Friday 13th November

Four Spoonbill were again roosting on Finger Point at high tide, with 312 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 181 Black-tailed Godwit, 50 Sanderling, 28 Ringed Plover, three Eider, two Avocet, two Pintail and a Red-breasted Merganser in the estuary.

Grey Plover - James Marshall

The sunny conditions encouraged two Cetti's Warbler into song, with the Dartford Warbler by the Visitor Centre, four Fieldfare overhead, and a Firecrest in the Entrance Bushes.

 Dartford Warbler - Alan Keatley

Elsewhere a pair of Shoveler and a Little Grebe were on the Main Pond, a Grey Wagtail and a Water Rail at the First Pond, and offshore 72 Common Scoter, nine Great Crested Grebe, four Red-throated and two Great Northern Diver.

Other Wildlife: After a crisp frosty morning, it warmed up by midday with at least ten Common Darter active, some paired up and mating. Moving through single Clouded Yellow and Painted Lady, and on the few flowering plants several Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax and Buff-tailed Bumblebee. 

Common Darter - Alan Keatley

In the dunes the ground beetles Demetrias atricapillus and Calathus mollis and the arachnids, Bleeding Heart Spider Nigma puella and harvestman Opilio saxatilis.

Opilio saxatilis - Alan Keatley

Calathus mollis - Alan Keatley

Demetrias atricapillus - Alan Keatley

Bleeding Heart Spider Nigma puella  - Alan Keatley

Thursday 12th November

A further increase of Dunlin with at least 1,000 present, along with 307 Black-tailed Godwit, 298 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 54 Shelduck and single Shoveler and Pintail amongst the usual species.

Elsewhere 140 Redwing and 32 Fieldfare were overhead along with two Stock Dove and a Buzzard, a Water Rail was again showing well at the First Pond, three Chiffchaff and three Goldcrest were on site and the Eider was offshore.

Ringing News: A total of 31 Exe ringed Dunlin were recorded over the high tide.

Other Wildlife: A Clouded Yellow was in Greenland Lake.

Wednesday 11th November

A cold and wet, almost November-like, day saw the Eider in the estuary off Cockwood and a pair of Red-breasted Merganser in The Bight, alongside good numbers of Dark-bellied Brent Geese, Dunlin, Grey and Ringed Plover, Knot, Sanderling and Turnstone.

Eider - Jim Summers

Elsewhere two Shoveler and a Little Grebe were at the Main Pond and two Great Northern Diver were offshore.

Tuesday 10th November

Counts from the estuary on a wet, misty day included 355 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 326 Black-tailed Godwit, 52 Shelduck, eight Avocet, seven Greenshank, four Common Scoter, a Scandinavian Herring Gull and the first Red-breasted Merganser of the winter. 

Scandinavian (argentatus) Herring Gull - Lee Collins

A Cattle Egret flew west over Greenland Lake mid afternoon, despite there being c250 around the Exe at present, they remain very scarce on site. Elsewhere two Bullfinch were in the Entrance Bushes, with two Siskin and a Firecrest in Dead Dolphin Wood. 

Monday 9th November

Counts from the evening high tide included 377 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 124 Black-tailed Godwit, 110 Redshank, 66 Shelduck, 13 Avocet, the most since August 2022, nine Greenshank, three Shoveler, two Mediterranean Gull and a Pintail. 

Elsewhere in blown out conditions, a Water Rail at the First Pond, a Dartford Warbler along the Back Path, two Chiffchaff and a Goldcrest in the bushes and 25 Common Scoter offshore.

Ringing News: Eight new DCWRG Dunlin were recorded for the winter, at total of 27 have now been recorded since the first returning birds on 27 October.  Five colour-ringed Great Black-backed Gull were present early morning, four from Portland Harbour with the fifth from The Netherlands, just the second Dutch recovery for the Warren.

Sunday 8th November

A Dartford Warbler was again present along the Back Path with c40 Linnet, four Reed Bunting, three Chiffchaff and two Bullfinch on site.

Elsewhere counts from the estuary included 186 Black-tailed Godwit, 48 Shelduck, 43 Turnstone, 28 Sanderling and 11 Greenshank, with 26 Great Crested Grebe, eight Common Scoter, three Great Northern and two Red-throated Diver and the Eider. 

Other Wildlife: Two Common Darter were still on the wing with a female Grey Seal in the estuary.

Saturday 7th November

Counts from the estuary included 368 Dark and a Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 351 Black-tailed Godwit, 64 Grey Plover, two Avocet and a Lapwing. 

Migrants included four Fieldfare in bushes by the Main Pond, 12 Meadow Pipit in Greenland Lake and a few Chaffinch heard overhead in the morning mist. Also on site two Dartford Warbler, along the Back Path and on Warren Point, two Firecrest in the Entrance Bushes, three Chiffchaff and a Bullfinch.

Dartford Warbler - Jim Summers

Elsewhere a pair of Shoveler, a Little Grebe and squealing Water Rail were at the Main Pond, with eight Great Crested Grebe, three Red-throated Diver and the Eider offshore.

Other Wildlife: After the morning fog had cleared a few insects ventured out, including three Clouded Yellow, in an exceptional year November records are not unusual. A single Common Darter was finding some warmth on a bramble bush. A late Box Moth and a Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea were on the wing with a couple of Nalassus laeviotostriatus darkling beetle on Warren Point.

Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea - Alan Keatley

Nalassus laeviotostriatus - Alan Keatley

Friday 6th November

The highlight of a busy day came late on when two Tundra Bean Goose flew down river and SE across The Bight, carrying on towards Exmouth at 3.50pm. The first record for the Warren.

Other arrivals in the estuary included five Pintail, five Shoveler and an sharp increase to at least 700 Dunlin. Also present 1,480 Wigeon, 720 Teal, 280 Black-tailed Godwit, 276 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 250 Curlew, 172 Redshank, 60 Grey and 39 Ringed Plover, 39 Sanderling, 27 Knot, 11 Greenshank, seven Avocet and the Whimbrel.

Elsewhere a Short-eared Owl was on Warren Point, along with one of two Dartford Warbler, the other by the Visitor Centre, two single Red Kite flew east at 11.55 & 2.15, the latter briefly harrying waders over The Bight, 21 Long-tailed Tit were in the Entrance Bushes and offshore, single Eider and Red-throated Diver.

Year List addition:
177. Tundra Bean Goose

Ringing News: The rise in Dunlin saw an increase in ringing recoveries, with 19 birds recorded, all from the Exe scheme except a Welsh ringed bird for its third winter.

Other Wildlife: A second new species for the Recording Area was found on the Golf Course, a flowering Marrow Cucurbita pepo on the estuary bank. 

Marrow Cucurbita pepo - Kevin Rylands

Thursday 5th November

A Merlin was the highlight over the evening high tide, perched up on fencing on Warren Point. Its presence, along with a football being moved by waves along the shoreline of the main roost, kept the waders unsettled. The early start to fireworks in Exmouth then flushed all the wildfowl in The Bight.

Merlin - Lee Collins

Counts included 286 Dark and a Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 43 Sanderling and 41 Ringed Plover, 32 Pied Wagtail roosing on a barge mid channel, three Mediterranean Gull and single Whimbrel and an adult Yellow-legged Gull. 

Elsewhere 40 Common Scoter and single Eider and Great Northern Diver were offshore and two Red-legged Partridge were on the Golf Course.

Other Wildlife: A Grey Seal was offshore.

Wednesday 4th November

Counts from  the estuary included 420 Dunlin, 420 Teal, 247 Black-tailed Godwit, 156 Dark and a Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 72 Grey Plover, 68 Shelduck, 36 Knot, 34 Turnstone, 17 Sanderling, three Avocet and a Mediterranean Gull. 

Curlew - Dave Jewell

Elsewhere the Eider was offshore, 

Other Wildlife: After a non-appearance flowering the spring drought Cut-leaved Dead-nettle is in flower along the Back Path.

Cut-leaved Dead-nettle - Steve Edwards