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

Friday 3rd July

The first eight returning Teal were in the saltmarsh early morning with other counts from the estuary including 39 Redshank, 21 Sandwich Tern, four Whimbrel, three Ringed and two Grey Plover, three Bar-tailed Godwit, two Dunlin, a Greenshank and a Sanderling.

Elsewhere four Common Tern and three Great Crested Grebe were offshore. 

Thursday 2nd July

A low tide visit saw few birds of note with a 3CY Mediterranean Gull on the beach, two Sandwich Tern offshore and a juvenile Grey Heron at the Main Pond.

Other Wildlife: A good day for summer insects with eleven butterfly species on the wing, including the first Brown Argus of the year, a male, in the Back Meadow and, now rare for the Recording Area, a Small Tortoiseshell near the Crazy Golf. A couple of summer generation Holly Blue were seen and on the move good numbers of Large and Small White with a few Red Admiral.

Small Tortoiseshell - Alan Keatley

A good variety of Odonata including ovipositing Red-eyed Damselfly on the Main Pond and a male Red-veined Darter briefly on the Dune Ridge. Also, on the dune ridge a Roesel's Bush-Cricket and a Mottled Grasshopper along the Back Path.

Roesel's Bush-Cricket - Alan Keatley

Mottled Grasshopper - Alan Keatley

Less noticeable, a pair of mating Dark-winged Black Pachygaster atra soldierfly and a false blister beetle Oedemera lurida.

Dark-winged Black Pachygaster atra - Alan Keatley

Oedemera lurida - Alan Keatley

Wednesday 1st July

A brief seawatch early morning saw a Balearic and 70 Manx Shearwater head east with 11 Common Scoter also offshore.

Elsewhere 15 Mediterranean Gull, 13 Sandwich Tern, including the first juvenile, four Ringed and two Grey Plover, a Dunlin and a Sanderling were in the estuary.

Tuesday 30th June

Another day of Mediterranean Gull movement with at least 40 present over the evening tide, a sample count in the estuary saw 15 ad, 11 3CY and nine 2CY, with the first juvenile in the morning. 

Mediterranean Gull (1CY & ad) - Jim Summers

Also over high tide 196 Curlew, 25 Redshank, 18 Sandwich Tern, eight Whimbrel, four Ringed and two Grey Plover, three Bar-tailed Godwit, two Greenshank, a Common Sandpiper and a Dunlin. 

Elsewhere eight Raven were on Finger Point with 15 Manx Shearwater and a Great Crested Grebe offshore.

Ringing News: The Dutch ringed Black-headed Gull was again present, joined by a bird from Poland. Other recoveries included five new Mediterranean Gull from Ireland, France and Germany and a Sandwich Tern from Northern Ireland. 

Mediterranean (and Black-headed) Gull - Jim Summers