Tuesday 14th July

Counts from the estuary included 135 Sandwich and two Common Tern, 75 Dunlin, 

50 Mediterranean Gull, 28 Sanderling, nine Greenshank, four Bar-tailed Godwit, three Ringed and two Grey Plover and two Turnstone.

 Common Tern - Jim Summers

Dunlin - Jim Summers

Elsewhere the Coot and a Kingfisher were at the Main Pond, the Eider was off the beach, the Red-legged Partridge was around The Bight and eight Sand and two House Martin were overhead.

Kingfisher - Jim Summers

Ringing News: New Sandwich Tern recoveries included another bird from Dyfi Estuary mid Wales, now recorded for the 11th successive autumn and a bird from Church Norton, Sussex for its second autumn. 

Other Wildlife: A variety of insects still finding nectar sources in the increasing parched vegetation, including Common Mini-miner Andrena minutula, Sandpit Blood Bee Sphecodes pellucidus and Large Shield Wasp Crabro cribrarius. Also on the wing a couple of Jersey Tiger and Six-spot Burnet, a Clouded Yellow on the Golf Course was one of twelve butterfly species and five Odonata included a Southern Hawker.

Large Shield Wasp Crabro cribrarius - Alan Keatley

Sandpit Blood Bee Sphecodes pellucidus - Alan Keatley

Common Mini-miner Andrena minutula - Alan Keatley

Also recorded, two Birch Shieldbug Elasmostethus interstinctus instars on their foodplant, a Tansy gall caused by the midge Rhopalomyia tanaceticola and the Grey Seal was in The Bight.

Rhopalomyia tanaceticola gall on Tansy - Alan Keatley

Birch Shieldbug Elasmostethus interstinctus instar - Alan Keatley

Monday 13th July

Counts from the estuary included 205 Oystercatcher, including the first four juveniles, 180 Black-headed and 45 Mediterranean Gull, 125 Sandwich and a Common Tern, 59 Dunlin, 29 Whimbrel, seven Sanderling, five Greenshank, three Bar-tailed Godwit, three Grey and a Ringed Plover, a Common Sandpiper and a juvenile Shag on Finger Point.

Oystercatcher (juvenile) - Lee Collins

Common Tern - Lee Collins

Elsewhere the Coot was still at The Main Pond.

Ringing News: Five new returning Exe-ringed Oystercatcher, including one ringed as an adult in 2004 and recorded here annually since 2014. New Mediterranean Gull included an adult from Germany and a juvenile from Langstone Harbour, Hampshire, with a new Welsh ringed Sandwich Tern. 

Oystercatcher - Lee Collins

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