Sunday 22nd December

A male Goshawk over the Entrance Bushes was the highlight, just the fifth site record, also around the bushes eight Bullfinch, two Goldcrest, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Lesser Redpoll, with five Shoveler and a Kingfisher on the Main Pond.

Elsewhere five Great Northern Diver were offshore with five Common Scoter and a Red-throated Diver S, and counts from the estuary including 70 Knot and 26 Ringed Plover.

Year list addition:

188. Goshawk

Other Wildlife: An Atlantic Bluefin Tuna breached distantly offshore. 

Saturday 21st December

Some early morning movement out to sea with 139 Kittiwake and 56 Gannet SW along with seven Common Scoter, five Great Northern and Red-throated Diver and three Eider.

A sixth Great Northern Diver was in the estuary, with 117 Grey and 30 Ringed Plover, 96 Bar-Tailed Godwit, 55+ Knot, nine Sanderling, nine Greenshank, three Red-breasted Merganser, two Shoveler and a Pintail.

Elsewhere four Shoveler were on the Main Pond with 11 Long-tailed Tit, two Chiffchaff and two Goldcrest on site. The highlight was a Common Redpoll with a single Lesser Redpoll, the second site record for this soon to be subspecies. The site was however strangely quiet for finches with four Bullfinch the peak count, along with single Chaffinch and Linnet and no Greenfinch or Goldfinch.

Year list addition:

187. Common Redpoll

Ringing News: A total of 17 colour-ringed Dunlin were recorded, including a new individual for the winter.  

Friday 20th December

A low tide visit saw 247 Dark-bellied Brent Goose, 84 Carrion Crow and 73 Shelduck  feeding on the mudflats in the estuary with a Great Northern Diver in the main channel.

Elsewhere five Shoveler were on the Main Pond with five Chiffchaff and a Goldcrest in the bushes.

Thursday 19th December

A busy high tide with 1400 Dunlin around The Bight along with 106 Shelduck, 40 Knot, 20 Sanderling and 20 Ringed Plover. Also in the estuary, 274 Wigeon, 115 Redshank, 68 Common and three adult Mediterranean Gull, three Greenshank and three Red-breasted Merganser.

Elsewhere three Shoveler on the Main Pond, six Chiffchaff on site and three Eider offshore.

Ringing News: An incredible 33 colour-ringed Dunlin were recorded, including four new for the winter, taking the season's total to 50 individuals. also noted five Exe ringed Grey Plover and a headstarted Curlew from Sussex.

Tuesday 17th December

Increased activity offshore in a stiff south-easterly with 25 auk sp., 20 Gannet and seven Red-throated Diver moving offshore in the first half hour. The same conditions limited activity in the bushes with just two Chiffchaff noted.

Elsewhere a few wader counts were possible before they started to disperse on the dropping tide with 78 Grey Plover, 77 Curlew and 22 Turnstone amongst the usual suspects. Also in the estuary, 290 Dark-bellied Brent Geese and single Red-breasted Merganser and a Pintail. 

Pintail - Dean Hall

Sunday 15th December

Again no sign of the Green-winged Teal in the estuary where counts included, 418 Dark and a Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 379 Teal, 363 Wigeon, 97 Shelduck, eight Greenshank, threes of Black-tailed Godwit, Pintail and Red-breasted Merganser and single Kingfisher and Mediterranean Gull.

Elsewhere a Tawny Owl briefly in the Entrance Bushes was the first of the year, with 13 Long-tailed Tit, eight Chiffchaff, three Goldcrest, two Siskin and a Buzzard were on site, 31 Great Crested Grebe, six Red-throated and five Great Northern Diver were offshore and single Lesser Redpoll and Siskin were overhead.

Year list addition:

186. Tawny Owl

Other Wildlife: The weather saw Red Admiral again on the wing, along with Buff-tailed Bumblebee. Dolphins were again distantly offshore and the Grey Squirrel still on the Golf Course.

Saturday 14th December

No sign of the Green-winged Teal amongst 430 Teal in the estuary, with other counts including 358 Dark and a Pale bellied Brent Geese, 159 Wigeon, 102 Common and an adult Mediterranean Gull, 86 Turnstone, 74 Shelduck, nine Greenshank, two Pintail and single Avocet, Black-tailed Godwit and the Water Pipit.

In flat calm conditions offshore counts included 32 Great Crested Grebe, 10 Guillemot, nine Red-throated and six Great Northern Diver and three Eider.

Elsewhere two Rook were overhead, two Shoveler were at the Main Pond with six Chiffchaff and single Firecrest, Goldcrest and Siskin. 

Other Wildlife: A pod of at least 12 Bottle-nosed and three Common Dolphin were offshore, the largest count of Bottle-nosed since March 2011. Elsewhere the sunshine brought out a late flying Red Admiral.

Friday 13th December

The drake Green-winged Teal was again in the estuary with 376 Teal in an area with no general access, along with the first Water Pipit of the winter, three Pintail and two Avocet. 

Other counts over the evening high tide included 290 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 99 Grey and 38 Ringed Plover, 90 Shelduck, 84 Knot, 71 Common Gull, 14 Sanderling, nine Greenshank and a Black-tailed Godwit. 

Ringing News: Seven colour-ringed Dunlin were recorded with two new for the winter, including AE ringed here as a 1CY in Nov 2019 and back for the fifth successive winter; this season's tally is now up to 46 different individuals. Three Exe ringed Grey Plover were also present, including one new for the year, last seen in March 2023. 

Thursday 12th December

A low tide visit saw 324 Dark-bellied Brent Geese feeding on the mudflats with two Shoveler and a Pintail, but no sign of the Green-winged, amongst 100+ Teal. Off site 25 Lapwing landed on Cockle Sands.

Elsewhere three Lesser Redpoll were feeding in the Entrance Bushes, with five Bullfinch, two Chiffchaff and two Goldcrest on site and three Eider and a Great Northern Diver offshore. 

Other Wildlife: Insect activity was limited in the dull conditions with a Devil's Coach Horse on the beach keeping others hidden.

Devil's Coach Horse - Alan Keatley

Wednesday 11th December

The drake Green-winged Teal was still in the estuary in an area with no general access, along with two Avocet, two Pintail and a Shoveler. 

Ringing News: Fifteen colour-ringed Dunlin were recorded over the high tide.