Slapton and Start Point
Saturday 28 April 2007
On a fresh morning
walk at Slapton I had my first sighting of Swift high above a glen – it was
glorious and almost surreal as I heard them calling out to me. Earlier the Cetti’s Warblers were playing
with my eyes though they were glimpsed through some shrub by some. Sedge Warbler was heard and some actually saw
Reed Warbler in the reeds – putting two and two together you would have thought
the Sedges would have peered out to see us lot but maybe they were eyeing the
willows? Mute Swans were displaying
territorial manoeuvres on the ley with the swosh swosh of wings on the
water. Tufties were there in
sixes with their manes primed back for the girls to eye. This reminds me of the Goldcrest
we saw flirting in the treetops along the way.
And there was even a lizard sunning itself on a gatepost. Whimbrels were up
in the fields. I was trying to see those
Sky Larks, but they were playing a merry dance up there. I had some fine views of Great Crested Grebe
on the river. When I peered down there were shoals of Bream mating, or were
they just being together?
After lunch on the
beach we were nearly blown off before we Started. When we did go over the top of the ridge, it
calmed down. I think we were in heaven because it was
the most perfect afternoon for me. There
was a Wheatear on the rocks, then a flypast by a
Peregrine. Out to sea were seabirds
like Razorbill and Gannets. Oh, and I
saw a Fulmar or two. Maybe the
Whitethroat was white because of the cold, but it did warm up after we heard a
possible Cirl Bunting. It didn’t come out from the hedge, though.
Back at the cars
we were tempted with ice-cream but had one more Slap for seabirds. We counted 60 species that day. It was a
joyful spring – and an hour’s drive down from
Number of species
seen: 61
Julian Manning
Birds seen, in BOU order or alphabetic order
BOU order
Canada Goose
Shelduck
Gadwall
Mallard
Tufted Duck
Mistle Thrush
Cetti’s Warbler
Sedge Warbler (H)
Reed Warbler
BlackcapWhitethroatChiffchaff