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.

watched from 17:30 till 20:10

high count of curlew with 724+ this evening , 41+ whimbrel, 500+ black tailed godwits, 12+ bar tailed godwits ( including 2 smart juvs) , 50+ dunlin( including 10 juv's ) , 1 knot, 8+ lapwing , 12+ greenshank, 250+ redshanks and the usual spotted redshank, 1 common gull, 200+ black headed gulls, 10+ teal , 60+ mallarrd , 4+ little egrets, 1 peregime made severall attacks but failed but did cause panic among the waders forcing most of the dunlin to leave. 

My best count of Med Gulls ever on the R.Caen late aft/early evening on the 9.4 metre spring tide.  Peaked at 161 including 18 juv's after 2 hours of watching before the tide moved them off the high tide roost.

Whilst doing a bit of work in the reserve this morning I opened a few nets. Glad I did.

Ringed a LITTLE EGRET. First I've seen in there for a couple of years. Looks like being a record year for Reed Warblers too - 61 ringed so far.

no birds of note, silver washed fritillary and marbled white b/fly; porpoises; basking shark??

Late post for yesterday: first genuine migrants with imm.green woodpecker at the farm and willow warbler by the ponds. Still several cirl buntings in song and survey results come up with 40 pairs - back to same levels as 2012 after two relatively poor years.

2 in the Exeter flood relief channel at 3pm today 

 At least 62+ Mistle Thrush at 7.30am - biggest post- breeding flock noted in this area for many years.

Corys Shearwater  very close in to the head (70yds!!) last night around a small mackereling boat. Bait fish must have been very close to the surface as it was plunging very shallow. 

excellent count of 55+ swifts this evening over our garden in redhills in exeter best count in six years that I have lived here.

Watched from 15:15 till 17:45

A good increase in Black tailed godwits to 420+ , 8 Bar tailed godwits, 1 spotted redshanks , 250+ redshanks, 200+ dunlin, 41+ whimbrel, 390+ curlew, 4+ greenshanks, 1 adult Mediterranean gull , 200+ black headed gulls, 1 kingfisher, 2 stock doves, 3 buzzards. 

Early a.m. all heading W out of the Bristol Channel: Fulmar 63, Manx Shearwater 66, Gannet 124 (approx 50:50 ads and subads), Bonxie 1, Kittiwake 29 (all ads). Also 3 Cormorant, 1 Shag, 2 Guillemot, 2 Dunlin, a Harbour Porpoise and a Red Admiral(!) Wind WNW gusting F7 for a while, but dropping to F5.

Gathered closely together and sheltering from the strong winds, a count of over 100 curlews at Charleton Point on the Kingsbridge Estuary at high tide this afternoon. 

Braving high winds in a coastal location can produce good results if you are a birdwatcher.

The numbers of Mediterranean Gull (mix of ages) have now increased to 82 including 4 juv's. 88 BH Gull inc 1 juv + 5 Common Gulls.

I Green Sandpiper flying over calling at the same time

Never clever here in a strong wet, southerly wind so decision to seawatch in the afternoon when winds were predicted to veer south-westerly .Watched from 1pm together with John L.  I left at 6.30pm.

Best bird a Sooty Shearwater at 3.50pm following 1598 (1pm to 4pm) Manxies and 7 Balearic Shearwaters. I Bonxie, 5 Puffins, 22 Fulmars, 2 Sandwich Terns, and John saw an Ocean Sunfish.

A brief respite in the rain around 09.00 this morning and a flock of 8 Swifts came in off the sea from the NW and straight into the SE headwind. Looked at the rainfall radar and they were flying in a narrow clear slot that stretched all the way to the Exe Estuary and Channel coast. Smart birds these migrants.

I would go young Chiffchaff, brighter than autumn young birds, but yellow is more of an olive-yellow tone and legs are dark. And Marsh Tit as much due to habitat/location.

Visited for afternoon high tide.

408 Curlew, 11 Whimbrel, 7 Bar-tailed Godwaits, 251 Black-tailed Godwits, 165+ Dunlin (almost all ads but 3/4 juvs), 2nd cy Med Gull, 1 Spotted Redshank.

A couple of birds have been teasing me in the garden over the last few days, not stopping still long enough to give a clear view or identification, I caught both on camera today but am still a little unsure of the identities.

A Warbler sp that has been showing fleetingly is almost certainly a Willow Warbler but having darkish coloured legs I am not 100% the possibility of it being a Chiffchaff confuses the issue.

A Tit sp has come onto the feeders several times today and shares characteristics of both the Willow and Marsh Tit, images have been submitted to DBWPS and I will be interesting to see what they think.

Three Black Headed Gulls over yesterday was the third sighting of this species over the village this month and is certainly unusual.

Also around the garden today, Jay, Nuthatch, Coal Tit, a brood a Wrens and very protective parents the first have seen here for a little while. The numbers of both Swallow and House Martin are building at long last.

Sea watching upto 10.45am with MD, AR and BMc- Totals 12 Balearic Shears, 2500+ Manxies, 9 Puffin, 1 Bonxie, 6 Common Tern, 10 Common Scoter.  

Little Ringed Plover (a moulting adult, prob male) below the dam at Trews Weir this am. Plenty of juv Herring Gulls and a handful of juv Lesser BB - although, given the apparent total absence of Yorks. terriers, tortoises or even small children, it's a mystery what they're doing for food.

Little Ringed Plover - 26/7/2015 Trews Weir, Exeter

watched from 10:00 till 16:30

The pectoral sandpiper was seen just before I got to the hide but despite extensive searches around topsham could not be found again.

1 spotted redshank in with good numbers of redshank and greenshanks, 2 whimbrel, 1 kingfisher good numbers of black tailed godwits, 20+ dunlin including 2 juvs , 3 Mediterranean gulls( 2 adults, 1 1st summer).

from the viewing platform, 100+ Dunlin including 2 juvs, 4 knot, 1 grey plover, 10 bar tailed godwits, 20+ whimbrel.

from the goatwalk 150+ dunlin including several juvs 

on goosemoor 25+ greenshank, 100+ redshanks 

Lower Tamar Lake 0945-1150

2 Willow Warbler, 2 Wren, 4 Spotted Flycatchers, 2 Blackcaps,2 Tufted Duck 1m 1f, 1 Cormorant, 4 G.C.Grebe, 4 Canada, 1 Jay, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Coal Tit, 1 Robin, 2 Coot , c25 Mallard, 3 Swallow, 2 Blackbird.

On rocks below  car park 6 Mediterranean Gulls inc 2 in full summer plumage.

A gathering of 61 Sandwich Terns which included 18 juveniles being fed by the adults on the rocks at high tide this pm. Also juvenile Med Gull.

Now 5 summer-plumage Black-tailed Godwits by the pond along with a lone Common Sandpiper. 17 Canada Geese includes 6 juveniles.

Little gull and 51 Dunlin at Topsham rec early evening.

Juvenile Yellow-Legged Gull amongst the assorted large gulls around the pipe on Goodrington beach this evening.  

Also, 3 Dunlin.

Arrived in the hide this lunchtime (about 1.20) to be told of 2 Pectoral Sandpipers.

One appeared to be a juvenile bird and spent its time with the Dunlin flock and disappeared to the estuary with them. The other looked like an adult bird and showed much closer on the right hand side of the channel in front of the hide (still there until at least 1.50). Both birds had been present earlier in the morning apparently.

Also 3 Green Sandpipers.

Surprisingly for anyone getting up at a normal time it was almost still & clear with 20 miles + visibility first thing - then in came the rain and wind with visibility down to 2 miles or less!

Seawatching 0530-0930hrs: 4 Pomarine Skuas (all 3rd summer pale types), 4 Arctic Skuas,1 Bonxie, 2 Balearic Shearwaters, 753 Manx Shearwaters, 133 Common Scoter,1 juv Yellow-legged Gull, 3 Mediterranean Gulls, 1 Puffin, 1 Razorbill (several Guillemots on water), 1 Whimbrel, 2 Swifts just 27 Kittiwakes (didn't count Gannets or Fulmar) and 2 Harbour Porpoise 

The bird in pictures 1 and 2 were taken yesterday in my garden at inBrixham.  It is very different from young starling seen before.

Eds: Thanks for emailing the photos that didn't upload - it was indeed a juv starling moulting into winter plumage - perhaps more advanced moult than usual at his time of year, from an early brood. 

2 Yellow-legged Gulls  juvs, 1 Mediterranean Gull juv 6 Common Sandpipers

at least 22 cormorants fishing just off Broadsands beach southern end. A dog walker told me there were 'about 50' yesterday

Eds: more likely to have been Shags

Hobby overhead just coming into Totnes from Avonwick last night (22nd).

Took a look at the pond this evening - huge build up of Mallards! Maybe 150. Down around Sherpa Marsh a Little Grebe, 2 Little Egrets, 17 Canada Geese including 3 juvs, 18 adult Swans, a few each of Swift, Swallow, Sand Martin and House Martin, 2 Common Sandpipers, a summer plumage Black-tailed Godwit, and a Teal.