October 03, 2006
Saturday 23rd to Saturday 30th September
HOLIDAY IN DEVON
We went to Devon for a week, we stayed at the same place as we did for a short break in March, at Millstream Cottage, at Colyton. During the week we did lots of walking, and some birding. We went to Dawlish Warren, but on the day we went they were carrying out work to the pools on the reserve. This was surprising because a Spotted Crake had been present on the same pools up to the previous day. Not surprising there was no sign of the bird when we were there. In fact the reserve was very quiet on the day of our visit. On our way back from Dawlish Warren we parked in Exminster village and walked up the lane to the M5 bridge and back. We were rewarded by close views of a family of Cirl Buntings.
We also went to Bowling Green Marsh at Topsham, where it was equally quiet, apart from large flocks of Teal and Wigeon, but very little else. There was a single Avocet out on the River Exe from the Goat Walk. There was another large Wigeon flock from Exmouth with good numbers of Brent Geese. We saw a distant raptor, which could well have been an Osprey.
We walked up river from Budleigh Salterton as far as Otterton and back, the feature of the walk was the number of Kingfishers, we saw five or six on the three miles of river bank. The rivers in East Devon are suffering from a plague of Hymalayan Balsam, this was particular problem on the Rivers Axe, Coly and Otter. The other problem on the River Coly is with dogs, the Coly is an asset to the town of Colyton, but unfortunately there are footpaths following the river bank both north and south of the town. The sheer numbers of dogs being walked, and encouraged to swim in the river means that the river, Hymalayan Balsam apart, is sterile. It's a shame, the river seems ideally suited to Dippers.
Speckled Wood
Hymalayan Balsam
Fly Species
Small Copper
Herring Gull
Posted by Frampton25 at October 3, 2006 08:19 PM