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.

Between 25 - 30 Swifts seen screeching over Preston this evening.

Rubbish record shot. Wonder if it’s the same bird that has appeared a couple of times over the last year or so.

The adult summer plumage pectoral sandpiper flew off SE at 18.50. Wasn’t seen after that.

An Osprey was again on a post mid-estuary visible from Exton station, mid-afternoon and was feeding on the post for over half an hour.

From Haggington I was trying to count a small pod of Common Dolphins off Rillage Point, about 6 but were dispersed due to pleasure boats when a tatty looking Osprey nearly passed unnoticed until it was moving away at a distance.   

 
Osprey record shot                    Common Dolphin

Eds: the osprey is actually a Buzzard. see https://www.devonbirds.org/birdwatching/articles/common_buzzard 

Over our house on clovelly rd Bideford this afternoon 10 med gulls,7ads,2ss, juvenile.Plus over a 100 bhg's,15:30-16:20.

As sum plum pec sand, LRP and common sand 18.05

Photos from today. See Nigel's post for species and numbers seen.

  
Balearic Shearwater.                              Mediterranean Gull

Common Dolphin

This morning was the first 4hour Lyme Bay boat trip for the season from Brixham in a very active sea state!! Birds seen, 6 Scoter, sp, 10 Manx Shearwater, 2 Balearic Shearwater, 6+ Med Gulls, 2 Kittiwake,  4 Fulmar, 3 Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Gannets and many Herring Gull. also 3 Harbour Porpoise and 10+ Common Dolphin.

If interested give us a call n 07866202576. still some places.

Glossy Ibis back at the Pill this morning 07.30.

2 juv Yellow-Legged Gulls and 7 Med Gulls on Broadsands beach late this evening till 925pm at least on the dropping tide 

An Osprey sat on a post in the middle of the River Exe viewed from Exton Station from late morning to 13.05pm when starting flying around - eventually caught a fish and flew off high west at 13.15pm. 

Good numbers of small red-eyed damselflies at the lower end of the bottom pond today, also a splendid male red veined darter. Other species around the ponds include black tailed skimmer (abundant), broad bodied chaser, emperor, a hawker species (which kept its distance) azure damselfly and blue tailed damselfly. I couldn't find the scarce chaser seen on the 3rd pond up 2 days ago but it could still be there among the numerous black tailed skimmers.

Red veined darter, male

Black tailed skimmer, mating pair

Small red-eyed damselfly, ovipositing pair

3 Black-tailed Godwits.

5 med Gulls ( 3A; 1 1st S, 1 juvenile.

On this afternoon's high tide, 2 Black-tailed Godwits (1 in summer plumage), 29 Curlews, Common Sandpiper, just 20 Redshanks, 1st-s Mediterranean Gull, a pair of Shelducks with 2 juvs & Mandarin Duck. Also, 2 Spotted Flycatchers, a pair of Whitethroats carrying food, 7 Stock Doves & a Kestrel, 

Buzzard in my garden today, taking a break from winding up the local Gull population. 

Recently out on the sea good numbers of Manx Shearwaters are present whatever the wind direction. Up to 10 flocks of 60 chasing about are regularly in view. Today 2 ad Med Gulls on Cheyne rocks. 

Buzzard

pair of spotted flycathers feeding young seen from the path just under castle drogo yesterday,lovely find

Common Crossbill on gorse bushes at Ivy Cove by the SW Coastal Path, east of Coleton Fishacre.

3 adult Med Gulls and 2 juvenile Common sandpipers.

A total of 37 little Egret and 5 Grey Heron between both sides of the river.

A few more birds around today, Yellowhammers, GSW, Meadow Pipits, along with Stonechats, linnets, Green Woodpecker in the distance

GSW (male)

Meadow Pipit

Yellowhammer

On arrival at the bridge to the reserve this morning, a singing Lesser Whitethroat was a real surprise - same one we saw here on 4th May? Sounded identical.

This evening along the mud of the River Caen, among a good scattering of Black-headed Gulls were two smart adult Mediterranean Gulls. At least a dozen Pied Wagtails (mostly juvs) were in with the cattle by cross banks. Sadly, no yellow ones amongst them. No Little Owls on the barns either...

A single Spotted Flycatcher present this evening at the southern end of the site, the first on patch this year. 

Ringing this morning after a 3 week break produced good numbers of migrant Warblers  (2 Willow Warblers were unusual at this time of year) and 2 Cetti's Warblers. In addition, a further 3 juvenile female Kingfishers were ringed,  with Azolla weed blocking many of the ditches on the Great Field, maybe this is a feeding opportunity for them. 7 Juvenile Wrens were notable.

The moulting summer plumaged Spotted Redshank was still present early afternoon. Also 1 Common Sandpiper and 1 Green Sandpiper, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits and a few Whimbrel.

Hooray! 4 Black-tailed Godwits on the scrape! Along with a Pied Wagtail and 2 Swallows. A male Tufted Duck on Sherpa pond. 2 Sand Martins over the pond.

South hush marsh,ad little ringed plover,4sp Dublin, 2red v darters.

Osprey flew down river 4 pm Sunday 

4 adult Mediterranean Gulls feeding on foreshore with 100s of returning B.H.Gulls.

Based on the address of the birder who posted this I would say it is Instow Cricket Ground. Would Martin Bennett please confirm and ensure a record is sent to the data manager. Posting on here does not always make the records as has been previously stated. Many thanks

Late post for Sunday. 

Found this juvenile Yellow-legged Gull on Sunday afternoon at low tide at Broadsands.  It did not stay around long as the beach was busy, but I managed to get a couple of photos that just about showed its green colour ring 312:C. I believe this is a French project, based in the Carmargue. I have sent off my sighting to them.