• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Devon Birding (1 Viewer)

devon.birder said:
Thanks Steve. Depending on the weather I may have a look tomorrow. Roger
Don't let the wind put you off too much, very windy this morning but not a breath where the warbler was, it's nicely sheltered.
 
Steve Waite said:
Don't let the wind put you off too much, very windy this morning but not a breath where the warbler was, it's nicely sheltered.

I arrived at 10.05 and at 10.10 the YBW appeared, gotta be happy with that as they say. It did not call in the 10 minutes I was watching it before it moved off out of sight. Also "ticked" Kevin further down the road and had a few words with him before I started holding up the traffic. This was my 7th YBW this year but as it was the first in Devon it was the best. The male Black Redstart also gave itself up quickly in Sidmouth. Finished up at BGM watching a very tired Falcated Duck. Roger
 
Saw a Ruddy Shelduck at Barnstaple yesterday - see attached shot. Not sure if they are rare or not in these parts. Guess it could be a escapee.
 

Attachments

  • duck1.JPG
    duck1.JPG
    64.8 KB · Views: 202
Roy C said:
Saw a Ruddy Shelduck at Barnstaple yesterday - see attached shot. Not sure if they are rare or not in these parts. Guess it could be a escapee.

The Barnsaple area seems to attract single Ruddy Shelducks most years either on the Taw or Wear Giffard. I expect a couple of Devon Year Listers I know may be interested unless they go for another much rarer duck a lot further north this weekend!!!!. Where exactly did you see it from Roy?. Roger
 
devon.birder said:
The Barnsaple area seems to attract single Ruddy Shelducks most years either on the Taw or Wear Giffard. I expect a couple of Devon Year Listers I know may be interested unless they go for another much rarer duck a lot further north this weekend!!!!. Where exactly did you see it from Roy?. Roger
Saw it right by the new bridge that is being built across the Taw (downstream side), It was Anchor woods side of the river and then flew to Pottington side and joined the Canada's.
 
Last edited:
Hi Roy,

I am certainly interested in seeing this Ruddy Shelduck. Will cast my scruples to one side and go for it.

Was it present more than one day and possibly today? Does it hang around with any other wildfowl and does the tide make a difference?

Sorry for so many questions! ;)

Cheers,
Andrew.
 
Andrew said:
Hi Roy,

I am certainly interested in seeing this Ruddy Shelduck. Will cast my scruples to one side and go for it.

Was it present more than one day and possibly today? Does it hang around with any other wildfowl and does the tide make a difference?

Sorry for so many questions! ;)

Cheers,
Andrew.
Andrew, never got to the site today but hope to check it out tomorrow. I saw it about an hour after high water but I guess that any time apart from top of the tide would be ok. It was on a sand bank with gulls and shelduck but after everything else took off it was all alone for over ten minutes before joining a load of canada's on the opposite side. Best bet would be to walk up the tarka trail from the Civic centre.

Cheers
Roy
 
Well, bugger all around here, but passing by Broadsands thought I'd persuade the parents to let me have a look. Good numbers of grebes, never seen Slav, and need BN for the year but didn't have my bins with me. BT Diver would also be a tick, and they've been reported there recently. Tantalising, with some colourful language when back in the car. As we were leaving, I noticed a birder walking up with bins and scope, feasting his eyes on what was offshore. Was that any of you guys?
 
The Firecrest said:
Well, bugger all around here, but passing by Broadsands thought I'd persuade the parents to let me have a look. Good numbers of grebes, never seen Slav, and need BN for the year but didn't have my bins with me. BT Diver would also be a tick, and they've been reported there recently. Tantalising, with some colourful language when back in the car. As we were leaving, I noticed a birder walking up with bins and scope, feasting his eyes on what was offshore. Was that any of you guys?
Not me Jyothi - would never stoop to making grebes easy for myself.....

Let that be a lesson to you - never torture yourself by turning up at some good birding locale without your optics! 3:)
 
Right, some advice please.
In Devon in the remainder of 2006 I would like to see:
Goldeneye
Black-throated Diver
Scaup
Slav Grebe
Black-necked Grebe
Hen Harrier
Red Grouse
Short-eared Owl
Velvet Scoter
Great Northern Diver

Where and when?
 
Goldeneye - Exe estuary, especially off Exmouth, possible also on the Teign off Passage House few are present yet
Black-throated Diver - Wherever they are reported in Torbay, scarce even in good years
Scaup - become very scarce in Devon will have to twitch reported birds
Slav Grebe - Off Dawlish Warren, but none yet this winter
Black-necked Grebe - Off Goodrington and nearby beaches in Torbay
Hen Harrier - Roosts on Dartmoor or Bursdon Moor
Red Grouse - Dartmoor
Short-eared Owl - Exminster Marshes but none for a month, occasional at Slapton
Velvet Scoter - Only bird at present is/was off Otterton
Great Northern Diver - Off Dawlish Warren and other coastal sites

Good luck
 
Bumped into Terry at Broadsands. Not much around, though heavy weather predicted tonight, will have another look tommorow.
Great Northern Diver 2
Great-crested Grebe 1
Buzzard 2
Rock Pipit 2
Grey Heron 1
Fulmar 10
Sparrowhawk 1
Long-tailed Tit 8
 
An hour and a half tramping round my patch produced:
Starling 11 (rare here)
Meadow Pipit 1
Nuthatch 1
Redwing 80
Fieldfare 5
Goldcrest 8
Goldfinch 7
Bullfinch 2
Jay 2
Song Thrush 1
Mistle Thrush 1
Moorhen 1
Kestrel 1
Don't know why I bother.
 
Kev Rylands said:
Goldeneye - Exe estuary, especially off Exmouth, possible also on the Teign off Passage House few are present yet
Black-throated Diver - Wherever they are reported in Torbay, scarce even in good years
Scaup - become very scarce in Devon will have to twitch reported birds
Slav Grebe - Off Dawlish Warren, but none yet this winter
Black-necked Grebe - Off Goodrington and nearby beaches in Torbay
Hen Harrier - Roosts on Dartmoor or Bursdon Moor
Red Grouse - Dartmoor
Short-eared Owl - Exminster Marshes but none for a month, occasional at Slapton
Velvet Scoter - Only bird at present is/was off Otterton
Great Northern Diver - Off Dawlish Warren and other coastal sites

Good luck

How common is Red Grouse there? - i didn't even realise Red Grouse occurred in Devon!
 
PaulK said:
How common is Red Grouse there? - i didn't even realise Red Grouse occurred in Devon!
Declining on Dartmoor apparently. I've seen their droppings, but never an actual bird.
 
A beautiful saturday, feeling more like September rather than December, saw myself and Gavin off on a tour of the Exe estuary. and what a day it was. Gavin was keen to follow up reports of seals on the estuary, while I was determined to get him birding!

We caught the early train from Exeter down to Exmouth, a few mixed flocks of greenfinch and goldfinch on the way to the station got us underway, and Exton station had a large flock of barwits feeding on the sand. Once in Exmouth we walked over to the river mouth to have a look at the pole sand. Sitting in a cafe garden overlooking the sea, a 'Magificent 7' breakfast was woolfed down while watching cormorant, shag, oystercatcher, red breasted merganser, brent geese, and assorted gulls. A great start.

We then walked round to the estuary via the docks, which gave great views of a female common scoter feeding in the moorings. Lots more brents here as well, and Gav got some stunning photos of a turnstone (Photos to follow). We then started back to the shore, when Gavin spotted a sea mouse. This beautiful mammalian-looking worm was distraction for 20 minutes or so as we tried to get some good photos.

We walked up the weasel run and poped over the stream at mudbanks lane and walked up the estuary. Wigeon, mallard, more brents, curlew and redshank set the soundtrack while a large mixed flock of pintail and shelduck were looking gorgeous in the early winter sunshine.

We got to Lympstone and as we walked to the station there was a small gull floating over the water, a second look revealed it to be a common tern, feeding successfully in the shallows. Back on the train, Exton station turned up trumps again, and made Gavin's day by having a grey seal hauled out on the sand banks - Gavin claims he didn't get time to ID positively, but bull-neck and roman nose was enough for me to rule out common, but Gav is terribly pedantic when it comes to furry things.

Lunch was had in unarguably the best pub in the UK - the Bridge Inn, Topsham. Quirky in all the right ways, and keeping the best beer in the entire world. Sitting outside to maximise birding time, we were rewarded with a female sparrowhawk, little egrets, little grebe, great and blue tits, wren, dunnock, pied wagtail, buzzard, jackdaws and crows.

Off to Bowling Green hide, where a gaggle of birders were there pointing out the dullest duck of the year, the falcated - I concur Mr Rylands. Teal, shoveller, starling, coot, moorhen, lapwing and blacktailed godwits made up the birds not yet seen, then in flew a stunning flock of golden plover shimmering in the afternoon sky. Seconds before we left the river's avocets splashed in and we were off for a pointless high water wander along the goat walk. Walking through the town, blackbird, magpie, jay, house sparrow added themselves to the list, while we dragged ourselves to the station for the last short hop home to Exeter, both agreeing we spend too much time during the week behind a desk. I didn't have the heart to let Gavin know this was a pretty typical working day for me!

Always nice to celebrate your own doorstep and be able to enjoy a day's birding and beer drinking and not have to rely on the car.

Right, I've got withdrawl from the regular patch now, so off for a Leach's Petrel update on the Seaton blog..

James
 
Last edited:

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top