Happy New Year

Many thanks to all observers that have already submitted their records for 2019, both through Birdtrack and Devon Birds. This is much appreciated.

For other records please could observers submit their sightings by 31^st January.

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Please send your records to Karen Sims data.manager@devonbirds.org and any descriptions to Kevin Rylands recorder@devonbirds.org

Best wishes and good birding for 2020

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Late Post :- 4 of the 7 Goosanders seen yesterday at low tide.

Purple Sandpipers x4. 3 Red Throated Divers flying down the channel. 60 Oystercatchers, 2 with Coloured leg rings and a small influx of 11 Great Black Backed Gulls. 

A summer plumage Great Northern Diver off Shoalstone Pool at lunch time and another GN Diver off mouth of Brixham Harbour, RT Diver and BN Grebe at Broadsands with 9 Common Scoter further out. 

Second-winter Caspian Gull off Mudbank @ 1540.

Female type Marsh Harrier this lunchtime, mobbed by crows and then a Buzzard so it headed off in the Exminster direction.

Ruff again at Goosemoor.

On the meadow at this evenings high tide were the following;

Oystercatcher 9, Curlew 37, Dunlin 30. Redshank c102, Greenshank 6, Black T Godwit 7, Wigeon 1(f), Common Gull 2 & Whimbrel 1!

4 red kites spotted together this morning at 07:05 flying north, approximately 1km from the Aller Cross roundabout in the Brayford direction.

A drake Pochard (scarce here) at the lower end of the estuary at low tide, Jack Snipe, Common Sandpiper, 7 Little Grebes, 2 Stonechats, 2 Greens & a Great Spotted Woodpecker, Goldcrest, Sparrowhawk, Kingfisher, Bullfinch, Wigeon & 2 Ring-necked Parakeets.

Dawn sightings this morning.
1m Goosander (eclipse), 1 Green Sandpiper, 4 Gadwall, 6 Tufted Duck, 9 Shoveler, c60 Wigeon, 12 Fieldfare, c30 Mallard, 1 Mute Swan, 3 Long-tailed Tit, 4 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Willow Tit, 1 Nuthatch.

Bursdon Moor 5pm Monday - 3 Hen Harriers (one male, two ring tails) mobbing a barn owl that just wouldn't give up patrolling the territory. Brilliant! (Thanks to Rod Mudge for directions).

Great White Egret roosting high up in one of the fir trees near Arlington lake this afternoon at 3:30 pm.

Took this in my Barnstaple garden this afternoon - I was amazed that the Starling somehow got free after it had been in the hawks clutches for several minutes.

Greenshank 6, Black-tailed Godwit 7, Curlew 51, Dunlin 20, Redshank 152, Common Sandpiper, Shag, Grey Wagtail, Treecreeper (my first here for over a year), Stonechat 2 & Ring-necked Parakeet.

Quiet apart from Ring Ouzel & Firecrest in Starehole. Also 3 Snipe & 27 Yellowhammer.

Visible migration this morning dominated by Chaffinches, with 1,007 looged by 09.30, in flocks of up to 70, all heading E into the wind. Also 3 Skylarks, 6 alba wagtails, 20 Meadow Pipits, 4 Siskins, 7 Goldfinches, 1 Linnet. One Crossbill yesterday (4th).

Mid-afternoon yesterday (Sunday 4th)

  1 male Hen Harrier, 2 Kestrels, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker over, 2 Stonechats.

Harvey Kendall & Barry Bryne.

Sat in the car for an hour and watched South Huish marsh. Good views of Meadow pipits and pied wagtails. A kestrel landed on the fence post quite close. 4 snipe and 1 Mediterranean gull on the marsh.

  
Meadow Pipit                                      Pied Wagtail                        Kestrel

Cattle Egret Braunton Marsh  at 14.30 today;Flying short distances  and landing between groups of cows in fields just after the toll house.

Many thanks Harvey. Sounds a bit like a needle in a haystack job!

Only about a dozen Godwits on the smaller scrape visible from the reserve this morning. Probably driven there by the 117 Canada Geese monopolising the larger scrape.

3 Gadwall in the reserve, they are very welcome - they actually eat duck-weed!

Lots of Finches mobbing the hovering and then perched Kestrel. Later it was chased off another perch by one of the 'anting' ? Black-headed Gulls making a really peculiar call.

Stoke, near Hartland.

Answering Jon Turner's query concerning the Lapland Bunting in the Hartland area.   It was seen and watched yesterday (Saturday) morning at Stoke near Hartland by Ian Kendall, also 330+ Chaffinches migrating at Hartland Point and 1 Brambling..

A Lapland Bunting was shown on the RBA map yesterday out near Hartland, but no report on here. Any clues anyone?

Five Purple sandpiper on the seaward side of Haldon Pier, Torquay harbour this morning.

I think I counted 25 Black-tailed Godwits out on the scrape from the reserve this morning, But I may have overstated that slightly!

5 Gadwall in the reserve and one of the ringed Treecreepers showed really well. A Kestrel was being given a hard time by the resident Crows.

On Blaxton: 22 Dunlins, 5 Greenshanks, 7 Black-tailed Godwits, 35 Curlews, 8 Oystercatchers & Kingfisher. Also Jack Snipe, Snipe & Goldcrest.

1010 - 1400:

Approaching high tide:- 350+ Oystercatcher, 200+ Dunlin, 223 Brent geese, 96 Great BB gull, 20 Turnstone, 8 Grey plover, 6 Ringed plover, 1 Sanderling, lots of Teal and Wigeon. A Peregrine sent everything up at 1330. 

Rather cool and blustery at the lake today.

1 Merlin, 1 Sparrowhawk, 2 Little Grebes, 1 female Pintail, 1 Brambling, 100+ Fieldfares, 1 Willow Tit, Long tailed, Blue and Great Tits, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Tree Creeper, Wigeon, Teal, good numbers of Mallard and Canada Geese, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Harvey & Ian Kendall. 

17 Black-tailed Godwit; 1 Dunlin; 20 Redshank; 1 Kingfisher; 21 Sanderling and just 4 Golden Plover in large flock of Lapwing.

Bradiford Reserve:- c250 Canada Geese plus the Barnacle/Ross hybrid; Teal; Mallard; Moorhen and 1 male Stonechat.

Yesterday at Ashford Strand were c100 Wigeon and 7 Pintail.

At about 15.00, a Short-Eared Owl over the sea, being mobbed by Carrion Crows. After they broke off it flew towards Noss Mayo.

As per Chris’s post. Ringtail Hen Harrier sighted at close range on 2 occasions from late afternoon to dusk. More details http://dixiesbirding.blogspot.com

An early morning on the cliffs above Budleigh Salterton today produced some quiet visible migration with the highlight being Brambling and several hundred Woodpigeon. However, biggest surprise was a Cattle Egret that was sat on the top of a tree on the cliff before heading inland.

This afternoon a ringtail Hen Harrier hunting around Woodbury Common and a Merlin too.

Lower Tamar Lake sightings from dawn.

5f Goosander (very skittish), 21 Fieldfare, 4 Willow Tit, 1 Barnacle Goose amongst  200+ Canada Geese, 2 Grey Heron, 1 Redwing, 2 Bullfinch, 9 Shoveler, 2 Gadwall, 1 Kingfisher, 2 Nuthatch, 1 Mute Swan, 1 Cormorant, 9 Great Crested Grebe, 2f Tufted Duck, also plenty of Coal Tit on the feeders.

Upper Lake.
4 Grey Heron, 1 Treecreeper, 3 Cormorant, 5 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Wren, 1 Reed Bunting, 2 Snipe, 2 Raven, 1 Song Thrush, c100 Starling, 1 Fieldfare,1 Redwing, 7 Mallard.

Shoveler Duck showing well by the hide also 6 Black-tailed Godwits, around the marsh, Dunlin, Red shanks, a single Greenshank, Curlew & whimbrel, Oystercatchers and Little Egrets

 
Shoveler Duck                            Black-tailed Godwit

c.15,000 Starlings over the reeds at dusk plus Bittern in the north ley seen from bridge. Grey Heron caught an enormous rudd right under the bridge! Offshore 3 Great Northern Divers & 10+ Common Scoters.

Ringing in the reserve again this morning. Another 55 birds ringed, once again majoring in Finches - 18 Green, 9 Gold, 3 Bull and 5 Chaffinch, and Tits - 9 Blue and 3 Great. Best was a Grey Wagtail, which conveniently hopped up from the side of the pond into a net as I approached. Retraps included 2 Goldcrests and 3 Treecreepers.

Out on the scrape the Godwit flock increased to 15, but only present early, before the Shooters arrived (grrr) Later a Redshank appeared and later still a Lapwing. There were also a few Curlew nearby. As I was packing up, the shooters reappeared for another session over Sherpa Marsh. (double grrrr!).

The first chance to visit my local patch since mid-Sep saw some modest late-autumn movement in the hour or two from dawn, with 134 Chaffinches heading WNW (towards Pembs and then Ireland?), plus many more heard calling from high up, beyond range of vision, 2 Bramblings, 30 Goldfinches, 2 Redpolls, 2 Siskins, 1 Greenfinch, 8 alba wagtails and 2 Skylarks. In the scrub, minima of 28 Robins (a high count for this site), 14 Song Thrushes, 18 Blackbirds and a female Blackcap.

Male hooting 13:00 today,top of gardens.

Best was male Ring Ouzel in Soar Mill Valley. Also 260 Stock Dove moving east, small influx of 18 Song Thrush, Lapwing, Blackcap & 2 Bulfinch.

Two Eider North of the pier this morning.

Red-throated Diver feeding close to the shore opposite the R Sid

Heavy frost around Occombe this morning, winter is arriving as witnessed with at least 9 Robins and 6 Blackbirds. A flock of at least 22 Blue Tits were around a cattle feeder in one of the higher fields. 2 Buzzards, 2 GSW's, Pheasant, 2 Coal Tits, Nuthatch, Bullfinch, 5 Wrens, 4 Great Tits. As well as large numbers of Wood Pigeons and Magpies.

Late post from yesterday quiet day at Slapton until late afternoon when sightings of Bittern , Firecrest, Waterail , Yellow browed Warbler all seen by bridge and on the sea 8 common Scoter and 3 Great Northern Divers 

Short-eared Owl flying briefly at 3.15 south of the firing range

Wave after wave of thousands of Starlings passing over Challacombe, Exmoor this morning. Too many to estimate total numbers.  6 Redwing at Moles Chamber.. A further huge flock of several thousands of starlings gathering and feeding in an old stubble field of pheasant farm above Heasley Mill before going to roost and 4-5 Short -eared Owls near Kinsford Gate.

25 Pintail on the Ridge late aft + 6 Goosander on the Strand.

at south huish the pectoral sandpiper was showing well,  also a merlin was sat on the post near the carpark,  then moving on to slapton and looking out to sea we had 3 great northern divers and 8 common scoters, but no sign of the blackneck grebe on the ley.

A Velvet Scoter this afternoon off Dawlish town just beyond the northern most breakwater, viewable from grass area opposite East Cliff Road.

This morning,
2 Redwing, 1 Kingfisher, at the car park feeders 2 Willow Tit, 2 Greenfinch, 1 Nuthatch, 2 Goldfinch. At the hide, 2 Marsh Tit, 1 Willow Tit.

Scant rewards for checking the bay at the moment.. 6 Common Scoter, 2 Great Crested Grebes, 1 Red-throated Diver & 1 Brent Goose.