Tuesday 21st April

Another day of variety headlined by the first Lesser Whitethroat along with five Wheatear on site and three House Martin overhead. The breeding season is well underway with the first fledged Blackbird, eight Mallard ducklings, two Song Thrush carrying food and Blue Tit nest building. 

In the estuary wader numbers remained similar but a range of summer plumaged and ringed birds showed continue movement. Counts included 39 Turnstone, 31 Dunlin, 30 Whimbrel, 23 Bar-tailed Godwit, 16 Sanderling, eight Grey and four Ringed Plover, three Knot, two Greenshank, two Pale and a Dark-bellied Brent Geese. 

Offshore 26 Sandwich Tern, 15 Manx Shearwater, four Common Scoter, three Great Northern Diver and a distant skua sp harrying a Kittiwake.

Other Wildlife: Despite the cold easterly wind there was plenty of invertebrate activity in sheltered areas. Butterflies included the second Holly Blue and Wall Brown of the year and four Orange-tip, with moths including Feathered Leaf-cutter Incurvaria masculella, Green Longhorn, Grey Gorse Piercer and Lackey caterpillars.

Holly Blue - Alan Keatley

Wall Brown - Kevin Rylands

Green Longhorn - Kevin Rylands

Lackey Moth - Alan Keatley

A new species of sawfly for the Recording Area, Widow Willow Nematine Euura viduata, was found on willow at the back of Crocus Compound. Other hymenoptera on the wing included Short-fringed Mining Bee Andrena dorsata and Furry-claspered Furrow Bee Lasioglossum lativentre.

Widow Willow Nematine Euura viduata - Alan Keatley

Short-fringed Mining Bee Andrena dorsata - Alan Keatley

Furry-claspered Furrow Bee Lasioglossum lativentre - Alan Keatley

Large numbers of St Mark's Fly were active with a Dark-edged Beefly still on the wing and unusually two species of phantom cranefly recorded, Ptychoptera albimana and P. contaminata.

Ptychoptera albimana - Alan Keatley

Ptychoptera contaminata - Alan Keatley

Dark-edged Beefly - Alan Keatley

The increase in flying insects has seen a corresponding increase in spiders.

Flower Crab Spider Misumena vatia - Kevin Rylands

Zilla diodia - Kevin Rylands

Monday 20th April

A Grasshopper Warbler was reeling briefly on Warren Point early morning, with two Wheatear and a Willow Warbler also on site. 

Elsewhere counts from the estuary over the morning high tide included 49 Dunlin, 20 Sanderling, nine Ringed Plover, five Grey Plover and three Knot, at least one female Eider was offshore, two Stock Dove flew over the Golf Course and two Red-legged Partridge were on Warren Point.

St Mark's Fly Bibio marci - Kevin Rylands

Sunday 19th April

Whimbrel continued to arrive in small flocks during the day with at least 78 present over the evening tide, suggesting another >100 day. Other morning arrivals included four Pale-bellied Brent Geese and a drake Gadwall.

Gadwall - Dave Jewell

Other counts from the estuary included 220 Oystercatcher, 63 Dunlin, 22 Bar-tailed Godwit, 17 Sanderling, 13 Ringed and five Grey Plover, three Knot, two Greenshank and the Dark-bellied Brent Goose.

The first Yellow Wagtail of the year was overhead with other migrants limited to four Wheatear and two Willow Warbler on Warren Point. 

Whitethroat - Dave Jewell

Willow Warbler - Dave Jewell

Elsewhere 25 Manx Shearwater, 22 Sandwich Tern, three Black-headed Gull, the female Eider, a Red-throated and a Great Northern Diver were offshore and the first brood of Mallard ducklings were at the Main Pond. 

Year List addition:
135. Yellow Wagtail

Other Wildlife; The first Wall Brown of the year was on the Dune Ridge, a few Sand Crocus were still flowering in Greenland Lake and the Green-winged Orchid has survived the erosion on Warren Point. 

Sand Crocus - Lee Collins

Green-winged Orchid - Lee Collins

Saturday 18th April

Whimbrel were a feature of the day with at least 78 arriving from the east during the morning, with birds heading into the estuary. Small groups were then present in Greenland Lake and estuary, with well  >100 through during the day.

Other visible migrant arrivals included at least 10 Wheatear and five Whitethroat but the two highlights remained unseen, a Cuckoo heard calling distantly from Warren Point and a Grasshopper Warbler reeling along Wryneck Plain. 

Wheatear - Dave Jewell

Elsewhere a 2CY Caspian Gull and a 5CY Yellow-legged Gull were on the beach, 21 Sandwich Tern, four Great Northern and three Red-throated Diver, the female Eider and a Dark-bellied Brent Goose were offshore and counts from the estuary included 43 Dunlin, 22 Bar-tailed Godwit, 15 Sanderling, eight Greenshank, five Grey Plover, five Ringed Plover and three Knot.

 Yellow-legged Gull  - Lee Collins

Year List additions:
134. Grasshopper Warbler
133. Cuckoo

Other Wildlife: A couple of late Sand Crocus were in flower in a damp patch below the Back Path at start of Greenland Lake, at least a week later than all the others. New emergences buried in the dune turf included Bird's-foot, Changing Forget-me-not and Subterranean Clover. 

Sand Crocus - Alan Keatley

Changing Forget-me-not - Kevin Rylands

Subterranean Clover - Kevin Rylands

A mix of insects included Common Furrow Bee Lasioglossum calceatum and Fleabane Tortoise Beetle Cassida murraea in Greenland Lake, a horsetail sawfly Red-backed Weeper Dolerus aericeps on its foodplant.in the Buffer Zone, and new for the Recording Area, a Hawthorn Leaf Beetle Lochmaea crataegi along the Back Path. 

Common Furrow Bee Lasioglossum calceatum - Alan Keatley

In the dunes, species found included a clover seed weevil Protapion apricans, a tiny mould beetle Cortinicara gibbosa, the beet bug Parapiesma quadratum and an Epaulet Ladybird Rhyzobius chrysomeloides.

Protapion apricans - Alan Keatley

Cortinicara gibbosa - Alan Keatley

Parapiesma quadratum - Alan Keatley

Friday 17th April

Increasing signs of spring migration in the estuary at least with 32 Black-tailed Godwit, 10 Pale-bellied Brent Geese and the first Common Sandpiper of the year on the morning tide. Numbers increased on the evening tide, after rain, with 51 Whimbrel, 46 Dunlin, five Ringed Plover, four Common Sandpiper, single Guillemot and Razorbill, and offsite on Cockle Sands, 48 Pale-bellied Brent Geese. 

Also still present 20 Bar-tailed Godwit, 14 Redshank, 14 Sanderling, three Grey Plover, three Knot, two Greenshank and the Dark-bellied Brent Goose. Elsewhere a Wheatear was on the Golf Course with 14 Common Scoter, 10 Sandwich Tern and the two Eider offshore.

Year List addition:
132. Common Sandpiper

Early Purple Orchid - Kim Summers

Thursday 16th April

Counts from the estuary included 27 Whimbrel, 17 Bar-tailed Godwit, 16 Sanderling, 10 Redshank, eight Grey Plover, five Snipe, four Knot, two Greenshank, the Dark-bellied Brent Goose and a Dunlin.

Elsewhere 15 Sandwich Tern, 10 Manx Shearwater, two Eider and single Arctic Skua and Great Northern Diver were offshore with a Whitethroat on territory and a Willow Warbler in Dead Dolphin Wood.

Mute Swan & Canada Goose - James Marshall

Green-winged Orchid - Kevin Rylands

Wednesday 15th April

The first Osprey of the year was a late highlight, with one hovering over The Bight at 6.45pm before heading north upriver with an entourage of gulls and corvids.

Osprey - Jim Summers

Also present in the estuary over the evening high tide, 48 Bar-tailed Godwit, 19 Sanderling, 15 Whimbrel, eight Grey Plover, four Knot, three Greenshank, a Dunlin and a Dark-bellied Brent Goose. 

Whimbrel - Jim Summers

Elsewhere 55 Manx Shearwater, 12 Sandwich Tern, three House Martin, two Eider and single Fulmar, Great Northern and Red-throated Diver were offshore, a Buzzard and a Red-legged Partridge were on the Golf Course with migrants limited to two Wheatear and a Willow Warbler.

Wheatear - Jim Summers

Year List addition:
131. Osprey

Tuesday 14th April

The year's first Ruff was a surprise in the estuary, just the fourth April record since 2000 at least, but all since 2018. Also present over high tide, 41 Bar-tailed Godwit, 16 Sanderling, nine Grey and four Ringed Plover, six Whimbrel, four Knot, three Dunlin, two Greenshank and the Dark-bellied Brent Goose. Offsite c140 Pale-bellied Brent Geese were on Cockle Sands, Exmouth.

Elsewhere the first Arctic Skua of the year was offshore, with at least 10 Manx Shearwater, seven Sandwich Tern, the two Eider and a summer plumaged Red-throated Diver.

Year List additions:
130. Ruff
129. Arctic Skua

Ringing News: A colour-ringed Whimbrel present in the saltmarsh came from an Icelandic scheme, more details awaited. 

Early Purple Orchid - Kevin Rylands

Monday 13th April

New arrivals in the estuary included 29 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, with other counts including 212 Oystercatcher, 52 Bar-tailed Godwit, 33 Turnstone, 12 Redshank, nine Grey and seven Ringed Plover, eight Whimbrel, four Knot, three Sanderling, two Greenshank and a Dark-bellied Brent Goose.

Elsewhere 50+ Manx Shearwater were offshore, with 510 Herring, four Black-headed and a Common Gull, 24 Sandwich Tern, the pair of Eider, two Great Northern and two Red-throated Diver.

Other Wildlife: Flying insects were active in  sheltered areas with several bee, wasp and hoverfly species noted including Early Nomad Bee Nomada leucophthalma, Early Mason-wasp Ancistrocerus nigricornis, Pale-knobbed Didea D. fasciata and Stripe-backed Fleckwing Dasysyrphus albostriatus.

Stripe-backed Fleckwing Dasysyrphus albostriatus - Kevin Rylands

Main Pond - James Marshall

Small Copper - James Marshall

Sunday 12th April

Counts from the estuary included 56 Bar-tailed Godwit, 30 Turnstone, 11 Redshank, eight Knot, seven Grey and six Ringed Plover, five Whimbrel, a Dark-bellied Brent Goose and a Greenshank.

Elsewhere seven Great Northern and a Red-throated Diver were offshore with 11 Sandwich Tern, the pair of Eider and a Common Scoter, 12 Swallow and a House Martin were overhead with other migrants limited to single Whitethroat and Willow Warbler.

Stonechat - Dean Hall

Reed Bunting - Dean Hall

Other Wildlife: The mix of sunshine, heavy showers and a stiff breeze limited insect activity but the first Batman Hoverfly Myathropa florea and Empis tessellata dagger fly of the year were recorded with single Painted Lady and Small Copper on the wing.

Empis tessellata - Kevin Rylands

Batman Hoverfly Myathropa florea - Kevin Rylands