Tuesday 31st May

A midsummer feel has settled on the Warren with a Cuckoo in Greenland Lake the only exception. Elsewhere wader counts included 11 Dunlin, seven Sanderling, six Ringed Plover and two Whimbrel with six Sandwich Tern and three Great-crested Grebe offshore.

Monday 30th May

A summer plumaged Golden Plover was a surprise over high tide with 40 Sanderling, 10 Ringed Plover, 10 Dunlin, five Whimbrel and three Bar-tailed Godwit also present. Elsewhere seven Sandwich Tern were offshore, and 11 Swallow, three House Martin and a couple of Swift flew through.

 Ringed Plover with yellow-flag 'UCT' and a red ring on the left tibia (not visible in this record shot) was ringed in Norway.

Golden Plover roosting in The Bight (Lee Collins)

Sunday 29th May

Waders continue to move through with 68 Sanderling on the beach, but the majority of the 171 Oystercatcher, 14 Curlew, 11 Whimbrel, six Dunlin and three Bar-tailed Godwit are probably on the Exe for the summer. Elsewhere two unseasonal Siskin were overhead with 40+ Swallow, 12 House Martin and eight Swift.

Thursday 26th May

A handful of passage waders continue to move through with 11 Sanderling and a couple of Dunlin on the beach and five Whimbrel and a Bar-tailed Godwit in the estuary. Elsewhere 30 Swallow and a House Martin flew through with two Sandwich Tern offshore and the Cuckoo still on Warren Point.

Wednesday 25th May

The Cuckoo remains on Warren Point upsetting the local Stonechats, but no other news was received.

Tuesday 24th May

A male Cuckoo on Warren Point was a surprise find with other migrants limited to 80-100 Sanderling on the beach with five Ringed Plover and a couple of Dunlin.

Sunday 22nd May

At least 170 Sanderling were along the beach with 18 Curlew, 10 Whimbrel and seven Shelduck in the estuary. Elsewhere three Great Northern Diver and 10 Great-crested Grebe were offshore.

Ringing News: The year's first Sanderbling was in the flocks on the beach. It had been ringed at Asenko village in Ghana in September 2012 and has been recorded 23 times over the intervening years, but all on it's wintering grounds in Ghana, so this is the first overseas recovery. Another recovery was the first summer Curlew which was ringed as a chick in Aberdeenshire last July and has been around the Exe estuary since October was again present on Finger Point.

Saturday 21st May

Seawatching today in between bouts of rain saw two dark phase Arctic Skua head east, two Great Skua, 55 Gannet, 51 Manx Shearwater, 30 Kittiwake and 16 Fulmar head south. Also offshore an Arctic and 17 Sandwich Tern, with two Great Northern Diver on the sea and a third flying south out of the estuary and over the spit. Elsewhere wader counts included at least 278 Sanderling, 74 Dunlin, 22 Curlew, 13 Bar-tailed Godwit, eight Ringed Plover and eight Whimbrel.

 Sandwich Tern - Dave Jewell

Pied Wagtail, a juvenile from a nest at The Boathouse - Alan Keatley

Friday 20th May

A Spotted Flycatcher in the Entrance Bushes and a late Short-eared Owl on Warren Point were both new arrivals, although the owl is presumably the bird that has recently been seen at other sites around the estuary. Offshore a Great Northern Diver flew south early morning with three Great Skua doing likewise in the evening with 10 Great-crested Grebe on the sea and 37 Sandwich Tern feeding off John's Watch. Elsewhere wader counts included 97 Sanderling, 21 Curlew, including an Aberdeenshire ringed first summer, 11 Turnstone, six Dunlin, four Whimbrel, two Bar-tailed Godwit and two Ringed Plover whilst 12 Swallow, three Swift and a House Martin flew through.

Wildlife News: The first Common Blue of the year were on the wing in Greenland Lake.

Common Blue - Dave Jewell

Thursday 19th May

A second summer Glaucous Gull was off John's Watch late afternoon, feeding behind a trawler with other gulls before heading off back into Lyme Bay, also offshore 14 Sandwich Tern, four Common Scoter and three Manx Shearwater. Counts over the high tide showed the regular late May movement of Sanderling with 144 on the beach, whilst in the estuary there were 33 Dunlin, 12 Curlew, five Whimbrel, three Ringed Plover and two Bar-tailed Godwit. Elsewhere a female Cuckoo around the Main Pond and Greenland Lake was an unexpected migrant and the first twitchable individual on site in three years.