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.

Nothing much to report in this area, House Martins collecting mud, swans with 3 cygnets and a pair of Canada geese with 14 youngsters

Hen Harrier seen over Old Torrington Road, Barnstaple this afternoon heading east being mobbed by two crows to whom it gave very short shrift. I've not seen a bird of prey have a go at those mobbing it in such a way. Two other birds of prey were also seen very high up circling together before one headed west and vanished and the other flew off in a southerly direction. What they were will unfortunately remain one of life's mysteries.

After a complete failure last year, I'm pleased to report that the Little Grebes have hatched 4 young and are busy chasing Stickleback fry for them.

Skillful display of flight of a Red Kite in the windy valley down from Bennetts Cross to Soussons, where it appeared to caught a snake. Two Whinchat pairs seen and 5 sightings of Cuckoo during walk around to Challacombe Farm.

3 pairs Linnet, several Wheatear, 3 Whinchat and well over a dozen Meadow Pipits.

Linnet                                Linnet                                        Whinchat

20/5/20 pm High tide at Efford Marsh, eight Shelduck in pairs and solitary grey Heron but little else.

Last night (20th May) I heard my first churring nightjars from 21.11 and saw one wingclapping overhead.

While out at Yelland I came face to face with a Reed Warbler.

Reed Warbler

Popped out to Yelland on Wednesday evening for an hour or so and got some lovely photos of a or some  Reed Warblers. Might not be the same bird in all of the images.

Reed Warbler

Additional to the posts from Roger Smaldon and Greg Bradbury today.  I took a 'socially distant' walk with Bob Barrow in the same area with similar outcomes. However at Cadover we had good views of a calling Cuckoo, Whitethroats, a Garden Warbler and a Beautiful Demoiselle.  On Wigford Down a Green Woodpecker and a pair of Stonechats feeding at least four fledglings.  In the wood we heard but never saw any Redstart, but a pair of Pied Flycatchers, a Treecreeper and five Fallow Deer. Back at the car park about 2:00pm a medium size bat sp. circled the car park several times!

Early this evening at Mill farm, Powderham good numbers of House Martin and Swallow around the farm house, Heron and two Buzzards overhead one bird was a distinctly pale / white morph.

Pied Wagtail taking food to a nest in the stables.

Lots of Southern Marsh Orchids in flower in the very crowded Warren today but very disappointing that I found a high number in the reserve had been plucked and discarded. A White-point moth was the highlight of  a quiet Monday night in the moth-trap in the village.

White-point                                              Southern Marsh Orchid

Pretty quiet but I managed: 3 Wheatears, 2 Reed Warblers, 4 Sedge Warblers, 8 Small Pear-bordered Fritillaries & 2 Fox cubs.

unusual record of a Fulmar circling boat cove, Dawlish then flying north inland over house after a strange tremor off shore which rumbled the house slightly. Lot's of military activity today, which maybe connected

Nothing much to talk about in this area, meadow pipits, skylarks, Willow warblers, plenty of stonechats, no cuckoo's heard

Red kite seen over the houses by our neighbour this morning. 2 large red damselflies in tandem in our pond, also a leucistic palmate newt.

sedge warblers,blackcap,whitethroat,linnets,greenfinch,swallows swift and house martins,in good numbers,little grebe, 14 dunlin,and 1 broad bodied chaser.Stunning day.

Linnet.                    House Martin.                          Broad bodied chaser.

Redstart:  8 singing males on edge of oak woods Dewerstone

Tree Pipit: 3 singing males

Pied Flycatcher: 1 singing male Dewerstone (first I have had here since 1998.

Wheatear:  one male on territory.

Green Woodpecker: 2

Reed Bunting:  a singing male in low gorse and grass moor on top of Wigford Down.

Cuckoo: one alling

A fresh Elephant Hawk Moth ,from last night' catch

Elephant Hawk Moth.

Ringed Dartford Warbler photographed yesterday on the East Devon commons left leg pale green over white and right leg yellow over its BTO ring, no doubt someone in DB's will be the ringer.

Four possibly five Dartford Warblers seen, Skylark, Linnet, Stonechat, Meadow Pipit, Green and Goldfinch and good views of a Green Woodpecker in flight.

An evening walk along the Bala Brook above South Brent gave three Cuckoo, numerous Yellow Hammer, Meadow Pipit and Stonechat. Several Swallow, Four Mistle Thrush and a Song Thrush with a beak of worms.

This morning over Great Torrington town centre I spotted a swallow and 2 swifts.

Parked at Shipley Bridge car park and walked beside the River Avontowards Avon Dam. Had some good  views of a cuckoo flying low over the slope to west of River Avon halfway between the car park and the dam. It flew from tree to tree calling as it landed and eventually flew low over our heads to cross the valley. My photo is awful but just identifiable by profile of bird and length of tail. Bird was perching a mile away at this point.

Distant view of cuckoo

Feeding time at ‘The Byes’ Sidmouth 

Female Blackcap                         Dunnock

Eds: The Dunnock is actually a female House Sparrow

Walked all the way to the estuary this morning down the east bank of the Caen. Not much to report - a couple of Whitethroats and a female Wheatear the highlights.

Not much bird life around the marsh but a Fox showed yesterday over by Chivenor.

The feeders are up and running again, sadly two at the hide have been stolen.

This morning at the Lake.

4 Willow Tit, 2 Treecreeper, 1m Blackcap, 1 Long-tailed Tit, 2 Coal Tit, 1m Tufted Duck, plenty of Swallows and House Martins.

Pearl-bordered Fritillary; also singing Tree Pipit, Siskin & Green Woodpecker.

Pearl-bordered Fritillary

My sightings over the last couple of months include:-

Cuckoo (very rare here) 

24+ Whimbrels

2+ Common Sandpipers

1 Black- & 3 Bar-tailed Godwits

3+ Dunlins

2 Snipe

Jack Snipe

6 Sand Martins

Green & Great Spotted Woodpeckers 

9+ Wheatears

13+ Stock Doves

Singing Sedge & Willow Warblers (& Reed Warbler just outside the boundary)

Whitethroat

A pair of Stonechats

Goosander (redhead)

Red-crested Pochard (female)

9+ Mandarin Ducks

Mediterranean Gull (2nd calendar year)

& 14 Roe Deer.

Three birds seen together chasing each other around. At least two churring birds. Yesterday evening between 2100 and 2200 hrs 

Saw the my first swifts of the year yesterday, high up over Harford.

Sparrowhawk in relative's garden - Knowstone, N Devon

Fly-by at 21.25, then three brief bouts of churring (2 birds?) and a fly-over between 21.30-22.00

Fledglings around the garden 

Pied Wagtail

From Saturday on Trendlebere down.

Two birds, on the Dart near Dittisham this afternoon.

The pair of Grey Wagtails which unexpectedly nested by our porch and entertained us during the lockdown with their acrobatic feeding antics over the stream through our garden fledged a pair of young on Saturday. They hung around the garden yesterday but have now disappeared altogether. We’ll miss them!

Approach road to Fernworthy. 10 pairs of Stonechat, 4 Linnet, 1 drab coloured Willow Warbler and a brighter friend, 4 Mallard overhead (towards the reservoir), 3 Siskin in conifers, a pair of Grey Wagtail and a Green Woodpecker. Beautiful walk.

Greenland Wheatear female on Bolt Head.

Non-avian: 18 Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary.

Another walk around holdstone down saw less than half the amount of birds compared to yesterday.  Linnet, skylark, meadow pipit and a singular redstart. 

Redstart                        Linnet                           Skylark

Pleasantly quiet and sunny.   c. 50 Swallows,  25 Sand Martins, 4 Blackcaps, 5 Chiffchaffs, 3 Willow Warblers, 1 Garden Warbler, 4 Wrens, pair of Great Crested Grebes, 1 male Tufted Duck, several Mallards,1 Grey Heron over..  At least 9 Rooks attending the nearby rookery busy nest building/repairing.

Harvey Kendall..

Took my camera for another walk, this time from Yelland to Instow. Got some shot of a Sedge Warbler in the evening sun and a Blackcap later on in poor light. Heard two Cuckoos calling and a Whitethroat close to the Sedge Warbler.  A Stoat ran out of the hedge and stopped dead in the middle of the path about 3-4 metres from me but ran off into the bushes as soon as I tried to turn my camera around. Nice to see it though! 

Sedge Warbler                     Sedge Warbler                   Blackcap

GS woodpecker,cuckoo, stonechat pairs,willow warblers

After a really quiet week, when it was beginning to feel as if migration might already be petering out for the season, this morning saw by far my best visible passage of Swallows for the whole spring. Between 05.35 and 08.30, just over 750 flew W or NW past Rillage Point. By contrast, there were few House Martins (just 33) and no Swifts at all, making this quite an odd day for the second half of May. It certainly looks as if a good proportion of Swallows have been held up by conditions further south, so if you haven't got your usual birds back yet, don't give up hope! Fingers crossed it also means that there are plenty of martins & Swifts still to arrive.

Late news for yesterday a relative asked me to identify some birds she saw while walking over the moors at Ringmore Downs. What a surprise to see two dotterel in the photo. She watched 3 to 4 individuals displaying all their usual lack of concern while she took photos walking a few meters ahead of her. Not that I'm jealous at all !

A slightly better moth night last night but still far fewer species than one might expect for mid-May. Only Shuttle-shaped Dart and Treble Lines in any numbers but a few singles of other species including this Figure of Eighty and an a micro moth that I cannot identify (possibly Aethes sp but very early for most likely species). Any guesses on i.d. would be welcome. The colouring on the image is accurate and the moth was just 9mm in length.

 
Figure of Eighty                    Mystery moth

Beautiful afternoon on Aylesbeare Common. Dartford Warbler, many pairs of Stonechat, and Linnets all showed well. Also saw a Willow Warbler (and heard several). 

Still two Purple Sandpipers ( plus two Turnstone ) on Haldon Jetty, Torquay

A 9.30am ish walk around holdstone down saw many skylark, meadow pipit, bullfinch, and many what appeared to me to be different types of warbler not including whitethroat and many small flocks of linnet in different areas around  the Moor. 

Linnet                 Meadow Pipit and linnet                Linnet

Early morning walk out from Shipley bridge car park onto the moors via the WTW and the Bala Brook.

Two Cuckoo in the Bala brook valley and three near Black Tor, numerous Yellow Hammer, Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Willow Warbler, Stonechat including a pair with fledged youngsters. Mistle and Song Thrush a handful of Swallows only surprise was seeing a male Pied Flycatcher.

Forty plus Herring Gull feeding on the moor and one GBBG.

Back home at South Brent a Green Woodpecker and a high flying Peregrine.

Another Tawny owl chick brought in having been found in the road at Bovey Tracy.

Local photographer Tony Green just caught this Long-tailed Skua flying over him in Clennon Valley yesterday morning at 10am - a new site record and a fantastic sighting! 

Tawny Owl hunting in daylight this morning and Garden Warbler singing this afternoon. Both a couple of hundred meters from Cully Higher Street. Nice.

No sign of the or indeed any other Yellow Wagtails this morning. Consensus is it is probably a hybrid of Flava x Thunbergii.

Several each of Sand and House Martin, Swallow and Swift around the marsh.

Yesterday at about 3.15 pm had many sightings of two cuckoos flying and in the trees at Emsworthy reserve

Swallows and House Martins around the house yesterday.

Late yesterday evening. Female goosander with eight tiny goosanderlings River Teign, Dunsford wood. Unfortunately too dark for a photo.

Another photo  taken during my walk yesterday of a Whitethroat.

Whitethroat

Wigford Down gave good numbers of typical moorland species, Stonechat, Linnet, Meadow Pipit and Skylark, with Kestrel, Buzzard and Raven, heard but didn't see Cuckoo.  It was harder in the woods but Great Spotted Woodpecker and a pair of hole nesting Pied Flycatchers were the best.  Back at Cadover were Sand Martins posing on a fence.

Some other (poor) pics of the Yellow Wagtail - some doubt about the identity as Blue-headed....

Eds - although the white mark below the eye does not appear to be particularly well developed on this individual, it looks good for Blue-headed. A combination of the dark blue-grey head, white supercillium and yellow throat are good features.

Race of Yellow Wagtail?

Whilst out at Hennock Reservoirs this evening checking for nightjar one the clearfell (2 heard churning) I could hear a cuckoo calling over towards Blackingstone rock at about 9pm. 

Took my camera for a walk around Morte Point today and got some photos of a Whitethroat, a Rock Pipit, and two Grey Seals. One Guillemot, two Shags, a Cormorant and a few Gannets far out to sea.

Whitethroat                                           Rock Pipit                       Grey Seal

Mill Farm, Powderham 20 plus House Martin, a RL Partridge, three Song Thrush looked like a pair with a youngster, Whitethroat in full song.

Powderham heronry a nest with three well grown young visible from the road.

Brief drive down to Exminster Marsh, Cetti's, Sedge and Willow Warblers, very surprised to hear a Cuckoo calling, single Lapwing and a Mallard duck with 10 ducklings.

Over the Yarner as earlier post good number of Pied Flycatchers, very distant Cuckoo calling and two very vocal Garden Warbler.

At last after at least 25 walks around the marsh just recently, tonight, with Andy Lansdell we found this Blue-headed Yellow Wagtail.

Blue-headed Yellow Wagtail

Still six Shelducklings on Greylake managing to avoid disturbances from dog walkers and visitors.

around 20 ringneck parakeet 8pm barn park entrance many blue juvenile and the unusual bright yellow juvenile still with the group

Two trips to WP today to look for the Woodchat shrike which seems to have moved on. Gutted not to have seen this bird right on my doorstep. However, probably saw the most Whitethroats and Stonechats than on any other occasion. Distant views of a Gannet off Langdon beach and a willow warbler in the brambles in between the pines north of the radar station. 

Yarner: Stacks of Pied Flys; Redstart in song; 20+ Siskin, 2 Garden Warbler. non-avian: 2 Pearl-bordered Fritillary & 16 Brimstone.

Emsworthy Mire: 6 Cuckoos (5m 1f) flying around and calling madly; cracking view of singing male Redstart; 5 singing Willow Warbler; Tree Pipit.

Not as exciting as some recent posts, but 2 Chudleigh ticks for me on our morning walk. A Kingfisher flashed past near Watercress Ponds and a Whitethroat singing and briefly perched on overhead wires on the road back to Chudleigh from Kerswell.

A nice Reed Warbler with right leg ringed and carrying nesting material. Taken with my cheap bridge camera from about 50 ft away.  Otherwise no great excitement.  Two birders (new faces to me) asked if I had seen the 13 Bee-eaters which had evidently been reported yesterday on Bird Guides and on Devon Wildlife Sightings website. This was news to me.....  wish people would put their sightings here and in good time! Rant over.

Cetti's and Reed Warblers seen as well as a wonderful male Linnet. Forgot to reach for camera in excitement.

13 Bee-eaters came out from roost at 640am this morning from trees close to White Bridge on the Otter and landed distantly in trees at South Farm near Budleigh Salterton. They then flew south towards the coast at 750am and gone.

Bee-eater

Bee-eater

Bee-eater

Yesterday at about 3.15 pm had many sightings of two cuckoos flying and in the trees at Emsworthy reserve.

Near Axminster, arrived on Wednesday and all day Thursday, spent early morning calling,  Friday morning he had gone.

Quail singing intermittently this morning in large grassland field to the north of the row of five houses.

Little Bittern showing well at Radford Lake early yesterday afternoon. I didn't realise it was so small compared to the Little Egret in the middle pic.

Little Bittern, Little Egret and Little Bittern, Little Bittern

Little Bitterns showing well at Radford Lake early afternoon. I didn't realise they were so small compared to the Little Egret in middle pic.

Barred Grass snake in pond near Ugborough Devon this afternoon

Barred Grass Snake

Libbaton golf course  Burrington wonderful view of a Hoopoe on the ground and in flight. Gave us a great view of its crest. Great sight only ever seen them in France .

Little Bittern at Radford Plymouth this afternoon

Little Bittern

Red Kite over the garden, a pale individual.

This afternoon there was a pair of Shelduck on Greylake with six new ducklings.

cuckoo

Cuckoo

2 cuckoos heard only one seen constantly moving harassed by meadow pipits, willow warbler in trees/bushes along wall quite close to car park.

Willow Warbler

Walking along tramlines carrying out Skylark breeding surveys early this morning, flushed a Stone Curlew from an open space in a field of winter wheat. Bird circled me for c.3 mins then flew off east!

Note_ Soar car parks now open. Off to Dartmoor tomorrow!

Cream Spot Tiger from earlier post.

Cream Spot Tiger.

Just 4 species of moth caught overnight ,including a Cream Spot Tiger.

7+ Bee-eaters were briefly in my garden in Drakes Avenue, Exmouth from 10am. 7 were seen together and as they flew off east six appeared from behind the oak tree they had been favouring, so possibly 13 in total. Regrettably no further sign by late afternoon.

Little Bittern showing well on the lake, and a Cormorant with having a fight with dinner

On our return from Sherpa Marsh spotted a semi leucistic Jackdaw amongst a flock of about 20 foraging the night ride line along the tidal River Caen.

Semi leucistic Jackdaw on the Caen River at Velator

A walk around Sherpa Marsh this morning produced four common Swift, numerous sand martin and barn swallows, heard several Cettis and sedge warblers. Two Reed bunting, six little egret and the star of the show a beautiful male Peregrine falcon came from the south & continued over the marsh last seen heading north. Image attached purely as a record shot, out of focus & extremely cropped :(

Peregrine falcon record image

First real birding outing for a while, up at five off to Yarner Woods. Only 6 degrees but lovely weather, target birds seen, Spotted and Pied Flycatcher's, Redstart, Garden Warbler.

Had a call to say a very rare Little Bittern had been seen at Radford Lake in Plymouth so back to Plymouth. Had good views, news of a Woodchat Shrike was at Wembury Point

Returning to perch with Bee     What a bonus , local rarity    Quick retreat, close encounter with human's