Wednesday 30 June 2021

Wednesday 30th June

Counts from the estuary included 230 Oystercatcher, 144 Curlew, 75 Black-headed Gull and two Mediterranean Gull, 13 Redshank, 12 Sandwich Tern, nine Whimbrel and single Grey PloverDunlin and Greenshank.

Wildlife News: Good numbers of hoverflies, mining bees and other pollinators were on the wing.

Marmalade Hoverfly - Dave Jewell

Coastal Leafcutter Megachile maritima - Alan Keatley

Tuesday 29 June 2021

Tuesday 29th June

Counts from the estuary saw 204 Curlew, 75 Black-headed and two adult Mediterranean Gull, 35 Sandwich Tern, 18 Shelduck, five Bar-tailed Godwit, five Dunlin, three Grey Plover and a Knot.

Wildlife News: A Golden-ringed Dragonfly was again noted along with the first Large Sharp-tail Bee Coelioxys conoidea of the year.

Large Sharp-tail Bee - Alan Keatley

Sunday 27 June 2021

Sunday 27th June

Seawatching early morning saw the first Puffin of the year head south with 66 Manx Shearwater, 51 Kittiwake, 30 Common Scoter, 20 Guillemot, 12 Gannet, five Razorbill, four Fulmarfour Sandwich and a Common Tern, three Swift and a Common Gull.

Wildlife News: A Silver Y was watched coming in off the sea.

Saturday 26 June 2021

Saturday 26th June

Counts over the morning tide included 225 Oystercatcher, 135 Curlew, 22 Redshank, 20 Sandwich Tern, 15 Turnstone, four Whimbrel and three Bar-tailed Godwit and two Mediterranean Gull.

Elsewhere 120 Manx Shearwater, 23 Gannet, 19 Common Scoter, four Guillemot, two Razorbill and an Arctic Skua were offshore with two Egyptian Geese north over the Visitor Centre.

Wildlife News: A Golden-ringed Dragonfly was still on site.

Friday 25 June 2021

Friday 25th June

A few new arrivals in the estuary with three Whimbrel, three Dunlin and two Grey Plover amongst the increasing number of Oystercatcher and Curlew

Wildlife News: Small Tortoiseshell and Hornet Hoverfly were noted alongside several news species for the year including Golden-ringed Dragonfly, Early Mason-wasp Ancistrocerus nigricornis and Sieve-winged Snailkiller Coremacera marginata

Sieve-winged Snailkiller - Alan Keatley

Golden-ringed Dragonfly - Alan Keatley

Early Mason-wasp - Alan Keatley

Thursday 24 June 2021

Thursday 24th June

Counts from the estuary included the first returning Redshank along with 19 Shelduck, 10 Black-headed and a Mediterranean Gull, seven Whimbrel, five Sandwich Tern and single Bar-tailed Godwit and Turnstone.

Wildlife News: Moth trapping was curtailed by rain but 30 species were noted before the lights had to be extinguished. There was time however to find two new species for the Recording Area, both widespread micro-moths; Acorn Piercer Pammene fasciana and Barred Marble Celypha striana. Other species included Shore Wainscot and Sandhill Knot-horn Anerastia lotella, both scarce coastal moths, The Miller, Cream-bordered Green Pea and both Small and Elephant Hawkmoth

Barred Yellow

Shore Wainscot

The Miller

Wednesday 23 June 2021

Wednesday 23rd June

The male Lesser Whitethroat was continuing to advertise his presence in the Entrance Bushes. On the Main Pond one of the pairs of Little Grebe continues to feed at least two young and the Canada Goose pair still have eight of their nine young.

Little Grebe - Alan Keatley

Wildlife News: Blue Mason Bee Osmia caerulescens was another new species for the Recording Area along with several firsts for the year including Small Skipper and Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva.

Small Skipper - Alan Keatley

Little Mason-wasp Mircodynerus exilis - Alan Keatley

Tuesday 22 June 2021

Tuesday 22nd June

A drake Wigeon in the saltmarsh was unexpected on the evening tide, only the second June record in the last 20 years. Also present in the estuary 188 Oystercatcher, 109 Curlew, 15 Black-headed Gull, 18 Shelduck, four Whimbrel and three Bar-tailed Godwit. Offshore 12 Sandwich Tern, a Razorbill and a Mediterranean Gull.

Sunday 20 June 2021

Sunday 20th June

A quiet day with 27 Sandwich Tern, 14 Kittiwake, four Gannet and two Razorbill offshore and the first fledged Reed Warbler at the Main Pond. 

Wildlife News: The highlight were two Aethes deaurana, a conch moth that feeds on Alexanders seeds. This is around the 10th record for the UK, most of them between Holcombe and Kenton since 17 May last year, so it is clearly established locally. It was first recorded in Weymouth in May 2017 and is suspected to be established there as well. Migrants included at least 40 Diamond-back Moth, five Silver Y and three Red Admiral.

Aethes deaurana

Also on the wing the first Large Skipper and Hornet Hoverfly Volucella zonaria of the year, the soldierfly Ornate Brigadier Odontomyia ornata and Straw-barred Pearl Pyrausta despicata.

Straw-barred Pearl

Saturday 19 June 2021

Saturday 19th June

Offshore there were 30 Gannet, 20 Kittiwake, 19 Sandwich Tern, 14 Manx Shearwater, 12 Common Scoter, a Great-crested Grebe and a Mediterranean Gull. Elsewhere 11 Swift were overhead but the highlight was the confirmed breeding of Lesser Whitethroat with three very recently juveniles being fed in the Entrance Bushes, the first on site since 2005. 

Wildlife News: The first Marsh Helleborine of the year were in flower, along with increased numbers of Bee and Southern Marsh Orchid also out, but no sign yet of any Pyramidal Orchids. Despite the overcast conditions a few insects were on the wing including several Broad Centurion soldierfly.

Broad Centurion - Alan Keatley

Thursday 17 June 2021

Thursday 17th June

Counts from the estuary included 186 Oystercatcher, an increase to 58 Curlew, presumably failed breeders, 12 Shelduck, eight Sandwich Tern, the first for some time, three Dunlin and two Bar-tailed Godwit. Elsewhere a Stock Dove was in the Railway Saltmarsh and two second brood Little Grebe chicks were still being feed on the Main Pond.  

Wildlife News: A few insects were on the wing once the sun broke through early afternoon included the first Sand-tailed Digger Wasp Cerceris arenaria of the year. 

Sand-tailed Digger Wasp - Alan Keatley

Wednesday 16 June 2021

Wednesday 16th June

Wildlife News: A Green Hairstreak was in Dead Dolphin Wood, only the fifth record since 2010.

Green Hairstreak - Steve Fuller

Saturday 12 June 2021

Saturday 12th June

A Nuthatch in Dead Dolphin Wood was the highlight with an early morning passage of 180+ Swift also notable, otherwise there was a very midsummer feeling to proceedings. 

Wildlife News: The first Emperor dragonflies of the year were on the wing, already holding territory over the ponds, a Painted Lady was on the Dune Ridge and large numbers of Silvery Leafcutter Megachile leachella were present. Several new species for the Warren were again recorded including Small Beegrapper Thecophora atra and Short-horned Yellow-faced Bee Hylaeus brevicornis

Small Beegrabber - Alan Keatley

Short-horned Yellow-faced Bee - Alan Keatley

Friday 11 June 2021

Friday 11th June

A Whimbrel was calling overnight.

Wildlife News: Light trapping into Saturday morning saw a low total of 34 species of moth but two of these were new for the Recording Area. These were both introduced species, the Australian Ruddy Streak Tachystola acroxantha and the North American Cypress-tip Moth Argyresthia cupressella. Other species recorded included Small Elephant Hawkmoth, Pale Tussock, Spectacle and Peppered Moth with two other Warren firsts, the caddisfly Mystacides longicornis and the soldier beetle Rhagonycha limbata.

Spectacle

Figure of Eighty

Pale Tussock 

Thursday 10 June 2021

Thursday 10th June

The summer plumaged Great Northern Diver remains offshore from Langstone Rock with the Lesser Whitethroat still singing away in the Entrance Bushes. Offsite a Nuthatch got as close as the railway station but didn't cross the train line.

Great Northern Diver - Alan Keatley

Wildlife News: Insect numbers although remaining low for the time of year are slowing increasing with the first Meadow Brown of the year noted along with Ashy Mining Bee and Bumblebee Hoverfly Volucella bombylans


Ashy Mining Bee - Alan Keatley


Broad-bodied Chaser - Alan Keatley

Wednesday 9 June 2021

Wednesday 9th June

Wildlife News: The nationally scarce soldierfly Ornate Brigadier Odontomyia ornata was on the wing. In Devon it is only found around the Exe Estuary.

Ornate Brigadier - Steve Fuller

Sunday 6 June 2021

Sunday 6th June

Counts from the estuary included 96 Oystercatcher, six Curlew, two Whimbrel, a Bar-tailed Godwit and the Dark-bellied Brent Goose with 20 Sanderling on the beach. 

Elsewhere the summer-plumaged Great Northern Diver remained close inshore with three other birds offshore along with 84 Common Scoter; a Mistle Thrush overhead was likely the first autumn migrant for this early season breeder, and the year's second record of Tufted Duck, a male, also flew over.


Saturday 5 June 2021

Saturday 5th June

A summer-plumaged Great Northern Diver was close in offshore with six Common Scoter and four Sandwich Tern. Elsewhere the single Sedge Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat continue to advertise for a mate, a Kestrel from a nest at Eastdon was hunting over the Golf Course, a Curlew was in the estuary and a lone Meadow Pipit was overhead.

Wildlife News: No less than four notable plant rediscoveries today with Lesser Stitchwort and Smooth Tare found after over 30 years absence and Grass Vetchling and Dodder after an absence of over 15 years, all found on the Golf Course, also on the course over 120 spikes of Southern Marsh Orchid. The first Broad-bodied Chaser and Cinnabar moths of the year were on the wing along with several White-clubbed Hoverfly Scaeva pyrastri and Common Blue butterflies. 

Thursday 3 June 2021

Thursday 3rd June

A largely migrant free day with typical summer fare of recently fledged birds, although in lower numbers that might be expected. In the estuary 12 Sanderling, nine Dunlin and a Bar-tailed Godwit.

Reed Bunting - Alan Keatley

Wildlife News: In contrast to the birds migration was very much to the fore with thousands of Marmalade Hoverfly across the site, along with other migrant species such as c100 Long Hoverfly Sphaerophoria scripta, 10+ Common-spotted Field Syrph Eupeodes luniger at least five White-clubbed Hoverfly Scaeva pyrastri, two Painted Lady, five Silver Y and several Diamond-back Moth.

Marmalade Hoverfly - Alan Keatley

Painted Lady - Alan Keatley