Please do not post any information about scarce or rare breeding species. They may be vulnerable to persecution or disturbance.
The exception is information on these species at well known sites (e.g. Broadsands for Cirl Bunting and Aylesbeare for Dartford Warbler) or birds which are obvious migrants away from breeding sites.
If in any doubut, please don't post but report your sighting to the county recorder asap. Site editors cannot commit to editing posts which breach these guidelines, and the whole post may be removed or not admitted.
Further details can be found in the link below, but note, Wood Warbler is now also included as a scarce breeder:-
https://www.devonbirds.org/news/bird_news/rare_breeding_species
Posted April 15th at 3:02 pm by Pete Aley in Bird News
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Posted October 10th, 2016 at 9:14 am in Bird News
Tuesday 7th July 2020
at least 25 ?common scoter in a ragged line offshore Sidmouth seafront this afternoon about 3pm
Posted July 7th, 2020 at 9:55 pm by Richard Ellison in Bird News
Four Whinchats with two young today at Firth bridge area

Posted July 7th, 2020 at 8:31 pm by Chris Buckland in Bird News
30-40 Mistle Thrushes , inc. many juveniles, feeding in bracken above Moor Farm, Throwleigh. Accompanied by similar number of blackbirds and a family of G-S woodpeckers. Always a good area for Mistles, seems to have been a very successful breeding season.
Posted July 7th, 2020 at 7:47 pm by Nick Walter in Bird News
Sea Holly, Skylark & Fragrant Orchid.



Posted July 7th, 2020 at 7:35 pm by Rob Jutsum in Other Wildlife
75 Common Scoter south past Torcross this morning.
Posted July 7th, 2020 at 5:56 pm by Steve Wadsworth in Bird News
East and Mid Devon members may recall that we jointly commenced a survey of NT farmland earlier this year and that this came to a halt due to the pandemic. The NT staff were mostly furloughed but I have visited the farm twice recently and made some observations of the birdlife so that this season is not lost totally. I was pleased to find a pair of Spotted Flycatchers and a very vocal Sedge Warbler in the woodland section. To date we have over 50 species counted. It is to be hoped that we may be able to restart the survey and others at some time in the future. The below pictures show the woodland section and the damp meadow where the above birds were present. Very different pictures to how we found it in the winter.



Posted July 7th, 2020 at 4:47 pm by Jonathan Ruscoe in Bird News
Monday 6th July 2020
Tufted Duck with 2 x 1/4 juvs, Great-crested Grebe with 3x 3/4 juvs Stokeley Bay, 1 Little Egret, commoner in Yorkshire, 5 Cetti's Warblers.
Posted July 6th, 2020 at 3:51 pm by Steve Wadsworth in Bird News
Garden wildlife today.

Heron and Great-spotted Woodpecker feeding.
Posted July 6th, 2020 at 2:48 pm by Margaret Phillips in Bird News
Hobby hunting hirundines - unsuccessfully this morning.
Posted July 6th, 2020 at 11:47 am by Rob Macklin in Bird News
Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull at Passage House late morning.

Posted July 6th, 2020 at 11:34 am by Will Salmon in Bird News
Unringed Roseate Tern on the beach at 07:30 this morning with two Sandwich Terns, a Mediterranean Gull and a Black-headed Gull.

Posted July 6th, 2020 at 11:21 am by Will Salmon in Bird News
11 Crossbills flew west at 8.45am
Posted July 6th, 2020 at 9:58 am by Roger White in Bird News
Sunday 5th July 2020
This morning at the lake
1 Kingfisher, 5 Jays looks to be a family, 2 Mute Swan, 1 Grey Wagtail.
Posted July 5th, 2020 at 7:20 pm by Rod Mudge in Bird News
A male Stonechat with a juv, Green Woodpecker, 47 Redshanks, 27 Curlews, 7 Little Egrets & 2 Roe Deer.
Posted July 5th, 2020 at 6:58 pm by Pete Aley in Bird News
From the hide over the high tide (7am-9.15am)- 4 adult Roseate Terns (3 metal Ringed), Fs Arctic Tern, 10 Common Terns (inc 1 fs), 5 Sandwich Terns and 20+ Med Gulls showing well on the posts on the island.
Posted July 5th, 2020 at 11:01 am by Mark Bailey in Bird News
Saturday 4th July 2020
Another productive walk this afternoon with a juvenile Little Gull being both a surprise and star bird. The Mediterranean Gull was still present along with a Little Egret, 4 Oystercatchers, 3 Shags, a number of Black Headed Gulls, a couple of Great Black Back Gulls and at one point several hundred Herring Gulls.
Posted July 4th, 2020 at 5:56 pm by Stephen Huggins in Bird News
Combined totals with other observers (to 14.30): Balearic Shearwater 222 & Manx Shearwater 380. Also: 52 Common Scoters, 2 Bonxies, Arctic Skua, 5 Mediterranean Gulls, Sandwich Tern & 3 Harbour Porpoises.
Posted July 4th, 2020 at 5:55 pm by Pete Aley in Bird News
Persistent Heron in by the reserve pond must be finding something there! Still a few singing Reed Warblers and the Grebes seem to be peaceful today. Around Sherpa Marsh good numbers of House Martins, several Swifts and a few Sand Martins. No Swallows. 19 Swans plus a female with three very recently hatched cygnets. a lone drake Tufted Duck the only Duck of note. A lone Black-tailed Godwit just outside the reserve near the scrape. Back home an adult male Sparrowhawk in the garden unsuccessfully chased a Blackbird. Still a Blackcap singing on a daily basis.
Posted July 4th, 2020 at 3:42 pm by Jon Turner in Bird News
Friday 3rd July 2020
The Exe estuary resident Slavonian grebe gave good views just off Cockwood harbour bridge early yesterday afternoon. Would have been a lot closer if it hadn't swum out to avoid a dinghy coming into the harbour!

Slavonian grebe
Posted July 3rd, 2020 at 5:12 pm by Chris Proctor in Bird News
A low tide visit, so wader numbers lower than Martin's this morning, but in addition - Green Woodpecker, 2nd-summer Mediterranean Gull, & 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers.
Posted July 3rd, 2020 at 4:49 pm by Pete Aley in Bird News
Little Grebes. A couple of weeks ago was the last time I saw an adult Little Grebe on the pond in the reserve. The 2 juveniles seem to be doing just fine feeding well and growing into pretty much full size now. Today when I arrived I thought heard a Grebe trilling and then saw 2 Grebes, one of which morphed into an adult when I got a better view. He (presumably) then started giving the juveniles a right run around chasing them everywhere. Does this mean another brood is imminent? Where's he been for 2 weeks? Shouldn't be down the pub - they're all closed!
A few weeks back I put up a long perch nailed to a tree trunk which reaches out about 15 feet over the pond. It's designed for Kingfishers. So a bit frustrating to have a juvenile Heron landing on it! Today, however a Kingfisher did land on it but the resulting photos weren't worth sharing. Will try harder next time.
Posted July 3rd, 2020 at 2:13 pm by Jon Turner in Bird News
A brief lunchtime visit produced a Great Crested Grebe and 18 Crossbill.
Posted July 3rd, 2020 at 1:16 pm by Martin Phillips in Bird News
Kittewake colony on Straight Point (Sandy Bay) is thriving. Difficult to count the birds as they are both flying en masse and visiting the nests, but estimate at least 400+. Between 180 & 200 nests with one or two fledglings on some and many still incubating. This is as good as we've seen it over the last 8 years.
Photos by Derek Carter

Part of the colony


Posted July 3rd, 2020 at 1:15 pm by Rupert Ormerod in Bird News
On this mornings high tide wader numbers have increased. 35 Curlew, 51 Redshank, 1 Greenshank, 9 Common Sandpipers and a Kingfisher.
Posted July 3rd, 2020 at 9:47 am by Martin Phillips in Bird News
Lower Tamar Lake.
9 Willow Tit, c25 Swifts, c20 House Martin, 4 Swallow, 2 Collared Doves, 2 Mute Swan, 17 Great Tit, 23 Blue Tit, 9 Coal Tit, 20 Chaffinch, 3 Great Crested Grebe.
Posted July 3rd, 2020 at 8:48 am by Rod Mudge in Bird News
Thursday 2nd July 2020
Curlews creeping up in number - now 24 on Blaxton Meadow. Also, Common Sandpiper, 2nd-s Mediterranean Gull, Mallard with at least 8 small ducklings & 6 Roe Deer.
Posted July 2nd, 2020 at 7:37 pm by Pete Aley in Bird News
14:56 - 16:58
Greenshank x5; Curlew x60+; Black-tailed Godwit x18; Shelduck pair with 2 chicks were the highlights.
Posted July 2nd, 2020 at 5:50 pm by Paul Bray in Bird News
Long distance shot of a Cuckoo at Stover lake, taken from the hide to the opposite bank, not a good shot but a record shot, Kingfisher seen hovering, and 2 Great Crested Grebes making a nest

Posted July 2nd, 2020 at 4:37 pm by Greg Bradbury in Bird News
First large movement of outgoing Swifts with 240 moving SW across the farm this morning
Posted July 2nd, 2020 at 2:26 pm by Rob Macklin in Bird News
Sand Wasp (Ammophila) & Dark Green Fritillary present.


Posted July 2nd, 2020 at 12:37 pm by Rob Jutsum in Other Wildlife
Wednesday 1st July 2020
Several House Martins swooping low over the beach, good numbers of House Sparrows, a calling Greenfinch, about half a dozen Shags and a solitary Mediterranean Gull.
Posted July 1st, 2020 at 10:47 pm by Stephen Huggins in Bird News
Kingfisher, 2 Common Sandpipers, 3 Mediterranean Gulls (2 1st-summers & a 2nd-summer), Shag, 16 Mandarin Ducks, Mallard with 10 tiny ducklings, Green Woodpecker & 6 Roe Deer.
Posted July 1st, 2020 at 10:14 pm by Pete Aley in Bird News
This comma obliged by staying put for several minutes whlst I took a few shots. The setting and lighting were perfect, showing the beauty of this little creature. Fantastic.

Comma on euphorbia

Comm on euphorbia
Posted July 1st, 2020 at 7:51 pm by Philip L. Fairclough in Other Wildlife
I'm very sad to announce that Robin Khan died yesterday at the age of 86. Robin was a stalwart of DBWPS and will be greatly missed.

Posted July 1st, 2020 at 10:10 am by Mark Darlaston in Bird News