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.

Went walking along to the Turf Lock this afternoon in a half-hearted attempt to refind the Caspian Tern but no joy. 5 Whimbrel flew down the estuary towards Exmouth, Curlew, Oystercatcher and a few Redshank were also present. A pair of Mute Swan had 1 cygnet and 5 Shelduck were seen with 12 young out on the water. Whitethroat and Chiffchaff were in the scrubland.

170+ Swifts feeding over arable field on way to Hillhead from Churston this morning.

No sign of Caspian Tern off the Imperial/Mudbank early this morning but 3 Common Tern and a first-summer Little Gull present.

A Black-tailed Godwit (sum-plum), 21 Curlews, 2 Mediterranean Gulls (1st-s), 7 Mandarin Ducks, 7 Marbled Whites, 3 Small & 1 Large Skippers, 2 Ringlets, 2 Painted Ladies & Small Heath.

At least 5 barrel jellyfish in the harbour this afternoon, also 1 blue jellyfish in the inner harbour. Small shoal of grey mullet in inner harbour.

Barrel jellyfish                       Blue jellyfish                             Blue jellyfish

At least six Swifts flying around over my home in Roundswell (East) behind Sainsburys in Barnstaple.

A single Red Kite drifted over the A38 at Splatford Split tonight at 17:50, the local Buzzard just ignored it.

The Caspian Tern relocated by KR late pm and showing very well roosting on mud in front of the viewing platform at BGM

A Caspian Tern on Cockle Sands, from Mudbank, at 1405 for about five minutes. Seen briefly again feeding further upriver towards Lympstone a few minutes later but no sign since. Also 2+ Mediterranean Gull, c30+ Sandwich Tern and 2 Redshank.

Single Red Kite travelling up the Exe Estuary at around 7:50 this morning. Headed in land towards Exminster.

A pair of Whinchats and a Lesser Redpoll at Tavy Cleave before the weather deteriorated. At Grenofen, juv Dipper, Grey Wagtail & High Brown Fritillary & at Magpie Bridge, 2 Marsh Tits, 2 Siskins & Humming-bird Hawk-moth.  

Dipper (juv)

1530 - 1620. Humming-bird Hawk-moth this afternoon. 2 Painted Lady and 2 Red Admiral the only butterflies. 5 mating pairs Azure Damselfly also present.

Found a juvenile Chiffchaff stunned next to a bedroom window this morning. It flew off safely to bushes after a few minutes. Also first Grey Squirrel for at least a decade, which was mobbed by 20 House Sparrows - the most seen together here for several years!

flock of house martins swooping over the fields behind elberry -  late morning yesterday. (1st time I have seen these birds this year).

Curlews on the increase (11), juv Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 1st-s Mediterranean Gulls, 3 Stock Doves, 30 Mandarin Ducks, 2 Shags, 4 Marbled Whites and 7 Painted Ladies.

Painted Lady butterflies around Lipson, Plymouth

Painted Lady

Yesterday at Ford Park Cemetery not so many Marbled Whites as a few days ago but a large increase in Painted Lady's (upwards of 20)

Roborough Down today lack of recent Green Hairstreaks and PBF/SPBF but a large increase in Painted Ladys (upwards of 30). Forget birds, there weren't any worth mentioning

100+ Painted lady’s at Wembury Point .25 June.

Must have arrived: 2 Green Sandpipers on the field in Sherpa Marsh this morning - flew off over towards the Great field. 3 Little egret, 22 Swans 7 cygnets.

On the River Plym, at least 4 Grey Wagtails feeding their chics

Grey Wagtail & chick

12 Mediterranean Gulls this evening with 31 Black-headed Gulls on the sea off Elberry Headland this evening also 4 Common Scoter.

A Red Kite drifted high northwards over Cedar Close at 1612hrs circling as it went.

Heard cuckoo this morning at around 05.00 a.m. east of Blackdown Rings (nr. Loddiswell) around SX 725 524 

With the normal site for the Taw/Torridge group Nightjar walk closed for forestry work, the group met close to Powlers Piece on the Bideford/Bradworthy road.  After an overcast but mainly dry day, the evening cleared with virtually no wind. At around 10.00 the first churning was heard, and a couple of brief but close sightings. Nothing then until almost dark, when there was considerable activity, and one Nightjar landed on the path we were on. Estimate there were 2/3 pairs present.

Also seen Tree Pipit, Redpoll, Roe Deer, with Chiffchaff, Blackcap heard.

14 Mediterranean Gulls this evening on the sea and then dropping into the beach, just 1 Black-headed Gull accompanying the group!

No sign of the Rose-coloured Starling up until 11:00 this morning.

Seven Mediterranean Gulls (three 2nd-summers & four 1st-summers) on Goosemoor at midday along with the summer-plumaged Spotted Redshank.

Four Greenshanks, three Whimbrels and two Bar-tailed Godwits on Bowling Green Marsh.

The last few days a pair of Skuas sp have been attacking Gannets off Torrs to Capstone, got fairly reasonable views but no visible stand out wing bars to be seen so I'm suspecting possible Pomarines. This evening, interesting to watch every Gull, 2000+  in the town make a break for the open sea to avoid the barrage of pyrotechnics, I'm sure they all survived !

It's been a poor year so far for numbers of butterflies, but if all these hatch maybe we'll have a bonus second brood of Red Admirals. There are several of these nettle-top collections in the reserve at the moment.

Barrel Jellyfish

Speaking (as Rob was) of Barrel Jellyfish, here's a fresh one that from a distance looked about half the size of a football!

9 members of DB attended the East Devon Branch fieldtrip today.  Great company, weather and scenery but the birds were a challenge for their absence!  21 species listed for the day and the highlights were 2 Gt Spotted Woodpeckers (including a juv.), 3 Grey Wagtail, Gt crested Grebe and 1 young, Siskin overhead, Jay and Redstart during the morning.  After lunch a walk around the road and southern path produced a Tree Pipit and a pair of Redstart with food.  A striking light phase Buzzard on a telegraph pole on the road back to Chagford.