Monday, 7 August 2017

Monday 7th August

Sea defence works along on the dune ridge continue to restrict access to the hide and Warren Point.  The golf course is not a public right of way.  Please follow signs and access guidance from staff.

In only a light southwesterly and scattered showers, the sea produced the goods when flocks combined to form a group of nine Pomarine Skua, many ‘spooned’, which departed S before 07:00; the highest day count ever here for the month of August.  Ten shearwaters were too distant to identify, three Great Crested Grebe and a juv Great Northern Diver was an early record.

Selected counts over high tide, 47 Ringed Plover, 31+ Dunlin, 25 Sanderling, 20 Mediterranean Gull (15 adult/ ss, 1 fs, 4 juv), 16+ Whimbrel, four Greenshank and juv Little Ringed Plover was in The Bight.  The first juv Little Tern of the year sported a darvic ring from the colony at Kilcoole, mid-east coast of Ireland. Large numbers of Black-headed Gulls, Sandwich Terns and Common Terns feasted on vast shoals of sprats in the estuary, reportedly forced inshore by mackerel.  Among them, an interesting ‘marsh tern’ was seen distantly from Exmouth, see later posts…

Highlights from the bushes, single Willow Warbler, Garden Warbler and Wheatear.


Wildlife News: a small pod of Bottle-nosed Dolphin early morning and a pod of 20 Common Dolphin late morning, a scarce species here.

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