Wednesday 20th May

An early morning seawatch saw the year's first Balearic Shearwater and Pomarine Skua head south along with six Great Northern Diver and four Fulmar. Also offshore 28 Black-headed and a 2CY Mediterranean Gull, seven Sandwich Tern and the female Eider. 

The highlight was however the Warren's fourth Temminck's Stint in The Bight late morning, the first since 22 May 2013. It remained separate from the large flocks of waders and flew off as the tide dropped, returning with the rising tide early evening. 

Temminck's Stint - both Luke Harman

Also in the estuary circa 160 Sanderling and 130 Dunlin, with 62 Ringed Plover, 20 Whimbrel, nine Turnstone, five Knot and four Grey Plover. 

Sanderling - Luke Harman

Ringed Plover - Luke Harman

Elsewhere a Wheatear and the two Red-legged Partridge were on Warren Point and the Yellow-legged Gull was on the beach. 

Yellow-legged Gull - Dave Jewell

Year List addition:
148. Temminck's Stint
147. Balearic Shearwater
146. Pomarine Skua

Other Wildlife: In overcast conditions fewer insects on the wing but there included Parsley Blacklet Cheilosia pagana, the cranefly Nephrotoma quadrifaria and several Sandpit Blood Bee Sphecodes pellucidus,

Sandpit Blood Bee Sphecodes pellucidus - Alan Keatley

Parsley Blacklet Cheilosia pagana - Alan Keatley

Tuesday 19th May

With overnight rain and a strong southerly seawatching was rewarding, especially with a couple of sightings tracked past headlands further south. The first were five Eider that flew south at 6.50am, went S past Hope's Nose 30 minutes later, they were later seen heading back N past both Berry Head and Hope's Nose early afternoon. The second was a group of three Sandwich and a Little Tern that flew south out of the estuary at 8.35am, then S past Hope's Nose at 9.30 & S past Berry Head at 10.25. 

Also offshore the first three Arctic Tern of the year late morning, 13 Common Scoter, four Great Northern and two Red-throated Diver, another three Sandwich Tern and the female Eider. 

Counts from the estuary included 90 Sanderling, 75 Ringed Plover, 54 Dunlin, 34 Whimbrel, 13 Turnstone, 11 Black-headed and two Common Gull, three Grey Plover and a Great Crested Grebe.

Year List addition:
145. Arctic Tern

Other Wildlife: Good numbers of insects were on the wing after the morning showers including several first emergences of the year, including four Common Blue. Other butterflies included Orange-tip, Holly Blue and Peacock, with several caterpillars nests of the latter on the Golf Course.

Utilising holes in fencing for nesting were several Common Yellow-faced Bee Hylaeus communis, including a mating pair and a Mournful Wasp Pemphredon lugubris. In search of wood-nesting mason wasps in the same habitat, a Linnaeus's Cuckoo Wasp Chrysis ignita.

Mournful Wasp Pemphredon lugubris - Alan Keatley

Linnaeus's Cuckoo Wasp Chrysis ignita - Alan Keatley

Common Yellow-faced Bee Hylaeus communis - Alan Keatley

More interested in nectaring a Narcissus Bulb Fly Merodon equestris, a bumblebee mimic hoverfly and a Broad-barred Fleckwing Dasysyrphus venustus with Woolly Alder Sawfly Eriocampa ovatus on its food plant.

Narcissus Bulb Fly Merodon equestris - Alan Keatley

Woolly Alder Sawfly Eriocampa ovatus - Alan Keatley The larvae, rather than the adults, are woolly

Also noted the mayfly Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum was near the Main Pond with a Silver Y and a Fox around The Bight. 

Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum - Alan Keatley

Monday 18th May

Minimum counts from the estuary at high tide included 150 Dunlin, 100 Sanderling, 40 Ringed Plover, 20 Whimbrel, six Knot, three Grey Plover and three Turnstone.

Dunlin - Jim Summers

Elsewhere the Eider and the 5CY Yellow-legged Gull were around the groynes, half a dozen Swift were overhead, the two Red-legged Partridge were on Warren Point and two Little Egret and a Great Northern Diver flew south offshore.

Yellow-legged Gull - Jim Summers

Sunday 17th May

Counts over the evening high tide showed that many of the recent waders remain on the estuary with 295 Dunlin, 110 Sanderling, 72 Ringed Plover, 23 Whimbrel, six Knot and three Grey Plover.

Whimbrel - Kevin Rylands

Elsewhere 225 Manx Shearwater flew east across the bay, with five Sandwich Tern, a Great Northern Diver and the female Eider also offshore. 

Saturday 16th May

Counts from the estuary included 340 Dunlin, 156 Oystercatcher, 100+ Sanderling, 51 Ringed Plover, 21 Whimbrel, seven Grey Plover, six Knot, three Turnstone and two Greenshank. 

The female Eider was offshore along with 11 Manx Shearwater, eight Common Scoter, four Black-headed Gull, three Sandwich Tern and two summer plumaged Great Northern Diver.

A female Eider still on the end of groyne 9 at Dawlish Warren today. #UKBirding

[image or embed]

— Rob Murphy (@robmurphy.bsky.social) 16 May 2026 at 14:52

Elsewhere 20 Starling fledglings were in the Buffer Zone, the two Red-legged Partridge were on the Golf Course and six House Martin and two Swift were overhead.

Other Wildlife: A nationally scarce jewel beetle (Buprestidae),Agrilus angustulus was found on small oak sapling in the Buffer Zone. There are just a few Devon records, including one found in Topsham in May 2025.

Agrilus angustulus - Alan Keatley

Also, in the Buffer Zone Gastrolepta anthracina, a parasitoid fly of the beetle Lagria hirta, Large Longhorn Nematopogon swammerdamella, a Tree Bumblebee and several nymph Meadow Grasshopper. 

Meadow Grasshopper - Alan Keatley

Large Longhorn Nematopogon swammerdamella - Alan Keatley

Gastrolepta anthracina - Alan Keatley

Elsewhere the longhorn beetle Grammoptera ruficornis and Turnip Sawfly were on the Hemlock Water-dropwort, a Portland Ribbon Wave was on the Golf Course and the tachinid, Thelaira nigrina was basking on Sycamore, its larvae develop in tiger moth caterpillars.

Thelaira nigrina - Alan Keatley

Small Black Ant Lasius niger with a grass fly Chloropidae - Alan Keatley

Friday 15th May

Minimum counts over the evening high tide included 330 Dunlin, 115 Sanderling, 84 Ringed and six Grey Plover, 33 Whimbrel, three Knot and three Turnstone. 

Sanderling - Lee Collins

Dunlin, Ringed Plover & Turnstone - Lee Collins

Shelduck - Kevin Rylands

Elsewhere the female Eider was offshore with four Black-headed Gull, two Sandwich Tern and a Red-throated Diver with two Swift and a House Martin overhead and the first fledged Starling on the Golf Course.

Buffish Mining Bee Andrena nigroaenea - James Marshall

Thursday 14th May

The stiff NW wind held up wader migration with the good numbers last night spending the day feeding up on the estuary. Minimum counts over the evening high tide included 510 Dunlin, 224 Sanderling and 92 Ringed Plover. 

Also present in the estuary, 31 Whimbrel, 13 Turnstone, six Grey Plover, two Knot, two Greenshank and a Bar-tailed Godwit. 

Elsewhere 28 Black-headed Gull, five Sandwich Tern and the female Eider were offshore, the latter often by groyne 11.

Wednesday 13th May

A low tide visit saw a few Whimbrel in the estuary, the female Eider and a Sandwich Tern offshore and a Buzzard overhead.

The Main Pond is providing a fertile area for wildfowl with at least two juvenile Little Grebe, a brood of eight Canada Geese goslings and three different age broods of Mallard, unfortunately for them a Grey Heron was also present, although survival rates are so far higher than recent years.

Canada Geese - Alan Keatley

Large numbers of waders were off Cockwood on the dropping evening tide, with 50+ Ringed Plover, 16 Turnstone and a summer plumaged Knot amongst hundreds of Dunlin and Sanderling.

Other Wildlife: With a chilly brisk north wind most flying insects were to be found in sheltered sunny areas, where there was a good selection considering the weather.

Several hoverflies were added to the year list including Common Weeny Paragus haemorrhous, Superb Ant-Hill Hoverfly Xanthogramma pedissequum, Broad-barred Fleckwing Dasysyrphus venustus and Dark-backed Epistrophe E. nitidicollis.

Common Weeny Paragus haemorrhous - Alan Keatley

Broad-barred Fleckwing Dasysyrphus venustus  - Alan Keatley

Other diptera including a new Lanxaniidae fly for the Recording Area, Minettia inusta, found in the Buffer Zone, plus the soldierfly Broad Centurion Chloromyia formosa in the Entrance Bushes.

Minettia inusta - Alan Keatley

Broad Centurion Chloromyia formosa - Alan Keatley

Also on the wing two male Common Blue behind the Visitor Centre, an Azure Damselfly in Skipper Meadow and a Common Spiny Digger Wasp Oxybelus uniglumis on the Dune Ridge, all first emergences for the year.

 Common Blue - Alan Keatley

Azure Damselfly - Alan Keatley

Common Spiny Digger Wasp Oxybelus uniglumis - Alan Keatley

Tuesday 12th May

The Little Stint was off Cockwood on the dropping tide with an increase in waders over high tide with minimum counts of 224 Dunlin, including one ringed in Spain, 110 Sanderling, 20 Ringed Plover, 11 Whimbrel, two Bar-tailed Godwit, two Grey Plover, two Turnstone and an Oystercatcher.

Sanderling - Lee Collins

Elsewhere 50 Manx Shearwater, five Sandwich Tern, two Black-headed Gull and the female Eider were offshore, two Red-legged Partridge were on the Golf Course and seven Swift and a House Martin were overhead.

Other Wildlife: Two Sand Lizard and the first Asparagus Beetle of the year were on Warren Point. 

Monday 11th May

The first Little Stint of the year was a new arrival, feeding on the mudflats behind the Golf Course with 55 Dunlin and 18 Ringed Plover. Also in the estuary, on the low high tide, were 14 Turnstone, 10 Whimbrel, four Curlew and just two Oystercatcher.

Elsewhere a Hobby flew in off the sea late afternoon, as did two Whimbrel, a 2CY male Kestrel and a Little Egret with five Swift and a Buzzard overhead. Offshore there were 18 Black-headed Gull, 10 Manx Shearwater, two Sandwich Tern, a Red-throated Diver and the female Eider.

Year List addition:
144. Little Stint

Other Wildlife: A Water Vole was at the Main Pond and three Alexanders Straw Aethes deaurana were around the car park.