Great seawatch at #BerryHead #Devon 0545-1025hrs Highlights: 1 ad Sabine’s Gull, 1 Little Gull, 1 Little Tern, 2-3 E Storm Petrels, 878 Manxies, 3 GN Divers, 6 Puffins, 120+ Kittiwakes including 44 1st Summers, 1 Yellow Wagtail. Lots of Octopus being caught by crabbing boat.

My best effort on the Black-throated Diver off Brixham Breakwater found the day before by @seaskywatch.bsky.social still lots of Great Northern Divers too, flocks of 80+ Shags feeding out there with again flocks of Cormorants too the bay must be full of food.

I've just advertised my spring/summer and autumn guided wildlife cruises from Torbay and Kingswear/Dartmouth #Devon including the popular 6hr Lyme Bay pelagics - for details see: mikelangman.co.uk/guided-cruis... They book up quickly...

A sinensis 'continental' Cormorant at Stoke Gabriel Mill pond #Torbay this morning.

The Yellow-browed Warbler at Broadsands #Torbay showed well from time to time in the 2nd car park - I assume it's the same bird that showed in the trees above the Cirl Bunting feeding station an hour later.

At Broadsands #Torbay a Yellow-browed Warbler was in willows and scrub at the back of the 2nd car park near to the green skip, also in same place 2 Firecrest, 1 Goldcrest and a Chiffchaff.

Boom! All the 'red-tailed shrikes' done in Suffolk this year with Isabelline Shrike at N Warren this afternoon. Made sweeter as it is a grip back for me too, having missed the previous birds. No matter what anyone says to me, I can't see such pale birds not being isabellinus

Well done Jake!!

First there for a little while - at one point I thought they might prove to be a permanent feature at Slapton!

With a SE mod breeze and rain in early Nov should drop something in the bushes. Still gutted I left a few minutes too early on our seawatch Mark, I’ve seen many more Pallas’s than Leaches Petrels off Berry Head!!

A Pallas's Warbler showed up briefly in the bottom of Berry Head quarry today but no sign afterward, despite 2hrs of searching! Also 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Firecrests and 8-10 Goldcrests. Also from a few days ago in 5th Nov at Clennon Lakes Torbay a Siberian Chiffchaff with an influx of 16+ chiffchaffs

‪Berry Hd 0700-1100: Leach's Storm-petrel (10:20), 2 Manx, juv Arctic Tern, 16k Kittiwakes, 27 Med Gulls, 35 Cn Gulls, c6,000 Razorbill/Guillemot, juv (pale type) Pomarine Skua, 5 Arctic, 5 Bonxie, 2 GN Diver, Red-t Diver, c20 Cn Dolphin, 4 H Porpoise, 2 ABF Tuna with @clennonvalley.bsky.social

Must be a really good year for cage fungus I clocked up 9 this morning around Berry Head including 3 in one clump! @jacob-wood.bsky.social

On the way back from the #BerryHead seawatch yesterday @jacob-wood.bsky.social spotted this cage fungus growing on the side of the quarry track. He then found another 6 or 7 near to the navigational beacon !

Berry Head #Devon seawatch with @jacob-wood.bsky.social 0740-10.40am: 4800 + auks sp. 11 Puffin, 2 Sooty, 2 Balearic & 12 Manx Shearwaters, 1200+ Kittiwake, 64 Med Gulls, 1 Y- l Gull, 1 Arctic Skua, 8 Gadwall. @seaskywatch.bsky.social arrived as we were leaving….

Osprey, a juvenile, with a freshly caught Mullet seen over the River Dart yesterday on a great cruise on the African Queen from Kingswear/ Dartmouth. Guide Mike Langman @clennonvalley.bsky.social

River Dart cruise on African Queen. Guide Mike Langman. @clennonvalley.bsky.social Yellow Flagged Curlew C5 over a red band on left leg. On right leg is an orange (?) ring. I'll do a bit of digging, it may be a headstarted bird. 2. Peregrine overhead. 3 + 4. Lots of Buzzards over the river.

A few places going on my rescheduled, very last, River Dart 'Osprey cruise on Monday 6th October at 11.30am cruise lasts for 4 hrs cost £43 . Tuesdays Cruise: Osprey, Kingfishers, Hobby, Peregrine, Great Egret, Little Egrets, Harbour & Grey Seals Stunning scenery etc..etc..!

Back from Mallorca - now struggling to identify this very plain looking Lizard - it doesn't seen to match the descriptions of the two true lizards found on the island.. Any one help with identity..? It was probably about 8'' or more in total length. it looks more like an Algyroides - introduced?

Brilliant pelagic trip yesterday led by @clennonvalley.bsky.social on Kelly's Hero out of Brixham. Grey Phalarope Sabine's Gull juvenile Sooty Shearwater European Storm Petrel

Rare treat ! White-beaked Dolphins seen on a @clennonvalley.bsky.social pelagic trip on Kelly's Hero out of Brixham. These White-beaks were just off Berry Head. @Saunders

Berry Head 12:30-17:00, first 3h unwisely spent in hide with 0 sightings other than a bloxworth snout (📷), then 90 mins at the quarry where @clennonvalley.bsky.social found me a bonxie (year ✅), plus 25+ balearics, 15+ manxie, 1 c tern, 1 guille, 70 kitt, 6 fulmar, & cmn dolphins #devonbirds

After watching Ospreys on my guided Dart 'Osprey' Cruise and telling the group to look out for possible Glossy Ibis's this happens!! I estimated 70 but there were 91! perhaps the Wadebridge flock? at least 3 Ospreys, Kingfisher Mandarin Ducks, Common Sandpipers too.

Looks like I'm going to cancel my guided Dart Osprey cruise tomorrow, rescheduling for Friday am for a 0930hrs start from Kingswear or Dartmouth several of the original trip can't make the Friday so I have several vacant spaces of interested please message me ASAP £43.

Looks like I'm going to cancel my guided Dart Osprey cruise tomorrow, rescheduling for Friday am for a 0930hrs start from Kingswear or Dartmouth several of the original trip can't make the Friday so I have several vacant spaces of interested please message me ASAP £43.

Berry Head 06:45-18:00 14 Great Shearwater, 3 Cory's Shearwater, 1 Sooty, c200 Balearic, c340 Manx, 28 Arctic Skua, 3 Bonxie,72 Sandwich Tern, 27 Common Tern (+8 'commic'). Also 5 Yellow Wagtail over first thing. #devonbirds #ukbirding

Some of the sightings from the pelagic trip led by @clennonvalley.bsky.social on Kelly's Hero out of Brixham. Yellow-legged Gull One from a pod of Common Dolphins Manx Shearwater Part of a flock of Common Terns Other birds seen: Balearic Shearwater, Black Tern, Gannets, Kittiwakes

3 Ospreys seen fishing on the Stoke Gabriel stretch of the river Dart #Devon this evening. Also 1 Kingfisher, 1 Whimbrel, 24+ Curlew, 5 Redshank.

A couple of great cruises with @KellysheroDavid out into Lyme Bay fist day: 300+ Balearic Shearwater next day 30+! Manx Shearwaters, Black Terns, 1 Caspian Gull, 3 Yellow-l Gulls, or so, Arctic Skuas, 300 + Common Tern, Arctic Terns 12+ Com Dolphins & a flock of Black-t Godwits!

LYME BAY PELAGIC Tomorrow 6hrs from BRIXAM: Two places have just become available on my 6hr Lyme Bay pelagic cruise tomorrow starting at 2pm, contact me ASAP if anyone is interested £78 per place.

Berry head seawatch 6am-8.15am: 308 Comic Terns, 13 Common & 24 Sandwich Terns, 7 Arctic Skuas, 177 Balearic S then a lot of rafting (160+) and feeding, 4 Manx, 13 Med Gulls, 300+ Kittiwake 120+ Gannets, 7 Fulmar & 29+ Common Dolphins. Plus 18 Autumn Ladies Tresses Orchids

I lead a fantastic Coast & River cruise from Dartmouth yesterday evening; 19 Grey, 7 Harbour Seals, 8+ Com Dolphins, Arctic Skua, 400+ Kittiwakes inc French ringed bird, Gannets, Sandwich Terns, 3 Kingfishers, 27 Curlew, 2 Common Sandpipers, Peregrine, Little Egrets. Calm seas!

Also a grim sight of presumed dead Grey Seal, you can see the rope around the tail so probably entangled and drown

Not many Prickly Stick insects in our garden trees in #Torbay this year but here’s a decent size one today.

I found a Lesser Emperor Dragonfly yesterday at Clennon Lakes #Torbay seen from the viewing platform on lake 1. Photographer Paul Snell got a few shots - I’ve cropped them heavily here. Still plenty of Small Red-eyed Damsels on the floating vegetation too.

Coast and river guided wildlife cruise 10th Aug, fantastic weather. A Sunfish was perhaps the highlight but Porpoises, Balearic & Manx Shearwaters, Peregrine, Kingfisher, Egyptian geese both Grey and Common Seals seen. Still a couple of places on Friday 5pm (4hr) on Friday.

1978 is a New National record Jake, old one didn’t last long, and a shore based count is probably more accurate. At Start only 5 Balearic Shearwaters showing they are not moving through. I estimate there are 2500-3000 in Lyme bay at present based on some of the at sea and land-based counts.

Berry Head 08:00-16:30 Count after @clennonvalley.bsky.social left was 685 so a total of 1,978!! Also on top of Mike's counts another 284 Manx, 6 Arctic Skua, 1 Sooty, 1 Euro-storm, 1 Prob. Wilson's S (13:55), 2 Bonxie. Also saw Mike's Yelkouan Shearwater! #devonbirds #ukbirding

I've got a couple places on both my guided Coast and River wildlife cruises on African Queen Dartmouth from Kingswear (or Dartmouth if you prefer) on Sunday 10th August 1pm - 5pm and the evening cruise Friday 15th August 5pm - 9pm. For details see: mikelangman.co.uk/guided-cruis...

29/7 a great morning @ #BerryHead highlights: finding Long-tailed Blue, over 1100 Balearic Shearwater, 24 Manx, 1 E Storm Petrel, 2 Arctic & 3 Pomarine Skuas, 21 Med Gulls, 150+ Common Dolphin, 7 Harbour Porpoise and 2 Roe Deer that almost said hello to me at the point and a leaping Thresher shark!

My guided cruise on Kelly's Hero from Brixham #Devon on Friday with superb views of juv Yellow-legged Gull, Sunfish, Manx & Balearic Shearwater, Common Dolphin, Porpoise, juv Puffin, Storm Petrel among many other species.

Due to late cancellations on my 4hour Coast and River cruise tomorrow from Kingswear #Devon starting 12noon details: mikelangman.co.uk/guided-cruis... there are 2 places going, at the much reduced rate of £20 per head. Good tide, weather and the possibility of Risso's Dolphins - a great cruise!

Some fantastic Risso's Dolphins on a promotional guided wildlife cruise I ran with Dartmouth Visitor Centre and the charter boat African Queen on Weds evening. I'm running 3 more evening trips on good low tides details here: mikelangman.co.uk/guided-cruis... I only take a max of 12 on each cruise.

Great to see a pod of 8-9 Risso's Dolphins off Goodrington Beach #Torbay yesterday evening. appearing to be playing around. a couple of Common Scoter, 2 Mediterranean Gulls and my first juvenile Black-headed Gulls of the summer too.

Working with Greenspace Designs 4 new etched benches were installed on the Wye Valley Trail for the walks 50th anniversary. My artwork, etched into some beautiful and very durable sweet chestnut, features some of the features and wildlife of the river.

Some fantastic Risso's Dolphin activity off the end of Berry Head #Torbay all day today - 12+ back in again just off the end of the headland this evening. Amazing to watch from above tracking them underwater.

Nice to see 8-10 Scarce Chasers today at Clennon Lakes #Torbay including one pair mating, Also 6+ Black-tailed Skimmers, Broad-bodied Chasers, Common Darter, Emperor Dragonflies and lots of Damselflies (nothing scarce so far)

This is very scary- I’m normally try to have an upbeat, optimistic view on the natural world - but its hard to see any hope that can even be achieved in time… www.theguardian.com/environment/...

1. This is Piles Copse, the largest remaining fragment of high-ground temperate rainforest on Dartmoor. It’s a tiny speck of green in a dismal, human-made desert. Prepare yourselves for a story of breathtaking perversity, told in this thread. (There’s a one-page version at the bottom). 🧵

Blyth's Reed Warbler Berry Head 3rd June 2025 - my second self found on site - probably 3rd actually...!