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.

Seawatch in SE cold winds force 5-6. Pat from 6.30am saw 1 Arctic Skua, 3 Sandwich Terns and a Whimbrel. From 7.30 to 1.15 pm we saw 2 Bonxies, 5 Black- throated Divers ( 2 in full summer plumage), 17 Sandwich Terns, 17 Common Scoter,130 Manx Shearwaters, 15 Fulmars, plus 600+ Gannets.

2 Whimbrel on the headland rocks this evening

Hobby chased by peregrine over river. 2pm 

Red Kite about 50' above the road 1 mile along the B3227 from Bampton. Being harried by a crow.

mear valley exmouth 3 ringneck parakeet

Cold wind this afternoon but some signs of migration.Two male Wheatears, 3 Swallows, Bar-tailed Godwit, Red-legged Partridge, 2 Snipe, Common Sandpiper, 22 Turnstones, Greenshank, 4 Mandarin Ducks, Red-crested Pochard (female), Dunlin, 11 Little Egrets, Shag, 2 Stock Doves & 4 Roe Deer. 

Sat with Mike Passman at Thurlestone looking  out to sea (as cold as I've been all winter). Thanks to his magnificent scope and magnificent sea watching skills got 400+ Gannets 1 Great skua (year?) 2 Great Northern divers  Common Scoters,  Sandwich terns  Whimbrel, sparrowhawk a single swallow, fulmars. Mike had more that I failed to pick up. Great morning. Singing Chiffchaffs, blackcaps and a cettis warbler near the sewage works. Also a Roe deer.

Highlight of today's WeBS count at Dawlish Warren was a single HOBBY flying up the Golf Course, across the Bight and over Warren Point towards Exmouth at 12:45.

5 Black-tailed Godwits on the scrape early (ish) 9.10, At Sherpa Marsh 2 Common Sandpipers and a smattering of Sand Martins. A small flock of Pipits contained a few Water Pipits. No sight or sound of any Reed Warblers today.  In the reserve several each of Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Willow Warbler. As the morning wore on a single Swallow started chasing insects around the pond, and then attracted a few more, eventually there were about 25 Swallows and 6 Sand Martins. A small Warbler dashed out of a small reed-bed and didn't look right for a Phyllosc. Focussing on the reed stems I first saw a Willow Warbler and then another bird deeper in, which when it moved out of cover revealed the lovely creamy eye-stripe of a Sedge Warbler.

3 possibly 4 this morning in our garden.Defininteley 3,2male& female.One has been singing in back lane hedge and our garden and seems to have attracted a potential mate which probably came in overnight all feeding on ivy berries.

Eds - please state location for sightings (a general area is fine)

To start with I found it difficult to locate the Black-necked Grebe as it was underwater a lot of the time.  Fortunately the bird stayed mostly to the east of Stokeley hide.  Unfortunately it didn't come close.

The male Goldeneye was more obliging, cruising up and down in front of the hide, finally in the evening taking off  to join a group of Tufted Duck.

Black-necked Grebe               Male Goldeneye               Male Goldeneye take off run

Aberrant Lesser BB gull

                   
Fulmar                                                     Lesser Black-backed Gull

Goldcrest sipping nectar.  

Goldcrest

Wednesday 10 April.  Much warmer here than at Stokeley Hide where the wind was off the sea.   The male Ring-necked Duck regularly returned to the    island to rest in between bouts of feeding. I am attaching a photo of the alert bird that shows the ring neck.

The Scaup preferred to fish in the water to the seaward side of the island.  The bird was quite wary and knew I was trying to photograph him. 

Male Ring-necked Duck

Adult male Scaup

Raw east wind not making easy viewing. At Slapton the 3 Ring-necked Ducks still on the Lower Ley north of Torcross. Also male Goldeneye and the summer-plumaged Black-necked Grebe in Stokeley Bay. Good numbers of hirundines early afternoon, at least 120 Sand Martins, 25 Swallows and 15 House Martins. 30 plus Common Gulls in Ireland Bay and 3 singing Reed Warblers in the relative shelter behind Ireland Bay.

A quick look at Beesands Ley late afternoon and the male Ring-necked Duck here showing well. Also present 14 Tufted Ducks, male Pochard, Great Crested Grebe, 40 Swallows, 4 Sand Martins and a House Martin. Don't think I saw a butterfly all day...to cold.

Very cold howling winds at Berry Head today, not a great variety to be seen on the sea, but a steady stream of Gannet, plenty of Fulmar, lots of GBBG's and one brief sighting of a flight of Manx Shearwaters, the Guillemot colony is fairly active.

Back home at South Brent Green Woodpecker calling and tucked away in a Holy tree were two Tawny owls that I have seen each day this last week.

A single male Redstart in fields at the bottom of Smeardon Down off the road to Lower Godsworthy, Peter Tavy this morning, quite mobile but showing well. No sign of any Cuckoos as yet.

Redstart (male)

Redstart (male)

Short eared owl over the allotments. Midday 

A very slow and cold start at Soar with little appearing before three hours after first light. Then: Redstart (female), 9 Wheatears, Whitethroat,    4 Willow Warblers, 5 Blackcaps, 12 Chiffchaffs, 5 House Martins, 9 Swallows, 2 Sand Martins, 2 Hares & a buck Roe Deer.

South Huish: 3 Mediterranean Gulls (2 1st-s & 2nd-s), 3 Swallows & 2 House Martins.

This morning I saw my first Hummingbird Hawkmoth of the year in Bedford Square, Tavistock feeding on the flower stall despite the chilly wind.

https://youtu.be/P2a3I_Ke4Oc

Link to short YouTube video

Dart Bridge ~ Grey Wagtail and a drake Mandarin in flight down the river.

Yarner and Trendlebear (very overcast and cold first thing this morning) ~ Willow Warbler and Tree Pipit both species seen and heard, both in full song at times, the Pipit at one point doing its display flight. Woodpeckers calling and drumming well, Long Tailed Tit, Song Thrush, Chiffchaff, Wren, Goldcrest, Redpoll, male Pied Flycatcher, Linnet, Yellow Hammer, Stonechat and male Blackcap.

1male Reed Bunting, 4 Chiffchaffs, 4 Willow Warblers, 2 Blackcaps, small groups of Swallows and Sand Martins, 1 Jay, 12+ Rooks, 6 Goldfinches.

Braunton - Pottington and back. 3 Black-tailed Godwits on the Wrafton scrape. No singing Chiffs or Willow Warblers in cold conditions. 3 or 4 Blackcaps either seen or singing. No sign of the small Gulls. Highlight were 2 Goosander at Ashford.

Also very quiet in the reserve. One Malcolm Shakespeare over at Sherpa, who revealed .that he had had a couple of Reed Warblers.

A singing Whitethroat this morning in the scrub below the high benches together with 2 Blackcap

Surprisingly good for migrants this morning (06.45-08.00), in spite of the unpromisingly cold and clear conditions, with a biting ESE wind. Totals included 3 Sandwich Terns (first of the year here), 1 Sand Martin, 28 Swallows, 5 House Martins, 3 Willow Warblers, 8 Chiffchaffs, 5 Blackcaps (including the first 2 females of the year for this site), 1 Wheatear, 3 alba wagtails, 30 Meadow Pipits, 2 Tree Pipits, 50 Linnets, 5 Crossbills (in off the sea, heading ESE into the wind), 21 Goldfinches and 1 Siskin.

On Wednesday 10th, a strong E-bound passage of Lesser Black-backed Gulls (total of 84, mainly ads) and my first Common Redstart of the year – a single female.

Beautiful evening at South Huish but a cold wind. A couple of Med gulls and 20 Black-tailed godwits 3 in Summer plumage. A buzzard flew over and unsettled the gulls. A few chiffchaffs up the lane and 2 red legged partridge in the field.

Mediterranean Gulls, Black headed gulls, a common gull and herring gulls

Buzzard & Black-tailed Godwits

Five Greenshanks, Dunlin, Goosander (redhead), Snipe, 9 Little Egrets, Green Woodpecker & 6 Roe Deer.

13 Purple Sandpipers at the far end of Haldon Pier at high tide this morning. My highest count at this location this winter / spring. 

3 Stock Dove feeding on the ground below the feeders this afternoon. On the lake, pr tufted duck, pr mandarin but otherwise quiet. Butterflies included numerous brimstones plus peacock and red admiral.

A Very Vocal Tree Pipit This Morning, Found By Roger Jewell. 11/04/19

great grey shrike seen between holwell tor and haytor at 12.30 , also a yellow hammer under holwell tor.  back at the barn there was a male redstart,

at yarner woods a  pied flycatcher showed well  and then found a treepipit in trendlebeare carpark.  

Apres haircut walk from town today, Peregrine on St Michael's Church - Lots of Lesser Black-backed gulls along the river. Great Crested Grebe pair, Kingfisher, approx 10 Sand martin and a couple of swallows (around the railway bridges) and beyond Exwick Paper Mill working upriver towards Cowley (and always away from me) a female GOOSANDER. Lots of people about everywhere nothing of note on Exwick allotments,but on the Northbrook brief glimpses of Dipper, Kingfisher and Grey Wagtail.

Goosander vid - https://youtu.be/Ns8CXYBNlws

Peregrine - https://youtu.be/FPTFsfuTuOo

My first Small Tort of the year and first small/holly blues (not sure which), Spec Wood, Peacock and Orange Tip.

Goosander                            Great Crested Grebe                     Peregrine

Redstart 2 male 2 female,Willow Warbler Chiffchaff,Black Cap,small numbers of each, good selection of woodland birds, pair of grey wagtail and Dippers feeding young.

Redstart male                                       Redstart Female                      Willow Warbler

At least 7 Cattle Egrets on the wreck just upriver of Starcross early this morning

Together with Malcom Shakespeare.

On arrival the tide was still high and all sandbanks covered. At the time there was a roost of Black-headed Gulls and Shelduck at the east end of Penhill Marsh. By about 11.30 the tide had dropped and the Black-headed Gulls started feeding over the water in front of us. We both picked up the Little Gull feeding with B.H.Gulls. At 11.45 Malcolm was first to pick up the Bonaparte`s Gull in among the B.H.Gulls and both remained for the next 15minutes or so. Both gulls then disappeared from view. At about 12.30 just the Little Gull reappeared and rested on the uncovered sandbar in front of us. No further sightings of Bonaparte`s.

11.00

Great Northern Diver in Hope Cove. 

1 pair of Greenfinch, 4 Hedge Sparrows, 4/5 Goldfinch, 1 Song Thrush with food, a number of Blackbirds M and F, 2 x Robin, 6 Blue tits, 1 Great tit, 12 or more Wood pigeon and good number of House sparrows.

Greenfinch

8-10 swallow feeding over Kennick Reservoir this evening. 

Sneaked off work early and went up to Emsworthy mire and was rewarded with some great views of the great grey shrike through the scope but a little distant for a decent photo, a few wheatears up there and several meadow pipits. One swallow flew over.

Great Grey Shrike                     Meadow Pipit                                            Wheatear

36 Sand Martin, Swallow, Willow Warbler, 3 Chiffchaff, 5 Blackcap, Cetti’s W, Green Sandpiper, 9 Ringed Plover, 10 Dunlin at Powderham Marsh. 25 Sand Martin & 2 House Martin at Countess Weir.

Female Whitethroat (very elusive) and pair of Blackcap just south of the white bridge this afternoon. More info http://part-timebirding.blogspot.com/?m=1

Great Grey Shrike high on ridge from Saddle Tor at 12.30. Breeding pair of Nuthatch in valley. Numerous pipits but no cuckoos yet. Kestrel hunting over marsh edge.

A pair of Red Grouse and about 60 Golden Plover in full breeding plumage on the Moor North of Postbridge.  

First patch visit for 12 days saw steady visible migration – in spite of the heavily overcast conditions and a chilly E wind – as well as good numbers of grounded warblers. Totals included: Sand Martin 10, Swallow 5, House Martin 2, Willow Warbler 13, Chiffchaff 13, Blackcap 9, alba wagtail 5, Meadow Pipit 41, Tree Pipit 3 (my first of the spring), Linnet 48, Crossbill 1, and Goldfinch 42.

Highlights of an excellent walk from Emsworthy to Parke

Emsworthy- Great Grey Shrike at 0800 near the barn

Haytor area- Green Woodpecker and Yellowhammer

Yarner-  Pied Flycatcher (male)

Parke- Dipper

All sandbanks were still tide covered when I arrived at 11.00 but Herring Gulls and Black-headed Gulls were feeding frenziedly close to the bank near the start of Penhill Marsh. As the falling tide started to uncover the sandbanks the gulls started to land but there was no sign of the Bonaparte`s Gull. At 12.15 I picked up the Little Gull on the sandbank in centre of the river. It remained until 12.30 and then disappeared.

A search of the river on Pottington side from 12.45 until 13.30, down as far as Ashford Sewage Works, also no sign of Bonaparte`s or Little Gull.

11 Black-tailed and 2 Bar-tailed Godwits. c35 Shelduck.

Great Grey Shrike still on site this afternoon in 3rd field after the barn. More info at http://part-timebirding.blogspot.com/?m=1

Several sightings of the Great Grey Shrike today and was still there at 3pm when I left, quite mobile and distant but others might get a better shot.

Early evening, female goosander, male and femail stonechat and chiffchaff singing

2 Sandwich Terns over the Bar. House Martin in off at Gara Rock.

1st Green Hairstreak & 2 Small Coppers.

Only four members of DB (East Devon Branch) attended the fieldtrip this morning raising the question... where was everybody?  (Maybe something to do with the error in the published programme).  2 Wheatear and a fine male Redstart were the main interest plus the Guillemot colony, Fulmars and a small pod of Harbour Porpoise (?) present below the headland.

Broadsands car park produced 7+ Cirl Bunting in the afternoon.

Very quiet in the reserve this morning, NO Butterflies at all (5 species yesterday including 1st Red Admiral and Green-veined White).

12 Black-tailed Godwits out on the scrape.

Dart Bridge ~ Dipper, Grey Wagtail and Wren.

Yarner Wood ~ Woodpeckers calling and drumming well, two species seen, Marsh Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Song Thrush, Chiffchaff, Heron, Wren, Nuthatch, Goldcrest, two Treecreeper and two male Pied Flycatcher.

Around Emsworthy~ Greenfinch, Linnet, Wheatear, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Jay, several pairs of Stonechat .

Out on Dartmoor a Goshawk being mobbed by two Carrion Crow.

Back home at South Brent (a Peregrine soaring high over the house yesterday) overnight Tawny owls calling and today Bullfinch, Song Thrush and Chiffchaff .

Yesterday 8th April. Winds SE 2-3 going 4. Sunny spring morning. With Pat M.

3 Common Redstarts, 1 male Pied Flycatcher, 6+ Willow Warblers singing. Female Ring Ouzel seen by Pat. Black Redstart fem/imm type, female Wheatear. Plus lots of Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps in song.

Impromptu hour's seawatch at 10.45 saw 25 Manx Shearwaters, 38 Common Scoter flying east. Also a few Swallows in off the sea at midday. Pat saw a few Sandwich Terns in Horsley Cove.

Common Redstart                                           Pied Flycatcher

Black Redstart                                                 Willow Warbler

Great Grey Shrike,D.W.T. Emsworthy Taken At 08.30 This Morning

Brief visit to South Huish marsh after work, several Chiffchaffs singing in the lane and lots of wrens, 21 Black-tailed godwits on the marsh and a wheatear near the carpark.

Chiffchaff                                 Black-tailed Godwits                                               Wren

Four Ring-necked Ducks in the South Hams today! A drake at Beesands Ley and the 2 drakes and a duck on Slapton Ley (Torcross end). 

At Soar, a Firecrest (with apparent "pollen horns"), a Reed Warbler singing, 11 Chiffchaffs, 5 Blackcaps, Swallow & Snipe.

Also: at Beesands, drake Scaup, Willow Warbler & Sandwich Tern; and at Slapton, summer-plumaged Black-necked Grebe (half way down Lower Ley), c20 Sand Martins, 2 Swallows, Sandwich Tern, 2 Willow Warblers & a sinensis cormorant.

Matford - Green Sandpiper, a singing Treecreeper, more singing Willow Warblers (I assume these are passage birds using the Exe valley as a migration corridor), several Sand Martins, and my first Swallows of the year, but no Cattle Egrets.

Exminster - No Garganey, but a fly-over Yellow Wagtail, more Sand Martins, the Sedge Warbler singing near the fisherman's car park again, two Barnacle Geese, a Peregrine on the pylons, many Shelduck and Curlew (but still no Whimbrel), and three late Pintail.

Starcross - Kenton - many "singing" Red-legged Partridge in the arable land and my first House Martins of the year.

James Camden

6.20pm....good views of an Osprey catching a fish, and being harassed by a determined posse of Shelduck

Osprey catching a fish                              Osprey being mobbed by Shelduck

At least 7 Cattle Egret still present this pm in the field with Cattle to the south of the Tarka Trail, opposite Penhill Marsh. 

My patience and persistence paid off today with these lucky shots from inside the dining room. The female Goldcrest, before attempting to see off her own reflection, usually sizes things up from the rotary drier before coming to the window or brass plate on the back door handle.

Unfortunately, not caring about clean washing, she frequently poops on it!

Just a few more of my visitor to the window, this time taken from the inside. Her visits are getting more frequent and, since I've never had Goldcrest so active in this part of the garden, let alone reacting to a reflection like this, I can only assume she plans to nest close by and is practicing some aggressive territorial behaviour. Other theories welcome.

Best was cracking male Redstart. Also 6 Willow Warbler, Swallow, Snipe, 13 Chiffchaff, 4 Blackcap.

Couldn't see Dave's Osprey in a brief cycle down the Toll road at about 9.30. 2 Black-tailed Godwits on the scrape. First female Blackcap in the reserve.

Willow Warbler and two Swallows, mid morning wander.

Some  migrants at this morning: 1 Redstart (male), 1 Wheatear, 1 Whitethroat, 6 Blackcap, 9 Willow Warbler, 8 Chiffchaff a pod of approx 20 Common Dolphin and 3 Harblour porpoise.

     Common Dolphins

Great Grey Shrike showing well near Devon Wildlife Trust entry gate when approaching from Saddletor car park at 3pm

0710 - 1220. Cold wind but Spring finally arrived at Morte Point. 15 Sand Martin, 3 House Martin, 4 Swallow, 30+ mixed Chiffchaff & Willow Warbler on one patch of Gorse and many more spread around the Point. 7 Wheatear (3m/4f). 28 other species present

A walk around Saltram & the estuary this morning produced the following.

Little Egret 14, Curlew 5, Redshank 45, Greenshank 6, Dunlin 1, Common Sandpiper 1, Snipe 3, Green Woodpecker 3, Chiffchaff 5, Blackcap 5, Wheatear 1 and a Willow Warbler.

11.30

Great Grey Shrike showing well 300m north east of the barn. Redstart, Wheatear, Willow Warbler and Stonechat also in the vicinity. 

Yellow Wagtail landed briefly on the golf course before flying north at 08:45.

The Bonaparte’s Gull was present this morning soon after high tide, mid-river between Anchorbank and Pottington, delicately picking bits from some river scum. Also whilst scanning a 1W Little Gull landed close in to Anchorbank.

07.30 Osprey at Horsey Island.