Sunday 1st February

A total of 510 Black-tailed Godwit, 34 Sanderling, 17 Greenshank and nine Avocet were in the estuary on the dropping morning tide with the 2CY Little Gull still in main channel and a 2CY Yellow-legged Gull on Bull Hill.  

Elsewhere five Great Northern Diver and five Common Scoter were offshore, 60 Linnet were on Warren Point, 37 Magpie roosted in the Entrance Bushes and a Little Grebe has returned to the Main Pond, where a female Shoveler, several Water Rail and a Cetti's Warbler were present.

Year List additions:
103. Little Grebe
102. Yellow-legged Gull

Other Wildlife: Between showers, the weather wasn't too bad with a few more active invertebrates few including a Gorse Weevil Exapion ulicis on its foodplant with plenty of Gorse Thrips Odontothrips ulicis. On an early flowering Alexanders, a common blowfly Calliphora vicina and a Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria.

Gorse Weevil Exapion ulicis - Alan Keatley

Elsewhere a Bembidion lunulatum amongst Marram and a large sac spider Clubiona corticalis.

Bembidion lunulatum - Alan Keatley

Saturday 31st January

Counts from the estuary on the rising tide included 1,230 Dunlin, 310 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 96 Redshank, 65 Turnstone, 30 Ringed Plover, 28 Sanderling, 22 Avocet, 14 Greenshank and two Red-breasted Merganser with two Mediterranean and a 2CY Little Gull and a Whimbrel also present. The latter presumably the wintering bird from Exmouth. 

Elsewhere 15 Great Crested Grebe, five Common Scoter and four Great Northern Diver were offshore. 

Year List addition:
101. Whimbrel

Ringing News: The flock of Avocet contained a new ringed bird from the Netherlands, with no sign of the two recent birds. Detailed of these revealed one was from Seal Sands, Cleveland that has wintered on the Exe for several winters and a Dutch bird that has not previously been recorded away from the Netherlands. 

 Wildlife News: A Grey Seal was in estuary. 

Friday 30th January

The flood water in the river saw a much higher tide than forecast with most waders packed tightly onto Finger Point and 330 Dark-bellied Brent Geese on the flooded areas of the Golf Course. The Merlin was hunting around the estuary corner with counts including 77 Common, 58 Great Black-backed and a Mediterranean Gull, 37 Ringed Plover, 22 Shelduck, 16 Avocet, seven Greenshank and a Fulmar, which flew down estuary from N of Cockwood.

Elsewhere two Great Northern Diver were offshore, the Cetti's Warbler was singing on the Golf Course, two Siskin flew towards the mainland and a notable flock of 20 Long-tailed Tit were in the Entrance Bushes. 

Wednesday 28th January

Counts from the high tide included 1,230 Dunlin, 190 Black-headed, 50 Common and two adult Mediterranean Gull, 145 Grey and 36 Ringed Plover, 127 Knot, 108 Bar-tailed Godwit, 69 Redshank, 33 Shelduck, 31 Avocet, 31 Sanderling, 20 Teal, six Great Crested Grebe, four Wigeon, three Red-breasted Merganser and a Great Northern Diver.

Common and Mediterranean Gull - Dave Jewell

Elsewhere six Great Northern and two Red-throated Diver and five Common Scoter were offshore and the Cetti's Warbler was calling in the car park. 

Ringing News: Two of the 31 Avocet, the second highest site count, were colour-ringed, one from the Netherlands the other from the UK, full details awaited. there has only been one previous Avocet recovery at the Warren. 

Avocet - Kevin Rylands

Sunday 25th January

A brief Slavonian Grebe in the Bight was the highlight over high tide with over 500 Black-tailed Godwit roosting on Finger Point. Also in the estuary another 200 Black-tailed Godwit in the saltmarsh with 70+ Snipe, 24 Avocet, the second highest site count after 38 on 31 Oct 1998; six Greenshank, four Great Crested Grebe, a Great Northern Diver and a Razorbill.

Slavonian Grebe - Lee Collins

Elsewhere two adult Little Gull were distantly offshore with five Great Northern and a Red-throated Diver, five Common Scoter and an adult Mediterranean Gull with an impressive gathering of 950+ Herring Gull feeding on the strandline at low tide. 

Year List addition:
100. Slavonian Grebe

Other Wildlife: Two Field Vole were found sheltering under a displaced bit of hide roof!

Saturday 24th January

Wader numbers over high tide were down with usual roosting areas covered at high tide, with the wind and choppy waters keeping waders on the move. However future roosting opportunities on fair weather high tides continue to be created with continuing extensive erosion on Warren Point, today's shoreline, over 75m further inland than that in 2017, before the Beach Management Scheme, since then over four acres of dune have been lost from Warren Point.

Amongst the remaining Dunlin the year's first Purple Sandpiper, presumably moved from an unknown local roost, with counts in The Bight on receding tide including 107 Grey and 37 Ringed Plover, 87 Knot and 74 Bar-tailed Godwit, with an adult Little Gull, 600 Black-tailed Godwit, a good count of 15 Avocet and three Red-breasted Merganser. 

Elsewhere the Cetti's Warbler was again vocal on the Golf Course and two Common Scoter and a Fulmar on a brief seawatch soon curtailed by breaking waves.

Year List additions:
99. Purple Sandpiper
98. Fulmar

Friday 23rd January

Another day of strong SE gales with two Little Gull, and adult and a 2CY on Finger Point at high tide, with presumably the same adult in Shutterton Creek at low tide. Also in the estuary 530 Black-tailed Godwit, 65 Snipe, 64 Shelduck, 10 Red-breasted Merganser, four Avocet, three Greenshank, two Mediterranean Gull, a Kittiwake, a drake Goldeneye and the Merlin. 

Other Wildlife: The wind snapped off a fair number of twigs from the larger Alders in the Entrance Bushes, revealing a couple of new fungi species for the Recording Area, the widespread Leafy Brain Phaeotremella foliacea and the scarcer Spring Hazelcup Encoelia furfuracea. 

Spring Hazelcup Encoelia furfuracea - Kevin Rylands

Thursday 22nd January

At least two Little Gull remained today with an adult and 2CY, both close in off groyne 9 and later the seawall offshore pm, earlier an adult headed distantly south. Also offshore five Great Northern Diver, three Common Scoter and a 'redhead' Goosander that flew in off and up river early morning. 

Great Northern Diver - Dean Hall

The Merlin was hunting the saltmarsh with counts from the estuary including 910 Black and 78 Bar-tailed Godwit, 125 Grey and 15 Ringed Plover, 101 Knot, three Avocet, two Red-breasted Merganser and a Guillemot. 

Guillemot - Dean Hall

Redshank- Dean Hall

Year List additions:
97. Goosander

Other Wildlife: A few insects ventured out in the mild, but damp weather. On vegetation the leafhoppers Ribautiana tenerrima, and new for the Recording Area, an Empoasca vitis on Gorse.

Ribautiana tenerrima - Alan Keatley

Empoasca vitis - Alan Keatley

Found under logs a Dingy Footman caterpillar,  the springtail Dicyrtomina saundersi and Stenus clavicornis, a common grassland rove beetle.

Dicyrtomina saundersi - Alan Keatley

Dingy Footman - Alan Keatley

Stenus clavicornis - Alan Keatley

Elsewhere a Grey Seal was in the estuary.

Wednesday 21st January

A wet and windy high tide saw an adult Little Gull in the estuary and a 2CY Caspian Gull on Finger Point with 40+ Great Black-backed Gull. Wader counts in The Bight included 148 Grey Plover, 125 Knot and 107 Bar-tailed Godwit, with 920 Black-tailed Godwit, 11 Red-breasted Merganser, a winter high, and two Avocet sheltering in the estuary corner.

Caspian Gull - Lee Collins

Elsewhere a fem/imm Merlin was watched pursuing a Skylark off high north, three Shoveler were at the Main Pond and offshore two Great Northern Diver and, sheltering behind Langstone Rock, two 2CY Little Gull.

Year List additions:
96. Caspian Gull
95. Little Gull

Monday 19th January

At least 390+ Dark and a Pale-bellied Brent Geese were in the estuary on the rising tide along with 121 Shelduck, 92 Turnstone, 82 Wigeon, four Greenshank and a Black-tailed Godwit.

Elsewhere 33 Great Crested Grebe, 21 Red-throated and four Great Northern Diver and three Common Scoter were offshore with five Shoveler on the Main Pond, a Coal Tit in the Entrance Bushes and a Cetti's Warbler singing again on the Golf Course.

Other Wildlife: At least three Harbour Porpoise were offshore.