Updated – 26 February 2009

Thanks to everyone who helped to ensure that the December issue of Devon Birds journal, containing the Devon Bird Report 2007, was delivered before Christmas – in particular to Joy Vaughan and her envelope stuffing team of Roger Doble, David Paull and Paul Stubbs.

Joy has described the event as “a bit like a military operation to get everything in place, and Royal Mail organised to collect the boxes of envelopes”.

Thanks also for the various messages of appreciation, as well as several constructive comments and corrections. The errors/omissions reported so far, and for which we apologise, are:

1. Cover photo. Credit for the photo was omitted, and should be: Kingfisher, Kingswear, August 2007 by Ron Champion.

2. Greylag Goose (p 20). Under other records, the record of two on the Teign Est should be deleted; two geese were present, but were probably hybrids involving Swan Goose (KRy).

3. Hobby (p 65). Under Apr-May, the first sentence should read: ‘The first was on 17 Mar in the Warren House area (NRP), followed by singles at Bovey Heathfield on 31 Mar and over Cut Hill on 11 Apr’.

4. Mediterranean Gull (p 98). Counts of up to 15 in the Jennycliff/Mountbatten area of Plymouth Sound during Sep-Dec (SRT,VRT), although featuring in Table 83, did not appear in the text. Not only was 15 in early Oct a record count for the site (normally only one-two), but it was the highest count of birds together in Devon during 2007.

5. Firecrest (p 148). Under winter records, three at Slapton on 1 Jan should have been included as a second exception to the ‘all singles’ descriptor for Jan-Mar.

6. Red-backed Shrike (p 155). The observer for the 1w at Prawle on 23 Aug was NPR, not NRP.

7. House Sparrow (p 161). Under breeding, a record of ‘a very good population’ in SX55 (SW Devon) should be added.

8. Lapland Bunting (p 167). Records for East Soar should be: two on 25 Nov (PHA) and one on 27th (SRT,VRT).

9. Observers and Contributors. Robin Khan (RK) should be added to the list.

10. Ringing Report (p 205). In Table 4, Blackcap T984020 was retrapped at Watcombe on 15 Dec 2007, not 20 May 2007. (This is important because the bird was almost certainly a winter visitor only. It was previously controlled by DGJ in December 2005, two weeks after JDA had ringed it in Kingsteignton.)

Devon Birds 62(1)

The April 2009 issue will include a comprehensive review of arrival dates of spring migrants in Devon, as well as: articles on Alba Wagtails, Red Kites, Collared Doves, Ringed Plovers, an early Cuckoo, a winter visit to The Netherlands and extracts from the late Bill Tucker’s diaries; John Woodland’s obituary; and a book review of Mike Tyler’s British Oaks.

Peter Reay & Mike Lock, Editors, Devon Birds – 29 January 2009