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.

Over 30 Gannets over a pod of Dolphins around Bull Point on the tide,large amount of fish,so a good feed for all.Amazing to watch so close to the cliffs.

Gannet.

10:45 - Spent 2 minutes on the neighbours chimney stack, then flew off inland.

A range of common migrants today: 3 Yellow Wagtails, 8 White Wagtails, 2+ Tree Pipits, Reed & Sedge Warblers, 32 Chiffchaffs, 6 Willow Warblers, 14 Whitethroats, 13 Blackcaps, 10 Wheatears, 7 Sand Martins & 100+ House Martins. Also, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Hare & Fox.

Cattle egret briefly with the cattle and osprey on post in river this morning. 

Red kite circling over 18.45

Firecrest in my garden (Mount Gould) this morning.

Large raptor reported killed on the Kingsteignton bypass flyover, hope it isn't the Osprey that has been seen on the estuary the last few days.

Whinchat, 2 Stonechats, Chiffchaff, 4 Stock Doves, 3 Common Sandpipers, 6 Greenshanks, 145 Redshanks, Turnstone, Mediterranean Gull (2nd-s), Shag, 14 Grey Herons & 9 Roe Deer.

Small flock of sleeping Knot.

late aft - 18 Black tailed Godwit on the scrape, a small flock of sleeping Knot & 2 Bar - tailed Godwits on the Taw Estuary at Pottington. On the outward journey, a charm of Goldfinces feeding on seeds on the side of the Tarka trail.

Good views of a Peregrine flying into a flock of Curlew at low level, and putting up the flock of resting Black Headed gulls at about 11am.

Peregrine over briefly this morning. Kingfisher fishing in the pond. Otherwise quiet, (apart from a black cat!)

3+ spotted flycatcher and a raven at Killerton National Trust NE of Ellerhayes Bridge 4pm.

Swift over central Plymouth (uni) at 9am.

19 Black-tailed godwits,1 Bar-tailed godwit,34 Dunlin, 4 Yellow wagtail, 1 Grey Phalarope, 1 Wheatear and one ringed plover. Lovely evening.

                                 
   Black-tailed godwits, Br-t Godwit & Dunlin       Grey Phalarope                         Black-tailed Godwits and Dunlin

4 Med gulls in the rock pools,5 Wheatear,3 pair Stonechats,fulmars,shags and cormorants in good numbers plus4 Willow Warblers.Lots of Dragon and Damzel flies around the ponds

Mediterranean Gull                                            Willow Warbler                                  Wheatear

Mixed roost of Black-backed Gulls and c100 Oystercatchers together with 45 Knot, 2 Curlew, 1 Redshank and 21 Black-tailed Godwits. 50% of the Oystercatchers were juveniles. Approximately 35 Little Egret dotted about and roosting in trees from Penhill Marsh to Chivenor during high tide (11.09 - 3mtrs at Bple)

12 noon to 1pm of note: Grey Phalarope still present, plus 25 Dunlin, 20 Black-tailed Godwits and 2 Sand Martins.

Nice mix of common migrants again this morning: 1 Common Swift, c10 Sand Martins, c25 House Martins, c100 Swallows, 2 Tree Pipits, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Whinchats, 1 Sedge Warbler, c25 Whitethroats, c10 Blackcaps, c5 Willow Warblers and c5 Chiffchaffs.

Flock of about 30 Turnstones

This morning, an Osprey was on a post mid river from the viewing platform. Also 1 Kingfisher and 3 Common Sandpipers. From the hide, large number of Curlew with at least 2 Whimbrel, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits and 1 Mediterranean Gull.

Walked around area before high tide and saw the following.

Curlew 28, Greenshank 6, Redshank 156, Oystercatcher 8, Kingfisher 1, Little Egret 16, Grey Heron 17, Little Grebe 2, Common Sandpiper 5, Grey Wagtail 1, Willow Warbler 1, Chiffchaff 5, Spotted Flycatcher 2, Whinchat 3, Stonechat 3, Kestrel 1, Sparrowhawk 1, Stock Dove 8 & Mistle Thrush 11.

The grey phalarope showing well this afternoon, Along with 30+dunlin, 21 black tailed godwits, 1 bar tailed godwit and 7 yellow wagtails.

Sparrow hawk flyover scattered the waders twice while i was there,

In the woods along the the Holne Moor Least NW of Venford Reservoir this pm c70 Siskin feeding on birch seeds and a roaming flock of 42 Mistle Thrushes.

Wryneck in garden 11.00 a.m. 

Hobby, Pied Flycatcher, 2 Yellow Wagtails, Sedge Warbler, 2 Wheatears, 10 Chiffchaffs, 8 Blackcaps, 6 Whitethroats, Grey Wagtail & 2 Roe Deer.

Lovely evening at South Huish marsh, 17 Black-tailed godwits, 1 Bar-tailed godwit, 1 Grey phalarope,18 Dunlin, 5 yellow wagtails, 2 Sparrow hawks and a swift.

Black-tailed Godwits, Bar-tailed godwit and Dunlin

Yellow Wagtails

Grey Phalarope

1 Curlew Sandpiper amongst the Sanderling, Ringed Plover and Dunlin roosting along The Bight on the high tide at Dawlish Warren this morning. Also a Wheatear, 2 Raven and very mobile Sandwich Terns.

Offshore Gannets., 2 Common Scoter and more Sandwich Terns. 

Autumn Lady's Tresses showing well

5 ringneck parakeet including one blue in colour mear valley

Osprey at Flow Point 3.30 today, attempting to fish with no luck watched for several minutes as it slowly drifted up river.

Mid/late am. Some common migrants around: at least 20 Whitethroats, several Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs, a few Willow Warblers, 2 Wheatears, 2 Yellow Wagtails and a Pied Flycatcher. 

Grey Phalarope still present and showing very well early am and then again when I returned at lunchtime. Also 17 Black-tailed Godwits, 7 Dunlin, 1 Greenshank and a Snipe early am and then 15 Dunlin, 2 Ringed Plover and 2 Yellow Wagtails at lunchtime.

At Blaxton Meadow, Saltram a single and hard to see Snipe, Greenshank, Redshank, Curlews, Oystercatchers, Dunlin, little Egrets and Herons.

Highlight was 2 Ortolan Buntings, in the stubble field just west of East Soar Farm (12.05 to c14.30 but not since). Otherwise: 17 Chiffchaffs, 13 Blackcaps, 10 Whitethroats, 6 Willow Warblers, Ringed Plover, 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers & a Clouded Yellow.

Later at South Huish Marsh, the Grey Phalarope showing well on the front pool & also 6 Dunlins & 3 Black-tailed Godwits.

1 juv Black Tern dip feeding with a juv Common Tern at Stokely Bay also 2 male Pochard with 40+ Tufted Ducks.

At lunch time (1 pm) osprey over to north of Turf flying west. Two sandwich terns (adults) feeding close to jetty and little tern (1w) shortly after.The little tern has been present for a few days and appears to follow the tide line from Turf to Topsham..

A smattering of migrants: Ringed Plover, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker in willows, 14 (very clean) White Wagtails, 3 Wheatear, Redstart, 20 Whitethroat, 9 Blackcap, 4 Willow Warbler, 12 Chiffchaff, Spotted Flycatcher, 150 Linnet. Well Done to PA finding the Ortolan!

Black Hole Marsh is in excellent condition for waders, with Little Stint, 3 Curlew Sandpipers, Knot, Ruff and 2 Green Sandpipers among Dunlin, Redshank and Black-tailed Godwits yesterday, with the Osprey over the Axe nearby.

Insects ruled the day though, with Roesel's Bush-crickets (and lots of Long-winged Coneheads) in the long grass near the Seaton Marshes dipping pond, thanks my daughter's much better hearing (I've lost the range to hear bush-crickets). The NBN Atlas map shows nothing for Devon, I think it was recorded at Dawlish Warren last year. And as we were so close, a visit to see Long-tailed Blue egg-laying on a patch Everlasting Pea below the undercliff at Axmouth was unavoidable. Two Devon insect ticks for me!

Male Roesel's Bush-cricket, Seaton Marshes    Female Long-tailed Blue on Everlasting Pea, Axmouth

A modest increase in migrants with two Whinchats and a Redstart on Brent Hill this morning, two Wheatears there yesterday, a Spotted Fly at nearby Overbrent and a Yellow Wag there on Saturday.

From this morning's Lyme Bay Boat Trip from Brixham, some of the birds seen as already reported by Nigel Smallbones. A great morning.

Manx Shearwater

Bonxie

Guillemot

Highlight was a Wood Sandpiper which flew over my garden calling, and headed south over the lower estuary. Also: Tree Pipit, 8 Greenshanks, 4 Common Sandpipers, Dunlin, Kingfisher, Shag, Roe Deer & over 100 spikes of Autumn Ladies Tresses. 

Second day running with a Hobby seen from home at South brent, yesterday's visit with the bird  hunting Swallows was impressive, today's visit demonstrated the Hobby's incredible speed and agility and this time it took a Swallow clean out of the air after a lightning quick turn.

Tawny owl heard calling at 10am, steady trickle of House Martins overhead throughout the day.

This mornings boat trip from Brixham was rewarded with a Wheatear before we had left the Harbour, the bird  was on the old fuel jetty but flew away very quickly. Sea conditions good and we had a good trip with freshing wind as we returned.  Good numbers of Kittiwake off Berry Head, 200+. Other birds seen 550+ Manx Shearwater but further study of pictures might give a Balearic Shearwater, 5 small waders flying through when going out and a further  2 when coming back in. 3 Great Skua, 1 Young Artic Skua, 1 Ringed Plover!! 10 Fulmar, 1 Black-headed Gull, many Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull and a fine assortment  of different aged Gannets. On returning back into Torbay joined by 8 Common Dolphin. I think all enjoyed the trip.

1 heard flying over Kingsdown cl, Dawlish this morning at 8am

15 ringneck parakeet