Andrew
wibble wibble
12-07-04
Location : Dawlish Warren. Devon. SX987795.
With migration at a low ebb I was keen to observe the plants, dragonflies and butterflies at Dawlish Warren so it was a bit disappointing to arrive and find it a bit windy for the latter two prospects. From the scrub before the official entrance to the nature reserve I expected to score Whitethroat and Stonechat but had to make do with Herring Gull, Common Starling, Barn Swallow, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Black-headed Gull and House Sparrow instead but started the butterfly tally with Speckled Wood and numerous Small Whites. The former butterfly is a fine species that always pleases me. Once past the gate things picked up for no obvious reason as I added European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Stonechat, a juvenile Common Whitethroat and a fly over Common Shelduck. I was also delighted to see some Gatekeepers and for the rest of the visit there was a surfeit of these distinctive butterflies. I was disappointed to find the visitor centre closed with the rangers busy on the reserve as I wanted to glean the latest information. A quick look on the notice board revealed that the rare orchid, Marsh Helleborine, was in flower on Greenland Lake so that became my target for the day. A quick look at the pool brought only Mallard and Common Moorhen with a bona fide beast of a dragonfly that was too mobile for identification, much to my dismay as I have a soft spot for dragonflies. Greenland Lake was filled with a profusion of wild flowers starting with a striking group of Purple Loosestrife attracting a type of day flying Burnett moth. The few flowers I could identify during an aimless stroll through the meadow were Large-flowered Evening Primrose, Bugle,at least three kinds of Vetch and Meadowsweet. Among the Meadowsweet I could see a yellow female type dragonfly of a species that escaped my limited knowledge. The dunes offered some shelter from the wind in Greenland Lake so there were more butterfly species on offer including Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Small Copper, Meadow Brown, Red Admiral and Large White. I met the ranger burning some gorse roots and he had just had an encounter with a Common Redstart seconds before I arrived. He kindly pointed out the location of the Marsh Helleborines so I earmarked the spot for the return leg. Being a dude for the day, I did not bother to chase up the Redstart and carried on. I only added Great Tit from Greenland Lake before reaching the dunes and a scan of the sea revealed European Shag, Great Cormorant, Common Guillemot, Black-legged Kittiwake and Northern Gannet. Just before leaving the dunes towards The Bight, a Common Kestrel hovered directly overhead. I tried to take some pictures at full zoom and they did not come out very well. Sadly there was very little bird variety at the high tide roost but I was content with many Sandwich Terns roosting in front of the hide along with a rare moment of a Common Tern on the ground with the Sandwich Terns. The best on show among the gulls was a single Mediterranean Gull in full summer adult plumage. The ever present Eurasian Oystercatchers ran to about one hundred and fifty plus today. I was pleased to see two Pied Wagtails simply to bump up the number when I wasn't making an effort to do so! Other birds noted from the high tide roost were Great Black-backed Gull, Dunlin, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Eurasian Curlew and possibly a distant Whimbrel or two. On the way back I searched Greenland Lake extensively for my target of the day and it was after about twenty minutes that I found the Marsh Helleborines. Sadly they were past their best but showing signs of their glorious past and just as rewarding to find. The last bird of the visit was a Common Swift seen from the car park. All in I had managed to identify eight flower species, nine butterflies and recorded thirty three bird species so it wasn't such a bad day after all. On the day Roseate Tern, Redstart and Lesser Whitethroat had also been seen by other birders concentrating on the birds.
Location : Dawlish Warren. Devon. SX987795.
With migration at a low ebb I was keen to observe the plants, dragonflies and butterflies at Dawlish Warren so it was a bit disappointing to arrive and find it a bit windy for the latter two prospects. From the scrub before the official entrance to the nature reserve I expected to score Whitethroat and Stonechat but had to make do with Herring Gull, Common Starling, Barn Swallow, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Black-headed Gull and House Sparrow instead but started the butterfly tally with Speckled Wood and numerous Small Whites. The former butterfly is a fine species that always pleases me. Once past the gate things picked up for no obvious reason as I added European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Stonechat, a juvenile Common Whitethroat and a fly over Common Shelduck. I was also delighted to see some Gatekeepers and for the rest of the visit there was a surfeit of these distinctive butterflies. I was disappointed to find the visitor centre closed with the rangers busy on the reserve as I wanted to glean the latest information. A quick look on the notice board revealed that the rare orchid, Marsh Helleborine, was in flower on Greenland Lake so that became my target for the day. A quick look at the pool brought only Mallard and Common Moorhen with a bona fide beast of a dragonfly that was too mobile for identification, much to my dismay as I have a soft spot for dragonflies. Greenland Lake was filled with a profusion of wild flowers starting with a striking group of Purple Loosestrife attracting a type of day flying Burnett moth. The few flowers I could identify during an aimless stroll through the meadow were Large-flowered Evening Primrose, Bugle,at least three kinds of Vetch and Meadowsweet. Among the Meadowsweet I could see a yellow female type dragonfly of a species that escaped my limited knowledge. The dunes offered some shelter from the wind in Greenland Lake so there were more butterfly species on offer including Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Small Copper, Meadow Brown, Red Admiral and Large White. I met the ranger burning some gorse roots and he had just had an encounter with a Common Redstart seconds before I arrived. He kindly pointed out the location of the Marsh Helleborines so I earmarked the spot for the return leg. Being a dude for the day, I did not bother to chase up the Redstart and carried on. I only added Great Tit from Greenland Lake before reaching the dunes and a scan of the sea revealed European Shag, Great Cormorant, Common Guillemot, Black-legged Kittiwake and Northern Gannet. Just before leaving the dunes towards The Bight, a Common Kestrel hovered directly overhead. I tried to take some pictures at full zoom and they did not come out very well. Sadly there was very little bird variety at the high tide roost but I was content with many Sandwich Terns roosting in front of the hide along with a rare moment of a Common Tern on the ground with the Sandwich Terns. The best on show among the gulls was a single Mediterranean Gull in full summer adult plumage. The ever present Eurasian Oystercatchers ran to about one hundred and fifty plus today. I was pleased to see two Pied Wagtails simply to bump up the number when I wasn't making an effort to do so! Other birds noted from the high tide roost were Great Black-backed Gull, Dunlin, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Eurasian Curlew and possibly a distant Whimbrel or two. On the way back I searched Greenland Lake extensively for my target of the day and it was after about twenty minutes that I found the Marsh Helleborines. Sadly they were past their best but showing signs of their glorious past and just as rewarding to find. The last bird of the visit was a Common Swift seen from the car park. All in I had managed to identify eight flower species, nine butterflies and recorded thirty three bird species so it wasn't such a bad day after all. On the day Roseate Tern, Redstart and Lesser Whitethroat had also been seen by other birders concentrating on the birds.
