Sunday 15th August

Seawatching saw eight Balearic Shearwater head south with five Arctic Skua, a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull, 220 Gannet, 20 Kittiwake, nine Common Scoter and three Common Tern.

Counts from the estuary included the juvenile Curlew Sandpiper, exactly 1000 Oystercatcher, 370 Curlew, 176 Ringed Plover, 96 Dunlin, 66 Sandwich and a Common Tern, 46 Whimbrel, 19 Sanderling, 12 Mediterranean Gull, four Bar-tailed and a Black-tailed Godwit, three Teal and two Greenshank. 

Elsewhere 32 Lesser Black-backed Gull flew south with 26 Swallow and two House Martin also overhead, four Wheatear were on the Golf Course with two Willow Warbler and a Coal Tit in the bushes.

Saturday 14th August

The juvenile Curlew Sandpiper remained in the Bight, with 255 Curlew, 142 Ringed Plover, 76 Dunlin, 66 Sandwich and six Common Tern, 19 Sanderling, including the first juvenile, 13 Mediterranean Gull, six Whimbrel and single Bar-tailed Godwit and Turnstone also in the estuary.

Sanderling - Lee Collins

Elsewhere 11 Swallow and four Sand Martin were overhead, 29 Gannet, 12 Kittiwake, three Common Scoter offshore, a Wheatear on the seawall and three Willow Warbler and three broods of Cirl Bunting in the bushes.

Cirl Bunting - Lee Collins

Wildlife News: Moth trapping overnight recorded 116 species including no less than six new species for the Recording Area. These included the nationally scarce Horse Chestnut, Ribwort Slender Aspilapteryx tringipennella, Little Slender Calybites phasianipennella and New Oak Slender Caloptilia robustella. Other species recorded in included the nationally scarce Narrow Groundling Caryocolum asinella, Old Lady, Archer's Dart, August Thorn and the migrants Dark Sword Grass, White-point, Diamondback and Silver Y. 

Thursday 12th August

The first Curlew Sandpiper of the year, an early juvenile, was in the Bight on the morning tide with 136 Ringed Plover, 67 Dunlin, 25 Sanderling and two Turnstone. Also in the estuary 244 Redshank, 32 Sandwich and three Common Tern, eight Greenshank, five Mediterranean Gull, five Common Sandpiper and a Snipe. Passerine migrants were limited to four Wheatear.

Curlew Sandpiper - Alan Keatley

Wildlife News: A Slow-worm was a welcome find on the Golf Course with a noticeable increase in Red Admiral. 

Tuesday 10th August

Sightings included the juvenile Little Ringed Plover in the Bight with 128 Ringed Plover, 43 Dunlin, 14 Common Tern, 14 Sanderling and the first juvenile Bar-tailed Godwit of the autumn. Single Sedge Warbler and Wheatear were on Warren Point.

Monday 9th August

Highlights today included 20 Balearic Shearwater south early morning, with 380 Curlew, 44 Sandwich and five Common Tern, a high count of 13 Common Sandpiper and a Little Ringed Plover in the estuary.

Little Ringed Plover - Dave Jewell

Sunday 8th August

Single Hobby, Pomarine and an Arctic Skua flew south offshore early morning with a Little Ringed Plover leaving the Bight and also heading south. Counts from the estuary included 701 Oystercatcher, 394 Curlew, 252 Redshank, 103 Ringed and a Grey Plover, 90 Sandwich and nine Common Tern, 47 Whimbrel, 35 Dunlin, 22 Sanderling, nine Mediterranean Gull, five Bar-tailed Godwit and single Greenshank and Turnstone.

Elsewhere eight Sand Martin were over the saltmarsh, four Swift flew through and single Wheatear and Willow Warbler were on site.

Wildlife News: A Grey Seal was in the estuary and two Harbour Porpoise were offshore. Butterflies included Small Tortoiseshell and Brown Argus, with good numbers of Beewolf on the wing.

Saturday 7th August

Counts from the Bight over the evening tide included 120 Ringed Plover, 64 Sandwich and 22 Common Tern, 40 Dunlin, 10 Mediterranean Gull, two Bar-tailed Godwit, two Grey Plover and two Whimbrel. Offshore the first juvenile Kittiwake of the year, along with 30 Gannet and a Common Scoter. 

Ringed Plover (Dutch ringed) - Lee Collins

Friday 6th August

A low tide visit with little to report but a late brood of Mallard on the Main Pond and Cirl Bunting still feeding young in the nest show the breeding season has not yet finished, despite the presence of over 70 returning Exe ringed Oystercatcher in the estuary.

Wildlife News: A Wasp Spider on the Golf Course was the highlight, only the second record in four years, it was feared this species had been lost from the Recording Area.

Wasp Spider - Lee Collins

Thursday 5th August

Seawatching early morning saw eight Balearic Shearwater head south along with 48 Manx Shearwater,  two Arctic Skua, 30 Kittiwake, 22 Gannet, 11 Common and four Sandwich Tern, nine Common Scoter, eight Fulmar, a juvenile Mediterranean Gull and a Whimbrel. 

Elsewhere 26 Sanderling were on the beach with 26 Sandwich and two Common Tern, 21 Ringed Plover, five Dunlin and a Turnstone in the Bight at low tide.

Sunday 1st August

A Wood Sandpiper flying around the saltmarsh was the highlight, and the 44th site record, with other sightings from the estuary including 71 Sandwich and nine Common Tern, 30 Ringed and a Little Ringed Plover, 27 Whimbrel, 15 Sanderling, 12 Dunlin, 12 Mediterranean Gull, nine Greenshank, six Bar-tailed Godwit and a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull.

Elsewhere a Nuthatch and six Willow Warbler were on site, three Great-crested Grebe were offshore and overhead there were 49 Swift, 25 Swallow, six House and a Sand Martin.