Muddy Walks

The weather continues to be relentless in bringing yet more wind and rain and bird watching opportunities have remained limited but with a night shift looming on Monday 2nd March I decided to brave the strong winds and squally showers and have a quick morning walk along the River Plym. It was wet and muddy underfoot and I got soaked by the showers but I did manage to see a few Redwings feeding on ivy berries, a pair of Bullfinch, 2 Jay, 4 Stock Dove and a skulking female Blackcap in Saltram Park and on the Plym on the high tide there were a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers and 2 male Goosanders. I also managed to find a single Jack Snipe on my wanderings along with 9 distant Roe Deer.

Wednesday 4th March and we visited Saltram House on another grey, wet and windy day with the highlight being the elusive female Red-crested Pochard finally giving itself up as it tarted around at point blank range on the stable pond by the cafe - presumably it is the same bird that has been seen on and off on the Plym for the last couple of years that I have continuously dipped and which has also been reported from Burrator Reservoir (where I did manage to see it on one occassion) and Portworthy Dam.

Thursday 5th March was dry but cloudy and breezy and we visited the National Trust estate at Parke near Bovey Tracy, our first visit there, and after lunch in the cafe we had a muddy walk around the woodland and along the very swollen river where the only birds of note were a showy pair of Mistle Thrush feeding in the fields and a fly over Raven.

Friday 6th March and we drove out to Lopwell Dam for a walk but the paths were a complete mudfest and it was showery and breezy yet again and so we didn't walk far. Along the river 4 Common Sandpipers were seen along with 2 pairs of Grey Wagtails and there were lots of beautiful daffodils in flower. In between the showers a male Sparrowhawk and 6+Buzzards displayed overhead but the highlight were 30+ Ravens croaking and tumbling together over the trees in a mass display.

Daffodils, Lopwell

Daffodils, Lopwell

And with a feeling of deja vu on Monday 9th March I decided to have a walk along the River Plym again before yet another dreaded night shift, setting out early at 9am in order to be back home before the forecasted rain and wind rolled in.

I had left my camera at home on my visit to Saltram House on the 4th March and so I wanted to return to the stable pond to try and get some photos of the Red-crested Pochard and I wasn't disappointed as it showed very well. Initially it was asleep amongst the assorted Mallards before waking up to feed on grain being thrown into the water by Yummy Mummies with kids although it was quite wary and wouldn't come close to people. It was interesting to watch it dive for the sunken grain while the Mallards and 3 pairs of Mandarin Ducks dabbled for the grain on the surface instead.

Mandarin and Red-crested Pochard, Saltram

Mallard and Red-crested Pochard, Saltram

Mandarin and Red-crested Pochard, Saltram

Red-crested Pochard, Saltram

Red-crested Pochard, Saltram

Red-crested Pochard, Saltram

Red-crested Pochard, Saltram

Mandarin, Saltram

Mandarin, Saltram

In Saltram Woods a pair of Ring-necked Parakeets showed very well low down in a tree as they excavated a nest hole while another bird was heard screeching nearby, and the Woods also held a few skittish Redwings feeding on ivy berries, a singing Mistle Thrush, a showy Jay, a Nuthatch, at least 3 Stock Doves and a singing Goldcrest.

Ring-necked Parakeet , Saltram

Ring-necked Parakeet, Saltram

Along the River Plym I found 3 Greenshank, a pair of Goosander, 5 Mute Swans and a Common Sandpiper along with all the usuals - Redshank, Common Gull, Curlew, Oystercatcher, Shelduck, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Mallard, etc.

Goosander, River Plym

Common Sandpiper, River Plym

Primrose and Daffodil were flowering and I found some pretty looking Scarlet Elf Cup fungus on a dead log along with an unknown fungus species and despite the weather it was feeling, dare I say it, a little Spring like - thank goodness although I hope the weather soon dries up a bit. And I managed to get back home before it started to rain yet again!

Scarlet Elf Cup, Saltram

Fungus, Saltram

Amarylis Flowers in my Living Room

Rivers Hayle and Plym

The weather remains dire and yet again my birdwatching plans for Friday 28th and Saturday 29th of February were scuppered due to some more shite conditions forecasted. However after some heavy overnight rain Thursday 27th February was looking good and so despite feeling absolutely knackered after working 2 long days and then a night shift I decided to head to Hayle on the train for a look at gulls.

I have wanted to visit Hayle properly ever since I bought my telescope last December in order to scan through the roosting gulls at low tide but other than a quick look at the estuary back in January on my journey home from Penzance I haven't managed to get down there for a good look around. And with an over wintering adult ring-billed gull and multiple Caspian gull and yellow-legged gull reports I have been really keen to have a look for these 3 species.

I caught the first timetabled train after 9am in order to save half the ticket cost (£11.40 instead of £22.80!) and also to have a little bit of a lie in and I arrived uneventfully in Hayle at around 11am to sunny skies but with a cold and brisk wind.

I began my walk at the Carnsew Pool along a very boggy and muddy footpath but I did see a little grebe in the harbour and 2 on the pool along with an adult Mediterranean gull moulting into summer plumage, a very smart looking Greenshank and a redhead Goosander asleep on the mudflats.

Greenshank, Hayle Estuary

Greenshank

Greenshank

Greenshank

Ryan's Field was very quiet with 3 Snipe asleep in the reeds the only birds of note and from the causeway a few bar-tailed godwit were feeding out on the estuary with curlew, redshank, oystercatcher and 4 grey plover. Teal, Wigeon and Shelduck were noted along with a male Goosander asleep on the mudflats and I had a brief fly past view of my first kingfisher of the year.

Buzzard, Lelant

Numbers of gulls roosting on the estuary were noticeably lower than usual and most were on the other side of the estuary between Lelant and Lelant Saltings train stations and so I walked around the estuary to get a slightly closer look at them, starting at the station at Lelant. I scanned through the gulls but couldn't find anything unusual amongst them and the same was true at Lelant Saltings Station, it seems I am too late to the party as a lot of the gulls seem to have moved on already although Caspian gulls and yellow-legged gulls were reported by other birders present.

It was enjoyable though to scan through the gulls with my telescope despite the birds being distant, the bright light harsh and heat hazy and the breeze keeping the gulls mostly hunkered down and asleep. I did however manage to find another 4 adult Mediterranean Gulls along with a 1st summer bird amongst the Black-headed, Herring, Lesser Black-backed, Common and Great Black-backed Gulls present but there was to be no rare gulls for me today (although typically all 3 gull species were reported on the internet as present on the estuary that day!).

Saturday 29th February was windy again with squally hail showers but I decided to have a walk along the River Plym anyway. I caught the bus to Marsh Mills and walked along the Plym and around Saltram before returning to Marsh Mills for the bus journey home and it wasn't too busy with people in the breezy conditions.

On Blaxton Meadow there were 36 Curlew and 34 Shelduck roosting on the high tide along with 4 Little Egret and a mixed flock of gulls containing a noticeable increase in adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Common Gulls.

Lesser Black-backed Gull, Blaxton Meadow

On the river a Common Sandpiper and a Greenshank were seen along with Redshank, Dunlin and Oystercatcher and with the Mallards were 3 male and 4 female Goosanders and 2 male and 3 female Red-breasted Mergansers.

 Goosanders, River Plym

Red-breasted Merganser, River Plym

A Stock Dove and 2 Jay were seen in the woods along with a noisy Ring-necked Parakeet and Blue, Great and Coal Tits coming down to feed on seed put out on the wall by the hide.

 Great Tit, Saltram

Coal Tit, Saltram

I was very pleased to find 2 Jack Snipe which flew up silently and settled again quickly nearby while Skylarks were heard singing overhead and 12 Roe Deer were seen grazing on the nearby grassy slopes.

A Grey Squirrel was chewing the bark off a tree and snowdrops, daffodils and primrose were all in flower too, Spring is on the way.

 Grey Squirrel, Saltram

Primrose, Saltram