Monday 30th June

Aside from breeding residents little to report on a low tide visit although four Sandwich Tern flew into the estuary and two noisy juveniles Kestrel overhead indicate the Eastdon pair, the male often hunting on site, were again successful. 

Other Wildlife: Plenty of insect activity in the hot weather  The highlight being a new soldier beetle for the Recording Area with a Silis ruficollis by the Main Pond. Only two other Devon sites for this beetle, including Exminster Marshes.

Silis ruficollis - Alan Keatley

Another good find was an aggregation of the nationally scarce Black Mining Bee Andrena pilipes going in and out of their nest holes on the car park roundabout. New records for the year included Mother of Pearl by the First Pond, Little Mason Wasp Microdynerus exilis on the Dune Ridge and Dull Cuckoo Wasp Hedychridium roseum and Garden Ectemnius E. cavifrons in Skipper Meadow. 

Mother of Pearl - Alan Keatley

Nectaring on the remaining water dropwort a Dark-winged Chrysogaster C. solstitialis and a migrant Compost Hoverfly Syritta pipiens amongst many Marmalade Hoverfly.

Compost Hoverfly Syritta pipiens - Alan Keatley

Also on the wing the first male Green Furrow Bee Lasioglossum morio for the year, a Golden-ringed Dragonfly and several butterflies included a Marbled White in Skipper Meadow.

Marbled White - Alan Keatley

Green Furrow Bee Lasioglossum morio - Alan Keatley

Sunday 29th June

Wader roost counts from the morning high tide included 135 Curlew, 20 Redshank, eight Whimbrel, four Bar-tailed Godwit and two Grey and a Ringed Plover. Also present at least 10 Mediterranean Gull, nine Sandwich (three juveniles) and three Common Tern.

Sandwich Tern - Lee Collins

Elsewhere 20 Manx Shearwater were offshore, 10 Sand Martin flew through, a female Kestrel was on site and two Little Grebe and a Kingfisher were at the Main Pond. 

Other Wildlife: A Marbled White was by the Entrance Bushes.

Saturday 28th June

The first juvenile Sandwich Tern of the autumn was in the estuary on the dropping tide, with a Black-tailed Godwit also a new arrival. Counts included 80 Black-headed and five adult Mediterranean Gull, 70 Curlew, six Redshank and five Whimbrel.

The heat haze reduced visibility offshore but 960 Herring Gull on the sandbars were joined by 14 Mediterranean Gull and four Sandwich Tern.

Other Wildlife: Insect migration continues with Small White and Seven-spot Ladybird the most numerous arrivals. Also on the wing a Golden-ringed Dragonfly increased numbers of Gatekeeper, a new generation of Common Blue and Speckled Wood.

Great Green Bush Cricket - Kevin Rylands

Friday 27th June

Offshore at least 70 Manx Shearwater patrolling the bay were accompanied by three Balearic Shearwater, with a few Gannet, mostly dark 2cy birds, the dark phase adult Arctic Skua again and a lone Sandwich Tern. 

At least eight Mediterranean Gull were in the estuary, with 124 Curlew, the first three figure count of the autumn, 20 Redshank, eight Whimbrel and six Bar-tailed Godwit.

Mediterranean Gull - Dave Jewell

Pied Wagtail - Dave Jewell

Little Egret - Dave Jewell

Thursday 26th June

Overnight mothing produced the only news for today with the first Green Sandpiper of the year calling over The Bight just after midnight, with presumably the same bird calling in the estuary corner an hour later. This is just the fourth June record after birds on 13/06/2006, 26/06/2012 & 27/06/1987. 

Year list addition: 

150. Green Sandpiper

Wednesday 25th June

Other Wildlife: A mothing session into Thursday morning produced a good total of 84 species, including 25 not recorded earlier in the week. Highlights were the second Small Marbled and Clay Triple Lines for the Warren with other migrants including single Bordered Straw and Small Mottled Willow. 

Small Marbled - both Kevin Rylands

Local specialities on the wing included Hoary Knot-horn Gymnancyla canella, Rest-harrow Piercer Cydia microgrammana, Sorrel Bent-wing Opostega salaciella, White Satin, Shore Wainscot, Sand and White-line Dart.

White Satin - Kevin Rylands

Tuesday 24th June

Little change but plenty of activity over high tide with 160 Black-headed and 10 Mediterranean Gull feeding either offshore or roosting in The Bight. 

Black-headed Gull - Lee Collins

Also roosting in the estuary, 55 Curlew, 11 Redshank, six Sanderling, five Bar-tailed Godwit, three Whimbrel, two Grey Plover and a Dunlin.

Monday 23rd June

An increase in Black-headed Gull saw over 100 around site, with the flock offshore joined by a 2cy Little Gull, with 10 Mediterranean Gull (eight 2cy & two ad) amongst those in The Bight. 

Also in The Bight at high tide the three summering Bar-tailed Godwit and two Grey Plover with the Oystercatcher, with a post breeding build up of 52 Curlew and three Whimbrel in the Railway Saltmarsh and four Sanderling on the beach perhaps still heading north.

Sunday 22nd June

The evening high tide saw 38 Mediterranean Gull (22 ad, 13 2cy & three 3cy) gather in The Bight with three Bar-tailed Godwit and two Grey Plover amongst the Oystercatcher. Elsewhere 45 Curlew and a Whimbrel were in the Railway Saltmarsh and two Sandwich Tern were offshore.

Ringing News: Two colour-ringed adult Mediterranean Gull from France and Germany were present over high tide, both first Warren recoveries. 

Other Wildlife: The first two Rush Veneer of the year were kicked up with half a dozen Diamond-back Moth. Elsewhere a Grey Seal was in the estuary.

A six hour mothing session on Friday night recorded a mammoth 153 species with five new for the Recording Area, these included Waved and Wood Carpet, Tawny Shears and two Roseate Marble Celypha rosaceana. The latter is just the third Devon record, for a species more usually found in coastal areas and rough pastures in southern and eastern England.

Roseate Marble Celypha rosaceana - Luke Harman

Waved Carpet - Luke Harman

Wood Carpet - Luke Harman

Tawny Shears - Luke Harman

The second Ni Moth for the Warren was the pick of the long distance migrants with the first Bordered Straw and Rusty-dot Pearl of the year amongst 20 Diamond-back Moth.

Ni Moth - Luke Harman

Local specialties included Shore Wainscot, Sand Dart, White Colon, Gorse Knot-horn Pempelia genistella and Sandhill Knot-horn Anerastia lotella.

Sandhill Knot-horn Anerastia lotella - Luke Harman

Gothic - Luke Harman

Plain Pug - Luke Harman

White Colon - Luke Harman

Saturday 21st June

A continuing build up of Mediterranean Gull saw at least 52 either passing through or stopping to fed offshore or in the estuary. Also offshore c30 Manx Shearwater, 15 Sandwich Tern and an Arctic Skua. 

Elsewhere 11 Redshank, eight Whimbrel, three Bar-tailed Godwit and two Grey Plover were in The Bight, but as predicted, there was unfortunately no sign of yesterday's Woodchat.

Ringing News: A Danish ringed Sandwich Tern and the third UK Mediterranean Gull of the month showed the origin of some of the recent arrivals.

Other Wildlife: A damp and overcast start limited early insect activity with a sleepy Small Shaggy Bee Panurgus calcaratus having a lay in!

Small Shaggy Bee Panurgus calcaratus - Alan Keatley

As it brightened hundreds of leafcutter bees were feeding on the emerging bramble, with a year high 13 species of butterfly, including Painted Lady and an increase in Large White and Red Admiral.

Silvery Leafcutter Megachile leachella - Alan Keatley

Also on the wing the first summer generation Noon Fly Mesembrina meridiana on site for five years was in Skipper Meadow, with Hornet Plumehorn Volucella zonaria on the Golf Course, the cranefly Nephrotoma guestfalica on Warren Point and a Broad-banded Epistrophe E. grossulariae in the Buffer Zone.

Noon Fly Mesembrina meridiana - Alan Keatley

Nephrotoma guestfalica - Alan Keatley

Friday 20th June

An arrival of Mediterranean colour to match the weather was an unexpected highlight, with the Warren's sixth Woodchat Shrike, a first summer male, found in Greenland Lake early morning. The first since an immature in September 2014, it relocated to Warren Point later in the day. Only one of the previous birds has stayed overnight...

Woodchat Shrike - Lee Collins

Woodchat Shrike - Dean Hall

Elsewhere typically quiet for the time of year with six Mediterranean Gull and four Sandwich Tern offshore and three Bar-tailed Godwit over high tide.

Year list addition: 
149. Woodchat Shrike

Other Wildlife: A Hummingbird Hawkmoth was along the Back Path. 

Pied Plumehorn Volucella pellucens - Kevin Rylands

Thursday 19th June

In the heat haze a small gathering of half a dozen Mediterranean Gull were in The Bight on a low high tide, with three Bar-tailed Godwit and a Curlew joining the Oystercatcher. 

Mediterranean Gull - Alan Keatley

Elsewhere the juvenile Little Grebe remains on the Main Pond and the male Kestrel continues to take prey back to a nest on the mainland.

Other Wildlife: The recent run of new insect species continues with a new beetle, the bark beetle Pycnomerus fuliginosus. An introduced species that is found in or on dead wood, it is well represented in Devon, however this is the first for Recording Area, found on fencing in Skipper Meadow.

Pycnomerus fuliginosus - Alan Keatley

Gatekeeper were on the wing for the first time this year, with a Shieldbug Stalker Astata boops wasp searching for prey in the Buffer Zone, were Welsh Chafer was again recorded and the summer generation Common Mini-miner Bee Andrena minutula were gathering nectar.

Gatekeeper - Alan Keatley

Shieldbug Stalker Astata boops - Alan Keatley

Common Mini-miner Bee Andrena minutula - Alan Keatley

Wednesday 18th June

Flat conditions offshore saw at 340 Manx Shearwater feeding offshore, mostly far out in the bay, with five Great Northern Diver, four in breeding plumage, on the sea.

Elsewhere at least 26 Mediterranean Gull and four Sandwich Tern were on Pole Sands on the incoming tide.

Other Wildlife: Insects were still active in the late afternoon sun with butterflies including freshly emerged Comma, Green-veined White, Red Admiral and Small Copper.

Red Admiral - Kevin Rylands

Also on the wing Tree Bumblebee and its mimic hoverfly Bumblebee Plumehorn in Dead Dolphin Wood and Common Spiny Digger Wasp Oxybelus uniglumis and Three-banded Mason-wasp Ancistrocerus trifasciatus in the Entrance Bushes.

Elsewhere two new species for the Recording Area were discovered, larva of the birch feeding sawfly Nematus septentrionalis in Dead Dolphin Wood and a Welsh Chafer Hoplia philanthus in the Buffer Zone, a young Common Frog was in Greenland Lake and two Bottle-nosed Dolphin were offshore this evening.

Welsh Chafer Hoplia philanthus - Kevin Rylands

Nematus septentrionalis - Kevin Rylands

Common Frog - Kevin Rylands

Tuesday 17th June

The low high tide saw just three Bar-tailed Godwit join the Oystercatcher roost in The Bight, with three Sandwich Tern offshore and a Nuthatch with a roaming tit flock in Dead Dolphin Wood. 

Other Wildlife: The highlight was a new fly for the Recording Area, Thricops diaphanus, a distinctive woodland muscid found by the Main Pond. Other Diptera included several Little Snipe Fly Chrysopilus asiliformis and the dolichopid Medetera jacula. 

 Thricops diaphanus - Dean Hall

Little Snipe Fly Chrysopilus asiliformis - Dean Hall

Medetera jacula - Alan Keatley

The first Coastal Leafcutter Megachile maritima and Slender Wood-boring Wasp Trypoxylon attenuatum of the year were on the wing along with Golden-ringed Dragonfly, Marbled White and Spotted Longhorn Rutpela maculata.

Slender Wood-boring Wasp Trypoxylon attenuatum - Alan Keatley

Coastal Leafcutter Megachile maritima - Alan Keatley

Spotted Longhorn Rutpela maculata - Dean Hall

A single Pyramidal Orchid in flower by the Dune Pond - Alan Keatley

Monday 16th June

Increasing numbers of post-breeding Curlew were in the estuary on the dropping tide before being flushed by low flying aircraft, departing up river with any other hat may have been present. 

Elsewhere the low water levels have revealed the usually secretive Moorhen pair at the Dune Pond with two chicks, with a yet to fledge Little Grebe and the pair of Canada Geese with six goslings were at the Main Pond.

Other Wildlife: Several summer hymenoptera were on the wing for the first time this year including Bee-wolf Philanthus triangulum and Minute Black Wasp Diodontus minutus exploring nest holes in the Buffer Zone, Small Shaggy Bee Panurgus calcaratus near Langstone Rock and Pantaloon Bee Dasypoda hirtipes in Skipper Meadow.

Bee-wolf Philanthus triangulum - Alan Keatley

Minute Black Wasp Diodontus minutus - Alan Keatley

Small Shaggy Bee Panurgus calcaratus - Alan Keatley

Many insects were hyperactive in the warm sunshine including three Golden-ringed Dragonfly and the year's first Hummingbird Hawkmoth. Less active were a Pouting Woodlouse Fly Rhinophora lepida and a Black Mournful Wasp Pemphredon lugubris.

Pouting Woodlouse Fly Rhinophora lepida - Alan Keatley

Black Mournful Wasp Pemphredon lugubris - Alan Keatley