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.

Cadover Bridge this morning, 2 Goosander, many Sandmartins, Grey Wagtails, Meadow Pipits,Stonechats, Mallards and a solitary Raven, Yesterday there were 6 on the river before the crowds arrived. 

As disappointing as most of the south coast today, despite the strong winds, presumably due to too clear conditions: 31 Balearic, 163 Manx & 3 (probably more in distance) large Shearwater sp; Bonxie, 7 Arctic & 3 Skua sp; 13 Common, 4 Arctic, 4 Sandwich & 11 Commic Terns; 3 Storm Petrels; ad Mediterranean Gull; 4 Whimbrels; 8 Common Dolphins & 3 Harbour Porpoises.

Tawny Owl calling as I arrived.

Sightings for Lower Tamar Lake this morning.

3 Willow Tit, 2 Marsh Tit, 3 Great Crested Grebe, 34 Mallard, 5 Coot, 2m Tufted Duck, 25 Blue Tit, 7 Coal Tit, 4 Great Tit, 2 Nuthatch, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Robin, 1 Grey Heron,  4 Chaffinch.

Good views of a red throated diver just a few metres offshore.. At one stage almost washed onto beach by surf. It recovered and swam out and continued fishing and appeared to be ok.

20th Aug 2020, Little Stint at Blackhole Marsh. Please keep board walk hide as is. It is much more user friendly without the dividing panel, put windows back in when appropriate of course.

Staying together is the art of survival!!!!!

Relax once more

Good views for sometime today of the melodious warbler, as you can see in the picture it has a damaged eye but still managing to feed, go to my blog for this and other stuff http://www.simonthurgoodimages.co.uk/blog.asp

Melodious Warbler

The Little Stint still around in a flock of 40+ Dunlins; also Peregrine, Kingfisher & 3 Common Sandpipers. 

Lots of waders close up on high tide seaweed incl 5+ sanderling, 10+ dunlin, 10+ turnstone and 4+ ringed plover plus 3+ Med gulls and 50+ black-headed gulls. Lovely to see the beach being used by birds.

In the pouring rain: 2 Spoonbills, Knot, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits, Common Sandpiper & 3 Whimbrels among larger numbers of Black-tailed Godwits, Redshanks, Dunlins & Curlews.

In the evening, 2 Swifts over Colyton.

Migrants at Moorwell Pond this morning were,8 Willow Warblers,9 Chiffchaffs. 1 Blackcap ,1 GardenWarbler. 1Sedge Warbler and 1 Reed Warbler.

Bowling Green Marsh today 2 Spoonbill, Green Sand, 2 Common Sand, 3 Knot, 650 Blackwit, 1 Barwit, 285 Curlew, 11 Whimbrel, 420 Redshank, 14 Greenshank, 150 Dunlin & 7 Swift. 

Riverside Country Park nothing of real note. 

Morning walk to Turf. 3 yellow wagtails, all juvs. in a field next to Station Road. An osprey caught a grey mullet off the Turf. Otherwise quiet.

In the river at Velator on arrival 2 Grey Wagtails and a Kingfisher. In the reserve another KIngfisher, and 7 Moorhens with the 2 remaining young from the first brood helping with feeding the 3 young from the second brood.

On the way home along the Tarka Trail just North of Caen St School this Beautiful Demoiselle perched long enough to get a shot or two.

Beautiful Demoiselle.

Spoonbill (2), Greenshank (13), Knot (I found 1 but reported to be 3), big numbers of Redshank, Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit were the highlights for me this morning.

Please note,face coverings are to be worn in the hide now.

On the scrape from Gaya trust hide , Adult Spoonbill , 2 Little Egrets , 4 Shoveler , 3 Teal , 11 Black tailed Godwits , 4 Redshank.   Also a report of a Great Egret Seen yesterday on Saltpill pond , I checked but no sign.....

Like most birds on migration, Sedge Warblers are scarcer inland than on the coast, or just harder to find, so I was pleased with two at Long-a-Traw, below the Avon Dam, two days ago and another there this morning. These are the first here since 2017, though I suspect annual as they occurred in  each of the three years before that. Scarce on Dartmoor, with no records in 2018 and only two in 2019 unless the ringers caught some. Also single brownhead Goosander roosting on the reservoir (out at 0620), two imm Cormorants on the dam parapet and a Pied Fly above Shipley.

Sedge Warbler, Avon Dam, 20 Aug 2020

Late entry for yesterday evening, now 15 Turnstones have arrived back.

Good year for Grass Snakes in N.Devon & this one a big one measuring over an estimated 4 feet in length.

Seawatching 06:00-18:00 day totals (many obs):

2 Great Shearwaters, 2 Sooty Shearwaters, 78 Balearic Shearwaters, 688 Manx Shearwaters, imm Pomarine Skua, 12 Arctic Skuas, 1 Pom or Arctic Skua, 4 Bonxie, Common Tern, Arctic Tern, 5 Sandwich Terns,17 Common Scoter, c80 Kittiwake (many juvs), 2 juv Yellow-legged Gulls, Juv Mediterranean Gull, 14 Guillemots, Grey Seal, c10 Harbour Porpoise, c20 Common Dolphin.

This afternoon, no sign of the Cattle Egret (the one in the photo - sorry about site info) the Cattle were too far away behind the marsh reed-beds.

On my way home met a friend who had just been at the scrape opposite Wrafton Pond where they had had very good views of the Spoonbill.

Seawatching 6-10.30am- with ML, MD, DD
2 Great Shearwaters south, 1 at 735am and a closer one at 9am, 38 Balearic Shears, 3 Sandwich terns, Arctic Tern, Common Tern , 2 Bonxies , I juv Y L Gull, 65+ Kittiwakes, 11 Fulmar, 400 Manx Shearwaters, 17 Common Scoter , plus 6+ Common Dolphin, 6-8 Harbour Porpoise. 

       Awful pics but...  Great Shearwater                                    Great Shearwater and Great Skua

Cattle Egret seen late yesterday (about 7.45p.m) just South of the reserve.

Eds - please state location on posts.

Cattle Egret

A Melodious Warbler found by Will S at lunchtime and still showing well on and off behind visitor centre along back path between golf course and main pond mid evening

This mornings boat trip from Brixham out into Lyme Bay was very rewarding. Weather was not very kind with a heavy shower of rain but some good birds sighted. At last we had 2 Storm Petrels, 2 Great Skua, Yellow-legged Gull, 8 Fulmar on the water close to the boat, 30+ Manx Shearwater, 1 very dark looking Shearwater(checking ID),4 Common Tern, Kittiwake, Great black-backed gulls, Herring Gulls and a few Guillemots. Also had 50+ Common Dolphin, 1 Porpoise and 2 Grey seals. Next trip 20th September. If interested call Dave on 07970642354.

A modest sprinkling of migrants this morning: single Sandwich Tern, Whimbrel, Ringed Plover & Dunlin; 8 Wheatears, 6 Whitethroats, 8 Chiffchaffs, 6 Blackcaps & a pair of Sparrowhawks.

A smattering of migrants inc.6 Yellow Wagtail, White Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, 2 Tree Pipit, Wheatear, 3 Willow Warbler & 2 Whitethroat.

As I was passing a gap in the trees looking west, I saw a white bird fly up from Velator harbour and land in amongst the cows. Looking through the bins I could clearly see a Cattle Egret. Closer scrutiny revealed what I think it is a different bird from the one last week, which had a buff patch on it's breast. (see Martin Bond's photo a few days ago) This one is pure white.

Failed in my attempt to find a reported little gull off Hole's Hole, but amongst the 100's of Black-headed Gulls scattered up and down the river was an adult with a yellow ring, "2PAT".

The Little Stint was still present at Blackhole Marsh this morning and showing well. Also present Wood Sandpiper, Ruff and plenty of Dunlin.

Photograph taken by Mark Dobinson

Great photo of the Little Stint taken by Mark Dobinson

A rather brief look on tonight’s high tide produced: 3 ad Mediterranean Gulls, 5 Greenshanks, Dunlin, 3 juv Shelducks, 16 Little Egrets & a Mandarin Duck.

This stunning moth was sheltering in our summerhouse during heavy rain at lunchtime today. 

 
Red Underwing

Flew into tree at the back of Ireland Bay at 11am

Still a lone Wheatear at the Point. 4 Fulmar around. A couple of Gannets way out, and eventually a loose pod of about 8 Dolphins. On the way back down the path we stopped and I had a brief view of about 7 Manx Shearwaters heading North towards the Point (which I couldn't see). What I was really hoping for was a glimpse of the Orcas seen off Stepper Point in Cornwall yesterday…. No such luck.

Hobby flew from estuary direction and over Powderham estate mid-morning. 3 + Greenshank on tideline.

1m Common Scoter & 25 Shags most of them juveniles.

A quiet walk around here today,with very little bird activity at all.there were no meadow pipit's or skylarks, a few stone chat and a few wrens. A single yellow hammer .

Yellow hammer.

Addition’s to Alan’s sightings below: juv Yellow-legged Gull, 2 ad Mediterranean Gulls, 4+ Sandwich Terns, Shag, 2 Dunlins, 2 juv Stonechats & a Green Woodpecker.

This morning on the Tamar:  

32 Black tailed Godwit, some still in summer plumage, with 1 juvenile Knot amongst them. A flock of approx 30 House sparrow in the blackberry bushes, 40+ Goldfinch, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Sparrowhawk, and 1 Common sandpiper on the mud.

Afternoon high tide, Plym estuary / Saltram:

146 Redshank, 4 Greenshank, 34 Curlew,19 Little Egret, 4 Ring necked Parakeet, 3 Common Sandpiper, 1 Kingfisher, and 8 Mandarin (7 Juv's, 1 ad) up river towards Sainsbury's. 

A quiet morning with 2 Swift, 55 Swallow, 2 Wheatear, 7 Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Tree Pipit, 2 Chiffchaff & 20 Stonechat.

Non-avian: Autumn Lady's Tresses - 124 flower spikes ( cattle moved out of field just in time).

Popped out this morning to Fremington Pill.  Not much around, c50 Redshank, three Dunlin, lots of BH gulls and a Little Egret.

           
      Redshank                                                Three Dunlin                          Little Egret

From the Island Hide, the Little Stint, Ruff, Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper and a Snipe along with numbers of Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank, Ringed Plover and Dunlin with a single Turnstone. Also there still a single Sedge Warbler.  At around 5:00pm a juv Water Rail emerged from along the northern reed fringe of the scrape. Swallows and Sand Martins hawked over the water.

Nice little fall of migrant birds today:  4 Whinchats, 12 Wheatears, 4 Willow Warblers, 5 Whitethroat, 2 Blackcap,  5 Chiffchaff, 2 Spotted flycatchers 3 Tree Pipits >W and 2 alba Wagtails.

Also at Broadsands: 1 juvenile Yellow-legged Gull and 2 Mediterranean Gulls 

Misty conditions produced a few migrants: 1 juv Cuckoo in quarry, 8 Willow Warblers, 7 Chiffchaff, 3 Blackcap, 30+ House Martins, 2 Swifts.

At the seawatch point 2-3 Yellow-legged Gulls, 2 Balearic Shearwaters, 5 Mediterranean Gulls 50+ Common Dolphins and 5-6 Harbour Porpoise. 

                                     Yellow-legged Gull juvenile 1                                            Yellow-legged Gull juvenile 2

08:11 - 10:23

Little Stint (1), Ruff (1), Wood Sandpiper (1) along with many Black-tailed  Godwit, Redshank, Dunlin, Ringed Plover as well as Common Sandpiper. 4 Shelduck present too.

This morning at the lake,

2 Kingfisher 1adult 1juv, 5 Great Crested Grebe, 1m Tufted Duck, 2 Coot, 16 Blue Tit, 9 Coal Tit, 1 Black-headed Gull, 3 Willow Tit, 3 Wren, 2 Goldfinch, 3 Great Tit, 2 Grey Wagtail, 2 Long-tailed Tit, 3 Marsh Tit, 5 Chaffinch, 12 Jackdaw, 1 Canada Goose.

2 Dunlins new in & Oystercatchers up to 9. Also: 5 Mediterranean Gulls (4 ad + 2nd-s), 3 Greenshanks, Common Sandpiper, 2 Stock Doves & a Green Woodpecker.

Adult Mediterranean Gull (un-ringed) & an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull with ring “2AU9” which I will submit; both on Blaxton Meadow. Also, 153 Redshanks, 3 Greenshanks, 16 Little Egrets, Common Sandpiper & 2 Roe Deer.

Pair of Redshanks flew down the Exe and settled briefly in shallows just below the weir at 0720. Then flew back up river. Much calling during flight.