue Tit, Robin, Blackbird and Great Tit. 

A late Meadow Brown, 2 Small Copper, 2 Comma, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood and Large and Small White were also seen and all were enjoying the warm weather along with Ivy Bees enjoying the Ivy flowers. 

Comma

Ivy Bee

The only other birds of note were a Ringed Plover flushed off the beach by the usual dog walkers and a Wheatear feeding in the horse field, presumably the same bird as seen here on last Saturday. 

And so a very enjoyable and successful mornings walk before my return to work.

Saturday 16th October and with the weather remaining warm and calm and settled and a Little Stint at Hayle being re-identified as a Semipalmated Sandpiper I decided to go and have a look for it. I set out on an early train in very foggy conditions but by the time I arrived at Hayle for the low tide at around 09:30 the fog had cleared.

I walked over to the Carnsew Pool first where the Semipalmated Sandpiper has mostly been seen and very easily found it feeding out on the mud with Dunlins, smaller and whiter underneath than the Dunlins and quite often heading off to feed on it's own. The small waders were all very twitchy though and regularly took to the air before eventually resettling on the mud, a female Sparrowhawk was briefly seen in hunting mode flying low along the side of the Pool but no other raptors were noted to cause such nervousness.

I had some great scope views of the bird out on the mud, at times it was relatively close as the waders moved around the exposed mud but it was still too distant for any half decent photos.

Semipalmated Sandpiper with Dunlins

Semipalmated Sandpiper - courtesy of Paul Taylor @Tay_PJT on Twitter

More birders were arriving to view the Sandpiper and it was beginning to feel a little too twitchy for my liking so I decided to head over to nearby Copperhouse Creek for a look around where the highlight was a Black-tailed Godwit seen feeding out on the mud.

I headed back to the Carnsew Pool but I couldn't relocate the Sandpiper, presumably it was tucked up asleep amongst the roosting Dunlins and out of sight and so I headed up to the Causeway Bridge for a scan about. The tide was beginning to head in and on the rapidly diminishing exposed mud I found the usual birds - Mediterranean Gull, Curlew, Redshank, Oystercatcher, Teal, Wigeon, Shelduck, Mallard, Canada Goose, Greenshank, Lapwing, Bar-tailed Godwit, etc. - with the highlight being 2 Ruff feeding close to the bridge.

Greenshank

Ruff

Ruff

Ruff

Back to the Carnsew Pool and the Semipalmated Sandpiper was again easily found busily feeding with the Dunlins on the rapidly decreasing amount of mud but after a few minutes a low flying Black-headed Gull spooked all the waders and off they flew upriver before landing on the mud near the Causeway Bridge!

With the Sandpiper having flown off and the tide heading in it was time to head home on the train but it was good to catch up with the Semipalmated Sandpiper (my 3rd one ever and my 2nd at Hayle after last years September bird). And it turned out to be a 14 wader species day with 4 Grey Plover, 4 Ringed Plover and a Snipe also seen on the Carnsew Pool along with a flock of around 100 calling Golden Plover flying over.

White-tailed Lapwing, Blacktoft Sands

It's Holiday-less Holiday time again, foreign travel is now allowed with the relaxing of COVID restrictions but with an ever changing maze of paperwork, rules and regulations and all the hassle and stress involved we decided to stay in the UK. We had looked at visiting Cornwall or Devon but the prices were absolutely ridiculous and so we headed off to York instead for a 4 night stay.

I visited York many years ago when I was around 10 years old, we travelled to York by train from Ipswich on a day trip so my Dad could see and travel on the then brand new Intercity 125 trains. It was a long day with most of it spent on the train journey there and back but I have always wanted to return for a proper visit.

We also travelled up to York by train for this visit, an enjoyable and hassle free journey via London. From the train a Great White Egret was seen feeding along a watery ditch somewhere in Somerset and just 3 Red Kites were seen flying overhead (2 near Reading and 1 near Peterborough). 

The weather in York wasn't great with wind and rain and cool temperatures but we managed to get out and about and do all the things we wanted to do.

Our first day was spent wandering around the city and walking the city walls. We visited a small park by the River Ouse where Tansy Beetles have been introduced, a rare beetle only found near York and in The Fens but despite finding some Tansy in flower there was no sign of any Beetles.

Tansy Beetle Mural, York

The next day was spent in the National Railway Museum which was very interesting and enjoyable and it was great to see the steam locomotive Mallard. The weather was foul but at least the museum was all under cover.

Mallard

Friday 1st October and the plan had been to visit nearby RSPB Bempton Cliffs by train to look for the summering Black-browed Albatross but unfortunately it had moved on and so I visited RSPB Blacktoft Sands by train instead where a White-tailed Lapwing has been residing for a while now.

The journey to Goole via Doncaster by train was easy and straight forward but a 50 minute wait in Goole for the bus to Blacktoft Sands was more than enough to enjoy the "delights" of Goole. The bus journey was around 30 minutes and the bus very handily stopped right outside the entrance to the reserve. 

The White-tailed Lapwing (nicknamed Larry) had been seen that morning but on checking out the First Hide where it usually resides there was not a bird to be seen. 

I decided to check out the rest of the reserve and the other 5 hides before returning back to the First Hide for a Larry stake-out and I managed to see a good range of birds on my walkabout. 

A juvenile Gannet was a surprise sighting flying up the River Ouse, heading inland into the strong winds with 3 more already having been seen doing the same earlier in the morning.

Marsh Harrier were regularly seen quartering over the reed beds with a male and at least 2 juveniles seen. 

Marsh Harrier, Blacktoft Sands

Water Rails and Bearded Tits were heard amongst the reeds but I did eventually get good views of a Water Rail feeding along the edge of the reeds with a Bearded Tit feeding alongside it! 

Redshank, Black-tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Lapwing, a Grey Plover, at least 2 Snipe and 8 Ruff were all seen but were very mobile and flighty around the reserve along with Little Egrets, a Grey Heron, Teal, Wigeon, Mallard and a pair of Shoveler. 

Snipe

Ruff

Chiffchaff and Cettis Warbler were heard and at least 2 Swallows were hawking about overhead. A male Kestrel was seen perched on a fence post out of the wind and Meadow Pipits flew around overhead calling. 

I returned to the First Hide and settled in on the upper floor amongst the assorted birders all hoping for a view of the elusive Lapwing. It had last been seen a while ago and had settled down in the grass in front of the hide but behind a bank where it was hidden from view although I did manage to get a few brief views of its head when it occasionally looked up. 

Eventually it started to feed along the waters edge and gave some great views, a very charismatic looking bird with amazingly long and yellow legs. It was quite wary at times, hunkering down when Marsh Harriers quartered nearby or Teals and Little Egrets flew in or out of the pools of water. 

White-tailed Lapwing 

White-tailed Lapwing

White-tailed Lapwing

White-tailed Lapwing

White-tailed Lapwing

Eventually it was time to leave to catch the bus back to Goole and while waiting at the reserve entrance for the bus to arrive I watched a small flock of around 20 Tree Sparrows feeding in a stubble field while a flock of around 20 Golden Plover flew overhead calling. 

From the top deck of the bus on the journey back to Goole I also saw a group of 6 Whooper Swans out on the River Ouse, I had seen them feeding in the fields on the journey out to Blacktoft Sands and it was a nice end to an interesting birding day out. 

Curlew Sandpipers at Bowling Green Marsh

Friday 4th September saw myself and Mavis heading out on a trip to Bowling Green Marsh at Topsham for a birdy day out. An early start for the high tide roost saw us arrive at the RSPB hide at just before 9am having been serenaded by a mournful sounding singing Chiffchaff as we walked down the lane to the hide.

The hide was busy but we managed to get a seat and we started scanning through the throng of noisy birds out on the Marsh.

Curlew, Redshank, Black-tailed Godwit and Dunlin were seen in good numbers and amongst them we found a few Lapwing, a very smart looking juvenile Ruff and at least 6 even more smart looking juvenile Curlew Sandpipers. Unfortunately Psycho the adult Lesser Black-backed Gull was patrolling around and scattering the small waders at regular intervals (along with a flyover Sparrowhawk and a Spitfire airplane) so counting the Curlew Sandpipers present was difficult, 6 was the most counted at any one time but 16 had been counted the previous day.

 Ruff with Redshank

 Curlew Sandpipers with Redshank, Dunlin and Shoveler

 Curlew Sandpipers, Redshank and Dunlin

Curlew Sandpipers and Redshank

The Curlew Sandpipers were stunning and gave some fantastic views, beautifully patterned with a lovely peachy wash across the chest and another of my favourite birds.

 Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin and Redshank

 Curlew Sandpiper

Curlew Sandpiper

A very noisy and large gaggle of Canada Geese were spread across the Marsh and amongst them was the regular Snow Goose of unknown origin, present now for a couple of years and no longer with its companion in attendance, and also present was a strange looking Canada x Greylag hybrid bird.

 Snow Goose

 Snow Goose

Snow Goose

Plenty of eclipsed plumaged ducks were present with a good number of whistling Wigeon seen and heard along with Shoveler, Gadwall, 4 Pochard, a juvenile Shelduck, Gadwall, Mallard, Pintail and Teal but the highlight were 2 Garganey picked up by another birder swimming across the back of the Marsh before disappearing from view - brief and distant views but my first juveniles and my first at Bowling Green.

We moved on to the Viewing Platform where the small waders were arriving from the Marsh to feed on the rapidly appearing mudflats as the tide dropped. From here we enjoyed more good views of at least 8 Curlew Sandpipers amongst the Dunlin along with 3 Ringed Plover before most of the birds flew off upriver towards The Goat Walk.

Curlew Sandpiper with Dunlin, River Clyst Viewing Platform

We moved on again to The Goat Walk and sat on a bench enjoying the views and having a chin wag but I kept an eye on the lower estuary in the hope of finding an Osprey. We were eventually very lucky as I found one soaring over the water off Mudbank amongst a mellee of agitated gulls, it was distant and the scope views were hazy but it hovered a few times before I lost it amongst the swirling birds. I soon refound it heading towards Powderham Park where it disappeared into the trees with a fish in its talons, unfortunately we had missed it diving into the water but we were very pleased to have seen it albeit so distantly.

A very enjoyable day out and much needed by both of us following a few difficult weeks - some great birds and very nice to catch up with Mavis too.

River Exe and Wembury Revisited

Tuesday the 4th February was dry and sunny but with a strong wind and so I decided to visit Exminster Marshes to look for the elusive Long-billed Dowitcher which had recently been seen there along with a reported ruff and spotted redshank. Needless to say there was no sign of the Dowitcher again nor the spotted redshank but the ruff showed very well.

Ruff, Exminster Marsh

The birds on the Marsh were very skittish and flighty due to the attentions of a Peregrine buzzing about but I did see a nice selection of waders and wildfowl - curlew, redshank, dunlin, lapwing, golden plover and black-tailed godwit along with wigeon, teal, pintail, shoveler and mallard.

A few Redwing were feeding in the fields and a vocal chiffchaff showed well in the hedgerow while a snow goose was feeding out on the Marsh  amongst the large numbers of Canada geese.

Redwing, Exminster Marsh

Before catching the train back to Plymouth from Starcross I walked down to Cockwood for a scan of the River Exe on the ebbing tide but there was still no sign of the red-necked grebe nor Herbert the Slavonian grebe but male red-breasted mergansers were displaying to the females and the male and 2 female Goldeneye seen on Saturday were still busily diving close to the sea wall.

It was also nice to see good numbers of Brent Geese feeding on the golf course close to the road at Starcross on the walk back from Cockwood to the train station.

Brent Geese, Starcross

Brent Geese, Starcross

Brent Geese, Starcross

Saturday 8th February was dry and sunny too and so I caught the bus out to Wembury for a walk. I had hoped to refind the water pipit but there was too much disturbance from walkers with dogs and eventually I had to give up searching through the mobile and flighty meadow pipits and rock pipits feeding on the seaweed masses along the beach - a sunny Saturday in February on the low tide is not a good time for birding.

 Robin, Wembury

Meadow Pipit, Wembury

I did get to finally see my first kestrel of the year (they really are becoming quite scarce now) and it was good to see a small flock of flighty cirl buntings in the stubble fields including a couple of singing males. The gull roost out on the rocks included 2 adult winter plumaged Mediterranean gulls and an adult lesser black-backed gull along with a curlew, a little egret, 2 male and a female mallard and oystercatchers while offshore 2 gannets and a few fulmars were noted.

 Cirl Bunting, Wembury

Violet Sp., Wembury

Yellow Wagtails and Clouded Yellows

Thursday 12th September was grey and breezy but warm and humid and so we drove to Thurlestone on the South Devon coast for a walk to Hope Cove and back.

Very little of note was seen along the walk except at South Huish Marsh where there were 7 dunlin and 3 ringed plover roosting along the shoreline before they all took off and flew over the car park towards the sea. Swallows were hawking overhead and I could hear yellow wagtails calling before getting a good view of a juvenile feeding on the short grass by the car park although it soon flew off with 2 other birds.

After lunch at The Cove cafe in Hope Cove (mackerel ciabatta and a pint of Devon red cider) we walked back to Thurlestone, noting a cronking and tumbling raven as we walked over the cliffs and on arriving back at South Huish Marsh there were 21 dunlin feeding together with 16 black-tailed godwits and a very smart ruff.

 Ruff with Black-tailed Godwits, South Huish Marsh

 Ruff with Dunlin, South Huish Marsh

 Ruff with Dunlin

Ruff with Dunlin

A man was walking along the hedgerow by the side of South Huish Marsh to photograph the grazing highland cattle and in doing so flushed at least 8 yellow wagtails feeding amongst them. They flew up from the long grass and headed towards me, landing on the short grass by the car park where they showed very well for a short time before flying back to feed amongst the cattle.

 Yellow Wagtail, South Huish Marsh

Yellow Wagtail

Saturday 14th September was warm and sunny but with a night shift looming again we headed up to Plymouth Hoe and The Barbican for a walk and to visit the Seafood Festival. I didn't have my camera with me which was a shame as I had a great view of a large white feeding on ivy flowers and a very mobile clouded yellow flitting about over the grass.

Monday 16th September and a cloudy but warm morning saw me heading off to Wembury for a walk. Still no yellow wagtails were found but I did see at least 3 clouded yellows dashing around the short grass of the horse field and feeding on dandelion flowers.

Clouded Yellow, Wembury

Other butterflies seen were speckled wood, small copper, common blue, small white, large white and many red admirals and painted ladies feeding on the ivy flowers with the bees. A few silver y were disturbed from the grass at The Point too.

 Painted Lady, Wembury

Sloe Blossom (in September!)

Birds highlights included 3 wheatears, chiffchaffs, blackcaps, swallows, 37 Canada geese and 33 Mediterranean (adult winters with 3 1st winters and 5 2nd winters). Stonechats and cirl buntings were also seen in the hedgerows with 2 curlews along the shore with the oystercatchers and there were gannets and fulmars offshore.

Before heading home I enjoyed a Chunk pasty and a coffee for lunch, potentially my last of the year here at Wembury, but it had been a very pleasant Autumnal mornings walk.

A Great Day Out at Slimbridge

With a week of annual leave and no real plans we decided to pay my sister and brother-in-law a visit in Bristol via a trip to Slimbridge on February 12th.

We left Plymouth later than planned and got caught up in a few traffic snarls along the way but we arrived at Slimbridge just before midday on a mild and mostly sunny day before David carried on to nearby Gloucester for a look around antique shops while I enjoyed some Slimbridge birding.

I started off in the Martin Smith hide where a Jack snipe has occasionally been showing well for a while now and sure enough it was there but all I could see of it was a brown and cream blob hunkered down in the green grass. Fortunately other birds were showing very well - Bewick's swans, white-fronted geese, 2 buzarrds, golden plover, lapwing, black-tailed godwit, ruff, dunlin, redshank, curlew, wigeon, teal, shoveler, shelduck, pintail, greylag geese, mallard and tufted duck with 2 common cranes seen flying over.

Jack Snipe

Wigeon

I carried on along the path towards the Holden Tower, visiting the Robbie Garnett hide and Stephen Kirk hide along the way where I managed to get much better views of the Bewick's swans, white-fronted geese and ruff out on the flooded Tack Piece field.

Bewick's Swans with Pintail and Wigeon

Bewick's Swan with Teal

Ruff with Lapwing

Pintail

There were 6 juvenile Bewick's swans amongst the adults and there was much calling and displaying going in the mild and sunny conditions as the birds begin to prepare for their migration back to Siberia.

From the Holden Tower in a surprisingly strong and biting wind there were 7 common cranes feeding out on the saltmarsh including 1 juvenile bird along with Canada and barnacle geese. A few skylark were also noted along with 2 oystercatcher and a pair of peregrines buzzing around and perching on fence posts or mounds of vegetation on the ground.

Barnacle Geese

I moved to the side of the hide overlooking the Tack Piece where I was sheltered from the worst of the wind and watched 1 of the peregrines cause complete chaos amongst the waders as it unsuccessfully chased a golden plover before moving on. A lone fieldfare feeding close to the hide was a surprise and I picked up a small flock of linnet feeding in the grass but they were too distant and flighty and mobile to pick out a twite amongst them which has been seen here recently.

Fieldfare

The lapwing, dunlin and golden plover on the Tack Piece continued to be nervous and flighty and I picked up a small falcon flying high overhead before landing in the top of a tree - a female merlin, my first sighting of one at Slimbridge. It sat in the tree top scanning around before launching into flight and dropping down low to the ground in a fast flapping flight interspersed with wings tucked in, putting up the waders, linnets, starlings and skylarks feeding out amongst the grass as it rocketed across the field. Unfortunately I lost track of it amongst the melee and I never refound it and despite the distant views it was a nice surprise to see.

Back to the Martin Smith hide where the Jack snipe was still mostly hidden amongst the grass although 5 common snipe were much more showy. The Jack snipe would occassionally wake up and show its head and bill very well before doing a few bounces and settling back down to sleep with its bill tucked under its wings. Eventually it was spooked by a moorhen passing by and it moved off amongst the grass bobbing away before it was totally lost from view - not quite the views I had hoped for but nice to see none the less.

The peregrines continued to buzz over the Tack Piece putting up the feeding birds although they didn't appear to catch anything but it was time to move on to the Rushy Pen for the feeding session with the WWT warden. I had planned to visit the In-Focus shop overlooking the Rushy Pen to have a look at the telescopes but it had closed by the time I got there so I enjoyed watching the birds on the Rushy Pen instead, watching the Bewick's swans flying in to feed on the grain including a second winter bird still  unusually showing patches of pink on its yellow and black bill.

Pintail

Bewick's Swans

Bewick's Swans 

Bewick's Swans 

Bewick's Swans 

Bewick's Swan with Mallard

David duly arrived to pick me up and we drove back to Bristol to spend the night at my sister Vik's and brother-in-law Nik's and the next morning at breakfast it was fun to watch the antics of 2 very chunky looking grey squirrels stuffing their faces on my sisters bird feeders along with nuthatch, robin, great spotted woodpecker, coal, blue, great and long-tailed tits, blackbird and magpie.

After spending the morning in Clifton admiring the suspension bridge across the Avon Gorge while visiting the nearby observatory with its camera obscura it was time to drive back to Plymouth but it had been a very enjoyable trip away - Slimbridge is always a great days birding and it was lovely to catch up with Vik and Nik.