Friday 11th September

A good range of scarcities included the first Short-eared Owl of the year, an early arrival, over the Main Pond, later roosting in the saltmarsh. Other migrants on site included six Wheatear and a Yellow Wagtail.

Wheatear - Lee Collins

A good variety in the estuary included a Spoonbill on Finger Point early morning before being flushed by an Osprey, with two Curlew Sandpiper and a Little Ringed Plover in The Bight. None of these were present on the evening tide although seven Ruff were in Shutterton Creek. 

Counts across both tides included 320 Dunlin, 310 Redshank, 105 Sandwich, 30 Common and two Little Tern, 23 Greenshank, 15 Knot, nine Bar-tailed Godwit, eight Mediterranean Gull, eight Teal, five Grey Plover, three Whimbrel, a Kingfisher and a Spotted Redshank.

Year List addition:
168. Short-eared Owl

Thursday 10th September

Two different juvenile Osprey were in the estuary late morning with wader counts over the high tides including 320 Redshank, 110 Ringed Plover, 86 Dunlin, 20 Knot, 15 Greenshank, 12 Turnstone, 11 Bar and five Black-tailed Godwit, six Grey Plover, four Whimbrel and single Common Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover and Spotted Redshank. 

Common Sandpiper - Dean Hall

Also present single juvenile Black and Little Tern, 105 Sandwich and five Common Tern, 11 Shelduck, seven Mediterranean and a 1CY Yellow-legged Gull. 

Elsewhere 16 Common Scoter, four Common and an Arctic Tern were offshore, four Wheatear and a Yellow Wagtail were on site and half a dozen Meadow Pipit, five Sand Martin and a Grey Wagtail were overhead. 

Other Wildlife: Three Grey Seal were on Bull Hill and a dead Conger Eel was on the beach. 

Wednesday 9th September

The juvenile Curlew Sandpiper was again in The Bight over high tide, with a juvenile Little Ringed Plover, 310 Dunlin and 160 Ringed Plover. Also in the estuary 60 Sandwich, 12 Common and two juvenile Little Tern, 19 Teal, nine Bar and three Black-tailed Godwit, eight Shelduck, two Spotted Redshank, a Common Sandpiper and an Osprey.

Elsewhere a Purple Sandpiper flew from Langstone Rock into the estuary, 15 Common Scoter and a Great Northern Diver were offshore, two Reed Warbler and a Kingfisher were at the Main Pond, 170 House Martin, 80 Swallow and a few Sand Martin were overhead and the Red-legged Partridge and two Wheatear were on the Golf Course.

Other Wildlife: A dry day after yesterday's rain and insects responded with a variety of species on the wing. Diptera included Grey Knapweed Picturewing Acanthiophilus helianthi, Bright Four-spined Legionnaire Chorisops nagatomii and Twin-spot Stiletto Thereva bipunctata, plus several hoverflies, Long-winged Duskyface Melanostoma scalare, Bolette Blacklet Cheilosia scutellata and Gossamer Hoverfly Baccha elongata. 

Twin-spot Stiletto Thereva bipunctata - Alan Keatley

Grey Knapweed Picturewing Acanthiophilus helianthi - Alan Keatley

Four-spined Legionnaire Chorisops nagatomii - Alan Keatley

Clouded Yellow is still the prominent butterfly with a Wall Brown on the Dune Ridge. Migrant moths included a Small Marbled, a Vestal and a Silver Y amongst the numerous Rush Veneer with several Mint Moth also flying.

Small Marbled - Alan Keatley

Several wasps were active searching for prey, on the Dune Ridge, Red-banded Sand Wasp Ammophila sabulosa and Leaden Spider Wasp Pompilus cinereus; and on Sycamore leaves Slender Wood-borer Trypoxylon attenuatum and Ring-legged Crossocerus C. annulipes.

Red-banded Sand Wasp Ammophila sabulosa - Alan Keatley

Five Grey Seal were on Bull Hill early afternoon with a Common Seal offshore later on. 

Tuesday 8th September

The overnight rain seemed to do little to drop in any migrants with just a few Chiffchaff and a Willow Warbler noted around the bushes, however a flock of at least 110 Linnet, seven White Wagtail and a couple of Wheatear were feeding in The Bight.

Wader numbers did increase with a juvenile Curlew Sandpiper amongst 305 Dunlin and 180 Ringed Plover over the evening high tide, with other counts including 260 Curlew, 14 Greenshank, 14 Knot, 12 Bar and five Black-tailed Godwit, 10 Turnstone, nine Sanderling and three Whimbrel. 

Dunlin & Ringed Plover - Kevin Rylands

Also over high tide, a 1CY Caspian Gull on Finger Point, a day earlier than the first of last year's record influx, 65 Sandwich and six Common Tern, eight Mediterranean Gull and seven Shelduck. 

Caspian Gull - Lee Collins

Ringing News: A busy high tide with over 60 Exe-ringed Oystercatcher recorded, plus birds from Hampshire and Yorkshire. In addition the Hampshire Ringed Plover and five Sandwich Tern, from Poland, Belgium, Netherlands and Hampshire (two). 

Other Wildlife: A better afternoon with rain clearing by midday and warm sunshine later on. In sheltered areas a couple of Heather Colletes C. succinctus on its foodplant by the Visitor Centre. Hiding in the heather a Common Groundhopper and close by the cranefly Tipula paludosa. 

Heather Colletes C. succinctus - Alan Keatley

Tipula paludosa - Alan Keatley

A drop in butterfly numbers, but a few Clouded Yellow and Painted Lady still on the wing along with a few late hoverflies including a Lesser Roundface Eumerus funeralis by the station and a couple of Superb Ant-hill Hoverfly Xanthogramma pedissequum.

Lesser Roundface Eumerus funeralis - Alan Keatley

Monday 7th September

Four juvenile Little Ringed Plover in the estuary were notable for a species that is a scarce migrant to the Warren. There have only been two higher site tallies, six on 27th July 2004 and five on 26th July 2018. 

Also in the estuary 282 Redshank, 160 Dunlin, 90 Sandwich and 30 Common Tern, 80 Ringed Plover, 19 Knot, 15 Greenshank, 13 Mediterranean Gull, 11 Grey Heron, 11 Teal, 10 Black and seven Bar-tailed Godwit, 10 Sanderling and four Whimbrel.

Elsewhere two Kingfisher were on the seawall, with birds also in the estuary and at the Main Pond, where there were also five Teal, a female Gadwall flew in off the sea early morning, just the third record this year, three White and a Yellow Wagtail were on the Golf Course, other migrants included two Whitethroat and single Meadow Pipit, Wheatear and Willow Warbler. 

Sunday 6th September

Little change from yesterday over the neap high tide with the two Spotted Redshank still present in Shutterton Creek with 256 Redshank and eight Greenshank. Other counts from the estuary included 370 Black-headed and five Mediterranean Gull, 154 Ringed Plover, 151 Dunlin, 81 Sandwich and 16 Common Tern, 19 Sanderling, 18 Knot, eight Turnstone, five Bar and four Black-tailed Godwit.

Elsewhere 65 Linnet were feeding around The Bight, a Kingfisher was at the Main Pond, a Grey Wagtail was overhead and grounded migrants included seven Whitethroat, two Wheatear, two Willow and a Reed Warbler.

Ringing News: A 1CY Herring Gull on the beach yesterday had been ringed as a chick on the Isle of Man, Despite their abundance on site, this is just the 35th ringed Herring Gull recorded here, with 27 of these having been ringed in the South West or Channel Islands, it is also the second furthest travelled. 

Herring Gull 6Z3:M - Lee Collins

Other Wildlife: Over 25 Clouded Yellow counted today, along with a couple of Vestal and an increase in Migrant Hawker. A Grey Seal was on Bull Hill.

Saturday 5th September

Two Spotted Redshank were in Shutterton Creek with 260 Redshank, 17 Greenshank, six Bar and two Black-tailed Godwit on the rising tide, with a juvenile Little Stint in The Bight amongst 194 Dunlin, 122 Ringed Plover, 11 Sanderling, 10 Knot and six Turnstone.

Also in the estuary, an Osprey late morning and a Black Tern was on Bull Hill with Common and Sandwich Tern early morning, but by high tide just 31 Sandwich Tern were still present. 

An increase in migrants on site saw minimum counts of 12 Chiffchaff, five Wheatear, five Willow Warbler, four Blackcap, three Whitethroat, three White and two Yellow Wagtail, with two Grey Wagtail and two Meadow Pipit, the first of the autumn, overhead. 

Other Wildlife: An increased number of Clouded Yellow feeding on site and heading west, with several Painted Lady, Red Admiral and a Holly Blue also moving along the Dune Ridge. Also on the wing two Wall Brown, and several Hummingbird Hawkmoth, Vestal and Silver Y. 

Clouded Yellow - Jim Summers

Friday 4th September

The last hour of light from Cockwood Steps saw at least 420 Common Tern arriving in the estuary, joining hundreds already present further upriver. Also arriving from offshore to roost 40+ Sandwich Tern, 250 Black-headed and five Mediterranean Gull.

Further roosting birds included 175 Canada Goose, 33 Mute and the Black Swan, with 140 Redshank, 12 Greenshank, two Bar and a Black-tailed Godwit on the rising tide and a Kingfisher was hunting from the Wreck.

Other Wildlife: A Grey Seal was on Bull Hill.

Thursday 3rd September

Two Little Stint were new arrivals in The Bight over high tide amongst 350 Dunlin and 110 Ringed Plover, later being seen off Topsham as the wader flocks departed on the dropping tide. 

Also around the estuary 270 Common, 120 Sandwich and a juvenile Little Tern, 18 Knot, 16 Greenshank, 14 Mediterranean Gull, 11 Black and two Bar-tailed Godwit, seven Whimbrel, a Kingfisher, and up river an Osprey offsite. 

Elsewhere a couple of Willow Warbler were in the bushes with a Grey Wagtail, 12 House and a Sand Martin overhead. 

Other Wildlife: Several Clouded Yellow were around Greenland Lake with a couple heading west across the estuary. 

Wednesday 2nd September

Over 300 Common Tern were on Bull Hill early evening, rising from just 36 present over the high tide, when 133 Sandwich and two juvenile Little Tern were also present. Wader counts from the estuary included 221 Dunlin, 205 Redshank, 131 Curlew, 130 Ringed Plover, 70 Canada Geese, 19 Knot, 16 Greenshank, eight Whimbrel, four Bar and four Black-tailed Godwit, two Common Sandpiper and the long-staying Black Swan. 

Elsewhere an Osprey was again present late morning, watched heading SW over the Visitor Centre after stirring up things in the estuary, a Balearic Shearwater and nine Mediterranean Gull flew south offshore, 70 Swallow were overhead but grounded migrants were limited to single Whitethroat, Reed and Willow Warbler. 

Other Wildlife: Although there was some clearance in the weather in the afternoon, flying insects were down on recent days with just a handful of butterflies, with several fresh Painted Lady the most noticeable. In addition to the many Rush Veneer being disturbed, a Mint Moth also ventured out.

Painted Lady - Alan Keatley

Mint Moth - Alan Keatley

Not particularly bothered by the weather, a Grey Seal on Bull Hill and social wasps, including German Wasp Vespula germanica, were busy either collecting wood pulp to build nests, or hunting for other insects.

German Wasp Vespula germanica - Alan Keatley