Birdwatching

Cryptic Spring Vanguards

In a birdwatcher’s year book, the spring and autumn seasons are undoubtedly favourites.  e prospect of seeing and hearing birds arriving on our shores from countries afar, perhaps just stopping to rest and feed before carrying on or having completed their incredible journeys is awe-inspiring. Mike Langman tells us more about what to see here in the Bay.

The spring for most birdwatchers heralds new beginnings as summer migrants in their  nest plumages arrive to set up territories,  nd a mate and rear young as quickly as possible. Rarely do these birds linger on their migration. In the case of the (Northern) Wheatear, one of our earliest migrants, the males come back from their African wintering grounds a few days - sometimes weeks before the females.

 ese birds move on from coastal landfall sites like Berry Head or Hope’s Nose within a few hours – sometimes minutes! Should you be lucky enough to be out on the coast on the right day dozens of Wheatears can

suddenly drop out of the sky in a term known as a ‘fall’. Some will stop to breed on Dartmoor but most move further north in Britain. During mid to late April larger, longer winged and brighter males arrive; these are the high Arctic birds migrating as far as Greenland to breed.

A couple of dapper male Wheatear that made landfall at Berry Head - a stocky bird closely related to the Robin. The most striking feature is its white rump as it  ies away from you.

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Also closely related to the Robin is the Black Redstart, although some overwinter here in Britain there is a distinct spring migration, usually in March.  e cli s and quarries at Hope’s Nose and Berry Head are favoured but any rocky coastline will su ce. Younger males and females are like a grey/brown robin with the red moved to the tail; this quivers like a ‘twanged’ ruler on the edge of a table. Older males are genuinely black on the face and breast with a large white patch in the wing. Its cousin, the Common Redstart is strictly a summer visitor; a few stop on our Torbay coastline every spring before heading moving on.  e male is brighter coloured with orange chest, black face and slate grey back with the same quivery red tail as the Black Redstart.

Young male Black Redstart like a Grey Robin with a red tail; they love sunny cli faces.

Chi cha s are small ‘leaf’ warblers weighing less than a 50 pence piece, like the Black Redstart some stay with us all winter particularly here in the mild South West. However most migrate south to the Mediterranean and further into Africa for the winter.  ey are late to leave our shores in the autumn and early to return in the spring.  is is a risky business for a bird that feeds entirely on small insects. A few years ago the early migrants were greeted with an exceptionally cold March, the poor birds ending up feeding on lawns in gardens instead of trees, sadly many succumbed through lack of food and the cold. In good weather, the bene ts of arriving earlier than a rival on a neighbouring territory are huge.  e early bird can feed continuously in the ever-increasing spring daylight hours building up strength and being  t and strong when the exhausted neighbour has just arrived from its epic migration. Warblers are never easy for people to identify but luckily the chi cha gives its self away with its characteristic song – ‘Chi -cha – chi -cha ’.

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Very similar and often mistaken for a Chi cha is the Willow Warbler.  is is another small insect eating warbler, which is highly migratory. Willow Warblers are slightly bigger and brighter than Chi cha s and arrive several weeks later, usually during April.  e longer winged Willow Warbler winters in central Africa, very rarely over-wintering in Britain.  e song given by newly arrived birds is the easiest way to identify them, a delightful soft,  uty warble that descends in pitch and speeds up a little toward the end of the song. Lowland breeding populations in Devon have declined dramatically in recent decades, so if you miss their song during the spring migration take a trip up to the scrubby edges of Dartmoor in late April and early May.

Willow Warbler – di cult to identify from a Chi cha so rely on the song.

 e most secretive of all of our warblers is perhaps the Grasshopper Warbler. It is a birdwatcher’s nightmare, the most skulking of all warblers moving around the undergrowth like a mouse and rarely coming out into the open. Your best chance of  nding one is locating it through its song - a fast truly grasshopper-like trill that can go on for a minute or more seemingly without a breath!  e problem being that its song is so high pitched at around 7 KHz it can only be heard by good highpitch hearing, ruling out many older people.

Grasshopper Warbler Berry Head April 2016 – a lucky encounter with one that decided to show o !

So what about the Swallow and the Cuckoo? Like a few of the other birds mentioned before, Swallows do occasionally stay over winter; there were records in Devon this year during January and February. Trying to work out if a Swallow has genuinely arrived back from Africa is therefore not always easy to determine but the old saying ‘one swallow does not make a summer’ is a good rule of thumb! If you are lucky enough to hear a Cuckoo it will be a newly arrived bird, usually in mid to late April.  irty years ago it was regularly seen and heard on migration in Torbay, and before that would have bred in the area. Today its population is in serious decline, so the sound of a Cuckoo in Torbay is a rare treat indeed (unless you mistake the somewhat similar Collared Dove call!). 

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To arrange a visit or for more information telephone the Manager at: Park House, Paignton 01803 557732 or for Sanders Court, Torquay 01803 316164. Or visit our website: ZZZaEEe\fielGcoP Both Abbeyfield houses are situated in lovely areas, boasting their own beautiful grounds. Park House in Paignton is situated directly opposite a beautiful park and is a five minute walk from the beach. Sanders Court in St Marychurch, Torquay, has a wonderful large private courtyard and the local precinct is just a five minute walk away, with all the amenities you would expect. Both sites offer good public transport services close by, so it is nice and easy to go and explore. At our Abbeyfield houses residents find friendship and support without losing their independence and dignity. The rooms are unfurnished with en-suite facilities and a kitchenette area. The houses have a communal laundry, dining room, lounge and beautiful garden. Each house has a small and friendly committed staff, consisting of a Manager, cooks and a cleaner who all work together to ensure residents are happy and content. There are various activities, events and entertainment that take place throughout the year which the residents can join in if they wish. Traditional home cooked meals are provided in the dining room every day and breakfast provisions are provided for residents to have in their rooms. The weekly charge covers all utilities and food, so there are no bills to worry about, other than a BT telephone line which is necessary for the residents, 24hr emergency pendant to work, so all concerns about running a house are taken away. Each room has its own 24hr emergency call system for residents peace of mind. ABBEYFIELD SOUTH WEST SOCIETY To arrange a visit or for more information telephone the Manager at: Park House, Paignton 01803 557732 Both Abbeyfield houses are situated in lovely areas, boasting their own beautiful grounds. Park House in Paignton is situated directly opposite a beautiful park and is a five minute walk from the beach. Sanders Court in St Marychurch, Torquay, has a wonderful large private courtyard and the local precinct is just a five minute walk away, with all the amenities you would expect. Both sites offer good public transport services close by, so it is nice and easy to go and explore. At our Abbeyfield houses residents find friendship and support without losing their independence and dignity. The rooms are unfurnished with en-suite facilities and a kitchenette area. The houses have a communal laundry, dining room, lounge and beautiful garden. Each house has a small and friendly committed staff, consisting of a Manager, cooks and a cleaner who all work together to ensure residents are happy and content. There are various activities, events and entertainment that take place throughout the year which the residents can join in if they wish. Traditional home cooked meals are provided in the dining room every day and breakfast provisions are provided for residents to have in their rooms. The weekly charge covers all utilities and food, so there are no bills to worry about, other than a BT telephone line which is necessary for the residents, 24hr emergency pendant to work, so all concerns about running a house are taken away. Each room has its own 24hr emergency call system for residents peace of mind. ABBEYFIELD SOUTH WEST SOCIETY Sheltered Housing for Independent People over 55 All bills are included, except telephone line & calls