Thursday 14th September

Much of the action remained in the estuary with two high tides to cover, the Spotted Redshank was on Finger Point early morning with 246 Curlew and 14 Pale-bellied Brent Geese but no Curlew Sandpiper. Counts from the evening tide included two Spotted Redshank, the first multiple record since Feb 2000, 281 Redshank, 196 Ringed Plover, 117 Teal, the first three-fig count of autumn, 115 Dunlin, 77 Wigeon, 53 Knot, 18 Sanderling, 17 Bar and three Black-tailed Godwit, 10 Greenshank and five Curlew Sandpiper.

Also around the Bight an Osprey early morning, 38 Great Black-backed Gull (five juvs), two Sandwich and a juvenile  Common Tern, a Whimbrel, a Common Sandpiper and the Little Ringed Plover.

Osprey - Lee Collins

Elsewhere a Balearic Shearwater flew south, the immature male Eider off Langstone Rock, a Kingfisher was at the Main Pond and migrants were limited to three Chiffchaff, two Wheatear and a Blackcap.

Other Wildlife: With Common Fleabane and Water Mint going over and Ivy largely still to flower there is a bit of a lull in insect activity. Apart from numerous Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax there were few hoverflies on the wing but these included second-generation Stripe-backed Fleckwing Dasysyrphus albostriatus, Large Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus trivittatus and Compost Hoverfly Syritta pipiens.

Stripe-backed Fleckwing - Alan Keatley

Large Tiger Hoverfly - Alan Keatley

Six species of butterfly were recorded with Red Admiral and Small White on the move with double figures of both. A few Meadow Brown remained on the wing and a Brown Argus was in the Buffer Zone.

Red Admiral - Alan Keatley

Wednesday 13th September

A busy evening tide with counts from the Bight including 11 juvenile Curlew Sandpiper, the first birds of the year, a juvenile Little Stint and the juvenile Little Ringed Plover. They were with 152 Ringed Plover, 142 Dunlin, 45 Knot, 14 Sanderling and three Turnstone.

A flock of 94 Pale-bellied Brent Goose eventually settled in the Bight, they included 40 juveniles, indicating a good breeding season, other wildfowl present included 72 Teal, 48 Mute Swan, seven Wigeon and three Common Scoter.

Also in the estuary the juvenile Spotted Redshank with 200+ Redshank, 17 Bar and a Black-tailed Godwit, eight Greenshank, three Mediterranean Gull and single Kingfisher, Sandwich Tern and Whimbrel. 

Other Wildlife: Several Red Admiral were on the wing with a Comma was just the fourth record this year. 

Tuesday 12th September

No news was received from high tide but a low tide visit saw some migrants. A dozen Chiffchaff in ones and two throughout the reserve, with two Blackcap in the Entrance Bushes, two Whitethroat at the Dune Pond and two Wheatear along the beach.

Wheatear - Dean Hall

An Osprey flew along the Dune Ridge towards estuary early morning with five Rook also overhead, the immature Eider was back at Langstone Rock, with the Great Northern Diver off Groyne nine, four Teal at the Main Pond and 60 Linnet on Warren Point.

Eider - Alan Keatley

Other Wildlife: The first Ivy Bee Colletes hederae of the year was on the first flowering Ivy at Langstone Rock with the hoverfly Riponnensia splendens. 

Ivy Bee - Alan Keatley

Riponnensia splendens - Alan Keatley

A Brown Argus on Warren Point was the pick of the butterflies.

Brown Argus - Alan Keatley

Sunday 10th September

The overnight rain, followed by a sea mist that kept temperatures down, gave an autumnal feel to proceedings matched by the birds with a Spotted Flycatcher in Dead Dolphin Wood the pick of the migrants. Also on site eight Chiffchaff, three Blackcap and three Wheatear, with three White Wagtail in the Bight, a Kingfisher at the Main Pond and a juvenile Osprey that flew southwest. 

Two juvenile Little Stint were the pick of the monthly WeBS with the juvenile Little Ringed Plover still present and a Spotted Redshank on the dropping tide. Counts included 1622 Oystercatcher, 285 Redshank, 183 Ringed Plover (93+ juv), 65 Dunlin, 52 Great Black-backed Gull, 50 Mute Swan, 32 Sanderling (30 juv), 12 Greenshank, eight Bar-tailed Godwit, five Mediterranean Gull, three Whimbrel, two Knot, two Wigeon and two Sandwich Tern.

Other Wildlife: The second Clouded Yellow of the year, briefly in the Back Meadow, was one of nine butterfly species on the wing. Numbers of both Migrant and Southern Hawker increased notably with at least 30 hawkers recorded.

Saturday 9th September

Migrants included eight Chiffchaff, two Blackcap and single Reed and Willow Warbler, with the male Kestrel and a Green Woodpecker also on site and an adult Mediterranean Gull over the Main Pond. No news was received from the estuary. 

Other Wildlife: There was still plenty of insect activity in the late afternoon sun with Common Fleabane and Michaelmas Daisy hosting many pollinators, including a male Red-tailed Bumblebee and good numbers of Common Carder Bee and Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus pendulus.

Three Crescent Plume Marasmarcha lunaedactyla were unexpected, unrecorded outside Jun/Jul in Devon. Butterflies included several Meadow Brown and Red Admiral, with increasing numbers of Small Copper. Migrant Hawker numbers also increased with a Water Vole at the Main Pond.

Small Copper - Kevin Rylands

Friday 8th September

A post tide late afternoon visit saw 41 Mute Swan and a Mediterranean Gull in the estuary with three Sandwich Tern offshore. On site 70 House Sparrow and 25 Starling were in the Buffer Zone, 45 Goldfinch were in Greenland Lake and 11 Chiffchaff and three Blackcap were on site.

Other Wildlife: A Hummingbird Hawkmoth caterpillar discovered feeding on Cleavers was the first evidence of breeding for the Warren. 

Hummingbird Hawkmoth - Kevin Rylands

Other moths recorded included Elbow Grass-veneer Agriphila geniculea, Mullein Wave and Small Blood-vein with leafmines of several species including Birch Brown Slender Parornix betulae, Common Birch Pigmy Stigmella betulicola and, new for the Recoring Area, White-bodied Midget Phyllonorycter joannisi.

Elbow Grass-veneer - Kevin Rylands

White-bodied Midget - vacated leafmine on Sycamore - Kevin Rylands

Other records included the first Ivy Waspgrabber Leopoldius signatus of the year, half a dozen Beewolf on Creeping Thistle in the Buffer Zone, six Migrant Hawker around the Main Pond, seven Red Admiral and the migrant Large Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus trivattus.

Thursday 7th September

A Great White Egret was a good start to the day, offshore  moving along coast towards Exmouth low to water around 7:45. Nothing else was however moving offshore in the flat calm conditions. Migrants on site were limited to six Chiffchaff and single Blackcap and Willow Warbler, with three Stock Dove on Warren Point and a Rook overhead.

Elsewhere a Kingfisher was at the Main Pond, counts over the high tide included 93 Ringed Plover, 52 Dunlin, 39 Mute Swan, 19 Sanderling, three Turnstone, two Sandwich Tern and single Bar-tailed Godwit, Knot and Little Ringed Plover.

Knot (& Sanderling) - Alan Keatley

Other Wildlife: A Mouse Moth by the Main Pond was the pick of several new species for the year, along with Bright Four-spined Legionnaire Chorisops nagatomii, a tiny dance fly, Tachydromia umbrarum and Striped-wing Dronefly Eristalis horticola.

Mouse Moth - Alan Keatley

Stripe-winged Dronefly - Alan Keatley

Other highlights included a new Wasp Spider near the Visitor Centre, another Ectophasia crassipennis and a Bronze Shieldbug nymph in Greenland Lake.

Wasp Spider - Alan Keatley

Ectophasia crassipennis - Alan Keatley

Bronze Shieldbug - Alan Keatley

Wednesday 6th September

A juvenile Osprey flew south early afternoon, but the three Gadwall that flew through were rarer on site! Counts from the estuary included a juvenile Little Ringed Plover, 243 Redshank, 130+ Ringed Plover (73+ juvs), 44 Dunlin, mostly juvs, 25 Sandwich Tern, 21 Teal, 11 Wigeon, 11 Greenshank and three Knot, with two Wheatear in the Bight. 

Little Ringed Plover (juvenile) - Lee Collins

Ringed Plover (juvenile) - Lee Collins

tundrae Ringed Plover (juvenile) - Lee Collins

Other Wildlife: A male Lesser Emperor was briefly on the Golf Course, just the second site record, with both Hornet and the hoverfly mimic Hornet Plumehorn Volucella zonaria also on the wing.

Hornet Plumehorn - Lee Collins

Tuesday 5th September

Just a short visit over high tide saw 880 Oystercatcher, 49 Ringed Plover, 37 Dunlin, nine Sanderling and two Sandwich Tern around the Bight. 

Elsewhere three Teal remain at the Main Pond, but apart from four Chiffchaff, a Blackcap and a Whitethroat calling from cover, the bushes were quiet. A few Swallow were high overhead and a Wheatear moved quickly through Greenland Lake.

Other Wildlife: Summer temperatures have arrived for the beginning of meteorological autumn and the sunny conditions saw four Emperor dragonfly still active along with several Migrant Hawker, Small Red-eyed Damselfly and Common Darter also on the wing.

Yellow-barred Peat Hoverfly - Alan Keatley

Other insects included a Yellow-barred Peat Hoverfly Sericomyia silentis in the Entrance Bushes, following the recent pattern of September appearances from its heathland breeding sites. Also appearing for the first time this year Rough-saddled Bandwing Dipogon variegatus, a spider wasp, and the groundbug Nysius ericae; both at Langstone Rock.

Dipogon variegatus - Alan Keatley

Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis heparana - Alan Keatley

Sunday 3rd September

A quick visit on the dropping tide saw a juvenile Spoonbill roosting on Finger Point before feeding on the Bight. Also in the Bight, 56 Dunlin, 31 Ringed Plover, 21 Sandwich Tern, 12 Sanderling and a Knot.

Elsewhere the summering Great Northern Diver was offshore, 35 Swallow and a Yellow Wagtail were overhead, a Wheatear was in the Bight was the only grounded migrant with a female Great Spotted Woodpecker in Dead Dolphin Wood the most notable species in the bushes. 

Other Wildlife: The first Vestal of the year was on Warren Point with a new Wasp Spider discovered in the Entrance Bushes.