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. Many of these 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. 

You should also apply these principles to vulnerable species without the wider legal protection. 

Although some species may be found breeding at numerous locations, please keep information about them limited to well-known sites (e.g. Labrador Bay for Cirl Bunting and 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, as appropriate, the RSPB. 

Please be aware that egg collecting and other forms of disturbance and persecution remain very real hazards for some of Devon’s birds. Unfortuately this can involve people wanting to photograph or obtain close views of the  birds, as well as eg egg collectors. 

Every year editors on this site have to remove or edit posts which breach the code outlined here. Please play your part in making this unnecessary. 

Thank you.

Please take extra care when visiting Dawlish Warren. We have been informed that due to the recent bad weather there has been significant erosion from Groyne 10 eastwards. This means that access along the site, to and from Warren Point (and the bird hide) will be via the beach only, with a risk of being cut off for a period either side of high water! Signs have been put up to alert people to the hazards, but people need to be aware that access routes that they have become used to may not be available and they need to exercise extreme caution,  with the possibility of being cut off by the tide, and people are strongly urged not to try climbing the sand cliffs. Further information is available on the Teignbridge District Council website.

If you follow our Blog but are not currently a member of Devon Birds please consider joining Devon Birds to help us with the upkeep of running the website and this service as well as our valuable conservation work .

Acting on comments to Devon Birds some changes have been made to this page. To the right of this header post you'll see there are now several subjects for you to choose to read and post on. Just click your chosen subject and use as previously.

Please be careful not to post under the wrong subject. If you do, you can still easily go back to edit and change the subject yourself so it appears on the right page.

Please try and keep posts short, particularly in the Scarce / Rare Birds & Passage Counts page. Photographs are still very welcome.  

For help with ID email photos to id@devonbirds.org.

Yes, it is a Mediterranean Gull. Large, bright red bill and black cap extending much further down nape than the brown cap of the Black-headed gull are diagnostic. Please give location. Which cricket pitch - where?

Seen near the cricket field on Sunday morning 11.00 am ish.

This might be a Mediterranean Gull standing near a black headed gull. It appeared to be very different to the BHG standing next to it.

Mediterranean Gull?

1 Knot foraging amongst the BH Gulls am.

Birds nesting in doorway opposite.

Not great images, but can anyone confirm it is a spotted flycatcher nest?

Eds: yes a Spotted Flycatcher - please use the above link to help with bird identifications

Highlights of a day 'dragonflying' at Stover were male Lesser Emperor and Red-veined Darter over the lake, plus both Large and Small Redeyes and many Black-tailed Skimmers. No sign of Scarce Chasers - checked the fringes from boat with Jon Avon - but one photographed away from water yesterday.

27 med gulls.17 adults,2 ss,7fs& probably my earliest juvenile.50 bhg's,2 whimbrel,39 curlew 1dunlin.07:40-08:15

Whimbrel heard at 08:00 this morning with members of the Axe Estuary Ringing Group. 

First flock of returning Redshank I have seen so far this summer on the north side of the Taw Estuary.

First returning med gulls this evening.6,2 adults,2nd summer,3 FS.40 bhg's only one juv.20 curlew,14 dunlin.19:20-1945.

around 100 ringneck parakeet inc 3 blue juvenile babies along with blue adult

My first juvenile Redstarts of autumn, presumably dispersing away from natal areas - two near Aish Ridge this morning and one on Brent Hill on 3 July.

On this mornings high tide the following were seen.

Curlew 24, Redshank 62, Greenshank 2, Common Sandpiper 5, Little Egret 11, Grey Heron 4, Med Gull 1 1st sp, Shelduck 2 with 2 juv, Stock 9, Green Woodpecker 3, GSW 2, Peregrine and Whitethroat 2.

3 Black tailed Godwits on R.Caen early evening, 95 Black headed Gulls including 5 smart juv's & 75 Starling consisting of mainly juveniles on the Jetty.

I've nurtured suckering Elms in my Chudleigh garden for over 30 years and this afternoon my efforts were rewarded with brief sightings of a White-letter Hairstreak. The species has been assumed to breed in the Wych Elms in woodland over 500m away (Simon Mitchell showed me an egg there about 25 years ago!), but this is my first adult here. (Only known from a few locations elsewhere in Devon.) While I was waiting with camera for it to re-appear (which it didn't). 

Buzzard                   

4th July 2019

The long-staying Slavonian Grebe and 15 Sandwich Tern were the highlights.

Also Buzzard, Kestrel, Little Egret, Curlew, Oystercatcher, Swallow, Whitethroat, Reed Warbler, Chiffchaff, Stonechat, Linnet and Reed Bunting.

Later at Flow Point were 18 Little Egret, 5 Grey Heron and 2 Shelduck with 3 young.

Near Turf this morning at high tide 3 common sandpipers flew north, 4 common terns flew south and two family parties of shelduck (2 & 10 yn) stayed put.Single sandwich tern in channel.

First signs of autumn migration with 33 Sand Martins and 3 Swifts moving east along the cliffs.

Non-avian: 2 male Red-veined Darters, one giving cracking views perched up in the sun. Also Beautiful Demoiselle (new record for the Bolt Head to Bolt Tail site) and first Southern Hawker.

3th July 2019

8.15-8.50pm 

Short but sweet visit this evening 

5 Common Scoter were the highlights

40 Manx Shearwater

C.140 Guillemot were on ledges on Ore Stone

5 Gannet, numerous Cormorant and Shag

2 Oystercatcher 

A pod of c. 12 Common Dolphin were distant and seen heading towards Berry Head

My first Whitethroat of the year since Spring migrants, here; also Green Woodpecker, 23 Mandarin Ducks, Black-tailed Godwit (summer plumage), Greenshank, 46 Redshanks, 1st-s Mediterranean Gull & 4 Stock Doves.

Butterflies included a good count of 80+ Marbled Whites & my first Gatekeepers (3) of the year.

14 members of DB attended the East Devon Branch Nightjar evening yesterday.  A perfect evening with the bonus of a distant Hobby and Stonechats before we reached our viewing position.  First calls of Nightjar were heard at 9.45pm and a pair showed well during the time we were present.  The pair settled on the path and a tree giving great views.  It was agreed that calls and churring on the common were noticeably less than might be expected.  

Juvenile and adult Black-headed gulls near Barnstaple long bridge.

56 Shags on the Mew Stone inc.18+ freshly fledged juvs - a very good result. Looks like a bad year for breeding Cirl Buntings not helped by some very questionable management by NT. 

Non-avian; Red-veined Darter by Goat Rock. 

Waders are starting to arrive back, on this mornings high tide the following were seen :

Redshank 52, Curlew 22, Greenshank 1, Black Tailed Godwit 1, Common Sandpiper 4, Med Gull 2, Little Egret 8 and 10 Stock Dove.

Red kite seen going over the Plessey roundabout at Roborough, Plymouth at about 15:30, Sunday.

On this afternoons high tide the following were seen:

Grey Heron 8, Little Egret 8, Curlew 20, Black Tailed Godwit 1 sp and Med Gull 3 all 1st sp.