South Devon in Winter

Transcription

1 South Devon in Winter Naturetrek January 2011 Report compiled by Dave Smallshire Naturetrek Cheriton Mill Cheriton Alresford Hampshire SO24 0NG England T: +44 (0) F: +44 (0) E: W:

2 South Devon in Winter Tour Leader: Dave Smallshire (Naturetrek Leader) Participants: Simon Jones David Wiggins Jean Wiggins Alan James Gillian James Summary: This first winter break in South Devon focussed on the abundant birdlife of the internationally important Exe Estuary and its environs. The weather was dry and cool, with a mix of sometimes cold, cloudy weather and glorious sunshine with frosty nights. The marshes around the head of the Estuary held thousands of ducks, geese and waders, the highlight for some being a chance sighting of a Bittern. A privileged viewing of an area being managed to benefit Cirl Buntings, a Devon speciality, provided not only several of that species but some gorgeous Bramblings. We saw a cracking male Black Redstart in the sand dunes at Dawlish Warren, where offshore sea ducks included Scaup and a wintering Surf Scoter. Our final morning was devoted to a highly successful cruise up the estuary, where we were able to appreciate often at close range the waterfowl that make it so important. Unusual birds on the water included Slavonian Grebe, Long-tailed Duck, Smew and a party of Scaup amongst lots of Red-breasted Mergansers. On the mudbanks and sandflats we saw a wide range of waders, including spectacular displays by some 500 Avocets a great climax to a great weekend! Day 1 Friday 28th January Sunny spells, but cold breeze; 2 C falling to - 2 C in the evening After collecting everyone except Simon from Exeter St David s station at 1:30 pm, we made our way to the fringe of the city, regretting that the Waxwings, present there until recently, had devoured all suitable berries and moved on. We met Simon, and then drove a short distance to look across Matford Marsh. Here two partially frozen pools held a flock of Wigeon and smaller numbers of Teal and Shoveler, while a large flock of Redwings were feeding in nearby pasture. Climbing above the village of Exminster, we were given special permission to walk around a hilltop field managed specifically for Devon s special bird, the Cirl Bunting. Once cultivated for flowers, this weedy field was now producing wild bird seed crops. After a tantalising glimpse of a female Cirl Bunting, we noticed a flock of about 300 Chaffinches flying nervously between hedge and field. In the light of a very welcome spell of sunshine, we found quite a few Bramblings amongst the Chaffinches, glowing orange in the low sun. Several Reed Buntings perched in the hedge before flying out to feed in taller vegetation and, frustratingly, a Woodlark flew up and away before we could see it properly. But this was soon forgotten when a splendid male Cirl Bunting appeared in the hedge. Three females near him were less showy, but we all got a good look at the male through the telescope. Naturetrek September 11 1

3 South Devon in Winter Dropping down to the RSPB Exminster Marshes Reserve, we soon found feeding flocks of Black-tailed Godwits, Curlews and Wigeon. The minibus acted as a good hide for viewing these as we drove slowly to park next to the Exeter Canal. No sooner had we emerged from the minibus when a Bittern was spotted flying over the pastures and dropping down into a reedy area; unfortunately, the views were brief and not everyone managed to see it. Scanning across the marshes in the hope of finding the Short-eared Owl or Hen Harrier that had been frequenting the area, we became acutely aware of the falling temperature and chilling wind. One lucky person was looking in the right direction when a Water Rail flew across the canal; the rest of us had to be content with hearing one squealing loudly from the ditch next to us. It was definitely time to call it a day and drive to Exmouth for the heat of our hotel! Suitably warmed up, we later had an excellent meal in nearby Lympstone and, after admiring (briefly!) the clear night sky, we returned to Exmouth and our beds. Day 2 Saturday 29th January Cloudy with cold breeze; 0 to 2 C, falling to - 6 C overnight The sea front at Exmouth was our first stop this morning. Here we found 31 Eiders in two groups, all females or immatures, and then watched Brent Geese, Oystercatchers, a Sanderling and Turnstones around rocks in front of the Lifeboat Station, where a Rock Pipit flew onto the roof out of view. Fortunately, we soon found another on the edge of the Exe Estuary. Looking out across the mudflats here, we could see a distant flock of Pintail and were able to compare a few Common Gulls with their commoner(!) cousins. We watched a close Little Egret vibrating its foot to stir up prey in a creek, noting its fine aigrette plumes. This relatively new colonist had been a common sight on the estuary prior to December s exceptional cold spell, but 2011 saw the numbers of this and other resident species, like Grey Heron, Wren and Long-tailed Tit, plummet by about 90%. Having failed to see or hear any Cetti s Warblers at Exminster Marshes the previous day (only one of the 15 or so noisy males had apparently survived), we then made our way to Aylesbeare Common RSPB Reserve in the hope of finding the equally sedentary Dartford Warbler. After a brisk walk around the heathland, interspersed by frequent stops to scan and listen, we had to admit defeat, having seen very few birds. Returning to the Exe Estuary, we enjoyed lunch around a welcoming fire at the Swan s Nest pub, before continuing along the western margins until we reached the sea at Dawlish Warren. On the way, we looked at the captive Fallow Deer herd in Powderham Park, where a pair of Ravens sat in one of the old Turkey Oaks. At Starcross we found a feral Barheaded Goose amongst Canadas and then had excellent, close views of some 400 Dark-bellied Brent Geese grazing a golf course. Off Cockwood we found two Slavonian Grebes just a few yards away, giving exceptionally good views. A few Little Grebes, Red-breasted Mergansers (the drakes displaying wildly) and a drake Goldeneye were also in that part of the estuary. Having failed to see much by way of seabirds earlier from Exmouth, we hoped to find more from the sea wall at Dawlish Warren, but the large numbers of birds feeding in recent weeks had mostly gone. On the choppy sea we did manage to find a Red-throated Diver and a few Great Crested Grebes, but news that a fine male Black Redstart was showing well in the relative shelter of the sand dunes encouraged us to move on. After a little searching, we found it hopping around on the short, pony-grazed turf: we all agreed that it was a splendid specimen and one of the highlights of the weekend. Climbing up onto the dunes to look out to sea again, we found that an immature male Scaup had joined some of the Eiders just offshore. 2 Naturetrek September 11

4 South Devon in Winter But better still was the female Surf Scoter that has wintered off the Warren in recent years. Although she often feeds well offshore, today we were very lucky: she was quite close and the telescope views were better than we could have hoped for. The Short-eared Owl that had been reported earlier hunting over the dunes was no longer in view. But that s birding: you win some, you lose some, and today we had won some nice ones! That evening we had dinner at another Lympstone venue, this time Nutwell Lodge, where the carvery was excellent. Day 3 Sunday 30th January Sunny all day, with a light breeze; - 2 C and frosty at first rising to a balmy 5 C! After breakfast, we walked the short distance to Exmouth sea front for a look at the mouth of the estuary before we boarded the Stuart Lines cruise vessel. Yesterday s cool breeze had dropped and a beautiful blue sky enabled the sun to take the edge off the temperature a good deal. A Grey Seal poked its nose out of the water, but then took a deep dive and couldn t be relocated. Meanwhile, our attention was drawn to a Turnstone preening just below us on the rocky sea defences. Then it was time to board the boat, grateful for the blankets placed thoughtfully on the seats of the exposed upper deck. Captain Ian Stuart reminded everyone as we left the quay that the lower deck was very cosy if things got too cold up top! Then Dave donned the radio microphone and took over the commentary as we headed first out to sea a little way. The tide was rising slowly, but the offshore Pole Sands still had Oystercatchers, Curlews, a Sanderling, gulls and non-territorial Carrion Crows, all grabbing what juicy delicacies they could find. After learning about our position in Lyme Bay, relative to various coastal landmarks, we turned and began a slow journey up the estuary, following its sinuous navigable route and stopping or slowing frequently to look at the specialities. We encountered the first of maybe 100 Red-breasted Mergansers and dozens of Shags, the latter shining bottle-green in the bright sunlight. A lonesome Razorbill drifted close to the boat giving us excellent views, and then we manoeuvred closer to a small group of birds that included Slavonian and Little Grebes and a Long-tailed Duck. Passing by mussel beds off Exmouth, we had close views of waders, more Mergansers and lots of Brent Geese. Moving closer to the Powderham bank, we started to see more godwits (both species), Redshanks, a Greenshank and the first Avocets the highlight for many of the boat s occupants, although many more were to come. We passed more Brent Geese as we approached Turf Lock, which marks the end of the Exeter Canal, and then waders started to come thick and fast. Grey Plovers stood characteristically motionless, while large numbers of tiny Dunlins scuttled around like clockwork toys, constantly pecking and probing for their share of the gazillions of the tiny Hydrobia spire shells that live in the oozy surface mud. Deeper in the mud are the Lugworms and Ragworms that the godwits and Curlews were probing for. Bar-tailed Godwits were abundant here, and Blacktails as we reached Topsham, where the estuary narrows sharply. Here our attention was grabbed first by two large groups of Avocets, perhaps 500 in all. Sleeping at first, they took flight and wheeled around in unison: what a spectacle! On alighting they began sweeping their upturned bills through the mud, taking their share of the Hydrobia. Yet more Avocets fed close to the boat, scything in shallow water to catch small shrimps. But then there was a redhead Smew ahead of the boat, flying up and landing several times ahead of us; everyone got good views of it later near Turf Lock. Lots of Teal were feeding in this fresher part of the estuary, as were hundreds of Black-tailed Godwits, Dunlins, Redshanks and even an incongruous group of Coots. We got a second chance to see all of these as we turned and headed back to Exmouth. Naturetrek September 11 3

5 South Devon in Winter Out of nowhere, it seemed, a party of six Scaup circled the boat, giving excellent flight views. And as a final bonus, a female Common Seal that has resided in the estuary for some 10 years was hauled out on her favourite sandbank - lovely views of a fine set of whiskers! David and Jean had an early departure, as they had a long journey ahead. For the rest of us, lunch was taken outside the Lighter pub in a very busy Topsham, the warmth from the sun allowing us to sit outside in comfort whilst and watch some of the morning s birds from a landward angle. Our afternoon walk took us right beside the estuary along the Goat Walk, where a Grey Wagtail was spotted and among the waders close by were a pair of Redshanks giving their yodelling song and attempting to mate spring really was in the air! We continued to a viewing platform overlooking the River Clyst where it meets the Exe Estuary. The state of the tide was perfect and thousands of waders were spread across the mud in front of us a veritable wader-fest! With the sun warming our backs and the angle of the light perfect for viewing, we had ample opportunities to differentiate between eight species of waders, including a group of sleepy Knots, over 100 Grey Plovers and not forgetting all those Avocets. Many of the waders were preparing to move onto the nearby Bowling Green Marsh, so we made for the RSPB hide overlooking the Marsh for our final spell of birding. Much of the main pool was still frozen, but a horde of Wigeon, Teal, Shoveler, Pochard and Tufted Duck kept part of it open. Careful searching revealed five Gadwall and a couple of Snipe, plus a Fox that basked peacefully in the sun (maybe with one eye on the ducks!) until it got up, stretched and vanished into the adjacent railway embankment. The Snipe made our 90th species. If December had not reduced the populations of the smaller insect-eating birds, we might have seen more. But there again, some of the exciting wetland birds of this fantastic estuary and its environs, like Smew and Bittern, might not have been seen otherwise. We all agreed it had been an excellent debut winter break, with good birds, good company and good food, and bade fond farewells before departing with our memories of a great weekend. Receive our e-newsletter Join the Naturetrek ing list and be the first to hear about new tours, additional departures and new dates, tour reports and special offers. Visit to sign up. Naturetrek Facebook We are delighted to launch the Naturetrek Facebook page so that participants of Naturetrek tours can remain in touch after the holiday and share photos, comments and future travel plans. Setting up a personal profile at is quick, free and easy. The Naturetrek Facebook page is now live; do please pay us a visit! 4 Naturetrek September 11

6 Matford Marsh Exminster and Marshes Exmouth Aylesbeare Common Powderham/Starcross/ Cockwood Dawlish Warren Exe Est cruise/clyst Est Topsham/Bowling Green Marsh South Devon in Winter Species Lists Birds (H - heard only) 28th 29th 30th Common name Scientific name 1 Common Pheasant Phasianus colchicus 2 Greylag Goose Anser anser [Bar-headed Goose] [Anser indicus] 3 Canada Goose Branta canadensis 4 Brent Goose Branta bernicla 5 Mute Swan Cygnus olor [Black Swan] [Cygnus atratus] 6 Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna 7 Gadwall Anas strepera 8 Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope 9 Mallard Anas platyrhynchos 10 Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata 11 Northern Pintail Anas acuta 12 Eurasian Teal Anas crecca 13 Common Pochard Aythya ferina 14 Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula 15 Scaup Aythya marila 16 Common Eider Somateria mollissima 17 Surf Scoter Melanitta perspicillata 18 Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula 19 Smew Mergus albellus 20 Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator 21 Red-throated Diver Gavia stellata 22 Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis 23 Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus 24 Slavonian Grebe Podiceps auritus 25 Great Bittern Botaurus stellarius 26 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea 27 Little Egret Egretta garzetta 28 European Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis 29 Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo 30 Common Buzzard Buteo buteo 31 Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus 32 Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus 33 Water Rail Rallus aquaticus 34 Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus 35 Eurasian Coot Fulica atra 36 Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus Naturetrek September 11 5

7 Matford Marsh Exminster and Marshes Exmouth Aylesbeare Common Powderham/Starcross/ Cockwood Dawlish Warren Exe Est cruise/clyst Est Topsham/Bowling Green Marsh South Devon in Winter 28th 29th 30th Common name Scientific name 37 Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta 38 Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus 39 Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola 40 Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula 41 Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago 42 Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa 43 Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica 44 Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata 45 Common Redshank Tringa totanus 46 Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia 47 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres 48 Red Knot Calidris canutus 49 Sanderling Calidris alba 50 Dunlin Calidris alpina 51 Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus 52 Common Gull Larus canus canus 53 Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus 54 European Herring Gull Larus argentatus 55 Razorbill Alca torda 56 Feral Pigeon Columba livia 'feral' 57 Stock Dove Columba oenas 58 Common Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus 59 Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto 60 Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major 61 Eurasian Magpie Pica pica 62 Western Jackdaw Coloeus monedula 63 Rook Corvus frugilegus 64 Carrion Crow Corvus corone 65 Northern Raven Corvus corax 66 Coal Tit Periparus ater 67 Great Tit Parus major 68 Eurasian Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus 69 Woodlark Lullula arborea 70 Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus H 71 Eurasian Wren Troglodytes troglodytes H H H 72 Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris 73 Common Blackbird Turdus merula 74 Fieldfare Turdus pilaris 75 Redwing Turdus iliacus 76 Song Thrush Turdus philomelos 77 European Robin Erithacus rubecula 6 Naturetrek September 11

8 Matford Marsh Exminster and Marshes Exmouth Aylesbeare Common Powderham/Starcross/ Cockwood Dawlish Warren Exe Est cruise/clyst Est Topsham/Bowling Green Marsh South Devon in Winter 28th 29th 30th Common name Scientific name 78 Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros 79 House Sparrow Passer domesticus 80 Dunnock Prunella modularis 81 Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea 82 Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba yarrellii 83 Eurasian Rock Pipit Anthus petrosus 84 Common Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs 85 Brambling Fringilla montifringilla 86 European Greenfinch Carduelis chloris 87 European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis 88 Common Linnet Carduelis cannabina 89 Cirl Bunting Emberiza cirlus 90 Common Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus Mammals 1 Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis 2 European Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus 3 Red Fox Vulpes vulpes 4 Stoat Mustela erminea 5 Common Seal Phoca vitulina 6 Grey Seal Halichoerus grypus Naturetrek September 11 7