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!

Firecrest!

Today, I was intending to go to a meeting of the Mid Devon branch of the Devon Birders in Cookworthy Forest, which is somewhere North of Okehampton.  Looking forward to exploring somewhere new, and hopefully seeing Woodcock (the target species for the day), I intended to meet Annabelle at her house North of Exeter, from where we were to travel together. However, horrendous rush hour traffic & me getting lost meant that there was no way I could get to Annabelle's on time, and even less chance of me finding the meeting.

However, after I realised that I wasn't going to make it to the meeting,  I happened to pass by Stoke Wood, which I recognised as somewhere I'd once been birding with Mary whilst she was visiting.  I decided to cut my losses & have a wander.

The entrance to Stoke Woods

It started well with a Nuthatch, my first for the year. The ground was all a bit boggy, but at least it was quiet, with only one or 2 dog walkers during the 2 1/2 hrs I was there.

When I got down to the bottom of the woods, I scanned the River Exe & spotted 2 waders, which turned out to be Green Sandpipers. A nice surprise!

The Green Sandpipers were on the distant Exe

This is apparently the landscape that inspired Jane Austin's Sense & Sensibility

I gradually notched up the usual woodland species including some more firsts for the year, i.e. Great Spotted Woodpecker, Tree Creeper & Coal Tit. There were quite a few Goldcrests about & I'd just thought to myself how nice it would be to see a Firecrest, when blow me down, the next 'Goldcrest' I got in the bins was in fact a Firecrest! Lovely!

By the time I got back to the van it was after midday, so I headed off to Topsham Recreation Ground to have a look for the Black Redstart that's been there for a while. I met quite a few birders there who all told me that it's usually there and quite easy to see. Usually, but not this afternoon. However, I did have a brief view of the Water Pipit that's also been there on & off for a while & some lovely views of a Kingfisher & Grey Wagtail, so that made up for it.

This is apparently where the Black Redstart is normally seen.

The Exe looking downstream

So, although the day hadn't panned out as planned, I had quite a productive day. Simon meanwhile walked out the 9 miles or so from home along the estuary & met me!

Before today I have been out and about a couple of times adding birds to the Year List.

Exmouth front on 8th with Libby, had a relatively close Great Northern Diver...

....followed by a brief visit to the Otter for the Glossy Ibises (or is it Ibi?)

That's them....honest!

12th Jan, Shelly Beach where I saw a flock of Ringed Plover & 2 Sanderling

I also took part in the BTO 'Early Bird' survey, which is aimed at finding out how light pollution is effecting the feeding behaviour of garden birds first thing in the morning. I only needed to do it once, but as I forgot to note down cloud cover at the end of the survey on 9th, I did it again on 10th. It was quite interesting doing it twice as the first Robin of the day visited the feeders at exactly 07:47am on both days! The other birds also turned up in almost the same order, with just the Blackbird being different:

9th:   Blackbird, Robin, Sparrow, Dunnock, Blue Tit
10th: Robin, Sparrow, Dunnock, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Great Tit

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!)

Exminster Marsh

On Friday I went along to the DBWPS meeting at Exminster Marsh. I was glad I'd put on lots of layers as it was freezing, with a really biting wind. We were a big group, I didn't count but there must have been about 18 of us. We met at the RSPB car park and started off by checking the fields from the railway bridge.  A couple of Goldcrests in the bushes directly below us gave excellent views of their crests, and two of us saw a Water Rail making a dash into the reeds. We then had a slow wander down Station Road towards the canal, the best on offer were 5 Pintail, the first I've seen this year, 30 Golden Plover and a Dunlin with a limp!

The Devon Birders forming a rolling road block!

A bit of sun would have been nice!

The  usual selection of ducks were on the ponds but it was all pretty quiet. We stopped at Turf Lock for our sandwiches and checked out the estuary. There were quite a few Avocet,  some Grey Plover, and 5 Red-breasted Merganser in the channel.

Checking the estuary

We walked back along the cycle track & were treated to a hurtling Peregrine. A Water Rail dashed across a gateway but was only seen by the same two of us that had seen the one earlier in the day. The Peregrine then put on a good show for us as we walked back up Station Road when it chased a Snipe right over our heads.

Five of us decided to go on to Exminster village in search of the Rose-coloured Starling that's been there for a couple of months. We parked up in the village car park & walked to Milbury Lane. We only had to wait for about 15 minutes before it showed itself. We didn't get to see it for long before it disappeared again, but at least we'd seen it. We tried going into the churchyard & allotments behind Milbury Lane, but didn't find it again. At least I saw my first Blackcap of the year.

Waiting for the Rose-coloured Starling in Exminster

Myself & Jonathan then went on to Dart's Farm to see if our luck would hold. It did! As we approached the hide we saw a Brambling on the bird feeder, and the American Wigeon was at the front edge of a flock of Wigeon in front of the hide. There was also a Peregrine on the ground eating a Lapwing, until it was chased off by a couple of crows. A great end to another fun days birding!

View from the Dart's Farm hide. The American Wigeon is out there...honest Gov!

I haven't been out birding on my patch much recently, although I did have a very pleasant wander up the estuary from Mudbank Lane to Lympstone during the week, adding 6 more birds to my Patch List (Goldeneye, Grey Plover, Black-tailed Godwit, Dunlin,  Common Gull & Water Rail). My birding isn't exactly taking a back seat at the moment, but it's certainly sharing the front seat with cycling. We're in training for a cycle trip this Summer, and judging by my current performance, we need to fit in all the training we can!

The Exe Estuary, a great place to walk or cycle

I've started...

I've finally managed to get myself into gear & been out & about with the scope. I spent an hour at Exmouth front on Friday morning, although I didn't see anything of note. Before I left I had a wander around the bushes on The Maer (a small common behind Exmouth sea front), there's always lots of activity there and I'm hoping that if I check it often enough I may actually find something good!

The Maer

Yesterday I went down to the Exmouth docks development. I was hoping to find the Black Redstart that was mentioned on Birdguides a while ago. There were 9 Red-breasted Mergansers on the estuary, so at least I added to my Patch List. I felt I bit suspicious milling the flats with my bins! On my second lap, I was walking along the path beside the estuary when a heard snatches of the PA from the Stuart Line bird cruise which had just set off, to the effect that it's worth checking the docks for Black Redstart. At that exact moment a lovely adult male Black Redstart landed on the wall just ahead of me! I only had my little Lumix camera with me, but I was about to take a record shot when another birder appeared around the corner & frightened it off. It didn't go far, flitting between the roofs of Windward & Leeward Court, but it was now too high for even a record shot. It's exactly the same place that I found my Black Redstart last year, so maybe it's the same individual.

Leeward & Windward Ct. The Black Redstart has expensive taste!

The Stuart Line bird cruise 

Late in the afternoon I walked up to Sandy Bay but there were just 3 Great Crested Grebes for me to focus my bins on.  I don't remember seeing any reports from there - whether this is because it doesn't get checked much or nothing interesting stops, I don't know.  I'll hopefully find out this year!

My Patch List is now on 47, having added Pied Wagtail, Great-black Backed Gull, Starling, Red-breasted Merganser & Black Redstart. That shows how little I've been out!!

A birding smorgasbord

I've been out and about quite a bit over the last few days...

Last Thursday (15th) I went over to Exminster Marsh in the afternoon hoping for a Short-eared Owl or a Merlin. I didn't find either, but had an interesting time nevertheless, spending most of my time near Topsham Lock (or rather where Topsham Lock used to be). Of note:

• A Whooper Swan was with several Mute swans at the back of the Marsh near the railway.
• Several Cettis Warblers singing
• The Starlings put on a great display, it was mesmerising to watch them swirling about. Several small groups took me by surprise, flying low over my head from behind to join the main flock. The 'whoosh' as they went over made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
• Whilst scanning with the scope as it was getting dark, a Ring-tail Hen Harrier flew straight towards me low over the Marsh before dropping down out of site in the vegetation.
• There was a commotion behind me as a male Sparrowhawk battled with a Starling on the opposite canal bank. The Sparrowhawk won, but not without a lot of effort & lots of squealing from the Starling.

On Friday morning I nipped down to the Lifeboat Station on Exmouth front. I didn't see much, but I did manage to get my first ever reasonable photo using my little 'point & shoot' camera down the scope. It was a Redwing that flew in from the sea & dropped down at the back of the beach. It must have been exhausted as it didn't even move when several dog walkers & a runner went by a few yards away.

Tired Redwing

 

Saturday (17th) was the Devon Birdwatching & Preservation Society trip to the Somerset Levels. A small group of us met at Westhay Moor & spent the morning wandering around the reserve. It was very quiet, although I did manage to put 35 species on my list and at least the weather was pleasant.

    Bird sculpture at Westhay

Just before lunch a Great White Egret flew in and as it landed a Harrier flew by behind it. Typical, no 'good' birds all morning, then two together. Only a couple of us saw the Harrier, and no one got a good enough look to identify it. Luckily a few minutes later a lovely male Marsh Harrier gave us good views as it glided low over the reeds on the opposite side of the reserve.

A blurry digiscoped Great White Egret

 

After lunch we relocated to Shapwick Heath, parking at the Avalon Marsh Visitor Centre and walking to the Decoy Hide. Again it was very quiet & I only managed to add another 7 species to the day list. A Smew was apparently seen from the hide on Sunday, did it turn up after we left or was it hiding?

A large Redwing flock liked the drain bank



And so to yesterday, and a trip to Birmingham. Simon wanted to go to the Classic Bike show at the NEC, so I went along to keep him company. Well as far as the entrance anyway, where I dropped him off and continued North another 10 miles or so to visit the Middleton Lakes RSPB reserve. Or to be more precise, the Drayton Bassett Pit where a White-rumped Sandpiper had been hanging about for a few days. I was glad I'd followed the Birdguides advice & worn my wellies as it was a 20 minute walk through deep mud to get to the pit. There were quite a few birders about and I was told where the sandpiper was, which unfortunately was at the back of the pit behind a mound of mud. It had disappeared from view just before I arrived.

 

 The White-rumped Sandpiper was hiding at the back..



There no other waders visible in the pit, so I got excited when one emerged from behind the hump, but unfortunately it was a Green Sandpiper. However, after about 40 minutes the White-rumped Sandpiper came back into view. Although it was a long way off, it was still possible to see all of its distinguishing features, including its white rump as it preened. After about 5 minutes I decided to try & digiscope a record shot, at which point it went back behind the hump. I waited until lunch time hoping it would come back out, but it was still hidden when I left.

 



The twitch..

 

The mud...

After lunch I dashed down to the Kingsbury Water Park to see if I could find a Willow Tit on the feeders. I didn't, but I did see a lovely male Goldeneye on the lake.

 

Year List now on 209.

 

(For some reason Blogger is no longer  giving me the option of enlarging my photos. I have no idea why)



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.

Back home

We're back in Exmouth after spending a very enjoyable couple of months cruising the canals of the Midlands & Wales. Since arriving home on Sunday I've been out & about a couple of times with the scope & bins. On Monday I visited Exminster Marsh where I managed to find the 2 Red-crested Pochards. I was pleasantly surprised to find them on the large central lagoon, despite the fact that there was some noisy work being done right next to it.

Lovely views across to the Exe

On Tuesday I decided to try & find the Bonaparte's Gull at Dawlish Warren. I wasn't sure how easy it would be to recognise it, even if I managed to find it. I met another lady birder from Plymouth on the sea wall & as she'd seen several before I stuck with her to improve my chances. We'd walked half way to Langstone Rock & found a Med Gull in with the few Black-headed Gulls when we heard that the Bonaparte's had been seen near the groynes about 10 minutes earlier. We headed back that way and stopped at the lifeguard's hut. We'd been checking the few Black-headed Gulls for a while when I came upon the Bonaparte's sitting by itself on the water. It was actually very easy to differentiate from the Black-headed Gulls, being smaller & neater with a nice little black bill. There was a group of chaps looking for the gull a bit further along the front. We tried to attract their attention but as they didn't look our way I did my good deed for the day & dashed round to let them know we'd found it. We all managed to have a really good look before it flew off towards the estuary.

The Bonaparte's Gull is out there.....

I'm currently defrosting having spent 2 hours on the estuary this morning in search of the Scaup that's apparently been hanging about there for a while. I saw my first Pintails of the season & developed Wigeon-blindness...but no Scaup.

Year List now on 204.