Thursday 8th October

The 3.5 metre high tide (Exmouth Docks gauge) at c.09:00 pushed in lots of waterbirds and 57 Pale-bellied Brent Goose was an unusually high count and outnumbered the 52 Dark-bellied Brent Goose. Also likely displaced from the Exmouth side of the estuary, c.1,100 Wigeon and many Teal were in the southwest estuary corner. Some other counts were 170 Dunlin, 25 Common Gull, 21 Mute Swan, 17 Grey Plover, eight Sandwich Tern, seven Turnstone, seven Little Egret, four Pintail, two Shelduck, two Sanderling, two Lesser Black-backed Gull; the drake Eider again roosted on Finger Point and the Slavonian Grebe was in its usual place.

Stiff winds lately, although not from the best direction, improved numbers offshore with 90 Gannet, eight Common Scoter, three Razorbill and a Guillemot; the first auks here for three months.  

On the Main Pond, the drake Shoveler still and a Kingfisher. In the woods, five Chiffchaff, two Blackcap and Bullfinch; and around Greenland Lake only modest numbers of finches with 35 Goldfinch and 12 Greenfinch present. The Yellow-browed Warbler was claimed today. Other species seen were three Cirl Bunting and single Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Raven.

Passage was light, including some grounded birds involved 16 Meadow Pipit, six House Martin, five Siskin, four Swallow and just four Pied Wagtail.

the regular drake Eider roosting on Finger Point - Alan Keatley

Wildlife news: only seen here every few years, a Hornet was the day's highlight, seen near the hide. With temperatures briefly reaching 16°C and in spells of sunshine, a few regular hoverflies included Drone-fly Eristalis tenax and E. nemorum, and a late Gossamer Hoverfly Baccha elongata. As usual, several Migrant Hawker and Common Darter were on the wing; no other species were reliably identified.

Hornet - Alan Keatley