Churston Ferrers

Red Kite over my house at churston ferrers near brixham at about 1pm this afternoon, mobbed by gulls and then it returned before heading off west

[from Chris Noakes]

Wembury Odds and Sods

Unseasonal Sand Martin and Whimbrel this morning and a Grey Seal. A pod of about 10 BN Dolphin passed east this evening (2 medium sized calves).

Yesterday in Plymouth, 7 Bombus hypnorum around the University campus with 6 together in the evening.

Dartmoor

A Red Kite was lingering this afternoon around Leedon Tor, viewed from the B3212 between Dousland and Princetown it was still there when I left a couple of hours ago.
Not much else seen in the Burrator area just a couple of Cuckoos and Redstarts. We seem to have lost Wood Warbler and Tree Pipit here unless anyone knows better??

A Red Kite was seen yesterday by Graham Bools over the Mount Gould area of Plymouth. Get on Bosey!!!

Westward Ho! Haunted House to Cornborough Cliffs.

06:20 - 09:00

Being such a brilliant sunrise start to the day, I thought I can`t stay in bed and waste this and
a VERY slow one-way stroll produced:-

29 Common Whitethroat; 31 Jackdaw; 2 Great Tit; 12 Blackbird; 18 Linnet; 5 Goldfinch; 6 Chaffinch; 4 Red-legged Partridge; 31 Blue Tit; 2 Chiffchaff; 6 Stonechat; 1 Lesser Whitethroat; 2 Robin; 1 Pheasant; 1 Yellowhammer; 2 Skylark; 1 Rook; 17 Carrion Crow.
Very little over or on the sea:- 12 Herring Gull; 4 Cormorant and 1 Lesser black-back Gull.
The area was full of fledglings.

Also 1 female fox with a poodle cut brush sniffing around the bushes.

Exmouth

Belle Vue Road - 0850 - red-rumped swallow north over house and heading upriver. Also 1 peregrine, hobby (north 1238), 9+ red kite (all slow north 1225 and 1255, 3+ at 1630 and 4 at 1654), c20+ sandwich tern. All the kites have so far drifted down from Haldon, apparently hitting the river around the Powderham area before heading northwards.
Yesterday - adult mediterranean gull and grey wagtail.

Bystock Pools DWT reserve

One or two downy emerald dragonflies on the pool today, also several emperors.

Thurlestone Bay

No raptors over the Bay - but still some action

A Great Northern Diver on the sea before flying east at 10.15, 1 Sandwich Tern , 1 Whimbrel , 1 Sanderling flew through

Trumpeter Finch in N Devon - yesterday 2/6

Interesting report has just appeared on BirdForum this afternoon...

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=202205

Dartington - yesterday 2/6

Yesterday evening an adult Red Kite flew over Dartington CC from Totnes heading toward Staverton, accompanied by a few Crows and a Herring Gull.

[from Seb Loram]

Pallid Swift

Does anyone know anything about the possible Pallid Swift over the old Newton Abbot Hospital yesterday with 4 Common Swift?

Mamhead etc

Two Red Kites over Mamhead Obelisk briefly at 13:45 today.

10+ Mandarins on the River Dart at Buckfastleigh this morning, viewed from the road bridge.

[from Will Salmon]

Paignton

A Red Kite over Waddeton (near Paignton) at 1545 slowly drifting northwards.

[from  Rob Brennan]

Buckfastleigh area

Mark Darlaston and myself had a Red Kite drift slowly SW at 1050hrs today

Thurlestone Bay

Surprisingly only the2nd record of the yr a Redshank on the rocks. Female Marsh Harrier over both marshes this aft - a scruffy looking bird different to the one earlier this month

Exmouth and Ideford Common

Mudbank - 0530 - slavonian grebe, 1 great crested grebe, c20+ sandwich tern, c200+black-headed gull but couldn't find the bonaparte's gull this morning. Also just 2 whimbrel and the brent goose still.

A late reed warbler was singing in scrub behind the house this morning

Ideford Common - 3+ redpoll, 3+ siskin and juvenile crossbill (photo). Noticeably more breeding tree pipits than on the East Devon Commons.

Arlington Court

Went up to the woods today to deal with the nest boxes. We ringed 49 Pied Flycatchers (five adults) 4 nearly fledged Nuthatch, and two broods of Redstarts, both with five young, best here for many years, and a third brood had fledged either today or yesterday. Sadly neither sight nor sound of Wood Warbler.

Thurlestone Bay

Quite a lot of fledged young around this am - Blackcap , Chiffchaff ( at least 3 groups) L T Tit ,Coal Tit . A Goldcrest in Mallards lane was a nice surprise ( none around in may )

On the Beach 16 Sanderling ( my first June Record ) a number in s plumage.

Late news from Tues - Bob B had a Cuckoo and Garden warbler at S Milton Ley

Exmouth

Mudbank - 1030 - fs bonaparte's gull with c100+ black-headed gulls.
Also slavonian grebe and 2 great crested grebe.
Yesterday - Seafront - 1 roseate tern with 6 common tern.

Bowling Green Marsh

The long staying Bonaparte's Gull showed well in front of the hide amongst the numerous Black-headed Gulls at the evening high tide roost. Also 80+ Black-tailed Godwit, 8 Whimbrel and 3 Mediterranean Gulls (two 1st summer and a summer plumaged adult).

Berry Head

A 1st Summer Mediterranean Gull was feeding off Berry Head this morning otherwise just two Manx Shearwaters on a stiff W breeze ( but I was fishing - 16 Mackerel!).

Clennon Valley
Monday 30th May; two (pair) siskin feeding in my garden - strange place and time of year as they don't breed locally, to my knowledge and I didn't see any in the garden during the whole of the winter!

Broadsands
Sunday 29th May; 1st Summer Med Gull in evening Gull roost with 17 Black-headed Gulls.

Prawle

After peering through the mist for over 4 hours, it finally cleared to allow about 90 minutes of decent seawatching. Counts as follows; 3 each of Great Northern and Black-throated Divers, 39 Manx Shearwaters, Balearic Shearwater, 3 Storm Petrels, Great Skua and 5 Puffins, along with a steady movement of Gannets, Auks and Kittiwakes. This evening there was an unexpected surge of wader activity. Pride of place goes to the flock of 21 Sanderlings, not only the latest spring record here, but also a site record. Also present, 12 Turnstones (the first since mid March), 10 Dunlin and a Ringed Plover. Elsewhere, just late singles of Spotted Flycatcher and Reed Warbler.

Thurlestone Bay

Arrived back at 18.30 -first bird in view over the marsh- the female Marsh harrier

Dartington Hall Gardens

3 spotted flycatchers

Sea bits and pieces

Seems both large shearwater species have been seen in the channel recently!! See http://marinelife-charm3.blogspot.com/. Also good numbers of Puffins and Stormies coming out of Lyme Bay on the weekend.

Berry Head

Black Redstart by the coastguard station [from Tim Clyburn]

More Tree Bumblebees

This photo from Tim Stripp in Exeter - one of a few in the garden over the last couple of months.