Many thanks to all observers that submitted their records for 2019. However there are still a number of records that require descriptions before they can appear in the Bird Report.

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Another productive walk this afternoon with a juvenile Little Gull being both a surprise and star bird. The Mediterranean Gull was still present along with a Little Egret, 4 Oystercatchers, 3 Shags, a number of Black Headed Gulls, a couple of Great Black Back Gulls and at one point several hundred Herring Gulls. 

Persistent  Heron in by the reserve pond must be finding something there! Still a few singing Reed Warblers and the Grebes seem to be peaceful today. Around Sherpa Marsh good numbers of House Martins, several Swifts and a few Sand Martins. No Swallows. 19 Swans plus a female with three very recently hatched cygnets. a lone drake Tufted Duck the only Duck of note.  A lone Black-tailed Godwit just outside the reserve near the scrape. Back home an adult male Sparrowhawk in the garden unsuccessfully chased a Blackbird. Still a Blackcap singing on a daily basis.

The Exe estuary resident Slavonian grebe gave good views just off Cockwood harbour bridge early yesterday afternoon. Would have been a lot closer if it hadn't swum out to avoid a dinghy coming into the harbour!

Slavonian grebe

A low tide visit, so wader numbers lower than Martin's this morning, but in addition - Green Woodpecker, 2nd-summer Mediterranean Gull, & 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers. 

Little Grebes. A couple of weeks ago was the last time I saw an adult Little Grebe on the pond in the reserve. The 2 juveniles seem to be doing just fine feeding well and growing into pretty much full size now. Today when I arrived I thought heard a Grebe trilling and then saw 2 Grebes, one of which morphed into an adult when I got a better view. He (presumably) then started giving the juveniles a right run around chasing them everywhere. Does this mean another brood is imminent? Where's he been for 2 weeks? Shouldn't be down the pub - they're all closed!

A few weeks back I put up a long perch nailed to a tree trunk which reaches out about 15 feet over the pond. It's designed for Kingfishers. So a bit frustrating to have a juvenile Heron landing on it! Today, however a Kingfisher did land on it but the resulting photos weren't worth sharing. Will try harder next time.

A brief lunchtime visit produced a Great Crested Grebe and 18 Crossbill.

Kittewake colony on Straight Point (Sandy Bay) is thriving.  Difficult to count the birds as they are both flying en masse and visiting the nests, but estimate at least 400+.    Between 180 & 200 nests with one or two fledglings on some and many still incubating.   This is as good as we've seen it over the last 8 years.   

Photos by Derek Carter

Part of the colony

On this mornings high tide wader numbers have increased. 35 Curlew, 51 Redshank, 1 Greenshank, 9 Common Sandpipers and a Kingfisher.

Lower Tamar Lake.

9 Willow Tit, c25 Swifts, c20 House Martin, 4 Swallow, 2 Collared Doves, 2 Mute Swan, 17 Great Tit, 23 Blue Tit, 9 Coal Tit, 20 Chaffinch, 3 Great Crested Grebe.

Curlews creeping up in number - now 24 on Blaxton Meadow. Also, Common Sandpiper, 2nd-s Mediterranean Gull, Mallard with at least 8 small ducklings & 6 Roe Deer.

14:56 - 16:58

Greenshank x5; Curlew x60+; Black-tailed Godwit x18; Shelduck pair with 2 chicks were the highlights.

Long distance shot of a Cuckoo at Stover lake, taken from the hide to the opposite bank, not a good shot but a record shot, Kingfisher seen hovering, and 2 Great Crested Grebes making a nest

First large movement of outgoing Swifts with 240 moving SW across the farm this morning

Several House Martins swooping low over the beach, good numbers of House Sparrows, a calling Greenfinch, about half a dozen Shags and a solitary Mediterranean Gull.

Kingfisher, 2 Common Sandpipers, 3 Mediterranean Gulls (2 1st-summers & a 2nd-summer), Shag, 16 Mandarin Ducks, Mallard with 10 tiny ducklings, Green Woodpecker & 6 Roe Deer. 

I'm very sad to announce that Robin Khan died yesterday at the age of 86. Robin was a stalwart of DBWPS and will be greatly missed.

More from my visit.

Little Grebe

A little showery at the pond this afternoon but between the showers there was some activity.  A number of Reed Warblers, A Coot sitting on eggs, the pair were nest building when I last visited Wrafton pond, a pair of Little Grebes were feeding two chicks and another one or two near the near the wooden pier. 

Reed Warbler                                                         Coot on it's nest                                Little Grebes

158 Balearic & 206 Manx Shearwaters, Bonxie, 4 Mediterranean Gulls, 10 Common Dolphins & 5 Harbour Porpoises.

Kingfisher spotted hovering Whilst hunting above lake for a few Seconds at a time. Mid afternoon.

100 plus ringneck parakeet to roost

Seen by a friend a few days ago and taken on i-phone.

Swallow assumed leucistic

Swallow assumed leucistic

saw a pair of redstarts feeding fledgling birds at Brisworthy plantation yesterday. 

Peregrine, Green & Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 2 Mediterranean Gulls, Kingfisher & 4 Roe Deer.

A drake Eider was again off Broadsands beach yesterday evening it's been around Torbay for more than a month now. Here's another picture of it on 10 June at Thatcher's Rock Torquay (photo Rob Hughes - Devon sea safari). Even on 17th June in Brixham it was still looking like a good plumaged drake!

12:45

Greenshank x5 (cheers Steve W for the help).

First returning Greenshank with 20 Redshanks, 2 Mediterranean Gulls (1st & 2nd summers), 2 juv Green Woodpeckers, Great Spotted Woodpecker & 2 Spotted Flycatchers. A bit windy for butterflies but did see 2 each of Small Skipper & Marbled White.

6 Mediterranean Gulls on the rocks this morning, 2 adults and 4 second summer. The birds were amongst some adult Black-headed Gulls that have started to return to the Bay, post breeding, over the last few days.

Also a pair of Rock Pipits seen feeding fledged young.

Mediterranean Gull, second summer.

Rock Pipit, adult.

Rock Pipit, fledgling.

A flock of c400 gulls, 90%+ Black-headed, resting over the high tide among the cattle just North of Turf contained at least 8 adult Meds., very belatedly getting my year-list to 150. Not my favourite bird in this plumage: 

Earlier, off Cofton Steps, a frenzied flock of 500+ mixed gulls were feeding in mid-estuary, presumably on a hatch of fish (Flounder? Dabs? Mullet? Does anybody know what breeds in the estuary?). The Slavonian Grebe in his breeding fine to ry was only about 50m offshore in calm water, allowing a prolonged good view.

Haven't seen the Powderham Egyptian Geese pair for several weeks; at the end of May they had 7 nearly-full-grown young. Perhaps they have a communal moult site elsewhere like some other Anseriformes.