Saturday, 10 December 2016

Slapton, Beesands and Start Bay

Yesterday I got out to Slapton Bridge for first light, if a Bittern is around they often seem to fly over the bridge at dawn or dusk, after an hour I realised it probably was not going to happen and went over to the Memorial Car Park and looked out into Start Bay encouraged by recent reports of various seaducks elsewhere. There were excellent numbers of Guillemots, probably several hundred scattered around with a small number of Razorbills. I was also pleased to see 3 or 4 Harbour Porpoises in different spots. The best birds were single Red-throated Diver and a fairly close Black-necked Grebe. The only Scoters I saw was a flock of about 50 very distant flying north, sadly with no Velvets amongst them.
Had a look at the wildfowl in Ireland bay which included 74 Gadwall, 8 Shovelers, 26 Wigeons, 3 Teals and 82 Tufted Ducks . Also 9 Little Grebes and 191 Coots. There was also a healthy number of gulls in Ireland Bay but nothing better than a Med Gull. Additional smaller numbers of wildfowl were at Torcross later but the ley in between these spots seemed devoid of birdlife apart from the usual raft of around 200 Coots. Along the boardwalk could only find a couple collybita Chiffchaffs, no Siberian. I'd had a good look around but maybe not good enough with Velvet Scoters and Red-necked Grebe missed by me on the sea and Scaup and Long-tailed Duck on the ley, you have to hold something back for next time !
Next went around for a look at Beesands Ley which has been pretty poor for a while now. Yesterday was no exception, just a poor mans Abbotsbury with 41 Mute Swans, 5 Canada Geese and 3 Mallards. Worth going around though to watch the 500 or so Gannets in a feeding flock a few kilometres offshore. Plumes of water going up like an old distant naval battle was taking place.
My birding was done and then it dawned on me I had not seen a single Pochard, what is happening to them ?

Black-necked Grebe off the Memorial Car Park



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2 comments:

  1. Steve Waite11 December 2016 at 11:30

    The change in Pochard numebers and distribution is so obvious isn't it, and worrying. I know at Radipole where a large flock used to winter they've all gone because of a lack of food - but they've all moved to Lodmoor and Abbotsbury where numbers are impressive. They eat different food to Tufted Duck which is why Tufties are still everywhere.

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  2. Perry Sanders11 December 2016 at 20:09

    Hello Steve,
    I did not know Pochards had different diets, every day is a school day. Tufted Ducks are way down in numbers to what they used to be at Slapton and Beesands. Must be a load of reasons no doubt milder winters and new wintering areas are probably involved to some degree but I think poorer water quality must be a major reason. There is always hope though, winter 2013/14 there was a load of waterweed at Slapton and as a result max of 382 Tufted and 42 Pochard. ( the latter not a great count but better than now ). Hopefully the missing numbers are just loafing somewhere else but the decline seems national at least.

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