Wednesday 4th March

A new 2CY Caspian Gull was on Finger Point on the morning tide with 22 Great Black-backed and the wintering 4CY Yellow-legged Gull.

Caspian Gull - Lee Collins

Wader numbers continue to drop as wintering birds continue to leave, with counts on the dropping tide including 260 Oystercatcher, 240 Dunlin, 93 Curlew, 59 Bar-tailed Godwit, 43 Grey and eight Ringed Plover, 18 Sanderling and the Whimbrel. 

Elsewhere a probable Black-throated Diver flew south offshore. 

Tuesday 3rd March

A low tide visit with little to report in the estuary, although 60 Dark-bellied Brent Geese were feeding on the beach shoreline. Elsewhere the Merlin shot low through the Buffer Zone before heading over the Entrance Bushes towards the estuary, the Cetti's Warbler was singing around the Car Park and migrants included a small increase in Stonechat with six Goldfinch and a Chaffinch overhead. 

The 2025 Recording Group Bird Report is now available 

Other Wildlife: The spring weather saw the first Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax of the year on the wing, but the majority of the other insects today were ground based. 

Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax - Alan Keatley

A good selection of beetles were found along the beach with some out of place species including the water beetle Haliplus lineatocollis and the water scavenger beetles Hydrobius fuscipes and Helophorus grandis, normally found near fresh water. The latter is new for the Recording Area.

Hydrobius fuscipes - Alan Keatley

Haliplus lineatocollis - Alan Keatley

Helophorus grandis - Alan Keatley

Other beetles on the drying sand included the leaf beetle Prasocuris phellandrii and the ground beetle Syntomus forveatus, as well as Red Marsh Ladybird, Black Marram Weevil and Dune Scarab.

Syntomus forveatus - Alan Keatley

Prasocuris phellandrii - Dean Hall

Also in the dunes the woodlouse hunting spider Harpactea hombergi and on gorse, the orbweb spider Agalenatea redii and the weevil Exapion ulicis. 

Harpactea hombergi - Alan Keatley

Agalenatea redii - Alan Keatley

Exapion ulicis - Dean Hall

Monday 2nd March

Counts over the evening high tide included 453 Dark and a Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 101 Redshank, 62 Common Gull, 22 Teal, 21 Grey Plover, eight Greenshank and three Red-breasted Merganser. The Merlin was again present unsuccessfully hunting Dunlin. 

Elsewhere 10 Common Scoter and four Great Northern Diver were offshore with bird song on the increase, including at least three Cirl Bunting back on territory.

Cirl Bunting - Jim Summers

Other Wildlife: The first lizards of the year were seen out basking with a Sand Lizard on Warren point and six Common Lizard by the Visitor Centre.

Sunday 1st March

Counts from the evening high tide included 426 Dark and a Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 310 Dunlin, 205 Common and 45 Great Black-backed Gull, 86 Redshank, 59 Bar-tailed Godwit, 23 Sanderling, 22 Shelduck, 15 Teal, 14 Knot, 11 Red-breasted Merganser - the winter peak, down from a max of 204 in December 2000, 11 Ringed Plover and nine Greenshank.

Elsewhere 10 Great Crested Grebe and two Great Northern Diver were offshore, with a migrant Chiffchaff feeding in the dunes and Skylark in song on Warren Point some of the limited signs of spring.

Other Wildlife: A few Scarlet Elfcup provided some colour in still very damp woodland near the First Pond. 

Scarlet Elfcup - Alan Keatley

Saturday 28th February

A 2CY Caspian Gull on Bull Hill late afternoon was the highlight over the high tide, along with another appearance from the wintering Merlin. With Cockle Sands at Exmouth being covered by the higher tide, wader counts were also higher with 300 Dunlin, 272 Oystercatcher, 157 Curlew, 55 Bar-tailed Godwit, 36 Knot, 30 Sanderling, 26 Grey and 10 Ringed Plover and eight Greenshank.

Caspian Gull - Lee Collins

Merlin - Kevin Rylands

Also in the estuary 202 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 130 Common Gull, 26 Teal, two Red-breasted Merganser and a Great Northern Diver. Elsewhere 21 Great Crested Grebe, seven Common Scoter, six Great Northern and six Red-throated Diver.

Other Wildlife: The first Early Bumblebee of the year was on the wing along with several Buff-tailed Bumblebee. 

Friday 27th February

An adult Little Gull was feeding distantly off the seawall early afternoon, with 28 Common Scoter, c20 Razorbill, six Great Northern and three Red-throated Diver. 

Counts from the estuary on the low high tide included 390 Dunlin, 139 Common, 26 Great and six Lesser Black-backed Gull, 90 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 86 Turnstone, 82 Redshank, 20 Teal, 13 Ringed and four Grey Plover, eight Curlew, eight Greenshank, six Red-breasted Merganser, four Knot, a Bar-tailed Godwit and a Sanderling.  

Elsewhere a Pheasant was on Finger Point with the Oystercatcher and the Cetti's Warbler was around the Car Park. 

Thursday 26th February

Gulls are continuing to move through with a minimum of 259 Common Gull in the estuary, where a low high tide saw counts of 490 Dunlin, 60 Redshank, 58 Turnstone, eight Greenshank and six Red-breasted Merganser, with two Stock Dove in the saltmarsh.

Elsewhere 10 Common Scoter and two Great Northern Diver were offshore.

Herring Gull (2CY) - both Jim Summers

Ringing News: A  ringed Black-headed Gull in the estuary was the first Norwegian recovery of this species from the Warren.

Other Wildlife: The first Red Admiral of the year was on the wing. 

Wednesday 25th February

A pair of Shoveler in The Bight were the highlight of a low high tide with many waders roosting on uncovered sandbars elsewhere in the estuary. Counts included 145 Common and a Mediterranean Gull, 77 Redshank, 59 Turnstone, 14 Ringed and a Grey Plover, eight Teal and seven Greenshank. 

The 2CY Little Gull was still offshore with 16 Great Crested Grebe, eight Common Scoter, three Great Northern and two Red-throated Diver. Elsewhere eight Lesser Black-backed Gull flew north, the Cetti's Warbler was around the Car Park with five Goldcrest and three Chiffchaff around the flooded scrub. 

Other Wildlife: With warmer temperatures Small Sand Ant Lasius psammophilus activity is increasing on the Dune Ridge. The small entrance burrows are often visible on open sand, although the species was overlooked until last year. Other dune specialists included Dune Scarab Aegialia arenarius and the small ground beetle Amara tibialis.

Small Sand Ant Lasius psammophilus - Alan Keatley

Amara tibialis - Alan Keatley

Dune Scarab Aegialia arenarius - Alan Keatley

A couple of Peacock butterflies were on the wing along with the hoverfly Spotted Thintail Meliscaeva auricollis and a Green Shieldbug.

Spotted Thintail Meliscaeva auricollis - Alan Keatley

Green Shieldbug - Alan Keatley

Elsewhere a Harbour Porpoise was off Langstone Rock and Common Toad were chorusing at the First Pond. 

Tuesday 24th February

The improved weather saw a wintering Firecrest emerge from the flooded sallows, being seen in scrub along the Back Path, three Chiffchaff were also active with the Cetti's Warbler singing by the Car Park.  

Elsewhere 120 Common Gull, 11 Greenshank and a Red-breasted Merganser were in the estuary, with two of the presumed Scandinavian littoralis Rock Pipit starting to reveal their true colours in The Bight.

Other Wildlife: A continuing increase in insect activity with several Buff-tailed Bumblebee on the wing along with a few Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax, a Hairy-eyed Syrphus S. torvus and the scarcely seen adult of the Oak Marble Gall Wasp Andricus kollari.

Oak Marble Gall Wasp Andricus kollari - Alan Keatley

Hairy-eyed Syrphus S. torvus - Alan Keatley

At ground level a Weasel ran across the Buffer Zone with even smaller hunters including Turf Ant Tetramorium caespitum, the jumping spider Euophryum frontalis, Sand-bear Arctosa perita and Leopard-bear Spider A. leopardus and the wolf spider Alopecosa cuneata.

Alopecosa cuneata - Alan Keatley

Turf Ant Tetramorium caespitum - Alan Keatley

Euophryum frontalis - Alan Keatley

Leopard-bear Spider Arctosa leopardus - Alan Keatley

A range of beetles included the sun beetle Amara equestris, the darkling beetle Phaleria cadaverina plus Red Dock Weevil Apion frumentarium and Black Marram Weevil Otiorhynchus atropterus.

Red Dock Weevil Apion frumentarium - Alan Keatley

Phaleria cadaverina - Alan Keatley

Black Marram Weevil Otiorhynchus atropterus - Alan Keatley

Monday 23rd February

At least 170 Common Gull were in the estuary on the dropping tide along with 88 Knot, 13 Teal, 12 Shelduck, 10 Greenshank and five Red-breasted Merganser.

Elsewhere a 2CY Little Gull was offshore along with 15 Great Crested Grebe, 14 Common Scoter and a Great Northern Diver with the Cetti's Warbler around the Car Park.

Other Wildlife: A couple of hours light trapping produced the first Chestnut and Common Quaker of the year along with two Parsnip Moth Depressaria radiella and a Brown-spot Flat-body Agonopterix alstromeriana.

Common Quaker - Kevin Rylands