For a Cirl Bunting ? I'd travel!

Monday 30th October, and Mary and I took off to the Imperial Hotel Exmouth (again!). I’m sure you realise by now that this is one of our favourite locations for a short break, and by 4pm, we were comfortably established in a nice room overlooking the gardens, the promenade, and across the mouth of the Exe estuary to Dawlish Warren…. and enjoying it all with a nice cup of Tetleys.

Tuesday 31st October I know we have pretty thoroughly “done” the Exmouth area by October, so we set off this time with intentions of trying to find a few more Antique Centres, and try and add to my Microtibia collection. In that respect we failed, and the only souvenir was from a charity shop in Honiton, where I purchased what was clearly some Volunteers excellent efforts in making a Blue Tit nesting box from recycled wood. No ply-wood – more like floor or skirting boards. Including a flexible lid, this was £15 well spent.

Tuesday, we were in tourist mode and drove east passed Seaton, to Colyton (via a very naff antique store!), and then decided to have a look at Seaton Marshes, in particular the Colyford Area. Word was that Cattle Egret and Glossy Ibis had been reported close to the tram track, and after a bit of scanning, only with bins, the Glossy Ibis emerged on the edge of the scrape. 

A nice find, considering that previous visits to these marshes has been pleasant albeit not very productive. And as a bonus, a Kingfisher crossed our line of vision…. and that we HAD seen before at Colyford.

Still wanting Purple Sandpiper for my year list, we drove down to Seaton for an excellent coffee, but with very little in the way of rocks on the shoreline, no sign of a P.S.

Wednesday 1^st November We drove round to Brixham to see my brother Simon and his wife, and we took them out for a nice lunch at the Breakwater Bistro, which inevitably meant fish all round.

Many years ago, I visited Prawle Point which is on the Devon coast, south of Dartmouth. It was known to be one of the few places to see Cirl Buntings. At that time, I was not really into birding and my only recollection was a very wet and windy day, standing in a cold hide with the rain coming in horizontally. = No Cirl Buntings!

Until now, and apart from seeing them for the first time in Majorca in 2013, they had eluded me. But a recent web search threw up 2 sites in East Devon, one near Brixham and one near Teignmouth. As we were virtually passing the Brixham site at Broadsands, a little diversion found a large car park with 6 telescope toting birders.

One very helpful local told me that their targets were Firecrest and Yellow Browed Warbler, and Cirl Buntings would be “behind the beach huts where there is a feeding point.”    Time was sadly against us, and after we left my Brother a further visit was equally unproductive being inhibited by the poor light.

At least I now know where to go.

Brixham harbour, produced some interesting wildlife. We had a grey seal in the middle of what is predominantly a fishing boat harbour, Shags and Cormorants actively fishing, and a dumb Herring Gull. Well, put it this way – as Herring Gulls go, they do call a lot, but this 2-year old was near my feet, opening and shutting his beak, but no noise.?? Maybe Brixham has found the answer to noisy Gulls.

This is a nice photograph of a Mute Herring Gull!

He would have a job calling for food with apparently no voice-box.

Thursday 2nd November. My very supportive, sympathetic and compassionate wife (it says here) asked me if I wanted to go to Labrador Bay to see if I could find the Cirl Bunting. They are well reported, often in the car park, on the little RSPB reserve on the A379 coast road 1.5 miles south of Teignmouth.

And they were!!! I drove in to the lay-by/car park at about 9.45, went to read the interpretation board and the parking meter, and sitting in the bush….. Cirl  Bunting – a UK Lifer.    A short circuitous walk got me an even closer view, so our Exmouth holiday had added 2 species for 2017, now on 204.

Black Swans were visible at Dawlish, but as they are penned, and probably pinned, they are not on the list, at least not at this location.

As the tide was coming in for a 6pm high, I had a look at the Exe estuary, mainly Brent Geese, but I was able to excite a lady with her dog and a camera………………………………. by pointing out a Kingfisher on a dead tree branch in the water. She maximised the zoom, and said she would improve that when she downloaded the picture at home. “If I can help somebody, as I go along life’s way……etc”.

Sunday 5^th November  I thought the BWB walk at Carsington was not going to be very good, until Simon Roddis (a skilled Bird Club member) came and found us to point out 3 Whooper Swans.. and guess what was bird of the day for the 19 participants?

A cracking week.     It’s Norfolk for me next weekend so I hope to surge through my all-time record of 206 – I’ll let you know next Sunday.

Happy Birding.

David

Bird Call Luring - who's the smartest?

Tuesday 21st October, and Gill, Christine and I decided to have a short walk round Attenborough. Despite being half-term it was surprisingly quiet, as indeed was the seating area for lunch.

Not sure about the others, but I ticked off 30 species, none of which were new.  An early sighting was near St. Mary’s church at Attenborough, a Green Woodpecker flying passed in its traditional bounding way.

Our route was quite short today, and we finished up at the Tower Hide. I should have realised being a Tuesday, that it would be volunteer day, and 7 volunteers were doing a sterling job in thinning and cutting back the reed bed in front of the Tower Hide, which hopefully will encourage the Bittern to come back for the winter.

The disturbance meant no Waders, but at the far side of the water, with my scope I was able to pick up 3 diving female Goldeneye, my first for the 2017/8 winter.

Almost immediately when we entered the Kingfisher Hide, a Kingfisher flew left into the reeds. Some children in the hide saw the bird, and as it was still just visible through the reeds, perched on a stake, they were really thrilled and excited to see the bird through a scope.   I love to see that level of excitement.

Sunday 29^th October, and I dropped in to Carsington Wildlife Centre to empty the bird-food donations box, which is in the form of a bird table. I’d added a mini-poster on the box stating that we could get bird food with now unusable old £ coins… and already counted 4 such coins in the box. Compensation for some strange coins that have been donated in the past!

Pat, Amanda and Mac were on duty, and Mac told me that he had checked his 2017 sightings, and was able correct his total (upwards..) to 185!!  He ticked off a Jack Snipe at Attenborough Kingfisher Hide…. more than I did.

Some nice sightings this morning. Nuthatches are not seen frequently at the bird table, but there appear to be a pair who have taken a liking to the fare on offer, and they were defending the stock from Coal Tits and Willow Tits.  Four smart looking Ruffs (Not Scruffs!!) dropped in whilst I was there.

I wish I had taken my camera. The Volunteers had a good day on Tuesday, and have well cut back Horseshoe Island (not evidently an island with the res. only 75% full) ready for nesting in 2018. And they have cut back reeds to give a good view of the Sand Martin Bank, and clear views of the 3 Kingfisher posts on the water edge.

I got drawn into a discussion/debate recently about bird luring which I thought I would share with you. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t for a moment mean trapping, I’m talking about the proliferating habit of playing bird calls and songs on mobile phones. These apps are so cheap, and are a great aid to help birders improve their knowledge of bird songs and calls, and to confirm identification of what a birder thinks he is listening to. I have done it myself with a Garden Warbler buried deep in a bush. That situation I am wholly with.

But the earlier debate started when one person said that they had played a bird song, and the tempted bird did in fact make an appearance. When they tried again 5 minutes later, the bird did not re-emerge. Let’s call the bird Jo, so as not to be sexist.

My Theory. I suggest that Jo would have heard the first call, and emerged to see which relative was around. But because the recording was repeated, in Jo’s head and not having found a relative the first time, Jo would have heard the same bird, so why bother to come out again. Had the recording been followed by a recording of the same species, but by a different recording company, then Jo may have come out to see who the other bird was.  

Sounds quite logical to me, and is supported by my experience with a bird group in Markeaton Park ¾ years ago with a Goldcrest. The first time, the Goldcrest came out and circled round my head.. but when I played the track again, there was no reaction.

Or maybe Jo thought it was a game of knock down ginger!

You can make up your own mind about my theory. But please respect what we should all accept, and that is that when birds are breeding/nesting there is no justification for doing anything to disturb them, including playing bird calls. If you must, then use headphones. 

This week?   I’m looking for Cirl Bunting, seen in Majorca but not England. Carsington BWB as usual, on Sunday 5^th Nov 10.00am.  

Happy Birding