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.

Bonapartes Gull adult winter flying up & down the beach.

Common,Med.gulls also giving good views.

Great Crested Grebe 5-6 winter plumage.

Two Razor Bills swimming around close in shore.

Slightly disappointing ringing session considering how many birds were seen in the reserve yesterday. Only 24 ringed of 4 species.

We did record Cetti's Warbler (heard) along with Grey Wagtail and Water Rail (seen) and also saw the first Little Grebe in the reserve since July. One was also seen in the river by the bridge to the reserve, along with a Dipper.

Back to reality after birding the sweaty Upper Guinea Forests of Ghana!
Nothing out of the ordinary on the Otter today, but a quite confiding Water Rail visible from White Bridge plus a Kingfisher distracted me for some photos.....

An hour spent watching some woodland birds today inc Treecreeper and lots of these lovely little Goldcrests

While watching one of the Black-throated Divers out towards the shellfish farm around 1230, I picked up a distant winter plumage Black Guillemot drifting north, apparently moving north from Brixham and slowly out into the bay,lost by 1245.

This morning 9 female Common Scoters at Baggy.

Broadsands early am: 2 Black-throated Divers, 2 Great Northern divers, 1 Red-throated Diver, 4 Black-necked Grebes, 1 Slavonian Grebe, 6 Great Crested Grebes.

Paignton /Preston: 2 Great Northern Divers, 17 Common Scoter 1 Black-necked Grebe, 1 Great Crested Grebe.

Clennon Valley: Yellow-browed Warbler usual place 200m w of YMCA, but wandering further a field now leaves are dropping. 

A female Eider present this morning around Lead Stone. Also 2 Stonechat.

Totally surprised, driving a regular back road from Stoke Gabriel towards Sainsburys, wifey spotted a partridge in a field gateway. Screeched to halt, backed up, and saw 3 x Red Legged, which only retreated slowly from us. From Sainsburys, head on towards Stoke, past cider sales barn, over the brook, and there is a sharp left hand bend, with field entrance immediately adjacent. Will return in the morning with camera and optimism !

The Water Pipit still present this afternoon. Also an adult Yellow-legged Gull - although I have doubts about this one; structure, mantle colour and primaries look acceptable but legs only slightly yellowish and head a little too streaky for my liking.

Yellow-legged Gull - or is it? - Topsham 6/12/2013

Yellow-legged Gull - or is it? - Topsham 6/12/2013

Bright morning with calm sea. At high tide 41 Turnstones at Preston promenade seemed a good total, also 20 Oystercatcher. On sea 21 Shag, 18 Common Scoter, 2 Great Northern Diver, 3 Great Crested Grebe.From Roundham  Head 5 Great Crested Grebes, Great Northern Diver and Red-throated Diver. Broadsands-Elberry, a quick look produced 7 more Great Crested, 2 Great Northern and  another Red-throated. A  Slavonian and a Black-necked Grebe were together close off Elberry .Others reported seeing  a Black-throated Diver over towards Brixham, and two more Black-necked.   

On Sea : 1 Black-throated Diver,2 Great Northern Divers, 2 Great Crested, 1 Black-necked and 1 Slavonian Grebe,

9 Cirl Buntings and 1 Reed Bunting on seed in 2nd car park. 1 Water Rail in marsh.

Clennon Valley: Yellow-browed Warbler showed early pm - usual place 200m W of YMCA.

A single Snow Bunting which could possibly be the same individual as the one I had seen only once at Baggy on 15/11/2013. Perhaps at some future date it will join the others on Northam Burrows.

The overwintering flock of Sanderling were very active (like clockwork toys) searching for food along the strandline & shoreline. Also unusual for this time of year (normally seen during spring & autumn passage on Saunton Sands) a flock of 42 Ringed Plover.

Around mid-morning Thursday, at Seaton harbour a male Black Redstart was on the rooftops of the Cafe/Tackle Shop and adjoining cottages.    Very smart indeed! 

Lunchtime today until about 1.50. The Long-tailed Duck eventually appeared having remained out of sight for most of the time. Also 4 male and 2 female Pintails, 1 male and 2 female Gadwall, 2 male Tufted Ducks and a female Pochard.

Wrafton pond has the usual suspects again - 1 Tufted Duck, 1 Teal, and several each of Wigeon, Shoveler and Gadwall.

From the reserve, looking south over the Sherpa reed-bed, 2 hunting female Marsh Harriers, very close to the reserve.

Out on the Great Field now 4 Whooper Swans, with a few Mutes.

Two Whoopers with a couple of Mutes back on the marsh again

Tesco St. Johns carpark at 5:00 with the weeks shop saw maybe 300 pied wagtails noisily settling down to roost in three ornamental hornbeams close to the store with more flying in as I left.

1415 - 15:30

216 Dark-bellied Brent and c3000 Golden Plover on Penhill Marsh side with c50 Wigeon undecided wether or not to land. 4 Black-tailed Godwit and just 1 Grey Plover off Pottington. The Golden Plover were very skittish and constantly taking off and landing.

c300 Dunlin; 8 Goosander(1 male & 8 Redheads); 1 Turnstone; 1 Grey Plover; 28 Wigeon and 2 Bar-tailed Godwit at Ashford Strand. Too many Lapwings on the river to estimate let alone count.

1415-1630hrs Good numbers of Golden plover,Lapwing and Curlew showed well. The best birds were a Female Marsh harrier hunting on Horsey island with 3 Buzzard close by. On and around the caen i found 2 stonechat 2 Greenshank and a Common sandpiper.

Three Tawny Owls calling continously for a couple of hours last night, one sat on our neighbour's roof, the other two on either side of the road at Dousland.

Two Woodcock flew up from a damp area in Peek Hill Plantation.

Maureen & Rob Harrison

2 Woodcock flew out from the southern side of Haldon at 4.46pm and 4.51pm. Whilst waiting, a dog walker said his dog had put up 3 more Woodcock in the nearby wood this afternoon.

Yellow-browed Warbler at Clennon Valley still showing well and calling in it's usual area this afternoon (photo). The tristis Chiffchaff also showed briefly and called.

Yellow-browed Warbler still in sallows along stream 200m W of YMCA. 

10:00

Goosander 6m 6f, Little Grebe 2, Tufted 2m 4f, Grey Heron 1,

Car park feeders: Great/Coal/Blue/Marsh Tits, Collered Dove 2,

Goldcrest.

Paignton/Preston: 6 Common Scoter, 1 Great Northern Diver ( also a male Black Redstart on houses by entrance to  Roundham Head green)

Goodrington: 6 Great Crested Grebes, 4 Brent Geese.

Broadsands: 4 Black-necked Grebes, 5 Great Northern Divers, 5 Great Crested Grebes. 5 Cirl and 2 Reed Buntings on seed in 2nd car park, 2 collybita Chiffchaffs in Marsh. 

The Yellow-browed Warbler was again in the usual spot but was ranging 200m further west along the steam from time to time. Also on Site 1 tristis Chiffchaff, 2 collybita Chiffchaffs, 7 Goldcrest including this singing bird (click on photo of Goldcrest to direct you through to YouTube video)

Photos: Siberian (tristis) Chiffchaff Clennon Valley. A fairly brown looking bird with buffy brown supercilium, from below the whole throat and upper breast was buffy too. Yellow only shown on underwing see photo right. 

The Long-tailed Duck still from the hide today until about 1.45. Also 3 male and 1 female Pintail, 2 Snipe and from the viewing platform, 1 Greenshank.

Two Long-tailed Ducks still off Seaton, along with three fem-type Goosander, two Red-throated Diver and a Great Crested Grebe.

The three Goosanders were on the Estuary about thirty minutes later, with two Greylag Geese. 

No Scoters at Downend but 13 females at Baggy Point.

Also a Great Northern Diver in flight heading south close to the point.

visited darts farm today,large flock of greenfinches,seven redwing and a single fieldfare and a few goldcrest showing quite well around bushes.

Goldcrest

One Black Redstart on the large rock at the entrance of Wildersmouth beach and two Purple Sandpipers at Capstone Point in Ilfracombe at 2 o'clock today 

Great Grey Shrike at entrance to Soussons Farm Dartmoor at Grid Ref sx 68261 78745 (from memory map) at around 12:40.

Also on our walk, group of Bullfinches x 7, Crossbills x 8, same area.

14:15

Dunlin c375; Bar-tailed Godwit 5; Grey Plover 2; Dark-bellied Brent 155; Ringed Plover 2; Little Egret 3; Golden Plover c2500; Goosander 9 (2 males, 7 Redheads); Lapwing c1500; Little Grebe 2, Redshank 43 and c50 Teal in Bradiford Reserve.

A very smart male (jack) Merlin hunting area, which caught a Pied Wagtail, first attempt at great speed.

A good range of species included18 little egret, 2 Egyptian geese, 88 wigeon, 35 teal, 247 mallard, 18 curlew, bar-tailed godwit, 2 greenshank, 3 common sandpiper, grey wagtail & 31 alba wagtails. No sign of any water pipits after 6 in late November.

A female Blackcap has been visiting the apple constantly in my Alphington, Exeter garden today.

The Long-tailed Duck still from the hide until about 12.15 today. Other highlights were a male Pintail and 1 Bar-tailed Godwit amongst the Black-taileds. Also noticably higher number of Lapwings today.

Yellow-browed Warbler still showing well 200m w of YMCA, also on site 1 tristis Chiffchaff two videos of call and bird:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fw85E8WTTFI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgAlmcHkIQ0

Call is varied, some slightly rising calls others flatter, but not as hollow/flat as 'classic' Siberian Chiffchaff calls. Not quite as Western collybita Chiffchaff like as the greyer looking 'Siberian' Chiffchaffs posted at Clennon and Broadsands last week.

A nice female Blackcap feeding on apple in my garden at dawn today. Annual winter residents  here in Alphington

One Water pipit at the Recreational playing fields late pm along waters edge. Also possible 1 winter Yellow legged gull.

During the afternoon at South Brent I saw a large flock of finch like birds drop into the crown of an ash tree, a check with the binoculars confirmed them all as Greenfinch, trying to get an accurate count while they were in the tree was diffiuclt but when they lifted they went out in a long straggling line and an accurate count of 47 made.

Tried for the starling roost in Ireland Bay, only about 15000 but it seems numbers are varying day to day here so maybe a little unlucky. 20 Little Grebes and a Black-necked Grebe noted on the way round.

2 Egyptian Geese and a Black-tailed Godwit on the marsh this morning. Three more Black-wits in the bay with a male Pintail. Distant wildfowl at entrance to Blalanksmill Creek put up by a Peregrine. Thought i heard a Whimbrel but not 100 %.

Great Grey Shrike still present this morning just north of the Forestry gate, with several Crossbill feeding in the tops of the Conifers on the edge of the woods.

Black Redstart below Ivy Cove, and a Little Egret at Froward Point. At sea 6-7 Harbour Porpoise just off Froward Point and a couple of Grey Seals

A good trip this morning. 3 great northern divers, 15 herons, 16 common scoter, about 700 guillemots (mostly at the Berry head colony), 6 razorbill, 7 kittiwake, 9 fulmar, 2 purple sandpiper, 4 turnstone. Marine mammals represented by 5 grey seal (our highest ever count) and around 10 porpoises showing very well off Berry Head. Next trip Sunday 8th December 9am, call Nigel Smallbones on 07866 202576.

Great northern diver off Brixham Breakwater

Guillemots at colony, Berry Head

Porpoises south of Berry Head

Purple Sandpiper numbers have been declining in recent winters at  Westward Ho! and last winter there was only one. It was good therefore to see 2 at high tide on rocks immediately to the east of Nassau Court.

Great Grey Shrike seen near Pinchaford /Haytor Rocks area (SX7776) in the afternoon.

(Roger Yeoman)

Yesterday afternoon,superb male black redstart feeding on the tideline with grey wagtail. At nearby Hope Cove 2 purple sandpipers on the rocks.