Thursday 22nd August

A day of seawatching brought rewards with no less than three new species for the year. The early morning movement of terns included the first, a Black Tern SW just before 07.30 amongst at least 327 Gannet, 242 Kittiwake, 64 Sandwich and 20 Common Tern. No doubt attracted by these flocks, 25 Arctic and a Pomarine Skua also flew SW.

Watching from 08.30-13.20 saw few terns or skuas, but shearwater passage picked up noticeably with at least 185 Manx and 31 Balearic Shearwater heading SW with lots more shearwaters at distance. Peak numbers were between 09.30 and 10.45, when they were joined by the first Cory's and first four Sooty Shearwater of the year. The Cory's passed S at 9.46, with two further large shearwaters, probably this species, at 9.55 & 10.30. 

Also offshore seven Storm Petrel and six Mediterranean Gull SW, the petrels all after 12.10, and a Great Northern Diver.

Year list additions:

162. Black Tern
163. Cory's Shearwater
164. Sooty Shearwater

Other Wildlife: Despite the drizzly weather some insects were still to be found including new for the year; a Short-horned Yellow-faced Bee Hylaeus brevicornis and the muscid fly Phaonia pallida. A nectaring Tree Wasp Dolichovespula sylvestris with a nest nearby was a welcome find in a year with particularly low numbers of social wasps. 

Tree Wasp Dolichovespula sylvestris - Alan Keatley

Short-horned Yellow-faced Bee Hylaeus brevicornis - Alan Keatley

Also discovered a new harvestman for the Recording Area on the Golf Course, Opilio saxatilis, a widespread species of dry habitats including sand dunes.

Opilio saxatilis - Alan Keatley

Wednesday 21st August

Counts on the incoming morning tide included 236 Redshank, 41 Ringed Plover, 27 Dunlin, 10 Greenshank, seven Black and five Bar-tailed Godwit, the six Eider, three Knot, three Sanderling, a Great Crested Grebe and a Kingfisher. 

A small roost of 20 Common and 18 Sandwich Tern flew S out of estuary offshore at dawn.

Tuesday 20th August

The second Green Sandpiper of the year was in the estuary corner early morning along with the Spotted Redshank, an Osprey, 166 Redshank, 12 Greenshank, a Great Crested Grebe and a Common Sandpiper.

Counts from The Bight included 216 Ringed Plover, 164 Dunlin, 21 Sanderling, the six Eider and three Grey Plover, including the first returning Exe colour ringed bird.

Elsewhere 17 Sandwich Tern were offshore and a Sedge Warbler was on the golf course.

Monday 19th August

Lots of activity offshore at both ends of the day with 139 Common, 20 Sandwich and two Arctic Tern leaving the estuary and heading S out to sea early morning, including 67 before dawn. These attracted 15+ Arctic and four Pomarine Skua, with at least 214 Gannet foraging offshore and drifting SW, c.30 Balearic Shearwater close enough to identify with others extremely far out also likely this sp. On the sea the Black-throated and a Great Northern Diver.

A two hour seawatch from 17.30 saw 220+ Manx and 94 Balearic Shearwater and five Fulmar head SW, with seven Arctic and at least two Pomarine Skua in the bay. 

Counts from the estuary included 239 Redshank, 194 Dunlin, 136 Ringed Plover, 24 Black and seven Bar-tailed Godwit, 20 Whimbrel, 13 Mediterranean Gull, 12 Greenshank, nine Sanderling, seven Knot, seven Turnstone, the six Eider, five Shelduck, a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull and the Spotted Redshank. 

Sunday 18th August

A large gathering of gulls, no doubt attracted by the the burst sewage pipe, offshore early morning were spooked by three Pomarine Skua initially along the beach before heading into the bay were they joined up with three more Pomarine and two Great Skua in a loose flock before gaining height and drifting S. Also offshore a feeding flock 130 Gannet moved SW down coast with six Teal, two Common Scoter and a Great Crested Grebe on the sea.

In the evening two Pomarine and an Arctic Skua were distantly offshore with six Balearic Shearwater, with other skuas and shearwaters even further out. 

A moulting adult Golden Plover on the mudflats on rising evening tide was the first of autumn, the Spotted Redshank was still present with counts from the estuary including 403 Curlew, 222 Redshank, 18 Whimbrel, 11 Greenshank, 10 Bar and six Black-tailed Godwit, nine Mediterranean Gull, the six Eider, three Teal and a Kingfisher.

Counts from the Bight included 226 Dunlin, 156 Ringed Plover, 12 Sandwich Tern, eight Sanderling, four Knot and a Turnstone.

Elsewhere a Meadow Pipit was overhead with grounded migrants including two Wheatear, two Sedge and a Willow Warbler and a White Wagtail.

Other Wildlife: A Grey Seal was offshore and the Grey Squirrel was again in the Entrance Bushes.

Saturday 17th August

The Spotted Redshank was still in the estuary, along the Railway Saltmarsh with 235 Redshank, 13 Greenshank, seven Bar and two Black-tailed Godwit, two Shelduck and a Kingfisher. In The Bight counts included 236 Dunlin (120 juvs), 219 Ringed Plover, five Mediterranean Gull, four Turnstone, four Sanderling, including the first juvenile, and three Knot.

Mediterranean Gull - Lee Collins

The summering Black-throated Diver was offshore, along with a 3cy Yellow-legged Gull, six Sandwich Tern, three Teal and two Great Crested Grebe.

The fourth Osprey of the year flew high W offshore mid evening, taking 25 mins to travel the 5.5 miles from the Otter Estuary where it was first noted. Also overhead single Hobby, W over the Back Meadow, and Kestrel, W offshore, with three Wheatear, two Willow Warbler and a Treecreeper on site. 

Other Wildlife: Amongst the remaining Six-spot Burnet, day flying moths included two Jersey Tiger, several Straw Dot, a Silver Y and new for the year, Lesser Cream Wave and Yellow-tail. 

Silver Y - Kevin Rylands

Straw Dot - Alan Keatley

Yellow-tail - Alan Keatley

Other additions to the annual audit were the dance-fly Hybos culiciformis and a tiger cranefly Nephrotoma flavipalpis. A Harbour Porpoise was feeding offshore and a Brown Argus was the pick of the few butterflies.

Nephrotoma flavipalpis - Alan Keatley

Hybos culiciformis - Alan Keatley

Wasp Spider - Lee Collins

Friday 16th August

A juvenile Spotted Redshank was a new arrival in the estuary amongst 221 Redshank and six Greenshank, the first record of the year. Other new arrivals over high tide included juvenile Curlew Sandpiper and Little Ringed Plover in the Bight along with 206 Ringed Plover, 174 Dunlin, 16 Sanderling, five Knot, three Turnstone and the Little Stint.

Also in the estuary at least 25 Whimbrel, 10 Bar and two Black-tailed Godwit, six juvenile Shelduck, a Common Sandpiper and, on Bull Hill, an adult Yellow-legged Gull.

An 1hr 40 minute seawatch early morning saw at least 41 Balearic Shearwater in the bay and heading SW, also passing 104 Gannet, two Manx Shearwater and a Shelduck. Leaving the estuary early morning 13 Common and nine Sandwich Tern were soon harried by two Arctic Skua with two juvenile Yellow-legged Gull, two Great Crested Grebe and a Common Scoter on the sea.

Elsewhere grounded migrants included four Willow and two Garden Warbler, four Wheatear, two Whitethroat, at least some of the high count of 17 Stonechat and two juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker, including one on Warren Point. 

Overhead a flock of 13 Lesser Black-backed Gull high S; three Grey Heron high SSW and single Snipe and Sand Martin.

Year List addition:

161. Spotted Redshank

Wednesday 14th August

Although it was a low high tide waders did gather with counts of 136 Ringed Plover, 71 Dunlin, seven Turnstone, six Bar-tailed Godwit, six Sanderling and three Knot from The Bight.

Elsewhere 12 Common Scoter were offshore and a lone Balearic Shearwater went south on an otherwise uneventful seawatch mid-morning. 

Other Wildlife: After a grey morning, it brightened up in the afternoon, encouraging insects to appear in the flower meadows, with Ragwort, Fleabane and Water Mint the main attractions. 

A welcome variety of species included several additions to the annual audit including Kite-tailed Robberfly Tolmerus atricapillus, Ragwort Blacklet Cheilosia bergenstammi and Field Digger Wasp Mellinus arvensis.

Kite-tailed Robberfly Tolmerus atricapillus - Alan Keatley

Ragwort Blacklet Cheilosia bergenstammi - Alan Keatley 

Field Digger Wasp Mellinus arvensis - Alan Keatley

Migrants included the hoverflies; White-clubbed Glasswing Scaeva pyrastri, Large Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus trivittatus and Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus, as well as the moth, Rush Veneer and a Golden-ringed Dragonfly.

White-clubbed Glasswing Scaeva pyrastri - Alan Keatley

Bee-wolf Philanthus triangulum - Alan Keatley

Speckled Bush-cricket - Alan Keatley

Monday 12th August

The Little Stint remained in the estuary with counts of 238 Ringed Plover and 30 Sanderling highlighting new arrivals. Totals of 134 Dunlin, 170 Redshank, 52 Whimbrel, 12 Greenshank, six Eider, five Bar-tailed Godwit and a Knot were little changed from recent days, although with 10 Mediterranean Gull and nine Turnstone, both species were reduced in number. 

Elsewhere single Balearic and Manx Shearwater flew SW, a juvenile Little Tern flew in off the sea and headed N up the estuary; three Willow Warbler and a Wheatear were on site; and overhead 40 Swallow, 22 Cormorant, high SW in a 'V formation', seven Sand and four House Martin and single Swift, Yellow Wagtail and Meadow Pipit. 

Other Wildlife: Despite the continuing hot weather insect numbers remain low with a single Brown Argus and two Common Darter the pick of the usual butterflies and dragonflies. Two flies were however welcome records with the first Twin-spot Stiletto Thereva bipunctata since 2021 and the first Twin-spot Boxer Platycheirus rosarum since 2018 on the wing.

Twin-spot Boxer Platycheirus rosarum - Alan Keatley

Twin-spot Stiletto Thereva bipunctata - Alan Keatley

Elsewhere at least five Wasp Spider in Greenland Lake and near the Crocus Compound, the species benefiting from marking egg cases overwinter.

Sunday 11th August

Early morning fog brough the year's first Green Sandpiper, with a vocal bird circling the Crocus Compound and twice dropping briefly on the Main Pond before flying towards the estuary. The remaining Little Stint and the returning Curlew Sandpiper were the second and third scarcest waders of the day. 

Estuary counts over high tide included 827 Oystercatcher, 408 Black-headed and 21 Mediterranean Gull, 203 Redshank, 178 Dunlin, 150 Ringed Plover, 40 Turnstone, 33 Whimbrel, 18 Sanderling, 16 Common and an Arctic Tern, 11 Black and four Bar-tailed Godwit, 11 Greenshank, six Eider, a Snipe and a Knot.

Elsewhere 79 Sandwich Tern left the estuary after dawn with three Great Crested Grebe and a Common Scoter offshore; nine Sand and two House Martin were overhead and three Wheatear, two Whitethroat, two Sedge and two Willow Warbler, a Garden Warbler a Yellow Wagtail and the Treecreeper on site. 

Year list addition:

160. Green Sandpiper

Other Wildlife: Once the fog cleared insects were active with two Southern Hawker and a Comma along with Silver Y, Heather Colletes, Hornet Plumehorn, White-lipped Digger Wasp Lindenius albilabris and the tachinid Ectophasia crassipennis amongst various taxa on the wing. 

Strawberry Clover - Kevin Rylands

Dark Fleabane Neb Apodia bifractella - Kevin Rylands