Sunday 12th July

Lots of activity in the estuary over the high tide with minimum counts of 130 Mediterranean Gull and 110 Sandwich Tern, including 16 juveniles, gathering around The Bight.  A sample count of Mediterranean Gull included 73 adults, seven 3CY, nine 2CY, and three juveniles.

Other counts included 220 Curlew, 130 Oystercatcher, 32 Dunlin, six Greenshank, six Sanderling, five Common Sandpiper, three Bar-tailed Godwit, three Common Tern, three Grey Plover, a Ringed Plover and a Turnstone.

Elsewhere the Coot was still at the Main Pond, along with a Kingfisher and the moulting Eider, now flightless, was on the beach. 

Eider - Kevin Rylands

Ringing News: News back from a Sandwich Tern read on Friday confirms in was ringed, as a 2CY, on passage at Allit Sandpans on the Mediterranean coast of Israel, just the second record of an Israeli ringed Sandwich Tern in the UK.

More regular Sandwich Tern fare today saw several Hampshire ringed birds, a new bird from Cemlyn, Anglesey and an Ynyslas, Wales ringed bird back for a ninth successive autumn, since being ringed as a juvenile in August 2018.

Other Wildlife: Common Fiddleneck Amsinckia micrantha was discovered on the Golf Course, the first site record since 1959. Native to western North America, this remains a very rare casual in Devon. 

Common Fiddleneck Amsinckia micrantha - Kevin Rylands

A bull Grey Seal was in the estuary. 

Saturday 11th July

Minimum totals from the estuary included 111 Mediterranean Gull, 75 Sandwich Tern, 70 Redshank, including at least five juveniles, and 45 Oystercatcher. Other counts included 22 Whimbrel, seven Dunlin, five Greenshank, three Grey Plover, three Bar and a Black-tailed Godwit.

Elsewhere a first winter Coot on the Main Pond was the clear highlight, the first on site since 27 March 2020 and only the second since 2014. 

Coot - Alan Keatley

Ringing News: Two new Exe ringed Oystercatcher were back over high tide along with Mediterranean Gull from France, Germany and Ireland and Sandwich Tern from Hampshire and Cemlyn Bay, Anglesey.

Other Wildlife: The continuing hot summer weather saw a lot of insect activity on the reserve with 13 species of butterfly, included hundreds of Gatekeeper, two Brown Argus and a Clouded Yellow in Greenland Lake.

Brown Argus - Alan Keatley

Every pond held at least one Odonata species, although the First Pond is now just a puddle.  Ovipositing Emperor Dragonfly, Red-eyed Damselfly, Black-tailed Skimmer at the Main Pond and a couple of Common Darter at the Dune Pond.

Emperor Dragonfly - Alan Keatley

Common Darter - Alan Keatley

Not to miss out Hymenoptera included Small Shaggy Bee Panurgus calcaratus, Pantaloon Bee Dasypoda hirtipes, Common Ectemnius E .continuus, Willow Mason Wasp Symmorphus bifasciatus and Black-thighed Epeolus E. variegatus.

Pantaloon Bee Dasypoda hirtipes - Alan Keatley

Common Ectemnius E .continuus - Alan Keatley

Friday 10th July

Sandwich Tern numbers are being to build, a minimum count of 115, including 22 juveniles, were in the estuary at high tide, with constant feeding trips offshore. Mediterranean Gull are still on the move with at least 125, including 17 juveniles, with many birds dropping into the estuary from the east of offshore.

Also present over high tide 41 Redshank, 24 Oystercatcher, 18 Whimbrel, seven Bar-tailed Godwit, seven Greenshank, four Common Tern, three Grey Plover, two Dunlin and a Sanderling.

Ringing News: The first three Exe ringed Oystercatcher have returned for another winter on the estuary. Other recoveries included Sandwich Tern from Solent and Irish Sea colonies and a Black-headed Gull from Poland. 

Other Wildlife: The first Ringlet of the year was on the Golf Course, with a Silver Y and several Rush Veneer disturbed underfoot. 

Thursday 9th July

Counts from the estuary included c100 Sandwich, two Common and a Little Tern on Bull Hill at mid tide, with 22 Mediterranean Gull, three Grey Plover and three Greenshank in the saltmarsh.

Other Wildlife: Signs of insect migration with a Clouded Yellow among the eleven butterfly species noted. More locally a Brimstone in the Entrance Bushes. A Southern Hawker near Golf Course was possibly also on the move. 

Brimstone - Alan Keatley

Active in the flower meadows, Broad-banded Globetail Sphaerophoria taeniata, Four-banded Bee-grabber Conops quadrifasciatus, Early Mason Wasp Ancistrocerus nigricornis, Ornate Tailed Digger Wasp Cerceris rybyensis and Geoffroy's Blood Bee Sphecodes geoffrellus. Moths included the first few Six-spot Burnet, Large Yellow Underwing and Yellow Shell. 

Yellow Shell - Alan Keatley

Geoffroy's Blood Bee Sphecodes geoffrellus - Alan Keatley

 Broad-banded Globetail Sphaerophoria taeniata - Dean Hall

Large Yellow Underwing - Alan Keatley

Four-banded Bee-grabber Conops quadrifasciatus - Dean Hall

Wednesday 8th July

Counts from the estuary included c50 Mediterranean Gull, 45 Sandwich, five Common and a Little Tern, 35 Redshank, five Bar-tailed Godwit, two Grey Plover and a Greenshank.

Elsewhere a Sedge Warbler at the end of Dead Dolphin Wood was the first of autumn, a Kingfisher was at the Main Pond and the Eider was Langstone Rock.

Tuesday 7th July

Another day of Mediterranean Gull passage with 95, including three juveniles, in the Railway Saltmarsh and others elsewhere, taking the day's tally well into three figures. Also in the estuary 18 Sandwich and four Common Tern, including the first juvenile of the latter. 

Wader counts included 38 Redshank, 14 Whimbrel, eight Turnstone, six Bar-tailed Godwit, three Greenshank, two Dunlin and two Grey Plover. The first juvenile Redshank and Turnstone showed that early returning birds are not necessarily failed breeders.

Elsewhere the female ‪Eider was on the breakwater at Langstone Rock with a Kingfisher and a Little Grebe at the Main Pond.

Other Wildlife: Another good day for butterflies with a Brimstone along the Back Path alongside the usual species. Nectaring insects included the cuckoo bee Black-thighed Epeolus E. variegatus and a Willow Mason Wasp Symmorphus bifasciatus. 

Black-thighed Epeolus E. variegatus - Alan Keatley

Willow Mason Wasp Symmorphus bifasciatus - Alan Keatley

Species of cuckoo wasps noted included Glowing Cuckoo Wasp Hedychridium ardens and Golden Cuckoo Wasp Pseudomalus auratus searching for hosts.

Golden Cuckoo Wasp Pseudomalus auratus - Alan Keatley

Sunday 5th July

Counts from the estuary included 117 Oystercatcher, 32 Sandwich Tern including three juveniles, 31 Redshank, 16 Mediterranean Gull, six Whimbrel, three Bar and a Black-tailed Godwit and two Greenshank. 

Other Wildlife: The bull Grey Seal was in the estuary.

Saturday 4th July

The dropping tide saw 122 Curlew and 41 Canada Geese, including all eight fledged young from the Main Pond, remaining in the saltmarsh with a flock of five Raven flying across The Bight and three Shag on the breakwater at Langstone Rock. 

Other Wildlife: Plenty of insect activity in the warm sunshine with nine species of butterfly including a female Brown Argus in the Entrance Bushes and four Odonata species including a female Broad-bodied Chaser and 10+ Red-eyed Damselfly at the Main Pond.

Brown Argus - Alan Keately

Red-eyed Damselfly - Alan Keatley

New emergences included a Four-banded Beegrabber Conops quadrifasciatus, the leaf beetle Cryptocephalus fulvus, the mirid bug Plagiognathus arbustorum and the nationally scarce Hairy Stiltbug Berytinus hirticornis.

Hairy Stiltbug Berytinus hirticornis - Alan Keatley

Friday 3rd July

The first eight returning Teal were in the saltmarsh early morning with other counts from the estuary including 39 Redshank, 21 Sandwich Tern, four Whimbrel, three Ringed and two Grey Plover, three Bar-tailed Godwit, two Dunlin, a Greenshank and a Sanderling.

Elsewhere four Common Tern and three Great Crested Grebe were offshore. 

Thursday 2nd July

A low tide visit saw few birds of note with a 3CY Mediterranean Gull on the beach, two Sandwich Tern offshore and a juvenile Grey Heron at the Main Pond.

Other Wildlife: A good day for summer insects with eleven butterfly species on the wing, including the first Brown Argus of the year, a male, in the Back Meadow and, now rare for the Recording Area, a Small Tortoiseshell near the Crazy Golf. A couple of summer generation Holly Blue were seen and on the move good numbers of Large and Small White with a few Red Admiral.

Small Tortoiseshell - Alan Keatley

A good variety of Odonata including ovipositing Red-eyed Damselfly on the Main Pond and a male Red-veined Darter briefly on the Dune Ridge. Also, on the dune ridge a Roesel's Bush-Cricket and a Mottled Grasshopper along the Back Path.

Roesel's Bush-Cricket - Alan Keatley

Mottled Grasshopper - Alan Keatley

Less noticeable, a pair of mating Dark-winged Black Pachygaster atra soldierfly and a false blister beetle Oedemera lurida.

Dark-winged Black Pachygaster atra - Alan Keatley

Oedemera lurida - Alan Keatley