Saturday 9th May

A Sedge Warbler in Dead Dolphin Wood was the only long distance migrant although a Great Spotted Woodpecker in the Entrance Bushes was the first for several months. 

Offshore mill pond conditions revealed 12 Great Northern Diver roosting early evening, along with 22 Manx Shearwater, two Sandwich Tern, a 2CY Mediterranean Gull and the female Eider.

Elsewhere 31 Sanderling were on the beach and counts from the estuary over the low high tide included 16 Dunlin, 15 Whimbrel and two Ringed Plover.

Other Wildlife: A new fly for the Recording Area was found by the Main Pond, a Bird Blowfly Protocalliphora azurea. The species has an interesting life-cycle, laying eggs in bird nests, the larvae feed on nestlings and the adult on bird droppings.

Bird Blowfly Protocalliphora azurea - Alan Keatley

Other flies on the wing in the summer conditions included Ferruginous Bee-grabber Sicus ferrugineus, Common Stiletto Thereva nobilitata, the cranefly Tipula lunata and the hoverflies Bumblebee Plumehorn Volucella bombylans and Common Pipizella P. viduata. 

Bumblebee Plumehorn Volucella bombylans - Alan Keatley

Common Pipizella P. viduata - Alan Keatley

Butterflies included the first Small White of the year were mixed in a light passage of Large White, with half a dozen Small Copper and three Holly Blue. Day flying moths included the rapidly colonising Alexanders Straw Aethes deaurana and a Small Yellow Underwing in the Buffer Zone, with Green Longhorn still lekking, Diamond-back, Yellow Shell and half a dozen Cinnabar. 

Small Yellow Underwing - Alan Keatley

Alexanders Straw Aethes deaurana - Alan Keatley

Other records included the water beetle Agabus bipunctatus, two Broad-bodied Chaser and a couple of Blue-tailed Damselfly all away from water.

 Agabus bipunctatus - Alan Keatley

Friday 8th May

Counts from the estuary included 25 Whimbrel, 18 Dunlin, 12 Ringed Plover, six Turnstone and two Bar-tailed Godwit.

Elsewhere 30 Black-headed Gull, 25 Common Scoter, four Manx Shearwater and a female Eider were offshore.

Other Wildlife: The first Broad-bodied Chaser of the year was on the wing along with three Painted Lady and three Red Admiral, the first Yellow Shell and several Diamond-back Moth.

Ivy Broomrape - Kevin Rylands

Thursday 7th May

Counts from the evening tide included 35 Whimbrel, 26 Dunlin, 10 Sanderling, nine Bar-tailed Godwit and five Grey Plover. 

Elsewhere the female Eider was offshore with 60 Black-headed and a 2CY Mediterranean Gull. 

Wednesday 6th May

The female Eider remains offshore with two Sandwich Tern and a Red-throated Diver.

Eider - Dean Hall

Elsewhere a few Sanderling were along the beach, two Red-legged Partridge are still on Warren Point and a Yellow Wagtail flew north.

Sanderling - Dean Hall

Skylark - Dean Hall

Caspian x Herring Gull - Lee Collins

Other Wildlife: With a drop of several degrees and damp overcast conditions there were hardly any flying insects compared with yesterday, notably no butterflies or mining bees recorded. However, terrestrial invertebrates could still be found; with two new species for the Recording Area, both under driftwood. Firstly, the click beetle Melanotus villosus, a predominantly black species found on deadwood. 

Melanotus villosus - Alan Keatley

The second new species was a very long thin centipede Henia vesuviana, an under-recorded species, often found under wood and stone.

Henia vesuviana - Alan Keatley

Also on the beach, the bug Capsodes sulcatus and in the Back Meadow, on its food plant several Crepidodera aurata flea beetle and an Orange Ladybird.

Orange Ladybird - Alan Keatley

Tuesday 5th May

A low tide visit still saw 28 Whimbrel, 15 Black-headed Gull, five Bar-tailed Godwit and four Ringed Plover feeding in the estuary, with three Great Northern Diver, two Common Scoter and the female Eider offshore.

Elsewhere breeding activity continues apace with a 2nd brood of 10 Mallard duckling on the Main Pond and the nesting pair of Carrion Crow in the Entrance Bushes taking exception to three Buzzard passing low over site. 

Other Wildlife: A calm day with occasional sunshine encouraged insects on the wing with many first appearances of the year including Catsear Mining Bee Andrena humilis, Flavous Nomad Bee Nomada flava, Sandpit Blood Bee Sphecodes pellucidus, Silver-headed Satellite Fly Metopia argyrocephala, a tiger cranefly Nephrotoma appendiculata, Grey Bush-cricket (nymphs) and Rhombic Leatherbug Syromastus rhombeus. 

Catsear Mining Bee Andrena humilis - Alan Keatley

Flavous Nomad Bee Nomada flava - Alan Keatley

Nephrotoma appendiculata - Alan Keatley

Silver-headed Satellite Fly Metopia argyrocephala - Alan Keatley

Further additions to the year's insect tally including Blue-tailed Damselfly, Large White and the day-flying moths Cinnabar, Yellow Belle, Cocksfoot Moth Glyphipterix simpliciella and Plain Fanner G. fuscoviridella, along with at least a dozen migrant Diamond-back Moth. 

Cocksfoot Moth Glyphipterix simpliciella - Alan Keatley

A wide range of beetles included Common Malachite Beetle Malachius bipustulatus, Red-headed Cardinal Pyrochroa serraticornis, Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis, the soldier beetle Cantharis rustica, the weevil Phyllobius virideaeris and the wood boring weevil Euophryum confine.

Phyllobius virideaeris - Alan Keatley

Euophryum confine - Alan Keatley

Red-headed Cardinal Pyrochroa serraticornis - Alan Keatley

Monday 4th May

Counts from the estuary included 75 Dunlin, 65 Whimbrel, 55 Sanderling, 20 Bar-tailed Godwit, 14 Black-headed and the 2CY Mediterranean Gull, 14 Turnstone, seven Ringed and six Grey Plover.

Sanderling - Lee Collins

Elsewhere the female Eider was offshore with five Great Northern and two Red-throated Diver.

Sparrowhawk - Lee Collins

Kestrel - Dave Jewell

Sunday 3rd May

In the estuary Dunlin numbers dropped by half overnight with 103 over the morning tide, then again during the day with 52 present in the evening. Other counts from the estuary included 51 Whimbrel, 28 Black-headed and a 2CY Mediterranean Gull, 23 Turnstone, 13 Ringed and six Grey Plover, 13 Bar-tailed Godwit and two Redshank. 

Bar-tailed Godwit & Oystercatcher - Lee Collins

A smart summer plumaged Black-throated Diver was a new arrival offshore with 12 Great Northern and three Red-throated Diver also on the sea. Also in the bay 45 Gannet, 30 Guillemot, 15 Manx Shearwater, 15 Sandwich Tern, three Fulmar, a Common Scoter and the female Eider.  

Elsewhere the first Sedge Warbler of the year was at the Dune Pond, a Wheatear was on the Golf Course and a 5CY Yellow-legged Gull and 55 Sanderling on the beach.

Yellow-legged Gull - Lee Collins

Year List addition:
143. Sedge Warbler

Other Wildlife: A Harbour Porpoise was offshore with a Painted Lady on the Golf Course. 

Saturday 2nd May

A further influx of waders after the rain with counts over the evening tide including 219 Dunlin, 73 Ringed and 13 Grey Plover, 55 Whimbrel, 37 Sanderling, 23 Bar-tailed Godwit, 15 Black-headed Gull, two Redshank and single Knot and Turnstone. 

Elsewhere 50 Manx Shearwater were offshore with 11 Sandwich Tern, six Great Northern and a Red-throated Diver, the female Eider and an Arctic Skua and two Wheatear and a Yellow Wagtail were on the Golf Course.

Other Wildlife: With the absence of visitors a Fox was active late afternoon around the Main Pond.

Friday 1st May

A welcome influx of waders over the evening high tide with the first Little Ringed Plover of the year alongside c280 Oystercatcher, 155 Dunlin, 45 Whimbrel, 21 Bar-tailed Godwit, 21 Sanderling, 14 Ringed and eight Grey Plover, two Greenshank, two Redshank and a breeding plumage Knot. 

Offshore 11 Common Scoter, five Black-headed Gull, five Great Northern and two Red-throated Diver, four Sandwich Tern, a Fulmar and the female Eider. 

Eider - Lee Collins

Year List addition:
142. Little Ringed Plover

Other Wildlife: At least 10 Painted Lady were on the wing and the first Southern Marsh Orchid were in flower in Greenland Lake.

Southern marsh-orchids (Dactylorhiza praetermissa) in flower (already!) at Dawlish Warren, Devon. That is early! 1/5/26 @ukorchids.bsky.social @orchidvinny.bsky.social @warrenbirding.bsky.social

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— Andy Rogers (@withylake.bsky.social) 1 May 2026 at 18:06

Thursday 30th April

A low tide visit saw 10 Whimbrel and two Grey Plover still feeding in The Bight with three Swift and a House Martin overhead, No obvious migrants in the bushes although half a dozen Whitethroat were well spread through the reserve.

Other Wildlife: Another windy day with a strong easterly during the morning, especially along the beach where several of the tiny rove beetle Aleochara grisea, normally found under seaweed, were blown into areas of sheltered sand. Also blown onto the beach a Thistle Tortoise Beetle Cassida rubiginosa, a Strawberry Root Weevil Otiorhychus ovatus and the saltmarsh fly Hydrophorus oceanus.

Thistle Tortoise Beetle Cassida rubiginosa - Alan Keatley

Strawberry Root Weevil Otiorhychus ovatus - Alan Keatley

Aleochara grisea - Alan Keatley

In more sheltered areas, a not unexpected new species for the Recording Area, Box Bug Gonocerus acuteangulatus on Hawthorn near the Entrance Bushes. A species that has expanded its westward from a restricted range in the south east to areas of Devon in recent years.  

Box Bug Gonocerus acuteangulatus - Alan Keatley

In Dead Dolphin Wood, the orange ichneumon wasp Ophion obscuratus, usually only recorded here at light and a couple of Marmalade Hoverfly, a species few in number so far this year. A Silver Y was further evidence of insect migration.

Ophion obscuratus - Alan Keatley

Marmalade Hoverfly - Alan Keatley

Silver Y - Alan Keatley