Monday 10th November

The Barnacle Goose was in The Bight at high tide with 219 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, including 16 juveniles, a good count for recent years. Also with them 112 Shelduck and two Pale-bellied Brent Geese. 

Barnacle Goose - Dave Jewell

Wader counts included 1200 Dunlin, 160 Curlew, 120 Redshank, 53 Great Black-backed Gull, 29 Bar and 26 Black-tailed Godwit, 28 Turnstone, 26 Sanderling, 20 Greenshank and 19 Grey Plover. 

Elsewhere a mixed flock of 14 Long-tailed Tit, 12 Chiffchaff, six Goldcrest, a Firecrest and a Great Spotted Woodpecker were in Dead Dolphin Wood with five Siskin in the Entrance Bushes and a male Blackcap along the Back Path.

Other Wildlife: Despite the heavy morning showers it brightened up enough to allow three Common Darter to warm up on fencing. Tiny bramble leafhoppers Ribautiana tenerrima were still active on their foodplant, with Common Wasp and Honey Bee on Gorse.

Common Darter - Alan Keatley

Sunday 9th November

Before the rain two Firecrest were in Dead Dolphin Wood with a large tit flock and at least seven Chiffchaff and two Goldcrest. 

Goldcrest - Jim Summers

Firecrest - Jim Summers

Chiffchaff - Jim Summers

Elsewhere four Great Northern Diver and three Great Crested Grebe were offshore and the first Barnacle Goose of the year was feeding on the mudflats at low tide with 386 Dark-bellied Brent Geese. 

Year list addition:
184. Barnacle Goose

Saturday 8th November

The anticipated pigeon movement didn't disappoint with 45,500 Woodpigeon counted overhead this morning, a flock 17 Lapwing heading west within one group. The clear skies meant many other species passed too high to record but at least 20 Skylark came through nearer sea-level.

With overnight clear skies numbers of Chiffchaff were down with half a dozen recorded, along with 22 Long-tailed Tit, four  Goldcrest and a Firecrest. A Dartford Warbler in scrub near the Visitor Centre presumably a lingering bird.

A Purple Sandpiper was a surprise amongst 810 Dunlin in The Bight, with a Curlew Sandpiper still present. Also in the estuary 252 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 90 Shelduck, 27 Greenshank, 27 Turnstone, 23 Knot, 21 Sanderling, 20 Grey and 19 Ringed Plover. 

Purple Sandpiper & Dunlin - Lee Collins

 Curlew Sandpiper - Lee Collins

Off site a Pallid Swift was reported again over Golden Sands late afternoon, with presumably the same bird along Shutterton Brook mid morning. 

Other Wildlife: Two more flighty Crimson Speckled were recorded, the first behind Visitor Centre, then another along the Back Path. Another Vagrant Emperor was also reported.

Other insects included a few Aphodius prodromus and Aphodius foetidus on pony dung and a couple of Dune Scarab on the seaward side of the much reduced dune ridge. Several Gorse Shieldbug were active, interestingly all 'spring' generation than late summer generation individuals. 

Gorse Shieldbug - Alan Keatley

Dune Scarab - Alan Keatley

Friday 7th November

A flock of 10 Pochard, at least three males, were briefly in the estuary before flying east, the first of the year and the largest flock since 16th May 2014. Also in the estuary two juvenile Curlew Sandpiper with 500+ Dunlin, a big increase, 180+ Black-tailed Godwit and the Spotted Redshank. A flock of five Great White Egret were reported flying SE over The Bight mid morning. 

Elsewhere at least 10 Chiffchaff, four Goldcrest, two Blackcap and a Firecrest were in the bushes with a Kingfisher at the Main Pond. 

Although viewable distantly from the Warren, the day's highlights, two Pallid Swift, never ventured into the Recording Area. Just the fourth and fifth Devon records, they lingered over the Golden Sands Holiday Park on the mainland for four hours before being lost with the arrival of the rain just after 13.30. 

Pallid Swifts - all Luke Harman

Year list addition:
183. Pochard

Ringing News: The increase in Dunlin lead to a similar increase in recoveries with 28 locally ringed birds recorded. Three Exe ringed Grey Plover are also back for another winter as is a flagged Knot, ringed as a 1CY at Ynyslas in Wales on 17th September 2023 and here for the start of a third winter. 

Thursday 6th November

Two Slavonian Grebe in The Bight on the morning tide were a welcome surprise, moving up river with the dropping tide. Also the estuary 1800 Wigeon, 370 Dark and a Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 16 Knot, 10 Greenshank, nine Black-tailed Godwit, three Great Crested Grebe, a Kingfisher and the Garganey. A flock of Cattle Egret and a juvenile Curlew Sandpiper were also reported.

Slavonian Grebe - Jim Summers

The Snow Bunting remains on the beach with flocks of 55 Linnet and 22 Greenfinch also feeding on the strandline, single Reed Bunting and Song Thrush were new arrivals on Warren Point with at least 10 Chiffchaff, four Goldcrest and a Blackcap in the bushes. A Dartford Warbler and Firecrest were also reported.

Snow Bunting - both Jim Summers

Offshore a Great Northern Diver and three Great Crested Grebe.

Other Wildlife: A choice of migrant highlights with two Crimson Speckled moth, in Greenland Lake and the Golf Course and a Vagrant Emperor on Warren Neck both arriving with the recent southerlies. 

Also on the wing a Common Darter at the Main Pond and a couple of Honey Bee and a Marmalade Hoverfly amongst the many Common Wasp.

Other invertebrates included several Cafius xantholoma, a seaweed rove beetle at Langstone Rock, a comb-footed spider Metellina merianae on the Railway Wall, the dung beetle Aphodius foetidus and a few Chrysolina banksii leaf beetle. 

Aphodius foetidus - Alan Keatley

Metellina merianae - Alan Keatley

Cafius xantholoma - Alan Keatley

Chrysolina banksii - Alan Keatley

Wednesday 5th November

The Snow Bunting continued to show well along the beach between groynes 10-12, with at least eight Chiffchaff, four Goldcrest, a Buzzard and a Coal Tit in the bushes.

Snow Bunting feeding on the strand line at Dawlish Warren. Oblivious to people but should look out for that huge female Sparrowhawk I often see along there! @warrenbirding.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social

[image or embed]

— Steph Murphy (@stephmurphy.bsky.social) 5 November 2025 at 15:56

The Garganey also remains in the estuary with 1770 Wigeon, 155 Teal, much lower than recently, 102 Shelduck and two Pintail. Other records included 168 Redshank, 39 Common and three Mediterranean Gull, 26 Ringed Plover, 26 Sanderling, 12 Greenshank, nine Black-tailed Godwit, a Kingfisher and the Spotted Redshank. 

Elsewhere six Mediterranean Gull and two Red-throated Diver flew south offshore and two Great Northern Diver were on the sea. 

Tuesday 4th November

An adult Little Gull was again offshore early morning with a steady passage of auks, Gannet and Kittiwake, also present 10 Common Scoter, a Fulmar and a Red-throated Diver. 

Gannet - Jim Summers

The Snow Bunting continued to show well on the beach between groynes 11 & 12 before the rain and despite the damp conditions the bushes were fairly busy including 20 Long-tailed Tit, 10 Chiffchaff, six Goldcrest and a Firecrest with two Snipe and a Water Rail at the Main Pond.

Snow Bunting - Jim Summers

Snow Bunting - Alan Keatley

Visibility was often reduced by the rain over the evening high tide but records from the estuary included 70 Black-tailed Godwit, 70 Great Black-backed Gull, 45 Turnstone, 28 Knot, 12 Greenshank, two Pale-bellied Brent Geese and a Spotted Redshank.

Kittiwake Hopefully not a victim of avian flu... - Jim Summers 

Other Wildlife: Aside from a few Common Wasp there were few insects on the wing, with the terrestrial flatworm Microplana terrestris the most notable log-turning discovery. A burst of fungal activity has seen numerous unidentified fungi appear alongside more recognisable species such as Blackening Waxcap in Greenland Lake and a Stinkhorn under bramble on the Dune Ridge. 

Stinkhorn Phallus impudicus - Kevin Rylands

Monday 3rd November

The strong winds limited passerine activity, but a Snow Bunting found mid afternoon on the beach near groyne 11 was untroubled by the conditions, actively feeding around the exposed geotubes and occasionally the adjacent fairway. 

Snow Bunting - Lee Collins

The same conditions saw a build up of over 140 Great Black-backed Gull in the estuary, with a 1CY Caspian Gull on Bull Hill and a 3CY Yellow-legged Gull on Finger Point. 

Other counts over the high tide included 1730 Wigeon, 386 Dark and eight Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 240 Dunlin, 83 Shelduck, 30 Black and 22 Bar-tailed Godwit, 15 Greenshank, 12 Grey Plover, 12 Sanderling, three Mediterranean Gull, an Avocet, a Spotted Redshank and the Garganey.

Wigeon - Lee Collins

Offshore early morning another southerly passage of Gannet, Kittiwake and auks with 26 Curlew, mostly singles, 10 Common Scoter, three Red-throated and two Great Northern Diver, two Mediterranean and a briefly lingering adult Little Gull. Six Eider and two Great Northern Diver were on the sea. 

Year list addition:
182. Snow Bunting

Sunday 2nd November

An Avocet was a new arrival in the estuary with counts of 374 Teal, 276 Dark and 11 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 272 Dunlin, 120+ Black and 31 Bar-tailed Godwit, 91 Shelduck, 51 Ringed and 19 Grey Plover, 18 Sanderling, 11 Greenshank, two Pintail and a Kingfisher.

Teal - Lee Collins

Elsewhere six Eider and two Red-throated Diver were offshore, a Sparrowhawk was in The Bight and there was a big pigeon movement early morning but no counts were received. Three Chaffinch and three Siskin were overhead during the afternoon.

Sparrowhawk - Lee Collins

Other Wildlife: A female Grey Seal was in the estuary and at least three dolphin sp. were offshore. 

Saturday 1st November

The strong winds died down overnight but early morning again saw a heavy southerly passage with at least 1500 Kittiwake and 640 Gannet joined by two Velvet Scoter just before 8am, seven Great Northern and two Red-throated Diver and the first Red-breasted Merganser of the autumn. On the sea were seven Eider and two additional Great Northern and a Red-throated Diver.

The Garganey was again amongst the Teal in the estuary, becoming the first November record for the Warren. Other wildfowl included 1440 Wigeon, 232 Dark and 11 Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 84 Shelduck, six Great Crested Grebe and three Pintail.

Wader counts over high tide included 273 Redshank, 190 Black and 22 Bar-tailed Godwit, 240 Dunlin, 60+ Turnstone, 48 Ringed and 18 Grey Plover, 23 Knot, 18 Sanderling and 11 Greenshank.

Elsewhere 55 Linnet were around The Bight, 25 Meadow Pipit, 11 Chiffchaff and a good count of six Reed Bunting were on site, two Kingfisher were contesting the Main Pond and a trickle of migrants overhead included nine Skylark, seven Chaffinch, two Siskin and two Redpoll.  

Ringing News: Coverage of the high tide resulted in sightings of 44 Oystercatcher and seven Dunlin from the DCWRG Exe project back for another winter. A metal ringed Dutch Black-headed Gull was also present in The Bight.

Dunlin OH - Lee Collins

Other Wildlife: A Southern Hawker was still active in Greenland Lake mid morning. 

Southern Hawker - Lee Collins