Grey Days

Thursday 4th March was a grey and claggy day with hardly any breeze and as we needed to revisit Tesco at Roborough we decided to visit nearby Roborough Down for a walk beforehand.

The walk along the Leat was enjoyable and interesting as always and as we chatted away putting the world to rights we saw songflighting Skylarks and Greenfinchs, at least 3 male Yellowhammer half heartedly singing and Stonechats perched up on the gorse.

Yellowhammer - a dash of colour on a dull day

With spring beginnig to appear on the horizon my Amaryllis bulbs are starting to bloom as the days get longer, I now have 12 bulbs in total of which 4 are now in flower and looking very colourful and beautiful. 

Amaryllis Flowers

With the Glaucous Gull still being reported around The Mewstone at Wembury I decided to have another look for it on Friday 5th March. It was another grey day, cool in a strong north-easterly breeze but at least it was dry and the footpath wasn't quite as muddy as on my previous visits.

I easily found the Glaucous Gull roosting out on The Mewstone, it's all white plumage was glowing in the gloom like a beacon. It eventually took off and flew towards me, flying past me along the cliffs at The Point before settling on the sea. A small fishing boat then sailed past attracting gulls in its wake and the Glaucous Gull went to join them before returning back to The Mewstone. It was the same bird that I saw on February 23rd with primary feathers noticeably missing on both wing tips when in flight.

Glaucous Gull roosting on The Mewstone

Glaucous Gull on the sea

It was a 6 Gull species day in total - an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull was roosting with Herring Gulls in the horse field above the stables, a winter plumaged Black-headed Gull flew past east, a 1st winter Mediterranean Gull was seen feeding on the sea near the sewage pipe and Great Black-backed Gulls were noted including 2 adults feeding on the decomposing corpse of a small cetacean along the beach.

Mediterranean Gull

Mediterranean Gull

Great Black-backed Gulls

Dead Cetacean (Harbour Porpoise?) along the beach

A very confiding female type Black Redstart was a nice find feeding on the seaweed mass along the beach with a Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipits and Pied Wagtails.

Black Redstart 

Black Redstart 

Black Redstart 

Black Redstart 

Other birds of note were a Bar-tailed Godwit and 4 Curlew roosting with 25+Oystercatcher on the rocks at The Point, Gannets offshore moving east, Fulmars around The Mewstone, a male Kestrel and 2 Buzzards over, a male Stonechat along the beach, 2 Ravens over, a female Pheasant in the valley to the beach and songflighting Greenfinch.

Grey (and great) days out but there certainly is a sense of spring in the air, I wish it would hurry up and get here!

Grenofen Bliss and Waders in the Rain at Wembury

Easter 2019 has been a hot and sunny affair, very unusual for Easter but more likely when Easter is late in the month of April as it has been this year.

Good Friday April 19th was spent in bed between 2 dreaded night shifts and so I missed a hoopoe found just across the River Tamar in Saltash and which was never seen again.

I had Easter Monday April 21st off and with the good weather continuing I headed off to Grenofen Woods on Dartmoor for a walk, figuring that this was probably the best place to go to avoid the crowds. I wasn't sure what to expect as this has been the earliest date I have visited the Woods in the Spring but I wasn't disappointed.

The first bus of the day saw me arriving at the Woods just before 10am and bird song was filling the air along with the sounds of children and dogs but once I had walked across the car park and up the hillside to the open rough grassland above the Woods there were very few people to be seen and I had a lovely wander around in peace.

Willow Warblers and Blackcaps were singing away and I quickly heard a Garden Warbler singing in the usual area which eventually gave some lovely views as it fed in the tree tops for brief spells before disappearing back into cover. Onwards and I heard a Redstart singing away but it proved to be very mobile and elusive in the tree tops and I only caught a few brief views and mostly in flight.

A male Yellowhammer, a male stonechat and 2 songflighting Tree Pipits showed well on the usual hillside but the highlight was a high and distant red kite which drifted off east and easily overlooked, I just happened to be looking in the right place at the right time.

Yellowhammer, Grenofen

 Tree Pipit, Grenofen

Red Kite, Grenofen

A Cuckoo was heard distantly on West Down with a green woodpecker also heard yaffling and other birds of note were 2 jay, 2 great spotted woodpeckers, a Raven flying over being mobbed by 2 carrion crows, a grey Wagtail along the river, 3 buzzards soaring over the trees together and 5 swallows chittering and chasing each other overhead.

Great-spotted Woodpecker, Grenofen

A holly blue, a green-veined white, speckled woods and peacocks were flitting about but the most noticeable butterflys were brimstones which seemed to be everywhere including many females busily laying eggs.

 Brimstone, Grenofen

Brimstone, Grenofen

The sunshine became increasingly hazy and by the time I caught the bus home it had clouded over but it had been a great walk as usual with some good birds and stunning views and without too many people around.

Wednesday April 24th and with another dreaded night shift looming I headed out to Wembury for a quick mornings walk but the weather had turned and it was cool and breezy and mizzly. I wasn't expecting much but things started nicely with a foxglove pug and a water carpet found in the toilet block and caught and released outside.

 Foxglove Pug, Wembury

Water Carpet, Wembury

Lackey Caterpillars, Wembury

The tide was high and along the beach at The Point there were 26 oystercatchers on the rocks with 7 mallards and 5 flighty and mobile shelducks but the best birds were a curlew, a winter plumaged and vocal grey plover, 3 bar-tailed godwits including a summer plumaged bird and 9 vocal whimbrels. The waders were all flighty due to the usual dog walkers along the beach but I managed to get some good views of them in the wet conditions.

 Bar-tailed Godwit, Wembury

 Bar-tailed Godwit, Wembury 

 Bar-tailed Godwit, Wembury

 Bar-tailed Godwit, Wembury

 Bar-tailed Godwits, Wembury

 Grey Plover and Bar-tailed Godwit, Wembury

 Grey Plover, Wembury

 Whimbrel, Wembury

Sea Kale, Wembury

Whitethroats. chiffchaffs and blackcaps were singing away despite the rain along with 2 cirl buntings and I also saw stonechats, a song thrush, a flyover kestrel and a fulmar flying low over the coastal footpath before I gave up and caught the bus back to Plymouth (although it stopped raining not long after I arrived home!).

River Plym and Rame Head

Thursday 12th April and while working a long day I received a text from local birder Russ that a ring ouzel was showing well near the River Plym - but unfortunately there was nothing I could do about it! The next day I headed out on a cool and gloomy morning for a look around and there was no sign of the ring ouzel as I expected but I had an enjoyable walk anyway.

I caught the bus to Marsh Mills and walked down river through Saltram Park to Laira Bridge from where I caught the bus back home and the highlight was my first swallow of the year which flew over a few times chittering away before flying off out of sight. Runner up highlight was the still present red necked grebe fishing mid channel off the Chelson Meadow Recycling Centre on the incoming tide, more distant views than on previous visits but good to see.

Red Necked Grebe

Other sightings included 1 greenshank, 1 curlew, 32 turnstone and 2 redshank along the river with 32 redshank on Blaxton Meadow, 11 common gulls (5 adults) on the mudflats amongst the herring, black headed and great black backed gulls, 7 stock doves feeding together and 2 roe deer resting on a grassy slope. Chiffchaffs, a green woodpecker and a great spotted woodpecker were heard with blackcaps seen and heard.

 Turnstones

 Roe Deer in the Gloom

Catkins

Monday 16th April and I headed off to Rame Head on the bus on a mostly sunny but suprisingly cool and breezey morning. The views of Whitsand Bay were stunning as I stepped off the bus and a quick scan around offshore revealed a gannet sat on the sea with a diving red throated diver in winter plumage and a guillemot nearby and a grey seal poking its head out of the water close to shore.

The walk to Rame Head along the coast path was accompanied by singing chiffchaffs and a swallow flew around overhead before heading off inland. Bloody nosed beetles were trundling along the path and a small pond by the path held a few small tadpoles. From the chapel at the headland a raven flew over carrying what looked like a golf ball while offshore a few gannets were flying past and a bit of scanning around revealed a guillemot flying east and 9 Manx shearwaters (2 together, 3 together and then 4 singles) heading west.

Heading inland towards Rame Church and 6 fallow deer does showed briefly on the cliffs before disappearing into the scrub while along the lane I found a skittish flock of buntings with at least 2 male and a female yellowhammer and 3 male and a female cirl bunting being noted as they flew around and skulked in bushes. A buzzard, a brief view of a butterfly species dashing past (small tortoiseshell?) and another (or the same?) swallow flying around overhead were also noted before I caught the bus back to Plymouth after an enjoyable mornings walk.

 Yellowhammer

Cirl Bunting

Shrike Dip - Again!

A quick walk along the coast path from The Warren to Stoke Point Caravan Park and back along the lane on Sunday 14th May was sunny but breezey and I managed to see 2 small copper, 2 worn wall, a holly blue, speckled woods, a peacock, green veined whites, a male orange tip and red admirals despite the cool wind. Bird wise it was quiet but swallows, house martins and whitethroats were very noticeable along with stonechats, skylarks, meadow pipits and linnets.

Wall, Stoke Point

Friday 19th May and the start of a weeks annual leave from work and it was off to Yarner Wood for a walk while David went off to Trago Mills and Mole Valley to get some garden stuff. It was cool and cloudy with occassional short, sharp showers but also occassional sunny spells until the end of the walk when the heavens opened and I got drenched in a torrential hail and thunder storm.

Before the downpour I managed to see some good birds though, starting with a walk on the heath and across the road to Trendlebeare Down. A tree pipit was singing from the top of a pine tree with a second bird heard, a yellowhammer was singing in the gorse with another male seen with a female and 3 garden warblers were singing mostly in cover but I did get good views of 2 of them eventually. Also seen were stonechats, linnets and willow warblers while overhead 3 swift, a lone house martin, a grey heron and a male siskin flew over. A male brimstone flitting about in the silver birch saplings was the only butterfly of the day but the biggest surprise was a nightjar which briefly churred from cover when a helicopter flew low overhead.

 Yellowhammer, Yarner

 Garden Warbler, Yarner

Brimstone, Trendlebeare Down

The woods held the usual birds and I had good views of a male redstart with 2 more heard singing, male pied flycatchers singing and checking out nest boxes along with a single female, a "singing" spotted flycatcher and a singing wood warbler in the same area where I saw the singing bird on my April visit but this one had leg rings (yellow over orange on the right leg, silver over green on the left leg) with another bird heard singing briefly nearby and another bird giving the occassional "peu" notes. Mistle thrush, song thrush, nuthatch, goldcrest, blue tit, robin, a male great spotted woodpecker and great tit were also seen and chiffchaff, green woodpecker and blackcap were heard but I never got to view the pond from the hide as it was full with school kids sheltering from the heavy hail and rain. I did however get to dry out and warm up with tea and cake at The Brookside Cafe in nearby Bovey Tracy when David came to pick me up which was as good and tasty as it always is.

 Pied Flycatcher, Yarner

Pied Flycatcher, Yarner

Plans to visit Steps Bridge on Saturday 20th May were again shelved due to the poor weather forecasted so instead I headed up to Cuckoo Ball near Ivybridge on Dartmoor to look for a woodchat shrike which has been present for over a week. The weather this week has been pretty rubbish but the shrike has stuck around so despite the less than ideal conditions - cool, misty and breezy - I caught the train to Ivybridge and then walked up onto the Moor for a look. I have never visited here before and I was pleasently surprised - the scenery was stunning, there were prehistoric ruins dotted around (burial chambers, stone rows) and I met a few birders also looking for the shrike who provided some pleasent company but despite the sun eventually making an appearance I failed, as I kind of expected, to find the shrike.

 Cuckoo Ball Burial Chamber, Dartmoor

Cuckoo Ball Burial Chamber

However I did see a few nice birds - meadow pipits, stonechats, skylarks, linnets and yellowhammers seemed to be everywhere and I also saw a flyby cuckoo, a male reed bunting, 3 wheatears, 2 ravens, 2 kestrels, 3 swifts, house martins and swallows and I heard a willow warbler, a chiffchaff, a blackcap and a great spotted woodpecker.

 Yellowhammer, Cuckoo Ball

Meadow Pipit, Cuckoo Ball

A few bumble bees, a red admiral, a speckled wood and the usual cow pat flys were the only insect life seen but sadly no shrike - but after last years shrike bonanza I guess I can't be too greedy.

Cattle Egrets, Saltram Park

Christmas 2016 is just happening around me, I really, really, really am not feeling it this year and after working a long day on Christmas Day and again on Boxing Day I was tired and withdrawn as we headed off for a walk on December 27th to Stoke Point with Julie and Matt.

The walk was as lovely as always despite the grey skies and cold wind and after lunch at The Ship Inn at Noss Mayo I was feeling a little better. A few birds were seen on the walk, the highlight being around 10 yellowhammers (8+ males and 2+ females) which really brightened up the day. Also seen were a raven, a buzzard being mobbed by herring gulls and carrion crows, a lone adult gannet offshore, stonechats, meadow pipits and linnets.

 Male Yellowhammer, Stoke Point

National Trust Signage Boo-Boo, Noss Mayo

December 29th and with news of 2 cattle egrets being seen in Saltram Park in what appears to be a mini-influx of them into the South West again (the last one was in 2008) I decided to go and have a look for them. The Park was busy with Christmas holidaymakers but I managed to see a nice selection of birds with the 2 cattle egrets seen very well feeding amongst cattle with black headed gulls, pied wagtails, redwings, song thrush, blackbirds and starlings - very active and mobile around the field, sometimes coming quite close and sometimes being a bit skittish and nervy.

 Cattle Egret, Saltram

 Cattle Egret

 Cattle Egret

Cattle Egret

Also seen were 2 male and 3 female wigeon on the Plym on what was a very low water low tide along with a greenshank and 50+ dunlins on the mudflats. 12 grey herons was a good count, maybe attracted to feed in the very shallow water, and 5 little egrets were also seen.

In the woods above The Folly I found a very nice firecrest which gave some very good views despite being constantly on the move and it was joined by a second bird which it vigorously chased off. A mistle thrush, 2 nuthatches and a coo-ing stock dove were also noted along with a buzzard.

Firecrest, Saltram

I had a quick look around Beaumont Park again on December 30th and I had some nice views of a yellow browed warbler feeding in the tree tops in the north of the park but it was very mobile and difficult to keep track of and only called a few times. I also saw a nuthatch and heard a coal tit but there was no sign of any long tailed tits.

Snowdrops were in flower, a little early in what has been a mild December again, but the weather at present is on the chillier side and looks to be getting chillier as the New Year arrives - hopefully the yellow browed warbler(s) will continue to frequent the park and provide a nice start to my 2017 year list.

Snowdrops, Beaumont Park, December 30th 2016