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.  

As noted in the minutes of the Oct 2020 DBRC meeting, Tim Jones is standing down after serving as a member of the Committee for an extended sixth year. Tim has been an active member of the Committee, and his consistently pragmatic approach to assessing records has proved invaluable. The Society would like to thank him for his contribution over the past six years and wish him well in the future.

In the hope of maintaining a geographic spread across the Committee, DBRC approached Dean Jones to fill the vacancy. Dean grew up birding and ringing in Antrim and Lothian, before a tour of various European islands, including Lundy where he has been the Warden now for the past four years.

His experience and knowledge from ringing and birdwatching around Europe will be especially useful to Devon Birds and the Records Committee.

Unless the County Recorder receives any other applications before 15th April 2021, Dean will be formally elected to fill the vacancy for a five year period.

For more information and/or an application form please contact:

Kevin Rylands, County Recorder.   Email: recorder@devonbirds.org 

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.

Red Kite over the clay pits yesterday afternoon (Thursday).

(Sue Smallshire).

Whilst no waders in the field at Huxton Cross there was a juv Merlin .

Waders on the beach this am - 27 Ringed Plover, 6 Sanderling, 2 Dunlin. 3 Yellow Wagtail along with 50 Alba Wagtail on the golf course. Around  the coast path 1 Wheatear, 2 Whitethroat, 1 Grey Wagtail.

Spotted Flycatcher in a South Huish garden.

Thurlestone Marsh this afternoon- 1 Little Grebe, 1 Tree Pipit, 1 Whinchat. 15 Wigeon flew over at 17.30

From BIrdforum, a male Golden Pheasant at Maypool yesterday outside Maypool Cottage

Whilst the waether was great birds were very thin on the ground- I have  never done this walk in Sept and not recorded- Blue or Great Tit or Wheatear.

A Merlin in the field opposite the car park with some Meadow Pipits, 50 Alba and 8 Yellow Wagtail.

In the Willows and by the cafe - 20 Yellow wagtail, 7 Chiffchaff, 6 Willow warbler, 2 Whitethroat. A juv Pied Fly was in the pine copse.

A visiting birder had photographed a Spotted Fly earlier

An hours viz mig watch from o7.00 produced- 140 House Martin, 20 Swallow, 1 Willow Warbler, 4 Yellow wagtail, 2 Stock Dove, 10 Chaffinch, 1  Dunlin.

On the marsh 23 Teal, 4 Black Tailed Godwit- a different 3 at 17.00

Bob B ringed 5 Chiffchaff, 1 each of Reed & Sedge. A Spotted Fly by the sewage works

4 spoonbills today,one with yellow flag on its left leg withdark green rings above and  below flag. right leg dark blue ring above metal ring with lime green ring below.   One with white ring on its right leg code FJ9. also a osprey seen. a possible Honey Buzzard flew over seen by Malcome Shakspeare.

Three Wigeon and a Gadwall of note this morning with a Little Grebe feeding a small juvenile.

09:30

Teal 17; Greenshank 1; Common Sandpiper 1 and Green Sandpiper 1.

At 09:45, while driving along Westleigh Straight I noticed at least 11 Little Egret roosting in trees at The Cleave. Only a few days ago I was discussing with Malcolm Shakes` that the egrets had seemingly given up The Cleave as a roost.

07:45 - 09:15

Black-tailed Godwit 28; Knot 35; Ringed Plover c40; Dunlin 9; Redshank 5; Sanderling 10;

Curlew c40; Oystercatcher c500 and Raven 2.

At about 1.45 this afternoon there were 3 Green Sandpipers at Matford Pool. Also 3 Little Grebes.

Report from Dave Scot ( he is one of the South Milton ringing team ) also does some ringing on the Erme - this evening- An Osprey , 3 Whinchat and an incredible 100+ Spotted Flycatcher. Anyone else picking up these sort of numbers ?

Wheatears still in double figures (11 this evening) and the little owl enjoying the evening sunshine. Little else to report other than a noticeable increase in meadow pipits with more than 25.

Vic Tucker has asked me to pass on - juv Red Backed Shrike inthe bushes below the Pines . Also 3 Yellow Wagtail and 150 + White Wagtail

At 08.00 a flock of 28 Black Tailed Godwit flew onto Thurlestone Marsh ( a patch record for me ) accompanied by a juv Knott. Still on the Marsh 2 Wigeon , 20 Teal and the Little Grebe.

Moved on to the fields at Huxton Cross where - 60 Ringed Plover and 120 Dunlin with 1 Yellow Wagtail over

Waders on the beach - 4 Turnstone, 6 Sanderling, 3 Dunlin, 4 Ringed Plover. Offshore 5 Manx Shearwater and 6 Common Scoter.

Osprey fishing in Frogmore creek 14:00ish - blue colour ring on left leg, but too far to get the details.

Eight Mediterranean Gulls. One first wint, 2+ 2nd wints, 3+ Ad wints. Other two too far to age but not first wints.  Two Sandwich Terns this evening. 

Osprey sighted at 13:20hrs today from Isley Marsh.

Bird preening itself on sandbank close to Chivenor.

Two Spotted Flycatchers In NE corner at 9am.  

1 Little Stint still present this morning (2 yesterday), also 4 Lapwing, 34 Ringed Plover, 30 Dunlin, 13 Snipe, 3 Redshank, 2 Greenshank, 30+ Black-tailed Godwit and 8 Green Sands.

A breezy NE, bright morning with most of the headland being blown out for migrants, more sheltered spots produced: 7 Chiffchaff, 2 Willow Warblers 2 Whitethroat, 1 Wheatear, 5 Blackcap, 3 'Alba' wagtails >over, 1 Grey Wagtail & best of the bunch1 Yellow wagtail. 

Osprey sat on perch all afternoon until at least 6.30pm. Otherwise too early for evening high tide roost. 12 Snipe snd 21 Lapwings only birds of note. 

Brief lunchtime visit between about 1.10 and 1.40.

The Osprey was sat on its usual post tucking in to an earlier catch.

From the viewing platform a Spoonbill was feeding fairly distantly with a few Little Egrets.

Visited the Huxton Cross ploughed field first this morning - only 1 Ringed Plover, big surprise was  a

Turtle Dove which flew over - South at08.45

Waders in the Bay - 3 Ringed Plover, 2 Dunlin , 1 Redshank, 3 Black Tailed Godwit on South Huish Marsh where Nick T had 9 Whimbrel fly up the valley.

Big movement of Hirundines before 12.00 - 260 Swallow, 50 + House martin and Bob B had a Swift

 This aft . on T'stone Marsh - Snipe , Water Rail, Little Grebe , Wigeon . Amongst the Canada Geese that flew in were 2 'Snow ' Goose with 4 juv hybrid x Candad

Another adult Hobby flew over my house (nr Paignton) at 11:30. I managed to get a record shot of the bird.

At high tide:

2 Egyptian geese, 4 greenshank, 10 common sandpiper & redstart.

Tawny Owl calling mid morning - must be autumn!

08:15 - 09:15

16 Greenshank at Crossbanks end of Horsey.

08:30 Osprey sat on it`s favourite post at Pillsmouth until disturbed by a sailboat owner who changed course in mid-river to approach it as near as he/she could. At 08:45 on being disturbed, bird then flew off upriver to perch on the short post just off Chivenor`s 25yrd range where it stayed until at least 09:00.

Decided I needed a change from counting wheatears so made a brief but worthwhile visit to Bowling Green this evening. The Osprey was present from 19.00 to around 19.20, sitting on the derrick post as usual. With Ian Barnard and Roger Pearce managed the following waders between the hide and the viewing platform; 2 Greenshank, 2 Common Sandpiper, 1 Green Sandpiper, 4 Snipe, 1 Spot Shank, 10+ Knot, 400+ Black Tailed Godwits, 2 Bar Tailed Godwits (could have been more hidden amongst the Black tails). Plus 1 Garganey, 12+  Shoveler, Gadwall and a plenty of Teal. 3 Chiffchaffs in the hedgerows.

Calm and sunny evening. The osprey was sitting on the derrick in the river Clyst. A single whimbrel flew over. One yellow wagtail amongst the cows in the field closest to the Turf. A kingfisher in the lock is a real sign of autumn. Two green sandpipers flying over Powderham marshes.

On incoming tide at 18.30, 12 Little Egretsreds redshank and 100+ Curlew. No sign of Spoonbills.

Osprey still opposite at Chivenor near range. 

Started at the ploughed field at Huxton Cross at 08.30 and spent 2hrs going through the wader flocks- only 2 species but the numbers are records for the patch in Sept - 175 Dunlin and 130 Ringed Plover. Just after 10.00 a Sparrowhawk spooked them and they all flew off , visits at 13.00 and 16.30 produced no birds.

Yellow Wagtail and a Wheatear  also in the field

Quick visit to the sewage works this afternoon found 3 Spotted Fly , 3 Blackcap and 2 Grey Wagtail

Garden Warbler and a Spot Fly in a South Milton garden this morning

A glorious, windless morning and things starting to warm up!

swallow 155, yellow wagtail 6, tree pipit 3, wheatear 7, redstart 1, whitethroat 11, blackcap 7,

willow warbler 10, chiffchaff 18 plus 125 house sparrow around Higher Soar.

Big influx of red admirals - 66 counted, plus single painted lady & 20 silver y moths!

On a beautiful morning there were 5 Sanderlings, 10 Ringed Plovers, 6 Turnstones, Dunlin, Whimbrel, Curlew and Common Sandpiper with the Oystercatchers,  Also good numbers of Pied Wagtails along with several Whites and a Yellow.  Good numbers of Chiffchaffs, Whitethroats, Blackcaps and a Willow Warbler. Stonechats numbered 6 and a flock of 40+ Goldfinches and 25+ Linnets with many juveniles showed Autumn is coming!  A huge scar headed [bull?] seal surfaced halfway to the Mewstone and shredded a very large flatfish.

5 Crossbill >NW calling over my house lunchtime.

I'm running a two day Bird Identification Course for Torbay Coast & Countryside Trust at Berry Head on 29th-30th Sept - it's also open to DBWPS members (max 12 people) details at  http://www.countryside-trust.org.uk/eventdetail.cfm?id=1824

One Barnacle Goose Showing well with c230 Canada Geese at the Passage House Hotel Roost.

Had a report from Brian Palmer that one Osprey still present this morning.

Birdguides reports a Wryneck in Bideford yesterday, anyone any further details?

07:30 - 09:15

Isley Marsh

3 Spoonbills back on the marsh including one with white ring on left leg. Could be FJ9 (Donana) back with us.

1 Greenshank; 14 Little Egret; 5 Wigeon; 11 Redshank and c200 Curlew.

Jetty Roost

3 Grey Plover; 1 Turnstone; 1 Whimbrel; 2 Wheatear: 3 Little Egret ; 37 Redshank; 117 Curlew and c150 Oystercatcher.

No sign of the 2 Ospreys seen yesterday at Pillsmouth.

Charleton Marsh / Bay, 17:15-19:15 high tide.

3 Egyptian Geese, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 25+ Black -tailed Godwits ( very vocal but difficult to see in hidden scrape at the north end of marsh ), 5 Common Sandpiper, Sandwich Tern, 3 Mediterranean Gulls ( adults ) and a Yellow Wagtail. Family party of hybrid geese flew over including probable parents namely Canada Goose and white domestic goose.

    Juv little gull,8 meds,6adult,fs+juv.43 common tern counted but possibly 50,10 knot,2 bar tails,2 grey plover,30 curlew,whimbrel

A rather muddy visit this pm,  trying to do the path by the railway line at Exminster down to Turf;the last section particularly glutinous. A  Hobby was hunting the marsh. At Bowling Green the Osprey still perched mid afternoon, also at least 2 Green Sandpipers on the pools.  

Waders on the beaches have not been up to previous years totals - At 08.00 Bob B found  A large flock in one of the fields by Huxton Cross ( right on the edge of the patch ) this held 70 Ringed Plover, 35 Dunlin and our first Little Stint.

On T'stone Marsh the Wigeon increased to 3 , 20 Teal and a Little Grebe

Mudbank - 1900 - wildfowl influx with 12 pale-bellied brent goose, 88+ wigeon, 5 pintail and 5+ teal amongst c100+ mallard. Also 4 black-tailed godwit and 1 ad mediterranean gull.

Following reports of 2 Ospreys, walked down the Caen late afternoon (with Andy Lansdell) Dipper by the bridge, and 4 Knot by the end of the runway. An Osprey on a post near the Chivenor firing range, and a Peregrine on a sandbank over near Isley. Around the mouth of the Caen were a few smaller Waders, -mostly Dunlin and Ringed Plover, but 3 more Knot, and a possible Curlew Sandpiper (two seen on the Caen yesterday). On the way back (Kingfisher flew across the pill and landed on the mud) we were just about to look through the Gulls in amongst thje Cows, when they all flew - another Peregrine flew through! However the Gulls all flew over our heads and we were able to see at least 3 adult Mediterranean Gulls amongst them. At least 7 Little Grebes at Sherpa Marsh. Fine walk, shame about the grey drizzle....

  No sign of the Wryneck mid-morning but on the beach a good number of Wagtails including 2 Yellow and a White.

An Osprey was sat atop the derrick near the railway bridge from at least 12:25 - 12:45 (still there when I left). Presumably this bird was readily visible from the BGM hide too.

1 Spotted Redshank, several Greenshank, good numbers of Redshank, plus 2 Common Sandpipers on the marsh. Also a Kingfisher showing well feeding along the River Clyst.

Black tern with 6 common, snipe,9 knot

Saturday - Two Ospreys

2 Ospreys early Saturday morning, one on the tall metal post at the mouth of the R.Caen and the other on the shorter post adjacent to The Royal Marine Base at Chivenor, both could be seen from the Fishermans' huts on the west side of R.Caen without disturbing them.

(R Jutsum)

Also a late note from S Beer

Friday midday: one adult osprey came over from the Braunton Burrows direction and circled above the foreshore between  Instow and Yelland jetty for five minutes. Later in the day flying over Instow from a southerly direction -Bideford.

A single Golden Pheasant seen high on the river bank in Bow Creek on the River Dart whilst kayaking yesterday evening.

Similar numbers of Wheatears again this evening - i counted 14 but could easily be a 2-3 more as birds widespread. 2 Whinchat again, 1 White Wagtail and the Little Owl for the first time for some months. A Tawny Owl heard but not seen.

8 ringed plover on the mud and large numbers of wagtails around the Lime Kiln car park.

Wryneck on rough ground between Wembury Point and conifer stand 08:45. Also seen 12:20

Also, Osprey flew W offshore at 11:10

[Andy Trout]

Fri evening Bob B was the bird expert on a trip down the Kinsbridge Est - passengers were rewarded with good views of an Osprey, 24 Greenshank and 8 Med Gull .

Late news just rec'd from AJL - he had a RED KITE over his house at miday on 27 Aug - a patch year tick .

Today rather quiet  offshore and for waders - 2 Dunlin, 2 Black Tailed Godwit, 1 Ringed Plover and a Curlew ( over )

This morning on the back pools of T'stone marsh - 2 Wigeon, 13 Teal , a Little Grebe ( first since Feb ).

Around the Bay 6 Wheatear, with a juv Whinchat in the copse and 3 Yellow Wagtail

The ringing team caught - 13 Sedge, 5 Reed, 9 Chiffchaff, 2 Willow,1 Whitethroat , 1 Reed Bunting and only the second in 30 years ( according to Bob B ) Marsh Tit which is a patch year tick.

Watched from the hide from 08:35 till 10:30

An adult osprey appeared at 08:05 flying away from the hide but reappeared 5 mins later with a fish and sat on the derek for an hour before flying off, the adult spotted redshank was again in with good numbers of redshank , 14+ knot , 140+ Dunlin, 5+ bar tailed godwits, 2 snipe, 1 ringed plover,500+ black tailed godwits , 8+ little egrets, 1 peregrine, 2 tufted duck, 9+ shoveler, 8 little grebes.

Then watched from the goat walk and 1 adult med gull was a nice find , 200+ Dunlin, then refound the osprey in a tree south of turf it was mobbed by a couple of gulls and eventually flew of down river catching a fish then settled on the mud 

A very good mornings birding 

Steve Cox and I had an Osprey flying low west over the road near Rew at 10.07 (perhaps the same as reported about an hour later at Wembury?) and the same or another west following the coast at the Warren at 14.40. Otherwise slightly fewer Yellow Wagtails than Perry (27) mainly with cows on the seaward side of east Soar farm and a Grasshopper Warbler in Soar Mill. Also - Willow Warbler 7, Chiffchaff 10, Blackcap 4+, Whitethroat 3, Cirl Bunting 6, Wheatear c15, White Wagtail 1, Whinchat 3.

A look at South Efford marsh on the way home but of birds reported by others, only the White Wagtail seen. 

All in all not bad day, though. 

On a falling tide:

21 little egret; 3 greenshank; 2 green sandpiper; wood sandpiper; 9 common sandpiper;

2 snipe; pristine white wagtail.

Report of an Osprey at the mouth of the river Caen this afternoon.

A Hobby over the house today being mobbed by House Martins.

 Warren / Starehole / East Soar , 06:40 - 11:40. Cloudy, light moderate WNW.

Ringed Plover, 100 Swallow, 50 House Martin, 42 Yellow Wagtail ( majority around East Soar Farm, well cut camping field by cafe often has a few lately ), 2 Tree Pipit, 7 Wheatear, 5 Whitethroat, 7 Blackcap, Grasshopper Warbler ( flushed from old sheep track on the east side of Starehole Valley, then showed well in bushes ), 13 Chiffchaffs, 3 Willow Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher. First Goldfinch flock of the autumn ( 50+ ) forming around East Soar Farm.

This morning 4 Wigeon and a Gadwall on the pond, and still 4 Black-tailed Godwits on the flooded field.

Some nice birds seen on my way to work this morning. A Kingfisher at Exton Station, followed by my first Osprey of the year sat on the old boat in the River Clyst. 22+ Snipe flew over near Darts Farm, most probably from Goosemoor, some returned while the rest gained height.

Lots of Pied Wagtails in with the cattle, i couldn't really scan through them due to time. Im sure a good look would have produced a Yellow Wag. I'll check on the way home.

An increase in wheatears - 12 on Thursday and 14 yesterday evening. Also 2 whinchats, 4 meadow pipits and green woodpecker last night.