The [South] East Wind Doth Blow

Which has made a change.

So, last few days I've been getting out and having some fun.



Wednesday saw me down at Prawle - I figured the forecast sunshine would bugger up any chance of decent birds at the Nose [good idea that was..] and that as there was a chance for migrants, Elender/Pig's Nose would be more sheltered and thus more productive than Starehole/East Soar.

Which seems to have been the case. Certainly all the Whinchats, Wheatears, and Spot Flies I found pointed to at least a little movement? The flock of 18 Siskin [where are they all coming from??] overhead certainly did.

Wheatear, Pig's Nose

I did get to the sea, where I was rewarded with one Balearic and one Manx, both east, accompanied by a light passage of juv LBBs. There were a few Gannets and a Fulmar, too. Wow.


Best of all was this little beauty;

Spot the Adder!

She was a young one, only the size of a pencil, and slipped away very quickly - as you can['t] see!




The next day I was up on't Moor, lured by the forecast of more sun and lighter winds. I figured I'd get a yomp in and then do some raptor watching from one of my favourite points.

The weather started with tor-skimming clouds and a, well, brisk wind, to say the least, but the ground was drier than it has been and the klicks wandered past.

Glorious Dartmoor weather

Three Barrows

The sun eventually came out when I was here;

The Heap

Redlake

Black Darter and Common Hawker present in numbers, also Wheatears!


After flushing a Snipe [early] near the Avon, I headed on to Ryder's Hill*, where I found the first of a line of little orange flags. I have no idea what they were there for - I hope they have been tidied up by whoever put them out is all I can say. Littering the Moor drives me around the bend...

Ahem.


So, on to a nice viewpoint, where I found to my annoyance that there was a great deal of haze. It  eventually died away, but not until it was too late for much chance of anything sexy soaring. I got a couple of Buzzards.

All was by no means lost, though. Soaring raptors? Nope. Flying past and catching Craneflies raptors? Oh hell yeah! Not one, not two, but three Hobbies!!! Two adults and a very vocal juvenile, came from the north and went south, the juv snarfing a cranefly right overhead. Brilliant!

I eventually ended my loop back at Shipley Bridge after 26 klicks - not bad.


This morning, despite the overnight arrival of cloud, there was more of a clear out than clear in at the Nose. Three warblers. Just three. Not even any flyover Siskin.
I ended up looking at gulls. Quite a lot.




Maybe tomorrow??





[[*If you happen to take the path between Ryder's Hill and Redlake, please be very careful. It is littered with cow holes that under the long grass are very hard to see and almost seem designed to break legs..]]