Andrew
wibble wibble
24-04-03
Location : Dawlish Warren, Devon. SX987795
There had been a very wet and cloudy south westerly front moving in overnight so with the prospect of a ‘fall’ occurring we set off to Dawlish Warren. High tide was predicted for two o’clock in the afternoon so there was no rush and we arrived at ten past one after a Cornish Pastie in Dawlish. A cup of tea was enjoyed before walking to the middle entrance gate. The sunshine was struggling to break through the remnants of this morning’s gloomy weather. The list had started off with the first few of 5 Swallows, too many Herring Gulls to count, a single roof top Pied Wagtail, 11 Starlings and a couple of the ubiquitous 17 Greenfinches.
Soon as we set foot in the reserve, one of my target birds perched high up on a small tree near some bramble bushes and sang it’s heart out as loud as it could. It was one of 4 Whitethroats, it was an unmistakeable bird and one that you ‘know when you see one’. This bird was very exciting for me despite being common because it is a lifer to me. I was delighted to see another three later in the afternoon. In some low dense bramble bushes half way to the visitor centre one of 5 Stonechats perched on the top and flew over to a fence post. It was a stunning black, white and red male bird.
We spoke to a small group of departing birders and it seemed there was nothing special showing today except Whitethroats, Gannets and Whimbrels. I find it hard that Dawlish Warren could ever not give anything special. Nevertheless, Whitethroats, Gannets and Whimbrels are pretty special birds.
A Kestrel flew along the Warren extremely low to the ground. Another was hovering high up in the sky a few minutes later. I was not sure if this was a different bird. Whenever I come here I see a Kestrel all over the reserve, either there are three birds or this one is a very mobile resident bird. I am sure of the latter. In a bush outside the visitor centre one of 3 Dunnocks crept about gingerly looking for food, there were probably more but I did not see them. Several Carrion Crows and 3 Shelducks passed over with the Shelducks heading up to Cockwood.
Past the visitor’s centre we turned left to explore the path along the gorse lined edge of the golf course passing the main pond and some woods. At the earliest sight of the pond I peered through the branches and spotted a Little Grebe and a female Mallard with five adorable ducklings. The trees surrounding the pond threw up a Blue Tit, one of 2 Goldfinches, a pair of Wood Pigeons with one on a nest and two of 5 Blackbirds.
The volunteers and wardens have cleared most of the scrub and weeds to allow new growth in the wide area behind the woods. In the trees along the edge of the woods here, there were 2 Willow Warblers chasing each other around. I identified them by the pale leg colour when one settled down. A few paces further on and we spotted one of 3 Chiffchaffs flying about madly before eventually sitting high up in a tree top singing away and preening itself. Turning round to scan for more birds was a good move as I added a male Sparrowhawk that glided over the golf course. It was not long after this area that we reached the corner of Greenland Lake and the wood’s last birds were a pair of Great Tits and a nesting Carrion Crow.
No new birds were added along the northern edge of Greenland Lake but there was a veritable array of flowers including some form of Spurge, Common Fumitory, Common Stork's-bill, Hound's Tongue and a blue flower that I have not been able to identify. Coming to the end of this large open area of scrub we decided to walk over to the beach. On the climb over I spotted silky pockets all over the brambles and caterpillars crawling along the thorny stems. A notice warned us they were the larvae of the Browntail Moth and that touching them would cause skin irritation.
Once on the beach I walked to the higher middle part and set up my scope for a seawatch in the hope of my first ever Eider. I saw no Eider yet had the consolation of six of 26 Sandwich Terns and a total of 5 Gannets and a few cormorants or shags a long way out. The Gannets were marvellous white sea birds with large black tipped wing spans and menacing faces. I looked up and saw nine of 19 Whimbrel flying along the shoreline to the west towards Langstone Rock.
Eventually we climbed back over the dunes again to access the Bight for the hide. On one of the golf course’s teeing off spots was a ring necked Pheasant, it stood there unfazed by people passing by. Looking at the Bight for the first time I was disappointed to see the tide was not high enough to cover it and concentrate the birds tightly on the high tide roost in front of the hide.
Not far from us was a flock of 17Ringed Plovers and sixty seven of 82 Dunlins. They had settled onto an area of large pebbles for a rest and were hugging the salt marsh as if they were under threat. I looked up for a Peregrine and saw absolutely nothing at all. They must have felt unsure of me even though I was about seventy five metres away from them. They soon relaxed and I could watch the Dunlins breeding plumage of black on the belly. I also spent some time trying to take a picture but they did not come out as the sunshine had won it’s battle and produced a haze.
At half past two, we were sitting pretty in the upper level of an empty hide. Unfortunately I had forgotten my flask of lemon tea so some we had to make do with my box of mints. Because of the lowness of the high tide the birds were a fair way out but a scan picked out some of the usual suspects and some really special arrivals. Right in front of us were 8 Cormorants, 288+ Oystercatchers and 3 Great Black Backed Gulls. I searched the gulls for special species but they were too far away.
I maximised the zoom on my scope to check the diving terns and was excited to find no less than 4 Little Terns among the Sandwich Terns and 8+ Common Terns. The Little Terns were identified simply by being much smaller than the adjacent Common and Sandwich Terns. The Little Terns hovered over the water then plunged into it seemingly getting into the water more than the Sandwich Terns did. This may have appeared so due to them being smaller and being masked by choppy water longer than their bigger cousins. One came closer to the hide and I picked out their yellowish orange bills and white foreheads. I was really glad with this find as they were a British lifer for me, I have already seen them in Kenya last month.
I thought I had seen a glimpse of a Roseate Tern but it was not sufficiently close enough to make an identification. Unfortunately that was about it on the menu from the hide despite waiting a while in case anything turned up. A lot of the small waders and the Oystercatchers flew around and disappeared to the left and we soon discovered why. A woman who earlier used the hide had erroneously walked out onto the Bight to get a closer view of the birds through her bins!
We departed from the hide and outside were masses of Sea Campion growing along the path. On the way back, I stopped at the small easternmost pool and mentioned my surprise at the lack of any Linnets. On that cue three of 16 Linnets flew into view on a branch. Almost simultaneously a bird perched high up in a small tree and it clearly had a large grub in it’s bill. It was one of a breeding pair of 2 Whinchats, the male was offering food to his partner while she gathered nesting material. The female moved about the brambles and a small ditch like depression for a long time without going into anything with her building materials. It was obvious we were a ‘threat’ to her so we moved a short distance away. I spent a good twenty minutes trying to get a decent picture of her but she would move to another perch just when I was about to press the shutter! I gave up in frustration but had a comforting picture of a Linnet and a female Stonechat also with a grub in her bill!.
Walking back up the middle of Greenland Lake, I did not add anything else and saw the male Whinchat at the other end trying to kill off a large shiny grub it had plucked out of the sandy soil. Passing the main pond, I looked in through each vantage point seeing some Chiffchaffs in the reeds plus other warblers I did not manage to see long enough. A Skylark could be heard and sure enough it was singing right above us before descending onto a fence post along the edge of the Marram grass covered dunes. From this post it still kept belting out it’s song!
I called into the visitor centre to ask about the Warren Crocus and was informed of one in flower the day before so we set off to look for it. The flower could not be found until a man came out and pointed out one to us with the tip of his brolly. I was shocked at how unbelievably small this flower is, it is an understatement to say the whole plant is minuscule. So small that I did not bother taking a photograph of it!
The walk was finished off by walking through the first wood, it was at the thick reed bed pond that I added two more birds namely 2 Reed Buntings and a splendid Reed Warbler. There were many birds moving in the reeds but not too keen on showing themselves. Leaving the reserve through the gate we came in we saw two more Whitethroats and another further on in the bramble bushes in the picnic areas where there were also many Starlings and 9 House Sparrows foraging in the grass.
I finished off the day with a double Childhay Manor Honeycomb ice cream cone before having my sandwiches! This afternoon was a great compilation and study of, many different bird species and flowers. It was too windy for any butterflies. The Whitethroat and Little Tern have pushed my British total to one hundred and sixty two birds.
Location : Dawlish Warren, Devon. SX987795
There had been a very wet and cloudy south westerly front moving in overnight so with the prospect of a ‘fall’ occurring we set off to Dawlish Warren. High tide was predicted for two o’clock in the afternoon so there was no rush and we arrived at ten past one after a Cornish Pastie in Dawlish. A cup of tea was enjoyed before walking to the middle entrance gate. The sunshine was struggling to break through the remnants of this morning’s gloomy weather. The list had started off with the first few of 5 Swallows, too many Herring Gulls to count, a single roof top Pied Wagtail, 11 Starlings and a couple of the ubiquitous 17 Greenfinches.
Soon as we set foot in the reserve, one of my target birds perched high up on a small tree near some bramble bushes and sang it’s heart out as loud as it could. It was one of 4 Whitethroats, it was an unmistakeable bird and one that you ‘know when you see one’. This bird was very exciting for me despite being common because it is a lifer to me. I was delighted to see another three later in the afternoon. In some low dense bramble bushes half way to the visitor centre one of 5 Stonechats perched on the top and flew over to a fence post. It was a stunning black, white and red male bird.
We spoke to a small group of departing birders and it seemed there was nothing special showing today except Whitethroats, Gannets and Whimbrels. I find it hard that Dawlish Warren could ever not give anything special. Nevertheless, Whitethroats, Gannets and Whimbrels are pretty special birds.
A Kestrel flew along the Warren extremely low to the ground. Another was hovering high up in the sky a few minutes later. I was not sure if this was a different bird. Whenever I come here I see a Kestrel all over the reserve, either there are three birds or this one is a very mobile resident bird. I am sure of the latter. In a bush outside the visitor centre one of 3 Dunnocks crept about gingerly looking for food, there were probably more but I did not see them. Several Carrion Crows and 3 Shelducks passed over with the Shelducks heading up to Cockwood.
Past the visitor’s centre we turned left to explore the path along the gorse lined edge of the golf course passing the main pond and some woods. At the earliest sight of the pond I peered through the branches and spotted a Little Grebe and a female Mallard with five adorable ducklings. The trees surrounding the pond threw up a Blue Tit, one of 2 Goldfinches, a pair of Wood Pigeons with one on a nest and two of 5 Blackbirds.
The volunteers and wardens have cleared most of the scrub and weeds to allow new growth in the wide area behind the woods. In the trees along the edge of the woods here, there were 2 Willow Warblers chasing each other around. I identified them by the pale leg colour when one settled down. A few paces further on and we spotted one of 3 Chiffchaffs flying about madly before eventually sitting high up in a tree top singing away and preening itself. Turning round to scan for more birds was a good move as I added a male Sparrowhawk that glided over the golf course. It was not long after this area that we reached the corner of Greenland Lake and the wood’s last birds were a pair of Great Tits and a nesting Carrion Crow.
No new birds were added along the northern edge of Greenland Lake but there was a veritable array of flowers including some form of Spurge, Common Fumitory, Common Stork's-bill, Hound's Tongue and a blue flower that I have not been able to identify. Coming to the end of this large open area of scrub we decided to walk over to the beach. On the climb over I spotted silky pockets all over the brambles and caterpillars crawling along the thorny stems. A notice warned us they were the larvae of the Browntail Moth and that touching them would cause skin irritation.
Once on the beach I walked to the higher middle part and set up my scope for a seawatch in the hope of my first ever Eider. I saw no Eider yet had the consolation of six of 26 Sandwich Terns and a total of 5 Gannets and a few cormorants or shags a long way out. The Gannets were marvellous white sea birds with large black tipped wing spans and menacing faces. I looked up and saw nine of 19 Whimbrel flying along the shoreline to the west towards Langstone Rock.
Eventually we climbed back over the dunes again to access the Bight for the hide. On one of the golf course’s teeing off spots was a ring necked Pheasant, it stood there unfazed by people passing by. Looking at the Bight for the first time I was disappointed to see the tide was not high enough to cover it and concentrate the birds tightly on the high tide roost in front of the hide.
Not far from us was a flock of 17Ringed Plovers and sixty seven of 82 Dunlins. They had settled onto an area of large pebbles for a rest and were hugging the salt marsh as if they were under threat. I looked up for a Peregrine and saw absolutely nothing at all. They must have felt unsure of me even though I was about seventy five metres away from them. They soon relaxed and I could watch the Dunlins breeding plumage of black on the belly. I also spent some time trying to take a picture but they did not come out as the sunshine had won it’s battle and produced a haze.
At half past two, we were sitting pretty in the upper level of an empty hide. Unfortunately I had forgotten my flask of lemon tea so some we had to make do with my box of mints. Because of the lowness of the high tide the birds were a fair way out but a scan picked out some of the usual suspects and some really special arrivals. Right in front of us were 8 Cormorants, 288+ Oystercatchers and 3 Great Black Backed Gulls. I searched the gulls for special species but they were too far away.
I maximised the zoom on my scope to check the diving terns and was excited to find no less than 4 Little Terns among the Sandwich Terns and 8+ Common Terns. The Little Terns were identified simply by being much smaller than the adjacent Common and Sandwich Terns. The Little Terns hovered over the water then plunged into it seemingly getting into the water more than the Sandwich Terns did. This may have appeared so due to them being smaller and being masked by choppy water longer than their bigger cousins. One came closer to the hide and I picked out their yellowish orange bills and white foreheads. I was really glad with this find as they were a British lifer for me, I have already seen them in Kenya last month.
I thought I had seen a glimpse of a Roseate Tern but it was not sufficiently close enough to make an identification. Unfortunately that was about it on the menu from the hide despite waiting a while in case anything turned up. A lot of the small waders and the Oystercatchers flew around and disappeared to the left and we soon discovered why. A woman who earlier used the hide had erroneously walked out onto the Bight to get a closer view of the birds through her bins!
We departed from the hide and outside were masses of Sea Campion growing along the path. On the way back, I stopped at the small easternmost pool and mentioned my surprise at the lack of any Linnets. On that cue three of 16 Linnets flew into view on a branch. Almost simultaneously a bird perched high up in a small tree and it clearly had a large grub in it’s bill. It was one of a breeding pair of 2 Whinchats, the male was offering food to his partner while she gathered nesting material. The female moved about the brambles and a small ditch like depression for a long time without going into anything with her building materials. It was obvious we were a ‘threat’ to her so we moved a short distance away. I spent a good twenty minutes trying to get a decent picture of her but she would move to another perch just when I was about to press the shutter! I gave up in frustration but had a comforting picture of a Linnet and a female Stonechat also with a grub in her bill!.
Walking back up the middle of Greenland Lake, I did not add anything else and saw the male Whinchat at the other end trying to kill off a large shiny grub it had plucked out of the sandy soil. Passing the main pond, I looked in through each vantage point seeing some Chiffchaffs in the reeds plus other warblers I did not manage to see long enough. A Skylark could be heard and sure enough it was singing right above us before descending onto a fence post along the edge of the Marram grass covered dunes. From this post it still kept belting out it’s song!
I called into the visitor centre to ask about the Warren Crocus and was informed of one in flower the day before so we set off to look for it. The flower could not be found until a man came out and pointed out one to us with the tip of his brolly. I was shocked at how unbelievably small this flower is, it is an understatement to say the whole plant is minuscule. So small that I did not bother taking a photograph of it!
The walk was finished off by walking through the first wood, it was at the thick reed bed pond that I added two more birds namely 2 Reed Buntings and a splendid Reed Warbler. There were many birds moving in the reeds but not too keen on showing themselves. Leaving the reserve through the gate we came in we saw two more Whitethroats and another further on in the bramble bushes in the picnic areas where there were also many Starlings and 9 House Sparrows foraging in the grass.
I finished off the day with a double Childhay Manor Honeycomb ice cream cone before having my sandwiches! This afternoon was a great compilation and study of, many different bird species and flowers. It was too windy for any butterflies. The Whitethroat and Little Tern have pushed my British total to one hundred and sixty two birds.
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