Sunday 31st July

Offshore early morning a Balearic and 68 Manx Shearwater flew south with 92 Gannet, 60 Sandwich Tern, 35 Kittiwake and 17 Common Scoter. Bucking the trend and going east were two Arctic Skua, single dark and pale phase.

Counts from the high tide included 613 Oystercatcher, 376 Curlew, 98 Sandwich Tern, 79 Sanderling, 55 Whimbrel, 50 Ringed Plover, 26 Mediterranean Gull (12 ad, nine juv, three 1s, two 2s), 15 Dunlin, six Common Tern, five Common Gull, four Bar-tailed Godwit, a Knot and the Dark-bellied Brent Goose.

Song Thrush (doing well to find a snail in the conditions) - Alan Keatley

Elsewhere two Garden and a Sedge Warbler were definite migrants, with the Treecreeper in Dead Dolphin Wood, and the first Meadow Pipit of the autumn overhead with 42 Swift, 23 Swallow and two House Martin.

Wildlife News: At Langstone Rock more Kiefferia pericarpilcola galls were found on Wild Carrot and the second generation of Black Mining Bee Andrena pilipes were on the wing.

Black Mining Bee - Alan Keatley

Again very few hoverflies but other solitary bees included Pantaloon, Common Furrow, Green-eyed Flower and Coastal and Silvery Leafcutter. The Beewolf colony on the Golf Course continues to be well stocked. Both Five and Six-spot Burnet moths were around Greenland Lake along with good numbers of fresh Common Blue and Small Copper.

Straw-barred Pearl - Alan Keatley

A Grey Seal was offshore, the first for a while.

Grey Seal - Alan Keatley

Saturday 30th July

Offshore a Balearic and nine Manx Shearwater flew east with 34 Gannet, 33 Shag, 15 Kittiwake, 11 Common Scoter, an Arctic Skua south and a Great Crested Grebe.

Counts from the estuary included 540 Oystercatcher, 409 Curlew, 215 Redshank, 153 Sandwich Tern (at least 45 juv), 73 Sanderling, 59 Whimbrel, 55 Ringed Plover, 30 Common Tern (nine juv), 27 Mediterranean Gull, 18 Mute Swan, 12 Dunlin, six Bar-tailed Godwit, four Greenshank, a Knot and a Dark-bellied Brent Goose.

Elsewhere 78 Swallow, 12 Swift and five House Martin were overhead with 15 Blackcap, 14 Cirl Bunting, eight Chiffchaff, seven Whitethroat, two Great Spotted Woodpecker, two Willow and a Reed Warbler.

Wildlife News: A Purple Thorn flew in off the sea first thing and a Jersey Tiger was flying around the Windmill.

Friday 29th July

Counts from the estuary included 528 Oystercatcher, 111 Sandwich and 28 Common Tern, 40 Sanderling, 39 Ringed Plover, 24 Dunlin and a Grey Plover.

Two migrant Willow Warbler, one singing, were in the Entrance Bushes, along with the long-staying Treecreeper. Elsewhere at least two broods of Whitethroat were on the wing and the long-staying first summer Kestrel is starting to moult into adult plumage.

Kestrel - Alan Keatley

Wildlife News: Sunny all day with temperatures rising again. The Warren is looking particularly parched with flowers going over very quickly. After a series of November showings the Marsh Helleborine haven't lasted long this year, struggling to reach August. Bramble, Ragwort and Evening Primrose are going the same way. Only the Common Fleabane and the emerging Water Mint provide a reliable nectar source at the moment. 

The regular dragonflies and butterflies were on the wing including six Small Red-eyed Damselfly, a male Black-tailed Skimmer and a Brown Argus. The hoverfly offering was again limited with Hornet and Marmalade Hoverfly, Dark-winged Chrysogaster C. solstitialis, Common Paragus P. haemorrhous, Bumblebee Blacklet Cheilosia illustrata and Spotted Meliscaeva M. auricollis.

Mint Moth - Alan Keatley

Other insects included Small Purple and Gold aka Mint Moth, Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet and Rhombic Leatherbug Syromastus rhombeus.

Rhombic Leatherbug - Alan Keatley

Wednesday 27th July

An Arctic Tern, the first of the year, was in the Bight with 16 Common Tern but no other news was received. 

Tuesday 26th July

In the estuary 468 Oystercatcher, 83 Sandwich and two Common Tern, 10 Ringed Plover, seven Dunlin, five Turnstone, four Sanderling, a Black-tailed Godwit and an unseasonal Dark-bellied Brent Goose, likely the summering bird from Exmouth rather than a new arrival.

Elsewhere at least 138 Swift were feeding above masses of gulls anting above the site and 26 Swallow flew through.

Sunday 24th July

Records from the estuary included 337 Oystercatcher, 328 Curlew, 198 Redshank, 146 Sandwich Tern, 83 Canada Geese, 22 Whimbrel, 20 Mediterranean Gull, 19 Dunlin, 18 Ringed Plover, 10 Greenshank, a Common Sandpiper and on Bull Hill a 4th year Yellow-legged Gull. 

Elsewhere 55 Gannet, 10 Common Scoter, nine Manx Shearwater, two Fulmar, two Great Crested Grebe and a Common Gull were offshore with passerines in the bushes including eight Cirl Bunting, seven Whitethroat and a Garden Warbler.

Saturday 23rd July

Offshore the first Balearic Shearwater of the autumn moved east with five Manx Shearwater ahead of rain, with 45 Gannet and 10 Common Scoter. 

Elsewhere the first Garden Warbler of the year was in Greenland Lake with 10 Blackcap, whilst a mobile tit flock included a Treecreeper, 25 Blue and 19 Long-tailed Tit.

Counts from the estuary included 377 Oystercatcher, 374 Curlew, 202 Redshank, 45 Sandwich and a Common Tern, 40 Whimbrel, 25 Mediterranean Gull, 17 Dunlin, 15 Ringed Plover, seven Greenshank, five Turnstone and four Bar-tailed Godwit with 51 Sanderling and three Common Sandpiper on the beach.

Wildlife News: The overcast weather and occasional light shower reduced insect activity, although a new fly for the Warren was discovered, the larvae nicely sheltered in a gall, Wild Carrot Gall Midge Kiefferia pericarpilcola.

Kiefferia pericarpilcola - Alan Keatley

A few more hoverflies, in so-far a poor year, included a couple of Marmalade Episyrphus balteatus and Tiger Helophilus pendulus along with Bumblebee Blacklet Cheilosia illustrata, Common Paragus P. haemorrhous, Common Twist-tail Sphaerophoria scripta, Furry Dronefly Eristalis intricaria and Slender Melanostoma M.scalare. 

Large Sharp-tail Bee Coelioxys conoidea - Alan Keatley

The dull weather hit the butterflies with only Gatekeeper in any numbers but a day-flying Jersey Tiger was noted. Late news of a Clouded Yellow yesterday. Offshore flat conditions allowed for sightings of  Harbour Porpoise, Bottle-nosed and Common Dolphin.

Thursday 21st July

At least 75 Sandwich Tern were around the estuary with 31 Sanderling, all adult, on the beach, two Common Sandpiper at Langstone Rock and eight Sand Martin overhead. 

Dunlin (front) and Sanderling - Alan Keatley

Wildlife News: Eight Small Red-eyed Damselfly were on the Main Pond with three Emperor and a Common Darter.

Black-thighed Epeolus E. variegatus - Alan Keatley

Tuesday 19th July

Wader counts from the estuary included 277 Curlew, 117 Redshank, 36 Dunlin, seven Black and a Bar-tailed Godwit, six Ringed Plover, five Whimbrel, four Sanderling, two Knot and a Turnstone.

Also present a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull, 316 Black-headed and 10 Mediterranean Gull, 140 Sandwich and a Common Tern.

Monday 18th July

Counts from the estuary included c180 Sandwich Tern, 170 Redshank, c50 Mediterranean Gull, 13 Dunlin, five Bar-tailed Godwit with the Curlew and Whimbrel, four Ringed Plover, two Knot, a Common Sandpiper and a Common Tern.

Ringing News: Four Sandwich Tern from the same Welsh scheme were present this morning, including Red KDB, rung in Sep 2015 it has been recorded annually here since 2016, with a couple of recoveries from Namibia in between.

Wildlife News: Overnight light trapping saw a total of 330 moths of 120 species in just three hours before 2am. The only recognised migrants were four Diamond-back, two Rush Veneer and a Four-spotted Footman, but no less than 10 new species for the Warren were recorded. 

Pine Hawkmoth - Kevin Rylands

Barred Hook-tip - Luke Harman

These fell into four neat categories; definite wanderers, Barred Hook-tip and Pine Hawkmoth; possible new residents, Barred Rivulet and Fen Wainscot.

Barred Rivulet - Luke Harman

Fen Wainscot - Luke Harman

Likely overlooked residents, Cherry-bark Moth Enarmonia formosana, Hawthorn Ermine Paraswammerdamia nebulella and Sallow Button Acleris hastiana; and establishing European species, Box-tree Moth Cydalima perspectalis, Dark-bordered Pearl Evergestis limbata and Southern Bell Crocidosema plebejana.

Box-tree Moth - Luke Harman

Swallow-tailed Moth - Kevin Rylands

Other highlights included the first Jersey Tiger of the year, Archer's Dart, Plain Pug, Sallow Kitten, Swallow-tailed Moth, Vapourer, Hook-tipped Grass-veneer Platytes alpinella, Little Slender Calybites phasianipennella and White-foot Bell Epiblema foenella.

White-foot Bell - Luke Harman

Hook-tipped Grass-veneer - Kevin Rylands

Little Slender - Kevin Rylands