Counts from the estuary included 27 Whimbrel, 17 Bar-tailed Godwit, 16 Sanderling, 10 Redshank, eight Grey Plover, five Snipe, four Knot, two Greenshank, the Dark-bellied Brent Goose and a Dunlin.
Elsewhere 15 Sandwich Tern, 10 Manx Shearwater, two Eider and single Arctic Skua and Great Northern Diver were offshore with a Whitethroat on territory and a Willow Warbler in Dead Dolphin Wood.
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| Mute Swan & Canada Goose - James Marshall |
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| Green-winged Orchid - Kevin Rylands |
The first Osprey of the year was a late highlight, with one hovering over The Bight at 6.45pm before heading north upriver with an entourage of gulls and corvids.
Osprey - Jim Summers
Also present in the estuary over the evening high tide, 48 Bar-tailed Godwit, 19 Sanderling, 15 Whimbrel, eight Grey Plover, four Knot, three Greenshank, a Dunlin and a Dark-bellied Brent Goose.
Whimbrel - Jim Summers
Elsewhere 55 Manx Shearwater, 12 Sandwich Tern, three House Martin, two Eider and single Fulmar, Great Northern and Red-throated Diver were offshore, a Buzzard and a Red-legged Partridge were on the Golf Course with migrants limited to two Wheatear and a Willow Warbler.
Wheatear - Jim Summers
The year's first Ruff was a surprise in the estuary, just the fourth April record since 2000 at least, but all since 2018. Also present over high tide, 41 Bar-tailed Godwit, 16 Sanderling, nine Grey and four Ringed Plover, six Whimbrel, four Knot, three Dunlin, two Greenshank and the Dark-bellied Brent Goose. Offsite c140 Pale-bellied Brent Geese were on Cockle Sands, Exmouth.
Elsewhere the first Arctic Skua of the year was offshore, with at least 10 Manx Shearwater, seven Sandwich Tern, the two Eider and a summer plumaged Red-throated Diver.
Year List additions:
130. Ruff
129. Arctic Skua
Ringing News: A colour-ringed Whimbrel present in the saltmarsh came from an Icelandic scheme, more details awaited.
Early Purple Orchid - Kevin Rylands
New arrivals in the estuary included 29 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, with other counts including 212 Oystercatcher, 52 Bar-tailed Godwit, 33 Turnstone, 12 Redshank, nine Grey and seven Ringed Plover, eight Whimbrel, four Knot, three Sanderling, two Greenshank and a Dark-bellied Brent Goose.
Elsewhere 50+ Manx Shearwater were offshore, with 510 Herring, four Black-headed and a Common Gull, 24 Sandwich Tern, the pair of Eider, two Great Northern and two Red-throated Diver.
Other Wildlife: Flying insects were active in sheltered areas with several bee, wasp and hoverfly species noted including Early Nomad Bee Nomada leucophthalma, Early Mason-wasp Ancistrocerus nigricornis, Pale-knobbed Didea D. fasciata and Stripe-backed Fleckwing Dasysyrphus albostriatus.
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| Stripe-backed Fleckwing Dasysyrphus albostriatus - Kevin Rylands |
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| Main Pond - James Marshall |
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| Small Copper - James Marshall |
Counts from the estuary included 56 Bar-tailed Godwit, 30 Turnstone, 11 Redshank, eight Knot, seven Grey and six Ringed Plover, five Whimbrel, a Dark-bellied Brent Goose and a Greenshank.
Elsewhere seven Great Northern and a Red-throated Diver were offshore with 11 Sandwich Tern, the pair of Eider and a Common Scoter, 12 Swallow and a House Martin were overhead with other migrants limited to single Whitethroat and Willow Warbler.
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| Stonechat - Dean Hall |
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| Reed Bunting - Dean Hall |
Other Wildlife: The mix of sunshine, heavy showers and a stiff breeze limited insect activity but the first Batman Hoverfly Myathropa florea and Empis tessellata dagger fly of the year were recorded with single Painted Lady and Small Copper on the wing.
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| Empis tessellata - Kevin Rylands |
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| Batman Hoverfly Myathropa florea - Kevin Rylands |
A low high tide with The Bight left uncovered, although 51 Bar-tailed Godwit, eight Whimbrel, seven Knot, three Grey Plover and a Dark-bellied Brent Goose were on the water's edge. Also in the estuary the rare sight of a fishing Gannet off Cockwood.
Gannet - Jim Summers
Elsewhere three Willow Warbler were on site, the Red-legged Partridge and a Wheatear were on Warren Point, 21 Manx Shearwater flew S, and the pair of Eider remained offshore with 18 Sandwich Tern and small numbers of Great Crested Grebe, Red-throated and Great Northern Diver.
Other Wildlife: Despite the chill in the wind a good number of insects on the wing with five species of butterfly including the first Small Copper and Holly Blue of the year, and a Painted Lady along the beach.
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| Small Copper - Alan Keatley |
Bees included the nationally scarce Black Mining Bee Andrena pilipes on the carpark roundabout, Gwynne's Mining Bee A. bicolor by the Entrance Bushes, where there were also good numbers of Orange-tailed Mining Bee A. haemorrhoa.
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| Black Mining Bee Andrena pilipes - Alan Keatley |
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| Orange-tailed Mining Bee Andrena haemorrhoa - Alan Keatley |
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| Gwynne's Mining Bee Andrena bicolor - Alan Keatley |
Other insects included the first Dark Bush-cricket nymph of the year, the sawfly Aglaostigma fulvipes and the moths Nettle-tap and Grey Gorse Piercer Cydia ulicetana, with Bishop's Mitre Aelia acuminata and a nymph European Chinchbug Ischodemus sabuleti on the beach.
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| European Chinchbug Ischodemus sabuleti - Alan Keatley |
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| Bishop's Mitre Aelia acuminata - Alan Keatley |
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| Aglaostigma fulvipes - Alan Keatley |
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| Metellina mengei - Alan Keatley |
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| Crepidodera aurea - Alan Keatley |
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| Wheatear - Lee Collins |
The first Black-throated Diver of the year was offshore early morning along with the pair of Eider, at least 16 Sandwich Tern, with more later on, 13 Manx Shearwater, 10 Red-throated Diver and nine Great Crested Grebe.
Elsewhere the Red-legged Partridge was on Warren Point, migrants included single Wheatear and Willow Warbler, 25+ Swallow, three House and a Sand Martin, and counts over the neap tide included 35 Bar-tailed Godwit, four Knot, two Dunlin, a Grey Plover and a Whimbrel.
Year List addition:
128. Black-throated Diver
Other Wildlife: An emergence of Striped Millipede Ommatoiulus sabulosus in the dunes with Dune Scarab and Marram Weevil along the beach and good numbers of Sandpit Mining Bee across the site.
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| Sandpit Mining Bee Andrena barbilabris - Judah Baker |
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| Marram Weevil Philopedon plagiatum - Judah Baker |
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| Dune Scarab Aegialia arenaria - Judah Baker |
Three Tufted Duck and a pair of Eider offshore were both first records for the year with the first three Whitethroat making landfall
Elsewhere two Willow Warbler and a Wheatear were on site, and the Red-legged Partridge was on Warren Point.
Year List additions:
127. Whitethroat
126. Eider
125. Tufted Duck
Other Wildlife: Four species of butterfly were on the wing including a Brimstone and two Orange-tip. Other insects including two new beetles for the Recording Area, Coelostoma ocbiculare, a water scavenger beetle, in a puddle on the main track, the other the ground beetle Common Shortspur Anisodactylus binotatus, in grass along the Back Path.
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| Anisodactylus binotatus - Alan Keatley |
Also, found today a mating scrum of Torpedo Sawfly Nematus lucidus on Hawthorn by the Tractor Compound, a few Brown Willow Beetle Galerucella lineola, the cranefly Tipula vernalis, a Ruby Tiger caterpillar and a fly through Hornet.
Brown Willow Beetle Galerucella lineola - Alan Keatley 
Torpedo Sawfly Nematus lucidus - Alan Keatley
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| Mute Swan - James Marshall. A pair back on the Main Pond for the first time since mid February |
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| Orange-tip - James Marshall |
