Window to Wildlife

 Another repeat from last year, exploring the incredibly scenic river Webburn at Ponsworthy. Fortunately the path was substantially drier than last year and the walk was quite magical. A scented sea of azure bluebells flowed across the open woodland floor as the river bubbled and flowed along its way and an abundance of birds sung lustily from the branches. Beautiful Bluebells River Webburn at Ponsworthy Our key target bird here was the Dipper and it didn’t take long to spot one dashing upstream and out of sight. We continued cautiously on and Andy soon alerted us to a young bird, characteristically bobbing on a mossy rock in the middle of the river. It slowly hopped away, using the rocks as stepping stones, An adult soon appeared, it’s mouth stuffed full with insects, and looked somewhat bemused, possibly at the absence of its young offspring, before it too disappeared, perhaps alerted by a begging call.  Juvenile Dipper A magnificent male Yellow Wagtail in spectacular breedi...

 We packed a lot into today, starting with an early morning walk on foot from our accommodation. Although getting out of bed early is a bit of an effort, the atmosphere out on the moors in early morning light, full of birdsong is quite magical. The sky was clear and the sun soon warmed. A Tree Pipit singing drew us out onto a moorland path and we were soon able to locate the bird perched in a small tree, executing occasional pirouettes in pursuit of an insect, before resettling to the exact same spot. We crept gradually closer and managed some excellent views before it flew off, although a bird like this is really all about the song! A Buzzard perched in a nearby tree, watching us as we retraced our steps back to the road, where bushes and trees were overhanging from a nearby garden. This was a favoured location for tits and finches, and a Nuthatch with a nest in the telegraph pole was noteworthy. Heading back to the accommodation for a late breakfast, we stumbled across a pair of ...

 We headed off the moor to Berry Head near Brixham in search of some sea birds for Andy. Living by the sea we obviously have plenty of opportunities to observe many seabirds offshore from the coast, but Andy was in need of a few ticks in this category. From the car park we walked through some scrubby vegetation and noted a few common species such as Chiffchaff and Whitethroat. Hirundines were chattering overhead and it was just a short walk to a viewpoint over the cliffs, carpeted in stunning wild flowers. We set up the scopes and looked down to the turquoise sea below, where we were soon able to pick out clusters of Guillemots and a few Razorbills bobbing on the water.  Berry Head Guillemots Andy picked out a Shag, with a thin, yellow bill and glossy back and a couple of Kittiwakes and a few Fulmars swooped across the sea. All new ticks for him, so a worthwhile morning.  Shag Next we headed towards Labrador Bay. Unfortunately the weather was beginning to deteriorate, so ...

 Following last year’s successful trip we returned to Robin’s Cottage on Dartmoor for 5 days with Andy. Our first stop was Yarner Wood, a washout last year, and we were somewhat disappointed to find it raining again on our arrival, despite a positive forecast. However, it was drizzle rather than solid rain, so we set off on a circuit of the heath and woodland areas. Our first target was Pied Flycatcher, and we were able to track this down relatively quickly by hearing a song we were not familiar with, and checking our suspicions using the Collins app. Initially high and flitting unco-operatively in the high canopy, we later encountered two more birds which elicited much better views. Pied Flycatcher We were aware of Lesser-spotted Woodpeckers recently reported but held out little hope of finding them. However, a chance encounter with a local led us to confirmation they were nesting in a birch near the car park. On our return these sparrow sized birds were easily spotted, with regul...

 I visited Rye Meads RSPB reserve with my friend Virginia hoping to see kingfishers as they usually nest there each year. When we arrived at Kingfisher hide it was quite full of people all waiting for views but there was room for a couple more so we made our way to the end seats and joined the wait. Within 5 minutes a kingfisher arrived and landed on one of the conveniently placed perches in front of the hide. It then proceeded to dive several times returning to the same perch but without catching any fish before it flew off out of sight. In the time it was visible I managed to get a few photos. Further round the trail I heard what sounded like a possible garden warbler and after a short while I was able to locate the source of the song which allowed me to confirm my original identification. Luckily it managed to show itself long enough for me to get a few pictures. Other birds of note seen were a sedge warbler, reed bunting and a distant hobby sitting on a gate post.