In the light of the continuing Covid19 restrictions on the number of people gathering together, and the need for social distancing, it has been agreed that there will be no Devon Birds meetings or events organised until 21st June 2021, when Government restrictions are planned to be lifted. If there is any Government announcement that necessitates a change to this date an update will be posted.

Devon Birds would like to thank the many members and other birdwatchers who complied with the restrictions during the recent Lockdown and stayed in their local area (village, town or part of city) to birdwatch while exercising (and later) taking recreation. We hope that, despite the obvious frustrations, you found some respite in watching wildlife in your local area and perhaps discovered some birds close to home, that you might otherwise not have seen! As always, please submit sightings to the County recorder and / or BirdTrack. 

 

Please continue to follow the Covid related requirements (currently "rule of six outside, social distancing etc) while enjoying the new freedoms to extend your birdwatching. Some hides will remain closed for the time being and where you find one open, please follow Government guidelines on keeping yourself & others safe: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/social-distancing/what-you-need-to-do/

 

Thank you from

Devon Birds News site editors & members of the Records Committee

Please think very carefully before posting any information on scarce or rare breeding species both here and elsewhere online.

A list of ‘at risk’ species in the county can be found here. Please note that Wood Warbler should now also be treated as on the list. All species included need to be protected - many receive full legal protection under Schedule 1 and/or are rare in the county and may be vulnerable to persecution/disturbance. It is an offence to intentionally disturb any of the Schedule 1 species during the breeding season without a valid licence. This also applies to anyone taking photographs of these species at or near the nest or whilst feeding dependant young.

Some species may be found breeding at numerous locations however please keep information on these species limited to well-known sites (e.g. Labrador Bay for Cirl Bunting, Aylesbeare Common for Dartford Warbler). Others may be found as obvious migrants and as such can also be posted eg coastal Ring Ouzel and passage waders, or raptors eg Little Ringed Plover, Red Kite or Marsh Harrier.

If you have any doubts and think there is a chance there may be breeding, either because of the habitat or behaviour of the bird(s) then do not post, but please submit your records to the County Recorder and the RSPB.

Please be aware that egg collecting and other forms of persecution remain very real hazards for some of Devon’s birds.

Posts which breach these guidelines are likely to be not admitted / removed althogether, rather than edited.  

If you follow our Blog but are not currently a member of Devon Birds please consider joining Devon Birds to help with the upkeep of running the website and this service as well as our valuable conservation work.

Whinchat, Cuckoo, 3 singing and 4 juv Willow Warbler, 2 Wheatear and the usuals on Crownhill Down. Also 2 Shelduck on the large Tungsten West Pit (viewed from the top of Crownhill Down).

A brief singing Whitethroat passed through the garden late morning. A bit of a surprise.

Whinchat

4 or 5 Red Kites seen over Wrafton yesterday - sadly not by me though!

Yesterday at Cadover: Sand Martins 7, Reed Buntings 2, Pied Wagtail 1, GSW 1, GWP 1, Willow Warblers 12, Chiffchaffs 2, Blackcaps 3, Chaffinches 6, Goldfinches 2, Buzzards 2, Cuckoo 1, Garden Warblers 3. On Legis Tor Warren: Stonechats 4, numerous Skylarks and Meadow Pipits, Linnets 2, Wheatears 9 mixed juveniles and adults.

Imm. Wheatear

Garden Warbler

Female flushed from main path at 21.57. Flew around for ca 5 minutes briefly alighting on low trees. Brief bout of churring at 22.05 then no sound/sightings before leaving Heath at 22.30

A most unusual sight over our house close to the town centre. A heron  flying low down, appeared very put out by the gulls mobbing it. Did they take it for a predator or was it just its size? Only the gulls know and they're not talkin

today 15/06/2021. Bird seen in the Bickington Road area, Barnstaple.

Three Mistle Thrush flying over the garden at South Brent first thing this morning, male Blackcap still singing well.

A38 Haldon Hill a low flying Red Kite.

Dead Barn owl on the side of the A38 near Dean Prior.

3 Red Kites circling over fields where grass is being cut for silage. Shortly afterwards, 6 Buzzards circling, also looking for casualties in the grass

West Ogwell 14.6.21, a hobby seen circling overhead, and a probably spoonbill heading east high overhead at 11am.  Too high without binoculars to be sure, bit a sizeable bird, fast wingbeats, neck held forward, too big for little egret, too small for great white.

Red kites 9 circling at varying heights over village drifting north

White tailed Eagle seen this morning over South Molton heading towards Torrington. Being mobbed by Buzzards

Greenshank still on Blaxton Meadow with 21 Shelducks including 2 pairs with (3 + 5) small ducklings. Also, Treecreeper, Whitethroat, pair of Stonechats, 2 Ravens, Green Woodpecker & 3 Roe Deer.

On A38 near Stover Park, Red Kite flying over just over traffic height

1 low over Odd Wheel pub, Wembury. 3.00pm

Red Kite circling low over the Salston side of OSM, then climbed on a thermal and drifted north at 14:55

A Red Kite just now over Pynes Hill / Ludwell Valley Exeter.

5 Red Kites - Torquay - one low north over my house at 1236pm and then 3 more at 1302pm and then picked up another and 4 watched circling for 5 mins

Just seen Red kite 10.05 over Imperial road towards the estuary direction.

it had a seagull escort!

Ring neck parakeet perched in tree on hill Barton road, exeter. Never seen a parakeet here before or in exeter.

Female Mandarin with 5 young on river at Chudleigh Knighton 

A boat trip out of Brixham on Kelly’s Hero Charters was interesting.  Lots of Kittiwakes nesting on Berry Head and nearby cliffs.  Fulmars and usual gulls.  Three Razorbills flying in and out of the Guillemot colony.  Birds returning with small fish.  Over to Hopes Nose, 3 Manx Shearwaters passed by and later a Whimbrel.  On the Ore Stone were several nesting pairs of Razorbills and Guillemots and a pair of Turnstones in summer plumage.  Very quiet generally, probably due to the lack of wind and calm seas as most birds sitting on the water.  Flock of up to 20 Shags on the sea.  At least 3 Gannets seen (2cy, 3cy and adult plumage).  Single 2cy Med Gull. 

Met Jon Turner at Wrafton pond who was conducting a bird count.  Shortly after he had left, a Sparrowhawk possibly the same bird as the one I spotted the other day dropped in. Also saw a family of Long tailed tits, a couple of Moorhen and a couple of Little Grebe.

Moorhen

Sparrowhawk

Late brief sea watch Saturday eve on 12th, highlight was a Sandwich Tern flying south over the Tail. Early Sunday following day brief sea watch saw about 25 Manx Shearwater, 4 Fulmar, and at the limit of our scope was what we believed to be 2 juvenile Gannets with several adults.

Late news

10th June, 2021, Red-breasted flycatcher, briefly, Central Park, Plymouth

Another Red Kite over the village, the third this afternoon heading SW. Also 3 Buzzards (locals). Earlier... US Air Force 1 carrying Joe Biden flew over going E. 

2 Red Kites over the village at 16.20 heading south west at a height.

Over the house this morning.

Red Kite

Several pairs of Shelducks with (3 + 6) small ducklings on Blaxton Meadow at high tide this morning, together with a lingering Greenshank & 7 Curlews. Also, Siskin, a pair of Stonechats & 24 Mandarin Ducks, mainly drakes going into eclipse. 

Late post but on a cruise around Torbay on Friday 11th there were 17+ Mediterranean Gulls all scruffy looking first summer birds (2nd cy). Also really good to see kittiwakes back at Berry Head in good numbers 150+ some have started to nest and settled onto presumably eggs. Seems very late but if successful will be the first breeding at the site for nearly 10 years. Later breeding at Berry Head might be more successful as oily small fish numbers around this part of Lyme bay pick up in mid summer.

I saw 4 swifts over Great Torrington square this afternoon, the most I've seen this year, so hopefully they'll have babies after such a slow start to their season. 3 house martins also.

I have been feeling a little hard done by over recent weeks seeing all of the Red Kite reports from others. Sorted this morning though with a single bird initially very low over Freedom Fields. Got a good 5 min with the bird as it gradually gained height and eventually drifted off towards Rame

Enjoying an early morning cup of tea in bed whilst listening to a very vocal Lesser Whitethroat singing from the hedge line below the Torridge Bridge.

Another addition to the house list!

A friend saw a red kite over the Crowbeare valley on the northern edge of Great Torrington at 2pm yesterday

Wrafton pond was again very quite apart from the usual suspects.  A Robin was singing its heart out near the boardwalk and a Sparrowhawk landed in a tree on the far side of the pond.

Robin

Sparrowhawk

An emphasis on land birds today with: Peregrine, Kestrel, Treecreeper, Spotted Flycatcher, Whitethroat, pair of Stonechats, Green & Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 20+ Swifts, 2 Roe Deer & 9 Small Heaths.

Yesterday in the Venford area: At least 3 Cuckoos, a pair of Grey Wagtails, 2 Redstarts, Blackcaps, Garden Warblers, Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs, Yellowhammers, Mistle and Song Thrushes, Tree Pipits, A Buzzard, 3 Ravens, Wrens, Coal tits, Swallows, House Martins, Greenfinches, Chaffinches, Magpies, Jays, Skylarks and a Grey Heron.

Yellowhammer

Greenfinch

Red Kite over seen from the A361.

The falcon seen by michael wooodman smith  is a falconers bird, jesses and transmitter.  It looks like a lugger falcon but it is hard to be sure as there are many hi-breeds etc. 

The village of Abbotsham in North Devon had upwards of 20 House Martin and even more Swallow nests in the 1990's. They have gradually declined and this year there is not one house martin nest and around half a dozen swallow nests.There have been none feeding over Godborough or the Kenwith Castle Lake. Is it just us?

Late report for yesterday 9/6/21

Lower Tamar Lake.

4 juv Nuthatch at the hide feeders waiting for an adult to feed them, 1 Willow Tit, 2 Marsh Tit, 4 Chaffinch, 2 Robin, 4 Coal Tit, 3 Grey Wagtail two adults feeding one juv. 5 Tufted Duck 4m 1f, 1 Moorhen, 14 Mallard, 3 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Song Thrush, 5 Jackdaw, 1 Grey Heron.

11 1st Summer Med Gulls on Exminster Marsh this evening. 30 Curlew, 5 Blackwits, 4 Barwits & a Whimbrel. Also Hobby sat around waiting for supper. 

I'm sure by now everyone seen the post of the warbler, i myself didn't see it, i mean i might have passed it and not known what i was looking at, i walked past the area at 12 but before the crowds arrived heard something unusual but was too tired to look. Instead I'll post other sightings on my three days on the island. 

Puffins galore, was great to see, not too many seen actively bringing fish back to the burrow, probably only spotted 4 doing that. 
Guillemots, razor bills all in high numbers, GBB gulls, LBB gulls, herring gulls, fulmars, kittiwake, skylarks, wheatears (and juv), whinchats (and young), starlings, goldfinch, chiff chaff, willow warbler, oyster catcher, pipits, Manx shearwaters very loud at night and some seen distant on the ferry crossings.  swallows, house martins, house sparrows, a lot of racing pigeons who didn't want to keep racing it seems, collard doves, blue/great tit, robin, dunnock,  gannets seen diving off shore. Ravens, crows, wrens, mallards (with ducklings) Shags, cormorants, 

other note, dolphin pods both crossings on the ferry and lots and lots of grey seals. was also swarms of different jellyfish on leaving day