In the light of the continuing Covid19 restrictions on the number of people gathering together, and the need for social distancing, it has been agreed that there will be no Devon Birds meetings or events organised until 21st June 2021, when Government restrictions are planned to be lifted. If there is any Government announcement that necessitates a change to this date an update will be posted.

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.  

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Young Hobby hunting over the cattle meadow and radar scrub 2.00pm - 2.20pm at least, 2 Firecrest (one in the quarry, the other 50m north of the Cirl Bunting feeding point to the left of the path).

Axe Estuary + Black Hole Marsh 20+ Black Tailed Godwits, 4 Dunlin, 4 Ringed Plover, 20+ Teal 25+ Widgeon, 15+ Curlew, 25+ Redshank, 1 Greenshank, 6 Little Egrets, 1 Grey Heron, 3 Common Sandpipe, 4 Kingfisher, 3 Ruff 2 Kestrel and a Peregrine.

Otter Estuary, Plenty of Canada Geese 60+ 2 Cetti Warbler, 3 Common Sandpiper, 6 little Egrets, 20+ Widgeon 3 Kingfisher and 1 Hobby flew down the Estuary and headed out to sea. Very pleasant couple of hours.

Ruff from the Island Hide

Peregrine made one pass in front of the old hide Seaton Marsh

The Ruddy Shelduck still at the north end of the River Plym, viewable from the layby at 1.55pm with Canada Geese 

1030-1400.

  Met up with John clark for a walk down the river. Birds were very hard to come by because of the mindless fools with guns on sherpa marsh. John had shot falling into the river very close to him, this cant besafe.

 Very brief view of the common Crane near the toll house,14 Longtail tit, 20+ stock dove, 1 Wheatear and 3 Little grebe. On the marsh 9 Lapwing, Kestrel, Sparrow hawk and 2 or 3 Buzzard. A Clouded yellow was also showing well.

1030-1400.

  Met up with John clark for a walk down the river. Birds were very hard to come by because of the mindless fools with guns on sherpa marsh. John had shot falling into the river very close to him, this cant besafe.

 Very brief view of the common Crane near the toll house,14 Longtail tit, 20+ stock dove, 1 Wheatear and 3 Little grebe. On the marsh 9 Lapwing, Kestrel, Sparrow hawk and 2 or 3 Buzzard. A Clouded yellow was also showing well.

Arrived in the hide this lunchtime to be told of a Kittiwake sat amongst the waders at the back of the marsh. It was still there when I left at around 1.45. It was joined briefly by an adult Mediterranean Gull. Also 1 Spotted Redhanks and 1 Ruff amongst the other waders.

Today's sightings included the first Lapland Bunting of the autumn, found by Richard Campey.

Daily reports from Lundy (subject to availability of information, which is dependent on both observer coverage and the vagaries of communications technology) are being posted at lundybirds.blogspot.co.uk The blog often includes more details than it seems appropriate to post under Devon Bird News and provides a quick link for everyone particularly interested in the island. Devon rarities, once we hear of them, will always be cross-referenced here.

This evening was pretty much the same: 112 Canada Geese, fewer Swans (and no cygnets seen) Kingfisher, 1 Green Sandpiper, a few Meadow Pipits, 3 Grey Heron, 3 Little Egret.

In the reserve this afternoon 10 Mallard again (keep at it chaps) and the first sighting of Little Grebe for many months. Calling Cetti's and Water Rails in both locations.

A quick walk around the lakes this evening produced 6 Gadwall (very good count for site) 1 Shoveler, 1 teal, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Water Rail, 2 Little Egrets, a roost of 8+ Grey Wagtails & 3 Chiffchaff - but best of all only my second ever Stonechat on site, on a willow clump in the middle  pond.

09:30-17:00, very murky, still morning. Light W wind after midday.

Collared Dove, 11 Swallow, 5 Wheatear, Ring Ouzel ( Starehole Valley ), Garden Warbler ( Starehole Valley ), 8 Blackcap, 55 Chiffchaff, 14 Goldcrest, 3 Jay and 2 Reed Buntings. Also 4 Clouded Yellows and 3 Roe Deer ( in stubble field below Southdown ).

A small fall of mostly Chiffchaffs this morning at the head totals: 32 Chiffchaffs, 11 Goldcrests, 5 Blackcap, 2 Wheatear, 5 Stonechat.

Overhead: 47 Meadow Pipits, 1 Tree Pipit, 3 Grey Wagtail, 12 'alba' Wagtails, 24 Goldfinches, 11 Linnet, 3 Chaffinch, 12 Skylark, 9 House Martin, 8 Swallow, 2 Sand Martin - there was a certain degree of milling around and not all birds were going in the same direction! Also first  high flying Song Thrush (4) of autumn over the head.

A surprise find 100m from the sea was a Dipper in the small stream which dissappears into the shingle. Also present a Grey Wagtail.  The stream has its origins in the hills around Branscombe and is not part of any other water course.

A good fall of migrants seen from road down to the lighthouse included Yellow-browed Warbler, c60 Chiffchaffs, 12 Wheatears, 12 Blackcaps, 5 Whitethroats, House Sparrow (calling in lighthouse compound!), 2 Goldcrests, 6 Greenfinch and 4 Song Thrush. While overhead large flocks of Meadow Pipits, Linnets, Swallows and a few House Martins and Skylarks on the move.

1 Med Gull and 1 Black Tailed Godwit on the estuary this lunchtime. Usual sps also present.

Quick check this morning. Spring tide pushed a lot more Med Gull onto the cricket field than usual, allowing excellent views. Adult winter and juvenile both apparent. A definite sense of a passage of Song Thrush (can be hard to judge with breeding species), proving very showy, active and argumentative considering their usual nature. Similar story with Robin today. Several hundred Oystercatcher, often mobile as a single flock due to high tide and dog walking activity. A small falcon with fast wingbeats over the gas jetty, 99% sure of Merlin for the ID.

Lower Tamar Lake.

1 Osprey high over, circled then drifted inland north,1 Buzzard, 8 Great Crest Grebes with two well grown young being fed, 4 Coot.

Upper Tamar Lake

1 Wheatear, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Pied Wagtails, c15 House Martins and c 12 Swallows, 2 Meadow Pipits, 4 Grey Herons, 3 Robins and the usual Black headed and Herring Gulls'

Harvey Kendall

Unseasonable weather ensured no grounded oddities on migration today I reckon. Biggest passage was that of Swallow, constant stream down east side of island. Also on the move large numbers of Meadow Pipit, plus Chiffchaff, Pied Wagtail, Skylark, Blackbird, Goldcrest. Golden Plover x1 near the main lighthouse. Raven and Kestrel also present.

Nigel Smallbones passed on a description of what sounded like an adult Black Brant just off Abbey Sands yesterday sfternoon, but there was no sign this morning of the bird - be interesting to see if one of the Exe or Fleet birds turns up in the next couple of days... 

Firecrest today( 28th sept) in garden at Broadwoodwidger near Lifton,in company of Long tailed Tits and Chiffchaffs.

Quick walk around late aftrernoon, 19 Canada Geese, 1 Green Sandpiper, 2 Greenshank, Water Rail and Cetti's Warbler, 1 Pintail.

In the reserve, I surprised a female Pheasant, which only flew a few feet and looked back where it had flown from: revealing a 1 or 2 day old chick! Bit late?

watched from the hide 08:20 till 10:25

3 curlew sandpiper, 6 ruff, 3 spotted redshanks, 11+ bar tailed godwits, 12+ greenshanks, 25+ knot, 45+ dunlin, good numbers of redshank and black tailed godwits, 26+ shoveler, 1 kingfisher, 1 stonechat, 3, whimbrel, 20+ meadow pipit, a few skylarks over calling, 1 sparrowhawk, 1 white wagtail. 

Fairly quiet, no surprises - 0715-0945hrs, overhead: 33 Meadow Pipits, 3 'alba' Wagtails, 12 Swallows, 37 Goldfinch, 13 Linnets, 1 Grey Wagtail.

Around the headland:21 Chiffchaff, 9 Goldcrest, 9 Blackcap, 1 Firecrest.

Med gull colony still healthy with 116 this morning.66 ads,2 sw,48fw

A Ruddy Shell Duck on the banks of the river Plym, Plymouth. A strange duck as it seems to prefer the company of Canada Geese.

Ruddy Shelduck

08:00-11:20, 50% cloud cover, mod N-NE wind.

Great Spotted Woodpecker, 200 Meadow Pipit, 2 Grey Wagtail, 10 Blackcap, 20 Chiffchaff, 3 Goldcrest, 150 Linnet,  Reed Bunting.

07.15 to 11.00 Steady but sparse passage of Meadow Pipits (totalling about 100) until about 09.30 with small flocks of Linnets (total about 60) and Goldfinches (20) and just four Swallows. Also six flyover alba wagtails and one Grey Wagtail. On the ground, one Whinchat, nine Stonechats, three Chiffchaffs, five Goldcrests and a Sedge Warbler. A flock of eight Rooks flew east, just offshore, while an ad Mediterranean Gull flew west. Also five Gannets half-heartedly following a small pod of Harbour Porpoises.

Watched from the hide 08:15 till 11:10

2 curlew sandpipers, 2 spotted redshanks, 2 juv ruff, 4 avocet( 1 ringed left leg white over orange flag right leg green over black over green) 20+ knot, 3 snipe 14+ lapwing 12+ bar tailed godwits among good numbers of redshank, black tailed godwits and curlew, 2 whimbrel, 12+ greenshanks, 1 male stonechat was a good find, 15+chiffchaffs, 3 blackcaps, 4 jay. 

Grasshopper Warbler heard then seen over a minute or so perched and moving in grasses/ low scrub around 2-3 ft high off ground at Dunsford Nature Reserve in Devon on Sat 27th Sept around 3pm.

Distinctive call - like a loud grasshopper.

Fawn brown uppercase, paler buff-cream belly and underparts, faint pale eyestripe but flickering through vegetation and often partially hidden so closer observation impossible.

Seen by eye about 12ft/ 4 metres away from path where we (myself and friend) are standing.

 A vocal Bittern flew north over reeds on the higher ley at 14:45.

Present 0740-1400. Best bird was a female/Imm Marsh Harrier which flew over Mid Soar at 0745, and just kept going. Lots of birds. 150+ House Martin, 150+ Swallow, 600+ Meadow Pipit, 130+ Skylark, 3 Wheatear, 77 Chiffchaff, 61 Blackcap, Whitethroat, 10 Goldcrest, 300+ Linnet, 31 Stock Dove, 2 Golden Plover, Reed Bunting and 5 Jay. 

Also 2 Clouded Yellow, 5 Wall Brown, Peacock, 2 Common Blue and a few Red Admirals and Speckled Woods. And 2 Roe Deer. 

Good numbers of wildfowl now building up and feeding on the eel grass.    At high tide this morning, there were 245 Brents, over 2000 Wigeon, 54 Pintail, & 41 Egrets plus good numbers of Mallard and Shelduck.       Regrattably all subject to the usual disturbance by power boats and wind surfers (not much wind however!)

Some good visible migration for an hour or so with a couple of hundred Swallows, and a few House Martin and Sand Martin mixed in. 100+ Meadow Pipits, 2 Tree Pipits, 3 Grey Wagtails 10 'alba' Wagtails, 150 Linnets and 100+ Goldfinches a few Skylark and Chaffinch higher up. Also a flock of 8 Jay flying high over the quarry suddenly dropped in to the sycamore copse. 

Around the headland: 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 1 Firecrest, 20+ Chiffchaff, 8 Goldcrest, 4 Blackcap, 8 Stonechat, 3 Wheatear (photo below). 

Little Egret 10; Greenshank 8; Redshank 12; Common Sandpiper 1 and Black-tailed Godwit 23.

Off Penhill Marsh. Another 20 Little Egret and 2 Grey Heron.

Bradiford Reserve - Grey Wagtail 2 and Stonechat 1.

4 wildfowlers (2 each side of the river) and then waterskiers in middle of the river put paid to any further sightings. The 2 on Pottington side hide behind the broken down seawall by the Bradiford Water outfall, between the wall and mean high water mark and string out their decoys out into the river. This seems very close to the Tarka Trail but as they`re at MHW I presume this is allowed. I doubt if the Police would be interested anyway. What does concern me is if the wildfowl are on Bradiford Reserve, will they start shooting into the reserve as as happened before?

PS - 2 Turnstone in amongst the usual Oyks and Curlew. First I've seen there this autumn.

39 Canada Geese 17 Swans, 2 Tufted Ducks, 1 Wheatear, 1 Pintail, 1 Green Sandpiper, 2 Squealing Water Rails. 2 immaculate Clouded Yellows.

In the reserve still a very vocal Cetti's Warbler. Dipper in the stream.

About two hours before getting back to Plymouth on Brittany Ferries yesterday afternoon, S of the Eddistone Light, a trawler had a trailing group of maybe 2000 (mostly) gulls whirling and feeding in a long line at about 2 pm. Amongst these were 19 Bonxies. Within a couple of minutes I saw 3 more.

Nothing major around, at least by the time I got there (0900), a shame as the rain last night may have grounded a fair amount. Hirundines 'notable only by their absence'. Starling flock similar to last visit, still no Rose-coloured in there though. Cricket field has been re-sown which attracted a mixed flock of Linnet, Goldfinch and Greenfinch plus both Pied and White Wagtail, Meadow Pipit and the usual Oystercatcher with one leg. Kestrel made an appearance by the cricket club and at the first jetty east. Also around this jetty, a Rock Pipit (no Wheatear this time), and in the scrub 2 Blackbird, a Robin, a Stonechat but no warblers at all this time. Quite a surprising sight of a Kingfisher feeding in the saltwater, perching on the red tugboat and jetty. ~100 Mediterranean Gull (mix of ages, one juv had a green darvic ring, unreadable with my Opticron scope), 30 BH Gull, 2 Herring Gull, 1 Great BB Gull and 1 Common Gull on the rocks. 1 Blackcap in the Sea Buckthorn at public carpark.

Thursday 25 Sep: a fall of 250 Blackcaps and the island's second Yellow-browed Warbler of the autumn. See here for additional info. (courtesy of Chris Dee).

Out in Lyme Bay yesterday a few Balearic Shearwaters, 3 Arctic Skuas, 4 Bonxies, 2 European Storm-petrels and lots of Gannets and large gulls attracted to fishing vessel.

Wembury Point

Two Ring Ouzel’s behind the Fir trees, sit by the cattle drinking trough and they are feeding on the banking under the main path from the NT Car park.

Cirl Bunting on the coast path hedge in line with the Water works .

1000-1300.   A flock of 250+ Linnet on the stubble field by the vellator car park. By the toll house 12 Dunlin,4 Blackwit and 1 Curlew sandpiper. On the marsh 30+ Stock dove, 1 Wheatear, 1 Kestrel and 3 or 4 Buzzard. Horsey island held 24 Greenshank,20 Redshank, 2 Kingfisher and 2 Singing Skylark. Good numbers of Swallow flying high over horsey.

Good conditions for birds to move straight through hence just tree pipit, 70 skylark, 34 robin, 8 blackcap, 9 chiffchaff, a late willow warbler and 3 roes deer. Most hirundines gone just 2 house martin today!

2 little stints on tip pond still+1 on beach.F whinchat in scrub opposite,2 juv curlew sands,ad med on skern.07:17-08:10.80 med gulls at instow,56 ad,2w,23 fw,09:15.

0630 - 0930

Little owl on a barn roof at first light.

2 kingfishers showing well on the Caen.

3 snipe flushed from marshes by a large number of Canada geese coming in to land.

3 dipper under bridge by reserve.

2 grey heron fishing on the bank by entrance to toll road.

2 juv little stints on tip pond,4 juv curlew sandpipers,100 dunlin,60 ringed plover 27 golden,8 juv knot,2ad,3fw med gulls,young female sparrowhawk was interesting to watch as she landed on saltings close to waters edge with her beady eyes sharply focused on group of near by dunlin,you could almost feel her salivating.She then pressed her body firmly to the ground to camoflage then lept into the air after a passing linnet which she missed.She"ll learn.17:30-19:10.

The juvenile Rose-coloured Starling flew around the hide in the evening with Starlings before they all went to roost in reeds on the golf course. Little else of note though.

Early start with Dave Norman at Soar this morning rewarded as soon as we stepped out of car with a Woodlark in flight over the carpark with a small flock of Skylark. The birds landed in the long stubble behind the grass runway and not seen again. Elsewhere 22 Skylark, 2 Stock Dove, 21 alba Wagtail, 2 Grey Wagtail and 2 Yellow Wagtail (one on the ground on The Warren in with cattle), 25+ Chiffchaff, Spotted Flycatcher, 4 Blackcap, 3 Goldcrest, Wheatear, 16 Stonechat, 20+ Goldfinch, 3 Cirl Bunting, 25+ Linnet, numerous Meadow Pipits, 2 Sparrowhawk, 3 Kestrel, 30+ Swallow, House Martin and a Green Woodpecker.

During quick stop at South Huish Marsh Dave photographed 2 Yellow Wagtail and an adult Med Gull on the way home on slipway to the ferry at Dartmouth. Also a pic of one of the Skylark.

Watched from 16:30 till 19:10

A very good evening with little disturbance and excellent numbers of waders from the hide.

10 curlew sandpipers among 120+ dunlin, 7 spotted redshanks, 7+ ruff, 584+ curlew, 872+ black tailed godwits, 22+ bar tailed godwits, 7 whimbrel, 1 juv grey plover and 1 golden plover, 27+ greenshanks, 460+ redshank, 50+ knot, 5 snipe, 80+ teal, 25+ shoveler, 2 jay, 1 sparrowhawkhawk, 6 chiffchaffs.

1 adult Mediterranean gull from the viewing platform

Was at school when an Osprey flew over, coming relatively close unfourtuantly didn't have binoculars on me.

Tide was in this evening so nothing of note on the Caen, but in the Marsh a Green Sandpiper still and 51 Canada Geese. 21 Black-tailed Godwits flushed by 3 Swans but flew round and landed again with 2 more. 2 or 3 Pintail too. 2 Cetti's and 2 Water Rails calling. Even a few Swallows still and finally a juvenile male Peregrine flew over stooping towards Wrafton pond.

Dunlin 71; Little Stint 2; Curlew Sandpiper 1; Little Egret 7; Redshank 3; Shelduck 7; Black-tailed Godwit 7; Golden Plover 6 on sandbar in mid-river.

Off Ashford S.W. Wigeon 7 and Pintail 4.

Shelduck 12 off Penhill Marsh.

A very vocal Cetti's Warbler in the reserve this morning, and joy on joy, 10 Mallards actually eating some duckweed!! I sneaked off and left them to it. Been trying to get rid of it for two years now - any ideas welcome.

The Sanderling were resting & preening on the rocks again at Downend this morning.

Michael Spencer saw and photographed this Ruddy Shelduck at Saltram yesterday.

Ruddy Shelduck

Spent a lovely day at Prawle from 7.20am till 3pm in the sunshine with little or no breeze . Plenty of birds around the car park and at Bunkers : Chiffchaffs (37), Blackcaps (19) and Robins (19) with movement of Swallows and Meadow Pipits overhead . So from 8.45 till 10am I undertook my first viz mig of the autumn at the Hump where I was mesmerized by the spectacle of hundreds of Pipits, Linnets and Hirundines swirling east ad west and south .

(Under) Estimated totals : Meadow Pipits 480 ; Linnets  220 ; Swallows 385 ; House Martins  150 ( strangely no Sand Martins identified) ; Goldfinches  100 ; Skylarks  41 ; Chaffinches  20. Oddity value provided by the 1^st year female Great Spotted Woodpecker jumping between fence posts and then chased off by a Meadow Pipit.

Back at the reserve 1 Spotted Flycatcher and a Goldcrest (my first sighting of the autumn this year) but I didn’t relocate Pat’s Reed Warbler. Just 1 Willow Warbler and 1 Alba Wagtail. At the top of Merrimore Lane (leading to Pig’s Nose Valley) : 1 female Redstart,1 Whinchat and 2 very bright male Wheatears.  In the valley 16 Blackcaps, 18 Chiffchaffs ,1 Wheatear, 1 White Wagtail and 1 Sparrowhawk. Also 5 Clouded Yellows, Small Copper, 2 Wall Browns and several Red Admirals and Peacocks. Sadly I missed the Wryneck located by Anne and Jo near the gate leading to the path from Pig’s Nose Valley into Ashpark Lane.

Re the posting yesterday, I saw the Great White Heron/Egret on the Dart just below Brutus Bridge this morning at about 9.45am while out running along the cycle path.  It was perched on branches half submerged in the river just by the small weir next to the bridge, I watched for a couple of minutes before it took off up river.

A lunchtime visit at low tide produced very few birds, but watched a Sparrowhawk for a good ten minutes.  It was perched on a traffic cone in the mud looking quite disheveled I thought it may have been ill or injured.  But no, it flew directly towards me low over the water.  Two Kingfishers burst out of the reeds with the Sparrowhawk in hot pursuit, then were lost to view.  One Kingfisher flew back up river a few minutes later to disappear beyond the motorway bridge.

Watched from the hide 16:50 till 19:00

7 juv curlew sandpiper, 6 juv ruff, 4 spotted redshanks, 25+ knot, 25+ greenshanks, 13+ bar tailed godwits, 12+ lapwing, good numbers of redshanks, curlew and black tailed godwits but impossible to count with disturbance from a sparrowhawk, the aggressive lesser black backed gull and a paraglider but they did flush the dunlin with 90+ and a group of 7 flew down river and included a Little stint. 5+ little egrets, 2 grey heron, 6+ wigeon 60+ teal, 2 jay, 14+ shoveler.

.

An early afternoon visit to Darts farm was not overly productive small numbers of Godwitts, a Heron flew in, good numbers of Moorhens around the ponds and marsh ground.

BMG good views opf the resident Fox feeding on blackberries, single Grey Plover, good numbers of Snipe in the far reed bed edges, high light was seeing three Ruff.

Peregrine seen soaring over the A38 on the way up

Hobby seen both morning and late afternoon at South Brent, early this morning significant numbers of House Martins passing over the house.

Very quick look at R.Caen late aft.

Comparison photo of Curlew Sandpiper & Dunlin.

Stuck in a queue of traffic at Marridge Cross on the B3196 Loddiswell - Wrangaton Road at 09 :00 this morning when a Hobby flew by low heading west.

At lunch time James Diamond alerted me to a wryneck seen near the Lion's Rest industrial estate. On my arrival it perched obligingly in an elder bush two fields north of the estate. Whilst there I saw: 3 (possibly 4) whinchats, at least 5 stonechats (plus a further 2 in the lane), a single robin and one wheatear. A single snipe flew over.  

At least 2, probably 3/4, Ring Ouzels this morning, as wary as always flying high and far when disturbed, 10+ Chiffchaffs, 6+ Blackcaps, 20 Swallows and an imm. Yellow-legged Gull. Good numbers of Red Admirals and Small Coppers, 4 Clouded Yellows, 2 Common Blues, 25+ Wall Browns among 10 species of butterflies.

A glorious day but still hard going: highlights were sparrowhawk 2, hirundines 500 (2/3 swallow 1/3 house martin), meadow pipit 170, grey wagtail, yellow wagtail 4, robin 35, stonechat 16, wheatear 3, blackcap 19, chiffchaff 21, willow warbler, jay 8 moving east & 170 linnet.

It was close to a touch of ground frost on the marshes early this morning.

32 Greenshank on Horsey Island & 4 Winchat (which are amber listed) + 1 more on Braunton Marshes.They were feeding in the sunshine while I was digiscoping laying down fat reserves in preparation for their journey to Africa.

Two Spotted Flycatchers and 7 Chiffchaff this evening. 

watched from the hide 16:05 till 18:40

4 curlew sandpipers , 5 spotted redshanks (3 adult. 2 juv) , 5 juv ruff ( 3 male, 2 female), an impressive count of 47+ knot, 15+ dunlin, 2 whimbrel, 10 avocet, 13+ bar tailed godwits, 13+ greenshanks, 31+ little egrets among good numbers of redshanks, black tailed godwits and curlew, 4 snipe, 12+ lapwing. 

A sparrowhawk made 2 unsuccessful attacks causing panic among the waders, 2 buzzards.

Visible migration watch from the trig point on the edge of the golf course, from 07:15 to 10:00.

Hirundunes 2650 of which 95% were House Martins, in flocks of up to 500 heading into the north-east wind. Quite a spectacle.

Meadow Pipits 90, Skylark 14, 'Alba' Wagtail 7, 'Flava' Wagtail 1, Wheatear 3 overhead plus a Hobby, all heading in the opposite direction. 

The cliff-top scrub had about 30 Chiffchaffs, 10 Blackcaps and a single Garden warbler.

07:10 - 17:15. Clear night, beautiful sunny day. Light northeast wind.

Golden Plover, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 20 Stock Dove, c200 Skylark, c700 Meadow Pipit, 4 Tree Pipit, 8 Yellow Wagtail, 300 Swallow, 200 House Martin, 25 Wheatear, 57 Blackcap, 65 Chiffchaff, 15 Goldcrest and a Jay.

Majority of Meadow Pipits working their way southeast along the Warren and Bolt Head early morning. Likewise with the hirundines, loads of the later probably missed. After a starry night and clear dawn surprised to get reasonable numbers of Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs.

Like Rob said, a few Clouded Yellows around. Also saw 2 Painted Ladies and i reckon at least 100 Red Admirals feeding in the afternoon sun on ivy in the lane that leads from Soar Mill Cove up to Southdown.

A brief visit this morning produced of note: 1 Ring Ouzel, 2 Firecrest, 5 Goldcrest, 36 Chiffchaffs, 14 Blackcap, 1 Wheatear, 5 Stonechat.

Click on link for short video of one of the Firecrests: http://youtu.be/RXejGbK6oUs

Overhead:1 Tree Pipit, 55 Meadow Pipits, 6 Skylark, 2 Grey Wagtail, 2 'alba' Wagtails, 9 House Sparrows, 24 Swallows, and my first passage of high flying calling Chaffinches (6) this autumn.  

At 1715 a Comic Tern briefly flew upriver as far as the Port Royal, then circled twice before flying off downriver.

A bit later on the Caen: 60 Dunlin and at least 5 Med Gulls (4 Adults). In the marsh one each of Green and Common Sandpiper, 1 Tufted Duck and 2 Pintail.

A ringing recovery from the BTO this morning: One of the Juvenile Buzzards I ringed last September was picked up as a road casualty somewhere between Mullacott and Woolacombe about 8 miles away. 344 days after ringing, so sadly didn't even make a year.Didn't realise Buzzards became road kill.

A quick afternoon visit turned up whinchat, spotted flycatcher, 4 wheatear, 3 blackcap, 11 chiffchaff & 18 yellowhammer.

Nine species of butterflies included 7 clouded yellows ( 1 helice ) plus 42 red admirals. Possible tantalising view of pale/Berger's clouded yellow - would probably need to catch it.

Yesterday 12 clouded yellows at Snapes Point, Salcombe.

1100-1515  Met John clark for a great walk down the river,By the toll house we found 2 Curlew sandpiper,32+ Dunlin,6 Black wit and 2 Bar wit. 1Ruff seen earlier. On the marsh 2 Cettis warbler both seen and heard 25+ Stock dove and a Clouded yellow. Horsey island held 1 Wheatear,King fisher and a stonechat 3 Wimbrel 1 Sparrow hawk and a Kestrel. Also 7+ Greenshank and a few Redshank spread about. Swallows passing through very high.

I went back to Meeth Quarry this morning for the first time in a quite a while primarily to try to photograph hares, of which I saw none!

I was however graced with a Roe Buck that just kept moving towards me, I really didn't need that 1.4X converter fitted!

Lots of Green Woodpeckers, at least 4, seen and heared.

11 Tufted Duck on the smaller of the 2 main lakes.

Also sightings of Bull finch (m+f), Nuthatch, Great spotted woodpecker, Chiffchaff and a fleeting glipse of a sparrowhawk by the main car park.

Below every waypoint post there were pellets, I'm no expert on pellets but they looks too small for Barn owl... Kestrel maybe?

Various dragonflies still present too

Roe Buck

This Wryneck could not have been more obliging! Spent most of its time on footpath feeding at ants nest.  The closest you are likely to get as it seemed unworried about humans.  

Although I am not an avid birdwatcher, I believe I saw a Great White Egret/Heron on the bank of the River Dart just above the Town Bridge,Totnes on the Bridgetown side of the River.

It was perched in a tree overlooking the river.  The sighting was at 5 pm on Sunday 21 September 2014. The Small White egrets are a common sight but I have not seen a Great white before!

(Anyone local to Totnes fancy a look?? Eds)

Brief visit between 9.30 and 11.00 failed to coincide with high water so few waders on the marsh. However 3 snipe and 2 greenshank flew over. About 30 teal on the lagoon. A flock of c70 meadow pipit was the largest I have seen so far this autumn, a couple of wheatears were with them. Also seen were 2 sedge warblers, a few swallows, 4 house martins, numerous chiffchaffs, including 2 in full song, and a couple of jays collecting acorns.

c200 Dunlin; 11 Black-tailed Godwit; 7 Knot; 1 Common Sandpiper; 1 Curlew Sandpiper; 1 Sanderling;     1 Ringed Plover; 8 Shelduck; 3 Little Egret; 3 Redshank; 24 Wigeon; 1 Kingfisher and surprisingly 1 Whooper Swan flying up river towards Taw Bridge and maybe Bishops Tawton.

Off Penhill:- 10 Little Egret; 8 Grey Heron and 1 male Peregrine on sandbar.

Bradifors Reserve:- just 1 Buzzard and c20 Teal.

Had a nice couple of hours wandering around Beer Head this morning, made a nice change from netting there, when I spent most the time in one spot.

Saw: 6 Spot Flies, 20+ Chiffchaffs, 3 Chiffchaff, 3 Blackcap, 4 Stonechat, 300+ Meadow Pipit, 26 Skylark, 20 alba Wagtail, 4 Grey Wags, 1 Yellow Wag and 15 Chaffinch (last six species overhead).

Ratio of Spotted to Red-breasted Flycatchers this morning was 6:0

Why do you have spots!??