As the welcome and briefing was underway, for the twelve birders joining Plymouth Branch’s visit to Challacombe Farm, a male Redstart was keen to join in and introduce itself from the top branches of a Sycamore tree, which made for an excellent start. For many of the bird species seen, they had dispensed with claiming territory and were instead busy searching for food and feeding chicks in nests or minding slightly wobbly fledglings.
There was an ever-present Robin, Chaffinches galore and a regular serenade by Willow Warbler. Birds were concentrated in sheltered areas. With trees and shrubs almost in full leaf, identification of the songs and calls was key, and by scouring each twig with binoculars the group were successful in locating a wide variety of birds. Good team work ensured that everyone enjoyed views of the birds. On the heath there were Goldfinch, Linnet and Stonechat. One member of the group had two ‘lifers’, Redpoll and Whinchat which were a delight to see, even for the most seasoned birder. A Kestrel was seen actively looking for prey in the middle distance with a Buzzard using the wind to hang motionless in the sky far above the hillside.
The call of Cuckoo was heard at intervals across the day however it wasn’t until the afternoon, as the group moved up to Headland Warren Farm, that a distant bird was see in a Hawthorn tree. At this end of the valley a singing male Reed Bunting was spotted in the top branches of a clump of Willow. Good numbers of Wheatear were using the mounds of earth and stone walls as vantage points. Pied Wagtail had successfully raised a brood of young and there were more views of Whinchat.
Swallows skimmed over the fields and ponds hawking for insects wherever they could locate them. The group watched with interest as House Martin flew into the artificial nests on the farmhouse eaves. During a reconnaissance visit a week before, when a Spring Watch film crew were on site, birds were seen placing mud on batons on the wall. It was painful to see one globule of mud fall to the floor and question how many beakfuls of earth that represented. Little progress had been made in the intervening week, perhaps emphasising the value of the nest boxes.
During quiet spells there was time to enjoy a range of interesting plants, notably Bogbean and Heath Spotted Orchid but these were surpassed by the azure blue haze of Bluebells which were in their prime on both sides of the valley. They more than made up for the grey skies above!
Report by M Johnson
43 species seen or heard (H):
Mallard, Buzzard, Kestrel, Pheasant, Herring Gull, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Cuckoo, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Swallow, House Martin, Meadow Pipit, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Redstart, Whinchat, Stonechat, Wheatear, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Goldcrest (H), Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Jay, Magpie, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Raven, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Linnet, Redpoll, Reed Bunting
