So, into 2013 and I'm absolutely positively not chasing any Yearlists. To be sure of this I decided to sabotage myself by not only getting off Patch on the 1st, but out of Devon! No half measures here.
"I didn't expect to see you here" said [Famous Somerset Birder] as we met at Ashcott Corner. I'd last run into him at the Siberian Stonechat and we had a quick chat before heading off in opposite directions. A while later we repeated the trick - though without the surprise - and I think later still missed each other by minutes at least twice! Small world and all that.
Yes, it was off to zumerzet for me; I love the Levels in winter and try to get there in a non-twitching capacity as often as is practical. This time having them under water rather than ice was interesting! I only met one flooded road, which the li'l car handled very well, though often the road was the only unflooded thing. Driving along a road with the typical rollercoaster surface, with floodwater either side deep enough to hide the drainage ditches you know are there, and passing a 'Road Liable To Subsidence' sign... :) A brisk nor'westerly kept things suitably chilly, though the sun shone wonderfully and apart from driving through a torrential shower near Taunton I didn't meet any rain.
From Ashcott I first went west to Noah's, then back east to Ham Wall, then west again to Decoy. The long way around, it's true, but getting to Noah's early meant having it to myself [shock!], which was nice, and being in the right place for two low-flying Bitterns, which was brilliant! :D A whole heap of wildfowl were on display, the trick being sorting through them - not a bad problem to have, is it? - for the scarcer species. 8 Pintail among several hundreds all milling around and swimming behind reedy banks and islands. It's fun, even in the teeth of the wind :)
Ham Wall had a female Smew lurking about, plus as [Famous Somerset Birder] reported, at least one GWE. Both would be nice, but as you know, Smew are my favourite ducks. It wasn't showing - neither was the egret - so I decided to stay put on the first platform for a while and see what might appear. Duly something [which eventually showed as a Marsh Harrier {maybe a 2w male?}] started putting up all the ducks in the channels at the back [towards the water tower and farm, if you know Ham Wall]. The Big Scope being set up, I started scanning the sweeping flocks, hoping to see what was up and so I was looking the right way to see the Smew with a group of about 8 Teal - standing out very nicely with her white cheek blazing in the low sun - score!!! The thcwewy duckth of course dropped down into another channel as soon as I called it and didn't come up again... After managing to get the other birders present onto something - a lovely Kingfisher hovering at reed head height - and giving the Smew and GWE another half hour, I tried the second platform in the hope she was in view from there. Nope. Though a big flock of Lapwing flushing themselves were quite a sight.
Time had marched on, so I started looking for somewhere to have some lunch. Thus the yomp to Decoy - which is so far out of the way as to deter most - and may have been flooded, which would be a mighty pain.. The car park was now full to overflowing - this was of course a Bank Holiday and the first good weather for weeks [aaargh], so Noah's and Meare would be very full and staying to stuff my face would be rather antisocial. A long wander with no egrets [and no Beardies] though plenty of singing Cetti's later, I found the sea of mud that guarded Decoy. The Sweet Track shortcut was closed, so it was wading time! I got very very muddy, as you might expect, but I also got Redpoll [it's a good spot for them] and through. There was one guy in the hide and another arrived right after me, but they soon gave up on account of there being no frickin' birds.
I am made of sterner stuff, and know Decoy can be rewarding if you can give it the time. It took more than an hour for the cracking male Goldeneye to show, but he was gorgeous... :) In the mean time, an episode of high humour kept me amused; in centre view are a couple of dead trees, in these trees a motley assortment of Crows and Rooks had gathered. Mostly to caw at things, it seems. In the foreground open water, a Cormorant takes off and heads towards Noah's. Gaining height, it passes over the crow trees, as it does so it unburdens itself. Quite deliberately, as it shakes it's tail to get the cluster bomb effect.. The mob of corvids are visibly hit and I can't hold my scope steady any more as I'm laughing too hard.... ;D
Pity the poor Cormorant which arrives from the right a few minutes later, as it gets quite viciously set upon. I've never seen a Cormorant do a diving landing before.
After the long yomp back to Ashcott Corner, enlivened by finally hearing and even seeing Bearded Tits at the usual place, I decide to go looking for egrets. A Cattle Egret is somewhere up near Mudgely, with GWEs [assorted] and Whooper Swans [10] also in the general area. I drive along a lot of roads, see a lot of droves [mostly flooded - Westhay is under feet of water!] and miss a lot of egrets. Drat. Oh well, time to end the day in the traditional manner, at Catcott.
Catcott is great for ducks, often very close ducks. It's also great for late visits, with the main hide by the car park and the setting sun behind you. Getting to the car park can be fun, with some very nasty potholes and currently a track coated in extremely slippy mud. Not a good combo, as with the slaloming needed to keep my wheels attached I found myself sliding diagonally towards the nicely car-sized ditch at one point... Vehicular adventures aside, it was a worthwhile visit; as soon as I sat down in the [fairly busy] hide I saw a big white thing tarting about right in the open. Ah, Great White Egret. Hmm, what's that over on the left? Whooper Swan.
The egret flew off after taking offence at a marauding Buzzard, and what should emerge from the rushes? Another GWE. Well, at least I know where they were hiding! Also the adult female Marsh Harrier who amused herself by tormenting the Crows - not a good day to be a corvid ;) - the horde of quacks, tons of Snipe, and finally the cherry; a grandstand [with optics, I admit] view of the Starlings...
Wow.
EDIT: Having now a
Health Warning: Retinal damage may result from looking at this image.
Today I just had time to get to the Harbour after Things took longer than anticipated. 5+ Purple Sand, 7+ Turnstone, a Rockit and an Oyk [! great bird for the location] were on the weedy defences, with a smart male White among the Pieds on the D-Day Ramps. Out in the Bay; 2 GND, 1 BN Grebe, 2 close and at least 10 more roosting GC Grebes, a group of about 25 C Scoter, and a nice close Guillemot. Among the loafing gulls off Torre Abbey was an adult Med Gull. Not bad at all. :)
[[*Which, in a radical advance upon my old one, does indeed have internet that works and a camera. You have been warned... ;) ]]
No comments:
Post a Comment