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.  

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.

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. 

Yellow-browed Warbler at the bottom of Woodcombe Valley ( just west of Lannacombe ) this morning.

To add to Mike’s post, additions to seawatch (up to 12.15): 7 Great Northern Divers, Diver sp,  2 Bonxies & a Harbour Porpoise.

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.

Ring-necked Duck still at Torcross. 10 Common Scoter offshore.

Seawatch 07.10-09.10Hrs: 3 Pomarine Skuas (all juvs), 1 Manx Shearwater, 861 Kittiwakes, 1 Red-throated Diver, 2 Mediterranean Gulls.  

Seen on 28/10/18 on Birdfeeders at Knoightshayes National Trust ,Tiverton.

Male brambling seen at Bird Feeders at Knightshayes National Trust ,Tiverton on 5/11/18

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.

This morning  c.20 Goldcrests, a welcome increase in numbers after the scarcity of the last fortnight. 8 ringed of which 5 had the plumage characteristics of 'continental'birds.Also present 1 Firecrest, 2 Blackcaps and 1 Chiffchaff.

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.

A male Black Redstart @ Ford Park Cemetery showing very well by the two chapels

 
Black Redstart                                                Black Redstart

The Red-necked Grebe was again tucked into Elberry Cove, a Black-necked Grebe was in Broadsands bay also 1 Great Crested Grebe and a Common Scoter there. 10 or more Common Scoter out in Torbay and a single juv Pomarine Skua harassing the kittiwakes. 

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

One, possibly two, Red Kite over the link road at the concrete bridge over valley NE of Filleigh. 10.45 on 4th Nov.

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.

My sister sent me a photo and a couple of videos of a hoopoe, present on the moor just above Wotter near Shaugh Prior.  

Hoopoe. Wotter 1/11/18. Image resized 4/11/18

A White-billed Diver was just of the sea water swimming pool at Shaolstone, Brixham this afternoon - probably a 2nd winter bird rather than a poorly marked 1st w. Video clip here:  https://youtu.be/pV-OXUoGMrA 

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..

Bittern seen briefly in flight first thing just north of Slapton Bridge. Ring-necked Duck and Scaup still present at Torcross until 09:30 when they flew south, probably to Ireland Bay. Reasonable nos. of Gannets and Kittiwakes south. 8 common Scoter settled on the sea off the Memorial Car Park.

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.

Seawatching from 08:00-15:30. Slow but quality rather than quantity. Little Auk (@14:38), Black-throated Diver (headed into Tor Bay), Sooty Shearwater (@13:39), 3 Manx Shearwaters, Pomarine Skua (juv), 5 Great Skuas, Mediterranean Gull (ad) and 15 Common Scoter (either N or into Tor Bay).

Also very good showing of marine animals with 6+ White-beaked Dolphins (breaching at times), 3+ Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (breaching), 5+ Harbour Porpoise. 

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.

A Red-necked Grebe was tucked into Elberry Cove this afternoon (video clip here: https://youtu.be/EeEcdTMQp90  ), also in Torbay 7 Common Scoter, 2 ad w Mediterranean Gulls and a Black Redstart on rocks between Broadsands Beach and Elberry Cove.

Distantly digiscoped Red-necked Grebe

Ring-necked Duck still present but now at Torcross.

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.

A superb sunny, mild & calm day. 

Three or 4 Firecrests, Ring Ouzel (Starehole), 2 Chiffchaffs, 4 Blackcaps, 4 Goldcrests, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers and a good total of c55 Yellowhammers.

Overhead, 65+ Stock Doves (also c50 grounded), c750 Wood Pigeons, Redpoll (presumed Lesser), Brambling & 3 Siskins.  

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.

Nigel Bastin - please send your records for the Moor into the Data Manager for entry in the records for 2018. The record sheets are on website along with the mail address.

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

Please let me know if you would updates from Bursdon moor as I monitor  most days for Sterling university  (BTO), during the winter since moving back down to Bude.

Eds - anyone can send in sightings to be published on these web pages, so your updates would be very welcome..

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.

At Moorwell Pond this morning ,a small arrival of Chiffchaffs (10+) and 2 ''Continental '' Goldcrests. Also on site 20+ Blackbirds. 8 Song Thrushes, 2 Blackcaps and 1 Grey Wagtall . Chiffchaff numbers have been poor this autumn; Goldcrests even more so. With ''Continental' birds now arriving on the East Coast,hopefully more will make their way westward.

  
1st.Yr.M. ''Continental'' Goldcrest.

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.