A single swallow does a Spring make!

Have been feeling rough for the last week now, have struggled at times with working as I have not been sleeping well and I feel quite crappy - sore throat, nausea, abdominal pains, cough, bunged up nose, headaches, etc. Checked my throat on Thursday with a pen torch and found ulcers all on the back of my throat, no wonder it hurts and also explains the nasty taste in my mouth.

Anyway today I caught the bus out to Wembury and spent a pleasent 4 hours walking along the coast in brilliant sunshine but unfortunately quite a stiff breeze. I was hoping to refind the elusive hoopoe at Heybrook Bay, seen again last weekend but no luck today. I think my only chance of seeing one in the UK is to find my own which will just be down to luck as they seem very elusive and difficult to refind after being reported. I tried searching the gardens of West Hill where it was seen last week but viewing from the road was difficult with very restricted views and I was informed by a "concerned" resident that it was a private road with no public access. It was only a half-hearted look as I feel so crap.

I did see a house martin and 2 swallows, firsts for the year and very nice to see too. The swallows were beautiful in the strong sun and twittered away at times, Spring is definently here although my mate Mavis was watching a swallow nearly 2 weeks ago down in Cornwall.

Also seen were 2 Sandwich terns fishing offshore with an adult gannet and fulmars, 2 shelduck, 4 Canada geese, a female kestrel, 2 buzzards and a pair of curlew, the size difference between the 2 as they flew past being quite noticeable, presumably a pair although curlews can apparently be quite marked in size. Chiffchaffs, blackcaps and song thrushes seemed to be singing everywhere and I had a good view of 2 male blackcaps singing and chasing each other in a tree while a female looked interestingly at them.

Cuckoo Flower or Ladys Smock

Wild Garlic or Jack by the Hedge

Small Tortoishell

On the non-birding front I saw my first speckled woods and holly blues of the year, the holly blues being very blue in the strong light. One oil beetle was seen along with peacock and small tortoishell butterflies and a small common lizard was sunning itself on a wooden fence. Cuckoo flower, thrift and wild garlic were in flower and violets seemed to be everywhere. A ruby tiger moth caterpillar was also seen.

I also saw a moth flying along a hedgerow at Heybrook Bay, it was quite quite tatty looking and I think it is a common carpet.

Common Carpet?

Had a pasty from the cafe but with my poorly throat it didn't taste quite right and by the time I left to catch the bus home the beach was packed solid and the National Trust car park was totally full.

Mount Edgecumbe 31st March

Today was grey and misty and mizzley again, so annoying after the lovely weather last week while I was on night shifts. Today we caught the ferry over to Mount Edgecumbe country park just over the River Tamar in Cornwall for lunch in the pub and then a walk around the park.

It was quite cool and grey but chiffchaffs and nuthatches were singing and a great spotted woodpecker was heard calling and later seen in the top of a tree. 3 stock doves flew overhead in a pair and a single.

In the ornamental garden 2 smooth newts were found in a pond with 3 pairs of toads, the males gripping on to the females backs for grim death. There was no spawn seen in the pond but there were some very small and very immobile tadpoles. The male toads were much smaller than the females and one of the females was a very unusual brown/red colour. I left my camera at home so no snaps which is a shame as they were seen very close too.

No sign of the 16 Sandwich terns around Drakes Island that were reported on the Devon Bird News blog for the 31st but we did see the to be decommissioned HMS Campbell Town come in to port for the last time with bagpipers piping on the back deck and tugs spraying water in to the air as it passed by.