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.

Four Mediterranean Gulls at Marine Parade, Paignton on this mornings high tide, two ringed birds, one an adult seen in Torbay on a regular basis green ring RLN4 the second ringed bird one of this years yellow ring APUE from details on its metal tag ring possibly a French bird.

Yesterday's 2 juvenile Wheatears still in the same location , and today with an Ad.f / 1st.Yr. f . m. individual . Given the date, possibly they have bred locally.

The swifts in Torrirngton seemed to disappear since my last report on 25 June. In the last few days they've been around again and this morning I was thrilled to see 9 over the town centre. Also 6 house martins, they are group-inspecting eaves as if teaching the youngsters where good nest sites are. 1 swallow

Lovely to see my first spotted flycatcher of the summer  on a early evening stroll around saltram also green woodpecker and missile thrush 

This morning at the lake

2 Mute Swan, 2 Chiffchaff, 3 Willow Tit, 1 Grey Wagtail, 5 Blue Tit, 3 Treecreeper, 4 Long-tailed Tit, 4 Buzzards over, 1 Coal Tit, 4 Chaffinch, 1 Willow Warbler.

A cycle ride produced 2 Crossbills (just south of Bickleigh), 3 Peregrines around the Cann Quarry nest site, 2 Marsh Tits, a few Siskins, 5 Silver-washed Fritillaries & a Brimstone.

Found this young one on the floor a few days ago.must have fallen out from under the eaves so I put him/her back in the nest and watched to make sure the parents were still in attendance.i now check every day to  make sure nothing else has fallen out.we are just outside Okehampton 

11:35

Garganey on the lagoon.

2 Wheatears on the sea defence boulders ,both still in juvenile plumage.

On this mornings high tide the following were seen.

Curlew 38, Redshank 91, Greenshank 3, Whimbrel 1, Dunlin 1, Common Sandpiper 6, Kingfisher 1, Stonechat 1 juv, Whitethroat 2, G Woodpecker 2 and 8 Stock Dove.

Nipped out to Yelland and Instow this afternoon,

Marbled White

Linnet

Pied Wagtail

Popped out this morning to Valley of the Rocks and got photos of goats, a Buzzard flying over the sea and a Wheatear feeding around some stones.

Buzzard

Wheatear

Juvenile Stonechat

Garden tick: juvdnile redstart, streaked breast, reddish tail, flicking tail vigorouslyfor 2-3 mins, 1740 this evening

Wood Sandpiper still present this evening, 2 Green Sandpipers and great views of the female Marsh Harrier

1000-1530 :

12 Mediterranean gull with fading summer plumage, 6 Dunlin, 1 Whimbrel, 6 Whitethroat, 2 Blackcap (1m, 1f) 4 Chiffchaff in the scrub, 2 Skylark. Red admiral, Marbled white, Gatekeeper butterflies. 1 Grey seal.

A low tide visit this afternoon, focusing on the land, produced: 2 Spotted Flycatchers, a male & 2 juv Stonechats, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Whitethroat, 2 Roe Deer fawns, 8 Marbled Whites & 35 Gatekeepers.

14.00

Single Dunlin sharing the beach with a decent crowd of paddlers and bathers! 

A mixed flock of 4 Sanderling and 3 Dunlin on the beach this morning.

2 Sanderling(left), 3 Dunlin(centre) and 2 Sanderling(right).

Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull on Blaxton Meadow (unfortunately, appeared to be tangled in fishing line), 3 Greenshanks, 2 Common Sandpipers, 4 juv & an adult Shelduck, adult Mediterranean Gull & Green Woodpecker.

A Knot in Charleton Bay this evening

More from my outing.

Dunnock

Marbled White

Orchid

Out on my trotters again today this time around Yelland and Instow.  Saw the following: 4 Oyster Catchers, 1 Curlew, 2 Reed Warblers, 2 Mute Swans, 2 Stonechats, 1 Dunnock, 2 Sedge Warblers, 3 Marbled White and a few Orchids.

Stonechat

Sedge Warbler

Sedge Warbler

A flock of c600 Gulls loafing on the salt marsh at high tide, mainly Black-headed Gulls but including 166 Mediterranean Gulls of which 31 were juvs a record number for me at this site. Only 8 Herring Gulls, 1 Common Gull and 1 Sandwich Tern. The only waders were 8 Oystercatche and a Redshanks.

07:52 - 10:04

Little Ringed Plover x4, Greenshank, Redshank, Common Sandpiper, Black-tailed Godwit x9, Reed & Sedge Warbler. Roe in field (1 buck, 1 doe).

On and over the Marsh this morning, female Marsh Harrier, Wood Sandpiper, I green Sandpiper, 12 Little Egrets, Snow Goose, and moderate numbers of Swallows, House Martins and a few Swifts

2 Peregrines, Sparrowhawk, 2 Green Woodpeckers, juv Stonechat, Whitethroat, 2 Common Sandpipers, 2 Greenshanks, still 4 juv Shelducks & an adult Mediterranean Gull.

At least 80 Med Gull ( all ages ) and 2 adult Arctic Terns on the beach about 300 metres north of Torcross this morning.

On walk to work this morning 30 little egrets and 2 green sandpipers on Matford marsh 

Took a walk along the Tavy from Lopwell Dam to Maristow Quay checking for waders. Party of four Common Sandpipers by Lopwel - two adults with two juvs.

Honey Buzzard being harried by Lesser-black backed Gull and Herring Gulls at Shoalston Point then continued west following shoreline towards Brixham at 12.35 today. This bird was fairly dark and lacked obvious trailing edge to underwing, barring not distinct so would suggest a female.

An adult Redshank at Torcross end of Slapton Ley this morning,  presume must be pretty uncommon here.

A scan for an hour around mid-day produced 9 Cattle Egrets (6 ads. and 3 juvs.), 2 Mediterranean Gulls, 2 Kestrels (ad. m. passing a food item to a juv.), and singles of Wigeon (with a broken wing), Shoveler, Snow Goose, and Green and Common Sandpipers.

A really good night's mothing last night, for variety rather than numbers, particularly between 10pm and midnight. The Barred Straw was the first moth into the trap but most species were happy just sitting on the wall nearby, where I almost overlooked this intricate little Twenty Plumed Moth.

Barred Straw

Twenty Plumed Moth

Evening before last I bumped into a birder who had watched a Common Scoter diving for, catching and eating small crabs near the Barnstaple downstream bridge on Monday. Sadly gone the next day.

Spectacular gathering of gulls in the estuary mouth this morning. An estimated 2000+ Herring Gull. An hour or so spent on Exmouth Quay, watching the chaos, produced at least 1 juv Yellow-legged Gull, c20+ Mediterranean Gull, 5 Common Tern, c10/20+ Sandwich Tern and good numbers of Black-headed Gull. In addition, a flock of 10 Cattle Egret flew past and upriver at 0755 and shortly after, a Tufted Duck. Photos on the blog later.

Although two-a-penny on most estuaries, even in July, Redshank is not even annual on Dartmoor or elsewhere inland in Devon. Thus an adult at the Avon Dam early this morning was a great surprise and a new species for both site and parish. Also present, one Great Crested Grebe, but no other water birds..

Walking the coast path this evening between Strete and Blackpool sands I was amazed to see a stunning male silver pheasant walking towards me. No doubt an escape but i was able to see he had no ring. He seemed oblivious to me until I got out my camera when he promptly went shy and disappeared into the undergrowth by the stream just north of Strete

3 Cattle Egrets on the marsh this afternoon. Also there and along the Tidal Road: 1 Greenshank, 4+ Common Sandpipers, 17 Curlew, 15+ Little Egrets and a Kingfisher.

Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull, 2nd-s Mediterranean Gull, 2 Peregrines, Whitethroat, Kestrel, Shag & 2 Roe Deer.

5 mute swans, 3 which were cygnets. An occupied nest of great crested grebes, 50 mallards,10 coots,5 great tits,1 blue tit,1 grey heron,3 mandarin ducks,1 stock dove,1 woodpigeon,1 moorhen,2 herring gull,1 kingfisher,2 carrion crow,1 coal tit,1 blackbird,2 robins,1 dunnock and 2 chaffinch.