Tuesday 6th September

Seawatching at various times during the day saw 17 Balearic and a large Shearwater, probably Cory's, head south with 45 Kittiwake, 12 Common Scoter, two first winter Mediterranean Gull, two Fulmar and a lingering Arctic Skua. Gannet numbers were difficult to estimate with up to 20 birds offshore circling the bay, numbers were much lower in the evening after at least 10 birds were found dead on the shoreline, the eventual fate of the one below. With crows and gulls scavenging the corpses the threat of this deadly poultry strain of Avian Flu grows each day.

Gannet - Alan Keatley

Also offshore 24 Sandwich, three Little and a Common Tern, with birds also visiting the Bight. 

Little Tern - Alan Keatley

In the estuary a group of 12 Curlew Sandpiper included five adults in various stages of moult, with counts of 374 Curlew, 307 Redshank, 186 Ringed Plover, 86 Dunlin, 83 Teal, 56 Great Black-backed Gull, 39 Bar and five Black-tailed Godwit, 26 Shag, 10 Greenshank, six Shelduck, six Knot, four Whimbrel, three Sanderling and single first winter Yellow-legged Gull, adult Mediterranean Gull, Turnstone and Snipe.

Passerine migrants were limited to four Chiffchaff  and in the Entrance Bushes, a single Reed Warbler.

Ringing News: The gathering of Great Black-backed Gull included three familiar birds; Black JT288, a regular Norwegian ringed winterer; White P:87B, a Portland ringed bird that is now only a winter visitor having been seen regularly on site before returning to Portland to breed, it was last seen there two days ago; and White L:AJ6 a Looe ringed bird that was recorded 71 times between Sep 2012 & Nov 2015, but apart from three sightings in Sep-Oct 2019, this was its first return visit.

Wildlife News: The first Ivy Bee Colletes hederae of the year was nectaring on Fennel on the Golf Course with sheltered areas also holding Vestal Cuckoo Bee, Buff-tailed Bumblebee, Common Carder Bee, Batman Hoverfly and the digger wasp Ectemnius cavifrons.

Ectemnius cavifrons - Alan Keatley

A worn second generation Holly Blue was the best of the butterflies with Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood and Large White also on the wing.

Holly Blue - Alan Keatley

Monday 5th September

Seawatching before 8am saw 28 Balearic Shearwater head south along with 38 Sandwich, five Common, a Black and a late Roseate Tern. The latter is the first reported this autumn in another poor year for the species.

Sunday 4th September

Seawatching early morning saw the first Sooty Shearwater of the year south along with 67 Gannet, 29 Sandwich and 20 Common Tern, 26 Dunlin, 12 Manx and eight Balearic Shearwater, 10 Teal, six Kittiwake, four Fulmar, three Arctic Skua, two Common Scoter, two Mediterranean Gull and a Ringed Plover. A shorter afternoon watch saw two Arctic Skua, two Little and an Arctic Tern and two Mediterranean Gull.

Counts from the estuary included 987 Oystercatcher, 301 Curlew, 296 Redshank, 143 Dunlin, 131 Ringed Plover, 54 Great Black-backed Gull, 21 Bar and a Black-tailed Godwit, 17 Sandwich and a Common Tern, 14 Teal, 10 Knot, seven Greenshank, two Whimbrel, two Sanderling and single Grey Plover, Wigeon, Great Crested Grebe, Mediterranean Gull and Curlew Sandpiper.

Peregrine with an ex-Exmouth Feral Pigeon - David Flack

Elsewhere a Willow Warbler was in the bushes with five Blackcap and five Chiffchaff, with a Common Sandpiper on the sea wall and a Grey Wagtail overhead.

Saturday 3rd September

The highlight was a juvenile/first winter Caspian Gull on Finger Point with 23 Great Black-backed Gull. The 11th site record but the fourth this year and the earliest ever record.

Caspian Gull - both David Flack

Also in the estuary the Spotted Redshank, 365 Curlew, 350 Redshank, 245 Ringed Plover, 111 Dunlin, 28 Sandwich Tern, 23 Sanderling, 19 Bar and four Black-tailed Godwit, 15 Wigeon, five Greenshank, two Knot, two Whimbrel, a Shelduck and an adult male Osprey.

Elsewhere a Balearic Shearwater flew south offshore with 78 Gannet, three Mediterranean Gull and an Arctic Skua, a Common Sandpiper was on the sea wall, the first three Tree Pipit of the year finally flew over, along with 70 Swallow, 50 House and a Sand Martin, four Meadow Pipit, two Grey Wagtail and two Great Spotted Woodpecker. Grounded migrants included a Reed Warbler, 10 Chiffchaff, four Blackcap and single Wheatear and White Wagtail.

Wildlife News: Sea Daffodil is flowering on Warren Point, the recent Mediterranean weather clearly to its benefit.

Sea Daffodil - Alan Keatley

Today's weather was less suitable and reduced the numbers of insects on the wing although Plain-faced Dronefly Eristalis arbustorum and Common Twist-tail Sphaerophoria scripta were noted.

Sphaerophoria scripta - Alan Keatley

Friday 2nd September

The Osprey was again present in the estuary along with a late Little and a juvenile Arctic Tern. Counts over the afternoon tide included 358 Curlew, 290 Redshank, 47 Ringed Plover, 28 Dunlin, 18 Wigeon, 16 Bar-tailed Godwit, 15 Sandwich Tern, five Greenshank, four Teal, three Sanderling and a Kingfisher.

Wildlife News: Single Painted Lady and Rush Veneer were seen along with a Golden-ringed Dragonfly. 

Wednesday 31st August

The juvenile Osprey was again present, but its appearance cleared the Bight of waders with just a few small waders returning to the high tide roost. A hunting female Sparrowhawk added to the nervousness and the year's first Short-eared Owl probably didn't help either. Only the third August record for the Warren

Osprey - Alan Keatley

Counts from the Bight included 60 Dunlin, 25 Ringed Plover, five Sandwich Tern, two Greenshank and a Sanderling. A circling White Stork was too high to disturb many waders, it drifted off high towards Mamhead. Presumably a Knepp bird, but Wolverhampton Zoo is also a possible source. 

Greenshank - Dean Hall

Elsewhere the bushes were quiet, 40 Swallow and two House Martin passed through, a Wheatear was on Warren Point, a White Wagtail was on the Golf Course and a Kingfisher paid a brief visit to the Main Pond.

Wildlife News: White-zoned Furrow Bee Lasioglossum leucozonium and Green-eyed Flower Bee Anthophora bimaculata are still nectaring on the flowering Common Fleabane and Water-mint, although many of these flowers are starting to die off.

White-zoned Furrow Bee - Alan Keatley

The end of August signals the end of the season for many digger wasp species, however Field Digger Wasp Mellinus arvensis remains active well into autumn. 

Field Digger Wasp - Alan Keatley

Tuesday 30th August

Counts from the Bight at high tide showed many small waders have moved on with 34 Dunlin, 30 Ringed Plover, three Turnstone, two Knot and single Sanderling, Sandwich Tern and Black-tailed Godwit present.

In bushes four Willow Warbler with the usual Blackcap and Chiffchaff with 40 Swallow moving through and the regular first year male Kestrel was still present.

Monday 29th August

Highlight was a site record count of the critically endangered Balearic Shearwater, with 287 east after first light, between 6.30 - 7.45, along with 60 Gannet, five Common Scoter and two Fulmar. the previous record was 271 on 22 August last year.

A juvenile Osprey was again in the estuary flushing everything from the Bight, it disappeared for a bit but then came back setting everything up again before eventually landing on Finger Point, possibly the first grounded record on site. Its presence meant the Dunlin and Ringed Plover counts were incomplete. 

Osprey - David Flack

Roosting on the Railway Saltmarsh there were 421 Curlew, 305 Redshank, 18 Bar-tailed Godwit, six Greenshank, five Whimbrel, two Knot and the Spotted Redshank. Also in the estuary 18 Sandwich Tern, seven Black-tailed Godwit on Bull Hill and two Mediterranean Gull.

Elsewhere three Grey and a Yellow Wagtail were overhead. a Kingfisher was at the Main Pond, and migrants included 13 Chiffchaff, six Blackcap, five Wheatear, three Whitethroat, three Reed, two Willow and a Sedge Warbler.

Wildlife News: A long overdue first Hummingbird Hawkmoth of the year was in Greenland Lake with over 20 Rush Veneer and a Clouded Yellow also present.

Hummingbird Hawkmoth - David Flack

Sunday 28th August

A good day on site with 80 species recorded even though it was quiet in the bushes and offshore. In the estuary the Spotted Redshank and one Curlew Sandpiper were still present with a juvenile Little Gull in the Bight and an Osprey making an appearance. 

Dawlish Warren over this mornings high tide - juv Curlew Sand in the bight till c8am when appeared to fly high south- a bonus Fw little Gull near finger Point c815am then flew upriver, 4 Common Terns, 7 Sanderling, 3 Med Gulls, Swift, 3 Wheatears, 150 Swallows early am pic.twitter.com/Hd2kGVN9jK

— Mark Bailey (@markrabailey) August 28, 2022

Counts included 910 Black-headed and 11 Mediterranean Gull, 845 Oystercatcher, 359 Curlew, 296 Redshank, 169 Ringed Plover, 133 Dunlin, 37 Sandwich and 13 Common Tern, 19 Sanderling, 11 Bar and 11 Black-tailed Godwit, nine Wigeon, nine Shelduck, five Teal, five Turnstone, five Greenshank, three Whimbrel, three Kingfisher, two Knot and a Common Sandpiper. 

Also in the estuary the strange sight of an adult Gannet, occasionally diving, before being lost to view north of Powderham. It was later seen circling high over Lympstone before heading high NE inland. 

A pulse of hirundines early morning saw a late Swift head east with 150 Swallow, 25 House and seven Sand Martin, also seven Yellow and three Grey Wagtail. Grounded migrants were limited to five Wheatear and single Reed, Sedge and Willow Warbler with an increase to 85 Goldfinch.

Wildlife News: A Grey Seal was in the estuary and Rush Veneer remain underfoot.

Saturday 27th August

The Spotted Redshank was still present, the third record in the last two years, after six blank years. Also in the estuary three Curlew Sandpiper with counts of 867 Oystercatcher, 392 Curlew, 312 Redshank, 112 Ringed Plover, 87 Dunlin, 34 Mute Swan, 22 Teal, 17 Black and 10 Bar-tailed Godwit, 10 Common Tern, six Greenshank, six Mediterranean Gull, four Whimbrel, two Knot, two Wigeon, a Turnstone and a Kingfisher.

Common Gull - Lee Collins

Elsewhere 10 Balearic Shearwater flew east with 30 Gannet, 18 Common Scoter and four Shelduck also offshore, with 17 Sanderling on the beach. Passerine migrants included two Grey Wagtail overhead with a Spotted Flycatcher, a Wheatear, four Whitethroat, three Willow, two Reed and two Sedge Warbler on site.

Wildlife News: A Golden-ringed Dragonfly was on the Golf Course and a few Rush Veneer remain on site.