Topsham

One 1st summer Med gull on Exe north of playing fields. Also 2 Black swans, 7 Little egrets, 2 Common sandpipers.

Bowling green marsh

From the hide 12:40 till 15:30 The Spotted redshank showed well on the far side from the hide with 8+ greenshank, 262+ black tailed godwits including 1 juv , 24+ Dunlin soon left but another group of 6 flew in and included a adult curlew sandpiper unfortunately they didn't settle, 1 green sandpiper, 2 common sandpiper, 1 adult med gull flew over and 30+ little egrets, 2 shoveler, 1 gadwall, 1 tufted duck, 2 lapwing, 6+ little grebes,1 whimbrel From the viewing platform after 4 summer plumage knot and 2 grey plover

Barnstaple - Fremington Pill

10:00 - 11:30 Low water
Anchor wood bank:
Mostly Black-headed gulls with 12 shelduck, 6 Curlew, 18 Oystercatcher, and 2 Black-tailed Godwit in summer plumage.
Fremington Pill:
27 Redshank and 1 Little Egret.

Lower Tamar Lake

Looked in at the Lower lake this afternoon, and surprisingly the water level had dropped considerably over the last week or so, and there is now a good muddy fringe. The best bird on view was a juvenile Wood Sandpiper from the hide, and also Redshank and Snipe.

Broadsands

A check over the beach at low tide this morning, before the crowds arrived proved fairly quiet: 1 juv Med Gull, 1 ad Dunlin and a Sedge Warbler in the marsh (passage here) the highlights.

Brixham

The Turnstones on  the Breakwater seemed to be up to 20 tonight, but was only able to detect one Purple Sandpiper.

Broadsands

Beach still full this evening with people enjoying the fine weather but managed to find: 1 juv Yellow-legged Gull, 5 Med Gulls (2 Juvs,2fs & 1 Ad) just 28 Black-headed Gulls but lots of juv Herring Gulls now.
24 July: 50+ Common Scoter off-shore from Broadsands.

Cornwood

3 green sandpiper on settling lagoons near Wotter.

Poor for dragonflies here!!

Aylesbeare- Harpford Commons

Devon Bird News and the DBWPS website are shortly to be updated... I will look forward to them going live on 8 August.  Congratatulations and thanks to all those who have worked on the project.

......meanwhile back on the East Devon Commons of Aylesbeare and Harpford Commons a three hour walk produced a good list.....Linnet (several family groups), Nuthatch (1 pair), Tree Creeper 1, Spotted Flycatcher ( 1 pair),  Juv. Green Woodpecker, Stonechat, (several groups), Yellow Hammer 3, Willow Warbler (singing), Bullfinch 1m, Raven 2, Sparrow Hawk 1, Chiffchaff 1, and Dartford Warbler (2 family groups). 

Brixham Purple Sandpipers etc

Following Matt's post, I had a recent conversation with Debra Shearwater the US seabird trip organiser who has just  been running a tour in Norway and Spitzbergen. She commented on the extensive late snowfalls which seemed to have occurred on the uplands ands suggested that hilltop breeders in particular might have been unable to nest. So we might expect more of these species to show up early down here.  

Wrafton

5 juvenile Pochard on the pond this morning. Still 4 juv Little Grebes in the reserve.

At home a Hummingbird Hawkmoth in my garden briefly this afternoon. First for several years.

Brixham Breakwater

About a dozen Turnstone on the jetty towards the end of the breakwater this morning at 8.00am along with the unseasonable sight of 2 Purple Sandpipers basking in the glorious sunshine. Failed breeders?

Bowling Green/Topsham

This am: 34 Little Egrets, Spotted Redshank, Green Sandpiper, Whimbrel, 2 Med Gulls. Also a Grey Plover on the Clyst. [Gordon Youdale]

R.Taw, just off Bradiford Reserve.

08:45

21 Mediterranean Gulls (14A, 3 2S, 4 1S.) on sandbar just off the T.Trail, with B.H Gulls.
Black Swan still about.

Bowling Green Marsh/Clyst Estuary

This evening produced:
2 Green Sandpiper on main pool. Plus 2 Wigeon and a Teal. Plus God knows what else lurking behind the high vegetation. (There were a few Dunlin lurking there at least). Also peering through the fronds of brambles directly in front of the hide is no joke either.........
From the viewing platform, the estuary held the Spotted Redshank again, at least 30 Greenshank, well over 100 Redshank, 4 Whimbrel and many Curlew and Black-tailed Godwits. There was also a Common Seal further down the estuary, led out on a sandbank which was rapidly being covered by the tide.

instow/skern

9 med gulls in field by mod building instow.6 adult,2fs 2s.View from tarka trail.19:50-20:30.11 med gulls at skern.10 adult,2s which had white ring left leg black code read vertically four digits.Only able to read last two which were V2.21.30.Also 5 sandwhich tern.

Turtle Dove

A 'purring' male Turtle Dove photographed on an East Devon common on Sat 21/7 by Derek Carter. Had been in the vicinity for at least 4 days up to then.

Start Point

Seawatch Start Point:

10.00 - 11.00

 

Manx 76 west, 31 east

Balearic 2 west

Fulmar 1 west

Gannet 57 west

Auk sp 3 west

Kittiwkake 1 west

Common Sand 1 west

Grey Plover 1 west

Common Scoter 2 west

[Phil Chantler]

Bradiford reserve

Green Sandpiper on the scrape this afternoon from the five bar gate.

Bideford

4 crossbills over bideford heading northerly direction from house on clovelly road at 17:45.Whoops forgot to mention hobby over bishops nympton nr south molton 11:40 whilst on scaffold painting.Oh well was worth working.

instow/skern yesterday

8 med gulls instow rocks,6adult 2 fs,20:15.At the skern 12 med gulls,10 adults 2fs.21:30.Possible duplication tho four of the adults were in full bp.

Goosemoor from Darts Farm

Looking over to Goosemoor from the balcony at Darts Farm this morning produced a nice selection of birds. The highlight being a large female Peregrine causing havoc among the waders and gulls. The bird made a couple of attempts on the roosting flock but came away unsuccessful. In between attacks the bird could be seen resting in the large pines by the River Clyst. Other sights were of 33 Little Egrets, 3 Graylag Geese, around 10 Lapwings with one newly fledged bird, plenty of Redshanks with 1 Greenshank.

On the Wetlands in front of the hide another lone Greenshank was feeding along the ditches.

Sharkham Point

Not bird related, but took some photos of this the other day, got a response that it was a volucella zonaria which is a mimic hover fly. I was asked where I saw it as they were meant to be confined to the South East? Would any recorder of this species be interested in the sighting? Very big things in the flesh.









Hi Josh, try this link you'll have to sign in but it's easy to do...
 
http://www.hoverfly.org.uk/portal.php

Around the exe

First stop was exminster marsh this morning 2 groups of little egrets ( 36 & 26) plus 3 others around the marsh gave me a total of 65+ also 3 dunlin and 130+ black tailed godwit, 2 sandwich terns Then of to dawlish warren 09:00 till 12:00 2 roseate terns, 14+ common terns, 14 ringed plover , 24+ Dunlin, 1 sanderling, 2 whimbrel, 3 juv med gulls good numbers of sandwich terns

Thurlestone Bay

Last night 2 Green Sandpiper flew into Thurlestone Marsh and later went off towards Aveton Gifford, 1 showing at 07.45 with another flying through at 12.00, also 1 on South Huish marsh this am

Waders on the beach / rocks - 6 Dunlin, 6 Sanderling, 5 Whimbrel, 3 Ringed Plover, 2 Common Sandpiper  1 Turnstone.

In the Bay 2ad + 1juv Sandwich Tern . Offshore 35 Gannet and 15 Manx Shearwater.

A noticable increase in Warblers 5 Chiffchaff, 2 Whitethroat and 1 Garden warbler .

This morning Bob B had his best ringing returns so far - 12 Chiffchaff, 4 Willow warbler ( 2 ad +2juv )
2 Reed and 2 Sedge warblers, 1 Blackcap and a juv Reed Bunting

Wrafton

James Leonard reports that at least 4 of the juvenile Pochard are on Wrafton Pond with Ma. Successful fledging hoorah!