Wednesday 20th November

The first local ground frost of the winter brought few obvious changes except a reduction to five Chiffchaff on site, with the Dartford Warbler still on the Dune Ridge towards Warren Point. 

Counts from the estuary included 76 Shelduck, 63 Bar and a Black-tailed Godwit, 53 Grey and 18 Ringed Plover, 40 Great Black-backed Gull, three Red-breasted Merganser, two Shoveler and two Pale-bellied Brent Geese.

Elsewhere three Shoveler were at the Main Pond with four Great Northern and a Red-throated Diver offshore.

Ringing News: Three new Great Black-backed Gull were recorded, two 1cy from Portland and northern France and a 3cy from Norway. Three new Exe ringed Dunlin were also recorded, along with nine others.

Monday 18th November

An afternoon visit saw 339 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 61 Shelduck and three Greenshank in the estuary at low tide, with a pair of Shoveler and the Cetti's Warbler at the Main Pond.

Elsewhere eight Chiffchaff, two Goldcrest and a Siskin were in Dead Dolphin Wood and a Common Scoter was offshore.

Sunday 17th November

The first Dartford Warbler of the autumn was on the Dune Ridge above groyne 14, with 12 Chiffchaff and two Firecrest showing further arrivals. Also on site a Swallow around the seawall, five Shoveler, four Water Rail and a Kingfisher at the Main Pond and two Goldcrest and a Coal Tit in the bushes.

Dartford Warbler - Jim Summers

Swallow - Jim Summers

Counts from the estuary included 1105 Dunlin, 1020 Oystercatcher, 797 Wigeon, 313 Dark and three Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 227 Teal, 103 Turnstone, 62 Shelduck, 33 Knot, 21 Sanderling, five Greenshank and single Black-tailed Godwit, Cattle Egret and Pintail.

Pale and Dark-bellied Brent Geese - Jim Summers

Three Eider and a single Great Northern Diver were close in off Langstone Rock, with 11 Common Scoter, two Red-throated and a second Great Northern Diver also offshore.

Other Wildlife: A Grey Seal was fishing the shallows off Warren Point at low tide.

Saturday 16th November

An increase in waders was apparent in the estuary where counts included 1045 Dunlin, 899 Wigeon, 413 Teal, 220 Dark and four Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 190 Redshank, 65 Shelduck, 59 Knot, 55 Grey, 24 Ringed and nine Golden Plover, 55 Bar and four Black-tailed Godwit, four Greenshank, five Pintail and three Cattle Egret. 

Elsewhere 25 Great Crested Grebe, three Eider, two Great Northern and a Red-throated Diver were offshore, with another five Great Northern Diver flying S, two late Swallow and two Grey Wagtail were overhead and single Mistle Thrush and Fieldfare were in the bushes with six Chiffchaff, three Bullfinch, two Goldcrest and the Coal Tit.

Friday 15th November

Two Lesser Redpoll around the back of the Main Pond were the highlight, the first grounded birds of the year. Also around the bushes at least six Chiffchaff, three Goldcrest and a Coal Tit. 

Elsewhere singles of Grey Heron, Kingfisher, Little Grebe and Water Rail were on the Main Pond, with 12 very distant Common Scoter and three Eider offshore.

Grey Heron - Jim Summers

Thursday 14th November

A low tide visit so not much to record from the estuary, with several hundred Dark-bellied Brent Geese and 38 Shelduck feeding across the exposed mudflats. 

Offshore an apparent increase in Great Crested Grebe, with eight alongside a Great Northern Diver and four Eider, the latter on sandbars off Warren Point.

Eider - Dean Hall

Elsewhere two Kingfisher were seen on the Main Pond, with two pairs of Teal, a couple of Water Rail and a Little Grebe, with four Chiffchaff, three Goldcrest and a pair of Bullfinch in Dead Dolphin Wood.

Kingfisher - Dean Hall

Wednesday 13th November

Counts from the estuary on the afternoon high tide included 800 Dunlin, 415 Wigeon, 220 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 209 Curlew, 39 Grey and 38 Ringed Plover, 21 Bar and a Black-tailed Godwit, 15 Knot, 14 Turnstone, 10 Sanderling and a Red-breasted Merganser.

Elsewhere a Cetti's Warbler showed well at the Main Pond, presumably the same was heard earlier along the Back Path, two Water Rail and a Kingfisher were also at the pond, with eight Chiffchaff and three Goldcrest on the sunny side of the bushes.

Other Wildlife: A Red Admiral was by the Dune Pond.

Tuesday 12th November

A busy high tide around The Bight with counts including 302 Curlew, 172 Dark and four Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 67 Shelduck, 40 Bar-tailed Godwit, 38 Ringed and 31 Grey Plover, 24 Knot, 21 Sanderling, a Pintail and a Whimbrel. These flocks attracted the attention of the immature female Peregrine.

Elsewhere a Snow Bunting flew along the beach, 37 Common Scoter and five Eider were offshore, a Kingfisher was at the Main Pond and the Cetti's Warbler, three Chiffchaff and a Coal Tit in the bushes.

Year list addition:

183. Snow Bunting

Ringing news: Another good return with 15 colour-ringed Dunlin recorded, 14 locally ringed and the Welsh bird, three headstarted Curlew, an Exe ringed Grey Plover and several Oystercatcher including a Welsh individual and five new birds for the winter. 

One of these 9N was ringed on 4 February 2018 but last seen in October 2020. It was identified by reading the BTO metal ring, the colour-ring is heavily worn and this is no doubt the reason for the recorded 'absence'. 

Monday 11th November

The Sun made its first appearance of the month, bringing with it a smart male Black Redstart, actively flycatching around the sea defence boulders by the railway footbridge. The first redstart of any kind this year. 

Black Redstart - both Alan Keatley

Elsewhere 450 Dunlin, 145 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 34 Ringed and four Grey Plover, 13 Bar-tailed Godwit and five Sanderling were in the estuary with three Chiffchaff and a Coal Tit in the bushes and a couple of Water Rail squealing from the Main Pond.

Year list addition:

182. Black Redstart

Other Wildlife: The arrival of sunshine saw a few more active insects today with several Honey Bee and Buff-tailed Bumblebee on flowering Gorse. Warming up on the wooden rail in Skipper Meadow, a Red Admiral and the muscid fly Phaonia tuguriorum.

Phaonia tuguriorum - Alan Keatley

On the beach, a couple of Hypocassus dimidiatus clown beetle were below the geotubes.

Hypocassus dimidiatus - Alan Keatley

Sunday 10th November

Some light but varied vismig early morning with the highlight 24 Fieldfare, the first of the year, also overhead 170 Woodpigeon, 22 Chaffinch, 22 Skylark, 19 Jackdaw, 12 Redwing, seven Lapwing, two Bullfinch and single Grey Wagtail, Jay and Rook.

The Spotted Redshank made a reappearance in the estuary where counts included 1063 Wigeon, 220 Teal, 43 Turnstone, 29 Ringed and two Grey Plover, 14 Greenshank, 13 Sanderling, three Knot, two Black-tailed Godwit, two Mediterranean Gull, a Kingfisher and a Pintail.

Elsewhere five Common Scoter, five Eider and a Red-breasted Merganser were offshore with three Chiffchaff, three Goldcrest and single Blackcap, Coal Tit and Firecrest in the bushes.

Year list addition:

181. Fieldfare