Friday 13th March

Counts from the estuary over the lowest high tide of the year included 46 Dark-bellied Brent Goose, 28 Bar-tailed Godwit, 27 Turnstone, 25 Redshank, eight Shelduck, six Curlew, six Oystercatcher, five Teal, three Dunlin and two Red-breasted Merganser. 

Elsewhere seven Great Northern Diver, six Common Scoter and four Great Crested Grebe were offshore, 40+ Linnet, 14 Oystercatcher and a Greenshank were in Greenland Lake and the Cetti's Warbler and four Chiffchaff were in the bushes.

Greenshank - Jim Summers

Thursday 12th March

A short seawatch early morning saw hundreds of Gannet heading south along with smaller numbers of Kittiwake and auks, with both Guillemot and Razorbill closer in. On the sea six Common Scoter and three Great Northern Diver.

Wednesday 11th March

The first Redpoll of the year was with a flock of 72 Linnet in Greenland Lake although other migrants were limited to two Chiffchaff. Elsewhere the Cetti's Warbler was singing by the Car Park and a Great Northern Diver was offshore.

Cetti's Warbler - James Marshall

Year List addition:
112. Redpoll

Other Wildlife: The sunshine brought out a good selection of spring bees for the first time this year, mostly nectaring in sheltered areas. Yellow-legged Mining Bee Andrena flavipes were eager to start a new generation, also on the wing Chocolate A. scotica and Buffish Mining Bee A. nigroaenea. Green Furrow Bee Lasioglossum morio were nectaring on small flowers adding to the mix.

Yellow-legged Mining Bee Andrena flavipes - Alan Keatley

Chocolate Mining Bee A. scotica - Alan Keatley

A selection of wind-blown beetles on the beach included Marram Weevil Philopedon plagiatum, Common Sun Beetle Amara aenea and the dung beetles Calamosternus granarius and Melinopterus prodromus.

Calamosternus granarius - Alan Keatley

Away from the beach, the first Nursery Web Spider of the year, the weevil Mecinus pascuorum, the bedstraw feeding sawfly Red-belted Cleaver Aglaostigma aucupariae and, by the Main Pond, the aquatic Saucer Bug Ilyocoris cimicoides.

Saucer Bug Ilyocoris cimicoides - Alan Keatley

Tuesday 10th March

The first Golden Plover of the year was in The Bight over high tide along with 73 Dunlin, 26 Knot, 20 Grey and six Ringed Plover, nine Greenshank, five Red-breasted Merganser and single Continental sinesis Cormorant, Pale-bellied Brent Goose and Sanderling.

Golden Plover - Lee Collins

Golden & Grey Plover - Dave Jewell

Continental Cormorant - Lee Collins

Elsewhere 27 Great Crested Grebe, eight Great Northern and seven Red-throated Diver and seven Common Scoter were offshore with the Cetti's Warbler by the Car Park. 

Year List addition:
111. Golden Plover

Other Wildlife: The change in weather saw a Sand Lizard basking on Warren Point, with an increase in invertebrate activity on the warming sand, including a new ground beetle for the Recording Area, Bembidion obtusum.

Sand Lizard - Jim Summers

Bembidion obtusum - Alan Keatley

Active groundbugs included Plinthisus brevipennis, Beosus maritimus and Scolopostethus thomsoni, with the tachinid fly Macquartia tenebricosa looking out for a leaf beetle host.

Beosus maritimus - Alan Keatley

Macquartia tenebricosa - Alan Keatley

Dock Bug - Alan Keatley

Monday 9th March

Another fog bound day saw at least 153 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 38 Black-tailed Godwit, 13 Shelduck, six Teal, three Greenshank and three Red-breasted Merganser appear occasionally in the estuary.

Elsewhere the Cetti's Warbler was singing from the Golf Course with 12 Meadow Pipit, six Chiffchaff and four Goldcrest on site.

The Bight looking towards Warren Point & Exmouth early afternoon - Kevin Rylands

The fog finally lifted later afternoon revealing 20 Common Scoter and a Kittiwake offshore.

Dark-bellied Brent Geese - Jim Summers

Kittiwake - Jim Summers

Ringing News: Details received on a metal ringed Oystercatcher which was recorded yesterday. It was ringed as a nestling at Fell Beck, North Yorkshire on 19 Jun 2024.

Sunday 8th March

A foggy day although limited visibility did allow for wader counts from The Bight over high tide including c150 Oystercatcher, 143 Dunlin, 28 Sanderling, 24 Knot, 22 Grey Plover, 11 Bar-tailed Godwit and eight Ringed Plover. 

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.