Waxwings on My Patch! Again!

It was a very odd kind of day today. Continuing with my diligent Patch-bashing, I tracked down the Goldfinches I'd seen in December, failed as usual to see Waxwings tucking into the tasty berries I'd earmarked, and was about to have a look at the sea when I got a shout [literally] from [Famous Devon Birder], who asked me if I'd seen the Waxwings at Homelands.

Sometimes a very long pause can pass by in a very short time.

After offering the due profuse thanks, I responsibly carried on and checked the sea diligently before walking over to have a look. No, really, I did. Ok, that might be a teeny bit inaccurate. I did go on to the first viewpoint and scan the sea. There was bugger all about. I took the time to go 'WTF..' to myself. After three slightly amazed sweeps I got 2 divers; a Red-throat and what looked like a Black-throat. No grebes. For some strange reason I decided against yomping down the cliff to pin the possible BT down. Instead I walked over to look for the Waxwings. I didn't run. I did walk quickly, mind.

There were no Waxwings in any of the trees on Westhill Road, nor St. Margaret's Avenue. This was because they were sitting on the fence by the school playing field! Three little Waxwings all in a row... :D My parents have never seen Waxwings, so after a quick call and a trip to grab my Big Scope, the four of us arrived back on site less than half an hour later. No Waxwings. They waited a lot longer than I expected [[especially with Tilly, who though she stands very nicely, doesn't approve of standing around when she can be charging around..]], but nope, the garrulous ones had buggered off. Rats.

Later I went back and had another look, but still no sign. I tried the other site, but nothing there either, then back to the Downs, and now there were 22 GC Grebe, 2 RT Divers [neither of which looked remotely like a BT] and a Razorbill - all well out. Hmm. On getting home from this trip, I discovered a 1w Rook, of all things, perched on my neighbour's chimney and making an awful attempt at cawing. It flew off over the Garden, and is the first one we've had here for several years. All in all, a very interesting day, notable also for the first sunshine we've had in aaaaaages.

PYL: 43

The Price of Yearlisting

Is chasing around after stuff. So it was that I was back bothering the grebes again this morning...

This time I lugged the Big Scope down the cliff to Blackball Rocks themselves - well, to a bit above them, as it was pretty choppy. It was also raining, the wind was onshore, and it was markedly colder than yesterday. Happy happy joy joy.

Naturally I got into my seawatching groove and an hour and a half of scanning and rescanning the spread of grebes and divers passed very quickly indeed. I would have stayed longer, but I had neglected to bring serious handwear and once the rain got through my gloves my fingers started to suffer. [[Whine whine, bleat bleat...]] As I'd given it a good look, I decided to head back.

To the birds; the grebes were in their usual formation of groups of 5 to 40 in an arc at roughly Petitor range, with odds and sods scattered around. I got to 139 GC Grebes, plus the RN Grebe [which was, as expected, a right little git; being finally nailed on wing pattern when it wingflapped while hiding among GCs!] and a Slavonian, which looked really odd with it's neck stretched up so it could see over the swell [all the grebes were like this - looking into the wind, naturally...]. Once I was sure it was a Slav and not a BN, I was suitably chuffed - like CScoter they're getting really scarce on my Patch, having until recently regularly wintered off Meadfoot.

I got even more chuffed soon after that, when I picked up a 2cy Black-throat hiding among the RT Divers :D [[And no, to those who may be wondering, this was not 'ID'd on flank patch alone' but on the full range]]. Trivia time; you might be vaguely interested to know that Black-throated Diver is actually more common on my Patch than Red-necked Grebe - though most of the former have been off Hope's Nose. At Blackball, RN is level-pegging at 3 each. There were at least 24 Red-throats, one of which seemed to be moulting into s/pl already, and a couple of which came in fairly close. 7 Razorbills, a Cormorant and assorted Shags made up the numbers on the sea, with 18 Gannet and a Fulmar overhead.

After lunch I headed back out to do the Waxwing check, found my first female Blackcap on Patch this winter, then gave the grebe-count another go. With better visibility [and a better angle] [plus possibly more birds present] the number was pushed up to 180. This is a site and Patch Record for me, beating the long-standing record of 157. Which is nice. Also nice were the 2 Brambling out the back, and the single Redwing still hanging on despite the Blackbirds' best efforts.

My Patch Yearlist now stands at 38.

New Year. New Plan.

2009 saw me chasing a Devon Yearlist, with all the associated stress. 2010 saw me resolutely not chasing a Devon Yearlist.. until halfway through December when I realised how far I'd got without trying and so thought 'Oh what the hell..'. 2011 will see me again not chasing a Devon Yearlist, but this time distracting myself with another. [[No Joe, not a British List, that'd be daft.]] This year I shall mostly be chasing a Patch Yearlist.

Why? It's something doable, and with the way tax and profiteering is hitting petrol prices, it's something much much more affordable.Walking around my Patch is also much healthier, of course, than driving here there and everywhere, but we all have to make sacrifices, don't we? ;) I'm not saying I'm abandoning other birding - Lifer Twitchy tart I remain [Within reason.. Ahem.] - and I will be going afield just because, but I'm intending to scale it back. [[Note that 'i' word there and keep it in a drawer for future reference..]]. Whether this will extend to giving up Berry Head for the Nose is something still under debate...

To that end I spent today wandering the Patch, though due to some very distracting gulls in the harbour I didn't get to the Nose. 29 might not seem much, but as my Patch is mostly made up of one of the most densely populated areas in Europe, it's not too bad. Though I managed to miss the RN Grebe [Famous Devon Birder] got off Babbacombe [[Ouch]], I did get the LT Duck and Common Scoter [The former always difficult and the latter are much less reliable in the northern half of the Bay than they were even 2 years ago - I blame SWW]. Only one Brambling on offer in the Garden, despite sustained Chaffinch numbers, with the single Redwing still avoiding the Blackbirds [Redwing numbers over all are continuing to fall slowly] and the two male Blackcaps carefully avoiding each other.

Baa... Baaa..... Baaa.....

Making like a sheep, here's my Top Ten Birding Highlights of 2010!

But not before I make a final update for the year.

:D

Yesterday the Patch got a mighty bash. I got a couple of sniffs of Waxwings, but nothing usable. :( Not that the day was an entire write-off, oh no, far from it. There was a sustained low-key movement of Skylarks all day - heading north in small groups [3 to 10] - though very vexingly none came close enough to Garden Tick... Chaffinch and Redwing numbers had dropped markedly; down to a dozen and one and though I found a few Redwing and a Mistle Thrush in my patrolling, there'd clearly been a clear-out. No Brambling either.

I had a look at the sea, as the wind was onshore [though a NE instead of the forecast SE which would have gotten me doing it properly]. Being on patrol, I didn't have the Big Scope as I sat down on the lower south bench to see if anything was about. So, the 6 divers which flew south remain just that and the auks tooling about were mostly auk sp. [though a couple showed well enough to be Razorbills]. A couple of Kittiwake went by, but star turn went to another small group of larks which flew up, hit the wind going over the Nose and stalled for a moment, still calling, before pressing on northward - 2 Skylark and a glorious Woodlark. Woodlark. On my frelling Patch. :D I still can't quite believe it, it more than made up for only being able to find one, yes one GC Grebe all day.

Today there wasn't even a hint of Waxwings on the Patch, though 39 GC Grebe were better. More Redwing [ok, 3 out back, but a few more around] and a big jump to 25+ Chaffinch with no less than 3 Brambling [2 adult males and a 1w male] strongly implied movement in overnight. In the afternoon it was a walk around Yarner with the folks. Atilla the Dog was in particularly feisty mood - I reckon the deer must have been about - and the woods were pretty quiet, bird-wise, but it was still good. Except for untangling the dog's cradles she made from her extendo-lead, of course [at least there weren't any huge gorse bushes or bramble thickets to get stuck in...]].

A fly-over Brambling was threatening to be the best of it, until we had the fortune to meet a group of Bullfinches. I like Bullfinches, they're purdy, and my Mum loves them [though rarely sees them, and never more than one at a time before] so getting 9 feeding in a treetop for a couple of minutes was a real treat. At least 12 were present, along with small numbers of the Yarner standards. Needless to say, no LSW or Mandarin today. We did meet a chap with a radio tracker, looking for the ponies [?] I hope he found them.

Ok, here it comes.

10. A whole and mighty 20 Glossy Ibis at Budleigh.

Having had numerous adventures with this bird [including being utterly rained on having twitched one from work and repeatedly dipping horrifically while chasing a yeartick], seeing a whole flock of the things was very satisfying.

9. The Year of Nine Herons.

Grey, 3 flavours of Bittern, 3 flavours of Egret, plus Squacco and Green. Not bad. [[Still no Purple, oh what a tart]]. The Little Bitterns were the utter stars, though.

8. Bearded Tits at Radipole.

After seeing the Bufflehead [great bird itself] JR and I went on to Radipole so that he could eat junk food and we could meet up with B & K and a) take the piss out of JR and b) look for Beardies. JR and myself scored beyond our wildest dreams, with crippling views down to minimum focussing distance of our scopes.

7. Red-footed Falcon at Exminster.

After dipping horribly the evening before, and then surviving horsefly attacks, this beauty of a bird gave a performance and a half.

6. White-tailed Lapwing.

One of those middle of the day calls; "White-tailed Plover at Slimbridge!!!" A massive hold-up on the M5 and blasting heat to contend with, walking not running past the plastic duckies, and a packed hide - real twitching this and what a fantastic bird!

5. Smew in Devon!

My favourite ducks are here at last. No need to say more. :D

4. American Robin at Turf.

At last I finally get a Yankee passerine.... [[Yes, still an utter tart]] And what a cracker he is.

3. Alpine Swift from Ideford Common / at Berry Head Joint Award.

After a whole lot of painful dipping [including the Seaton birds, as I couldn't be there when they were at roost] I finally see an Alpine by finding one myself. The Goddess of Birding then grins wickedly and I'm at Berry Head when another shows up. These events lead to the classic moment when [Famous Devon Birder] and I turn to each other and say; "Not even a Devon yeartick..."

2. Leach's Petrel at Pendeen.

At last, at long last, one of my most wanted birds comes by me, and it's alive and unequivocal. Utter joy.

1. Waxwings on my Patch.

So there you have it. Backward Birding Year One. Hope you enjoyed it. See you tomorrow.

;)

Who Left The Heating On?

Birding in a t-shirt on Tuesday, ridiculous....

After Monday's grebe-fest I gave the Patch an almighty bashing yesterday. Up hill and down dale I walked, many miles I covered. When I got back, my feets were sore and I realised that I really could have stayed in bed... 2 Razorbills and a Red-throat off Blackball were new, but only 26 GC Grebes could I find. Highlight was an interesting collection at The Priciest House in Devon; at least 36 Redwing, 6 Fieldfare, 5 Blackbird, 2 Mistle Thrush and a Buzzard were after worms on the neatly manicured lawns, but they weren't the good bit - that was a Grey Heron sat atop a cedar like King Muck... Oh deary me.

In the Garden, only 3 Redwing remained, but wonderful surprise, one Brambling had become two! :D With actual puddles on the flat roofs there was much bathing [and a deranged female Blackbird chasing anyone who tried getting into her puddle...]

Today I was again naughty. With the feeble excuse of wanting to see if the Moor roads were usable, I swanned off to the Dart to go looking for fun birds such as Mandarin, Dippers and Lesser Peckers... In a radical break from the expected I saw all three. [[Somebody pass the smelling salts, please]] Though only one of each. And only the Dipper performed. And oh but I had to work for that little duck...

It would have been pretty good, if only for one minor detail; quiet and misty, with enough snow still around to keep all but the most determined away - chances of a good bird or three on the river seemed high. But for that detail. Or rather, details, hordes of them. Brightly coloured yelling swarms of [[Many Ancient Devonian Swear-words]] kayakers, that's what. All the way down, too. I thought the Dart was supposed to be a really high grade river, experts only and so on. If so there must have been all the best kayakers in the country there today...

Ahem.

I covered a lot of river today and saw precisely one 'water' bird; a Grey Wagtail. Not that it wasn't nice - they're lovely little things. I caught up with a Mandarin on my second visit to my Secret Mandarin Site, where to my amazement there was also a Dipper. But I'm getting out of order.

The Holne Bridge and New Bridge areas had lots of kayakers, revving cars and deranged dogs, [[Ok, deranged dog - but it was definitely deranged enough for more than one]] but no fancy birds. I tried the Hembury road, which had some slush and ice but was passable and even managed to get into the car park over the sheet ice [it's mud-stained and looks like concrete..]. Hembury Wood - home of a hill fort, pretty woodland, a stretch of river well-known for birds, and some very long steep climbs... Parking at the bottom may be the wimpy thing to do, but sod it.

Doing a full check of the river there I saw more kayakers, [coming at nice intervals to make sure the river was clear], plus the aforementioned Grey Wag. It was very atmospheric, with the mist and the snow and so on, though also very quiet - a couple of tit bands, a few Nuthatches and so on. Time had wandered on a long way before I gave up on the river as lost for the day and walked back to the car park for a very late lunch. The trees there have a reputation for LSW and I figured sitting quietly away from the paths and river might let me see something, and would definitely help me feel more mellow about the so far frustrating day. A Lesser didn't even let me sit down! Of course, it did what they almost invariably do when confronted with me; go "Oh shit, it's the Backward Birder!" and fly off as fast as their little wings will carry them... ;)

As I felt better I tried the Mandarin Site again, and after much quiet re-positioning I got a view of a female's backside. I moved for a side view, she made like a banana. Drat. Much nicer was a Dipper. A Dipper not on running water, whatever next? Just goes to show how much of a nuisance those- sorry, no more complaining about kayakers. I watched the Dipper for a while as it found the little inflow and did it's best to pretend it was in a proper river. It might not sound like it as you read this, but I was getting some really good views, much closer than you usually get - Star Bird Award, for sure.

Having spent the day out and about, I don't know if any Brambling are still with us [there seemed to be a lot fewer Chaffinch] and I only saw one Redwing in a quick glance out the back before I left.

It's Raining Again!

I'd been wondering if the weather had forgotten how....

;)

On Boxing Day, the chief news from the Patch was the continued presence of the Brambling :) - in fact it's still around today :D The Traditional Family Boxing Day Perambulation this year took place at Stover, on account of it being out, but [just about] accessible. The snow lay thick upon the ice, which lay thick upon the ground, and once we'd managed to get past the car park, it was very pleasant indeed. Tilbury Dog had a whale of a time; bounding around in the snow, skating on the ice, tying herself up in a rhododendron, and going bonkers at the extra-fat squirrels [only exercise those buggers will have had in a while.. ;) ] Tilly likes squirrels. It is one of her fondest wishes that one day she gets the chance to show one just how much....

Ahem.

We got a brief Siskin, a gorgeous and showy Treeeeecreeeeper, very close Nuthatches, and the coolest male GSW I"ve ever seen, coming to the feeders and staying put for almost 30 seconds! The lake is frozen, so is the canal, and only one patch of the weired section is ice-free and Mallard, Coot and Moorhen full. No Marsh Tits or Bullfinches at the feeders, unfortunately.

Today I went down to Broadsands for the first time this winter, having been leery of finding the road icy and getting stuck down there. I know, it's disgraceful... The funny little Swedish survey boat 'Triad' was messing about off Elberry Cove and the fish farm, meaning that bar a couple of GC Grebes and a male R-B Merganser all the birds were to the north. After a teasing early glimpse it took more than an hour to finally nail a very slippery Red-necked Grebe - which promptly vanished again - though that's better than I can say for the L-T Duck, which I couldn't even get a sniff of. I did get counts of 144 GC Grebes, 2 BN Grebes, 3 RT Divers, 7 C Scoter and 11 Razorbill. A couple of Kitts were sat on the sea and a few Gannets were fishing around and about. The Cirls were on station, accompanied by a snazzy male Reed Bunting, though I could only find one Chiff around the marsh [a collybita]. Aside from the chavs and their attack dogs, it was nice. [[Yes, I do like sitting with the wind howling around my ears, trying to hold my scope still as I stare across Tor Bay.... ;) ]]

After getting home and having a quick bite, it was back out onto the Patch. 4 Goldfinches were nice, Redwing numbers have dropped a touch, and there were 85 GC Grebes off Blackball. Assuming [[Nothing wrong with assumptions, as long as you state them]] there's been no flying around, that's 229 for the area, which isn't bad. No doubt the number of grebes was due to all their lakes being frozen combined with the mounting wind. [[The big swell with wind blowing across it had made viewing 'interesting' at Broadsands]]. It started raining properly, also getting dark, so home I toddled. Do I need to say there's been no more Waxwings for me? Didn't think so. I have my eye on a nice cotoneaster, now the Rowans are all stripped, but nothing apart from Redwing on it so far...

Festive Cheer

Birding was strictly of the Garden variety today, but it was sweet with the present of a glorious male Brambling! Not just a Garden Tick this, but a Patch Tick too. :D

A small group of Fieldfares in the morning and a brief visit by a Mistle Thrush helped it to be a 5 thrush day on the shed roof apples. Thank you Santa!

[[Edit: Looking back on a post I made but 11 days ago.. I have to say; An American Redstart would be a real Garden Mega! {{It's worth a try....}} ]]