bird recording

Bittern seen on Dartmoor

A Bittern was seen and photographed by Keith Bragg on 2 January 2010 at 1045hrs beside Moor Brook (SX 59059275) which is on Dartmoor, just to the east of Okehampton Camp.

The bird was watched from a car and was only 15-20 feet away.

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Bird Notes for October & November 2009

Julia Harris, Assistant County Recorder & Data Manager

This listing appears will appear in The Harrier for December 2009. Most of these records are unchecked and as yet unauthenticated.

 

October 2009

1

Spoonbill (3) Isley Marsh; Firecrest (2) Coleton Fishacre.

2

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Bird Notes for August & September 2009

Julia Harris, Assistant County Recorder & Data Manager

This listing appears will appear in The Harrier for October 2009. Most of these records are unchecked and as yet unauthenticated.

 

August 2009

1

Sooty Shearwater Berry Head; Arctic Tern Dawlish Warren; Green Sandpiper (7), Whimbrel (5) Appledore.

2

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Tamar Lakes – updated bird list

16 November 2009

Following the establishment of the new DBWPS hide at Upper Tamar Lake last year, SW Lakes Trust recently asked Harvey Kendall to provide an up-to-date bird list for display in the hide (as well as for their own archives). After several weeks of painstaking research, Harvey has produced an updated list, which is available here as a downloadable PDF.

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Ringing

In the year (2009) that the BTO celebrates 100 years of ringing in Great Britain, it is appropriate that our Society should finally get a ringing section on its web site.

As a Devon organisation, we can be proud of the fact that we have been a part of this important research activity since the beginning. It was recorded in British Birds (Vol. III 1909-10) that a Curlew ringed in Devon in June 1909 was recovered on Dartmoor in October that same year.

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Updating ‘The Birds of Lundy’

24 September 2009

Two years have passed since The Birds of Lundy was published in September 2007. While the book encompasses records of birds on Lundy from historical to modern times (up to August 2007), the website www.birdsoflundy.org.uk keeps the project ‘alive’ with a detailed account of notable records since publication. The latest website update, covering sightings to the end of 2008, was posted on 1 September.

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Bird Notes for June & July

13 August 2009

'Bird Notes' for June and July 2009, compiled by Assistant County Recorder Julia Harris, are now available under Bird News > Bird Notes Digest.

Bird Notes for June & July 2009

Julia Harris, Assistant County Recorder & Data Manager

This listing appears in The Harrier for August 2009. Most of these records are unchecked and as yet unauthenticated.

 

June 2009

1

Gull-billed Tern, Little Gull Bowling Green Marsh; Slavonian Grebe Cockwood; Red Kite Topsham; Black Kite Exeter; Spoonbill Teign  Est.

2

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Tactical description-writing: How to help the Records Committee

12 August 2009

Contributed by Gavin Haig

Amateur naturalists in the British Isles have a long history of diligent record-keeping. Birders (or birdwatchers if you prefer) have always played their part, willingly contributing to their county or regional bird report. These records constitute a huge and dynamic database, often going back several generations. Periodically they may result in the publication of a county avifauna, summarising and discussing the past, current (and perhaps future) status of the county’s birdlife – the latest Devon edition is in preparation as I type. This vast store of records charts the successes, failures, expansions, contractions, migrations and vagrancy of a host of species, and can be a valuable resource for not just the amateur, but also the professional scientist, in the fields of ecology, conservation and the like.

The point of the above preamble is this: Without YOUR records the picture is always LESS complete.

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Make Birds Count – survey training day

16 July 2009

The RSPB, BTO and Duchy College are combining their respective expertise to run a free training day in bird survey techniques on 21 November at Duchy College, Stoke Climsland, near Callington, Cornwall.

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Bird Notes for April & May 2009

Julia Harris, Assistant County Recorder & Data Manager

This listing appears appear in The Harrier for June 2009. Most of these records are unchecked and as yet unauthenticated.

 

April 2009

1

Penduline Tit Paignton; Osprey Newton Abbot & Axe Est; Little Gull Bowling Green Marsh; Little Ringed Plover (3) Exminster Marshes; Garganey Beesands Ley.

2

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SMADD 2009 Survey

Peter Dare and Pete Reay are looking forward to receiving your Summer Migrant Arrival and Departure Dates in Devon (SMADD) pilot survey records. Even if you only have one date for one species, please send it in, as the responses to the pilot survey will help decide the scope of the full survey (due to start with summer migrant arrivals in 2010), and what modifications to the survey may be needed.

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Swifts in Exeter – nest records please!

19 May 2009

Ralph Mackridge, Project Manager for Exeter Wild City, has contacted Devon Birds seeking information about Swifts in Exeter.

Ralph writes: “The Exeter Wild City project aims to enhance the biodiversity of the city and engage residents and visitors in that process. There are a number of major projects that are currently in development under the EWC banner. To add to our list of projects I'm very taken with the idea of developing a project about Swifts in the city. Swifts are charismatic birds whose behaviour and life cycle are ideal for creating a sense of wonder and concern among people – and there are a lot of things that can be done to increase and protect their nesting sites in the city.”

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Persecution of rare or scarce breeding birds

Rare birds still persecuted in Devon

With the breeding season well underway we are now getting into the period where in previous years there have been incidents of raptor persecution at their breeding sites. Although some people think this does not happen in Devon, unfortunately it still does. The rather grim picture below shows a poisoned Peregrine on top of the poison-laced pigeon that killed it. The loss of this adult resulted in the young starving to death in the nest on this occasion.

Dead Peregrine on poisoned pigeon

Poisoned Peregrine – Devon – © Mark Darlaston

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Forms for submitting records of Devon and National rarities

The categorisation of species as either County or National rarities is given in the listing at the back of each year's Devon Bird Report. You can also find this information on the Devon List & Checklist page, which includes a link to a downloadable pdf of the current Devon Checklist.

Submitting records of Devon County rarities

Please submit records of Devon County rarities using this Devon Rarity Form (44 KB Word file) to Mike Langman, the County Recorder.

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