Saturday 7th March

The slow arrival of spring is currently more obvious in departures rather than arrivals, with counts from the estuary over high tide including 330 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 167 Oystercatcher, 150 Dunlin, 141 Curlew, 33 Sanderling, 26 Turnstone, 21 Grey and eight Ringed Plover, 13 Bar-tailed Godwit, 12 Knot, four Greenshank, four Red-breasted Merganser and the wintering Whimbrel.

Elsewhere 15 Great Crested Grebe, 13 Common Scoter, five Great Northern and five Red-throated Diver were offshore, at least 100 Chaffinch and a Siskin flew NE, with nine Stonechat and the Cetti's Warbler on site.

Shag - Lee Collins

Other Wildlife: The overcast conditions meant the strandline was again the best place for invertebrates,  spiders included Sand-bear Spider Arctosa perita, Dune Jumper Marpissa nivoyi and Clubionia phragmitidis with a Strandline Burrower Broscus cephalotes under driftwood.

Sand-bear Spider Arctosa perita - Alan Keatley

Clubionia phragmitidis - Alan Keatley

Strandline Burrower Broscus cephalotes - Alan Keatley

Two Field Vole were under sheeting and a Grey Seal was off Warren Point. 

Field Vole - Alan Keatley

Friday 6th March

Counts from the estuary on the dropping tide included 155 Dunlin, 32 Curlew, 30 Sanderling, 15 Knot, eight Grey and Ringed Plover and three Bar-tailed Godwit.

Elsewhere five Great Crested Grebe, three Great Northern and two Red-throated Diver and two Common Scoter were offshore. 

Thursday 5th March

A low tide visit saw 143 Dark-bellied Brent Goose and 30 Sanderling on the beach and offshore sandbars and at least six Teal in Shutterton Creek.

Elsewhere seven Stonechat were on site with two Chiffchaff and two Goldcrest in the flooded bushes with the Cetti's Warbler in song on the Golf Course.

Other Wildlife: Once the early morning fog lifted, a few more insects were on the wing during the sunny spells including the first Yellow-legged Mining Bee Andrena flavipes and Honey Bee of the year, an increase in Common and Tapered Dronefly, a Spotted Thintail Meliscaeva auricollis and a Peacock.

A good selection of beetles were along the strandline, the best being an Enochrus melanocephalus, a water scavenger beetle with few Devon records, although was previously recorded here in 2020. 

Enochrus melanocephalus - Alan Keatley

Other species included the first Harlequin Ladybird of the year and the ground beetles Acupalpus exiguus, Harpalus tardus and Philorhizus melanocephalus.

Harpalus tardus - Alan Keatley

Philorhizus melanocephalus - Alan Keatley

Wednesday 4th March

A new 2CY Caspian Gull was on Finger Point on the morning tide with 22 Great Black-backed and the wintering 4CY Yellow-legged Gull.

Caspian Gull - Lee Collins

Wader numbers continue to drop as wintering birds continue to leave, with counts on the dropping tide including 260 Oystercatcher, 240 Dunlin, 93 Curlew, 59 Bar-tailed Godwit, 43 Grey and eight Ringed Plover, 18 Sanderling and the Whimbrel. 

Elsewhere a probable Black-throated Diver flew south offshore. 

Tuesday 3rd March

A low tide visit with little to report in the estuary, although 60 Dark-bellied Brent Geese were feeding on the beach shoreline. Elsewhere the Merlin shot low through the Buffer Zone before heading over the Entrance Bushes towards the estuary, the Cetti's Warbler was singing around the Car Park and migrants included a small increase in Stonechat with six Goldfinch and a Chaffinch overhead. 

The 2025 Recording Group Bird Report is now available 

Other Wildlife: The spring weather saw the first Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax of the year on the wing, but the majority of the other insects today were ground based. 

Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax - Alan Keatley

A good selection of beetles were found along the beach with some out of place species including the water beetle Haliplus lineatocollis and the water scavenger beetles Hydrobius fuscipes and Helophorus grandis, normally found near fresh water. The latter is new for the Recording Area.

Hydrobius fuscipes - Alan Keatley

Haliplus lineatocollis - Alan Keatley

Helophorus grandis - Alan Keatley

Other beetles on the drying sand included the leaf beetle Prasocuris phellandrii and the ground beetle Syntomus forveatus, as well as Red Marsh Ladybird, Black Marram Weevil and Dune Scarab.

Syntomus forveatus - Alan Keatley

Prasocuris phellandrii - Dean Hall

Also in the dunes the woodlouse hunting spider Harpactea hombergi and on gorse, the orbweb spider Agalenatea redii and the weevil Exapion ulicis. 

Harpactea hombergi - Alan Keatley

Agalenatea redii - Alan Keatley

Exapion ulicis - Dean Hall

Monday 2nd March

Counts over the evening high tide included 453 Dark and a Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 101 Redshank, 62 Common Gull, 22 Teal, 21 Grey Plover, eight Greenshank and three Red-breasted Merganser. The Merlin was again present unsuccessfully hunting Dunlin. 

Elsewhere 10 Common Scoter and four Great Northern Diver were offshore with bird song on the increase, including at least three Cirl Bunting back on territory.

Cirl Bunting - Jim Summers

Other Wildlife: The first lizards of the year were seen out basking with a Sand Lizard on Warren point and six Common Lizard by the Visitor Centre.

Sunday 1st March

Counts from the evening high tide included 426 Dark and a Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 310 Dunlin, 205 Common and 45 Great Black-backed Gull, 86 Redshank, 59 Bar-tailed Godwit, 23 Sanderling, 22 Shelduck, 15 Teal, 14 Knot, 11 Red-breasted Merganser - the winter peak, down from a max of 204 in December 2000, 11 Ringed Plover and nine Greenshank.

Elsewhere 10 Great Crested Grebe and two Great Northern Diver were offshore, with a migrant Chiffchaff feeding in the dunes and Skylark in song on Warren Point some of the limited signs of spring.

Other Wildlife: A few Scarlet Elfcup provided some colour in still very damp woodland near the First Pond. 

Scarlet Elfcup - Alan Keatley

Saturday 28th February

A 2CY Caspian Gull on Bull Hill late afternoon was the highlight over the high tide, along with another appearance from the wintering Merlin. With Cockle Sands at Exmouth being covered by the higher tide, wader counts were also higher with 300 Dunlin, 272 Oystercatcher, 157 Curlew, 55 Bar-tailed Godwit, 36 Knot, 30 Sanderling, 26 Grey and 10 Ringed Plover and eight Greenshank.

Caspian Gull - Lee Collins

Merlin - Kevin Rylands

Also in the estuary 202 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 130 Common Gull, 26 Teal, two Red-breasted Merganser and a Great Northern Diver. Elsewhere 21 Great Crested Grebe, seven Common Scoter, six Great Northern and six Red-throated Diver.

Other Wildlife: The first Early Bumblebee of the year was on the wing along with several Buff-tailed Bumblebee. 

Friday 27th February

An adult Little Gull was feeding distantly off the seawall early afternoon, with 28 Common Scoter, c20 Razorbill, six Great Northern and three Red-throated Diver. 

Counts from the estuary on the low high tide included 390 Dunlin, 139 Common, 26 Great and six Lesser Black-backed Gull, 90 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 86 Turnstone, 82 Redshank, 20 Teal, 13 Ringed and four Grey Plover, eight Curlew, eight Greenshank, six Red-breasted Merganser, four Knot, a Bar-tailed Godwit and a Sanderling.  

Elsewhere a Pheasant was on Finger Point with the Oystercatcher and the Cetti's Warbler was around the Car Park. 

Thursday 26th February

Gulls are continuing to move through with a minimum of 259 Common Gull in the estuary, where a low high tide saw counts of 490 Dunlin, 60 Redshank, 58 Turnstone, eight Greenshank and six Red-breasted Merganser, with two Stock Dove in the saltmarsh.

Elsewhere 10 Common Scoter and two Great Northern Diver were offshore.

Herring Gull (2CY) - both Jim Summers

Ringing News: A  ringed Black-headed Gull in the estuary was the first Norwegian recovery of this species from the Warren.

Other Wildlife: The first Red Admiral of the year was on the wing.