Saturday 10th August

Seawatching for 90 minutes early morning saw Gannet passing SW at around one a minute along with 54 Sandwich Tern, three Balearic Shearwater and two Pomarine Skua. 

The Little Stint was again in The Bight over high tide along with 103 Ringed Plover, 48 Dunlin, 18 Sanderling and three Turnstone. Other counts from the estuary included 150 Redshank, 25 Whimbrel, seven Greenshank, six Eider, three juvenile Shelduck from the SW, two Black-tailed Godwit and two Common Sandpiper.

Turnstone - Lee Collins

Little Stint - Lee Collins

Elsewhere two Swift were overhead with grounded migrants including five Whitethroat, two Lesser Whitethroat, two Garden Warbler and two White Wagtail.

Other Wildlife: A male Beautiful Demoiselle by the Crocus Compound was the only the third record since 2010 and the first since September 2021. A pod of four immature Bottle-nosed Dolphin headed east offshore.

Beautiful Demoiselle - David Flack

Friday 9th August

Early morning seawatching saw at least 35 Balearic Shearwater and 96 Gannet head south in 1hr 20mins, most very distant, with more shearwater sp beyond them. Also offshore 175 Sandwich Tern leaving the estuary from dawn to forage, with two Great Crested Grebe, a Peregrine and a Common Scoter. 

The Little Stint was again present in The Bight over the morning high tide with 753 Oystercatcher, 75 Ringed Plover, 37 Dunlin, two Sanderling, a Turnstone and a Grey Plover. Counts from elsewhere in the estuary included 274 Curlew, 178 Redshank, 48 Whimbrel, 11 Greenshank, six Eider, five Bar-tailed Godwit, three Mediterranean Gull and a Common Scoter.

 

Elsewhere four Swift and a juvenile Hobby flew west, with 10 Chiffchaff, four Blackcap, two Willow Warbler and single Wheatear, Whitethroat, Garden and Reed Warbler on site.

Wheatear - Lee Collins

Thursday 8th August

An adult Little Stint was in The Bight over the morning high tide, with counts including 150 Redshank, 75 Ringed Plover, 34 Whimbrel, 34 Dunlin, nine Greenshank, six Eider, five Bar-tailed Godwit, four Sanderling, three Turnstone and a breeding plumaged Grey Plover. 

Little Stint - both Lee Collins

Offshore nine Balearic and four Manx Shearwater, two Pomarine Skua, 33 Sandwich Tern, seven Fulmar and three Common Scoter flew south with two Teal flying in off.

Other Wildlife: A Grey Seal was in The Bight at high tide, with six Small Red-eyed Damselfly and a Black-tailed Skimmer at the Main Pond before the rain.

At least 15 Wasp Spider were found in Greenland Lake with the damp weather making the webs easier to find. Despite the conditions a Dark Fleabane Neb Apodia bifractella was found and the nationally scarce Tawny Cockroach was found under driftwood with numerous Lesser Cockroach.

Wasp Spider - Alan Keatley

Tawny Cockroach - Alan Keatley

Wednesday 7th August

The moulting adult Curlew Sandpiper reappeared over the morning tide amongst 52 Ringed Plover, 48 Dunlin, two Sanderling and a Turnstone in The Bight. Also in the estuary 204 Redshank, 51 Whimbrel, 15 Mediterranean Gull, seven Greenshank, six Bar-tailed Godwit, the six Eider and a Snipe.

At least 92 Sandwich Tern were split between the estuary and offshore, where a distant flock was targeted by a hunting Peregrine. Elsewhere a Meadow Pipit was overhead with single Wheatear, Garden and Willow Warbler on site.

Other Wildlife: A varied selection of insects active including a Striped-backed Snailkiller Limnia unguicornis, with a couple of Heather Colletes C. succinctus making their first appearance of the year. These were one of several bee species recorded including Hairy Yellow-faced Bee Hylaeus hyalinatus, Coastal Leafcutter Megachile maritima and several Green Furrow Bee Lasioglossum morio.

Striped-backed Snailkiller Limnia unguicornis - Alan Keatley

Heather Colletes C. succinctus - Alan Keatley

Hairy Yellow-faced Bee Hylaeus hyalinatus - Alan Keatley

True bugs included the mirid Plagiognathus chrysanthemi, the groundbug Stygocornis fuligineus, Alder Spittlebug Aphrophora alni and Green Leafhopper Cicadella viridis.

Plagiognathus chrysanthemi - Alan Keatley

Stygocornis fuligineus - Alan Keatley

Amongst today's butterflies were a mating pair of Green-veined White and the first Grey Squirrel of the autumn was around the First Pond.

Green-veined White - Alan Keatley

Tuesday 6th August

Three Sedge Warbler and a Yellow Wagtail on the Golf Course were new migrants with a Garden Warbler still feeding up around the Entrance Bushes. 

Elsewhere counts from the estuary included 198 Redshank, c120 Sandwich Tern, 62 Ringed Plover, 48 Whimbrel, 17 Dunlin, 11 Sanderling, eight Bar-tailed Godwit, eight Greenshank, six Eider and two Turnstone, with 15 Common Scoter and a Great Crested Grebe offshore.

Monday 5th August

Seawatching early morning for 1hr 15mins saw six Balearic Shearwater, 110 Gannet, 109 Sandwich Tern, 38 Kittiwake and two Fulmar head SW. Many of the Gannet paused to forage around a dolphin pod and the terns were leaving their estuary roost, many returning later in the day.

Elsewhere two White Wagtail were on the beach, a Swift was overhead and counts from the estuary included 65 Ringed Plover, 49 Whimbrel, 14 Dunlin, 14 Mediterranean Gull, 10 Greenshank, six Bar-tailed Godwit, six Eider, four Sanderling and two Common Tern. 

Other Wildlife: With Common Fleabane in full flower three Fleabane Tortoise Beetle Cassida murraea were found in quick succession, an anticipated new species for the Warren. A further new species for the audit, Large Pine Aphid Cinara pinea was discovered by searching the small Scots Pine in the Entrance Bushes.

Fleabane Tortoise Beetle Cassida murraea - Alan Keatley

Large Pine Aphid Cinara pinea - Alan Keatley

The overcast weather didn't put off other insects with a good selection of butterflies including several Red Admiral, a Small Tortoiseshell and a Brown Argus.  Moths were also on the wing with Silver Y, Dingy Footman, Mother of Pearl Patania ruralis, Red-banded Tortrix Ditula angustiorana and Black-headed Conch Cochylichroa atricapitana, plus multitude of Six-spot Burnet.

Mother of Pearl Patania ruralis - Alan Keatley

Brown Argus - Alan Keatley

 Red-banded Tortrix Ditula angustiorana - Alan Keatley

Dingy Footman - Alan Keatley

There was a good selection of hoverflies including migrant species; Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus, Compost Hoverfly Syritta pipiens, Glass-winged Syrphus S. vitripennis and White-clubbed Glasswing Scaeva pyrastri. More local species included Small Spotty-eyed Dronefly Eristalinus sepulchralis, Slender Melanostoma M. scalare and Spotted Meliscaeva M. auricollis.

Also at least four Common Dolphin were offshore with two Vestal Cuckoo Bee on Water Mint and the first Southern Hawker of the year.

Autumn Ladies-tresses - Alan Keatley

Sunday 4th August

The first Yellow Wagtail of the autumn was overhead, with four Wheatear, two Willow and a Sedge Warbler the pick of the grounded migrants.

Counts from the estuary included 197 Redshank, 65 Ringed Plover, 64 Sandwich Tern, 61 Whimbrel, 16 Mediterranean and four Common Gull, 12 Dunlin, 11 Greenshank, six Eider, five Bar-tailed Godwit and five Sanderling.

Elsewhere 16 Common Scoter were on the sea, a Teal circled the bay, with presumably the same bird later in the estuary; and a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull was part of a feeding melee offshore.

Other Wildlife: A pod of five Common Dolphin, including a calf, and a Harbour Porpoise were feeding offshore.

Saturday 3rd August

A Lesser Whitethroat was the pick of another small fall of migrants along with two Willow and Garden Warbler. A Treecreeper was another new arrival, mobile through the woods in a mixed feeding flock. Overhead 13 Swallow and six Sand Martin.

Early morning at least 21 Balearic Shearwater were in the bay or heading south with eight Common Scoter and two Great Northern Diver also offshore. 

With two high tides the estuary was well watched but the highlight, a moulting adult Curlew Sandpiper was only present briefly on the dropping morning tide. 

Curlew Sandpiper - Lee Collins

Peak counts included 370 Curlew, 236 Black-headed, 19 Mediterranean and two juvenile Yellow-legged Gull, 191 Redshank, 107 Sandwich, five Common and a juvenile Little Tern, 84 Whimbrel, 54 Ringed Plover, 26 Dunlin, 11 Greenshank, seven Bar-tailed Godwit, six Eider and five Sanderling. Wader counts were similar on both tides but tern numbers and diversity was much higher during the evening.

Other Wildlife: In overcast conditions many of the insects were settled on vegetation. The pick being a False Ladybird Endomychus coccineus, a fungus beetle, found on the edge of Greenland Lake, the first for the Recording Area.

False Ladybird Endomychus coccineus - Alan Keatley

A selection of bugs included the leafhopper Eupteryx aurata and the distinctive mirid Heterotoma planicornis. The only dragonfly was a Common Darter in the Entrance Bushes.

Heterotoma planicornis - Alan Keatley

Common Darter - Alan Keatley

Hoverflies were represented by Grey-spotted Boxer Platycheirus albimanus, Pied Plumehorn Volucella pellucens, several Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus and  Broad-banded Globetail Sphaerophoria taeniata, a second new Warren species. 

Grey-spotted Boxer Platycheirus albimanus - Alan Keatley

Broad-banded Globetail Sphaerophoria taeniata - Alan Keatley

Friday 2nd August

Migrants included a juvenile Wheatear at Langstone Rock, with single Sedge and Willow Warbler on site, a mobile and vocal Coal Tit was presumably less travelled. 

Elsewhere 20 Common Scoter and a Great Northern Diver were offshore and counts from the estuary included 835 Oystercatcher, 366 Curlew, 176 Redshank, 76 Whimbrel, 42 Sandwich and two Common Tern, 31 Ringed Plover, 24 Dunlin, 13 Greenshank, 12 Sanderling, six Bar-tailed Godwit, the six Eider, three Mediterranean Gull, a Turnstone and a Teal.

Hundreds of Six-spot Burnet (Zygaena filipendulae) at Dawlish Warren nature reserve feeding on scabious & hemp-agrimony. Never seen so many in one place. It was amazing. pic.twitter.com/3r44CcCJ5U

— Bernoid (@bernoid) August 2, 2024

Thursday 1st August

An early morning visit saw two Balearic Shearwater close inshore off the seawall, with three Great Northern Diver offshore and single Common Sandpiper and Kingfisher at Langstone Rock. On site a Wheatear, two Willow and single Garden and Sedge Warbler with 22 Long-tailed Tit and, overhead, a Meadow Pipit.

Stonechat - Dave Jewell

Counts from the evening tide included 84 Sandwich and four Common Tern, 59 Ringed Plover, 30 Dunlin, nine Greenshank, a Sanderling and a Barnacle Goose with the Canada Geese. 

Year list addition:

159. Barnacle Goose

Other Wildlife: A few second brood Brown Argus were the pick of the butterflies. Good numbers of Six-spot Burnet were on the wing in Greenland Lake where Marsh Helleborine and Autumn Ladies Tresses are in flower.

Brown Argus - Dave Jewell

Marsh Helleborine - Dave Jewell