Bath Birdwatcher

    We have recently returned from a short break in South Devon we stayed with Mary’s sister in their lodge at Waterside Holiday Park which overlooks Torbay and the Dartmouth Steam Railway, which was operating during our stay. On arrival on Sunday, we just unpacked and settled in,   Monday was a wet day so I was able to watch from in the dry and see many Gannets feeding in the bay   a Kestrel was hovering over the cliff tops. We needed shopping so a trip to Morrisons was made and on return again scoping the bay 3 Common Scoter flew through my field of view heading towards Torquay a year tick and the only time I saw any all week. Tuesday I was dropped off at Berry Head and walking from the car park towards the cottage at the top of the lane, the field by the car park had parts ploughed and a local named Bill explained that it was being turned into a wildflower meadow, so I look forward to seeing it in the years to come. In the field were Magpie, Herring Gulls and ...

  A week in South Devon was hopefully a chance to catch up on a few birds we have missed during the year. 4 of us Bryan and his wife Yvonne and Tony (me) with my wife Mary, we booked a house in a village just outside Salcombe called Marlborough and proved a great base to explore the area. Our accommodation was fantastic with far views over open fields to Dartmoor bird wise it was poor with plenty of Corvids especially Rooks one day there were 37 on the wires. Other birds seen were Black Headed Gull, and Herring Gulls mostly flyovers heading for or away from the coast, along with Wood Pigeon, Buzzard and Yellowhammers. Most days Swallows and House Martins were seen on migration. On Saturday our first full day we ventured into Salcombe and the tide was low, as it was all week so with plenty of shore and mud exposed water birds and waders were expected, the only waders found were Oystercatchers that we were to find every day, also Redshank which again were very common and a single Com...