The following pages, listed below are design to assist in the identification of various species, particularly some of the more problematic species that you may encounter within Devon

• Goshawk and Sparrowhawk

18 March 2010

The morning of Thursday 18 March proved a very rewarding one for Robert Jutsum. Whilst walking on Saunton Sands, hoping to see some spring migrants such as Sand Martin and Wheatear, he spotted a Gyr Falcon resting on the sand. This is the first record since 1998 for Devon.

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.

As from 1 January 2009, Mike Langman has taken over the role of Devon Bird Recorder, with Julia Harris acting as Assistant Recorder / Data Manager. To help with the recorder role, Mark Darlaston has stepped in as the Rare Breeding Bird Recorder with immediate effect. Mark already has considerable experience of dealing with rare breeding raptor records on behalf of DBWPS; he is also in regular contact with those working on raptors in Devon beyond the membership of DBWPS.

Peter Reay, March 2008

Introduction

The Society is grateful to all observers who submit records, but especially those who do so on a regular basis throughout the year as this certainly speeds up the input of records into the database. The deadline of 31st January for records of the previous year has been set to ensure that records are assessed and processed in time for inclusion in the Devon Bird Report (DBR). There may not be time to enter into the database records received after January and, therefore, to publish them in the relevant DBR. This is unfortunate because it can both delay the publication of some important and useful records, and result in observers not being correctly acknowledged.