[[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. ]]
