Monday 4th July

Counts over the evening high tide included 282 Curlew, 24 Sandwich Tern, 17 Dunlin, eight Redshank, four Mediterranean Gull, two Ringed and a Grey Plover.

Sunday 3rd July

A sub adult Pomarine Skua joined a dark phase Arctic Skua harrying the 57 Sandwich and single Common Tern offshore. Wader counts included 274 Curlew, 12 Dunlin, six Redshank, two Ringed Plover, Whimbrel, Bar & Black-tailed Godwit and a Sanderling. Also in the estuary eight Mediterranean Gull, the Slavonian Grebe and 11 Shelduck.

Saturday 2nd July

Both tides and over 11h:35m of effort today.  Most interest was at sea on the evening when four Arctic Skua chased a single Kittiwake high into the sky for prey, also a single Great Skua flew in, an immature Great Northern Diver loafed far out and a Little Tern inshore briefly landed on the beach.  Also out there, c.20 Kittiwake, 18 Gannet, 15 Manx Shearwater, ten Common Scoter and two Guillemot. 

Over the high tides, wader counts were 320 Oystercatcher, 234 Curlew, ten Whimbrel, eight Little Egret, eight Redshank, seven Black-tailed Godwit, three Bar-tailed Godwit, two Sanderling and a Dunlin.  The resident Slavonian Grebe remained in the estuary near the railway wall.  On the beach and in the saltmarshes, 104 Black-headed Gull, 44 Sandwich Tern, 18 Great Black-back Gull, eight Little Egret, four Mediterranean Gull (two adult, a second-summer and a first-summer with a green ring) and three adult Common Gull.

The drake Teal was still on the Main Pond.  At least 21 Swift flew west, though five Swallow and four House Martin seemed to be locally foraging birds.  The bushes revealed a Great Spotted Woodpecker, 20+ Long-tailed Tit, two Bullfinch and single-figures counts of the regular warblers.

Wildlife news: The first Southern Hawker of the year was around the Main Pond with Small Skipper and Gatekeeper also making their first appearance. Elsewhere a Golden-ringed Dragonfly was hunting around bushes below John's Watch.

 Blue-tailed Damselfly - Alan Keatley

Sand Wasp Ammophila sabulosa - Alan Keatley

Thursday 30th June

In front of the hide, over the afternoon high tide, there were approximately 186 Oystercatcher along with 26 Sandwich Tern, 15 Great Black-backed and a Common Gull and three juvenile Pied Wagtail. Also in the estuary c50 Black-headed Gull and the Slavonian Grebe. Elsewhere a few Skylark remain on the Point but little else except the usual Linnet, Whitethroat and Starling, and a couple of Gannet were feeding offshore towards Orcombe joined later by the Sandwich Tern.

Wildlife News: Marsh Helleborine are in flower in Greenland Lake and a lone Pyramidal Orchid is along the Dune Ridge.

Pyramidal Orchid - Alan Keatley

  

Friday 24th June

A post-Referendum early morning jaunt to the high tide produced 245 Oystercatcher, 202 Curlew and one Turnstone, but no other small waders.  Other waterbirds noted,  22 Canada Goose (including the 4 grown goslings), 13 Black-headed Gull (cf. 1000 at Bowling Green Marsh), 11 Cormorant, 8 Shelduck, six Mute Swan, four Little Egret and a Grey Heron.

At sea, a flock of 51 Kittiwake, also 12 Gannet, 10 Common Scoter, four Mallard in off and four Sandwich Tern.  The drake Teal, Little Grebes and the mobile male Reed Bunting remained on the ponds.

A Stock Dove was briefly in Greenland Lake, a Sparrowhawk chased one whilst mobbed by many other finches across the bushes; also present 65 Starling, two Goldfinch and a Great Spotted Woodpecker.  Overhead, 15 Swift flew through WSW; though nine Swallow and two House Martin were local birds. 

Tuesday 21st June

A morning tide visit produced 3-fig Oystercatcher, 72 Curlew, 21 Canada Goose, 16 Black-headed Gull, 13 Cormorant, three Shelduck two Little Egret and a Redshank; no small waders.

The elusive drake Teal was again on the Main Pond.  At sea, 45 Shag, seven Common Scoter, five Gannet, four Sandwich Tern, two Kittiwake and a distant auk sp. with chick. Overhead just five Swift, 2 Swallow and two Jackdaw.

Bizarrely, a juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker briefly joined 149 Starling probing the ground around Greenland Lake.  Highlights in the bushes, single Coal Tit and Treecreeper; the family of Stonechat still and a Rock Pipit was on the seawall. 

Stonechat - Martin Overy

 

Sunday 19th June

At sea, 24 Gannet, 22 Manx Shearwater, 12 Sandwich Tern, 11 Common Scoter, 11 Black-headed Gull in off, eight Kittiwake and single Fulmar, Great Crested Grebe and Common Tern.  Two high tides again today with selected counts of 308 Oystercatcher, 115 Curlew, 29 Great Black-backed Gull, 15 Turnstone, 11 Sanderling, 8 Shelduck, three Whimbrel, two Bar-tailed Godwit, two Redshank and a Dunlin, 

On the Main Pond, an elusive drake Teal; two adult and two young Little Grebe.  Two local Swallow in otherwise empty skies. Two Rock Pipit on the seawall and a rare mention for the Feral Pigeons that roost upon Langstone Rock, six today.

Two Stock Dove dropped into Greenland lake briefly, where 120 Starling foraged avidly all day; the family of five Stonechat remained beside the 7th fairway and elsewhere two each of Bullfinch, Goldfinch and Cirl Bunting. 

Saturday 18th June

Inshore a raft of 72 Shag and further out a flock of 46 Kittiwake and 45 Gannet fed actively. Also at sea, 23 Sandwich Tern, 14 Black-headed Gull flew in off,14 Manx Shearwater, two Fulmar and a single Common Scoter.  

Both tides today were covered and best totals were 304 Oystercatcher, 127 Curlew, 13 Bar-tailed Godwit, 11 Sanderling, four Dunlin, three Whimbrel, three Little Egret, two Redshank and two Grey Heron.  The first juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull was an early date.

On the Main Pond, two Little Grebe continued to feed chicks and the singing mobile male Reed Bunting had no others to contest its territory on site.

A passage of 95 Swift flew WSW; five Swallow and two House Martin were local birds. Single Kestrel, Peregrine.and Buzzard passed over.  Most of the nine Jackdaw seen commuted to Exmouth, 

On Warren Point, a Cuckoo remained all day.  Gathering post-fledging flocks of  84 Starling and 22 Long-tailed Tit roamed the site; the family of five Stonechat remained in bushes beside the 7th fairway and elsewhere five Goldfinch, a pair of Bullfinch and a Cirl Bunting. 

Wildlife News: One Painted Lady was present along with the first Small Skipper of the year. Dragonflies included the first Common Darter and Golden-ringed Dragonfly of the year, the latter a scarce migrant to the Warren.

 Common Darter - Alan Keatley

 Small Skipper - Alan Keatley

Golden-ringed Dragonfly - Alan Keatley

Thursday 16th June

Counts over the high tide included 71 Curlew with failed breeders already returning south, also 261 Oystercatcher, 21 Sanderling, two Dunlin and two Whimbrel. Elsewhere 13 Manx Shearwater and seven Sandwich Tern were offshore.

Wednesday 15th June

The Slavonian Grebe was off Cockwood on the evening tide but no other news was received.