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.

Yellow-browed Warbler, 2 Firecrest, 2 Goldcrest, 2 Chiffchaff and female Blackcap in marsh and ditch between car parks. 29 Cirl Bunting and 3 Reed Bunting on seed in 2nd car park.

Good morning out on the boat with Nigel, while we only saw 1 Red Throated  and 1 Great Northern Diver there was plenty of other birds to see. Between the Guillemots at the Ore stone , Berry Head and the rafts of birds in the bay there must have been 1000+ birds. Other birds on show were Gannets, Fulmars, Kittiwakes, 3 Common Scoters, Great Crested Grebes, Oystercatchers, Purple Sandpipers, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Cormorant, Shag and Raven.

A trawler was bringing in its catch and there was plenty of gulls but only Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls.

At Berry Head we was lucky enough to see 2 Porpoise.

Black Redstart at Exmouth Sailing Club, and 20+ Turnstones off the Imperial Carpark this lunchtime.

30+ Brents, a pair of Pintail  5+ Redshank and the Turnstones were disturbed by dog walkers along this stretch while i was watching!!.  

Turnstone doing what they do best!

Female Black Redstart at the Sailing Club Exmouth

Black Redstart showing well at the Sailing Club Exmouth

Unrung male Barn owl recovered from a minor road near South Brent the bird was badly injured possibly having hit an over head wire, unfortunately the birds injuries were too severe to save it. This would be the second Barn owl sighting in the general wider South Brent area this month.

On a brighter note a vist to the marsh area of Ladies Wood Nr South Brent identified 15 species and an unidentified warbler type species that was very aggressively driving off the feeding Chiffchaffs. Also on the visits list was a hen Sparrow hawk, two Marsh Tit, Goldcrest in good numbers, Wrens and a selection of the usual more day to day species

The bird which was a visitor in my garden last Xmas seems to have returned. Last seen in March, it was present today 13 December on the fatballs it became used to a year ago. Almost incredible.

This afternoon (without the camera!!) we met up with Family at Tiverton Canal Bason for a flat 4 mile walk along the canal and back along the old railway line in sparkling winter sunshine. If you want great views of Kingfishers fishing at close quarters, Moorhens and Mallards at your feet, plenty of Wrens, Robins, Tits and Chaffinches to watch as you stroll the towpath and walk out into the countryside to see Buzzards, Finches, Redwings and Fieldfares then this is ideal for you. Nothing rare seen (but has great potential) just a very pleasant 2 hours walk in Mid Devon with birds all around.

Got there about 11-ish. Bright, sunny but cold morning. Species noted: Magpies, Crows, Ravens, Blackbirds, Song Thrush, Starlings (20 odd), Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Robin, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Sparrows, Dunnock, GS Woodpecker, Wood Pigeon. Lack of Redwings although one or two were seen as opposed to almost 40 earlier in the week. No sign of the Black Redstarts.Shortly after arrival today saw Buzzard being mobbed by a Carrion Crow. Also seen was a Rabbit and three Squirrels.

20 Crossbill late afternoon. Peregrine, Snipe, Dipper, 4 Stock Doves and 5 Stonechat also present.

A few more Goosanders in after the gales over the last few days.

Goosander 14m 8f, 9 Tufted Duck, 2 L/Grebe, 2 Long Tailed Tits.

Female Long tailed duck at Lannacombe this evening.

Good day at the Warren, apart from all the usual suspects in front of the hide and in the bite there was some quality off the beach with male and female Long Tailed Ducks, 2 Slavonian Grebes, GND and the Bonaparte's Gull.

Great Grey Shrike seen at 2.45.

The bird is mobile & seems to prefer the highest point on the tallest tree available to it. It chose this option on all four of my views of the bird

After many frustrating sessions at Bowling Green and Darts  I finally found Penduline tits 1/2 mile from my front door at Harper's lake fishing ponds near the Double Locks. 2 birds both without masks feeding and giving good views but mobile. Also reed bunting,stonechat,and jack snipe.Enough reed mace here and further along cycle path at viewing point to suggest they might stay.Seemed to be settling to roost at 2.50 in base of willow thicket.

Watched from the hide 09:00 till 11:00

a quiet morning with a low high tide produced 2 spotted redshanks among 600+ dunlin, 24+ snipe, 1 sparrowhawk, the 80+ lapwing, a few redshank and black tailed godwits, 15+ gadwall, 1 tufted duck , 7+ pintail among the usual wigeon, teal and shoveler, 4+ reed buntings, 2 stonechat, 2 fieldfare, 20+ redwing, good numbers of Brent geese moving towards darts farm.

  6 Great Northern Divers this morning. [Vic Tucker]

The Yellow-browed Warbler was showing well again this morning in 1st car park also 1 Blackcap and 3 Chiffchaff. 22 Cirl Buntings on seed in 2nd car park and 2 Reed Bunting.

Black Brant was at Darts Farm late morning with c60-Brent Geese in fields left of hide.

Black Brant

1310-1520

On the mudflats: 47 Teal, 23 Wigeon, 35 Black Tailed Godwit, 8 Curlew, 3 Little Egret, 2 Grey Heron, c100 Oystercatcher, 1 Greenshank and several Redshank. 8 Great Crested Grebe on the river Tamar.

3 Bullfinch, 1 Redwing, 1 Goldcrest in the surrounding shrubbery.

Charleton Marsh / Bay, 13:00-15:00, high tide.

2 Great Northern Diver, Black - necked / Slavonian Grebe ( distant off Lincombe ), 3 Little Grebe, 27 Brent Geese, 2 Water Rail ( heard only ), 10 Grey Plover, c800 Golden Plover, 313 Dunlin, Turnstone and Kingfisher.

From the hide at Gaya trust a male American Wigeon,possibly a sub-adult,but showing whitish crown stripe with broad,dark,greenish stripes to side of head,pinkish flanksand otherwise similar plumage to Eurasian Wigeon.seen with 400 plus wigeon,200 plus Teal,5 Pintail.

Ducks constantly coming and going and a female Merlin preening on a post nearby.

3 Spoonbill,a thousand plus Lapwing and 1,500 plus Golden Plover on adjacent Isley marsh.

The Yellow-browed Warbler showed well again in top corner of 1st car park, 10+ Cirl Buntings on seed in 2nd car park.

On the sea: 2 Black-necked Grebes, 51 Great Crested Grebes, 2 Great Northern Divers, 5 Red-throated divers1 Guillemot & 3 Razorbills.

Terry Goddard reported two late Swallows over the lake this morning with 100+ Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Coot etc. on the Ley.

Yellow-browed Warbler, 1 Firecrest, 4 Chiffchaffs 1 Blackcap and 2 Goldcrest in the marsh beside the 1st car park and 17 Cirl Buntings on seed in 2nd car park first thing this morning.

15 members of East Devon Branch attended the parkland of Escot House for our traditional Christmas fieldtrip.With the consent of owner John Michael Kennaway we ventured into areas not usually open to the public.  A total of 34 species was found including Treecreeper, all the (common) thrushes, Bullfinch, Lesser Redpoll, Stock Dove, Sparrow Hawk, Kingfisher, Nuthatch, several Buzzards and Gt Spotted Woodpeckers. 

An excellent Christmas lunch was enjoyed by all and the toast (proposed by David Jannaway in his absence was) :  'Very best seasonal wishes and happy birding for all Devon birders in 2015'.

At least three Penduline Tits (two masked), on the bullrushes to left of the hide. Congratulations to the guy who got his 300th. Was Karen who spotted them amongst the Chiffs.

Viewed BGM 0815-0930hrs in a packed hide.

3 Penduline Tits (1 with mask) showed well sometimes high on the bulrush mace on arrival far left of hide right of gate before flying further right and disappearing at 0830 into the water channel in front the railway bridge. Also c600 Avocets + Spotted Redshank + good numbers of other waders and ducks.

Walk through Goosemoor showed 8 Long Tailed Tits moving along the railway hedgerow.

Darts Farm produced pair of Stonechats +  3 Chiffchaff + f-Reed Bunting darting around feeding on the reed beds in front the hide.

Whilst at Darts was told the Penduline Tits reappeared briefly at 0950 and flew high over the hide.

09:45-13:00. Calm conditions and overcast on arrival meant perfect for cetacean watching, with 12 Harbour Porpoise feeding close in and c30 Common Dolphins feeding and moving south further out.

A few birds moving as the front arrived included a Bonxie, 2 Great Northern Divers and 1 Red-throated Diver heading south. A Black-throated Diver flew into Torbay and it or another headed out and south later.

Dropped in on Stoke Gabriel Mill Pond on way home, where one, possibly two 'Continental' Cormorants.

c50 Dunlin; 108 Redshank; 3 Sanderling incl "Hoppy"; c800 Lapwing; 319 Dark-bellied Brent; 9 Shelduck; c1000 Golden Plover; 3 Little Egret; 4 Grey Plover; 35 Wigeon; 2 Goosander (a pair); 20 Pintail; 27 Fieldfare and 18 Redwing.

11am - 1pm. As well as the usual mute swans, mallard and teal , 2 greenshank,2 redshank,1common sandpiper, 3 shelduck, 2 stonechat, 25 curlew( mostly in the grassy field by the entrance, giving good views), 2 kingfisher and a lone egyptian goose in with the curlew.

Afterwards paid a quick visit to South Huish Marsh, the ruddy shelduck in with at least 260 Canada Geese. A sparrow hawk being mobbed by gulls.

The smart drake Long-tailed Duck was feeding a couple of hundred yards out from the end of the beachfront yesterday afternoon during low tide , so not giving the close views shown in previous observer's post but was disturbed by a passing boat  and gave flight views as it moved a short distance. 

Three Penduline Tits showing well in the Reed beds in front of the hide at 09:20. Then,reapeared to the left where all three were seen low down in the Bulrushes, they then flew up and fed on the Bulrush seed heads where the views were at there best. This lasted a good 30 minutes. Interestingly, two were masked, one darker than the other, the third looked a juvinile. A new tick for me, and for several others that were priviledged to see these rare birds at Bowling Green Marsh.

Good numbers of Avocets, Black Tailed Godwits, Redshank, along with 5+ Gadwall,  several Pintail, Widgeon, and Teal were also on the marsh, but the main focus of the morning were on the Penduline Tits which became very illusive after 10:00.

Avocets, Black Tailed Godwits and Redshank leaving the marsh

The Yellow-browed Warbler still present, showing very well this morning in the top corner of the 1st car park - again chasing Chiffchaffs around.

Video here of its clipped and normal Y-bW call..  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDT56gbvKpw

Also in area 5 Chiffchaff (all collybita) 2 Goldcrest. In 2nd car park 21 Cirl Buntings and 3 Reed Bunting on seed. On the sea 4 Black-necked Grebes, 42 Great Crested Grebes and 9 Red-throated Divers.

Yellow-browed Warbler still present and calling with Long-tailed Tit flock between St Marys Park and Yalberton Industrial Estate.

A bit of a late post for Friday, got to Darts Farm too late to see the Brents but found two pendulines feeding in the reeds approaching the hide.  No visible mask on either, but nice views ripping open a rush.