bird

Photo Credit: Pigeon Squab being fed by parent bird by Sara Humphrey

Morwenna Alldis, spokesperson for the RSPB said: “At this time of year we get hundreds of calls from caring members of the public about the helpless baby birds they’ve discovered on the ground. But most of the time it’s important that we resist the urge to ‘rescue’ the baby bird, as tempting as it may be, this flightless period is a natural part of the bird’s development.

“Just before baby birds are ready to tentatively extend a wing, wiggle a tail feather and take flight for the first time, they leave their...

Late last year, a very rare bird to the UK turned up at Colyford Common, part of Seaton Wetlands.

For only the second time in recorded history, the isabelline wheatear has been seen in Devon. The first time it was ever seen on mainland Britain was on Lundy Island in October 2019 for a single day.

The isabelline wheatear is a thrush-sized bird, closely related to the northern wheatears which can be seen on Seaton Wetlands every spring and autumn. However, this wheatear should be on mountainous slopes between Turkey and the Gobi Desert, so it was a long way off course....

Two ne-ne have hatched at Paignton Zoo in Devon. But what-what is a ne-ne?

It’s a species of goose - one of the rarest in the world. Found on the Hawaiian Islands, the Hawaiian goose or ne-ne is named after its call, a soft neh-neh sound.

It’s officially classed as Vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Paignton Zoo is home to eight adult ne-ne as well as these two goslings.

It’s believed that it was once common, but human activity put paid to that. The ne-ne is the official bird of the state of Hawaii.

Awe and amazement at the thousands of miles travelled by little Reed Warbler

Thanks to a tiny ring on its leg, a Reed Warbler caught by the Axe Estuary Ringing Group on the East Devon District Council Nature Reserve last week, revealed it has travelled to Africa and back at least nine times!

The group ring birds for conservation monitoring purposes and have been active on the Axe Estuary reserves for more than ten years. The code on the Reed Warbler’s ring revealed that it was first caught on Seaton Wetlands as an adult in 2009, and has since been caught four times in the...

Local bird watcher spots rarely seen bird at East Devon managed heathland site near Axminster

At the end of January, a rare Little Bunting bird was spotted by a local bird watcher at Trinity Hill Local Nature Reserve, a heathland managed by the East Devon District Council Countryside service.

Little Buntings are rarely seen in the UK, they breed in the far North East of Europe and across Northern Asia, typically spending winter in Southern Asia, China and India. Easterly winds, which dominated Autumn 2016, resulted in only a few being detected in the UK.

The Little...

The RSPCA is appealing for information after an injured buzzard was found to have been shot in Devon.

The animal welfare charity is investigating after finding an air gun pellet embedded in its foot.

The buzzard was discovered in a very thin condition at the roadside in Tedburn St Mary near Exeter on Friday, 20 January by a concerned member of the public.

He was taken to the RSPCA’s West Hatch wildlife centre near Taunton, Somerset where the shooting injury was confirmed from a post-mortem investigation after the buzzard sadly had to be put to sleep because of his...