A Long Weekend

It's been a nice weekend - the sun hasn't been shining quite as strong, but I've had fun things to do. Feels like my reporting has been a bit slack, so here's a three-in-one condensed update...

Friday at Stover was spent removing a tree that had fallen in the outlet channel. Winches, stinky water, lots of standing around watching Rob in the chainsaw waders...the usual sort of malarkey. I was on woodpecker duty as a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker had recently been seen in the vicinity and would be a great record to confirm - especially as they would be breeding this time of year, that would be an even better record for the park. But, no luck.

Saturday was my second experience with the Wildlife Watch group - a morning visit to Berry Head where we were guided by a member of TCCT staff. Firstly I spotted a pair of Cirl Buntings feeding right by the car park, then a Whitethroat. We were shown the Fulmars and Herring Gulls breeding in the quarry, and I saw my first three Swifts zoom overhead. Then we visited the new hide - built with help from the Heritage Lottery Fund - facing the seabird colony. Here we were directed to a Peregrine almost invisible on the rocks. The Guilemot colony was a little less invisible - the morning's count was nearing 1000! In amongst them were Shags, Kittiwakes and more Gulls and Fulmars. Lastly we visited the new visitor centre and watched on the camera while listening to the ranger talk about each species - it was fascinating for us adults, but the four children that turned up for the meeting seemed disinterested which was a shame.

I spent Saturday afternoon with Maddy; she was playing on the slide, then helped wash the camper van! For the evening I went to the cinema with mum to see I Am Love, an Italian film with subtitles - wonderful! Great attention to detail, great acting and occasionally quite erotic... not what I was expecting but a lovely film.

On Sunday I was on RSPB duty at Exminster Marshes. My walk down from the bus stop revealed a smart male Bullfinch and, most surprisingly, a Grasshopper Warbler singing from the reedbed. These seldom-seen birds are beginning to arrive in good numbers now, so I was quite pleased to catch one on its way to its breeding site. It was a quiet day for us, so we packed up half an hour early and Dad met me in the newly cleaned camper van for our first visit to Powderham Marshes. Not long into our visit we spotted a very smart male Winchat on a fence post. I haven't ever seen these on the marshes before. Up at the platform we encountered three Red-legged Partridges and two pairs of Cirl Buntings - a great find, and proof that the management of the site for the benefit of these birds is working!