Monday 31st August

Migration continues in full swing with tern numbers continuing to drop but waders on the increase through the day. A single adult Roseate Tern offshore was the morning's highlight with three Black Tern also present, neither species was present in the evening with roost counts saw 163 Sandwich, 127 Common, nine Arctic and a Little Tern. Also offshore in the evening four Balearic Shearwater and two Pomarine Skua. Amongst the waders two juvenile Little Ringed Plover were the most notable, with counts of 169 Ringed Plover, 135 Dunlin, 35 Turnstone, 32 Sanderling, 27 Knot, five Snipe and four Greenshank. Also in the estuary 30 Wigeon, six Mediterranean Gull and the Slavonian Grebe. Elsewhere the overnight rain grounded two Whinchat, 11 Wheatear, three Sedge and a Garden Warbler with three Yellow Wagtail and the first Tree Pipit of the year overhead.

Wildlife News: A Grey Seal was close in offshore on the evening tide.

Sunday 30th August

Tern numbers remain higher than usual but have dropped off considerably with 248 Common Tern and 195 Sandwich Tern roosting in the estuary along with 12 Black and 16 Arctic Tern. Also offshore 15 Balearic Shearwater heading east, two Arctic Skua, 20 Common Scoter and a Great-crested Grebe. Wader counts from the hide included 471 Curlew, 223 Redshank, 87+ Dunlin, 47 Sanderling, 42 Ringed Plover, 36 Black-tailed Godwit, 19 Turnstone, 11 Whimbrel, 10 Knot and two Greenshank. Also in the estuary 22 Teal, eight Wigeon, eight Mediterranean Gull and the Slavonian Grebe.

Arctic Tern (juv) - Lee Collins

Saturday 29th August

Another good day with the late evening estuary-bound movement of terns again being a highlight involving 940 Common Tern, 24 Arctic Tern, a juv Roseate Tern, 20 Black Tern, 125 Sandwich Tern, a Little Tern and the second-winter Little Gull.  Both spring high tides were covered and produced the resident Slavonian Grebe, 161 Canada Goose, 54 Mallard, 54 Ringed Plover, a Bar-tailed Godwit, 7 Knot, 209+ Dunlin, 41 Sanderling, 5 Common Sandpiper, a Greenshank, 179 Redshank and 2 Mediterranean Gull. At sea, 9 Balearic Shearwater, 3, Fulmar, 12 Common Scoter.  Other site interest, two Stock Dove, a Jay, a Garden Warbler, the Treecreeper still, 3 Wheatear; and overhead, two Yellow Wagtail and a Grey Wagtail.

 Dunlin - Dave Jewell

Little Gull - Dave Jewell

 

Wildlife News: This Convolvulus Hawkmoth was on the Dune Ridge. A scarce migrant to the Warren, most previous records are of caterpillars on Sea Bindweed.

Convolvulus Hawkmoth - Miriam Guard

Friday 28th August

Terns were again the feature of the day with the evening roost count comprising 1807 Common, c120 Sandwich, 12 Black, 11 Arctic and seven Little Tern. The spectacle of these gathering offshore attracted in a pale phase adult Pomarine Skua briefly along with four Arctic Skua although these remained distant, also passing south 60+ Kittiwake and  a close flock of 11 Balearic Shearwater with a later single. Wader counts included 376 Curlew, 229 Dunlin, 51 Ringed Plover, 43 Sanderling, 14 Whimbrel, 12 Knot, 10 Black and three Bar-tailed Godwit, six Greenshank, five Grey Plover and a Common Sandpiper. Also in the estuary seven Mediterranean Gull and the Slavonian Grebe. Elsewhere the first Goldcrest of the autumn was in the bushes with 18 Blackcap and 10 Whitethroat with three Grey and a Yellow Wagtail overhead.

Wildlife News: The Common Seal was on Bull Hill.

Thursday 27th August

Terns were again the order of the day with 250+ Common Tern on Bull Hill in the morning, however this and yesterday's counts were eclipsed in the evening. Stationed at John's Watch a new site record count of 2484 Common Tern were recorded heading into the estuary to roost, an incredible spectacle. The previous record count of 2000 was set 70 years ago in August 1945. This is also a new Devon record with c2000 also being recorded on the Exe in August 1956. Picked out amongst these flocks were at 11 Black, nine Little and at least three Arctic Tern. Other records from the estuary included a Ruff in the Bight, the Slavonian Grebe off Cockwood and counts of 240+ Dunlin, 120+ Ringed Plover, 60+ Sanderling and five Mediterranean Gull.

Wildlife News: A Grey Seal was on Bull Hill and Autumn Ladies Tresses are having a good year with hundreds of flowering spikes around areas of fixed grassland.

Wednesday 26th August

A look off Cockwood Steps in the evening revealed large numbers of terns heading into the estuary to roost with 800+ Common Tern eventually settling on sandbars off Mudbank Lane, Exmouth. With them were 80+ Sandwich and at least two Black Tern. Also in the estuary 157+ Great Black-backed Gull, five Common Sandpiper and four adult Mediterranean Gull, with two Swift overhead.

Tuesday 25th August

The only news came from an hour long seawatch before the rain set in around 10.30. A single Sooty Shearwater that flew east was the first of the year but apart from a distant Balearic Shearwater heading south there was little else moving with just 25 Gannet, 14 Fulmar and three Common Tern noted along with the first returning Great-crested Grebe on the sea.

Monday 24th August

A juvenile Roseate Tern was in the Bight with 115 Sandwich and 19 Common Tern over high tide. Also from the hide after the rain passed through a single Ruff, 302+ Dunlin, 140+ Ringed Plover, 52 Great Black-backed Gull, 40+ Sanderling, a Knot and an adult Little Gull. Elsewhere a Garden Warbler was in the Entrance Bushes, a Black Tern flew in off the sea and 13 Greenshank flew high south.

Sunday 23rd August

The wet weather cleared  midmorning to reveal birds across the site with terns and waders constantly on the move during the first few hours. Simple numbers fail to convey the spectacle from the hide but 13 Black, seven Little and at least three Arctic Tern dropped in amongst 175+ Sandwich and 70+ Common Tern whilst a moulting adult Curlew Sandpiper, a juvenile Little Stint and a Ruff were with 476 Ringed Plover, 430 Dunlin, 100+ Sanderling and 59 Turnstone. Also in the estuary the Slavonian Grebe, 15+ Bar and nine Black-tailed Godwit, 11 Greenshank, three Mediterranean Gull, a Snipe and a Knot. Elsewhere the first Whinchat of the year was in Greenland Lake and a Spotted Flycatcher was around the Main Pond, an adult Little Gull was offshore, a juvenile Osprey hunted around the estuary mouth having flown north from Teignmouth and two Swift were overhead.

 Little Tern - Lee Collins

 Black Tern - Lee Collins

Osprey - Simon Thurgood

Wildlife News: A Clouded Yellow and several Silver Y were on Warren Point. Elsewhere Autumn Ladies Tresses are now starting to flower across the site and a Common Seal was on Bull Hill. The Emperor photographed below with an Oak Eggar caught but the moth but because of it's weight couldn't fly very far, so it came down to grass level, cut off wings and flew off back to the trees with the body to feed.

Emperor - Simon Thurgood

Saturday 22nd August

Despite the fog and overnight rain there were very few migrants on site with just single figure counts of Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Whitethroat in the bushes and a single Grey Wagtail overhead. Also in the bushes the first Coal Tit of the year and the long-staying Treecreeper. In the estuary wader counts included 443 Dunlin, 227 Ringed Plover, seven Turnstone and a Knot with 107+ Sandwich, 10 Common and a juvenile Arctic Tern also in front of the hide. Elsewhere at least 50 Common Tern were offshore in the evening.