Wednesday 19th May

Wader passage picked up with at least 580 Dunlin in the Bight, the highest May count since 2007, with them 130 Sanderling but other species were in short supply. Elsewhere the/a Lesser Whitethroat was singing from the Entrance Bushes where a roosting Tawny Owl was discovered. 

Wildlife News: The welcome change in the weather saw a boost in insect activity with the first Azure Damselfly of the year on the wing along with Green-veined White, Lesser Rural Bulb Fly Eumerus strigatus, Superb Anthill Hoverfly  Xanthogramma pedissequum, and Think-thighed Pollen Beetle. 

Dasysyrphus venustus - Alan Keatley

Lesser Rural Bulb Fly Eumerus strigatus - Alan Keatley

Monday 17th May

The highlight was a late Osprey over mid morning with two summer plumaged Great Northern Diver offshore. Counts from the estuary included 52 Sanderling, 32 Dunlin, 12 Ringed and a Grey Plover, two Pale-bellied Brent Geese, two Turnstone and a Knot.

Wildlife News: The first Wasp Beetle and Brown Argus of the year were two of the few invertebrates braving the continuing cold and wet weather. 

Wasp Beetle - Alan Keatley

Brown Argus - Alan Keatley

Sunday 16th May

Seawatching for just 40 minutes early morning saw 10 Great Northern Diver and two Arctic Skua flying south. Elsewhere a single Wheatear was on site and count from the estuary included 48 Sanderling, 26 Dunlin, seven Bar-tailed Godwit, five Knot and a Grey Plover. 

Knot (& Bar-tailed Godwit) - Lee Collins

Saturday 15th May

Seawatching early morning saw a fully spooned Pomarine Skua head south along with two Arctic Skua, two Great Northern and a Red-throated Diver. Continuing the run of poor Springs just four Sandwich Tern were present.

Counts from the estuary included 80 Oystercatcher, 69 Dunlin, 49 Sanderling, 12 Whimbrel, six Knot, two Grey and a Ringed Plover. Elsewhere a Lesser Whitethroat was in the Buffer Zone, with a single Wheatear the only other migrant.

Lesser Whitethroat - Dave Jewell

Friday 14th May

The highlight was a fly through Red-rumped Swallow early morning, the fifth site record. This bird was well watched in Dawlish yesterday and up till 15 minutes before this sighting this morning but not after. Another brief highlight was an immature Spoonbill that flew south mid-morning, which would normally have been bird of the day.

Other sightings were more expected with counts from the estuary including 43 Dunlin, 40 Sanderling, 26 Turnstone, 14 Whimbrel, nine Bar-tailed Godwit, eight Ringed and two Grey Plover, seven Knot, three Dark-bellied Brent Geese and the colour-ringed Greenshank. 

Elsewhere an Arctic Skua, two Great Northern Diver, 30 Manx Shearwater and 14 Sandwich Tern were offshore, three Wheatear and a couple of new Reed Warbler were on site.

Thursday 13th May

A day of continuing dampness with 10 times as much rain in 24hrs than through all of April! The overnight deluge did drop in a further migratory pulse of waders. The highlight was a Little Stint, the first May record since 2009, with the first Ruff of the year also amongst the 230 Dunlin. 

There was sign of either on the evening tide but only about 60 Dunlin were present. Other counts included 46 Whimbrel, 38 Sanderling, nine Turnstone, seven Bar-tailed Godwit, six Knot, two Grey Plover, two Dark-bellied Brent Geese and a colour-ringed Greenshank. 

Greenshank - Lee Collins. Ringed as a juvenile at Farlington Marshes, Hampshire in autumn 2006.

Offshore eight Great Northern Diver (six south & two on the sea), two Great-crested Grebe, eight Sandwich Tern and a first summer Mediterranean Gull. Elsewhere the Lesser Whitethroat was along the Back Path and two Wheatear, one a Greenland race bird, were on the Golf Course.

Wednesday 12th May

Records from a very wet evening tide included three Little Tern and a summer-plumaged Great Northern Diver offshore, with counts from the estuary including 20 Whimbrel, 14 Ringed Plover, 11 Bar-tailed Godwit, one a French ringed bird returning for its third Spring, 11 Turnstone, four Dunlin, three Dark-bellied Brent Geese, two Sanderling and a Grey Plover. 

Tuesday 11th May

Two Great Northern Diver were off the seawall this evening with a strong auk passage, mostly Guillemot. No obvious migrants but breeding birds in full swing with fledged Stonechat, Greenfinch and Little Grebe all noted, with the Little Grebe nesting building for their next brood.

Counts from the estuary and beach included 28 Whimbrel, 21 Sanderling, seven Bar-tailed Godwit, two Dunlin, two Grey Plover and single Curlew, Knot and Ringed Plover.

Wildlife News: The evening sunshine saw a welcome increase in insect activity including the first Blotch-winged Hoverfly Leucozona lucorum for the Recording Area, along with Big-thighed Pipiza Pipiza austriaca, Cream-spot Ladybird, Green Longhorn Adela reaumurella and Common Groundhopper. An Orange-tip egg was found on Cuckoo Flower in the Back Meadow and a Water Vole was on the Main Pond. 

Blotch-winged Hoverfly - Kevin Rylands

Monday 10th May

An evening seawatch confirmed the continuing dearth of skuas despite large numbers of Kittiwake and Herring Gull feeding distantly offshore. Also present a summer plumaged Great Northern Diver with 40+ Gannet, 28 Guillemot, 20 Manx Shearwater, 10 Sandwich Tern and a Fulmar south. On the seawall three Turnstone and 15 Dunlin, including a bird ringed on 20 Oct 2020 at Kilbrittain, Cork, Ireland. On its first migration north, 384 km from the ringing site, but it has no doubt travelled much further in those 202 days. 

Dunlin - Kevin Rylands

Sunday 9th May

Another day of Spring migration but, aside from the waders, it wasn't clear which where new arrivals or lingers from yesterday's fall. Around the site there were a dozen Whitethroat, two Sedge and a Garden Warbler, a Spotted Flycatcher, a Whinchat and four Wheatear.

Offshore counts included 101 Kittiwake, 38 Gannet, just eight Sandwich Tern, three Mediterranean Gull, two Great Northern and a Red-throated Diver, two Common Scoter and a Manx Shearwater.

A summer plumaged Purple Sandpiper on the evening tide was a surprise highlight, the first May record since 2005, however numbers of other waders were much lower than the morning tide. Counts included 225 Dunlin, 58 Sanderling, 51 Whimbrel, 18 Shelduck, 13 Ringed Plover, seven Bar-tailed Godwit, four Turnstone, two Dark-bellied Brent Geese and single Curlew, Knot and Grey Plover. 

Dark-bellied Brent Geese - Kevin Rylands