A Tale of Two Woods and Cuckoo(less) Rock

May 1st and I managed to wangle an hours walk at Yarner Wood and despite the constant heavy downpours and mud I managed to see some good birds. First off was a singing wood warbler in the tree tops by the footpath not far from the car park. It was very mobile and stayed up high in the trees amongst the leaves but I did catch sight of its leg rings, orange over silver on the right leg and orange over dark blue on the left (I think) - part of the ongoing ringing program to find out why wood warblers are declining so rapidly here in the UK.

A redstart was also heard but I could not get a sight of it and I managed brief views of 2 males and a female pied flycatcher with 2 more males heard singing. A tree pipit showed briefly on the heathland perched in a birch tree but didn't sing. Other highlights were a hunting female sparrowhawk, a flyover peregrine, willow warblers, 2 marsh tit, 2 treecreepers and 2 flyover swifts, and around the pond were 5 male mandarin duck, 2 male mallards, a fledgling grey wagtail and a male siskin on the feeders in front of the hide.

May 3rd and with dry but overcast weather I headed off to Grenofen Woods near Tavistock. Along the river a fledgling dipper was seen with a pair of grey wagtails and 2 male mallards. In the woods I heard 2 redstarts but could not see them amongst the trees, a treecreeper, 2 marsh tit and a nuthatch.

 Germander Speedwell

Violet



The open downland above the woods was much more productive with a pair of bullfinches feeding on silver birch buds, the male looking absolutely gorgeous, a marsh tit, a songflighting tree pipit, a raven mobbing a buzzard and finally good views of male redstarts singing, at least 4 in total. Best of all were 2 garden warblers singing right out in the open atop hawthorn bushes either side of the footpath, presumably the footpath being the boundary line between the 2 territories and causing the birds to be much more showy than they usually are - certainly the best views of garden warbler I have ever had. 2 more garden warblers were heard singing but kept themselves well hidden amongst the bushes.

 Tree Pipit

Garden Warbler - crap photo!



May 4th and I fancied a walk on The Moors and so I caught the bus to Burrator, something I have never done before. I headed off to Cuckoo Rock but it was unfortunately cuckooless but I did see 2 tree pipits, 3 male and a female wheatear and 4 male and a female redstart with another 2 males heard singing. An immature peregrine flew over, it had a very tatty and short looking tail and quite brown looking upperparts.

Redstart



On the reservoir 3 great crested grebes were a surprise along with a Canada goose, 3 cormorants (2 immatures), a Muscovy duck and a white feral mallard with male mallards. In the surrounding woods I found 2 treecreepers, goldcrests, coal tits and siskins and I finally saw my first brimstone butterfly of the year along with 2 holly blue and many green veined whites.

Marsh Violet?, Cuckoo Rock



Catching up with Summer Migrants

Summer migrants are now arriving in numbers and so in between work and wet weather I have been out and about trying to see them.

A quick walk at Wembury Point on 23rd April and the usual suspects were on view - 2 Canada geese resting in the wheatfield, 2 shelduck on the beach by the sewage pipe, 3 whimbrel, a raven flying out to The Mewstone, a female kestrel and singing chiffchaffs and whitethroats. Best sighting was a very smart looking wall butterfly, presumably freshly emerged and my first of the year.

Friday 25th April and I headed off to the River Exe, arriving at Exminster Marsh at 09:30 to be greeted by a singing Cettis warbler in bushes by the RSPB car park. It gave some very close views before disappearing amongst the scrub, and walking around the Marsh more Cettis warblers were seen and heard along with sedge warblers, reed warblers, chiffchaffs, blackcaps, a whitethroat and best of all 3 lesser whitethroats, a bird I do not see that often. The lesser whitethroats were mobile and vocal but gave some great views with 2 birds in the hedges along the railway line near the car park and a third bird in a hedge near the Turf Hotel.

Singing Sedge Warbler, Exminster Marsh



On the Marsh a pair of gadwall and a greenshank were seen with a pair of tufted duck diving on the lagoon. Swallows and sand martins flew over with a single house martin and a peregrine was watching all from a pylon. A hobby flew in from the south and almost casually fed on insects overhead, catching them and eating them in flight as it headed north and out of sight.

 Male Orange Tip, Exminster Marsh

Peacock, Exminster Marsh



I decided to head out to nearby Powderham Marsh, somewhere I haven't visited before, and along the way I met a birder looking for cirl buntings. I know they are in the area but have never seen them here before so suggested he try the RSPB reserve at Labrador Bay near Torquay, not far from where he was staying. He duly left and I headed on and as I passed some stubble fields 2 birds flew up into the hedge and as I got my binoculars on them I found they were a pair of cirl buntings! Another male was also seen busily singing away in a garden by the road. I only hope that the birder did eventually connect with cirl buntings somewhere in Devon.

Powderham Marsh was quiet with a greylag goose amongst the Canada geese, a pair of teal and 2 pairs of tufted duck being the best sightings, with a very smart male reed bunting and a pair of stonechats also being seen.

I then headed off to Dawlish Warren to catch the high tide and in The Bight amongst the roosting oystercatchers, ringed plover and summer plumaged dunlin were 3 whimbrel, a winter plumaged knot and a winter plumaged grey plover. A lone brent goose was resting on the golf course looking a little forlorn but later it did start feeding on the nearby grass.

Male Pheasant, Dawlish Warren



Offshore 4 adult gannets flew west and 12 whimbrel flew east, Sandwich terns were busily diving for fish and on the sea were 2 summer plumaged great crested grebes. Around the main pond 2 reed warblers were singing and a pair of little grebes were feeding 2 chicks with a second pair of adults nearby. A lone sand martin was flying over the water and was showing some interest in the artificial nesting bank.

2 Little Grebe Chicks, Dawlish Warren Main pond



A male sparrowhawk gave a great view perched on a sign before flying off in hunting mode and fortunately didn't notice a very smart male cirl bunting in some nearby bushes with possibly a female bird as well, my first Dawlish Warren sighting. A very large brown rat was seen crossing the footpath near the railway station and it was nice to see some sand crocus still in flower too.

 Male Sparrowhawk, Dawlish Warren

Male Cirl bunting, Dawlish Warren

Sand Crocus, Dawlish Warren



Sunday 27th April and a wet and windy walk to the Avon Dam was quiet bird wise but I did see my first willow warblers of the year along with a male stonechat, a male reed bunting and a grey wagtail, and on the way home I saw some early purple orchids by the roadside near the A38.

Early Purple Orchid