Ooops! second line should read West NOT East Dorset!

Another encouraging record Alastair after those along the coast east of Minehead in recent years and with Exmoor being so poorly covered probably under recorded? Their unaided reappearance in East Dorset is likewise encouraging.
The Porlock area was once, in and upto the late 1970s a place of pilgrimage to see Somersets last Cirl Buntings, my last pair was in Bossington on 8th April 1977, and previous years almost in Porlock around the council houses, near the marsh. Their decline was thought at that time to be furthered by the discontinuance of the once famous malting barley farming in the Porlock Vale. Incidentally after the April ‘77 sighting went on to Chetsford Water and watched a pair of Ring Ouzels nest building. Very different times?

Whist out walking this morning on Exmoor along a hedgerow I’ve only walked once before I spotted a male Cirl Bunting perched. Fortunately the bird stayed for about 30 seconds enabling me to take a couple of quick photographs. Cirl Buntings were regular breeders on Exmoor till the 1950s after which numbers steadily decreased. The UK is at the very edge of its European range. Its main stronghold is in South Devon where sympathetic farming practices and winter feeding have helped boost numbers and they have also been part of a successful reintroduction programme in Cornwall.

Nevertheless, they are a range restricted species and it is now a major rarity on Exmoor. The only 2 Exmoor records in recent years were one day singing males in May 1993 and May 2014. It’s possible todays bird was just passing through though there is also a possibility it is wintering in the general area.