Saturday 13th May

Seawatching early morning saw 13 Great Northern Diver head south along with 20 Gannet, five Manx Shearwater and a Little Egret. Also offshore seven Eider, confirming two groups in the bay, three female, two adult and two immature males. Two of the females and the two immature males flew south in the morning, the other three remained off Warren Point throughout.

A slow but steady NE passage of 53 Swallow along the Dune Ridge with two House and a Sand Martin, a Swift and 11 Goldfinch. Elsewhere two Wheatear were the only grounded migrants and the low high tide saw just two Whimbrel, two Sandwich Tern and single Dunlin and Dark-bellied Brent Goose.

Wildlife News: The warmest day of year brought a wealth of insect activity with two male Vagrant Emperor present on the Dune Ridge in the morning, becoming elusive later on. Other odonata included three new species for the year, a teneral Broad-bodied Chaser in the Back Meadow with both Azure and Blue-tailed Damselfly at the Dune Pond.

Vagrant Emperor - David Flack

Broad-bodied Chaser - Alan Keatley

A good total of 13 butterfly species were on the wing, with a notable movement NE along the Dune Ridge, including seven Red Admiral, three Small White, two Brimstone and single Painted Lady and Large White. In the meadows and bushes the first Brown Argus and two Common Blue of the year, along with up to a dozen Orange-tip, five Holly Blue, four Speckled Wood, two other Brimstone and a Wall Brown. Other migrant insects included two Silver Y and numerous Marmalade Hoverfly. 

Orange-tip egg on Cuckoo-flower - Kevin Rylands

A Pearl Lacewing Chrysopa perla on the edge of the Crocus Meadow and the weevil Phyllobius vespertinus in the saltmarsh, were new for the Recording Area, the latter new to Devon. New species for the for the year included two Slender Groundhopper, Meadow Long-horn Cauchas rufimitrella, Dark Alder Midget Phyllonorycter klemannella, Common Nettle Bug Liocoris tripustulatus and Coastal Silver Stiletto Acrosathe annulata.

Pearl Lacewing Chrysopa perla - Alan Keatley

Slender Groundhopper - Alan Keatley

Bees included Red Mason Bee Osmia bicornis nesting in a hole in a fence, Gooden's Nomada goodeniana and Flavous Nomad Bee N. flava, a few Orange-tailed Mining Bee Andrena haemorrhoa on Hawthorn blossom and several Sandpit Mining Bee A. barbilabris.

Sandpit Mining Bee - Kevin Rylands