Saturday 8th May

A very wet and windy start with conditions improving only slightly during the day. Seawatching early morning was disappointing despite the south easterly wind direction with two Great Northern Diver, 18 Common Scoter and just three Sandwich Tern, although auks were moving south in numbers.

The weather had however dropped in some welcome passerine migrants all keeping low in the conditions. The highlight were at least seven Spotted Flycatcher, the second highest site count after 14 on 20/05/1996. with just two previous counts of six (01/05/1983 & 09/05/2000). They were not the only arrivals though with a Cuckoo singing first thing, the first Tree Pipit and three Sedge Warbler of the year, two Wheatear, a Whinchat, four Willow and a Garden Warbler and a Lesser Whitethroat. Overhead just 35 Swallow, seven House and two Sand Martin and two Swift. 

Waders also arrived overnight with counts of 233 Dunlin, 48 Sanderling, 34 Turnstone, 15 Ringed Plover and 12 Whimbrel. 

Friday 7th May

A Garden Warbler in Dead Dolphin Wood was one of the few fresh migrants on site with the Lesser Whitethroat still present and a Wheatear on the Golf Course. 

Counts from the estuary included 71 Dunlin, 21 Sanderling, 19 Ringed and a Grey Plover, 14 Whimbrel, seven Bar-tailed Godwit, four Turnstone and a Knot. Elsewhere just five Sandwich Tern were offshore. 

Wildlife News: Two new hoverflies for the Recording Area were found today both around the Crocus Compound; Buff-tailed Bear Hoverfly Croirhina floccosa and Big-thighed Pipiza Pipiza austriaca.

Buff-tailed Bear Hoverfly Croirhina floccosa - Alan Keatley

Big-thighed Pipiza Pipiza austriaca - Alan Keatley

Thursday 6th May

Wader counts included a minimum of 104 Whimbrel and 10 Sanderling on the beach with 33 Dunlin, six Bar-tailed Godwit, four Knot and four Ringed Plover in the estuary. Elsewhere a Wheatear was on the Point and offshore there were 12 Sandwich Tern, three Great Northern and a Red-throated Diver.

Tuesday 4th May

Seawatching saw another Hobby head south offshore along with a Kestrel, 11 Arctic and a Little Tern but just six Sandwich Tern and 12 Manx Shearwater. On the beach seven Sanderling, two Whimbrel, one of which was ringed in Iceland, and a Dunlin.

Dunlin - Ben Lucking

Monday 3rd May

With the change in weather seawatching was the order of the day, this produced the first Arctic Tern of the year along with the third Hobby of the Spring. Other counts included six Great Northern Diver, 90 Kittiwake, 44 Gannet, 30 Manx Shearwater, 30 Guillemot, 20 Fulmar, 15 Sandwich and a Common Tern, eight Common Gull, four Swallow, three Common Scoter and single Whimbrel, Dunlin, Sanderling, Great-crested Grebe and Wheatear. 

Whitethroat - Ben Lucking

Sunday 2nd May

The first Garden Warbler of the year showed a few migrants are still arriving but they were otherwise limited to single Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Wheatear on the Point. The Lesser Whitethroat was still along the Back Path.

Garden Warbler - Ben Lucking

Counts from the estuary included 16 Bar-tailed Godwit, 12 Dunlin, 11 Shelduck, eight Curlew, five Whimbrel, four Grey Plover, two Turnstone and a Knot. Elsewhere just five Sandwich Tern were offshore and a Great Northern Diver flew east.

Saturday 1st May

The highlight was the first Lesser Whitethroat of the year in song along the Back Path most of the day, but other migrants were at a premium with five Wheatear but other species all seemed to be birds on territory. Overhead 75 Swallow, seven House and a Sand Martin, two Swift, 20 Goldfinch and 12 Jackdaw.

Counts over the high tide included 216 Oystercatcher, 25 Dunlin, 17 Whimbrel, 11 Knot, six Grey and four Ringed Plover, six Sanderling, five Turnstone and single Bar-tailed Godwit and Dark-bellied Brent Goose. Elsewhere a Great Northern Diver was offshore with 15 Sandwich and two Common Tern and two Great-crested Grebe.

Wildlife News: With the dry Spring the short turf is looking very parched but the recent rain has seen a flush of growth if not yet flowers. Species that were in flower near the Main Pond included Subterranean and Bird's-foot Clover, Bird's-foot, Lesser and Slender Trefoil. In Greenland Lake both Small and Common Adder's-tongue have now emerged. 

Subterranean Clover - Matt Knott

Bird's-foot - Matt Knott

Small Adder's-tongue - Matt Knott

Friday 30th April

An evening visit saw 41 Sandwich Tern offshore and 25 Whimbrel on the Golf Course with 30 Swallow feeding around the Main Pond. Earlier 40 House Martin and 30 Swallow flew east and eight Dunlin and a Dark-bellied Brent Goose were in the estuary.

Whimbrel - Lee Collins

Thursday 29th April

The first two Whinchat of the year were the pick of the migrants with single Reed Warbler and Whitethroat also thought to be new arrivals amongst the birds now on territory. Overhead a Hobby early morning, an Osprey, with perhaps the same bird heading south later on, two Swift, 25 Swallow and two House Martin.

Whinchat - Lee Collins

Osprey - Lee Collins

In the estuary the Ruddy Shelduck made a repeat visit early morning after three weeks at Exminster Marshes but returned north soon after; counts included 87 Dunlin on the morning tide but just eight in the evening, c70 Sandwich Tern, 66 Whimbrel, 29 Bar-tailed Godwit, 13 Ringed and nine Grey Plover, 10 Knot, nine Turnstone, seven Sanderling and two Dark-bellied Brent Geese.

Ruddy Shelduck - Lee Collins

Wildlife News: The first Hairy Dragonfly of the year was in Greenland Lake with Coastal Silver Stiletto Acrosathe annulata also on the wing. 

Wednesday 28th April

The rarest sighting of the day was rain, the first for several weeks; this failed to produce a hoped for fall of migrants but did see an arrival of terns and waders. Offshore the first five Little Tern of the year were seen intermittently with 108 Sandwich and two Common Tern and a Great Northern Diver also present.

Counts from the estuary included 111 Dunlin, 83 Whimbrel, 40 Bar-tailed Godwit, 20 Knot, 20 Grey and 15 Ringed Plover, 15 Sanderling, 10 Turnstone and a Pale-bellied Brent Goose. Elsewhere 47 Swallow and a Swift were overhead and a single Wheatear was in the Bight. 

Bar-tailed Godwit - Lee Collins