20th May – Iceland Gull, Turtle Dove, Dotterel & Hawfinch

The annual Devon Birds day-trip charter of MS Oldenburg took place today and among the birds on offer were an adult Iceland Gull (off the West Side) and a Turtle Dove (Millcombe), in addition to the Dotterel, singing Firecrest and Hawfinch, all of which were still present (see Jon Turner's report on Devon Bird Sightings here and photos on Bri Thompson's and Cliff Smith's Twitter feeds). Tony Taylor, back on the island for Wheatear and Manx Shearwater ringing studies, reports that the supporting cast included Whimbrel, Sedge Warbler, Whitethroat and a male Redstart. There were some hirundines and Swifts on the move but numbers were lower than on 18th & 19th. Tony notes that the Wheatear breeding season is significantly later this year than in 2017 and that there are still Greenland Wheatears passing through.

Dotterel, South West Point © Jon Turner