A Great Northern and two Red-throated Diver were offshore with 35 Great-crested Grebe and six Guillemot. Elsewhere 628 Wigeon, 68 Shelduck, 13 Red-breasted Merganser, three Greenshank and a Great Northern Diver were in the estuary.
Wildlife News: Two Harbour Porpoise were showing well off the sea wall.
Three Siberian Chiffchaff remained in the bushes, with six Chiffchaff and a presumed riphaeus intergrade, also on site 12 Cirl Bunting, 85+ Goldfinch and two Bullfinch, with two Redpoll overhead. Three Shoveler were on the Main Pond with single Teal, Little Grebe and Water Rail.
Offshore there were nine Great Northern and five Red-throated Diver, 34 Great-crested Grebe, four Guillemot, three Common Scoter, two Red-breasted Merganser and a Razorbill.
Counts from the estuary on a low high tide included 1730 Dunlin, 670 Oystercatcher, 508 Wigeon, 336 Teal, 190 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 126 Grey and 36 Ringed Plover, 123 Redshank, 110 Bar-tailed Godwit, 90 Knot, 78 Shelduck, 48 Turnstone, 16 Sanderling, nine Red-breasted Merganser and a female Goldeneye.
A first winter Caspian Gull, the seventh site record, was a surprise coming in to roost on Bull Hill late afternoon. It flew in on its own from the Shutterton direction before landing amongst the Herring and few Great Black-backed Gull. Also in the estuary 138 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 93 Shelduck, seven Greenshank, four Red-breasted Merganser, two Goldeneye and a Great Northern Diver.
Elsewhere three Siberian Chiffchaff were still present, two around the Entrance Bushes and one by the Main Pond, with two Chiffchaff, two Goldcrest and 40 Goldfinch also on site and single Great Northern and Red-throated Diver offshore.
The Spoonbill had returned to roost on Finger Point over high tide, Great Northern and Red-throated Diver were offshore with the two Black-necked Grebe.
Red-throated & Great Northern Divers, Spoonbill, GC Grebes, Grey & Ringed Plovers, Barwits, Dunlin, Oystercatcher, Turnstone, Brent Geese, Wigeon, Shellduck, Cirl Bunting, Stonechat, Linnet, Green & Goldfinch and Com Seal at #DawlishWarrenNNR over the am high tide @WarrenBirding pic.twitter.com/z7jyar5HHY
— Dave Boult (@exeterbirder) December 9, 2021
The Spoonbill again roosted on Finger Point at high tide but was flushed and flew towards the saltmarsh corner.
Spoonbill still on Finger Point at Dawlish Warren. pic.twitter.com/ZBpNrfELF4
— Dawlish Birder (@DawlishBirder) December 6, 2021
Yesterday's highlights remained with the juvenile Spoonbill again roosting on Finger Point over high tide, the two Black-necked Grebe off Cockwood, an increase to five Siberian Chiffchaff, a site record, and the lone Avocet on Warren Point although badly injured. A new arrival was a brief Egyptian Goose on Bull Hill.
Counts from the estuary included 1300 Dunlin, 1002 Oystercatcher, 644 Teal, 605 Wigeon, 132 Bar and a Black-tailed Godwit, 126 Grey and 39 Ringed Plover, 117 Redshank, 86 Shelduck, 66 Knot, 64 Turnstone, 16 Greenshank and seven Sanderling.
Other records included 18 Red-breasted Merganser, three Goldeneye, six Great-crested and a Little Grebe off Cockwood, five Chiffchaff and two intergrades in the bushes, 39 Great-crested Grebe, three Red-throated and a Great Northern Diver offshore and 448 Dark and the Pale-bellied Brent Geese on the beach at low tide.
A juvenile Spoonbill roosted on Finger Point over the high tide, with counts of 864 Teal, 552 Wigeon, 290 Dark and a Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 187 Black and 135 Bar-tailed Godwit, 125 Grey and 29 Ringed Plover, 118 Curlew, 118 Redshank, 78 Knot, 67 Shelduck, 64 Turnstone, 12 Sanderling, three Greenshank and a Pintail. Also in the estuary the two Black-necked Grebe, at least 10 Red-Breasted Merganser and two female) Goldeneye, all feeding on shoals of whitebait in the shallows.
Elsewhere three Siberian Chiffchaff were in the bushes with another that looked the part but its call was a typical Chiffchaff, a Mistle Thrush, four Chiffchaff and three Goldcrest; six Great-crested Grebe and a Red-throated Diver were offshore and two Shoveler and two Water Rail were on the Main Pond.
The two Black-necked Grebe were the Cockwood side of the estuary, therefore making it into the Recording Area, also in the estuary an Avocet, 88 Shelduck, 54 Common Gull, two Black-tailed Godwit and three Great-crested Grebe.
Elsewhere a Kingfisher showed well from the platform at the Main Pond and offshore a very good count of 47 Great Northern Diver with 38 Great-crested Grebe and six Red-throated Diver.
Wildlife News: Two Harbour Porpoise were offshore with a Common Dolphin and a presumed second individual.
A low tide visit saw 248 Dark-bellied Brent Geese and 46 Shelduck feeding on the mudflats with a lone Red-breasted Merganser also in the estuary.
Elsewhere 17 Great-crested Grebe and three Red-throated Diver were offshore with a single Chiffchaff in the bushes and 40 Goldfinch, 10 Greenfinch and seven Cirl Bunting also on site.
Wildlife News: Still a few insects to see, mainly on Gorse; three species of hoverfly - a Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax, Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus and three Common Spotted Field Syrph Eupeodes luniger, also a late Noon Fly Mesembrina meridiana. Just shows what a little sunshine can do despite the temperature.
