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

Saturday 11th April

A low high tide with The Bight left uncovered, although 51 Bar-tailed Godwit, eight Whimbrel, seven Knot, three Grey Plover and a Dark-bellied Brent Goose were on the water's edge. Also in the estuary the rare sight of a fishing Gannet off Cockwood.

Gannet - Jim Summers

Elsewhere three Willow Warbler were on site, the Red-legged Partridge and a Wheatear were on Warren Point, 21 Manx Shearwater flew S, and the pair of Eider remained offshore with 18 Sandwich Tern and small numbers of Great Crested Grebe, Red-throated and Great Northern Diver.

Other Wildlife: Despite the chill in the wind a good number of insects on the wing with five species of butterfly including the first Small Copper and Holly Blue of the year, and a Painted Lady along the beach.

Small Copper - Alan Keatley

Bees included the nationally scarce Black Mining Bee Andrena pilipes on the carpark roundabout, Gwynne's Mining Bee A. bicolor by the Entrance Bushes, where there were also good numbers of Orange-tailed Mining Bee A. haemorrhoa.

Black Mining Bee Andrena pilipes - Alan Keatley

Orange-tailed Mining Bee Andrena haemorrhoa - Alan Keatley

Gwynne's Mining Bee Andrena bicolor - Alan Keatley

Other insects included the first Dark Bush-cricket nymph of the year, the sawfly Aglaostigma fulvipes and the moths Nettle-tap and Grey Gorse Piercer Cydia ulicetana, with Bishop's Mitre Aelia acuminata and a nymph European Chinchbug Ischodemus sabuleti on the beach.

 European Chinchbug Ischodemus sabuleti - Alan Keatley

Bishop's Mitre Aelia acuminata - Alan Keatley

Aglaostigma fulvipes - Alan Keatley

Metellina mengei - Alan Keatley

 Crepidodera aurea - Alan Keatley

Friday 10th April

Migrants included eight Whimbrel and a Bar-tailed Godwit on the beach, seven summer plumaged Dunlin in the estuary, five Swallow through and two Wheatear were on Warren Point.

Wheatear - Lee Collins

Elsewhere the Black-throated Diver remained offshore with 11 Great Northern and 11 Red-throated Diver, four Great Crested Grebe and the pair of Eider, with counts from the estuary including 41 Bar-tailed Godwit, 12 Grey and a Ringed Plover, nine Sanderling and a Knot. 

Thursday 9th April

The first Black-throated Diver of the year was offshore early morning along with the pair of Eider, at least 16 Sandwich Tern, with more later on, 13 Manx Shearwater, 10 Red-throated Diver and nine Great Crested Grebe.

Elsewhere the Red-legged Partridge was on Warren Point, migrants included single Wheatear and Willow Warbler, 25+ Swallow, three House and a Sand Martin, and counts over the neap tide included 35 Bar-tailed Godwit, four Knot, two Dunlin, a Grey Plover and a Whimbrel. 

Year List addition:
128. Black-throated Diver

Other Wildlife: An emergence of Striped Millipede Ommatoiulus sabulosus in the dunes with Dune Scarab and Marram Weevil along the beach and good numbers of Sandpit Mining Bee across the site. 

Sandpit Mining Bee Andrena barbilabris - Judah Baker

Marram Weevil Philopedon plagiatum - Judah Baker

Dune Scarab Aegialia arenaria - Judah Baker