Monday 7th July

Wader numbers continue to slowly rise with 189 Curlew, 54 Redshank, 12 Whimbrel, 11 Dunlin, five Bar and two Black-tailed Godwit and a Ringed Plover on the dropping evening tide. Also in the estuary at least 22 Mediterranean Gull and 20 Sandwich Tern. 

Sunday 6th July

A juvenile Little Ringed Plover in The Bight was the pick of the waders over high tide, feeding with single Dunlin and Ringed Plover. Other counts included 178 Curlew, 41 Redshank, five Whimbrel, four Bar and a Black-tailed Godwit, three Greenshank and two Grey Plover.  

Also in the estuary 20 Mediterranean Gull (15 ad, four juvs & a 2cy), 16 Sandwich Tern (seven juvs) and a Little Grebe. 

The stiff offshore breeze meant there was little in the bay with the majority of the c.50 Manx Shearwater distantly on the horizon, with 12 Common Scoter, five Gannet and two adult Mediterranean Gull.

Comma - Kevin Rylands

Saturday 5th July

Roost counts from the low high tide included 241 Oystercatcher, 189 Curlew, 25 Redshank, six Whimbrel, four Bar-tailed Godwit, two Grey Plover and the first two retuning Greenshank

Also in the estuary c70 Black-headed Gull, including the first juvenile, at least 18 Mediterranean Gull, including four juveniles and six Sandwich Tern, three juveniles. 

Elsewhere just the one Gannet offshore with 32 Manx Shearwater heading south.

Ringing News: Three Warren ringed Oystercatcher were back for the winter JP, A3 & ET, all early return dates.

Other Wildlife: A warm overcast day with the threat of rain, although it largely didn't materialise, kept invertebrates in the vegetation or close to the ground. Good numbers of Gatekeeper were active when disturbed when walking past the bramble scrub.

Gatekeeper - Kevin Rylands

Sitting in its distinctive web with its zigzag ladder (stabilimentum) was the first Wasp Spider of the year, an immature, found in the usual locality of Greenland Lake.

Wasp Spider - Alan Keatley

The new fly for the Recording Area was in Dead Dolphin Wood, Eustalomyia festiva, a parasitic anthomyid fly, loitering close to its wasp host nest, the wood nesting Garden Ectemnius E. cavifrons.

Eustalomyia festiva - Alan Keatley

Eustalomyia festiva and Ectemnius cavifrons - Alan Keatley

Friday 4th July

At least 34 Mediterranean Gull were on sandbars off Warren Point this evening, mostly adults but the first two juveniles also present. Also offshore seven Sandwich Tern and four Common Scoter. 

Wednesday 2nd July

Little to report on a scorching midday low high tide with a single Redshank joining the usual huddle of Oystercatcher around The Bight, where a post breeding flock of 29 Canada Geese were chilling out. 

Aside from a Grey Heron was eyeing up a fish meal at the Main Pond, nothing but the usual breeding birds in the reserve.

Other Wildlife: Insects were also less active in the high temperatures, although a good series of records included a female Least Velvet Ant Myrmosa atra on the beach by the geotubes. The female is wingless, looking very ant-like.

Least Velvet Ant Myrmosa atra - Alan Keatley

Also recorded a new bug for the Recording Area, the plant bug Orthops basalis and a Slender-bodied Digger Wasp Crabro cribrarius in Dead Dolphin Wood, the picture-winged flies Tephritis bardanae and Terellia tussilaginis around their foodplant Burdock with Small Spot-eye Dronefly Eristalinus sepulchralis and the spider wasp Anophilus infuscatus in Greenland Lake.

Orthops basalis - Alan Keatley

Slender-bodied Digger Wasp Crabro cribrarius - Alan Keatley

Tephritis bardanae - Dean Hall

Brown Willow Beetle Galerucella lineola - Dean Hall

Small Spot-eye Dronefly Eristalinus sepulchralis - Alan Keatley

Anophilus infuscatus - Alan Keatley

Monday 30th June

Aside from breeding residents little to report on a low tide visit although four Sandwich Tern flew into the estuary and two noisy juveniles Kestrel overhead indicate the Eastdon pair, the male often hunting on site, were again successful. 

Other Wildlife: Plenty of insect activity in the hot weather  The highlight being a new soldier beetle for the Recording Area with a Silis ruficollis by the Main Pond. Only two other Devon sites for this beetle, including Exminster Marshes.

Silis ruficollis - Alan Keatley

Another good find was an aggregation of the nationally scarce Black Mining Bee Andrena pilipes going in and out of their nest holes on the car park roundabout. New records for the year included Mother of Pearl by the First Pond, Little Mason Wasp Microdynerus exilis on the Dune Ridge and Dull Cuckoo Wasp Hedychridium roseum and Garden Ectemnius E. cavifrons in Skipper Meadow. 

Mother of Pearl - Alan Keatley

Nectaring on the remaining water dropwort a Dark-winged Chrysogaster C. solstitialis and a migrant Compost Hoverfly Syritta pipiens amongst many Marmalade Hoverfly.

Compost Hoverfly Syritta pipiens - Alan Keatley

Also on the wing the first male Green Furrow Bee Lasioglossum morio for the year, a Golden-ringed Dragonfly and several butterflies included a Marbled White in Skipper Meadow.

Marbled White - Alan Keatley

Green Furrow Bee Lasioglossum morio - Alan Keatley

Sunday 29th June

Wader roost counts from the morning high tide included 135 Curlew, 20 Redshank, eight Whimbrel, four Bar-tailed Godwit and two Grey and a Ringed Plover. Also present at least 10 Mediterranean Gull, nine Sandwich (three juveniles) and three Common Tern.

Sandwich Tern - Lee Collins

Elsewhere 20 Manx Shearwater were offshore, 10 Sand Martin flew through, a female Kestrel was on site and two Little Grebe and a Kingfisher were at the Main Pond. 

Other Wildlife: A Marbled White was by the Entrance Bushes.

Saturday 28th June

The first juvenile Sandwich Tern of the autumn was in the estuary on the dropping tide, with a Black-tailed Godwit also a new arrival. Counts included 80 Black-headed and five adult Mediterranean Gull, 70 Curlew, six Redshank and five Whimbrel.

The heat haze reduced visibility offshore but 960 Herring Gull on the sandbars were joined by 14 Mediterranean Gull and four Sandwich Tern.

Other Wildlife: Insect migration continues with Small White and Seven-spot Ladybird the most numerous arrivals. Also on the wing a Golden-ringed Dragonfly increased numbers of Gatekeeper, a new generation of Common Blue and Speckled Wood.

Great Green Bush Cricket - Kevin Rylands

Friday 27th June

Offshore at least 70 Manx Shearwater patrolling the bay were accompanied by three Balearic Shearwater, with a few Gannet, mostly dark 2cy birds, the dark phase adult Arctic Skua again and a lone Sandwich Tern. 

At least eight Mediterranean Gull were in the estuary, with 124 Curlew, the first three figure count of the autumn, 20 Redshank, eight Whimbrel and six Bar-tailed Godwit.

Mediterranean Gull - Dave Jewell

Pied Wagtail - Dave Jewell

Little Egret - Dave Jewell

Thursday 26th June

Overnight mothing produced the only news for today with the first Green Sandpiper of the year calling over The Bight just after midnight, with presumably the same bird calling in the estuary corner an hour later. This is just the fourth June record after birds on 13/06/2006, 26/06/2012 & 27/06/1987. 

Year list addition: 

150. Green Sandpiper