DEVON

Our inaugural DEVON tour with myself and Paul Roberts as leaders went extremely well with generally superb weather and an interesting array of birds. DAY ONE was a gentle hour or so introduction at Slapton Ley where a Peregrine plucking a kill, large numbers of migrating Swallows and House Martins, a couple of Cetti’s Warblers, Ruddy Ducks and Clouded Yellow butterflies were the highlights on a fabulously sunny afternoon. DAY TWO was again blessed with glorious weather as birded various sites on the Exe Estuary. A very brief Spotted Crake was the highlight at Dawlish Warren, where a few Wheatears, Whitethroats and a Whinchat were the only passerines of note, though a Great Spotted Woodpecker was a good fly over record. Offshore just a Bar-tailed Godwit and some Sandwich Terns were of note. Bowling Green Marsh produced some excellent wader watching with four Avocets, five Curlew Sandpipers, a Little Stint, six Greenshanks, two Spotted Redshanks, eight Knot and a Grey Plover as well as large flocks of Dunlin and Redshank as well as an early Brent Goose. Finally an adult Mediterranean Gull was at Powderham. DAY THREE was again quiet for migrants with just a Spotted Flycatcher and a few Blackcaps and Common Chiffchaffs of note at Prawle Point. However, we did get exceptionally good views of Cirl Bunting here, as well as an unexpected Whimbrel. Sea watching in rather difficult, misty conditions produced plenty of Northern Gannets, a few Black-legged Kittiwakes, Common Terns, Guillemots and a European Shag. The FINAL DAY saw some good sea watching at Berry Head, where large numbers of Black-legged Kittiwakes and Northern Gannets were offshore and we also enjoyed excellent views of two Arctic Skuas and a lingering Balearic Shearwater. We saw seven more Cirl Buntings, but once again passerine migrants were almost non-existent. We ended the tour with a respectable count of 97 species along with interesting Lepidoptera such as Convulvus Hawk Moth and Pale Clouded Yellow butterfly.