Last Week

I've not got too much to tell of last week, due to two days of illness, two mornings of superb Dartmoor surveying and only about three hours of patch birding.

I had high hopes for Monday, but all I managed to squeeze out of the patch was a Hobby west over Bridge Marsh and this brief Greylag Goose with the Mute Swan flock there...

Patch bronze

Wednesday was spent on the moor, but I did have a spare ten minutes to look along the Estuary between this and work, and wow - it showed that Wednesday was a good day!  The heavy rain, fog and light SE wind had obviously encouraged waders to move about (and ground) - I was stunned to see a single flock of 90 Dunlin and 7 Ringed Plover on the Estuary.  Numbers like this are usual in the autumn on the Estuary, but only very rarely occur in spring, there has to be the right weather conditions. Although they were just Dunlin (I was disappointed there wasn't a smart Broad-billed Sandpiper in with them yes) they were great to see due to the incredible variation between birds.  All were in summer plumage, but the mantle colours varied from almost Curlew Sand-red to winter Sanderling-grey, and everything in between!  Overall size varied too, as did bill length, so the flock probably consisted of all of the regular occurring UK races; arctica, schinzii and alpina. I just wish I took some photos.

I find May wader days so so exciting - the 'rareometer' levels are sky high and there is so much potential.  Richard P managed to capture the magic with some footage from Charmouth the same morning, he had a single flock of 70 Dunlin, 25 Sanderling and 10 Ringed Plover, and he doesn't even have a river (well not a proper one anyway!). See HERE.

The following day was a bit of a let down, it was still misty and wet but the waders were just not moving - 11 Dunlin and three Ringed Plover were all the beach had to offer.  I did see a larger flock of small waders on Colyford scrape at high tide (about 40+ birds) but THE MOST frustrating thing happened...  I decided they were definitely worth a trudge out to Colyford hide, despite the rain the possibility of something like a male Kentish Plover made it a no-brainer.... Sadly though half way across Colyford Common I flushed a Peregrine off the marsh, which proceeded to fly across the tramline and straight over the scrape.  I heard a few Ringed Plover calls and when I made it to the hide there was nothing there at all... Arse.

And that's about it.  I'll end this post with a short video from Dartmoor, one of the perks of the early mornings and miles of walking...

May Day Dip

Well I'm still slogging away on the laptop in the kitchen - with the door open though of course!!  No Storks or Kites as yet, but a couple of days ago (Tuesday) two Hobbies kept me company for a couple of hours, feeding over the house and down towards the marshes. They spent most of the time quite high, but on a few occasions came low enough to bother getting the camera out...

I really enjoyed day dreaming how great it would have been if they were Red-foots!

Wednesday morning - the 1st of May - I spent an hour out before breakfast hoping for Cuckoo. I went to Branscombe, Morganhayes, Lower Bruckland, Axmouth and Rousdon all before 7am! No Cuckoo's, but I did have a surprise in the form of a singing Tree Pipit in a cleared part of Morganhayes.  Just as I was thinking how good the area looked for Tree Pipits though, a Buzzard came gliding through and the Pipit flew off very high to the north!!! Maybe not then...

Wednesday evening, work soon became hell, as I learnt I was missing two Garganey that were showing exceptionally well on Black Hole Marsh. Grrrrrr. I've already missed one Garganey this year, so missing out on my second chance was painful.  I wouldn't have minded so much if they were another species, but I really do have a soft spot for spring Garganey - and we don't get enough of them here. 

This morning was suppose to be my morning for a lie in, but having been told the Garganey had apparently gone to roost I was down Black Hole Marsh for 05:10!  No Garganey. The Egyptian Goose was there trying its best to get my attention by honking for England - but I wasn't impressed.  After spending over an hour here, and being happy (or sad I should say!) that they weren't here, I checked Seaton Marshes and other parts of the valley.  Still no Garganey, but I did get a patch year tick in the form of a Greenshank just north of Coronation Corner, they always look so smart in the spring.  My last little highlight of the morning was a very yellow one, with a two Yellow Wagtails opposite Axmouth FC - one a cracking male.  Yet again, I was home by 7am.

After lunch today, I thought I best check Black Hole Marsh again in case they were back, if they were I couldn't see them.  Lots of Whimbrel though, with 22 chilling out near the Island Hide...

I saw them from the house the other day too, house tick :-)

 

So, as the fourth month of my year listing year is over, how's it going?  Well the dips haven't been nice, but it's not these that will cost me my 200 target (if I don't make it).  We simply need more birds!  The sea has been exceedingly quiet this year, during the winter for divers, ducks and grebes, and this spring for skuas, terns, waders, ducks, etc. May better be a good sea watching month otherwise I'm in trouble! And the long range forecast isn't looking good for me...