...And Another Thing.

The Year So Far, part II.

We start with a nice dip; a Bittern had been tarting about in font of the hide at Bowling Green, and I was all over that. Friday after work and.. Yep. Zip. I stopped off at Cockwood Crossing on my way home in hope of Little Gulls but got nothing. Ok, there were birds, yes, including Spotshank at Bowling Green, but nothing new for the year. This is the way it goes. I think it was raining a bit [shock], it was definitely a lot nippy, and very windy. Yes, I remember the wind.

Next day and it was very frisky at the Nose. There were Little Gulls, though. Lots of them. The sea was in "Ima getchoo an' yer little doggie, too" mood, so much caution was needed. Still, I got great views of at least 6 Little Gulls that were well worth the soaking. Even some photos.!

Five sentences there that really don't do justice to it.

Next day, the frontal system was past and there was a brief [possibly theoretical] window in the bands of rain in which a deranged birder might just Head East, [not so] Young Man, in search of Lifers in a filthy twitching type manner.

You sometimes meet birds with interesting names. Killdeer is one. A north american wader, related to and indeed similar to the familiar Ringed Plover [all US citizens immediately add "Just bigger and brighter and better", naturally...].

Why in the name of Mork's Green Belly would you call a bird 'Killdeer'??? 

Does it? 

Itsa frickin' wader [well, walker], so this hardly seems likely. 

In fact, should you be lucky enough to meet one and unlucky enough to flush it, it will give a call that sounds a lot like "Killdeer". So now you know.

Anyways, one had turned up in Hampshire [the Hampshire Avon, by a farm reservoir] and at last I had one in range. Yep, one of those 'One day I'll see one, one day' birds, this.

I went for it.

The rain on the way up was epic, but I drove through it [noting what was thus coming up behind me...] and after a roadside Little Owl [in Dorset, not Devon, though] not only found the right spot, but there was the bird! On the far side of the reservoir [a big pond at the end of a long but nowhere near as bad as advertised {wimpy saxons, don't know what mud and and puddles are} track], looking into both light and wind. But there it was. Also my first ever Chinese Water Deer [less yay, but still a Mammal Lifer]. Fields full of Egyptian Geese and Red-legged Partridge on the way out, and a detour for 'a' Corn Bunting on the way back. Then a satnav-ordered route to Site B took me right to a White-tailed Eagle menacing local waterbirds!

Site B and the rain was arriving [ok, I'd been showered at the Killdeer] but the Great-tailed Grackle [what a name, what a bird] was not only unfussed by that, but unfussed by us filthy twitchers, gathering around to 'tog it. You could walk right past him and he'd be 'Yeah, whatever dude'. Pictures on here, of course. You may have to scroll a bit.

Site C and my hunt for Bonus Great Grey Shrike was taken out by sheets of rain. Also having to find somewhere to actually sit down and have lunch [I thought the New Forest was all for fancy rich types? Not even a bench to be found?!? Or do they just have their people bring furniture with them?]

Still, it was rather great. 

At this point there was once a long frothing rant piece on what is and isn't a Tickable bird, but I have decided to erase it, not least due to it being stuff I've said before many times. Here are four preserved sentences;

Ship-assisted. One of those terms applied variably; American bird appears on South Coast: 'ship-assisted = bin it', American bird appears on East Coast: 'genuine vagrant = straight into Cat A'. You know I'm right.

Yeah. 

I'll summarise: The scientific method requires consistent methodology.

Ok, getting on with it.

The next day [that is, the day after the Great Yankee Twitch], I managed to stagger down to the Harbour, where I saw a GND, a BHG, 2 Moorhens, and 6 Mute Swans. Ah, the Patch, you can't beat it. 😁

Some work happened and we reach the end of January. [Yes, all this and we're not even into month two...]

Caspian Gulls had been tarting about in front of all and sundry at Brixham Outer Harbour and as I a) needed it for the year and b) had never got an even vaguely good photo of one, decided that I needed to c) it. [[Groan]]

It was a little nippy and a lot threatening to rain on us [the assorted birders who turned up] but the [well, 'a', as there have been maybe a half dozen of them popping in and out] Caspian Gull appeared and struck poses for us. A Black-throated Diver then - in a very out-of-personality action - showed right up to point-blank range. It was all quite good and even better to be shared with one of the Hope's Nose Irregulars.

 

The next day, the Patch did its best to keep up, with a [very good for modern times] glorious 17 Purple Sandpipers on Haldon Pier, with 12 Turnstone.

 

The weekend ended with an amble with the Folks about a wood near Dartmoor, where Lesser Spotted Woodpecker made an unexpected appearance, to my delight [though a little tempered, as would she let me photo her? Would she BLE-]

A couple of holiday days to use saw me out again the next day, defying the rain, about the east side of Dartmoor. Most interesting birds were 18 Redwing near Hound Tor.

 

More birdy the next day with a more determined attempt to find some yearticks. Failure at Arch Brook was followed by getting absolutely blatted on at the LORP - discovering in the process that the new trollies I'd bought as 'waterproof' were anything but.. [[buy chinese, get conned, duh]] - but that was very much counteracted by the sight of not only a rather damp Hare but also two Spoonbill [right up the top, invisible from the road, the fiends]. As I headed back, a Spotted Redshank showed quite ridiculously close. And the Sun came out. Joy.

I then failed for various other things on my much drier way home. But hey, that's birding. 

Also birding, the next weekend I went for an amble up on t'Moor [defying the weather. Because]. I spent far too long cowering from said rain, but once it gave up [That saying about poor weather vs poor equipment may apply..] I was overflown by a massive [190+ is massive] flock of winter thrushes - all of those calling were Fieldfare - and a smaller flock of Golden Plover, before being dashed-by by a Merlin [WOOO!!] which was much better than nothing. A couple of hours wedged against an outcrop under a brolly was definitely worthwhile!

Another week passed by and it was time for some more determined yearlisting. Saltram is a bit of a trip and so usually I only go there when either twitching rarities or chasing yearticks. [Something about a 'definitely as wild as they get in this country' duck, maybe?] This is a bit of a shame, as it's a rather lovely place [allowing for the hordes, assorted] with reasonable for the times parking, actual loos, and a NT shop [what?]. A good variety of birding in the immediate area with a not bad by Patch standards hill the only impediment. What's not to like? AND South Efford Marsh just over the river [and the road, and another hill, this one a bit toothier]. Worth a visit.

Ahem.

I approached with a little trepidation as I'd heard the female Red-crested Pochard [definitely wild, shut up] had become mobile and elusive along the river. An interesting wild duck chase was on the cards.

Or not, as she was sat on the island in the duck pond by the gift shop.

But there were no Mandarin. At all. [Look down [long way...] for past views of these 'almost touching distance' birds in years past]

Asking the nice NT people, apparently due to bird flu they're no longer feeding the birds, or letting the public do it, either. Bugger.

Oh well.

Ring-necked Parakeets are much-hated birds, but they are also quite pretty and sound better than Jays. I actually got a photo of a blue morph, too. Result.

 

Some goons had flushed everything off Blaxton Meadow while surveying [apparently there are 'plans'....] so I headed off in the very warm sunshine to find the way to Efford Marsh. This proved a little interesting; very much an 'easy when you know how'. Two Kingfishers flew along the Plym, three Goosanders dived in it. The Marsh itself - mostly woods and grassy bits, with dampness one little edge - did indeed contain one or maybe two lightly vocal and moderately showy Siberian Chiffchaffs, a Yellow-browed Warbler [feeling more vocal but less showy] and a horde of regular-flavour Chiffchaffs. Once I'd got there, it was rather lovely, even with all the mud. Three GSWs in one tree at one point being a first for me, if only I'd been able to get a pic! [Ah, the story of my birding life...]

Back to Saltram and a Barwit had appeared on a now goon-less Blaxton, which was nice to see at close-ish range. No Mandarins at all, but never mind, they are around and I'll find some. I've got my main targets, seen some nice bonuses, so Home before the Rush kicks off!

Now, this was only the first of four days' fun - Nights having their uses - but I think I need to insert another gap here, and put something more out. We shall have to wait with baited breath to see what else I got up to then, let alone later.

Oh, the suspenders.... 

Be Seeing You...

Edited Mutter

To make an amendment.

 

I then on Monday did see a sexy bird.

To whit, a lovely male Wheatear at Hope's Nose.

No Sandwich Tern, though. [Arg, not a tern or skua or shear by the end of March... For shame]

There were lots of nice bees, though.

Bee Seeing You...

Mutter Mutter Mutter

So the yearly switch to Bloody Stupid Time has vexed me as per.

I am still working on the latest section of my far too long update thing.

I haven't seen any sexy birds this week.

Mutter mutter mutter... 

Be Seeing You...

Dateup

I am still working on the next far too long wall of text update post. Albeit in widely-spaced bursts.

Very widely-spaced bursts. 

But I am making progress.

Unlike in my mission to Start Spring by seeing a freaking Wheatear on Patch [or at all, for that matter].

 

It's been seven goes, now. 

I saw my first Swallow of the year today - flew across the road on my way to work [going W or thereabouts. The Swallow, not me.] - and have also seen Sand Martins, but no Wheatear, so it is still WINTER. This is Official.

 

I don't care about all the sunshine and flowers and things. 

Be Seeing You...

Speaking Of.

After writing that post last night, I happened to notice that rarest of things; clear skies!

 

Spurred into action, I dragged my li'l old reflector telescope outside and managed to see Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, Jupiter - and all four Galilean moons!! -, Mars, and Venus. Score.

Saturn and Venus weren't in great position, but Jupiter was on fine form [and I've not had all four Jovians for a while, I can tell you] and getting Neptune at all [and at the same time as Uranus] was very nice. Uranus found first and by pure fluke, I just landed on it. I am - as you may guess from my name - very old-fashioned in my astronomy and don't even have a sight [yes, even cable ties are too much for me....], let alone a computer-controlled aiming mechanism, so getting on stuff is not easy. Though it does make succeeding much more satisfying.

Today I tried the Nose after work, hoping East winds and the fact they've started arriving would get me a Wheatear. They did not. I barely saw anything, it was so foggy.!

Oh well.

We persevere.

Be Seeing You...

Observation.

I wrote that, didn't I? "Definitely this month"

It's not irony if it's certainty.

Anyways, I am working on my next wall of text post and it will be with you directly.

Be Seeing You...

[[P.S. I have done a seawatch. My first since the day before I broke myself {the, er, first time; it got a bit cumulative} and it was - despite iffy weather and poor duration, oh and no shearwaters  - wonderful to be back. This will be in that post. Whenever you see it. If you haven't fallen asleep by that bit.]]

What? Wait... An Actual Post?!? What Madness Is This..?

[[You may wish to skip down to the next >>>>>> you see. Just a thought]]

 

Long long ago, when even I was posting twice a week or more, things were different.

No, it really was like that once. Yes, I am now 'slightly' distracted by assorted socials [er, other socials], though my engagement is born largely of necessity. I blame gaggle and their 'you submit or you don't get pictures' attitude.

{You could also hit the BLEEPing paragraph without it also adding a BLEEEEPing extra space. [Why? Why??? Why-the-BLEEPing-WHY?!?!?!?]}

Ahem.

[I just had to go back and delete all those spaces, too]

There is a big hole back there of things untold, but never mind... Let's just get on with the nearly now.

 

>>>>>>>>

Being somewhat broken and unable to deal with heavy loads, especially suddenly applied loads, made my planned attempt at a Glorious First [and that's the best way to start any birding year. I will accept no disagreement] rather difficult. But it didn't stop me.

Things started in even worse than usual as the 'new year' fireworks opened up at about 1030pm.. I know. I really know. 😔

But they'd all run out of ammo by the time I gave up on a Tawny Owl and went to bed, and so I opened my bathroom window as I cleaned my teeth and.. 'Hoo-oo-oo-oooooo'

Oh.

Hellz.

YEEEEESS!!!! 

A good start.*

Daylight. [Well, getting there] My weight compromise was a flask. No scope - not even the li'l one! - no kit of any weight, but I could be out for the day. And I was.

It was.. a bit icy once I got to the top of Haldon [nasty patch of black ice on the A380, slight gritting issue with 2° air temp?!?] and a balmy -2° at Topsham, where there were exactly no White-fronted Geese, let alone Beans. Feck.

I spent too much time messing about there, looking for them [not chatting, certainly not] though I did catch up with the Goldeneye [nice to get on the first for a change] and not see any Beardies [always worth a shot from the dock when it's calm and sunny]. Having started from Dart's Farm, I headed back, on hope the geese would be there. Nope. Open gate, dogs, bugger. BUT there were a LOT of birds about the crop field - including two Egyptian Geese! - and I was most merry [9 yearticks, folks, nine!]

Gen that 'the geese flew off Exminster way' was worth following, so I did. And there were indeed White-fronted Geese there. No Beans, though, as they had pulled a particularly mean Houdini [I mean, what bird only shows for the 31st? 'Tis evil I tells you]. I did get some very nice views of the larger party of White-fronts, though [once I found them], which was nice. A male Marsh Harrier was also a notable and enjoyable sighting.

I still had some light and so back to the Patch to try to find the loitering Velvet Scoter - which The Teacher had confirmed was still around - from Thatcher Point. She gave me a right runaround, eventually turning up on the other side of Thatcher Rock [a not unsizable island] from which all scoters had been seen all winter. Hmm. Getting back up to my li'l car, a Firecrest called and then showed and proved to be the last new bird of the day. Final score? [[Recounted and re-sworn about]]  99

Yes, 99 species with bins only [ok I borrowed a scope here and there]. I thought I was only on about 96, oh if only I'd known I could have gone for Woodcock for the ton!

Ah well. 

The next day I had to go to work. I'd asked for it off, explained I'd have nothing to do, but no dice. It was only a half day, but still...

After work I hit Arch Brook and Passage House on the Teign. Effectively birding from the car, I took the scope [not allowed to carry it around, but assembling and putting away only]. Mistle Thrush at the former [and a really cool male Sprawk dash-past], Spotshank, Grey Wag and Med Gull at the latter. No Spoonbill in sight [they were at Coombe Cellars. Of course.]

Saturday saw me filled with grim determination. I hit the Otter, Seaton, the Black Hole & Colyford, and [CENSORED WOODCOCK SITE].

On the LORP, the Slav Greve played les buggeurs risibles, waiting 90 mins to appear between the bridges like it had always been there. Mean time I was stomping around in increasing vexation, checking every possible piece of water it could be hiding on. I'd got down to the sea, scanned offshore a lot [found a Black-throated Diver, which was great, but still...] and was on my way back thinking I'd dipped when There It Was. Joy? Well, it did show very well.

Seaton was the opposite. I found the bowls club, found the crazy golf next door and the Torbay Palms were full of Black Redstarts and Lesser Whitethroats of Eastern Origin Probably Maybe?  I had a late but very happy lunch, sat on a bench, with the odd BlackRed coming Robin-close. At least 6 and 2, possibly 8 and 3. WOW.

Black Hole and Colyford Common are great birding, you never know what you'll get. I was hoping for a nice Caspo, or at least a YLG, maybe a new-for-year wader or something. Also there had been Barnacle Geese there. I got no yearticks. Oh well.

 

The classified Woodcock place produced Woodcock as it got dark. Also some nice black ice. Yeek. No injuries or damage; I'm not paranoid, just necessarily careful.  

Next day I was Patch-only. Great Crested Grebe and Red-throated Diver were new for the year, but my ribs were happier.

Friday afternoon was likewise, only with no new species. Saturday would be different [I hoped].

It started well, with Nuthatch for the year on my Skygarden feeders.

I was heading somewhere else when it suddenly occurred; sunny, calm, winter. So I spent two hours sat under a little tree looking at some much taller trees. Redpoll, Crossbill and Jay were new for the year, and then I heard a rather 'sic' sound, flying right over me... 😃 One, probably two on the calls. They [/it] didn't land in view, of course, but yearlists take heard only. 

I was very naughty and didn't hang around to see if I could get a photo, but instead went grinning back to my car and did something bad. I went South. There were birds down there and I decided I had enough daylight to try for lots of them.

 

The Goddess of Birding decided I was having too much fun, so I failed entirely near Modbury and then forgot completely to detour to South Huish... but I did get to Beesands. I saw Murphys Inc. leaving, looking happy [I was happy too, I got their space!] and indeed, the Baron of Beesands was present. I outsmarted him and got a pic, then bolted for Slapton. [Very bad birding, I know...]

Black-necked Grebe, Great White Egret, and Pochard had been reported there and I needed them all. I got the grebe, plus a female Ring-necked Duck to go with the Baron. [Got me going, thought she was a female Pochard. Oh, such is the irony that a rare American vagrant is a 'bugger' bird...!!]. Light down, finals hopes dashed with no Bittern, and no Barn Owl on the way home. Oh well.

Next weekend.

Windier, and early Sun was supplanted by some rather frisky rain. And hail. I remember the hail. This only gave out as it got dark.

I still went for it.

Turns out, it's much easier to find birds when you know exactly where to look. To be fair, I was expecting the bridge the Modbury geese were near to be one the road actually passes over, rather than one down a side lane, but that's just me being naïve again...

Anyways, I duly found not only the Barnacle Geese I was looking for, but White-fronts, Egyptians, and a hundred plus gulls [which had displaced the hoped-for Green Sandpipers...] 

Remembering to hit South Huish, and even paying the NT [I'm still in shock that I did that] I found wind, rain, more rain, even more rain, but also the drake Green-winged Teal** sitting right out in the open and I didn't even have to get out of my car! Woo.

A pause in the rain saw me off after the Water Pipit, which proved elusive, and after flying over my head, eventually turned up on the beach [I know, but there it was]. I lined up on it with the camera and got a sudden face-full of hail. Ouch. And the bird got away. Double ouch.

 

Oh well.

To Slapton, as the weather wasn't stopping, and I must be under a shower line [right?]. The rain - of course - followed me, and I spent a lot of time not seeing Great White Egrets, let alone Pochards [ho ho]. I'd even yomped up the hill to look in the hidden pools on the North Ley. It was getting dark, and while the rain had finally stopped [and it had, though I still suspected a trap], the wind hadn't. I headed back down to the bridge, feeling a bit vexed and a lot damp, when there - cruising up from 'somewhere' south - were not one but two Great White Egrets. BLEEP! I went for the camera but they were past and gone. Still, a YearTick is a YearTick.

Result.

Next day and I was being a little more restrained, merely heading down to Broadsands in search of That Last Grebe for the year. I took a small risk and only my li'l scope, having waited for a high tide [and the light behind me] to bring the bird in close. Or as close as a RNG will come, anyway.. The interesting-looking Red-necked Grebe was duly seen [and am I the only one who thinks it looks remarkably like the possibly holbollii Red-necked Grebe later seen on Cheddar Reservoir? No?] and performed rather well, as the species usually delights in staying waaaaay offshore. [Hmm?] A Black Guillemot had been reported nearby the day before and that morning, but of it I could find no sign [and neither could The Boss, who I passed as I arrived]

The weekend ended - shockingly - with rain, rain, and more rain. I determined to go out anyway and gave the Patch a patrol.  A showy Firecrest in rain too hard for the camera was nice, but then The Goddess of Birding smiled upon me, and off Meadfoot I found a ridiculously close Black-throated Diver [almost in the surf at one point!] which very helpfully stayed on for an actual twitch to assemble.. ::faints:: Though only after wandering off for a spell as soon as the news had been put out, to further strain my poor blood pressure.. [bad diver naughty diver]. Finally, 11 Purple Sandpiper on Haldon Pier were the last yearticks of the day.

I still have late January and February to get to, but as this is a wall of text and I've been asked 'so when is this actually going up then, eh?' more than once, I shall stop typing and start posting at this point.

 

This then is

TO BE CONTINUED>>>>***

 

 

Be Seeing You... 

[[* "This. Is. DEVOOOOON!!"   Yes, I went there. No, I don't care. 😝 ]]

[[**The Powers that Be can bite me. ]]

[[*** And this month, at least. No, really. Stop laughing. ]]