Thursday 18th June

The build up of Sandwich Tern continues with many birds moving and feeding between the estuary and offshore with a peak of 52 on Bull Hill alongside two Common Tern.

Also in the estuary 19 Sanderling and two Grey Plover, with the female Eider off the beach an Arctic Skua hunting terns offshore and a pair of Cirl Bunting feeding fledged young near the Entrance Bushes.

Other Wildlife: The first Gatekeeper of the year emerged on cue with a Marbled White in Greenland Lake, increasing numbers of Small Skipper and half a dozen Painted Lady the pick of the butterflies with a Golden-ringed Dragonfly in addition to the usual dragonflies.

Marbled White - Jim Summers

Small Skipper - Jim Summers

Also on the wing the first Patchwork Leafcutter Bee Megachile centuncularis and Intermediate Shield Wasp Crabro peltarius of the year with an Increasing variety of other invertebrates of differing ages.

Oak Beauty - Kevin Rylands

Green Shieldbug - Kevin Rylands

Speckled Bush Cricket - Kevin Rylands

Wednesday 17th June

Counts from the estuary included 130 Oystercatcher, 12 Sandwich and two Common Tern, eight Sanderling, two Grey Plover and two Mediterranean Gull.

Elsewhere the female Eider and 5CY Yellow-legged Gull were off groyne 10, six Raven, a family party, and two Stock Dove were on Warren Point and the Moorhen have hatched at least four young from their second attempt at the Dune Pond. 

Moorhen - Jim Summers

Other Wildlife: A search for Pyramidal Orchid was successful with one surviving the erosion at the end of Warren Point.

Pyramidal Orchid  - Alan Keatley

A male Banded Demoiselle that flew along the Dune Ridge was unexpected, just the sixth site record and the first since 7th July 2018. Also on the wing a wide range of bees and wasps including Bare-saddled Colletes C. similis and Minute Black Wasp Diodontus minutus, three Painted Lady and a Band-eyed Brown Horsefly Tabanus bromius. 

Minute Black Wasp Diodontus minutus - Alan Keatley

Bare-saddled Colletes C. similis - Alan Keatley

Band-eyed Brown Horsefly Tabanus bromius - Alan Keatley

Other species included Large Ivy Tortrix Lozotaenia forsterana, the spider Textrix denticulata and the ground beetle Nebria brevicollis.

Large Ivy Tortrix Lozotaenia forsterana - Alan Keatley

Nebria brevicollis - Alan Keatley

Textrix denticulata - Alan Keatley

Monday 15th June

At least two juvenile Little Grebe remaining on the Main Pond, as last year, the adults appear to have moved on rather than attempt a second brood. Having presumably lost a nest left high and dry, one of Moorhen pairs has built a new nest on Mare's-tail in the open water

Other Wildlife: An interesting day with plenty of insect activity with a pair of mating Large Sharp-tail Coelioxys conoidea on the Dune Ridge. The female will lay eggs in Coast Leafcutter Bee Megachile maritima burrows. 

Large Sharp-tail Coelioxys conoidea - Alan Keatley

A Spot-headed Spider Wasp Agenioideus cinctellus was fending off other interested wasps from a captured Euophrys frontalis jumping spider. The cleptoparasite Geoffroy's Blood Bee Sphecodes geoffrellus was investigating Green Furrow Bee nest holes in the Entrance Bushes.

 Spot-headed Spider Wasp Agenioideus cinctellus with Euophrys frontalis - Alan Keatley

Also active a Bee-wolf Philanthus triangulum hunting for prey on the Dune Ridge, at least six Small Skipper, four Painted Lady and single Marbled White and second brood Small Copper.

Purple Loosestrife Weevil Nanophyes marmoratus - Alan Keatley

Sunday 14th June

The expected increase in waders now the higher tide floods the sandbanks off Exmouth with 28 Oystercatcher, 18 Curlew, three Grey Plover, two Sanderling and a Knot in the estuary.

Offshore the female Eider was off Langstone, with 25 Manx Shearwater in the bay plus many others on the blurry horizon, eight Black-headed and an adult Mediterranean Gull, six Sandwich Tern and a Great Northern Diver. 

Elsewhere a Stock Dove landed on Warren Point, 68 Starling, a mix of adults and juveniles, in Greenland Lake and a fledged brood of Rock Pipit on the seawall.

Rock Pipit - Kevin Rylands

Other Wildlife: At least half a dozen Painted Lady and Red Admiral hinted at migration, although the latter maybe locally bred, along with the fresh Comma also on the wing. 

Saturday 13th June

A quiet mid June day but a few surprises including a migrant Hobby that panicked local swallows as it flew south over the Main Pond, a Coal Tit on the Golf Course and at least 240 Manx Shearwater rafting offshore.

In the estuary 23 Curlew and a Whimbrel were present over high tide, with 20 Swift overhead and offshore four Sandwich Tern and the female Eider. 

Other Wildlife: A day of warm sunshine with a wide variety of insects on the wing. The highlight being the national scarce Red-tipped Clearwing basking by the Entrance Bushes. 

Red-tipped Clearwing - Alan Keatley

Solitary wasps were active on well lit Sycamore leaves with Solsky's Wasp Stigmus solskyi, Two-banded Hopper Wolf Lestiphorus bicinctus and Shield-bug Stalker Astata boops and Armed Crabro Digger Wasp C. peltarius all searching for prey. Elsewhere Leaden Spider Wasp Pompilus cinereus on bare sand and Spot-headed Spider Wasp Agenioideus cinctellus on a wooden bank. 

Solsky's Wasp Stigmus solskyi - Alan Keatley

Two-banded Hopper Wolf Lestiphorus bicinctus - Alan Keatley

The change in weather brought out a wide range of new species for the year, including Scarlet Tiger on Warren Point, Coastal Leafcutter Megachile maritima near Langstone Rock, the tachnid fly Ectophasia crassipennis in the Back Meadow, at least one Marbled White around the Entrance Bushes and a Twin-spot Boxer Platycheirus rosarum in Dead Dolphin Wood.

Ectophasia crassipennis - Alan Keatley

Scarlet Tiger - Alan Keatley

A feature of the day was large numbers of migrant Meligethes aeneus pollen beetles on virtually on every flower. Many thousands must have arrived alongside a few Marmalade Hoverfly and a couple of Diamond-back Moth.

Meligethes aeneus - Alan Keatley

Deraeocoris flavilinea - Kevin Rylands

Bumblebee Plumehorn Volucella bombylans - Kevin Rylands

Twin-barred Knot-horn Homoeosoma sinuella - Kevin Rylands

Wednesday 10th June

Again there wasn't a single wader in The Bight on the neap afternoon tide, with 10 Sandwich Tern on Bull Hill and a Whimbrel on Pole Sands present at low tide. 

Offshore the Eider and Great Northern Diver were off Langstone Rock, and elsewhere a Red-legged Partridge was on the Golf Course, a Sparrowhawk was pursuing a Linnet across The Bight and the first fledged Reed Warbler were being fed in Greenland Lake.

Other Wildlife: Luckily no showers interrupted nectaring insects including a Fork-tailed Flower Bee Anthophora furcata on Lamb's-ear.  Further additions to the numbers of digger wasps included Slender Bodied Digger Wasp Crabro cribrarius and Pale-footed Black Wasp Psenulus pallipes. 

Fork-tailed Flower Bee Anthophora furcata - Alan Keatley

Pale-footed Black Wasp Psenulus pallipes - Alan Keatley

Slender Bodied Digger Wasp Crabro cribrarius - Alan Keatley

Also active the jumping spider Ballus chalybeius and a Dark-winged Woodlouse Fly Melanophora roralis near the station.

 Ballus chalybeius - Alan Keatley

Dark-winged Woodlouse Fly Melanophora roralis - Alan Keatley

Tuesday 9th June

Counts from Bull Hill included 19 Sandwich Tern and 10 Black-headed Gull, with no waders in the estuary over the low high tide, with just two Oystercatcher and a Curlew on the mudflats once the tide dropped. 

Elsewhere 15 Sanderling were on the beach with the female Eider and breeding plumaged Great Northern Diver off the seawall.

Monday 8th June

On a low tide visit, the female Eider was back off groyne eight with 12 Sanderling on the beach and, in the estuary, 31 Sandwich Tern on Bull Hill.

Other Wildlife: A good day for solitary wasps with at least 10 species noted including, new for the year, Four-spotted Digger Wasp Crossocerus quadrimaculatus, Four-banded Digger Wasp Gorytes quadrifasciatus and Common Ectemnius E. continuus. 

Common Ectemnius E. continuus - Alan Keatley

Four-spotted Digger Wasp Crossocerus quadrimaculatus - Alan Keatley

Four-banded Digger Wasp Gorytes quadrifasciatus - Alan Keatley

Also noted several Small Shieldbug Stalker Dryudella pinguis on open sand and a mating pair of White-lipped Digger Wasp Lindenius albilabris in Skipper Meadow.

White-lipped Digger Wasp Lindenius albilabris - Alan Keatley

Small Shieldbug Stalker Dryudella pinguis - Alan Keatley

Further emergences included a Bloody-nosed Beetle Timarcha tenebricosa near Langstone Rock, a few Dune Chafer Anomala dubia and a Black & Yellow Longhorn Rutpela maculata.

Black & Yellow Longhorn Rutpela maculata - Alan Keatley

Dune Chafer Anomala dubia - Alan Keatley

Bloody-nosed Beetle Timarcha tenebricosa - Alan Keatley

Sunday 7th June

The first Roseate Tern of the year was on Bull Hill briefly early afternoon along with 20 Sandwich Tern.

Also in the estuary WEBS counts included 42 Oystercatcher, 29 Sanderling, seven Curlew, six Ringed Plover, a Dunlin and a Whimbrel. Elsewhere numbers of fledged juveniles continue to increase and a Great Northern Diver was off the seawall.

Stonechat (juvenile) - Martin Overy

Great Northern Diver - James Marshall

Year List addition:
154. Roseate Tern

Saturday 6th June

Seawatching between 5.50-9.55am saw three Storm Petrel head south along with 13 Great Northern Diver, 370+ Manx Shearwater, 85 Gannet, 12 Common Scoter, 12 Fulmar, 12 Sandwich Tern and a dark phase Arctic Skua. Also offshore a Red-throated Diver east, seven Great Northern Diver on the sea and two 2CY Mediterranean Gull.

Later in the day another two Storm Petrel south between 1-2pm along with 40 Manx Shearwater and two Fulmar. 

Elsewhere a Little Tern was in the estuary with 21 Sanderling, seven Turnstone, three Grey and two Ringed Plover and a Dunlin.

Other Wildlife: Very few insects on the wing with most sheltering in vegetation, although several new records for the year were found. These included the cranefly Tipula fascipennis. a soldier beetle Malthinus flaveolus, an Ornate-tailed Digger Wasp Cerceris rybyensis and Cricket Bat Spider Mangora acalypha. More active, a Variable Spider Wasp Dipogon variegatus searching for arachnid prey.

Tipula fascipennis - Alan Keatley

Malthinus flaveolus - Alan Keatley

Ornate-tailed Digger Wasp Cerceris rybyensis - Alan Keatley