With a smattering of Whooper Swans being reported in Devon and Cornwall over the past few weeks I have been hopeful of catching up with them at some point. Birds have been reported from Hayle, Bude, Coleton Fishacre and Exminster Marsh and as usual have been short-staying but with a single bird being found at Broadsands on 18th October and appearing to be settled I decided to go and have a look for it.
It was reported as still being present on the 24th October while we were watching the Snow Buntings at Budleigh Salterton but there was no news of it the next day. This didn't particularly perturb me as this is what usually happens with rare and scarce birds, there is an absolute social media frenzy of news and photos to begin with followed by almost total radio silence even though the bird is still present.
There was still no news of it being present as I headed off on the train and bus to Broadsands on the morning of Saturday 26th October but I figured that if it wasn't still present I'd have a nice day out anyway on what was a beautifully sunny, warm and calm day.
I arrived at Broadsands at around 9:45am and there was no sign of any Swans out on the water or in the stubble field behind the beach so I walked along the coast path towards Elberry Cove with fingers crossed. I picked up 2 Swans out in the Bay and heading towards Broadsands from the direction of Brixham but on closer inspection they turned out to be Mutes. Eventually they arrived at Broadsands and began to feed on the weed along the shoreline but the Whooper Swan was still nowhere to be seen.
A Little Egret and a Grey Heron flew over and offshore a few Gannets were seen along with Cormorant, Shag and Great Black-backed, Herring and Black-headed Gull. A Grey Seal occassionally surfaced quite close to shore too, a large and dark looking individual, and 4 Oystercatchers were roosting on the rocks.
I had a good look around the stubble field, checking out all the quiet corners and obscured areas with no luck but a pair of Cirl Buntings, 4+ Chiffchaff, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, flyover Peregrine, Kestrel and 3 Buzzards, a Grey Wagtail and calling Green Woodpecker and Cettis Warbler kept me entertained. A Speckled Wood, 2 Red Admirals and a mating pair of Wasps were also noted.
I headed back to the beach where the 2 Swans had now become 3 and on checking them out I was very pleased and relieved to see one of them was the elusive Whooper Swan, I have no idea where it came from though. It was busily preening in between taking short naps and would occassionally call quietly to itself while the 2 Mute Swans nearby ignored it.
Eventually it moved further offshore before taking off and flying over the beach and into the stubble field to feed where it showed very nicely and I watched it for a while before it was time for me to head back home. Only my second ever Devon Whooper Swan after a brief view of one on Exminster Marsh in 2012 as we whizzed past on the train, at least the views of this one were so much better!
