Monday 22nd September

A fresh north wind encouraged an amazing constant movement of hirundines north east along Dune Ridge, beach and across the estuary. Counts in two hours between 9 and 11 saw 2550 Swallow, 680 House and 170 Sand Martin, all minimum numbers, with others no doubt missed earlier and offshore.

Also, on the move at least 40 Goldfinch, eight Siskin, a few Meadow and the year's first, and no doubt last, Tree Pipit. The first three Avocet of the autumn flew north in off the sea. 

The first Dark-bellied Brent Geese of the winter arrived with a single on the morning tide and five with a Pale-bellied Brent Goose in The Bight early evening. Other wildfowl also increased with 100 Teal, 96 Wigeon and a Shoveler in Shutterton Creek. Also in the estuary just eight Sandwich Tern, six Mediterranean and the 1cy Little Gull.

Wader counts included 277 Curlew, 240+ Redshank, 22 Dunlin, 12 Bar-tailed Godwit, 11 Greenshank, eight Ringed and a Grey Plover, five Knot, four Sanderling, four Turnstone, two Whimbrel and a Common Sandpiper.

Elsewhere 12 Chiffchaff, four Wheatear and a Blackcap were on site. 

Year list addition: 
171. Tree Pipit

Other Wildlife: By midday a few insects were on the wing in the autumn equinox sunshine, mainly centred around flowering Ivy with Ivy Bee, Red Admiral and Pale-knobbed Lucent Didea fasciata. Two Hornet were favouring fallen apples. 

Red Admiral - Alan Keatley

Hornet - Alan Keatley

Two new flies for the year were also recorded, Bright Four-spined Legionnaire Chorisops nagatomii near the station and the cranefly Achyrolimonia decemmaculata in the Education Area.

Achyrolimonia decemmaculata - Alan Keatley

Bright Four-spined Legionnaire Chorisops nagatomii - Alan Keatley

Sunday 21st September

Another 1cy Caspian Gull was on Finger Point over the morning tide, the sixth record this month. Also in the estuary 51 Sandwich Tern, nine Bar and four Black-tailed Godwit, eight Greenshank, the Spotted Redshank, a Shoveler and a Whimbrel. 

Small wader numbers were much reduced perhaps due the presence of a Peregrine and Sparrowhawk over the morning tide and an Osprey early evening.

Sparrowhawk - Dave Jewell

A Great Northern Diver and a juvenile Little Gull were offshore with the first Water Rail of the autumn and a Grey Wagtail at the Main Pond. At least 22 Chiffchaff the most obvious grounded migrants, with two Blackcap, a Coal Tit and a Wheatear also on site.

A couple of Siskin and a few Meadow Pipit were overhead with a slow easterly movement of Swallow through the day, until early evening when 220+ passed in 40 minutes on a broad front along with 10 House and a Sand Martin. Later 140+ Swallow gathered over the Golf Course preroost. 

Saturday 20th September

No sign of the Rosefinch in murky conditions early morning with seven Chiffchaff and two Blackcap in the bushes, a Grey Wagtail at the Main Pond and 50 Swallow heading south. 

Elsewhere three Little Stint were in The Bight with 69 Ringed Plover and 36 Dunlin, a Spotted Redshank was in the estuary corner and an Arctic Tern, three Arctic and a Great Skua were offshore.

Friday 19th September

A excellent day headlined by the just second Warren record of Common Rosefinch, an elusive bird in Greenland Lake, the first was back in October 1997.

Common Rosefinch - all Andy Warr

Also new for the year were four Goosander, all redheads, a female and three immatures, that flew in off the sea and settled in the estuary for a short while. 

Wader counts from the estuary included 113 Ringed Plover, 24 Dunlin, 21 Knot, 16 Sanderling, nine Bar and a Black-tailed Godwit, three Curlew Sandpiper, two Little Stint, a Common Sandpiper and a Ruff. Also present 104 Sandwich Tern, 84 Great Black-backed Gull, 36 Common and single juvenile Arctic, Black and Roseate Tern.

Elsewhere single Balearic Shearwater and Arctic Skua were offshore, with two Wheatear and a Spotted Flycatcher on site.

Year list addition: 
170. Common Rosefinch
169. Goosander

Other Wildlife: The nationally scarce tachinid, Dune Bristlecheek Periscepsia carbonaria was discovered on the Back Path, also the first record for over 25 years.  It was watched running around on the ground, presumably looking for caterpillars as it is a parasitoid of Archer's Dart, and other moth larvae.

Dune Bristlecheek Periscepsia carbonaria - Alan Keatley

A good day for Clouded Yellow with at least five around Greenland Lake, with four Red Admiral and a Wall Brown. Hornet were also noticeable with at least six sightings around the reserve.

Thursday 18th September

Seawatching this morning saw a steady stream of c300 Gannet south in 90 minutes along with 25 Common Scoter, the first four Red-throated Diver of the autumn, all in breeding plumage, and two Great Northern Diver.  

In the estuary a 1cy Little Gull, 65+ Sandwich and 25+ Common Tern were on Bull Hill. 

Late news of a Wryneck somewhere on site today, apparently one of several suppressed this autumn by the same observer. 

Year list addition: 
168. Wryneck

Wednesday 17th September

Seawatching for two hours 20 minutes from first light saw 23 Balearic Shearwater head south with 758 Gannet, including just two 1cy birds in contrast to further east off Seaton, eight Common Scoter, four Storm Petrel, four Dunlin, two Arctic Skua, two Great Northern Diver and a Sanderling. 

In the estuary the highlight was the first multiple record of Caspian Gull with three different 1cy birds on Bull Hill and in the Bight. Also on Bull Hill c170 Common, 58 Sandwich and a juvenile Arctic Tern. 

Caspian Gull - Lee Collins

Caspian Gull - Lee Collins

Wader counts included 202 Ringed and a Grey Plover, 24 Dunlin, 17 Greenshank, three Curlew Sandpiper, a Little Stint and the Spotted Redshank.

Elsewhere the first Siskin of the autumn was overhead and a Garden Warbler was in the car park. 

Ringing News: The Hampshire colour-ringed Ringed Plover reappeared in the Bight with the increased numbers, having been seen on the Otter over the spring tides. Amongst the terns were a Polish and Dutch ringed Sandwich Terns and a Polish ringed Common Tern.

Other Wildlife: Fewer flying insects in the condition but still an interesting mix to be found, including the first Archer's Dart of the year, a scarce Devon species. 

Archer's Dart - Alan Keatley

Other records included the muscid fly Black-patched Limnophora L. tigrina in Greenland Lake, a lacebug Cixius nervosa by the station and a couple of Calathus mollis ground beetles in The Bight. 

Cixius nervosa - Alan Keatley

Tuesday 16th September

A 1cy Caspian Gull off Cockwood was the only news received. 

Monday 15th September

Seawatching for the first two hours of light saw at least 20 Balearic Shearwater head south with many more distant Manx/Balearic Shearwater, 17 Storm Petrel, c60 Common and 26 Sandwich Tern, eight Sand Martin, five Arctic and a Pomarine Skua, two Sanderling, a Great Northern Diver and a Whimbrel.

Elsewhere counts from The Bight at high tide included 69 Sandwich and five Common Tern, 59 Great Black-backed Gull seeking shelter on Finger Point, 58 Ringed Plover, eight Dunlin and two Sanderling.

Other Wildlife: The wind also blew beetles on to the beach including several Dune Scarab Aegialia arenarius and a saltmarsh mud beetle Heterocerus fossor.

Dune Scarab Aegialia arenarius - Alan Keatley

Heterocerus fossor - Alan Keatley

Migrants butterflies continue to appear with single Clouded Yellow and four Painted Lady in Greenland Lake, along with a Southern Hawker and the green leafhopper Cicidella viridis.

Southern Hawker - Alan Keatley

Cicidella viridis - Alan Keatley

Sunday 14th September

The Spotted Redshank was again present in Shutterton Creek on the dropping tide with 299 Redshank, 16 Greenshank and three Ruff. 

Also in the estuary 130 Curlew, 71 Ringed Plover, 65 Sandwich and 16 Common Tern, 48 Teal, 38 Turnstone, 21 Wigeon, 20 Knot, 20 Sanderling, 13 Dunlin, nine Black and two Bar-tailed Godwit, eight Mediterranean Gull, two Whimbrel and a Kingfisher.

Elsewhere five Wheatear were on the Golf Course and at least seven Chiffchaff were in the scrub. 

Other Wildlife: Late news from yesterday of a first for Britain, the nudibranch (sea slug) Corambe testudinaria found in the rockpools at Langstone Rock. 

Corambe testudinaria - Guy Freeman

Saturday 13th September

Counts from the estuary included 249 Redshank, 73 Sandwich Tern, 30 Ringed Plover, 28 Teal, 10 Greenshank, six Dunlin, four Bar-tailed Godwit, four Knot and a Kingfisher.

Knot - Dave Jewell

Ringed Plover - Dave Jewell

Elsewhere the immature male Eider was off Langstone Rock with 17 Swallow through with eight Chiffchaff, three Blackcap and single Buzzard and Great Spotted Woodpecker on site.

Other Wildlife: Avoiding the showers were ten species of butterfly including Peacock, Wall Brown, four Painted Lady and a Clouded Yellow. Other migrants included several dozen Rush Veneer and at least five Locust Blowfly Stomorhina lunata.

Also on the wing the shieldbug tachinid Ectophasia crassipennis, the spider hunting wasp Anoplius infuscatus, Field Digger Wasp Mellinus arvensis and numerous hoverflies including Plain-faced Dronefly Eristalis arbustorum and Two-banded Spearhorn Chrysotoxum bicinctum.

Field Digger Wasp Mellinus arvensis - Alan Keatley

A variety of other records included Nut-tree Tussock caterpillar, the introduced harvestman Opilio canestrinii and increasing numbers of Ivy Bee and Hornet. 

Opilio canestrinii - Kevin Rylands

Nut-tree Tussock - Alan Keatley