Mark Darlaston

As Goshawks are still persecuted despite full legal protection, it is regrettable that Devon Birds cannot advertise sites to watch them. However, there are places where Goshawk can be seen and we have provided some pointers about where to see them and how to identify them.

A stunning picture of a pair of 'talon locked' buzzards, was taken by Tom Wallis in August 2009. With only seconds to spare, Tom managed to grab 8 pictures of the pair as they fell from the sky. His reward was a well deserved first prize in a recent photo competition run by the Dartmoor Preservation Society.

6 January 2010

The current harsh winter conditions have brought many unusual birds into gardens in search of food. However, the meeting of birds not normally associated with garden feeding often means confrontations with more normal garden visitors.

Jersey Control is a first!

A goldfinch ringed in Kingsteignton, South Devon on 20 Nov 2007 was later controlled on 10 February 2008 at Woodlands Farm, St Helier, Jersey. This garden ringed bird was one of 41 caught and ringed in November 2007. The young female (ring no V766279) was recaptured 82 days later on Jersey, having travelled a distance of 183km. It was assumed that the bird was ringed whilst migrating south through Devon in the autumn and then recaptured on Jersey, when returning north in the spring.

24 November 2009

This photo of a leucistic Shag was taken by Brian Heasman at Hope's Nose. County recorder Mike Langman reports that a pure albino has also been seen in the area in the last couple of months – perhaps a local gene as several very pale/white undersided Shags have been seen along this part of the coast over the last decade.

17 September 2009

Mark Darlaston captured this lovely shot of a Raven at Start Point.

11 September 2009

Roy Churchill, out and about again with his camera, reported very few birds about in the Caenmouth–Yelland section today – but then he saw why!

10 September 2009

During the spring and summer of 2009, the RSPB, funded by Natural England, carried out a full census of Cirl Buntings in order to obtain a revised estimate of their population size and range. This was the first complete survey since 2003 and covered the known range in South Devon and Cornwall, as well as a surrounding buffer area, to determine range expansion.

27 August 2009

Stewart Beer was birding along the Taw Estuary at Instow on 26 August when he came across a family party of four Little Owls, including this individual perched on a gate.

18 August 2009

While carrying out his final visit of the 2009 Cirl Bunting survey in the Churston area, Mike Langman came across this presumed hybrid male Cirl Bunting x Yellowhammer.

7 August 2009

Each year, the autumn song of Robins resumes following their moult. The first song noted by Jon Avon at Stover Country Park this year was heard on 7 August. This was limited to a single bird, but numbers of singing Robins will increase on a daily basis from now on.

5 August 2009

An early morning visit to Filham Lake, near Ivybridge on 2 August paid off for keen local photographer Bruce Church. He managed a few swift shots of a Little Egret that briefly visited the lake and the angling platforms.

14 April 2009

Seven days after Ian Seward took his photo of a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker at Steps Bridge, Charlie Flemming managed to capture these images of a male and female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker at Dunsford Woods on 13 March – at the fifth or sixth time of trying!

9 April 2009

Ian Seward took this shot of what he believes to be a second Lesser Spotted Woodpecker at Steps Bridge on 6 March (see also under 24 February for images by Dave Stone).

4 April 2009

Andrew Cunningham’s hopes of catching up with four Garganey at Bowling Green Marsh on 14 March didn’t materialise – but he did witness another, rather gruesome spectacle.