Aylesbeare and venn Ottery RSPB reserves and . . . . where? February 10th.
Tuesday
10th February
Away
from Beer Youth Hostel after the hearty (well the amount must affect
the heart) breakfast, I cycled to Aylesbeare Common RSPB reserve.
Well it was mostly like yesterday with a mixture of cycling and
pushing up hills. They weren't as severely steep as yesterday. Even
getting to the reserve was a push.
After
I had photographed the RSPB signs and noticeboards, I photographed a
group of RSPB staff who were burning a small area of old gorse. I
tried to make the photos look as though they were engulfed by the
flames.
I
went the other way to these hard workers, trying to see dartford
warblers in an area where The Birding Clams had seen them last year.
No luck, just a few pished goldcrests. I then explored down in the
valley. Still no birds, well except a wren and a crow. It was then up
to say hello to the workers. Richard, the assistant warden
coordinating the burn told me their names. He also asked me whether I
knew of Venn Ottery RSPB reserve. I did. Did I know of Wychecombe
RSPB reserve? I didn't. Hartford Common RSPB reserve? I didn't. Two
more reserves sneaked onto the list and another one to go out of my
way for, oh goodie! Hartford Common was easy. Behind where we were
standing was an earth wall stretching along a ridge. This denoted the
parish boundary and the other side was Hartford Common. I was advised
to go that way to get to Venn Ottery RSPB Reserve. Wychecombe
involved an 8 miles cycle along a B-road with a lot of heavy lorry
traffic, gravel extraction being a big thing in the area.
The
advised tarmac road down the hill turned into a muddy bridleway with
a wooden bridge to cross a stream. The path eventually took me to a
road that did indeed lead to Venn Ottery RSPB reserve. Only a couple
of dog walkers were here and few birds.
The
cycle to Wychecombe RSPB reserve was a little hairy but, as usual, I
found that lorry drivers were the best when it came to looking after
the cyclist.
On
arriving there I chatted with, and assisted John who was about to fly
a camera attached to a flying drone over a fishpond adjacent to the
RSPB reserve. I would have loved to watch the flight but a lady
arrived with a dog and I asked her politely to stay out of view in
order that the camera didn't see either of us. She, Carole, was about
to carry out a BTO (British Turst for Ornithology) survey of the
Devon Wildlife Trust reserve there and told me of a dead lesser
spotted woodpecker she had found recently.
On
leaving them and the fishponds I went into the RSPB reserve and saw a
close buzzard, a kestrel and 4 ravens.
Cycling
down to the Exe estuary at Exmouth I was delighted to find a superb
cycle path running the length of it all the way to Dart;s Farm.
There, with the light fading on the day and no chance of seeing the
penduline tits reported there at 1 o clock, I went into the biggest
RSPB shop I had ever seen and then enjoyed an expensive piece of
steak pie and a slice of a gelatinous cheesecake, not the texture I
enjoy.
Year
list still stands at 137. Next it's a search and possibly a long
wait for the penduline tits at Dart's Farm. They would constitute a
'54' bird (one of the 54 I need above the total I achieved in 2010 to
get the European Green record; birds that I didn't see that year)
Then it's a round up of birding at each of the RSPB reserves around
the Exe Estuary.
Now
please have a look at the photographs of today on my facebook page -
https://www.facebook.com/bikingbirder2015
Also
if you could please make a small donation to any of the charities
that I am supporting then please click on the links to the right.
Thanks.
All
the very best everyone. Love to you all xx
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