Sunday 26th July

Counts from the estuary included 420 Oystercatcher, 165 Sandwich Tern, including 64 juveniles, 73 Whimbrel, 42 Dunlin, 35 Ringed Plover, 25 Mediterranean Gull, seven Greenshank, five Bar-tailed Godwit and single Common Sandpiper, Common Tern and Grey Plover. 

Elsewhere a Grasshopper Warbler was in Greenland Lake, a Willow Warbler was by the Main Pond, two Common Scoter and a Budgerigar on the Golf Course. 

Saturday 25th July

Counts from the estuary included 180 Sandwich Tern, including 59 juveniles, 180 Redshank, 57 Whimbrel, 40 Dunlin, 28 Ringed and a Grey Plover, 18 Mediterranean and a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull, 10 Greenshank, three Bar and a Black-tailed Godwit and a Common Sandpiper.

Elsewhere 44 Sanderling were on the beach, the Eider was on groyne 12 and the Coot was on the Main Pond.

Other Wildlife: A Heath Potter Wasp Eumenus coarctatus was again on Fennel in the Car Park, with the tiny solitary wasp Large-headed Bethylus B. cephalotes found on the dune slope, where an Alopecosa cuneata, a nationally scarce wolf spider was blending in well with the background.

Heath Potter Wasp Eumenus coarctatus - Kevin Rylands

Large-headed Bethylus B. cephalotes - Alan Keatley

Alopecosa cuneata - Alan Keatley

An increase in hoverfly numbers included Small Spot-eye Eristalinus sepulchralis, Hornet Plumehorn Volucella zonaria, Plain-faced Dronefly Eristalis arbustorum and Stripe-backed Fleckwing Dasysyrphus albostriatus.

Stripe-backed Fleckwing Dasysyrphus albostriatus - Alan Keatley

Today's selection of twelve butterfly species included a single Brown Argus and Small Tortoiseshell with at least five Clouded Yellow.and Painted Lady.

Small Tortoiseshell - Kevin Rylands

Painted Lady - Kevin Rylands

Brown Argus - Alan Keatley

Scampering for cover a Water Shrew near the Golf Course and a Brown Rat near the station.

Friday 24th July

Counts from the estuary included c200 Sandwich Tern, 169 Oystercatcher, 162 Redshank, 30 Whimbrel, 29 Dunlin, 22 Ringed and two Grey Plover, nine Greenshank, eight Mediterranean Gull and three Bar-tailed Godwit.

Elsewhere 30 Sanderling were on the beach, four Great Crested Grebe, two Common Scoter and the female Eider were offshore, four Stock Dove were in the Railway Saltmarsh, the Coot was on the Main Pond with single Great Spotted and Green Woodpecker on site. 

Ringing News: Amongst the Sandwich Tern were, as usual, a number of colour-ringed birds, the majority of them from Netherlands, highlighting more travelled birds as post-breeding dispersal gathers apace. Other birds included the second Danish recovery this week and a metal ringed bird from Wexford, Ireland, also recorded last year.

Other Wildlife: At least five Clouded Yellow were on site and a new location for Corn Spurrey was discovered, after the first record for over 50 years back in May.

Clouded Yellow - James Marshall

Thursday 23rd July

Counts from the estuary included 230 Sandwich Tern, including 73 juveniles, 159 Redshank, 30 Sanderling, 28 Dunlin, 26 Mediterranean Gull, 24 Ringed Plover and a Bar-tailed Godwit.

Elsewhere at least one Green Woodpecker was on the Golf Course and a Kingfisher was at the Main Pond, where the Coot remains settled. 

Coot - James Marshall

Other Wildlife: A new species for the Recording Area was on the Dune Ridge, a thread-legged assassin bug Empicoris vagabundus, the most widespread of the three UK species.

Empicoris vagabundus - Alan Keatley

The nationally scarce Golden-haired Longhorn Leptura aurulenta was excavating in a tree stump by the pond dipping platform, the second year of confirmed breeding. Another nationally scarce species was found amongst at least twenty Bee-wolf on Fennel around the car park, a female Heath Potter Wasp Eumenes coarctatus. 

Golden-haired Longhorn Leptura aurulenta - Alan Keatley

Heath Potter Wasp Eumenes coarctatus - Alan Keatley

In a poor season so far for hoverflies, the summer generation of Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax and Batman Hoverfly Myathropa florea were on the wing with White-clubbed Glasswing Scaeva pyrastri and several Compost Hoverfly Syritta pipiens. 

Batman Hoverfly Myathropa florea - Alan Keatley

Also recorded at least 10 Clouded Yellow and five Painted Lady, a Sand Lizard on the Dune Ridge and two Grey Seal on Bull Hill.

Painted Lady - Alan Keatley

Wednesday 22nd July

A Roseate Tern was a new arrival joining at least 190 Sandwich Tern (62 juveniles), 160 Black-headed and 11 Mediterranean Gull in The Bight at high tide.

Roseate Tern - Lee Collins

Great Black-backed Gull - Jim Summers

Waders counts included 165 Redshank, 24 Dunlin, 20 Ringed and two Grey Plover, eight Greenshank, four Turnstone, a Bar and a Black-tailed Godwit. 

Elsewhere four Great Crested Grebe were offshore.

Ringing News: The Roseate Tern had been ringed on Coquet Island, Northumberland with a juvenile Sandwich Tern from Scolt Head Island, Norfolk.

Other Wildlife: A Grey Seal was on Bull Hill with five Painted Lady and a Clouded Yellow on the Golf Course.

Tuesday 21st July

Counts from the estuary included 160 Sandwich Tern, 36 Sanderling, 20 Dunlin, 18 Ringed Plover, seven Knot, five Mediterranean and a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull.

Elsewhere the female Eider was at Langstone Rock, the Coot was on the Main Pond and a Green Woodpecker on the Golf Course.

Other Wildlife: A selection of insects included the second record of the Rhopalid bug Liorhyssus hyalinus, found in the Entrance Bushes, Tawny Cockroach, Wasp Plumehorn Volucella inanis and the weevil Sibinia arenariae at Langstone Rock, the Anthomyiidae fly Hydrophoria lancifer in Dead Dolphin Wood, half a dozen Clouded Yellow and plenty of Bee-wolf on Fennel in the Car Park.

Liorhyssus hyalinus - Alan Keatley

Bee-wolf - Alan Keatley

Hydrophoria lancifer - Alan Keatley

Moths included a site first, White-barred Groundling Recurvaria leucatella on Hawthorn by the Car Park, a Mullein Wave roosting by a security light, Mint Moth Pyrausta aurata and Six-spot Burnet in Greenland Lake and Sycamore Piercer Pammene aurita, also by the Car Park. 

White-barred Groundling Recurvaria leucatella - Kevin Rylands

Mint Moth Pyrausta aurata - Alan Keatley

Leaf miners included Three-spot Dot Stigmella trimaculella and Poplar Maze-miner Phyllocnistis unipunctella on Lombardy Poplar, Beautiful Sycamore Dot Stigmella speciosa and Dogwood Cutter Antispila petryi. 

Three-spot Dot Stigmella trimaculella - Kevin Rylands

Poplar Maze-miner Phyllocnistis unipunctella - Kevin Rylands

Beautiful Sycamore Dot Stigmella speciosa - Kevin Rylands

Dogwood Cutter Antispila petryi - Kevin Rylands

Monday 20th July

Counts from the estuary at high tide included 323 Oystercatcher, 215 Sandwich Tern with at least 58 juveniles, 169 Redshank, 31 Dunlin, 12 Mediterranean Gull, 10 Greenshank, eight Ringed and two Grey Plover, four Common Tern, four Turnstone and three Bar-tailed Godwit.

Other Wildlife: Migrant insects included Clouded Yellow, Painted Lady and the hoverfly White-clubbed Glasswing Scaeva pyrastri.

Pantaloon Bee Dasypoda hirtipes - Kevin Rylands

Musk Mallow - Kevin Rylands

Sunday 19th July

Counts from the estuary included 135 Sandwich Tern, 34 Dunlin, 28 Whimbrel, 11 Greenshank, eight Mediterranean Gull, seven Ringed Plover, four Turnstone and a Knot. 

Other Wildlife: Despite the drought three notable Warren plants were recorded in flower, the first site record of Scented Mayweed, the second record of Twiggy Mullein and the first Trailing St John's-wort for 20 years.

Scented Mayweed - Kevin Rylands

Twiggy Mullein - Kevin Rylands

Trailing St John's-wort  - Kevin Rylands

Saturday 18th July

Another increase in Sandwich Tern with at least 210 in The Bight on the dropping tide, conversely just three Mediterranean Gull in the estuary today. Other counts included 129 Redshank, 30 Whimbrel, 15 Dunlin, nine Greenshank, four Sanderling, two Bar-tailed Godwit and two Grey Plover. 

Elsewhere the Coot remains at the Main Pond. 

Other Wildlife: The highlight was a Purple Marbled Tortrix Pammene gallicana, found at Langstone Rock on Wild Carrot, its food plant. A nationally scarce species with scattered records, mainly coastal, but just the fifth Devon record of this day flying moth.

Purple Marbled Tortrix Pammene gallicana - both Alan Keatley

Also nectaring on various flowers, Noble Cuckoo Wasp Hedychrum nobile, a Common Purple and Gold Pyrausta purpuralis, the plant bug Phytocoris varipes, several Episyron rufipes and the hoverflies White-clubbed Glasswing Scaeva pyrastri and Common Weeny Paragus haemorrhous.

Noble Cuckoo Wasp Hedychrum nobile - Alan Keatley

Common Purple and Gold Pyrausta purpuralis - Alan Keatley

Phytocoris varipes - Alan Keatley

Episyron rufipes - Alan Keatley

At ground level, a coastal lesser spiny-winged fly Trixoscelis obscurella. As with recent days good numbers of Clouded Yellow at least eight, were on site, including a pale helice colour form.

Trixoscelis obscurella - Alan Keatley

Friday 17th July

Records from the estuary included the first juvenile Yellow-legged Gull of the year along with counts of 170+ Sandwich and one Common Tern, 117 Redshank, 38 Dunlin, 18 Sanderling, 15 Whimbrel, nine Greenshank, just single figures of Mediterranean Gull, five Ringed and two Grey Plover, two Black-tailed Godwit and a Turnstone.

Sandwich Tern - Lee Collins

Elsewhere a juvenile Green Woodpecker was in the car park before flying down site to the Back Meadow. Despite two pairs frequently heard yaffling from the mainland in spring, this is the first of of the year actually on the Warren. Other records included the Coot at the Main Pond, two Stock Dove in the saltmarsh and Cirl Bunting still carrying food to the nest. 

Year List addition:

157. Green Woodpecker

Other Wildlife: Fifteen species of butterfly were on the wing including at least five Red Admiral, three Clouded Yellow and a Painted Lady. At the Main Pond there were six species of Odonata including both Red-eyed and Small Red-eyed Damselfly.

Speckled Wood - Kevin Rylands