Birding, My Legal High!

 Birding, My Legal High!

Day 1:

We arrived at Prawle Point at around 9:30am (set off at 3am!) in hopes of seeing Cirl Bunting and Chough. The roads to this point were extremely narrow and it was a struggle to pass by oncoming vehicles. When we finally arrived, the view was simply stunning. We were surrounded by a rugged environment with the rough sea crashing onto the rocks below. It was a place rich with birdlife. In the car park, we met a couple who said the easiest birds to see were the Cirl Buntings, as we were early, and these birds would be out feeding in the hedgerows. The harder ones to connect with were the Chough, they said, as they had probably been blown somewhere else, during the strong winds they had over the week. We took the footpath to where the Cirl Buntings were meant to be. In the hedgerows, we spotted multiple Stonechats as well as witnessing a Sparrowhawk getting mobbed by two Crows. Then, the man we met earlier shouts 'Cirl' and waves us back towards him. He then crosses the electric fence (he assures us it's only a minor shock given) with us in tow, he makes us cross the field and takes us closer to the rocky hills. He says the birds feed on the stub in the fields, deliberately left by the farmers to aid the birds. We then spot a bird flitting out of the stub towards a hedgerow. We slowly walk towards it and raise our bins. It's a Cirl Bunting! It was either a female or a juvenile, but it was also a lifer. Determined to see a male, we continued looking when a group of three Cirl Bunting shot up into a bush. We scanned the bush when a male popped out. The light was perfect, making for some brilliant photos. It was a stunning bird, with a much-loved yellowy wash to it, I was buzzing when I saw it. This bird was so trusting, as long as we were gentle with our movement they would stay where they were. We continued scanning, seeing many more male Cirl Bunting. It was easily within my top five birding experiences. We did try for the chough in the field, which we were told to go to, but sadly dipped. Then, when we were in the car park ready to go to the next twitch, I spotted a funny-looking gull going overhead, a birder identified it as a Peregrine and it flew right over our heads, and to end the morning a beautiful Kestrel demonstrated a successful hunt, which I was fortunate enough to catch on video.

We then made our way over to Cricklepit Bridge, Exeter, in hopes of seeing a Glaucous Gull. When we arrived, we parked at the other side of the river and walked towards the bridge, seeing two escaped Black Swans on the way. During the walk, to my delight, I managed to spot the goliath gull from the other side of the river, so we crossed the bridge and made our way to the path. Once we were there, the Glaucous Gull showed incredibly close, making for some incredible record shots. This very tame Glaucous Gull acted just as a common Herring Gull would, coming close to people with bread. It was a nice, clean white colour with bright pink feet and a goliath size.  I was amazed that I was able to see such a scarce bird so well! There, we met a man called Adam Davidson, who helped get a grant to form Brockholes.  

We then left and drove to RSPB Aylesbeare Common for Dartford Warbler but sadly, it was poor light by the time we arrived, nearing sunset, and we dipped them, though we did see Long-tailed Tits and some free-ranging Horses. We then went to sleep in Days Inn at Sedgemoor Services, so we could have a good night's rest, ready for birding tomorrow.