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

Wednesday 29th April

Highlights of an evening visit included the first two Hobby of the year, singles E over the estuary and then Exmouth at 6.40 and E over the reserve 7.50, a female Yellow Wagtail feeding around The Bight, a rare spring bird on the deck and the first fledged Stonechat on Warren Point.

Counts from the estuary over the high tide included 49 Bar-tailed Godwit, 45 Whimbrel, 20 Dunlin, 19 Sanderling, 16 Ringed and seven Grey Plover, two Turnstone with single Greenshank and Redshank. 

Offshore there were just six Manx Shearwater, five Common Scoter, three Sandwich Tern, two breeding plumaged Great Northern Diver and the female Eider.   

Year List addition:
141. Hobby

Drinker - Kevin Rylands

Tuesday 28th April

The first Little Tern of the year flew east past the seawall late morning with counts during the day including 130 Manx Shearwater, 40 Sandwich Tern, 11 Black-headed and a Common Gull, five Common Scoter, four Great Northern and three Red-throated Diver, two Great Crested Grebe and an Eider.

Counts from the estuary included 52 Whimbrel, 39 Bar-tailed Godwit, 20 Dunlin, 19 Sanderling, seven Grey and four Ringed Plover, two Turnstone and a Greenshank 

Elsewhere the first Swift of the year flew east and the Lesser Whitethroat was still holding territory.

Year List additions:
140. Swift
139. Little Tern

Other Wildlife: With the mainly overcast conditions and lower temperatures, it wasn't a day for insects on the wing with only one butterfly noted, a Speckled Wood. Other insects trying to warm up on vegetation including a Bibio fly new for the Recording Area, a Milky-winged Feverfly Dilophus femoratus, and a Clouded Border on the Buffer Zone. 

Milky-winged Feverfly Dilophus femoratus - Alan Keatley

Clouded Border - Alan Keatley

On the beach, the ant Myrmica ruginodis and a black dung fly Ceratinostoma ostiorum, on cultivated Elaeagnus near car park entrance, the psyllid Cacopsylla fulguralis and on sallows, the foodplant, in the Entrance Bushes the gall-causing weevil Archarius salicivorus.

Myrmica ruginodis - Alan Keatley

Ceratinostoma ostiorum - Alan Keatley

 Cacopsylla fulguralis - Alan Keatley

 Archarius salicivorus - Alan Keatley

Monday 27th April

Flat calm conditions offshore revealed at least 14 Great Northern Diver, including a distant raft of six birds on the sea with 100+ Manx Shearwater east, 26 Sandwich Tern, six Black-headed and a Common Gull, five Common Scoter, the female Eider and a lone Canada Goose sat over a mile out to sea.

In the estuary counts over the evening high tide included 56 Whimbrel, 39 Bar-tailed Godwit, 19 Dunlin, 11 Ringed and seven Grey Plover and two Greenshank. Elsewhere 15 Sanderling were on the beach, a Yellow Wagtail was overhead, a new Reed Warbler was holding territory and the Lesser Whitethroat was still present.

Other Wildlife: Two Red Admiral and a Painted Lady were on the wing late afternoon. 

Lupin Aphid Macrosiphum albifrons - Kevin Rylands This American species was reportedly introduced to help control the invasive Tree Lupin

Sunday 26th April

The Lesser Whitethroat was still singing at the end of the car park with a couple more Whitethroat back on territory and a Yellow Wagtail overhead the only new migrants around the scrub.

Offshore a raft of c40 Common Scoter, 25 Manx Shearwater, six Sandwich Tern, five Black-headed Gull, two Great Northern and a Red-throated Diver, a Fulmar and the female Eider.

Counts from the estuary over high tide included 215 Oystercatcher, 62 Whimbrel, 31 Turnstone, 24 Bar-tailed Godwit, 24 Sanderling, 19 Dunlin, eight Grey and three Ringed Plover, two Common Sandpiper, two Greenshank and a Redshank.

Other Wildlife: Two Painted Lady and a helice Clouded Yellow were seen late afternoon, with a Stoat near the Crocus Compound.

Painted Lady - Kevin Rylands

The 'redcurrant' gall of the wasp Neuroterus quercusbaccarum with a Green Longhorn - Kevin Rylands