Devon Birding

Migrants began to arrive in earnest, with large numbers of Wheatears, hirundines and warblers seen early in the month.

There was a small influx of Red Kites early in the month, with single birds widely spread across the county.

The discovery of a Little Crake at Exminster Marshes on 9th drew in admirers from far and wide. The bird showed well for short periods in the ditch by the car park at Exminster marshes, and was last reported on 24th.

A Hoopoe was seen at Woodbury Common on 17th, but did not stay. Another was seen at Seaton Marshes on 23rd, but as usual proved very elusive.

Terns began arriving towards the end of the month, with Sandwich, Little, Common, Arctic and Black all seen. The first Yellow Wagtails began passing through, and there was a notable Little Gull passage with up to 21 recorded at South Huish.

On 20th a Black Kite was seen lingering over West Charleton, but soon flew south.

The first Stone Curlew of the year was at Exmouth on 21st, but did not stay and soon flew inland.

A Nightingale was in song at Dawlish Warren on the morning of the 23rd.

Appledore, the favoured wintering site of the King Eider played host to a Red-rumped Swallow briefly on 24th.

Another brief affair was a Wryneck at Bolt Tail on 25th.

The first Roseate Tern of the year was off Dawlish Warren on 30th, bringing the month to a close.

The King Eider, Yellow-browed Warbler, Long-billed Dowitcher, Falcated Duck and Surf Scoter all remained from the previous month, and continued to entertain visiting and local birders.

The first hirundines, Sand Martins, Garganey and Sandwich Terns began to trickle through from the beginning of the month.

A Great White Egret was seen briefly on 5th at Bideford, but other than that, no new rarities were found. 

A possible Little Bunting was reported at Torcross, Slapton on 16th, but was not seen again.

A Long-eared Owl showed very well along the Tarka Trail, Barnstable, in North Devon, first discovered on the 17th.

A juvenile Rough-legged Buzzard flew over Orcombe Point, Exmouth, also on 17th, but was not relocated. 

The first reported Osprey of the year flew in off the sea at Thurlestone on 25th. 

By the end of the month, larger numbers of migrants were coming in, with Little Ringed Plover, Garganey, Whimbrel and terns all seen.

Cattle Egret numbers remained high throughout the month. Lingering rarities included the Falcated Duck at Countess Wear, Dawlish Warren's Surf Scoter and Bowling Green Marsh's Long-billed Dowitcher.

A Ring-billed Gull was seen on several occasions at Slapton Ley, whilst at the same site, Black-necked Grebe and up to 15 Velvet Scoter were regular offshore. Down the road, the Red-crested Pochard remained at Beesands Ley, with a Long-tailed Duck off Tinsey Head.

Torbay provided the usual winter haul of seaducks, with a brief Surf Scoter reported, alongside all three diver species and a few Velvet Scoter. 

On 9th, a Yellow-browed Warbler was found in Plymouth in Central Park, and remained for the rest of the winter.  

Small numbers of Great Grey Shrikes were scattered around the county, with individuals on Dartmoor, the East Devon heaths, and in North Devon.

The real excitement came on 18th in the form of a first winter drake King Eider, the first for Devon. Found at Appledore, Bideford, it proved to be a very popular bird, remaining throughout the late-winter/early spring period, although was occasionally elusive, commuting between Appledore and Northam Burrowes CP.

No new rarities were discovered during the remainder of the month, but Cattle Egrets continued to arrive in small numbers, and the first few spring migrants were seen.

The month was mainly notable for the Cattle Egret influx. Devon held a decent proportion of the high numbers nationally, with birds recorded at many sites across the county. Counts of up to 8 at Exmouth, 6 on the Kingsbridge estuary, and numerous ones and twos scattered across various sites.

The Long-billed Dowitcher remained from 2007 at Bowling Green Marsh, although was often hard to locate and not reported for up to a week at a time, as it commuted between the Clyst and the RSPB Bowling Green reserve.

A good county bird, Lapland Bunting, was found at Orcombe Point, Exmouth, but often proved elusive for local birders.

The Black Brant remained into the New Year on the Kingbridge Estuary with the wintering flocks of Dark-bellied Brent Geese.

An adult Laughing Gull was discovered at Bideford in North Devon on 6th and was seen again on the 16th.

A 1st winter female Surf Scoter spent much of the winter off Dawlish Warren, occasionally moving accross the river mouth towards Exmouth. 

A handful of out of season Balearic Sheartwaters were seen off various south coast points during the month.

The female Red-crested Pochard remained on Beesands Ley, another left-over scarcity from the end of 2007.

Glaucous Gulls were seen at South Huish and Dawlish Warren, but both were one day only birds.

On the 30th, the previous year's Falcated Duck was seen again at Countess Wear sewage works, re-raising the inevitable debate as to whether the bird was a genuine vagrant or an escape.