Blog

27 February 2024

Dartmoor

Spent the day on Dartmoor, it's quite rare these days to get a day off and it's not raining so making the most of it!

Started off early at Yarner, parking on Trendlebere, as soon as I got out of the car the air was filled with Bird Song and Woodpeckers drumming. Walking into Yarner I realised its start of silly season here with people already staring into the trees looking for Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers, plenty of Great but no Lesser I was told!

So I moved on down the track and great to see Lesser Redpoll on the floor and Siskins in the trees, plenty of other birds about especially around the feeders with Great, Blue, Coal, Marsh and Long-tailed Tits, Nuthatch, Chaffinch, Robin, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Wren, Dunnock, Bullfinch and a Treecreeper, so a good start to the day.

Off into Dartmoor stopping off in several places as normal and compared to Yarner a bit quiet. Plenty of Corvids especially Rooks and Jackdaws on pasture looking for food, a few Carrion Crows, Ravens in the air, groups of Magpies and a single Jay.

Smaller birds included Chaffinch, Robin, Blackbird, Mistle Thrush, Meadow Pipit, also Woodpigeon and Stock Doves.

A couple of Buzzards were the only raptors seen and that was that!

16 February 2024

Aylesbere Common

Spent a fruitfull couple of hours here although sat in my car for a short period due to rain, the forcast was no rain but as normal never correct!

Saw a few Dartfords which was the reason for coming here, both male and female, plenty of chatter going on but didnt hear any song.

Did see see and hear plenty of other stuff such as Stonechat, Yellowhamer, Linnet, Great Tit, Dunnock, Wren, Robin, Raven, Woodpigeon and a flyover Kestrel.

A few humans about and all in good humour.

09 February 2024

Beachcoming

Spent a few hours on the beach by Langstone Cliff on the Dawlish side, this is the top end of a long beach and as i have said before, long shore drift pushes allsorts of stuff up here and it gets coaught by the cliff because it cant go any further.

Todays haul included Razor Shells, Muscles, Slipper and Common Limpets, Tellins, Otter Shells, Common and Rough Cockles, Common Oyster, Turban Top Shells, Whelks, Scallops and Cuttlefish.

Also found piece of spine which could of been off anything?

Good time spent even though soaked through!

05 February 2024

Out and About

Been all over the place fitting in some birdwatching and photography in between work, being a Granddad and bad weather.

Several trips to Dartmoor didn't bring any surprises, in fact it was very quiet, very few winter Thrushes and haven't seen a Redwing in weeks, so don't know what has happened to them or where they are?

A morning trip to RSPB Aylesbere has been the best part of these couple of weeks with several Dartford Warblers seen as well as Linnet and Yellow hammers seen and heard.

Around the back fields of Starcross, Kenton, Dawlish and Exminster plenty of game birds with Pheasant and Red-legged Partridge, large numbers of Corvids on cultivated fields, Buzzards and Woodpigeons in good numbers, singles of Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Green and Great-spotted Woodpeckers.

Quite quiet on the sea front of Dawlish with the odd Herring Gull, Rock Pipit and Cormorant.

© Simon Thurgood 2024
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