Devon Birding (1 Viewer)

[Jon Turner]

They were coming through San Pedro del Pinatar (Costa Blanca) week ending 31st january when I was out there. 44 days to cover 1200 miles?

Saw a few in Sotogrande (Costa del Sol) in mid-feb too! Also Red-rumped Swallows. It's the south wind. And a few extra degrees of warmth to bring out the insects. Expect to see them fairly regularly now, and Swallows won't be far off too! Heard a Blackbird singing today - lovely.

Jon

 

[John Tindale]

Hi all. I'm new to the Sidmouth area. Was wondering the where the nearest site to Sidmouth where I can see Cirl Buntings?
Cheers in advance

 

[Geoff Haynes]

Bird photography - South Devon

Hello to all birders in the South West, I am after a bit of local info please on where to go to photograph birds down your area. Not worried if it is sea birds or not. I will be staying in the Dawlish / Dawlish Warren area in a couple of weeks time.
If any one has any ideas please get in touch.
Many thanks, Geoff Haynes - Warwickshire.

 

[Andrew]

Hi John, Your best and easiest option would be to go round the coast down to Broadsands or Berry Head. If you do not know where these sites are then just ask for further directions here and I or someone else will elucidate further.

Hi Geoff, You are on the right side of the estuary in my opinion. You can easily photograph birds at Dawlish Warren during high tide around the Bight or from the hide there. Anywhere else on the reserve throws up various birds that occasionally pose well for the camera. A little way up the estuary at Cockwood and Starcross you have excellent estuarine birds to photograph with the ideal of having sunshine coming off your back in the afternoon. Just look for the pedestrain railway crossings to reach the estuary edges and be patient with your fieldcraft. Yet further up the estuary still is Powderham Church where there is a footpath running along the estuary up to Turf Inn and on to Exminster Marshes for roving photography. On the other side there is Bowling Green Marsh but I find the light comes at me awkwardly there most of the day, late afternoon might be best at this time of the year.

Cheers,
Andrew.

 

[Roy C]

Went down to the pond at Wrafton this afternoon to have a crack at Sand martins in flight - nothing around.
The Red crested Pochard was hanging around with a female Mallard all the time I was there, it looked really bemused when a couple of Drake Mallards showed him how to do it :-O
Plenty of Coots having a go at one another and a really weird coloured hybrid which Stu (Parttimer) reckoned could be a Mallard X Ornimental Call Duck.

 

[metal.birder]

Hi all. I'm new to the Sidmouth area. Was wondering the where the nearest site to Sidmouth where I can see Cirl Buntings?
Cheers in advance

Hi John,
Another good place is Labrador Bay to see Cirls, you go to Tiegnmouth and over the water to Shaldon and up on the main road you cant miss the signs, its an RSPB site too, also Peregrines there!
Cheers Mark.

 

[Jon Turner]

Went down to the pond at Wrafton this afternoon to have a crack at Sand martins in flight - nothing around.
The Red crested Pochard was hanging around with a female Mallard

Hi Roy, I went down to the pond later on and it was still following a female Mallard. Not sure whether these two species can hybridise.

I didn't see any Sand Martins either.

16 Magpies in the field over the track.

Jon

 

[Jon Turner]

About 25 Sand Martins at Wrafton pond this evening.

However, of more importance are three sightings of a Gyr Falcon to the south of Braunton. Needless to say not by me.... yet. Rest assured Ill be out looking early tomorrow. Two of the people who saw it have pictures, so if I get them i will post them on here. (if it is a Gyr!)

Jon

 

[Ranger James]

Good luck Jon, fingers crossed for a gyr here in Devon. Anyone know when the last county record was??

James

 

[Marshall-78]

Lets hope its as obliging as the 1986 Berry Head bird, I remember seeing that one bathing in the pools in the quarry

 

[Jon Turner]

Good luck Jon, fingers crossed for a gyr here in Devon. Anyone know when the last county record was??

James

According to Surfbirds - 1998 - was that the one that graced the Mewstone? Took most of the day off work to see that having missed the Berry Head bird!

Jon

 

[Maurice499]

Took a bike ride from Barnstaple Taw Bridge to Wrafton this morning at 07:55. Birds of note included:- 5 Sand Martins at Bradiford Resrv over pond nearest Tarka Trail; 13 Chiff Chaffs catching insects in the hawthorn bushes at same location; Green Sandpiper in drainage ditch between sewage farm and field next to Resrv; 47 Brent on Penhill Marsh and 1 male Red-breasted Merganser on R.Taw just off Bradiford Water. Went as far as Wrafton pond and saw Red-crested Pochard at 09:05. On the way back, there were 35 Bar-tailed Godwits just off Pottington Ind Est. When I got home, had telephone call from John W to say that he`d seen the Gyr Falcon on a post near the large black shed alongside the Tarka Trail at Wrafton at 09:30. It must have been there when I cycled past bet 09:00 and 09:30. Guess who didn`t see the bl--dy thing!! Grrr! And I thought I`d had a good day. Mind you I did have a Bittern at Upton Warren(Worcs) last Sunday but that`s still not as good as a GYR.
I believe the Gyr was seen by Malc Shakespeare, Mary Bruce, Nigel Bastin, Jimmy Leonard and John W.
Maurice.

 

[Jon Turner]

Been out for an hour this morning and looked over Braunton Marsh and Horsey Island - no sign of Gyr, but 2 Peregrines. Plenty of Sand Martins.

Rob Jutsum's pictures of this bird are on the devon birds website.

Jon

 

[Jon Turner]

I have also been out to Baggy Point this morning, but no sign there. (one Wheatear, a dozen Sand Martins and a Peregrine, along with a fly-over Diver sp)

There appears to be conflicting information this morning. It has now been reported (on Birdguides) as having been seen over Instow on Wednesday, but no sign over Horsey Island 6.30 - 9a.m. Surfbirds is reporting that it has been seen!

There are still some people out looking. But the rain is just arriving.....

I'm attaching Nigel Bastin's pictures, taken yesterday on Horsey Island.

Jon

 

[Sprigo]

Decided to try Dawlish Warren today in the hope of getting a few more ticks. The hour spent in the hide was a little disappointing to start with. I hadn't checked the tides and arrived at high tide. A single Avocet swam to the roost so that was the first tick of the day.

After deciding to try my luck from the beach I managed to see two Common Scoters, the female Surf Scoter, a Slavonian Grebe, an Eider and a Shag. Five more ticks in five minutes! :eek!:

The weather was now closing in so I decided to have a quick look at Broadsands for any Cirl Buntings before heading home. First tick was a Chiffchaff closely followed by three male and two female Cirl Buntings. Not a bad day despite the weather.

 

[parttimer]

I guess by the silence the Gyr is being elusive if not completely abscent.

 

[Jon Turner]

I guess by the silence the Gyr is being elusive if not completely abscent.

Well, just on the off chance, (and because the weather was lovely first thing) went out to Baggy point again this morning and found 6 Wheatears out near the point. Sadly no sign of the Gyr. On the way back to the car park I found one Dartford Warbler - good news that at least one has survived the cold spell. Finally back at the car park talking to the warden the first Swallow of the year flew over. Doesn't quite make it summer, but it can't be far away now, surely?

Jon

 

[andyr]

Saltram - yesterday (Sunday)

Hi All

I am normally posting on the Staffordshire Forum but, having spent the last few days in South Devon, was pleased to see three Swallows (my first of the year) heading over the fields in front of Saltram House yesterday afternoon.

Earlier around mid-day, my non-birding wife called out from near the main car-park ... "there's one of those very large birds you like." Osprey was on her mind (we get regular birds visiting Blithfield Reservoir here in Staffordshire, but buzzard was my immediate thought after the most fleeting of views. The bird was being mobbed by two buzzards hpwever - and was noticeably smaller than either of them. Plus it then wheeled away and headed over the entrance drive and out of sight down near the estuary.

Hhmmm ! My wife's reaction has got me thinking - any thoughts anyone ?

Cheers

Andy

 

[metal.birder]

Hi All

I am normally posting on the Staffordshire Forum but, having spent the last few days in South Devon, was pleased to see three Swallows (my first of the year) heading over the fields in front of Saltram House yesterday afternoon.

Earlier around mid-day, my non-birding wife called out from near the main car-park ... "there's one of those very large birds you like." Osprey was on her mind (we get regular birds visiting Blithfield Reservoir here in Staffordshire, but buzzard was my immediate thought after the most fleeting of views. The bird was being mobbed by two buzzards hpwever - and was noticeably smaller than either of them. Plus it then wheeled away and headed over the entrance drive and out of sight down near the estuary.

Hhmmm ! My wife's reaction has got me thinking - any thoughts anyone ?

Cheers

Andy

Probably a Merlin I would say near the marshes.?
Cheers,
Mark

 

[scary-canary]

Probably a Merlin I would say near the marshes.?
Cheers,
Mark

That's not a big bird.
Maybe a sparrowhawk?
Chris