Actual News

MASS PANIC AS APOCALYPSE LOOMS

Ahem.

Today I was stirred from my post-Nights stupor - having decided a trip up to Frampton was not a safe thing - by a text from The Teacher: 'Marsh Sand at the Black Hole'. Having been thinking on looking for [presumably] this bird on the Exe, and having seen exactly one before, no less than 17 years ago [which was, incidentally, the last one in Devon..], I decided that I did indeed feel ok to go that far.

::One very much not Wacky Races interval later::

I rocked up to barely fit in the car park, meet the Mighty JT on his way out and learn that the bird - and very full supporting cast - was on show, and then shortly after The Teacher himself, abased before the Dread Artefact, which was unerringly locked on the vagrant wader.

[[Did I mention I've come off a Night shift and not yet slept?]]

 

Marsh Sandpiper is an elegant little-ish wader, like a cross betwixt Greenshank and Black-winged Stilt, which zips about watery places on long legs [often belly-deep] picking off insects and so forth with its knitting needle of a bill. This one showed a lot better than the other - seen sideways from the Bowling Green platform up the Clyst - though the bright Sun and wicked heat haze didn't help my attempts at pictures, alas.

Also on show a very nice Wood Sandpiper, two lovely Little Stints, a Spotshank, Common Sandpiper, Ruff, and a scattering of the usuals in the ways of Summery waders and wildfowl.

 

Look up! OSPREY!

 

'Hey, is that the Osprey back, high up to the North?' asked a birder who was paying attention. I got on it and channeled Obi-wan; "That's no Osprey, that's a WHITE TAILED EAGLE..."

::Cue pandemonium:: 

A little later, I wandered up to the north end viewing platform, as the Island Hide was a bit crowded for the weather and my nerves. This was a Good idea, and not just for the Wasp Spider by the main way.

 

'Look over there, is that another Buzzard?' 'Nope, that's a Red Kite.'

 

I loitered to have some rations and the coffee needed to navigate safely, and the Marshie and Woodie eventually came rather close, though of course directly up-Sun.

Finally, I was thinking of going, starting to pack the scope up, and oh, here's a butterfly landing right in front of me [and I mean touching distance].

That looks a bit bright... Oh ::Naughty words, sorry:: that's a Brown Hairstreak. In fact, that's a female Brown Hairstreak and she's laying eggs.  

Just you wait until I've been through the hundreds of pics, uploaded the ok ones, and put the Brown Hairstreak shots up. Oh, just you wait.

I even hit the eagle. It's awful, but I hit it.

Kite's a bit better.

Waders are ok, considering.

Oh, what a day.

😁

Be Seeing You...

Something Moor.

In light of once more being far behind, I am trying something different.

I have a variety of seawatches [ok, three] to now report on, with associated lists of birds and whatnot, but also I've been up on t'Moor again.

So I'm going to split by subject rather than time.

Hey, at least you're getting something, right?

You may recall that the last time I was up on t'Moor - aside from an afternoon with the Folks on Rippon Tor - I was beyond cryptic with the actual location, on account of sensitive rare species of a potentially breeding nature.

Fortunately for you all, I saw no Grouse, Red or Falcon, Hobby [or anything else rare, for that matter] so I can say where I went.

Woo. 

Ahem.

I hit the south Moor, wandering from Whiteworks to Fox Tor, then down and over to Ducks' Pool, before deviating from my normal route [due to heat and idle curiosity] to head straight over the bogs to Great Gnats' Head, then down over the Plym to Eylesbarrow, back on the usual route.

Things were complicated from the start as I found I was sharing the Moor with not one but two sets of endurance runners, as an ultramarathon and half ultra were being run... Hmm. Well, could be worse. They were at least restraining themselves to the more well-trodden routes, so I'd not meet the runners until I was descending from GGH [not that I knew that then, but the lack of those little flags was reassuring].

Since my last time up top, there had been at least a little rain, and it was markedly damper, with much more green in evidence, though still by no means actually wet. More like closer to where you'd expect Summer to be, perhaps. Though of course as we've had feck all falling since then, it may be browning over again.. Regardless, it wasn't exactly hard going [I'd think at least once before heading straight for Gnats in winter, say] and surprisngly and pleasingly free of Horseflies [dry weather has its uses; as Horsefly larvae live in the soil, it drying out puts a crimp in their lifecycle. {Yes, yes, part of nature, yes, yes, lots of other things that don't bite through denim don't like the soil drying out. Moving on.}]

I found there were still many Wheatears up on t'Moor, including adults still feeding young in the nest, and you may have seen a few pics thereof on gluesky [they've annoyed me, so don't get their name written correctly], also a few dragonflies, a couple of which even posed, despite the fresh breeze.

It was lovely up there, though out of the wind it was quite toasty - which is the main reason I'd decided to avoid the notoriously hot head of the Erme valley - and in it quite frisky. Interesting times, but that's t'Moor.

The very next day I was up again, this time with the Folks [and of course, Canis horribilis salivatus], for a more restrained time - as it was less windy and more 'ot - around the Meavy valley area of Burrator. Many were the Beautiful Demoiselles about the Devonport leat, and many the species of birds seen and heard, too. 😁 

 

Juvenile and female Redstart, Spotted Flycatcher, Willow Warbler, Great Spotted Woodpecker, and a lone Wheatear were outside the compound and notable [I will get some pics up eventually] when we relocated to somewhere a little less sheltered and with more of a view.

It may be of interest that I recorded 14 species of bird, butterfly, and dragonfly on the tops, and 37 in the valley the next day. 

Far more varied habitat, of course, or should I say habitats, and I suspect if I had been more assiduous in counting say plant species, or even included other inverts [that's three up for the tops off the top - boom boom - of my head] that it would be less one-sided. 

Anyways, 'twas a good weekend, and in defiance of the heat, too.

 

Be Seeing You...

Er, Yeah...

I have been doing things, but the muse has again deserted me.

 

 

So I will be posting, about things such as looking at the sea and wandering about t'Moor, and so on.

But not yet.

What will you do?

Be Seeing You... 

[Really. Will be.]

Moor Hours, Moor Birds

This Sunday - after losing the previous day to my head [argh] - I was determined to get some kilometres under my feet.

T'Moor awaited, and I defied the iffy forecast and actual rain to go for a proper yomp.

Aside from assorted DofEs, I almost had the place to myself, which was great. I covered a fair whack of ground and got to new bits for the year, I even refound - and used - an old crossing point I'd last used while still working at the merry 'vox..!! Better yet, I only got rained on once! Result.

My legs were unamused by all this use, though, and the creaking when I got home was a terrible thing to behold, but it was worth it.

 

And not just for being Up again, oh no.

 

The birds, my dears, the birds!! 

You may be wondering why I've not actually used any names, any places, so far. This is entirely deliberate, as when I said 'the birds', I meant it!

😁 

Part-way through - way out 'somewhere' - I came across an interesting feather on the path. Look Over There and tell me what you think? 😏

I knew what I thought and was extra on guard - despite being in what I did not think of as an area for the species - though I still managed to be surprised when I flushed two-no three! RED GROUSE, which went zooming off low, as is their wont.

 

You might want to hit that link, as I hit one well enough for you to see what it was [just about].

 

Zoggin' 'eck!!!

I've heard them this year, more than once in fact, but not seen any since that time I was 'somewhere on Dartmoor' and came across a female with train of utterly adorable chicks, up very close and personal. There are pics, you may have seen them if you've been reading this for long enough. ::Whistles::

 

Thus the lack of location detail; Red Grouse are very rare and very protected and you do not give locations in the breeding season [or any other time, if you're me].

 

 

Not very long after at all, an adult Hobby came zooming past. I was again surprised and again got a photo. Score. As it is still breeding season [well, just] and Hobby are also very sensitive breeders [Maybe. They're that sensitive. I think they do somewhere in the county but nobody is telling. {And that's very right and proper, too}], I couldn't tell you where I was even if I hadn't met the grouse. Ah well.

 

 

Elsewhere there were Wheatears, including a very confiding juvenile, and my first Black Darter of the year [latter much lower down and soggier location that the former].

In something of a re-balancing, I again got no soaring birds that weren't Ravens despite quite a bit of skywatching.

Ah, I love being up on t'Moor.

Be Seeing You...

I Got Rained On And Everything!

The forecasters lie.

This is known.

But I dragged up early on Sunday [not this Sunday, the one before. Backward Time, this is, in the way-before.] anyway, and even though it looked far too sunny, there was wind, it was in the SE [so even the shipping forecast was wrong.!! {Yes, really, it had just said 'SW to W..' 😮}], and there were some clouds... 

Well, there was also a lot of sunshine and awful glare and generally bad light, but - as you may have guessed from the title - it did get better, with the odd frisky squallish shower coming through.

Most of all, there were some birds!!

Wooooooooooooooooooo

Ahem.

The Teacher arrived a bit after I did, and stationed himself out at the TSWS. Seawatching being what it is - and lone sets of eyes from different heights and angles being what they are - we got slightly different results. As did Berry Head, where the Great and the Good were assembled, and scored an awful lot of Balearics, among other things.

 

But I get ahead of myself. 

Glonk Corner, three hours;

Gannet              43/1

Kittiwake          45/1

Manx               572/3

Balearic             27  

Cory's               1-3  [0709, 0748, 0859 *]

Sooty                 1   [0659]

prob. Stormy     1  [0657]

Fulmar               4 

C Scoter            0/4

Guillemot          32

Razorbill            1

Med Gull          3/1

BHG                  4

Sarnie                2

Swift                  1

Hourlies;

Gannet         9/17/17

Kitt              20/4/21

Manx        323/208/41

Balearic       17/7/3

Fulmar          2/2/0

Guille           30/2/0

* Three sightings of a bird no closer than the Big Shear Line, that never semed to head off, and wasn't seen to come in from very far north, added to none past Berry Head, implies to me one circulating bird doing a loop out into Lyme Bay.

The Teacher had Common Dolphins which didn't get down to me, which may add to this theory.

I would dearly have liked to be there at first light [ho ho], as there were three figures of Balearics past BH, and I suspect they went past the Nose very early on, or were circulating themselves in the northern Bay / near Lyme Bay until the Sun came up. 

Another watch of IFs, but enough quality, despite the almost universally ghastly light conditions [which is - as I kept reminding myself - good practice] to be a decent one.

When will the weather allow another?

The WiSPs are out there. This is known. 

Be Seeing You...

Pushing Metaphors Beyond Sense.

I'm not going there with the title of this one.

To get on with it;

At least the forecast of vaguely useful weather had me to the Nose early doors two days in a row, though reality having other ideas meant I only watched for one and two hours respectively...

1hr, Glonk Corner;

 

8/2 Manx

10 Gannet

3 Kittiwake

1 Fulmar 

1 Stormie

1 Little Grebe  [Nose Tick!!!]

2hrs, Glonk Corner;

 

121/13 Manx

1 Balearic

22 Gannet

10 Kittiwake

1 Fulmar 

65 Common Scoter [incl. flock of 56!]

1 Med Gull [+ another post-watch]

Nothing spectacular, but gems amongst the gravel.

That scoter flock was caught on camera, which is how I got a sure count.

That weekend I also took a meander about the lanes the other side of the Haldon Hills, but nothing of note was found, aside from a male Broad-thighed Beetle, which stowed away in my car and so was transported to a whole new area [there's lots at the Nose, so he wasn't totally doomed, btw]

The weather got hotter and hotter, and with seawatching off the table, all that remained was bug-hunting.

 

So at it! 

I'd long meant to get to Oreston Drive nr Plimoth, where White-letter Hairstreaks could be 'seen at eye level and there's loads'.

 

Well, it was worth a try.

 

I found one, plus at least four Purple Hairstreaks, but the views were more or less eye level [usually looking down at 'em, really!] and certainly the best I'd had of WLH, with photos even being taken ::faints:: 

Being Over There, I had a choice to make, but as it was rather windy, I decided to try the site with at least some shelter.

 

It was actually a lot windier at the theoretically more sheltered Slapton, and while there were Norfolk Hawkers flying about, they weren't stopping in view, the jade-eyed fiends...

 

 

I gave it a long while, but the best thing I saw was a massive - 46!!! - flock of mixed adult and juvenile Long-tailed Tits streaming over. As I was limping off [yep. again.], I tried the little bit by the bridge for one last time..

 

Oh hello.  

Pics Over There, worth a look.

 

I stayed to have a look at the sea [you never know, there might have been terns]. There weren't.

Another weekend, and again only on one day was it cool enough to even think about going out bug hunting.

 

The wind was blowing the other way and less vigourously, so I went after Southern Damselfly. I was off up North, and it got verrrrry hot - 30°!! - but I saw a host of the teeny blue darlings. In one 10m stretch of runnel [just one of several at the site; which I will not publicise as they're protected] there were 8 pairs in assorted tandems and seven more single males searching hopefully. That's by far the highest density I've ever seen there or indeed anywhere else.

To celebrate - and get out of the heat - I relocated to t'Moor, where I got all reminiscencey about Spain as I climbed up a handy tor, before spending two hours not seeing soaring anything...

 

But the views were wonderful, and an A400M burned by at eye level; weaving through the wind turbine obstacle course the countryside is these days. 

Eventually, a juvie Wheatear turned up, so that was all ok.

I would have stayed longer, but my car was in the Sun and I feared it might melt, so I called it a 'day I was so glad to have aircon in this one!' and went my way homewards.

There will be more, and there will be seawatching.

Be Seeing You...

Hotter Stuff. Possibly.

Being Part 2 of the long due Update stuff.

So I'd just been off up norf after naughty butterflies and come away with a score draw.

 

 

It still being all sunny - though a bit windier than I'd have liked - I went after more butterflies, this time a double-header after frits and ads.

Aish Tor had again far too mobile fritillaries, and getting photos - let alone decent photos - proved very dificult. 10+ High Brown and 2+ Dark Green [that's the set! 😁] Fritillary were seen but not shot. Then a lovely Silver-washed Fritillary came down from the treeline and sat and posed for me. Wings shut but I took it! [See BlueSky, it's on there somewhere!]. A large number of Brown Silver-lines Moths had emerged, too.

 

Then I took a small detour on my way home to try Great Plantation, where the wind was even friskier, despite being down in the Bovey basin. Ah well. 

I found a sunny sheltered spot with actual flowers and waited. White Admiral and Silver-washed Fritillary duly appeared after a not entirely short wait and hardly any Horseflies. I even got photos, as Over There has shown 😎  Golden-ringed Dragonflies were out in numbers but not stopping in view, and the Beautiful Demoiselles were posing just out of a good view, the fiends, but a nice Comma - my first of the year - did pose, showing off said comma, even.

 

 

Next day and I got dragged into action by a text from The Teacher; "Woodchat Shrike at Dawlish Warren!"

 

I miss shrikes [anything smaller than them will disagree], and the lovely Great Grey from earlier in the year had if anything sharpened my desire for them. 

But it was a sunny day, Dawlish Warren in the sun in Summer.. Grockles...Hordes of Grockles...::Shudder:: but SHRIKE.

 

I went for it.

 

It was blowing a hoolie, but there was a twitch and after a wait there was the bird. 

 

WOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

 

Only my third Woodchat, but I got some pics and it was Glorious.

 

 

 

And then it was the Solstice. 

🌞

The nigh-inevitable clouds didn't quite extend to the horizon, so I was gifted a half-Sun sunrise, before it clouded up even more. The wind was blowing a bit, and I may have brought the Big Scope along, so I had a look at the sea. As you do. 

I only gave it an hour, as it wasn't exactly ideal for seawatching, and was rewarded with a handful of Manxies, a couple of Med Gulls, and Little Egret - passing by as you do - which was ok. Not dire, by any means. Worth a look, certainly.

 

A re-kitting later and I was up onto t'Moor to have a nice leisurely lunch looking out for soaring raptors, what with assorted Red Kites being seen around and about. I figured the Great Mis Tor would give me an excellent vantage point, with the bonus of not being too far off - in terms of transit or yomp - for me to relocate if things didn't work out. [It's the Solstice, rain is always possible!]

It started very well indeed with not one but THREE Red Kites passing low over the main road at Holming Beam. I skidded [entirely safely and legally, officer] into a handy layby and went for my camera. One kite tarried over a field to the south of the road and I got pics! Woo! 

 

There would be more from the Tor, yes?

No. No less than 17 Herring Gulls of assorted mankiness flew down the Walkham valley, but no kites that I could see.. Oh well.

But there were lots of Wheatears, including extra-cute fledgies, so I was quite content.

On my way home.. Two more Red Kites!!! First by Dunnabridge Pound evaded me, despite a very quick stop, but then at Cold East Cross I was able to get into the car park in time to get more pics. Different missing feathers proved they were all different birds, btw, and all were heading SE.

Another day and what to do? Too sunny and wrong wind for the Nose, too windy for land birds [if you can find any] of insects... Ah, of course!

 

I went to Prawle. 

5 hours from the Point gave a Manxie a minute, a Balearic an hour, a flock of 7 Puffins 😮, and 4 Risso's Dolphins.

[[There was more, but I'm weeks behind as it is..]]  

I stopped off at Slapton on my way home, but the Norfolk Hawkers weren't showing in the er, 'fresh' breeze.!

There we end my summer hollyday, and I am less than a month behind.

I will - no really - I will be catching up the rest, with some seawatching [just a little bit, alas] and tarting about after scarce insects to come. This won't be so hard as a) I'm back to work, so less happy time, b) I slightly pinged something [again...], and now c) it's been too fecking hot to do much. 

Oh, woe is me, what is a Backward Birder to do?

Watch all the cute juvies at Home, mostly.

😄

Blue and Great Tits, Dunnock, Blackbird, Greenfinch, GSW, Tawny Owl, and Swift! all seen [ok, TO only heard, but VERY vocal], with Coal Tit, Wren, Firecrest hoped to be imminent. 

Oh, and be very grateful I can't unleash moths on you here any more...

😇

Anyways, I shall

Be Seeing You...