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.

Managed to get an hour or so sea watch from 09.30. 2 Great, (1 north and 1 coming into bay chasing Kittewake) 2 Arctic and a single Pomerine skua, 4 Common Scoter north and 2 Great Northern Divers north. Atleast 2 Porpoise on view most of the time but no Dolphin today

A Black Redstart was on the sea wall between the fishing platform and the sea watch point.

Long seawatch from 7.30 till 3pm in W/WSW 4-5 going 6, gusting 7 with occasional rain, hail, mist , sunshine etc.

Highlight was a Grey Phalarope ( my 4^th  here) which floated into view feeding near seaweed, then flew a short distance westwards and after a drifted eastwards out of sight . This was at 1.40pm when I had thought of leaving at 1.30pm ! Maybe a lesson in there somewhere . Also an adult pale spoonless Pomarine Skua, 4 Great Northern Divers ( 3 in moulting summer plumage) 1 Balearic and 1 Manx Shearwater, 1 Puffin (in winter plumage), 2 Ringed Plover and another small wader west, 2 Fulmars,   2 Common Scoter east, 4 Med Gulls, and 5 Common Gulls. And 2 surfacing Harbour Porpoises.

The first 2.5 hours had seen 206 Gannets, 166 Kittiwakes and 131 Auks  ( predominantly Razorbills) flying westwards.

Wet windy walk this morning , male snow bunting on the N side at 12.00  a lovely surprise

I have just been watching a Hoopoe feeding on a lawn at Foxholes Hill Exmouth.  No time for a camera observed for a few minutes before it was disturbed.  Afirst for me!

Viewed 1045-1330Hrs

Thought i might share this on here as it makes a great story. Have received email about Common Redshank which was seen on the marsh yesterday at 1100Hrs with a group of c60. This bird has been reported by 5 others around the Exe in previous years and this email was sent to all who have reported her  sightings in the past. It was ringed in Westerland, Holland by Wim Tijsen.

Right Tibia=C73 (white alpha-numeric code)

Left Tibia=Green Flag (transponder)

Just an email from me that C73, which you once spotted in your area is yesterday seen at this place by David Boult.

She is celebrating now her 10th universary in the mouth of the Exe-river! I always use her in my presentations about by Redshank study.

And it is not surprising that she is always, one of the first redshanks in my study area which comes back to breed, because she is wintering so close, while others go to Guinee Bissau.... or Portugal or Spain. 

And not suprising that C73 it is such a good bird, she is now 10 years old, and she is daughter of the most famous "widdow of old Bil", who died at age of almost 20 years old(the second old redshank in the European Database. And her mom (C06) is still a live and breeding very close to her(400 meters away at the same farmer, in the same area). Her mom is now at least 15 years old.

Other birds of note were Gadwall + 2 Tufted Ducks + Pochard also seen on the marsh yesterday.  

Common Redshank

Common Redshank

Whilst out walking my dog along the Taw Estuary yesterday, 6/11/14, I saw the following raptors.

1/. One adult Marsh Harrier at Vellator, flying from the toll road towards Rams Horn Pond. This is the second sighting of a Marsh Harrier we have made heer this year. Quite an uncommon visitor.

2/. 1 adult & 2 juvenile Common Buzzards flying above Ashford.

3/. 1 adult male Peregrine over flying the new Barnstaple Bridge towards the estuary.

4/. 1 adult Short Eared Owl being mobbed by corvids & gulls over the SW coast path, Isley Marsh, Yelland. The S.E.Owl flew off over the water towards Vellator.

Not a bad tally for one simple dog walk in November!

Thanks 

Rob

Budleigh Salterton

An excellent seawatch from 12.30 to 4.00 p.m. Little Auk at 12.55, Storm Petrel at 13.50, 4 Balearic Shearwaters, 1 Sooty Shearwater, 10 Pomarine Skuas, 7 Arctic Skuas, 6 Skua sp, 2 Shearwater sp and a possible Long tailed skua.

Supporting cast of 500+ Kittiwake, 31 Common Scoter, 3 Brent Geese, 30 Auk sp (mainly Razorbills), 45 Black headed gulls, 6 Common Gulls, Fulmar, Sanderling, 2 Teal 

All birds west except 21 of the Scoter.

Upottery Airfield, Smeatharpe

Early morning before the wind got up Woodpigeons were going through in reasonable numbers (around 500), 60 Fieldfare starting to feed on the hawthorns, 4 Stonechats but best of all,  a Jack Snipe flushed from the runway edge, first record for here.

Seawatching 07:15-16:00. Southerly building through day, with patchy rain becoming heavier through afternoon. Despite missing the Wb Dolphins (see MLs post below) an amazing seawatch for November ended with the following totals: Little Auk, 4 Puffins, c800 Auks (mostly Razorbills), Sooty Shearwater, 9 Balearic Shearwaters, 4 Manx Shearwaters, 42 Pomarine Skuas (mostly juvs, 1 ad & imm), 4 Arctic Skuas, 6 Bonxies, 4 Little Gulls (all ads), 2800 Kittiwakes, c1200 Gannets, 3 Great Northern Divers, Red-throated Diver, 22 Common Scoter, 24 Fulmars (now reappearing after the Oct moult) and Bar-tailed Godwit.

This morning ventured out by boat into Torbay to see what is about, tried to go out to Berry Head but sea state very lumpy!!! so turned and had a look at the Brixham side of the bay. Off Broadsands we had 1 Black-necked Grebe and a Great Northern Diver. The usual herons at 7 quarries. I'm running my winter Sunday morning trips so if interested email me on wildbones@btinternet.com starting this Sunday. With so much interest in the birds off Berry Hd at the moment we'll try to get in amongst the feeding activity if conditions allow.

Photo: Black-necked Grebe

A seawatch this morning 0715-1000hrs produced the current feeding activity of many Gannets and Kittiwakes plus 1 Pomarine Skua, 1 Balearic Shearwater. 1 juv Puffin, 1 Great Northern Diver, 1 Red-throated Diver, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit and 4 Common Scoter plus 170 Plus mostly Razorbills >S.

1 Chiffchaff in quarry. Yesterday 2 Chiffchaffs, 2 Blackcaps, 11 Goldcrest and a Firecrest in the woods.

Best of all today were 5 White-beaked Dolphins and a minimum of 12 Harbour Porpoises feeding fairly close to the headland, Youtube footage here http://youtu.be/3TjHdNWjStQ  

7-30 to 8-00am on 5th Nov at Bishopsteignton.  A minimum of 6000 wood pigeons all moving southwest.  I was unable to watch after 8-00am.

Some digiscope photos to add to Keith's earlier post of the Avocets viewed in the hide at 1545Hrs and Knot seen from the viewing platform earlier 1500Hrs. Also c250 Lapwing seen from the Goatwalk across the river at Turf Locks.

Avocet

Knot

One of the birds we didn't catch whilst ringing this morning (details on the forum) was a Chiffchaff, first I've seen here for a few weeks.

watched from 14:50 till 16:15

The first main arrival of avocet of the autumn with 158+ was great to see , the female goldeneye showed well among a big increase in wigeon to 600+ and teal to 350+, 65+ shoveler, 2 pintail, the usual 3 spotted redshanks, 257+ dunlin, 10+ knot, 27+ bar tailed godwits, 950+ black tailed godwits, 8+ greenshanks, 300+ redshanks, 300+ curlew, 25+ lapwing, 5+ snipe, 1 peregrine, 1 sparrowhawk, 4+ song thrush, 3 buzzards, 4 jay, 90+ Brent geese flew over

Lovely calm morning. 10 L egret, 10 Bar-tailed godwit, c. 50 redshank, 3 curlew. Pretty quiet. About 400 lapwing by Chivenor.

Walking the dog at 6.15 this evening, way after dark, what I thought was going to be a Robin on someones clothes airer under lights turned out to be a female/1W type Black Red. On the back street behind Sea View Terrace, Lipson, Plymouth.

A good morning of visible migration; 3700 Woodpigeons, 55 Fieldfare, 27 Lapwing and 9 Golden Plover. On the airfield, the late Wheatear still, 3 Stonechats, Green Woodpecker and 40 Linnets.

This afternoon the Wheatear was still present and the Little Owl was showing well. 50+ Meadow Pipits.

A glorious sunny day to be up on the moor but little about. Best were 4 buzzard, kestrel, great spotted woodpecker, dipper, 2 grey wagtail, treecreeper & 4 bullfinch. No sight or sound of crossbill, redpoll or siskin.

 A female Long-tailed Duck feeding at Wistlandpound Reservoir this morning along with 6 Cormorants, 6 Teal, 6 Little Grebes, 3 Mallard, 1 Grey Heron and 2 Kingfishers this morning.

Lunchtime visit to the hide. Best bird was a female Goldeneye which was mostly towards the right hand side of the water diving frequently. Otherwise fairly quiet although duck numbers have increased, particularly Wigeon. 2 groups of Brent Goose flew over towards Darts Farm.

A female Black redstart present on the jetty at Instow,close to the ferry point at noon today.

5 Snow Buntings seen together both on the ground & in flight this morning which confirms Brian & Liz Weston sighting on Saturday 01/11/2014.

This time they were very mobile & easily disturbed by joggers & walkers along the coastal footpath.

Chilly brisk N wind, bright, sea choppy. Had no expectation of seabirds but at 0840  a juvenile Pomarine Skua flew in from the south to harry Kittiwakes close offshore, and up to 10 am at least six were present. Birds were arriving and departing so more may have been involved. 100+ Gannets were feeding offshore again today, and 3 Brent Geese flew south.

221 brent geese with 18 pale bellied,ad med gull,2 knot,merlin,15:00-16:15

Viewed over the afternoon high-tide with huge rainbow over the marsh.

c45 Avocet + 2 Spotted Redshank + Ruff (juv-male) + 9 Golden Plover + 7 Greenshank + c800 black Tailed Godwit + c20 Bar Tailed Godwit + c100 Dunlin + c350 Redshank + c400 Curlew + 3 Snipe + 8 Pintail (4-male+4-female) + Tufted Duck (female) + c45 Shoveler + c125 Teal + c150 Wigeon + 4 Greylag Geese + 5 Little Egret + 6 Jay + Sparrowhawk + Buzzard + c20 Brent Geese flying over to Darts Farm.

Rainbow

Spotted Redshank (top centre)

The Red-breasted Flycatcher was still around at 3:30pm in the copse.  Also 2 Black Redstarts on the cottage roofs, 2 Chiffchaffs, a juvenile Merlin [which made a terrible hash of a catch and ended up stuck in the Blackthorn], a Great Northern Diver east and 6000+ Wood Pigeons west with a few Stock Doves mixed in. A trickle of Pipits and Skylarks off the sea.

Red-breasted Flycatcher

Apologies, it was accessible earlier but it appears that the link now is :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFw7lHrDmB8 

This afternoon a bit of quality in the form of a late Wheatear, a female Merlin and the Little Owl showing well. 21 Lapwing, 2 Golden Plover, 1 Snipe and 200+ Herring Gulls on the rough pasture.

0815 to 1030. 2 Wheatear in N. Fort. Intense but very localised feeding frenzy off the end involving c. 100 gannets and a dozen or so H. Porpoise on the sprats. 0930 Large flock of Wood pigeon passed over going south. est. five or six hundred. Also 1 Mistle thrush, 5 Gold crest, 1 Chiff Chaff and a single Skylark over.

A walk round at lunchtime produced Firecrest and Chiffchaff with a tit flock about 50m down the lane from warden's bungalow. Also in a sunny spell 6 Red Admirals and a Painted Lady  nearby, but with increasing winds I was unable to locate the Wheatear reported earlier. 

At Velator, the three Gadwall survived the carnage yesterday and were still at work on the duckweed this morning, along with a few Mallard. Several Redwing also present.

Bradiford had a flock of about 50 Teal and a few Mallard. I took a walk around the reserve with Mike Towns, all three areas of trees/bushes planted a couple of years ago are progressing quite well. We also discussed other options for future changes within the reserve.

Just Mediterranean Gull, Common Gull, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Starling flock, Oik and Raven on show at Northam Burrows in gales between showers!

Of more interest, running among the gulls a Common Sandpiper on the mud at the north end of Bideford Quay, near the skate-park/boat cafe!

While talking to Brian & Liz Weston yesterday aft after a bird trip to Isley Marsh they gave an excellent description of a small flock of up to 6 white finch like birds which landed within a few feet away & were very tame while walking the coastal footpath between Baggy Point & Putsborough around midday on Saturday 01 Nov 2014.I immediately thought Snow Buntings & asked them to check the bird books + google photos & videos which they did when they got home. They emailed me later to confirm that they were Snow Buntings that they had seen.

Earlier this morning during a window between the heavy  showers I walked out along the coastal path to where they had been seen & no sign of them anywhere so they must have moved on. There is a good chance they will be seen again in another location.

1 Merlin at the start of my walk to Baggy Pt this morning.

Here's a link to a video I took of one of the birds yesterday ( there's a first time for everything ! Turn the volume down as twas windy):

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFw7lHrDmB8

Great Grey Shrike present at 10.00 am when it was seen briefly at a half mile sw from grenade range. Woodpigeon movements seen passing south over Colaton Ralegh with c.1500 in number. Several Dartford Warbler, Reed Bunting and Stonechats showing well on the common, plus Skylark and Starlings moving through. 

More Woodpigeons moving over Haytor at about 9:00am this morning,I saw two flocks of about 150 each,and there were others moving across in the valleys which I couldn't count,all moving South.Also a small movement of Skylarks in small groups, I saw about 50 in half an hour or so.A large flock of Golden Plover flying to the North of Haytor,approximately 500 but difficult to count exactly as they kept breaking into small groups and then re joining the main flock, but the largest flock that I have seen this autumn.

Jolly shooters at Sherpa (the part of the marsh opposite the Toll House) again this morning, but not as far as I was aware too many shots. 3 Gadwall flew off the reserve pond after they had gone.

Late afternoon, more fusillades of shots and there they were shooting the bits of reed-bed surrounding the reserve, fortunately I was back home......

Shoveler and 2 Tufted Ducks on Wrafton Pond.

Seawatching from 07:00-08:00 this morning produced 6 Pomarine Skuas, 4 unidentified skuas and an adult winter plumage Mediterannean Gull south.

Having missed Ring Ouzels in both spring and autumn (so far) I took a trip up to Avon Dam from Shipley Bridge , thanks to the recent postings but left Plymouth at c 11am given the wet weather. A lovely walk in autumnal sunshine I arrived at the dam about 12.30 noticing quite a few Blackbirds en route (c 12) and Goldcrests calling at regular intervals. At the Dam ,heavy rain and hail showers notwithstanding, 4 Ring Ouzels seen ( at one time  watching , now with Mark D. and Adele, 3 Ouzels comically flew from the trees immediately below the Dam and landed on the Dam wall itself.) Also 1 Fieldfare , 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, a heavily ringed Dipper ( silver on LL and a Red and Green Ring on RL) and 3 Kestrels. Lovely walk , must come here again.

A look around the Headland late afternoon produced: 4 Firecrest, 5 Chiffchaff, 9 Goldcrest and 1 Blackcap seemingly more warblers but no sign of any Yellow-browed Warblers (moved on? It's difficult to work out just how many there had been at Berry Head so far, at least 5 - assuming one or two of those 5 lingered in the woods. Y-bW have been recorded at Berry Hd on at least 9 days this year)

watched from 14:55 till 16:15

31 avocet, 15 golden plover, 1 knot, 100+ dunlin, 800+ black tailed godwits, 12+ greenshanks, 3 spotted redshanks, 300+ redshanks, 20+ bar tailed godwits, good numbers of curlew, 3 pintail, 250+ wigeon, 300+ teal, 25+ shoveler, 3 song thrush, 1 peregrine, 1 sparrowhawk, 3 buzzard, 6+ jay.

An hour in the hide gave the following;  1 male and 1 female Scaup,  Little grebe, water rail, 62 Gadwall, 34 Tufted, 33 coot, 81 Canada geese flew in which kinda shattered the tranquility, followed by a serene Cirl bunting near the hide.

Lunchtime visit to the marsh. A Peregrine caused some disturbance but as far as I could tell wasn't successful. Good numbers of the usual waders were arriving including 1 Spotted Redshank. Just before I left at about 1.50 a group of 8 Golden Plover flew in.

Reduced numbers of wildfowl compared to this time last year. Meet Nick the reserve warden who said there is not so much food available in the ley ( he explained the reasons, to do with rainfall, nutrients etc ). Saw the following and for some species have put in parenthesis the number present when i visited on 1st November last year.

2 Little Grebe (13 ), 11 Great Crested Grebe, 9 Mute Swan, 4 Wigeon ( 207 ), 2 Shoveler ( 13 ), 24 Gadwall ( 52 ), 90 Mallard, 5 Pochard ( 52 ), 72 Tufted Duck ( 367 ) and 70 Coot ( 420 ).

Also present a first winter Mediterranean Gull on the beach, Kingfisher by the bridge, 2 Swallows, Wheatear on the beach and a Yellow-browed Warbler in Ireland Bay calling from the big clump of willows out from the new viewing shelter. Who knows if this is the same as last weeks below the bridge ( nearly 1 km away ). Off the top of my head i can think of at least 16 Yellow-broweds seen on the coastal strip between Bolt Tail and Slapton Ley this autumn, amazing. 

From the Tarka Trail at Yelland, 1000+ Golden Plover but only a handful of Lapwing, in flight over the Taw touching down around Chivenor.

In the north Torridge area, Manteo Way NR had 3 Teal (first this autumn), the wintering Curlew flock on the fields, Kingfisher, Little Egret, Greenshank and Redshank.

The Bideford Long Bridge Starling murmuration takes place around 1600-1630 each night and is looking quite impressive.

A chilly morning, dull overcast with rain clouds gathering. A Merlin flew south across the meadow 0800. A short sea watch 0820-0950. Lots of fishing activity with 100+ Gannets feeding just off the cliffs and groups of Kittiwakes harassed by two juvenile Pomarine Skuas coming close in at times. Three other Poms flew south so total 5 birds, an adult Mediterranean Gull with the Kittiwakes the only other bird of note.

Bill Macdonald and REB checked the bushes but report not much moving.

today on river bird showing so well. It was so good you don't need a scope, binoculars probably not required either.

also seen of note Kingfisher, Grey Wagtails, Curlew, Black Tail God and Common Sandpiper.

A 1st-w Med Gull on the pool on the Plym Estuary (also 44 Curlews and 2 Oystercatchers) and a male Black Redtart at Staddon Heights on the houses.

Thanks to Tony for yesterday's news about the Red-breasted Flycatcher,which gave very good views around the reserve and top end of carpark most of the morning .A Yellow-browed Warbler also showed occasionally.  I didn't manage a proper seawatch but large numbers of Gannets were passing plus a Grerat Northern Diver west. Two Swallows still around the village.   Having been unable to get to Prawle most of the year  it was a nice end to the season.

Just to add to the Wood Pigeon passage figures for yesterday, we had 3 flocks heading SW proir to 09.00 totaling c600 birds. Also 1 Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaff. A noticable increase in Song thrush numbers with small parties (2s and 3s) moving overhead. Also a few small groups of Redwing over. 

The Yellow-browed Warbler below  the cafe showed well till just after 10.00.

Great Grey Shrike on Colaton Raleigh Common this evening to the east of the Grenade Range, found late on at 17.00hrs. Amazingly, it was about 100 metres from the same spot I came across it last year and 3 days earlier! Also male Merlin around.

Viewed over the afternoon high-tide

27 Avocet possibly still passage migrants almost half of yesterdays count + 11 Golden Plover + 4 Grey Plover + 3 Spotted Redshank + Ruff + Pintail + 4 Greylag Geese + c50 Brent Geese flying over from Darts Farm and good numbers of other usual waders and ducks. Clouded Yellow butterfly on path to viewing platform.

Golden Plover

Avocet and Golden Plover

Spotted Redshank (centre)

Seawatch 07.45- 10am birds moving South: 11 Pomarine Skuas (all juvs), 3 Arctic Skuas, 1 Great skua, 1 Ad Little Gull, 2 Great Northern Divers, 1 2w Mediterranean Gull, 1 Balearic Shearwater, 2 Common Scoter, 35+ Kittiwakes (before feeding frenzy started then 600+), 1000+ Gannets.   

Brief look around the headland: 6 Goldcrests, 1 Firecrest, 1 Chiffchaff. 

Very surprised to see a Red Kite fly low east along Harbour Road, Seaton at midday today. I last saw it circling high over Axe Cliff Golf course. My latest ever on patch.

Also, JM and PA report the Yellow-browed Warbler still present at Lower Bruckland Ponds.

Quick walk round the reserve this morning showed not only several Mallard hard at work on the duckweed, but two Gadwall as well.

A very good morning's walk to the Avon Dam.  Still some Ring Ouzels about - at least 4, maybe 6, just below the dam.  Also a Merlin, Kestrel and Buzzard, one Dipper in flight down the (very full) river, and Goosanders both in flight and on the lake (about 12 in all).

Ring Ouzel

0930 - 1110. 

Marsh side:- 3 Little Egret, 1 Grey Heron, 23 Teal (5m 18f) 1 Kingfisher, 4 Moorhen, 1 Peregrine in the fields.

In the bay at high tide:- Curlew, Oystercatcher, and 1 juvenile Great Crested Grebe close to the hide.

Ring Ouzel at least three, 5 Fieldfare and a good number of Redwing. All very flighty, must take the scope next time.

Overnight rain and passing front. By dawn strong wsw wind veering W by mid morning.  

Did a seawatch with Mark Darlaston and Adele from 07:30. Quite productive with birds still feeding southeast off the point. Passing south were 14 Balearic Shearwaters, 2 Manx Shearwaters, 8 Arctic Skuas, 20 Pomarine Skuas ( all juv ), Long-tailed Skua ( dark juv @ 09:04 ), Great Skua, 1w Little Gull, c800 Kittiwakes, 7 Mediterranean Gulls (all ads bar 1w) and a late Arctic Tern. Also good numbers of Gannets. I had to leave at 10:00, MD's updated totals to 15:00 added,

Late post for Saturday 1st November.

Visible migration mirroring that on the coast but with smaller numbers. 270 Woodpigeon some going south, some going west, 30 Skylarks west, 8 Chaffinch west and 16 Lesser Black Backed Gulls in one flock going south (unusual for the Blackdowns where usually only odd birds seen). 850 Starlings were a mix of passing birds and ones arriving to feed.  Around the airfield, 2 Wheatears, 21 Lapwings and 23 Stock Doves. A small influx of Robins with around 10 in a small area of hedge/scrub each competing for territory.

Friday at dusk 19 Lapwings and 11 Golden Plovers.

Showing well again today

Phalarope still present at 3pm today

Just to add to Keith's post some digiscope photos of the c45 Avocets viewed over the morning high-tide which is an increase from 26 seen yesterday (friday) and the juv-male Ruff.

Avocet

Ruff

No sign of the Yellow-browed Warbler over the last two mornings but still at least 3 Firecrests around the coastal path above the West Cliffs. Good flocks of Woodpigeons over as per Matt's posting, but no time to check estuary today to see if Phalarope still present.

Around 1530 this afternoon whilst returning from a ringing session I saw a white-headed raptor perched on a dead tree at the back of  a small wood. The brown back was facing me.  Rather late for an Osprey.

The wood is located located just past the turn off for the Perigo factory on the Northern side of the A361.

Soar is really missing out on the vis mig again - next to nothing at dawn and then just c500 Wood Pigeons NE and 30+ Jackdaws NW.

Best bird was a showy Wryneck around 8am in the hedge between the wood and the coast path (Mid Soar) - no pics here I'm afraid due to laptop going pop.

Also: single Reed Bunting, Siskin, Black Redstart, Merlin and Golden Plover; 25+ Stock Doves, 2 Chiffchaffs, 5 Goldcrests and 3 Roe Deer. 

Ah! forgot to mention the 2 Black Redstarts (1st year female/imm type and a 1st year male type) seen on the roofs of the coastguard cottages and a few butterflies on the wing : 1 Clouded yellow, Specked Wood and Red Admiral.

Star birds today : a 1^st year Red-Breasted Flycatcher showing well at times in the reserve from 9.50am but difficult to photograph well (though I suspect Pat has one or two good images) And the (ringed) Yellow-Browed Warbler which showed well but very briefly .

Prior to this , vismigging from 7.20 till 9.30 ( in strong WSW/SW wind) produced : approx 3500 Woodpigeons and  630 Stock Doves (many flying close to us over the point heading west or north-west). Also 235 Starlings; 183 Goldfinches ;181 Chaffinches; 136 alba Wagtails; 118 Meadow Pipits; 109 Linnets ; 55 Skylarks ; and 8 Greenfinches (though likely were more but at times the strong sun making non-calling birds silhouetted) And 2 Reed Buntings (female and 1^st year male) and 1 female Bullfinch.

Other sightings (before I gave up due to the wind strength) : 1 Redwing, 1 Song Thrush ,1 Grey Wagtail, 4 Chiffchaffs, 1 Goldcrest, 2 Blackcaps. Noticeable absence of Brambling, Siskin and Hirundines.

Day out with my family was enhanced by good views (no optics) of a black redstart in the entrance yard and on the barn roofs of this attraction.

Watched from 07:10 till 13:30

a large movement of woodpigeon for the first 2 hours most heading south towards exmouth with 10000+ with largest group of 2500+, 300+ redwing , 5+ fieldfare, 600+ jackdaw, steady passage of skylark and meadow pipits, 4 Siskin, 20+ jays, best bird of the morning was a jack snipe over the viewing platform heading west , 2 stonechat, 3 reed buntings, 1 kingfisher, 1 chiffchaff, a peregrine took a black tailed godwit but lost it to 2 carrion crows, 2 buzzards, 2 sparrowhawk, 1 Cetti's warbler, 20+ long tailed tits, 1 goldcrest.

From the hide 10:30 till 13:30 

an increase in avocet to 45 was good , 1 male ruff still, 100+ dunlin, 2 spotted redshanks, 250+ redshank, 7+ greenshanks, 800+ black tailed godwits, 20+ bar tailed godwits, 400+ curlew, 1 tufted duck, 70+ wigeon, 80+ teal, 3 little egrets, 2 grey heron , 4 buzzards, 1 sparrowhawk.

Ring Ouzel below Cafe late morning and a Firecrest in the woods south of the Berry Head Hotel (Andy P & Bob B report the Yellow-browed Warbler still below Cafe mid-morning and 4 Firecrest and the usual  Yellow-browed Warbler along the middle path below the radar station), 2 Pomarine Skuas noted off the end of the headland but a lot less Skuas than recent days.

At least 6 Clouded Yellow, 3 Painted Lady, 10+ Red Admirals and Speckled Wood Butterflies not bad for November! 1 Harbour Porpoise off headland.

If you have not clicked on Perry's vismig YouTube clip, do it - it's brilliant - try and pick out the Brambling! 

Following a possible sighting of my lost falcon on the moors above Ivybridge I trecked up the Puffing Billy track this morning, surprised by the number of Rooks on the moors above the old Cantrel works, good numbers of both Skylark and Meadow Pipit, two Kestrels, close overhead pass from a single Raven, the Woodpigeon and Redwing migration in evidence with several good sized flocks seen all but one headed west towards Plymouth.

Some overnight rain. Fresh-strong WSW wind, weather brightening soon after dawn.

Vis mig 06:40-09:30 from near car park. All birds flying somewhere between south to southwest.

1 Golden Plover, 25100 Woodpigeon, 24 Skylark, 40 Meadow Pipit, 20 alba Wagtails, 2 House Martin, 8 Redwing, 2 House Sparrow, 10 Brambling, 140 Linnet, 940 Chaffinch, 29 Greenfinch, 15 Siskin, 2 Lesser Redpoll, 970 Goldfinch, 32 Bullfinch and 8 Reed Buntings.Also 1 Painted Lady.

 Woodpigeons all heading south west. By choice they normally cut across south west from Torcross towards Lannacombe / Prawle.The strong WSW wind probably made this difficult forcing them onto Start Point then the long way around. Stock Doves as usual on these days easy to ignore . Less than 1% of the pigeons appeared to be stock doves but half a percent would have still meant a healthy count of 125 +.For anyone interested i've uploaded a short clip to you tube ( looking north towards Hallsands ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxDCNGtx9LM

Walked along the breakwater at Brixham after dark yesterday and could hear Redwing passing overhead in large numbers. Expectantly arrived at Berry Head this morning at first light to be greeted by a mass movement of birds, but not Redwing (only 3). 2,485 Wood Pigeon, 14 Stock Dove, 89 Jackdaw with one Rook, 3 Wheatear around the Northern Fort and yes it's November! 20+ Meadow Pipit, 10+ Goldfinch, 2 Siskin, 3 Greenfinch, House Sparrow, 9 Bullfinch, 10+ Chaffinch, 2 Reed Bunting 5 Cirl Bunting, 8 Skylark, 5 alba Wagtail and another Yellow-browed Warbler (new in) in scrub below the cafe, heard calling at 8.10 and seen briefly by ML at 8.40. Left the site at 9.15 with birds still on the move.

Breath-taking migration spectacle this morning, birding with Nick Pratt. 16000+ woodpigeon north-west in 2.5 hours from dawn. Also 180+ stock dove with presumably many more concealed in the woodpigeon flocks. Largest woodpigeon  flocks of c2000 and 1500 birds. More details and photos on blog later.