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.

The hide over looking the lake at Stover country park visited yesterday morning and this evening, yesterday the Kingfishers were showing really well with some 10 sightings, at one point two birds in view, this evening a single bird seen perched and diving from a distant post.

Great Crested Grebe sitting tight, Mute Swan with three cygnets, Mandarin duck, Coot, Moorhen, Lesser Black Backed Gull (2) Jay, House Martin, Heron, Stock Dove, Buzzard, the sound of calling Chiffchaff just about constant during both visits.

c150-Gannet seen from the lifeboat station late morning circling and diving offshore with c40-Shag sat on top the water. 33-Sandwich Terns and 12-Shag on sandbank middle of estuary from shelly beach and Common Seal with it's head above the water around the docks entrance. 39-Oystercatchers and 12-Shelduck from the viewing screen  mid-afternoon.

Visited between 1300-1430. Spotted Redshank Ad, 160 Redshank, 28 Blkwit, 3 Barwit, a Greenshank, 5 Teal, 1 Wigeon & just one 2nd S Med Gull amongst 700 BH Gulls. And 2 Reed Bunting & a Peregrine.

Marbled White's out at nearby Darts Farm.

Lunchtime visit to the hide. At least 5 Mediterranean Gulls in with the Black-headed Gull flock, one adult, 2 near adults (some black in the wing-tips) and 2 1st/2nd year birds. Also 1 Common Gull and 1 Sandwich Tern. The Spotted Redshank was at the back of the marsh. Also 4 Whimbrel and 2 Bar-tailed Godwits.

An enjoyable day, despite the heavy rain showers, watching this newly emerged dragonfly which has bred in the pond in the garden.

First seen early this morning it is still present late this evening

Seawatch 13:00-17:00. S/SSW4-5 with rain veering WSW with clearance 16:10. Balearic Shearwater (feeding with manx), 571 Manx Shearwaters, 8 Puffin, European Storm-petrel, 2 Mediterranean Gulls (ad & 2s), Great Skua, 46 Kittiwakes, 4 Common Scoter, 7+ Razorbills feeding in with local Guillemots, 4+ Harbour Porpoise, Grey Seal, 30+ Swifts (MD,ML).

A great morning for butterflies before the clouds rolled in at 1045. Highlights were 344 Dark Green Fritillaries inc.220 on musk thistles on field edge, 3 Painted Lady and all first of the year - 4 Grayling, 2 Marbled White, 4 Gatekeeper & 30 Silver-studded Blues away from the main Bolt Head colony! First Ringlet out in Barnstaple on June 23rd

Digiscoped this gull earlier this morning. First thoughts were either leucistic Black headed Gull or a hybrid BH Gull x Med Gull.

Thought the bill was much more Black headed Gull than Med Gull.

Eds: its a 'Leucistic' Black-headed Gull

Bovey Heath Nature Reserve, was alive with Stonechat this morning, numerous pairs with attendant fledglings, good numbers of Swallows including a pair feeding four young that were perched in the canopy of a dead tree. Green Woodpecker calling, Goldfinch (3) Skylark (3) a very pale almost white Buzzard, three Whitethroat sulking in the cover and never showing very well unless in flight.

A Tree Pipit showing really well and a second bird calling close by but not showing. Two very vibrant male Yellow Hammers.

Bowling Green Marsh very busy with a good number of birders present, highlights being two Common Gull, three Wigeon, several Godwits, Whimbrell, and a large number of Black Head gull, ten Oyster catchers flew in just before we left the hide. Mallard, Shellduck, Moorhen, Curlew, Little Egret and Starling all present.

Chiffchaff calling well at the entrance to the cycle path.

River Teign near Teigngrace to visit the Sand Martin colony, Chiffchaff singing well on arrival, Song Thrush gathering food, Goldfinch and more Sand Martin than could be realistically counted, youngsters on the wing and returning to the nest holes to be fed, constant movement of  birds with over 60 around the nest site area.

One nice sized Sea Trout seen and several Grey Mullet.

Viewed over the mid-day high-tide.

Birding on the marsh today was very slow to start with but a large group of waders followed by some more gulls dropped onto the marsh at 1245hrs (20 minutes after high-tide) including 145-Curlew, 9-Whimbrel, 7-Bar-tailed Godwits, c 30-Black-tailed Godwits, 95-Redshank flew from far left gulley onto the far side and the Spotted Redshank showed well in the bay area, 10-Oystercatchers. Chris Marcol found another 3 med gulls which also dropped in late whilst I was counting the waders on far side with 4-Mediterranean Gulls ( 3 2nd summer + fs), Common Gull, c500-Black-headed Gulls (down on numbers), 2-Sandwich Terns, Buzzard and Sparrowhawk.

 
Spotted Redshank                     2nd summer Mediterranean Gull

2nd summer Mediterranean Gulls

RED KITE circled then drifted SW over Ilfracombe 1410 today

Yesterday, lots of Guillemots and Gannets, four Razorbills, two Kittiwakes, six Fulmars. Fifteen + Manx Shearwaters and two Harbour Porpoises. Big surprise was a Black-throated Diver (non breeding plumage) half a mile off Bundle Head near Shaldon.

Passing by the old tramway bridge on the Plym I heard a very agitated Kingfisher, looking over the wall to see it being chased down river by a Magpie. What was going on there is anyone's guess.

Viewed over the late morning high-tide.

Wader numbers continue to increase with Spotted Redshank amongst 100+ Redshank, 10+ Bar-tailed Godwits, 40+ Black-tailed Godwits, 10+ Whimbrel, 135+ Curlew, 8 Lapwing (4 juvs), 2 Oystercatchers, 5 Mediterranean Gulls (adult being new-in thin black pencil line along the outer edge of primaries  + 4 fs), 8 Sandwich Terns, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, c1000 Black-headed Gulls (3 juvs).

Spot Red: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ybUVCjR-0w

The Common Tern from last Friday had a metal leg ring but was unable to read it.

Some 4K video footage of approx 10 Med Gulls in the bay area from Friday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FJgam1jm7M

Green Sand & Common Tern: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXv2MO4eMUU

 
Sandwich Terns                                 Spotted Redshank

An adult Firecrest was watched feeding a minimum of 5 dependent fledglings this represents the first breeding in Torbay. Keep your eyes peeled in other Devon woodlands, the active fledglings make finding Firecrests much easier... 

Fledgling Firecrest   -  pale supercilium                                   Fledgling Goldcrest  -  lacks supecilium

A walk around the reservoir gave Blue, Long Tailed, Coal and Great Tit, Chaffinch, a pair of Siskin, Goldfinch, Swift, Swallow, Song Thrush, Blackbirds, Robins, lots of Willow Warbler, Blackcap and Chiff Chaff, Goldcrest, Wren, c100 Canada Geese, Buzzards, 1st and 2nd year Herring Gulls with a few adults, Raven, Crow, Jackdaw, Magpie, Mallards, Treecreeper and a Spotted Flycatcher.

Female Marsh Harrier headed north up valley from Postbridge/ Hartland Tor whilst carrying out surveys yesterday.

Watched from 08:40 till 11:00 

933+ black headed gulls, 6+ Mediterranean gulls ( 2 adults, 4 1st summers) , 1 1st summer common gull, 79+ redshanks, 8 whimbrel, 113+ curlew, 2 sandwich terns , 40+ black tailed godwits, 9  bar tailed godwits, the adult summer  plumage spotted redshank still showing well.

Viewed over the morning high-tide .

After being on my own for an hour soon became packed out in the hide with  Green Sandpiper (first for a long while in left water channel), Spotted Redshank, 52-Redshank, 14-Bar-tailed Godwits, c25-Black-tailed Godwits, 12-Whimbrel, 83-Curlew, Lapwing,, 14-Mediterranean Gulls (6 adults + 2 2nd Summer + 6 fs), Common Tern, 10-Sandwich Terns, c1000-Black-headed Gulls, 2-Great Black-backed Gulls, Common Gull and usual good numbers of ducks and Reed Warblers on show.

Left of the viewing platform on the dropping tide 7-Sandwich Terns on the mud with at least another 10 flying around.

06.25–08.00 Almost still; sea smooth. 1,663 Manx Shearwaters all flying W, relatively close inshore in flocks of up to 100 strong. My assumption is that these are birds that have been feeding further up the Bristol Channel and flying back out to sea. Also my first returning adult Mediterranean Gull of the season, an adult in breeding plumage flying W. One singing Lesser Whitethroat.

Lesser Whitethroat singing behind and near the church at 11:00 and 15:00 for approx 30 mins on both occasions

Took a walk around the fields east of the Education Campus of this new town, first visiting the 'lake' (west of the campus) where I disturbed a Grey Heron, a couple of Mallard and a fox. I assume that the fields have been abandoned for farming and set aside for future housing.  This has created overgrown hedgerows and fields full of weeds and ideal for wildlife.  Distant bird song caught my attention and having found several Common Whitethroat, a Lesser Whitethroat eventually showed itself. Blackcap and a pair of Bullfinch and young Wrens also present among others. 

May I draw attention to the flier on 'Society News' giving information about the BioBlitz at Stantyway Farm , Nr Otterton, (East Devon) this Saturday.  Why not come along, explore the farm life and support us. Look out for the Devon Birds stall and find out about the DB / RSPB bird survey undertaken here.

Viewed over the morning high-tide.

Spotted Redshank, 52-Redshank, 12-Bar-tailed Godwits, c20-Black-tailed Godwits, 11-Whimbrel, c70-Curlew, 3-Mediterranean Gulls (adult + 2 fs),  Common Tern, 8-Sandwich Terns, Common Gull, c900-Black-headed Gulls and the usual number of ducks.

adult Mediterranean Gull

2 Sandwich Tern

Viewed over the late evening high-tide.

Spotted Redshank, 52-Redshank, 12-Bar-tailed Godwits, 24-Black-tailed Godwits, 10-Whimbrel, 72-Curlew, 17-Oystercatchers, 7-Mediterranean Gulls (2 ads + 2nd sum + 4 fs), Common Gull, c1300-Black-headed Gulls, Sandwich Tern, Buzzard, 7-Swifts, 10-Swallows, c25-House Martins, 10-Sand Martins and usual numbers of ducks. From the viewing platform heard lots of Sandwich Terns calling from the goatwalk area heading further up river.

3 European Bee-eaters on telephone wires at Derriton, Holsworthy this evening.

The summer plumaged Spotted Redshank was from the viewing platform again this lunchtime at around 1.30.

The juvenile Mute Swans are growing fast but I do hope it is not due to all the white bread being fed to the ducks as this is no good for them.It also attracts rats & damages water quality.