W Day

This morning I collected Libby at 8.30 & we went to Bowling Green Marsh for a few hours. It was really busy out on the marsh as the waders flew in on the rising tide. There were some nice birds including about 10 Curlew Sandpipers, Knot, Ruff, Spotted Redshank, Avocet & a Med Gull. Surprisingly for a Sunday morning, it wasn't too busy in the hide.

Despite there being no reports of the Wryneck at Dawlish Warren, we decided to go and give it a try. We paid our £3.50 for the car park, giving us 4 hours to walk out to Warren Point,  find the Wryneck & get back. By now a sighting had been posted on Birdguides, so at least we knew it was still about. Out on Warren Point we met a chap who had been walking along the path & flushed the Wryneck, so we walked a loop around the path and set up the scopes on the dunes overlooking the area where the bird had vanished.

Wryneck hunting

We saw plenty of Linnets, Stonechats, Juvenile Starlings, a few Wheatears & a Skylark, and then a rather nice Whinchat, my first of the year. There had been quite a few birders about when we arrived, but they'd gradually wandered off leaving only us and one other chap. We'd set a deadline for leaving, and as it approached we decided to wander back to the path where the Wryneck had been flushed earlier. We hadn't been there long when I heard a whistle & looked up to see the other birder waving at us. We dashed over & he pointed out a Willow tree where the Wryneck had just landed, having been flushed from the path again.

The Wryneck Willow....the right of the 2 trees in the centre of the photo

Luckily it was still there & we managed to watch it for several minutes before it dropped down out of sight. Not the best of views as it was partially obscured by foliage, but good enough to see all of its distinguishing features. It was a Lifer for Libby, and only my second ever, the first having been on the Scillies in 2004. We followed the path back towards the car park, and had a better view of it as it flew up into the Willow again. We were happy bunnies as we hurried back to the car park, having over run our ticket in our excitement.

A thoroughly good day......

Must try harder.....

I've been a bit lax in the birding department lately.....too many other things going on! I really must try & get out more.

I'm not really Year Listing this year, as evidenced by the fact that I'm on a measly 146. However, Libby is trying for a good list, and is rapidly approaching 200.  It's been fun joining her as she adds a few to her list, including the Caspian Tern, Temminck's Stint & Spotted Crake around the Exe. We've also been over to Black Hole Marsh a couple of times, the latest being on Friday in search of the Little Crake, which unfortunately failed to materialise. However, we went away quite happy with our Little Stint & Curlew Sandpiper. I don't think the chaps from Stoke & Leicester were quite as happy!

The Little Crake hunt at Black Hole Marsh.

I tried out the new hide at Bowling Green Marsh yesterday afternoon & saw my first Osprey of the year. It seems a bit odd to build a nice new hide & then make a large part of it virtually unusable for birders by fitting full height glass which isn't of sufficient quality to use bins or scope through. However, apparently that section may be locked up & used as a classroom anyway....what a waste!

Devon Birders meeting at BGM

Yesterday about 17 of us attended the first East Devon Birders meeting of the year. It didn't start too well....

Goosemoor.....couldn't even see the water let alone any birds!

Still, we had a quick try!

Quickly moved on to the hide at BGM. It was a it of a squash & I felt sorry for the people who were in there already. So much for some quiet birding! At first we couldn't see a thing, but gradually the sun burnt off the fog & birds gradually emerged through the murk.

Very cosy

From this...

...to this

At one point there was a sudden emptying of the hide when a Brambling was spotted on the feeders outside the hide. It took a while, but we all eventually saw the female bird, my first for the year. On to the viewpoint where a Goldeneye was spotted in the distance, although it did fly slightly closer for us.

Viewing the Clyst

On to the Goatwalk & through Topsham checking the Exe as we went

Then some of us went on to Dart's Farm where hundreds of Brent Geese were feeding in the fields, along with quite a few Canadas. Surprisingly there were also 2 Bar-headed Geese, one of which had a nasty limp. The feeders were empty at first, although an RSPB man did appear before we left & topped up the sunflower seeds. It didn't take long for the finches to move in & start munching.

2 Bar-headed Geese

The limping Bar-headed Goose

There was only David & Wally & myself left when the Kingfisher appeared.

The full list for the day:

BGM/estuary: Wigeon, Teal, Canada Goose, Little Egret, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Chaffinch, Avocet, Crow, Magpie, Curlew, Redshank, Lapwing, Shelduck, Dunlin, Pintail, Greylag Goose, Mallard, Great Tit, Dunnock, Robin, Tufted Duck, Moorehen, Pochard, Shoveler, Heron, Brambling, Reed Bunting, Greenfinch, Wren, Song Thrush, Woodpigeon, Snipe, Grey Plover, Common Gull, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Goldeneye, Brent Goose, (Bar-headed Goose), Greenshank, Cormorant, Turnstone, Collared Dove, Starling, Sparrow, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail

Dart's farm: Chiffchaff, Stock Dove, Goldfinch, Mistle Thrush, Jackdaw, Kingfisher, Mute Swan

Another year, another list

On Friday I thought it was about time I kicked off my 2014 Year List. I started keeping a list last year, but didn't get beyond February. Hopefully I'll have more staying power this year. I decided to try a spot of sea-watching as it's ages since I've been and the weather was looking good for it, i.e. bad. I collected Libby at first light & we went to Budleigh to use the shelters. Lots of auks and one diver flew by, but we weren't good enough to work out which ones as they were quite distant. Libby thought she may have seen a Long-tailed Duck fly by, but I missed it. Other than that, there were lots of Gannets quite close in, a few Brent Geese, and a Kittiwake. Not the best list, but it was spectacular watching the rough sea and the birds were a bonus! Much more practise required.

We then wandered down to the estuary & were shocked...

... just about everything was under water

Amazing!

The weather was showery, we got hailed on & soaked as we left

Unfortunately the cricket pitch & pavilion haven't fared too well... again

Alan normally organisers a 'Bird Count' for New Year's Day, the goal being to see as many birds as possible during the day. This year the count was postponed due to bad weather and rescheduled for yesterday. Five of us started the day at Bowling Green Marsh at 9am, starting in the hide where we had good views of the Long-tailed Duck that's been about for a while.  We paid a quick visit to the estuary viewing platform & Goat Walk where the water was amazingly still, but unfortunately virtually devoid of birds!

Another very high tide from the viewing platform

The Team: Alan, Libby, Chris & Annabelle

Misty and atmospheric on the Goat Walk

All very still....and birdless!

We stopped off in the hide again on the way back to the cars, which was just as well as Keith, the local patch expert pointed out a Spotted Redshank sleeping on the marsh, and Chris caught up on the Water Rail which he'd missed on the earlier visit.

We had a quick look at Goosemoor before we left, but that was very disappointing. The only birds we added there were Little Egret & Meadow Pipit.

Next stop, Dart's Farm. Unfortunately the feeders were empty, so no flocks of finches & Reed Buntings. Only added 5 species to the list and I missed the Collared Dove, which was a shame as we didn't see another all day! Libby headed off, leaving 4 of us for the next stop....

The field in front of the hide was flooded

The hide is uncomfortable to use....the heights are all wrong for normal sized people!

On Woodbury Common Alan had us yomping across the vegetation, although he insisted that it was actually a path. We had a probable Dartford Warbler, but none of us got a good enough look to be sure, and I heard a Raven, but other than that it was bird-free.

Woodbury Common

The last stop was the Otter at Budleigh, where we were joined by Mike. We started with some sea watching. We had a distant diver species which was occasionally visible above the waves, but which we couldn't identify. There were a couple of Great Crested Grebes, some Gannet, and 3 Guillemots sitting on the sea.

On Budleigh beach

We walked up the estuary to the White Bridge. The cricket pitch & scrapes were still flooded. We had a disappointing total of about 62 when we got to the bridge, and the light was beginning to go. We suddenly had a bit of a flurry of birds and within about half an hour we'd added Reed Bunting, Long-tailed Tit, Goldcrest, Chiffchaff, Cetti's Warbler, Mute Swan, Kestrel, Pheasant & Red-legged Partridge.

The water levels in the estuary had dropped 

The fields by the White Bridge were still flooded

The Otter at the White Bridge

I thought my final total was 69, but having checked my list I realised that I'd missed off Gannet & Moorhen, so my total for the day was 71. Not a particularly good number, but we'd had an enjoyable day looking.

The day list: 71 (73 for the Team)
BGM: Robin, Great Tit, Wren, Dunnock, Blue Tit, Pintail, Wigeon, Teal, Shoveler, Long-tailed Duck, Black-headed Gull, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Redshank, Snipe, Avocet, Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-tailed Godwit, Pied Wagtail, Grey Heron, Lapwing, Curlew, Blackbird, Crow, Little Grebe, Buzzard, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Pochard, Magpie, Song Thrush, Water Rail, Goldfinch, Jay, Chaffinch, Shelduck, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Gull, Spotted Redshank, House Sparrow, Starling, Moorhen.
Goosemoor: Little Egret, Meadow Pipit
Dart's Farm: Kingfisher, Jackdaw, Herring Gull, Rook, Redwing, Greenfinch, (Collared Dove)
Woodbury Common: Raven
Budleigh Salterton: Gannet, Great Black-backed Gull, Rock Pipit, Great Crested Grebe, Cormorant, Shag, Oystercatcher, Guillemot, Turnstone, Pheasant, Reed Bunting, Mute Swan, Chiffchaff, Cetti's Warbler, Long-tailed Tit, Goldcrest, Kestrel, Red-legged Partridge (Common Scoter)

BGM, Goosemoor & Dart's Farm

On Saturday I ventured out for a morning's birding with Alan, Libby & Annabelle. Alan (http://ukwildlifebreaks.co.uk) had originally arranged for us to meet up at Dawlish Warren,  but the weather was due to be so wet that BGM was a last minute alternative.

It was pretty quiet in the hide at Bowling Green Marsh, and pretty quiet on the marsh as well for that matter! There was a large flock of Avocets, and one bird off by itself which had apparently been shot. The only other waders of note were a solitary Grey Plover, and a pale Redshank which we thought may be a Spotted Redshank at first, but decided in the end that it was just a pale common one. The best of the ducks was a Long-tailed Duck, my first of the year. There were no Mute Swans, but there was a Black Swan!

In the hide at BGM, the best place to be on a soggy day!

As we left the rain eased off so we went out onto the new walkway/ cycle track across Goosemoor. It's the first time I've been there, and there wasn't much about.

Goosemoor from the cycle track

Viewing holes, none of which seemed to be at a comfortable height!

The final stop of the day was Dart's farm. Again it was very quiet, with no ducks or waders, although our only Little Egret of the day flew in just before we left. The feeders were pretty busy with Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Chaffinch & Reed Buntings, a Kingfisher posed nicely for us, and a Sparrohawk flew by being harassed by a Crow.

Viewing the marsh at Dart's Farm

Full list for the day:
BGM: Long-tailed Duck, Shoveller, Teal, Wigeon, Mallard, Pintail, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Redshank, Snipe, Curlew, Grey Plover, Avocet, Dunlin, Lapwing, Greylag goose, Canada Goose, Bent Goose, Buzzard, Pied Wagtail, Red-breasted Merganser, Raven, Lapwing, (Black Swan), Little Grebe, Moorehen, Grey Heron, Meadow Pipit, Stock Dove, Green Woodpecker, Shelduck, Crow, Blackbird, Starling
Goosemoor: Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Black-headed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Stonechat, Robin
Dart's Farm: Wren, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Cormorant, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Redwing, Reed Bunting, Mute Swan, Sparrowhawk, Kingfisher, Wood Pigeon, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Jackdaw, Magpie, Little Egret

Total: 58 species. Not bad for a soggy morning ( & I missed the Collared Dove, Jay & Rook!)

Long-tailed Duck

It took me 4 attempts to find the Long-tailed Duck on the estuary. On Friday I visited Bowling Green Marsh in the hope of seeing it from the viewing platform or Goat Walk, but as there was no sign I returned on Saturday for another attempt. There were a few 'firsts' for me for the season from the hide, including Spotted Redshank, Knot & Golden Plover. From the Goat Walk there was a duck of the right shape & size repeatedly diving in the channel over towards Turf Lock. Unfortunately the light was going so it was impossible to pick out any plumage details. It was probably the Long-tailed Duck, but I wasn't happy to count it. At least it was a lovely evening.



View of the Exe from the platform at BGM

                                                                     The Exe Estuary from the Goat Walk

I then spent the whole of Sunday across the estuary at Exminster Marsh. I checked the estuary from the path between the Exeter Ship Canal & the Estuary, which I hadn't even realised was there before. It was a bit overgrown & slippery, but it did give a much better view of the estuary than from the main canal path. I was at Turf Lock checking the estuary until the light started to go, when I walked back to the car park to be told that the duck had been in the lock channel behind me at Turf. Doh! I had a quick look at the Whooper Swan on the marsh & I dashed back to Turf Lock but the duck was nowhere to be seen.

So, back to Exminster again on Monday morning in the rain. I walked straight to Turf Lock to check the estuary, and after about 15 minutes the Long-tailed Duck finally showed itself out in the channel near red buoy 22. It was quite a way off but I had a good view as it wasn't diving. It stayed for about 10 minutes before disappearing out of sight behind a mud bank as it headed towards BGM.

                                               The Exe Estuary from Turf Lock, the Long-tailed Duck is out there...
                                            
Year List now on 208.



Two ticks & a DBWPS trip

On Sunday, after spending my 3rd morning in Mudbank Lane looking for the Scaup, I checked Birdguides to find that it was at at Bowling Green Marsh. I jumped in the van  and headed straight over there. At first the hide was full due to an RSPB event, but I managed to get a distant & not very satisfactory view of the Scaup. I went for a wander up to the platform & Goatwalk before returning to the hide to find it nice and quiet with just one birder sketching a wigeon. I found a duck which I thought was the Scaup over the far side of the pond & the other chap agreed. He turned out to be very knowledgeable & helpful, and when the Scaup obligingly swam up the channel towards the hide he pointed out the features that distinguish if form a Tufted Duck, including the small patch of grey on its back that identified it as a 1st winter male.

The Scaup swam up the channel towards the hide giving us an excellent view

On Monday I went in search of Seaton's Cattle Egret which had just reappeared on Birdguides after not being mentioned for a while. I parked at the cemetery at Black Hole Marsh & walked to Colyford Common LNR where it had been reported, wishing I'd worn wellies. From the hide I saw a couple of egrets in a cow field by the A3052, and although they were a long way off and partly obscured by vegetation, I was lucky enough to get a glimpse of the Cattle Egret's distinctive yellow bill. I walked around to the road and had a better, but still not great, view from the platform of the Colyford Tramway.

It 's the minute white spot above the far right fence post!

I had the Canon with me so at least you can see what it is.

The Egret then walked behind the hedge so I continued along the road hoping for a better view. The bird was nowhere to be seen, but I did bump into Karen of  'Wild Wings & Wanderings' (http://karenwoolley.blogspot.co.uk). I've been enjoying her blog for ages, so it was really nice to actually meet her. The Cattle Egret was out of view for ages but then reappeared, flying across the field with a Little Egret to mix with the cows. Karen got much better photos by digiscoping than I could manage with the Canon & she gave me a quick lesson. I gave it a try but I obviously need to practice as I couldn't even get the Egret in the view screen!

Synchronised nibbling

Karen in action...

Yesterday there was a DBWPS meeting at Roadford Lake, which is West of Dartmoor & not far from Cornwall. It's actually a large reservoir, the only non-acidic 'mud-bottomed' reservoir in Devon, or at least it was when my 'Where to Watch Birds' book was written. I'd never been before so it was nice to explore somewhere new. We met at the dam car park but then drove to the reserve area at the  North end of the reservoir. We started off in the hide near the Southweek Viaduct. There was virtually no 'edge' due to very high water levels, so the only waders we found were 2 Snipe, along with a couple of Wigeon, Tufted Ducks & Great Crested Grebes. We then walked to Toft where we found 3 female Goldneye, my first of the season, as were the Fieldfares which flew over in several large flocks. We found another female Goldeneye on our way back across the viaduct. After lunch it started to rain so we just had a short walk in the woods South of the hide where we added Lesser Redpoll & Siskin to the list. That took my total for the day to 42 species, although unfortunately despite our best efforts, that didn't include a Willow Tit.

View from the dam end....the reserve area is at the other end.

View across the Southweek inlet (DBWPS hide just visible on the water's edge)

Year list total now on 207.

An Osprey....at last!

This morning I checked Birdguides to see that an Osprey had been at Bowling Green Marsh earlier, but had flown off just after 8am. I didn't check again for a while, only to find that it had returned shortly after with a fish. It was almost 10am by then, but I grabbed the bins & scope & drove over there with my fingers crossed (but always remember, two hands correctly on the wheel at all times. Ed).

I had a brief stop in the hide, no Osprey, but lots of Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew & Redshank, a couple of Bar-tailed Godwit, quite a few Knot & a couple of Ringed Plover. There was a Spotted Redshank in there somewhere, but I didn't see it. I went off to the platform, again no sign of the Osprey. I then went down to the Goatwalk with Keith who had seen the Osprey on its two earlier visits, hoping that he would be lucky again. It worked! We had been looking for a little while when he spotted a small blob in the top of a tree on the far side of the estuary. It was miles away & we watched it for some time before it moved to give us a good view of its lovely white head & black eye stripe! A UK tick for me! A closer view would have been nice, but I'm not complaining!

The Osprey is in a tree on the far side of the estuary.....honest!

We watched it for well over an hour, pointing it out to a couple of other birders & numerous passing non-birders who wondered what we were all squinting at. It was attacked by a couple of gulls, but didn't budge. Then, just as Keith was leaving, the bird finally decided it was peckish & flew down the estuary towards Dawlish Warren. For about 15 minutes we watched it flying over the estuary between Lympstone, Dawlish Warren & Powderham before it flew down & grabbed a fish. It started heading back straight for us & we were hopeful that it would bring its lunch back to the derek at BGM where it had breakfasted earlier, but instead it landed on a mudbank to eat. Oh well, never mind.....I was happy anyway!

I haven't posted for a while, not because I haven't been out, but because I haven't really seen much. On 27th I was at BGM but didn't see a lot.On 28th it was Buddleigh where I decided to try a spot of seawatching. I went to the recently revamped shelter, where at one stage there were 5 of us. Great, I thought.   As a seawatching beginner it would be nice to know what I was looking at if I struggled with identifying any shearwaters or skuas that happened along. I'm sure it would have worked, only no birds actually passed by! I was there for 2 hours & only saw a couple of Manx Shearwaters! I should have been there a few days earlier when they saw all sorts.

Nice view, shame there were no birds!

On 30th I was back at BGM in the morning & saw the Spotted Redshank & 2 Wood Sandpiper. The Osprey was there in the afternoon! 

I saw more things flying on 31st, only they didn't have wings. We had a day out at the Great Dorset Steam Fair, which was very entertaining.

Monster trucks did their stuff....

... as did the White Helmets

Simon was a happy chappy talking old bikes....

...and checking out the old trucks.

Including: Fodens (S23s etc), Scammell Expolorers in heavy recovery, military tank recovery and general heavy haulage trim (and a Routeman in the main arena pulling a single axle Taskers low-loader trailer loaded with a drag line light crane)  , Leyland Hippos and a number of American Macks (from Holland, interestingly).  There were some Guys displaying the famous Indian Chief radiator badge (very rare) and a nice Ford Transcontinental tractor unit from the 1970s.  There was also a Leyland Marathon tractor unit (the type featured in Destination Doha , A BBC, World About Us documentary, Circa 1973) powered by a Rolls Royce 220 and with a Fuller, range-change gearbox.  The axlecould not been confirmed as a David Brown, so we didn`t count it. Ed

Year List now on 201 plus 2 sub-species.