February is usually pretty quiet for us. Sometimes produces the worst weather of the winter but spring is getting ever closer, ( very rarely an early Wheatear or even Hoopoe can turn up in late February ). Storm force gales or cold weather movements can make things interesting but usually a quiet month.
February '67.
Very quiet, only highlights the wintering Whooper Swan on the River Avon and a Hen Harrier at East Soar on the 18th, the same day 22 Goldeneyes were at Slapton Ley.
February '77.
Another quiet one. The wintering Surf Scoter on the Kingsbridge Estuary the best bird. A Whooper Swan was at Slapton all month and there were 3 Long-tailed Ducks there on 5th.
February '87.
A Bittern was seen at Slapton on 22nd and a Smew was present from 8th - 12th. On the beach 2 Snow Buntings remained from January. Elsewhere 7 Bewick's Swans remained at Aveton Gifford from the previous month and on the Kingsbridge Estuary Scaup were down to 12 from their January peak of 26. Water Pipits used to be a familiar sight on Charleton Marsh and 4 or 5 were seen through the month.
February '97.
The big rarity was the Little Bunting that remained at South Milton Ley all month having been ringed there in January. The other main rarity of the month was a Taiga Bean Goose at Beesands Ley from 23rd-25th. Also at Beesands at least one Smew remained from January and an adult Iceland Gull showed on the 15th ( maybe the same bird at Slapton on 20th ). Elsewhere 6 Scaup were on the Kingsbridge Estuary and unseasonal Great Skuas were seen off Prawle Point on 19th with a dead bird found at Thurlestone on 26th and nearby an oiled individual at South Milton on 28th.
February '07.
Extremly quiet, just a Red-necked Grebe in Start Bay and an Iceland Gull seen intermittently through the month on the Kingsbridge Estuary.
What of this February ? The strongest winds so far this winter are forecast and could mix things up a little this coming weekend if they arrive. It would be great if a few Waxwings ( which have got as near as Buckfastleigh and Plymstock so far this winter ) turned up and hung around but it will not help if the weather gets mild.
Tuesday, 31 January 2017
Sunday, 29 January 2017
Rain stopped play
Went to Slapton Ley this morning, that mystery Scaup should still be around. Plenty of birds on the ley at Torcross, north off Stokeley and in Ireland Bay. Managed to do a count for Torcross and Stokeley, parked in the Memorial Car Park to count the birds in Ireland Bay Saga style from the car but the rain came in too heavy. Selected counts included 11 Wigeons, 164 Gadwalls, 12 Teals, 6 Shovelers, 176 Tufted Ducks, 16 Pochards ( a welcome continued albeit small increase ), 7 Goldeneyes, 7 Great Crested Grebes and 311 Coots. Obviously a complete count should yield a good few more. Offshore a Black-necked Grebe off Torcross was maybe the bird that has been seen off the Memorial Car Park recently. Around 100 Gannets were feeding just south off this car park closer to shore than I have ever seen a number like this fishing before. No sign of any Scaup anywhere.
Saturday, 28 January 2017
West Charleton Marsh
Time has been at a bit of a premium recently with not much to spare. Did get over to South Milton Ley last Saturday morning with my son Rory to help out with a very successful mornings reed cutting. There was a great turn out including many non-birding locals so a special thanks to them.
Mid afternoon today I wandered down to Charleton Marsh. Was hoping to give the Chiffs in the sewage works a good look and there were at least 11. One looked very good for Siberian but the sun was making viewing difficult and then it started to hail so I left them for another day. A Moorhen on the circular filter bed was a first for me and a Grey Wagtail is still wintering in and around the compound.
Got to the hide and it was high tide in the bay. In the small Curlew roost towards Wareham Point were 6 Bar-tailed Godwits and a couple of Turnstones. A squally wind was picking up with an approaching shower so I shut the window, and concentrated on the marsh. A Bittern has been seen a few times since December. Too much to ask ? My luck was in and at 16:00 hrs it got up from the ditch near the sluice and flew across and landed in the middle of the reed bed. Typical Bittern sighting, brief and fortunate. This is the third I have been lucky enough to see on the marsh. As the rain stopped I headed back home just as a couple female Pintails flew in and a Cirl Bunting started singing. I gave the Chiffs another go but the light was bad and a Mistle Thrush flew out making its rattling call as if annoyed by me.
Mid afternoon today I wandered down to Charleton Marsh. Was hoping to give the Chiffs in the sewage works a good look and there were at least 11. One looked very good for Siberian but the sun was making viewing difficult and then it started to hail so I left them for another day. A Moorhen on the circular filter bed was a first for me and a Grey Wagtail is still wintering in and around the compound.
Got to the hide and it was high tide in the bay. In the small Curlew roost towards Wareham Point were 6 Bar-tailed Godwits and a couple of Turnstones. A squally wind was picking up with an approaching shower so I shut the window, and concentrated on the marsh. A Bittern has been seen a few times since December. Too much to ask ? My luck was in and at 16:00 hrs it got up from the ditch near the sluice and flew across and landed in the middle of the reed bed. Typical Bittern sighting, brief and fortunate. This is the third I have been lucky enough to see on the marsh. As the rain stopped I headed back home just as a couple female Pintails flew in and a Cirl Bunting started singing. I gave the Chiffs another go but the light was bad and a Mistle Thrush flew out making its rattling call as if annoyed by me.
Sunday, 15 January 2017
Mid-winter birding
It's halfway through January so for me that means it's half way through winter. The first wheatears could be here in 7 weeks, time flies.
I went to Beesands Ley yesterday to do the monthly Wetland Bird Survey ( WeBS count ) for the British Trust for Ornithology ( BTO ). The ley has been a shadow of its former self for waterfowl in recent years, one month I scored a flat zero, nothing on site, no more than a diesel rainbow coloured pool in an abandoned urban lorry park would have got. Things are not so bad these days and Mute Swans are currently mad for it. The 70 on site yesterday is probably a site record. Unfortunatly they are too lazy to see of the 48 Canada Geese they shared it with. Also present were 7 Teals, 2 Mallards, Gadwall, 2 Tufted Ducks and a Coot. The major highlight was a female Goosander ( perhaps the one from Slapton Ley last month ). I saw it catch a small fish so maybe there is life in the old ley yet.
This morning I had a good walk around the estuary doing the Charleton Marsh - Geese Quarries circuit. 11 Chiffchaffs and a Grey Wagtail were a good start in the sewage works but there did not appear to be any 'tristis' candidates. As the tide was high I had to kill an hour in the bird hide, no bad thing as a Bittern has been seen from here recently. Not today though. The scrape held 54 Wigeons, 51 Teals and a pair of Pintails. A Water Rail was calling and one showed beneath the bird feeders.
Water Rail, squealer of the Marsh.
Heading out onto the foreshore and towards Wareham Point there was a raw NNW wind. The mud, water and sky was monochrome. A small flock of roosting Curlews took off towards their feeding area and a couple of Bar-tailed Godwits emerged from within. A loud 'ffissstt ' call announced the arrival of a Rock Pipit. Anonymous and unobtrusive, one or two turn up at this spot each winter, about as far inland as they usually prefer to go. Some Rock Pipits here could be Scandinavian in origin but unless they stayed into spring and started acquiring summer plumage we would not know. Anonymous and mysterious.
Rock Pipit, Charleton Bay. Like me it always wants to live near the sea.
Going around Wareham Point and into Frogmore Creek was welcome as it gave shelter from the wind. Out on the water were 7 Great Crested and 11 Little Grebes. 8 Red-breasted Mergansers did a fly-by and the Devon Air Ambulance did a fly-by overhead and landed at Salcombe. I hope whoever needed it is soon healthy and telling everyone who will listen about their helicopter ride. In an arable field across the creek near Halwell Farm was a flock of 92 Brent Geese. Adding these to the ones I had seen already meant there are at least 128 present this winter. A kingfisher whistled and landed on top of a distant channel marker. A blaze of colour on a grey, cold day.
I went to Beesands Ley yesterday to do the monthly Wetland Bird Survey ( WeBS count ) for the British Trust for Ornithology ( BTO ). The ley has been a shadow of its former self for waterfowl in recent years, one month I scored a flat zero, nothing on site, no more than a diesel rainbow coloured pool in an abandoned urban lorry park would have got. Things are not so bad these days and Mute Swans are currently mad for it. The 70 on site yesterday is probably a site record. Unfortunatly they are too lazy to see of the 48 Canada Geese they shared it with. Also present were 7 Teals, 2 Mallards, Gadwall, 2 Tufted Ducks and a Coot. The major highlight was a female Goosander ( perhaps the one from Slapton Ley last month ). I saw it catch a small fish so maybe there is life in the old ley yet.
This morning I had a good walk around the estuary doing the Charleton Marsh - Geese Quarries circuit. 11 Chiffchaffs and a Grey Wagtail were a good start in the sewage works but there did not appear to be any 'tristis' candidates. As the tide was high I had to kill an hour in the bird hide, no bad thing as a Bittern has been seen from here recently. Not today though. The scrape held 54 Wigeons, 51 Teals and a pair of Pintails. A Water Rail was calling and one showed beneath the bird feeders.
Water Rail, squealer of the Marsh.
Heading out onto the foreshore and towards Wareham Point there was a raw NNW wind. The mud, water and sky was monochrome. A small flock of roosting Curlews took off towards their feeding area and a couple of Bar-tailed Godwits emerged from within. A loud 'ffissstt ' call announced the arrival of a Rock Pipit. Anonymous and unobtrusive, one or two turn up at this spot each winter, about as far inland as they usually prefer to go. Some Rock Pipits here could be Scandinavian in origin but unless they stayed into spring and started acquiring summer plumage we would not know. Anonymous and mysterious.
Rock Pipit, Charleton Bay. Like me it always wants to live near the sea.
Going around Wareham Point and into Frogmore Creek was welcome as it gave shelter from the wind. Out on the water were 7 Great Crested and 11 Little Grebes. 8 Red-breasted Mergansers did a fly-by and the Devon Air Ambulance did a fly-by overhead and landed at Salcombe. I hope whoever needed it is soon healthy and telling everyone who will listen about their helicopter ride. In an arable field across the creek near Halwell Farm was a flock of 92 Brent Geese. Adding these to the ones I had seen already meant there are at least 128 present this winter. A kingfisher whistled and landed on top of a distant channel marker. A blaze of colour on a grey, cold day.
Old pre World War Two cart tracks still visible in the soft Devon slate in Charleton Bay. Horse and carts would have come down to collect seaweed for fertiliser on the fields. Who knows, maybe Colonel George Montagu hitched a ride on one once but that's a story for another day !
Monday, 9 January 2017
Bittern
Went around the estuary yesterday on the rising tide from Geese Quarries to Charleton Marsh. Same old same old, several hundred Wigeons in North Pool Bay then flightling out onto the main estuary, always a great sight and sound especially on such a still day. A few Lapwings in North Pool Bay as well, the day before I saw around 45 in the fields around the top of North Pool Farm so probably some of them. I was hoping to see the Bittern in Charleton Marsh but nothing doing, you need a bit of luck for them. There were at least 12 Chiffchaffs in the sewage works, numbers always rise sharply here in the new year for some reason. By now it was raining so I could not grill them for a wintering Siberian Chiff. A Yellow-browed would not go amiss either.
Seeing the forecast for today ( which they got spot on ) and having a day off work I thought I would give Slapton Ley a go and try for last weeks possible Lesser Scaup. My plan was to get to the bridge for first light, often a good time to see an elusive Bittern if one is around (but not this time ),do Ireland Bay and check the sea whilst it was still dry and shelter in the Stokely Bay Hide when it rained as the light could then be quite good. I went around Ireland Bay to the boardwalk and there were still good numbers of waterfowl, the best being 13 Wigeons, 8 Shovelers, 127 Tufted Ducks and 12 Little Grebes at one time in a little tight flock. Only 4 Gadwalls and 3 Teals though. Lots of gulls dropping in and out, well over 500 Black-headed and 4 Mediterraneans. Getting back to the bridge I looked up the higher Ley and bingo, a Bittern flew up and then straight back in, very lucky for me and definetly one of my favourite birds. I waited another 20 minutes but nothing doing. It was now threatening to rain so I checked Start Bay out from the Memorial Car Park. No scoters but 2 Great Northern Divers together close in. The rain was getting heavy now so I headed for the Stokeley Bay Hide. Selected counts from here included another 14 Wigeons, 128 Gadwalls, 83 Tufted Ducks, 8 Pochards ( very welcome increase, however small ) and 7 Goldeneyes including 3 males ( displaying in the rain ). I saw a Scaup but it was an adult male Greater Scaup and distant with Tufted Ducks. A couple possible female scaup sp eventually came close enough in better light to prove themselves to be nothing more than Tufted pseudo Scaups. I'm sure the first winter male and his companion are still around and will give themselves up on a nice still day with good light.
Seeing the forecast for today ( which they got spot on ) and having a day off work I thought I would give Slapton Ley a go and try for last weeks possible Lesser Scaup. My plan was to get to the bridge for first light, often a good time to see an elusive Bittern if one is around (but not this time ),do Ireland Bay and check the sea whilst it was still dry and shelter in the Stokely Bay Hide when it rained as the light could then be quite good. I went around Ireland Bay to the boardwalk and there were still good numbers of waterfowl, the best being 13 Wigeons, 8 Shovelers, 127 Tufted Ducks and 12 Little Grebes at one time in a little tight flock. Only 4 Gadwalls and 3 Teals though. Lots of gulls dropping in and out, well over 500 Black-headed and 4 Mediterraneans. Getting back to the bridge I looked up the higher Ley and bingo, a Bittern flew up and then straight back in, very lucky for me and definetly one of my favourite birds. I waited another 20 minutes but nothing doing. It was now threatening to rain so I checked Start Bay out from the Memorial Car Park. No scoters but 2 Great Northern Divers together close in. The rain was getting heavy now so I headed for the Stokeley Bay Hide. Selected counts from here included another 14 Wigeons, 128 Gadwalls, 83 Tufted Ducks, 8 Pochards ( very welcome increase, however small ) and 7 Goldeneyes including 3 males ( displaying in the rain ). I saw a Scaup but it was an adult male Greater Scaup and distant with Tufted Ducks. A couple possible female scaup sp eventually came close enough in better light to prove themselves to be nothing more than Tufted pseudo Scaups. I'm sure the first winter male and his companion are still around and will give themselves up on a nice still day with good light.
Sunday, 1 January 2017
Charleton 10k 2016 Birding Awards
It's the start of a new year and its time to put on the Gucci birding jackets and Luois Vuitton binocular cases to attend the inaugural Charleton 10k 2016 Birding Awards.
These awards have been decided by a committee of one and in future years this committee will be open to every conceivable type of bribery and corruption.
Birding Event of the Year.
Has to be the numbers of Yellow -browed Warblers which passed through in the autumn as written in a previous post http://charletonbirding.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/rise-of-yellow-browed-warbler_10.html
One day there were so many calling I thought I had tinnitus and when I got home and could not hear any in my garden I thought I had gone deaf.
Birding Non-Event of the Year
When the unprecedented numbers of Yellow-browed Warblers arrived on the east coast in the autumn we received a fair share of the onward movement. When good numbers of Bluetails and other Sibes ( White's Thrushes, Siberian Accentors etc ) similarly arrived we waited with baited breath but nothing came. The last two weeks of October into early November should have produced a mega sibe locally but nothing turned up better than a Pallas's Warbler.
These awards have been decided by a committee of one and in future years this committee will be open to every conceivable type of bribery and corruption.
Birding Event of the Year.
Has to be the numbers of Yellow -browed Warblers which passed through in the autumn as written in a previous post http://charletonbirding.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/rise-of-yellow-browed-warbler_10.html
One day there were so many calling I thought I had tinnitus and when I got home and could not hear any in my garden I thought I had gone deaf.
Birding Non-Event of the Year
When the unprecedented numbers of Yellow-browed Warblers arrived on the east coast in the autumn we received a fair share of the onward movement. When good numbers of Bluetails and other Sibes ( White's Thrushes, Siberian Accentors etc ) similarly arrived we waited with baited breath but nothing came. The last two weeks of October into early November should have produced a mega sibe locally but nothing turned up better than a Pallas's Warbler.
 |
| Pallas's Warbler, Start Point, 24th October 2016 ( Michael Brooking ) |
Patch of the Year
Has to be the brilliant still relatively new Devon Wildlife Trust Reserve at South Efford Marsh. Some great birds this year especially in autumn. Highlights included a Great White Egret in March and in Autumn a couple Wrynecks, Pectoral Sandpiper and new to the 10k patch a superb adult Spotted Sandpiper. Add to this a Woodchat Shrike and a couple of Cattle Egrets and you have a great year.
 | ||
Twitch of the Year
No doubt about this one, the obliging Desert Wheatear at Thurlestone which must have been seen by many hundreds of birders since it was first found in early November. Elusive at first when it eventually settled for a prolonged stay on Leasfoot Beach it drew a steady stream of admirers. As it has stayed into the new year it could be twitch of the year 2017 as well
Bird of the Year
This is the big one. Unless I've forgotten something there were only three main candidates.
3rd Place, The aforementioned Thurlestone Desert Wheatear. First found on his garage roof by Mike Passman late on the afternoon of 8th November, it then disappeared until he saw it again at home on 13th November. Eventually it settled down on Leasfoot Beach for a long stay into 2017. Probably bird of the year in the 10k patch for most people but only 3rd place as there have been at least 2 previous local records.
2nd Place, a new bird for the 10k patch, a superb adult Spotted Sandpiper at South Efford Marsh from 6th to at least 14th August. Never easy to see and usually quite distant from the hide on South Efford it disappeared for long spells presumably going out on the Avon Estuary ( where it was originally seen on 6th by Rod Bone ). About the 12th record for Devon so one locally was overdue.
Spotted Sandpiper, South Efford Marsh, August 2016 ( Barry Rankine )
2016 Bird of the Year
Prawle Point Seawatch
Seawatch from 7.05am till 11.50 in 4-5 going 6 , wind direction S/SSE/S to SW with rain, heavy at times, the highlight being a Black-Browed Albatross seen very close gliding majestically east at 8.15am.!(No signal from the Point so was unable to alert other seawatchers till returned to the village at 12.30)
Also 2 Cory's ,1 Sooty,16 Balearic Shearwaters. And 2 Arctic Skuas and 1 Bonxie. 3 Whimbrel, 27 Kittiwakes ,2 Common Scoter and 6 Fulmars made up the rest of the cast.
Posted August 19th at 7:35 pm by Tony Marchese in Scarce / Rare Birds & Passage Counts
The above is taken from the Devon Birds News Blog. It must be every British seawatchers dream to have a Black-browed Albatross glide by and that is exactly what happened to dedicated Prawle Point seawatcher Tony Marchese at 08:15 on 19th August, I would say more of a Supernova than a highlight, and as if 2 Cory's Shearwaters was not good enough ! There was a spate of Albatross sightings around UK waters around this time and it was thought at least 2 birds may have been involved. Tony's bird was the first in Devon for over 50 years, the only previous record being off Morte Pt., N. Devon on 25th April 1965. Would have taken a hell of a bird to beat this one so well done Tony and well deserved for all the times you spend getting drenched seawatching at Prawle when you don't see anything.
Unsung Heroes
Finally there should be an unsung hero award to be shared amongst the many people who gave up a lot of their time to produce the brilliant 182 page 2015 Devon Bird Report, especially the county recorders Julia Harris and Steve Waite. Thanks to Kevin Ryland for taking over from Steve going into 2017. All the section writers, checkers etc deserve gratitude from people like me who just pick it up off the floor when it arrives and read it. What a brilliant achievement for a group of volunteers to get together and somehow manage to get the report collated, edited and into our homes before the following year has ended, thank you and take a bow all of you.
 |
Saturday, 31 December 2016
January, Decades ago
Will try and post regularly on this blog sightings from previous years. Apologies for missing anything.
January 1967
Brief cold snap early in the month. A Whooper Swan was wintering on the River Avon where there was also a Spoonbill on 22nd. Over at Slapton Ley 6 Bewick's Swans flew over on 5th and a Snow Bunting was at Torcross on 14th. Offshore 2 Red-necked Grebes were in Start Bay on 22nd. Interesting that a single Chiffchaff at Slapton Ley on New Years Day was deemed noteworthy and an amazing record was a House Martin at Torcross on 30th. Surely a wintering bird as opposed to late, late departure or early, early arrival. With the amount of airbourne insects around at the moment its not hard to imagine a hirundine able to withstand a winter like the present one in south Devon as long as it had somewhere warm to roost.
January 1977
An unseasonal seabird record was a Manx Shearwater off Prawle Point on 22nd, sadly 2 Puffins found dead during the month at Thurlestone. At Slapton Ley a Whooper Swan and a couple of Long-tailed Ducks were present all month with a Bittern on 22nd. The Surf Scoter found in December 1976 was now wintering on the Kingsbridge Estuary. Of interest concerning the Estuary was the high count of 29 Little Grebes , 32 Goldeneyes ( nowhere near that number now, usually single figures ) and a single Brent Goose deemed noteworthy ( now normally over 100 ). Also of interest a maximum count of 11 Chiffchaffs at Slapton ( cp 1 in January 1967 ).
January 1987
Cold snap nationally early January pushed some good birds into our area. Seabird movement off Prawle Point included 2 Great Skuas west on 1st and 16 Red-throated Divers east on 5th. A Bittern spent the month at Slapton where other highlight included 2 Bewick's Swans from 24th-31st and on the beach a high count of 174 Grey Plover on 31st and 2 Snow Buntings from 11th-31st. Gulls at Slapton ( always big numbers here when there are Easterly winds and prolonged cold weather ) included 2 Glaucous Gulls through the month and an Iceland Gull on 31st. A Glaucous Gull was also seen at Salcombe on 19th. The cold weather meant the Kingsbridge Estuary was a good place to go birding with 4 White-fronted Geese on 8th, an amazing 26 Scaup on 18th and a Smew on 24th. On West Charleton Marsh there were up to 11 Ruff between 18th-31st and 7 Water Pipits on 11th ( the latter used to regularly winter there in small numbers but very rarely seen on the marsh now ). Two other good records were 8 Bewick's Swans at Aveton Gifford from 17th-21st and the fist winter record for our area of a Yellow-browed Warbler in Kingsbridge by the entrance to what is now Tesco's. Found on the 8th it was last seen on 11th when temperatures dropped markedly.
January 1997
Another cold month for the UK so more interesting January records locally. 2 Bewick's Swans flew over West Charleton Marsh on 19th and on the estuary itself 6 Scaup were wintering and a Smew was present from 19th-20th. Additional Smew records came from Slapton with 3 on 17th and Beesands with 5 from 17th-26th. The best gull sightings were 3 Little Gulls off Beesands on 1st and a Glaucous Gull there on 13th. At Slapton 4 Firecrests were counted on the 4th and there was a brilliant Starling roost during the month with a peak of 225000 birds on 5th. Rarity of the month was the Little Bunting ringed at South Milton Ley on 27th and present into February.
January 2007
A fairly quiet month, Bitterns at Slapton and West Charleton Marsh on 1st, Balearic Shearwater off Prawle Point on 8th, Red Kite at West Charleton on 21st and Iceland Gulls on Kingsbridge Estuary from 14th and at Slapton Ley on 26th. A Barnacle Goose with Canadas at South Huish on 15th was very likely an escape. Grey Partridges were just about hanging on, but not for long, with 10 seen at Aveton Gifford on 10th.
Fair play, it's a poor photo but it's a great memory for me. New years Eve into New Years Day 2006/7 was very stormy but had calmed down a little by the afternoon. I went down the bird hide at Charleton Marsh to blow away the cobwebs and it was quiet so I was about to head back home when there was an almighty flash of lightning and clap of thunder and the heavens opened. As I had no coat I had to stay put. In the corner of my eye a big brown shape came out of the reeds and then back in. Was I imagining things, surely a Bittern ? Keeping a sharper eye out it eventually appeared in the front of the reeds below and left of the hide. It stayed there for the best part of an hour if I remember right. One time something spooked it and it stuck its neck up and I swear for a short time gently swayed in unison with the reeds. What a bird, not reported before 1st January or seen after and I cannot believe it was 10 years ago this Sunday. The photo was taken in poor light in heavy rain with a Nikon digiscoping camera hence the big image.
Thanks for reading this blog and I wish peace, health and happiness to everyone in 2017 and if you manage to avoid a hangover and get out birding on the first I hope you are as lucky as I was 10 years ago.
January 1967
Brief cold snap early in the month. A Whooper Swan was wintering on the River Avon where there was also a Spoonbill on 22nd. Over at Slapton Ley 6 Bewick's Swans flew over on 5th and a Snow Bunting was at Torcross on 14th. Offshore 2 Red-necked Grebes were in Start Bay on 22nd. Interesting that a single Chiffchaff at Slapton Ley on New Years Day was deemed noteworthy and an amazing record was a House Martin at Torcross on 30th. Surely a wintering bird as opposed to late, late departure or early, early arrival. With the amount of airbourne insects around at the moment its not hard to imagine a hirundine able to withstand a winter like the present one in south Devon as long as it had somewhere warm to roost.
January 1977
An unseasonal seabird record was a Manx Shearwater off Prawle Point on 22nd, sadly 2 Puffins found dead during the month at Thurlestone. At Slapton Ley a Whooper Swan and a couple of Long-tailed Ducks were present all month with a Bittern on 22nd. The Surf Scoter found in December 1976 was now wintering on the Kingsbridge Estuary. Of interest concerning the Estuary was the high count of 29 Little Grebes , 32 Goldeneyes ( nowhere near that number now, usually single figures ) and a single Brent Goose deemed noteworthy ( now normally over 100 ). Also of interest a maximum count of 11 Chiffchaffs at Slapton ( cp 1 in January 1967 ).
January 1987
Cold snap nationally early January pushed some good birds into our area. Seabird movement off Prawle Point included 2 Great Skuas west on 1st and 16 Red-throated Divers east on 5th. A Bittern spent the month at Slapton where other highlight included 2 Bewick's Swans from 24th-31st and on the beach a high count of 174 Grey Plover on 31st and 2 Snow Buntings from 11th-31st. Gulls at Slapton ( always big numbers here when there are Easterly winds and prolonged cold weather ) included 2 Glaucous Gulls through the month and an Iceland Gull on 31st. A Glaucous Gull was also seen at Salcombe on 19th. The cold weather meant the Kingsbridge Estuary was a good place to go birding with 4 White-fronted Geese on 8th, an amazing 26 Scaup on 18th and a Smew on 24th. On West Charleton Marsh there were up to 11 Ruff between 18th-31st and 7 Water Pipits on 11th ( the latter used to regularly winter there in small numbers but very rarely seen on the marsh now ). Two other good records were 8 Bewick's Swans at Aveton Gifford from 17th-21st and the fist winter record for our area of a Yellow-browed Warbler in Kingsbridge by the entrance to what is now Tesco's. Found on the 8th it was last seen on 11th when temperatures dropped markedly.
January 1997
Another cold month for the UK so more interesting January records locally. 2 Bewick's Swans flew over West Charleton Marsh on 19th and on the estuary itself 6 Scaup were wintering and a Smew was present from 19th-20th. Additional Smew records came from Slapton with 3 on 17th and Beesands with 5 from 17th-26th. The best gull sightings were 3 Little Gulls off Beesands on 1st and a Glaucous Gull there on 13th. At Slapton 4 Firecrests were counted on the 4th and there was a brilliant Starling roost during the month with a peak of 225000 birds on 5th. Rarity of the month was the Little Bunting ringed at South Milton Ley on 27th and present into February.
January 2007
A fairly quiet month, Bitterns at Slapton and West Charleton Marsh on 1st, Balearic Shearwater off Prawle Point on 8th, Red Kite at West Charleton on 21st and Iceland Gulls on Kingsbridge Estuary from 14th and at Slapton Ley on 26th. A Barnacle Goose with Canadas at South Huish on 15th was very likely an escape. Grey Partridges were just about hanging on, but not for long, with 10 seen at Aveton Gifford on 10th.
Fair play, it's a poor photo but it's a great memory for me. New years Eve into New Years Day 2006/7 was very stormy but had calmed down a little by the afternoon. I went down the bird hide at Charleton Marsh to blow away the cobwebs and it was quiet so I was about to head back home when there was an almighty flash of lightning and clap of thunder and the heavens opened. As I had no coat I had to stay put. In the corner of my eye a big brown shape came out of the reeds and then back in. Was I imagining things, surely a Bittern ? Keeping a sharper eye out it eventually appeared in the front of the reeds below and left of the hide. It stayed there for the best part of an hour if I remember right. One time something spooked it and it stuck its neck up and I swear for a short time gently swayed in unison with the reeds. What a bird, not reported before 1st January or seen after and I cannot believe it was 10 years ago this Sunday. The photo was taken in poor light in heavy rain with a Nikon digiscoping camera hence the big image.
Thanks for reading this blog and I wish peace, health and happiness to everyone in 2017 and if you manage to avoid a hangover and get out birding on the first I hope you are as lucky as I was 10 years ago.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)