....Birding day with Mr Griffiths

Tuesday, 2nd September 2014

Another day birding on Dawlish Warren Nature Reserve, joined by my good friend John Griffiths. We headed down to the Reserve around 10:30am, with high tide due at midday, hoping to get some good birds showing on the tide in front of the hide on the estuary. 

We joined up with local and regular birder Lee Collins, and took a steady stroll through Greenland Lake towards the dune ridge, known as John's Watch. Still no sign of the Rose Colored Starling, but a flock of Starlings still around Greenlake Lake and later in the day, spotted around the sea front near the Pavillion Arcade and the Boathouse Tavern Pub! Wheatear, Whitethroat, and Stonechat seen through Greenland Lake. 

An hour or two spent on John's Watch looking offshore, with plenty of Terns around, especially Sandwich Terns and an Arctic Tern, also a flock of Common Scoter, Gannets....and a Fulmar.

On the beach, Sanderlings and a Turnstone were present. We walked across to Warren Point to observe any Terns that maybe resting there, but it was very quiet, compared to previous visits, only the usual Cormorants, Black Headed Gulls, and a Bar-Tailed Godwit were on the Point. 

Lee Collins left us later in the day, but I received a message saying he spotted 2 Curlew Sandpipers in the Bight...so John and I packed up our gear and headed over. Mixed in with the Ringed Plover, Dunlin and Sanderlings were 2 Juv Curlew Sandpipers :) 

Dunlin (Left) Sanderling (Middle) Curlew Sandpiper (Right)

Juv Curlew Sandpiper - Not a great image!

A quiet first day to September...

Well, despite the early start to the day, I arrived at the Nature Reserve around 9am today. I took a steady stroll through Greenland Lake, hoping to see the flock of Starlings, and to capture a glimpse of the Rose Colored Starling, which has been spotted on the site previous days....but no such luck!

It was disappointing at the hide today, very quiet indeed, just the usual Oystercatchers, Dunlin and Ringed Plovers, with Black Headed Gulls. 

However, looking over to Warren point, there were a flock of Terns hiding behind the Oystercatchers and Cormorants, so I wallked over to Warren Point to join up with regular site birder Lee Colins.

Walking over to Warren Point, spotted 2 Wheatears and a Whitethroat, also 2 Stonechats.

Always a pleasure to see and watch Terns, mainly Sandwich and Common Terns today, with a Bar-Tailed Godwit, near the shoreline. We had the company of a Common Seal sitting up the beach.

It was amazing to watch the Terns diving for whitebait in the Estuary and sharing their food between themselves....in flight...amazing feeding behavior.

Difference between juv Common and Arctic. Source: Collins Bird Guide.

After an hour on Warren Point, it was a trek back up onto the sand dune ridge, or what we regular birders know as 'John's Watch' named after John Fortey.....legend birder of Dawlish Warren. We spotted Arctic Tern offshore....learning to ID these at a distance, takes practice. Arctic has translucent primaries, whereas a Common is much darker, also, the Arctic is a much smaller bird...

Sanderlings and Turnstones were present on the beach at Goyne 9.

Adult Summer Turnstone - By Dean Hall

Walking back towards the VC, I caught with birders Lee Colins and Dave Stone, who spotted the Rose Colored Starling...briefly, but by the time I arrived, it had disappeared. Hopefully a better birding day tomorrow. Watch this space!