Away From Four Marks: 6th May - Labrador Bay and Dunsford Wood, Devon

A week away outside of school holidays has not happened for us for just under 30 years! We were returning to the cottage we had in August 2020 just outside Okehampton and like then we set off early and had our breakfast looking out across the farmland of Labrador Bay just outside Teignmouth.

Like the previous visit the search was on for one of the country's rarest breeding birds and one that is confined to the coastal farmland along the Devon coast, the Cirl Bunting.

Cirl Buntings were once widespread and common across much of southern England, but in recent years, they have become rare and only found in south Devon, mostly confined to coastal farmland between Plymouth and Exeter.

During the winter, Cirl Buntings forage in weedy stubble fields, feeding on seeds and spilt grain. In the summer, they nest in hedges or scrub, and forage in unimproved grassland full of invertebrates - grasshoppers are a particularly valuable food for chicks. As Cirl Buntings are very sedentary (they only move up to 2 km between their breeding and wintering areas), it is vital all these habitats are close to each other.

Changes in agriculture during the 20th century have made farms more productive, but these changes have meant Cirl Buntings have struggled to find food and nesting sites. Technological advances such as autumn-sown cereals replacing spring-sown varieties, more efficient machinery resulting in less spilt grain, increased fertiliser and pesticide use and hedge removal to create larger fields have all had an impact.

A widespread trend towards specialised farms has seen farms in the west of the country converting to mainly grass and farms in the east growing arable crops. This has resulted in a reduction of mixed farms, which makes life very difficult for a species like the Cirl Bunting which needs both grass and arable habitats close to each other.

I had heard one in the bushes as I paid for the car park and as we walked through the gate another male was singing in the hedge.

They would move from the hedge to the closely cropped grass to search for food.

So what has been the reason for the success on the South Devon coast for this stunning little birds? In Devon, small traditionally-managed coastal farms have persisted, the exposed coastal environment making spring crops a more viable option than winter cropping. This has made this area more appealing to Cirl Buntings.

A mixed farming environment that includes winter stubbles is the key to helping this colourful bird and the support of the farming community has been vital in Cirl Buntings becoming more secure in the UK.

We walked alongside the top hedge and the field stretches down towards the coast at an alarming angle.

It was good to see rabbits enjoying the early morning sunshine alongside the hedge and fences.

Walking to the far corner of the field there were several birds calling from the bushes and I found this female showing well amongst the branches.

The Cirl Bunting is a charming relative of the yellowhammer that is at the limit of its European range in the UK. In spring, males have a striking black chin, eye stripe and crown and yellow stripes on head and yellow underparts. Female and juveniles look similar to yellowhammers but have bolder head markings and streaked grey/brown rumps.

As I edged closer to the Cirl Bunting the young rabbit refused to move.

The Cirl Bunting Project has been a great success and is one of the UK's best farmland species recovery stories.

By 2009, The National Cirl Bunting Survey (RSPB/Natural England) recorded 862 territories, with some range expansion, and in 2016 a milestone of over 1,000 pairs was reached – an amazing result that was way beyond expectations at the start of the project when the aim was to stop them being lost as a breeding species from the UK.

One male appeared on the wire fence that ran down the hill through the gorse.

I was able to edge closer without disturbing the bird.

The beautiful view looking out across Labrador Bay

As we returned to the car a female appeared in the hedge.

From Labrador Bay we headed north and then a little west into Dartmoor. Our next stop was to be Dunsford Wood and a walk alongside the River Teign through mixed woodland. On the last visit here the woods were crowded and noisy, today as we walked across the bridge that crossed the river we seemed to have it all to ourselves.

Walking alongside the River Teign the water was full of reflections of the newly emerged leaves on the trees and it produced a calming feel all around us.

On our last visit back in August 2020 the trees were providing a dense cover, with little light to the floor, today is was completely different. Ransomes were everywhere, filling the air with the scent of garlic.

It didn't take long to find one of the target birds, the Dipper. However the first one seen was a juvenile begging for food from the adult nearby.

As the adult flew off to hunt again, the juvenile sat waiting patiently for it to return.

Although the adult did not appear to be in too much of a hurry.

The juvenile moved away to the other side of the bank and stood under the roots of an tree on the bank.

It was joined by the adult and I would not be surprised if this was the nest site.

Then they both disappeared and we walked on.

Another river specialist is the Grey Wagtail and these could be heard but were not that easy to see, then this female appeared on a boulder in the middle of the river, the sun picking it out though the trees.

The female was then replaced by a male, the main difference between the two being the darker wings and black throat patch.

Every so often the path would divert into an open glade full of Bluebells and more Ransomes.

Green-veined and Small White butterflies danced over the flowers and in amongst the blue and white there were also the purple spikes of the Early purple Orchids.

In places the Ransome's looked quite spectacular, like a covering of snow with paths created by animals through the coverings.

Back on the river we came across another Dipper. This one was a little closer and was preening which gave me the opportunity to get a little closer and to get enough shots to test the best exposure in the dark water conditions. It turns out there were quite a few good ones.

Some even with a reflection of the white throat and breast in the water.

It would also appear that the Dipper was either singing or calling, but I couldn't hear anything over the rushing water.

The woods and reserve are known for the huge display of wild daffodils in March. The best place to experience this is the aptly named Daffodil Glade at the far end of the trail from the Two Steps Bridge. Today though the glade was covered in Bluebells.

A Redstart could be heard from the distant trees and in amongst the Bluebells were more Early Purple Orchids.

Moving back into the woodland, a Green-veined White on a clump of bramble..

The Bluebells were also present under the Hazel and Beech trees in the woodland.

As we walked back towards the car I took the chance to play with the exposure and shutter speed on the rushing water.

Another Grey Wagtail alongside the stream.

Then in another open glade we came across a pair of Brimstone displaying. The female sat on the grass stem while the male flitted around her. The female exposed her abdomen to the male but while he continued to fly around her he did not make any advance on her.