Back after my break.
Yes, I am doing it in one post. Those reading on their phones may be advised to pull up a chair...
So, to cast minds back to April, we start with a four hour seawatch at the Nose. Passage was a bit up and down, but there were Manxies and that was Good.
Ok, looking at the Notebook, we have 222 Gannet, 41 Manx, 34 Kittiwake, 44 Fulmar, 2 Sarnie, 10 C Scoter plus 3 north, 1 LBB, 1 Turnstone at 1217, and the goodies; 1 Little Gull [2cy] at 1013 and 2 Puffin at 1020. A GND was on the sea and I noted 16 Early Purple Orchid spikes up at three locations.
I think it started as expected [seawatching 'because'] and then got better; possibly the Goddess of Birding taking pity on me..
Next day was a lot 'better' and I was at the Nose after migrants, being very pleased to find a Reed Warbler chuntering away in the Top Dell when the sun nearly came out. With a Garden Warbler also on site, this wasn't bad return for these days.
Other Irregulars on site had Wheatear and Whitethroat, which I was unable to find 😕
Next day I headed up to t'Moor in search of Whinchats.
I found loads of Willow Warblers, 3 Cuckoo, a lovely pair of Redstart, and single smart Wheatear and Reed Bunting, but it seemed that Whinchat would elude me.. Until it didn't, with a cracking male up and singing!
Woo!
While this was - I believe - again Devon's first Whinchat of the year, a naughty 'tog was also out, and got on social media before I could, to claim my Glory... Tut.
I had planned a day out the next day, but was dragged up and out earlier than intended [on Nights, you know, not lazy. Honest] by the Teacher, who'd found a reeling Gropper at the Nose!
Heading over, it was the same old story; I heard it but could I see it? Could I f[CENSORED!]. Eventually the Gropper dematerialised completely.
2 Mipits and 8 Swallow passed overhead, 3 GND were on the sea, a Whitethroat was singing.
So, I had the Big Scope and some rations, what was a birder to do?
I gave the sea 2.5hrs, largely out of sheer bloody-mindedness.
22/3 Gannets, 1 Fulmar, 3 Kittiwakes... Whimbrel were heard but not seen repeatedly; hiding on far side of the Lead Stone, I triangulated.
Then it got better; 9 Whimbrel north in three 3s, Red-throated Diver S [1240], 7 Sarnies, 3 Common Tern [1223], Little Tern [1203], Arctic Tern [1206]
Far better than I expected or had a right to, but that's tern passage all in. You can never really tell.
Next weekend, a proper early visit to the Nose gave a singing Lesser Whitethroat which, while trying to stalk for a photo, I managed to almost walk into [pesky birds not staying in one spot...]. Also a Sedge Warbler in subsong, 2 singing Whitethroat, the Mallards of Hope's Nose posing for a pic, and a Common Sandpiper which posed nicely, but my BLEEEEEPing camera refused to work for.... Arg.
From there I went on up t'Moor, where habitat from open moor to increasing trees gave Skylarks, Cuckoos, Yellowhammers, Tree Pipits, Willow Warblers, Garden Warblers [yes, two], Redstart, Pied Flycatchers. With Grey Wagtails and Dipper on the un-named river [due to Dippers breeding].
A good day.
April's last birding was all around Exminster, where I found no Wood Sandpipers, but 3 Hobby overhead, a Wigeon for a pair of intrepid daylisters, and - alas right after they left - a Cuckoo on Powderham Marsh!! My first on site, I believe. A single Gyppo and at least 16 Cattle Egret there, too.
All the expected warblers bar Lesser Whitethroat on site in numbers.
May opened up with another Dartmoor edge wood - yes very cryptic but wait - where a couple of Spotted Flycatchers showed far better though also far more quietly than the nearby Wood Warbler.
😎
Oh yes.
Pied Flies, Redstarts, an unusually showy [to bins] Garden Warbler, and two migrating Hobby made it quite the day, I can tell you.
I then decided to get some proper exercise and indeed up on the tops of t'Moor. My intended start point of Scorhill was foiled by a large party arriving just before me - all in their own cars - filling the place up. This is very inconsiderate; if you're a big group meeting somewhere with limited access, car pool!!
Ahem.
My backup spot was almost full due to inconsiderate parking as well, but as my car is only li'l, I was able to squeeze in. My Wild Tor loop was not off the table, though, as despite being miles away from my usual start point, I could still get there!
Things turned up quite quickly, as while waiting for a hack photoshoot to finish [everyone's on socials], I got on not one but two Red Kites heading west along the line of the A30. Things like this are why I always have a scope up on t'Moor. Even my li'l one makes a difference 😁
After a slightly zig-zaggy route not ending up in Raybarrow [itsa big bog. Avoidance recommended], I joined my usual route at White Moor Circle, heading up to Wild Tor for a slightly more sore-footed lunch than usual, but all annoyance forgotten when a Hobby came screaming by at 0' 😮😁.
It was very much a day of ups and downs, as while I got up Hangingstone Hill with no problems, I was driven off the top by arriving hordes [what? I make no bones about my desire for a little solitude]. Not so bad as I got out of the wind [did I mention it was a bit breezy?] by the Hangingstone itself. A cuppa was then rudely interrupted by a column of smoke rising over Cut Hill.....
Yes, THAT day.
I swore vehemently, quickly packed up and got up to the summit again to get signal [and fully out of the wind] and called 999. Always do this if you see a fire out in the country. You may assume that it's been called in, but maybe everyone else is assuming the same...
The width of the base of the smoke had doubled in the ten minutes between first sight and call, and as the news may have told you, it burned 500 hectares before the fire brigade and commoners [who were arriving within the hour] got it under control.
Stopping off back at Wild Tor, I was greeted by my only Wheatear of the day, and the sight across the valley of the firefighting effort assembling. Now aided by all-terrain vehicles; a good thing too, out that far.
Then comes some filthy twitching, as a pair of Black-winged Stilts had arrived at the Black Hole. I hadn't twitched anything for so long I was worried I'd forgotten how, but it all came back to me 😉
Seeing Murphys [briefly] and The Teacher was good, but BWS porn was even better [no offence, folks 😆]
On my way home, a raptor was quite low over Splatford Split. "THAT's not a Buzzard!" I said to myself, and I was right. It wasn't a kite, either, far less any kind of eagle... young Marsh Harrier.
O...k.
[Still rather good, but, well, hopes went up a bit]
Another week passed and I was on a mission.
We now get to the source of a whole week's posting on bluesky; the Great Butterfly Hunt!
Glanville Fritillary is a very pretty butterfly and I'd never seen one. Yes, there are those who say "Only the Isle of Wights ones are kosher", but I say "Beavers" [and maybe a few other things]
So I set off early [bright wasn't happening at that hour] and went up the 303 [road of dooooooom], hit a right, then a left, and found myself at the wonderfully-named Spreadeagle Down. This may be the NTs smallest car park. It is certainly the only one I know right next to a very busy airfield. But never mind all that, as I went swanning off down a track, looking for a certain spot on a certain bank.
Needn't have bothered, the things were basking on said track like they were Speckled Woods.!!
Also Brimstones showing - yes, just sitting out in the open and letting themselves be photo'd.!?! - and also Adonis and Small Blues, Dingy and Grizzled Skippers... It was rather fun. There were birds, too, but butterflies sort of dominated. The usual steeply-sloping site, but if you can hack that [and the heat when the sun shines..woooh] it's well-worth the trip.
I couldn't not then head over thattaway a bit to the Cerne Abbas Giant, where it was even steeper, even hotter, and the Duke of Burgundys even more obliging. You could sit down and they'd land next to you and let you macro them... ::Faints::
Also Marsh Fritillaries, both sites. Though less bright than the Devon ones, I notice.
Then on to the traditional 'end of a good day in Dorset' site; Maiden Castle, where the Corn Buntings were singing, and Walls were showing.. What madness was this?
Back to more normal service though, as I got on and promptly dropped another kite. Ah, that's more like it.
[In my defence, it was miiiiiiles away and dropped below the horizon without giving a good view. But still.]
More time passes. Eurovision comes around and I do my traditional Eurovision Nightjar Trip. There were indeed Nightjars, and I even got a pic of one!
Also a Roe Deer, and a surprise reeling Gropper [which I could not even get the slightest glimpse of. Of Course.]
Next day I was up on t'Moor, where the Marsh Frits were starting to appear, though ahead of the orchids. I went for a yomp up higher, and my first Green Hairstreak of the year plus more Walls - including a very unnaturally posey one..?!? - were notable, because why not more butterflies? Wheatears busy provisioning chicks delighted me more than all of the above, though. 😀
Sunny and a little bit windy became windy with a hint of sunny the next weekend, plus added near sideways showers for fun and grockle-repelling value. I was - of course - up on t'Moor again, this time a bit further south. 14 miles of up and around and down and over and over a bit more included more Wheatears up, Yellowhammers down, and another unusually-showy Wall, what is going on with them this year?!?
This was from Shipley Bridge, so much time spent on The Sub - with two showers blown overhead to my satisfaction - though without anything interesting seen despite much sky-scanning. I did get over to finally see the standing stone on the other side of the Avon - which I'm pretty sure completes the set - and it's quite a nice one, possibly with now-flattened stone row, too. Bit out of the way, though and thus the moderately-impressive distance covered.!
Another weekend and due to Circumstances only one day out again, this time I was - as per usual these days - following the Murphys. This time I was after a sizeable Silver-studded Blue colony on the East Devon Pebblebeds; one bigger than any I'd seen before [my pet spot had an all-time highest day count of 4...]
However, as I'm me, I didn't ask exactly where they were - and with such a sedentary and compact-territory species, this can be crucial - as I wanted to see if I could find them myself.
This decision cursed repeatedly in unexpectedly-sweltering heat, mounting wind, threatening cloud, and surprise Horseflies as I naturally started at the wrong end....
But I did succeed. 6+ males [no females] including one VERY fresh one, showed quite wonderfully. Hard-earned and all the better for it.
Also year-ticked the Red Arrows, saw a Good Horsefly, did more skywatching - best non-mechanical bird a Swallow... - and got more dragons than expected with a flyby Downy Emerald while I was having lunch. Yes, I dropped my sarnie.
Hmm. So many words. Is this more than all last year? Maybe.
I am now looking with what I don't dare allow to be hope at the prospect of maybe, possibly, could be, seawatching weather where I can get at it.
Just don't mention cheerfully carefree warblers.....
[Ok, not that bothered; off-Patch and not chasing a yearlist]
[Not THAT bothered? Singing? Singing.....]
[[Singing!!]]
Ahem.
I shall, once more, Be Seeing You...
