There are a few vacancies available for Section Writers for the 2019 Devon Bird Report. The available Sections, with approximate numbers of species, are: Crows - 8, Crests, Tits - 9, Crakes - 5.

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In and around the copse: Cuckoo, Tree Pipit, Redstart, Pied Flycatcher Dipper and Grey Wagtail. On the moor: Kestrel, Wheatear and Stonechat.

On the 4 km. of the mineral tramway S. from Sharp Tor: c.20 singing Skylark, making c.10 per sq. km., which seems a good number for such a degraded grassland.

As was the case a month ago, a lone Willow Warbler was singing from an isolated Hawthorn c300m from the nearest other tree. Perhaps, in the absence of Wrens or other insectivores, there is enough food in the gorse to support it/them. An anomalous record in in any case.

I went away recently and on my return found, as I suspected that all the 4 remaining Goslings have been predated.(2 of them had gone a few days previously). Fox? Badger? Otter? I'll never know. Of note today was a pair of Blackcaps and a Spotted Flycatcher.

There seems to have been a major hatching of Azure Damselflies. And they are already mating in some numbers! (Photo)

Maybe that's what the juvenile Grey Wagtail was feeding on by the pond.

Mating Damselflies.

Cuckoo calling in Hawthorns on South Down Cliff last night

30.5.19 AprilSquacco heron on rocks under Rat island opposite landing bay ,Lundy.(16.00 hours)

Green & Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 2 Stock Doves, Sparrowhawk, 18 Mandarin Ducks (all but 1 drakes), pair of Bullfinches, 6 Little Egrets & 2 (presumed escaped) Barnacle Geese.

Heard my first Cuckoo, saw Skylarks, linnets and Stonechats. Also Brinstone butterfly.

Okay its not Devon, but Dulverton IS Exmoor and some of Exmoor is Devon...so;

Came across this female BLACKBIRD obviously collecting food for babies, but it's the FISH, probably a Bullhead, which surprised us today in Dulverton. It was alongside the mill leat just off the River Barle on the road which passes the Bakery? 

Never seen this behaviour before. 

Blackbird/Kingfisher hybrid!

45 Manx Shearwaters in Labrador Bay today all in one flock.

Devon Birds/RSPB/BTO Spotted flycatcher tracking project

We need your help in locating Spotted flycatcher nests in Devon to contribute to our ongoing project (as written about last year in Devon Birds).

Spotted flycatchers have seen declines of 83% since the 1960s. Reasons for this decline may include factors operating within UK breeding grounds, such as reduced availability of invertebrates, but the species may also be declining due to problems along their migratory journey to Africa and back. But we know little about where their wintering grounds are or the route they take to get there. We need this information to understand what part of the annual cycle causes problems for spotted flycatchers, and where we might need to direct future work to reverse declines. To do this we are continuing the work we started in 2016, tracking migrations and determining wintering areas using tiny tracking devises called geolocators. After a successful trial in 2016-17 when we retrieved eight  of these tags, suggesting they go to Angola, we tagged more in 2018 and will be tagging a final small number of adults this year.  These geolocators weigh only 0.36g - incredible!

To be able to do this we need to catch and tag spotted flycatchers in places where they are known to return each year, as we need to recapture tagged birds the year after to retrieve the tag and its data. The best places to do this are gardens. Do you have Spotted flycatchers nesting at the moment in your garden or farm? And have you had them nesting the past few years? If so, and you are happy to have your spotted flycatchers captured and tagged for this project, please could you email david.hunter@rspb.org.uk or malcolm.burgess@rspb.org.uk.

Thanks, Malcolm Burgess

Late afternoon walk along Rorobourgh Down saw lots of Stonechats, Willow Warblers, Linnets, a Sparrow Hawk, Meadow Pipets and heard but didn't see a Cuckoo.

       
Stonechat                                       Willow Warbler

3 seen at new site this evening.Pretty good for first visit plus tawny owl on way out.

Swimming just at the side of the car park had super views of a female Goosander and TWENTY chicks, all swimming with her.  Is this likely to be one female looking after two broods? Guides (incl. BTO) suggest a clutch size of ten.  Female Shelduck will adopt other female's chicks.  And Goosander?  Took a v poor photo in which you can count 20 chick 'blobs'.  Further up river by the weir male Grey Wagtail furiously catching flies.  

Uphams Plantation, Woodbury Common:  Spotted Flycatcher in first sw section of coniferous forest with Yellow Hammer and 2 Chiffchaff present on common.  Across the road on Bicton Common a Green Woodpecker mobile.  South of Woodbury Castle 2 Swift moving east and at Venn Ottery Common another 3  Swift sighted plus 1 pr of Stonechat and 1 pr of Yellow Hammer.  A Little Egret flying up the Otter Valley.  Otherwise rather quiet.

Lesser Redpolls, Skylarks, Yellowhammers and lots of Stonechats up on Dartmoor also a cuckoo being mobbed by Meadow pipits

Stonechat                                        Skylark                                Lesser Redpoll

A rock pipit collecting maggots from the rotting seaweed at Thurlestone and Meadow pipit up on Dartmoor showing it's incredibly long hind claw

Rock Pipit                          Meadow Pipit                          Meadow Pipit

Goosander and chick.

Lesser Redpoll (female) seen North side of Meldon Hill, Chagford on 27th May 2019

2 heard and 2  cuckoo's. Seen  courting on moorland behind the toilet car park, 1 yellowhamer at bench Tor  ,5 swift 1 chiffchaff feeding newly fledged young on the path around the reservoir 

A Nightjar churred briefly just before noon today from a newly-replanted area of conifers near Perridge, at the North end of the Haldon ridge. The clouds were gathering for a shower, so perhaps the fading light was the trigger. The background chorus of Warblers (five spp. including Garden), Thrushes, Yellowhammers and Tree Pipits was most impressive.

Single Red Kite  low over the orchards at Waddeton dinner time today

Late post from yesterday morning, Dartmoor above Ashburton to Challacombe ~ Headland Warren, Cuckoo found in most of the habitat suitable for them. One calling from arable land on the Ashburton side of Cold East Cross, three calling and showing well near Whistman's Wood, two possibly three between Challacombe and Headland Warren low cloud and mist on the higher moor made birding challenging.

Heading south near Newton St Cyres

Cuckoo heard calling near Rockbeare yesterday afternoon.

Have heard and seen the male cuckoo today on the moorland just above Goodameavy today.  Heard one or two or three around Trolesworthy Farm at Cadover this week.  No callings on Saturday as there were crowds of people & barking dogs.  Also one at Plymbridge on Wednesday 

Heard

A flock of c30 Starlings consisting mainly of fully fledged juveniles foraging on the mud & alighting on the ropes & deck of a boat. 1 or 2 adults in attendance still feeding juv's.

41 species seen this morning. Highlights include - Red Kite flying over Haytor at around 10am, Snipe flushed from the scrub, at least 2 cuckoos heard and on leaving at around 1pm a Wheatear with young and the distant call of a Curlew.

Female broad bodied chaser also seen near the pond area.

Red Kite heading South

A Red Kite north-west over Cedar Close, Exmouth at 1115hrs this morning.

7 ringneck parakeet

Lovely late afternoon session with 4 or 5 Cuckoos, 1 Green Woodpecker, a couple of male Redstarts, a pair of Tree Pipits, singing Yellowhammers and a few Redpolls.

Two Red Kite over Saltram House National Trust.

Soaring above the house then headed N.E

Red Kite over Roundswell at 16.15 .

Hobby over early pm.

On the southern slopes of Down tor this morning:

1 Tree pipit, 2 Great Spotted woodpeckers, 1 singing male Pied flycatcher, 1 Spotted flycatcher, 1 singing Blackcap, 2 Cuckoo, several fledgling Dunnocks, 2 Buzzard overhead and Green woodpeckers heard.

5 Red Kites high over Cairn, been seeing odd ones and twos for Wks, highest count so far this year. 

Fulmar Capstone Parade

Beautiful evening view of a Barn Owl hunting in the area for quite sometime.

One pack of 15 Manx Shearwaters.

Pleasant mugshot of very inquisitive Guillemot.

plus: 6 Harbour porpoise, 2 Barrel Jellyfish

Guillemot

1 Red Kite over St. Giles on the Heath this afternoon.

Highlights of a pre-breakfast visit this morning were 10 Pied Flycatchers (3 females & 7 males, including 2 pairs feeding young in nest boxes) and 3 Redstarts (2 females & a male). Also: 1 or 2 Spotted Flycatchers, Siskin, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Green Woodpecker, 3 Marsh Tits & a pair of Grey Wagtails.  

the weather was good for birding, 34 birds seen in total,  the best  sightings were of spotted flycatcher, pied flycatcher,  black cap, redstart and  a tree pipit, plus a garden warbler and whitethroat when i first arrived.  in front the fishermans hut we also had a female gadwall with three youngsters diving for food.  a good day out.

Still a solitary Purple Sandpiper on Haldon Pier, TQ Harbour this morning, plus 6 Turnstone. Looks as if this one is planning a summer on the Riviera.

Thursday from 5 pm to 6.30. Scottish Osprey feeding first on sandbank between Chivenor and Isley/Marsh Farm then moved to field on farm. Seen 3 times since May 11th in same area. Trying to get clear shot of ring!! 

Osprey Home Marsh Farm

Eds: don't say this very often - but what a great photo!

3 juvenile Moorhens with adult birds close at hand collecting food items.

While sitting on a bench this skylark approached only a few metres away.

05:45-07:00: Very quiet but wasn't expecting much! Single Great Nothern Diver, 3 Manx Shearwater and 6 Canada Goose west, 8 Common Scoter east.  Lots of auks, mostly Guillemot, and Gannet mainly flying west too.

Good selection of warblers, tits, finches and buntings singing in the bushes, and several Swallow hanging around.  Single male Stonechat also.

A Cuckoo calling on the village side of Brent Hill, South Brent, in the 30 plus years that I have lived here I have never known or heard of one at this location.

At Bowling Green Marsh this lunchtime around 13:00 a single Red Kite drifted over Exton area heading east.  May have been the same one posted at Paignton and then Starcross.

Fledgling Great Tit , Great Spotted Woodpecker and female Mandarin Duck with ducklings.

Fledgling Great Tit               Great Spotted Woodpecker             Female Mandarin Duck and ducklings

11 members of DB (East Devon Branch) attended the all day fieldtrip to central Dartmoor. A distant Cuckoo was seen at Archerton and a Redstart present in trees along the path north.  Several Stonechat held territories but their presence was noted by Magpies and one nest site was probably predated.  A Green Woodpecker was heard to the east.  A brief view of Grey Wagtail was had and three Buzzard passed overhead with Meadow Pipits, Willow Warblers, House Martins and Wheatear adding to a small list of species.  Two members lunched at the Clapper Bridge and were rewarded with Dipper.

Challacombe Farm produced good sightings of breeding Redstart plus Marsh Tit, House Martins.  Garden Warbler and Pied Flycatcher were heard plus a Cuckoo south of the farm and Lesser Redpoll was seen higher up the valley towards Headland Warren.  From the road near the latter several more Wheatear were present.

A Red Kite drifted north over Roundham Head, Paignton at 12.30pm being mobbed by Herring Gulls.

Cycle ride this morning from Plymouth to Clearbrook return.

Plymbridge Woods: the pair of Pergrines at the watch point feeding young in the nest, Dipper, 20 Mandarin Ducks (19 drakes), 2 Grey wagtails, 4 Siskins, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers &, Marsh Tit. 

Clearbrook: 2 Tree Pipits, 2 Lesser redpolls, & a pair of Stonechats with 2 newly-fledged young.

Red kite this morning 

Late afternoon visit to the River Caen. Lots of alarming Gulls and Shelduck meant something big in the air, but it took quite  awhile to find the culprit - an Osprey which started to gain height over RMB Chivenor, after a while it was still there gaining height and I can't be certain that there wasn't another one even higher up!

No sign of any Little Owls, but a smart Barn Owl hunting around the marsh road later on.

The three small Waders on the flood just inside the breach were: a Dunlin, a Ringed Plover and um something else! Same size as the other two (poss a tad larger) but no black belly, slight impression of more scalloped plumage but otherwise no particular features to help I/d....

Whitethroat, 2 Green Woodpeckers, Grey Wagtail, 15 drake Mandarin Ducks, Whimbrel, Curlew & 2 Oystercatchers. 

Plenty of Redpolls on the down this am, along with Yellowhammers, Willow Warblers, Linnets, Stonechats, a Cuckoo heard but not seen

Repoll (F)                               Redpoll (M)                          Skylark

Whimbrel in off the sea, 3 pairs Reed Warbler at Starehole Ponds.

1st Dark Green Fritillary & Large Skipper.

A 6am start proved worthwhile at Broadsands today. Two whimbrel. one of which landed, the other flew on inland. Behind the beach huts, a whitethroat had picked out his singing perch and was in good voice and the reed warbler was singing his heart out too, It became a competition which could sing the loudest. Plenty of photos and footage of behavior and song. Brilliant.  An occasion for appreciating God's handiwork.