Devon Birding (6 Viewers)

[Jon Turner]

Cattle Egret still present on Braunton Marsh in the field with small black cattle (Welsh blacks?) just west of the round linhay midday today.

Jon

 

[da2m]

hi guys could you please guide me to some good locations for birding in your area , i will be on holiday for a week in exmouth in three weeks time and would be grateful for any help on where i could visit...
thanks kev...

orcombe point is a good place to start. you can sea watch and work the bushes. if you're staying at devon cliffs(haven) it a lovelly walk along the cliff tops.

 

[kev burrows]

hi thankyou all very much for your help i will research the areas on the net and visit some of them while i am down there ..
regards kev..

 

[Jon Turner]

Yesterday evening I had a call to see a Yellow Wagtail at Sherpa marsh. When I got there (about 7.30 p.m) I saw a Wagtail with yellow at the front end but a grey back. I wasn't happy that it was a Yellow Wagtail, so I phoned a few people to try to get a better look, ie this morning. The problem is I'm now in Spain, hoping that it a) turns up, and b) is something more exciting. It has been seen the last two days in the afternoon.

Jon

 

[Kev Rylands]

Spoonbill this evening at Passage House - a colour ringed bird ringed near Seville in Apr 2007. It made it's first appearance in Devon at Dawlish Warren (with two others) on 14/9/07, before moving to North Devon. It was still there in March at least. http://www.devonbirds.org/node/279

This well travelled bird FJ9 is the first Spanish ringed Spoonbill to be recorded in the UK

 

[Roy C]

Spoonbill this evening at Passage House - a colour ringed bird ringed near Seville in Apr 2007. It made it's first appearance in Devon at Dawlish Warren (with two others) on 14/9/07, before moving to North Devon. It was still there in March at least. http://www.devonbirds.org/node/279

This well travelled bird is the first Spanish ringed Spoonbill to be recorded in the UK

Thought that photo rang a bell Kev :t:

All the Spoonbills that wintered in North Devon seems to have left us now but it is good to know that at least one has not strayed too far.

 

[da2m]

grasshopper warbler reeling on knighton heath this evening.

 

[parttimer]

A Red Kite over Holsworthy Industrial Estate this morning being mobbed by Jackdaws flew off in the direction of Cookworthy Forest. (first for my Devon list)

A single Common Sandpiper in the outlet of Lower Tamar

 

[parttimer]

9 Whimberel and 2 Bar-tailed Godwit in full summer plumage in Fremington pill this afternoon a fantastic splash of colour against a dull background.

 

[chris w]

Red legged Partridge on Haldon today but so far I haven't come across any Turtle Doves, although the strong wind didn't help today.
Think I might try looking for some lesser whitethroats around Chudliegh Knighton tomorrow if the weather holds. There was a Garden Warbler there last week.

 

[chris w]

Well I had no luck with the Lesser Whites last night. Just the usual stonechats, with at least one fledgling, jays, willow warblers, tree pipit, linnets and yellowhammers. Haven't found a Whinchat here yet this year.

 

[Johnny Allan]

Hi there,

I'm trying to find out which Counties still use the Watsonian Vice County system to record birds in and which go by whatever the political boundary may change to (and why).

The Watsonian Vice County system was set to accurately record and compare historical and modern data and it seems that there can be/is confusion when some counties no longer use this system whilst others do. Does anyone in your county have a view on this ? Discussion here if anyone has a comment:

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=142074

ps this is not about getting more or less county ticks, more a question about uniformity in recording.

Johnny Allan

 

[chris w]

Why dont you ask the County Recorders?

 

[chris w]

Was walking by the R.Dart on my local patch whilst walking my dog this morning when I heard agitated calling. Looking into the tree overhanging the river approx 10 feet away was a young kingfisher sat on a branch. One of its parents then landed next to it holding a fish in its bill and made the youngster practice taking the fish five or six times before actually letting it have the fish. A great way to start the day!

 

[Andrew]

A Red Kite cruised over Newte's Hill (about three kilometres east of Tiverton) at 9am this morning while I was doing a BTO tetrad.

 

[Jon Turner]

Trapped and ringed 26 Storm Petrels at Hartland overnight last night. (Including one British-ringed control)

Peregrine on the cliffs, Dolphins offshore, Grasshopper Warbler reeling, Yellowhammers singing. Quality night!

Jon

 

[Jon Turner]

Anyone any idea who saw and photographed the Blue-cheeked Bee-eater on Braunton Burrows last Tuesday?

This is my local patch and I was, of course in Cornwall!!

Jon

 

[scary-canary]

Anyone any idea who saw and photographed the Blue-cheeked Bee-eater on Braunton Burrows last Tuesday?

This is my local patch and I was, of course in Cornwall!!

Jon

probably the same people who saw and photo'd it in hampshire

 

[Ppedro]

Albatross off Salcombe

Re the recent report of an Albatross sp. seen off Salcombe spoke to the lucky gentleman concerned this morning. He is a commercial fisherman who has been going to sea for 40 years. He saw the bird well as it flew south close to his boat on Thursday, 23rd July when 11.5 miles off Salcombe. Unfortunatly he had no camera and the bird did not stop. On seeing it he immediatly knew it was an albatross and looking at photos on the internet in the evening thought it likely to be Black-browed. Ties in nicely with the report of one off Porthgwarra this morning i guess.

 

[Ppedro]

3 Green Sandpipers on Charleton Marsh this morning.