Sunday 2nd October

Seawatching early morning saw 38 Balearic Shearwater south along with 133 Gannet, 23 Kittiwake, 11 Sandwich Tern, four Mediterranean Gull, three Arctic Skua and a Red-throated Diver. At least 170 auks also flew south, most too distant but an even Guillemot/Razorbill split in those close enough to identify.

In the estuary seven of the 15 Dark-bellied Brent Geese were juveniles, the highest count for several years, other counts included 903 Wigeon, 331 Teal, 321 Curlew, 317 Redshank, 24 Bar and a Black-tailed Godwit, eight Greenshank, eight Sanderling, five Grey Plover and a Shelduck.

Overhead 35 Meadow Pipit, 14 Siskin, five Skylark, three Swallow, a Grey Wagtail and a Jackdaw, with 17 Chiffchaff, six Blackcap and two Goldcrest in the bushes and the/a Wryneck again made a brief appearance.

Wildlife News: A Clouded Yellow was in Greenland Lake.

Saturday 1st October

Seawatching early morning saw 21 Balearic Shearwater head south along with 260 Gannet, 79 Kittiwake, six Common Scoter, four Mediterranean Gull, an Arctic Skua, two Red-throated and a Great Northern Diver.

Osprey - Alan Keatley

In the estuary a juvenile Osprey, Tuesday's bird, and the immature Peregrine continue to play havoc with roosting flocks. Counts completed included 376 Curlew, 313 Redshank, 37 Bar and a Black-tailed Godwit in the Railway Saltmarsh, 147 Teal and 140 Wigeon in Shutterton Creek and 20 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, including the first two juveniles, 20 Knot, 13 Sandwich Tern, four Grey Plover and two Pale-bellied Brent Geese in the Bight.

Pale and a Dark-bellied Brent Goose - Alan Keatley

Elsewhere 15 Chiffchaff, three Goldcrest and two Blackcap were in the bushes and overhead 23 Meadow Pipit, 12 Skylark, 11 Swallow, two Sand Martin, a Grey Wagtail and a Rook.

Wildlife News: At least three Clouded Yellow were on the wing along with a Tree Bumblebee, the first one for several weeks, and the numerous Common Carder and Buff-tailed Bumblebee on the Michaelmas Daisy.

Dark Bush Cricket (female) - Alan Keatley

Spurge Bug - Alan Keatley

Thursday 29th September

Migration in action today with 700+ House Martin pouring west along the Dune Ridge this morning with many others missed and just two Swallow noted. There was no sign of the Wryneck but a Whinchat was a new arrival on Warren Point. 

In the estuary an Osprey again limited the high tide roost but counts included 680 Wigeon, 34 Ringed and 15 Grey Plover, 20 Turnstone, 10 Sandwich Tern, five Greenshank, two Shelduck, two Mediterranean Gull, two Knot and just the second Ruff of the year. 

Osprey - Lee Collins

Ringing News: Today's Osprey was also sporting a blue colour ring, but unlike Tuesday's bird it was on the right leg. Photos revealed it to be Blue 442, a female ringed at Nest 4 in the Kielder Forest, Northumberland on 7th July 2022 and was previously seen in Lincolnshire. The first Osprey recovery from the Warren.

Wednesday 28th September

An immature Ring-necked Duck was an unexpected 305th bird for the Warren, especially as there have only been five records of Tufted Duck in the last two years. It was found early morning in Shutterton Creek but it flew up the estuary whilst news was still being put out. It was then found at the extreme north end of the estuary at Topsham Rec 40 minutes later (where this photo was taken) before heading south back down river after a few minutes.

Ring-necked Duck (at Topsham) - Martin Elcoate

Although the duck was the clear highlight, the day kept delivering with the ringed juvenile Osprey again present and a Little Stint in the Bight. The Osprey and regular immature female Peregrine kept the site clear of most waders at high tide with just a handful of Oystercatcher present along with 25 Dunlin,18 Ringed Plover, 14 Sanderling and a Grey Plover. The Oystercatcher roosted over at Sandy Bay, the smaller waders on the seawall north of Cockwood.

Also in the estuary 570 Wigeon, 14 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 12 Sandwich Tern and a Great Crested Grebe, with 54 Balearic Shearwater and three Mediterranean Gull amongst over 1000 gulls feeding on Sprat off Warren Point. Also offshore a Red-throated Diver and earlier 27 Balearic Shearwater south.

Elsewhere a Wryneck around the Entrance Bushes was another surprise find, with the last sighting eight days ago it is likely this is a second bird but it quickly went to ground and single Wheatear, Whitethroat and a few Chiffchaff were the only other new migrants.

Wryneck - Dean Hall

Overhead two Yellow and Grey Wagtail, c20 Meadow Pipit, 55 House Martin, 15 Linnet, 10 Swallow, three Rook and a Chaffinch. Most passage was too high or out over the bay, pushed offshore by the wind.

Meadow Pipit - Dean Hall

Wildlife News: A Clouded Yellow and a few Red Admiral were on the wing but other butterflies were limited to single Small Copper, Speckled Wood, Large and a few Small White. Another migrant, a White-clubbed Glasswing Scaeva pyrastri was amongst today's ten hoverfly species.

Clouded Yellow - Alan Keatley

Scaeva pyrastri - Alan Keatley

Also on the wing Ivy Bee remain in numbers around a small clump on ivy by Langstone Rock, also there Looped Flutter-fly Palloptera mulibris and the beetle Opatrum sabulosum.

Ivy Bee - Alan Keatley

Looped Flutter-fly - Alan Keatley

Opatrum sabulosum - Alan Keatley

Tuesday 27th September

In the estuary a large increase in Wigeon with 970 roosting in Shutterton Creek along with 130 Canada, a Barnacle and a Snow Goose. In the Bight the first Pale-bellied Brent of the autumn was with 40 Dark-bellied Brent Geese with 76 Ringed Plover, 49 Dunlin, nine Greenshank, four Turnstone and a Whimbrel.

Earlier a new juvenile Osprey was in the estuary, with 12 Chiffchaff and a Wheatear on site and three Balearic Shearwater and a Red-throated Diver offshore.

Osprey - Lee Collins

Monday 26th September

The usually unproductive northerlies delivered again with a very early Iceland Gull, an adult flew east across the estuary early morning, found while watching the continuing Osprey. The gull was the first since 2018 and only the second September record.

Counts over the high tide included 597 Teal, 387 Wigeon, 311 Redshank, 91 Ringed Plover, 80 Dark-bellied Brent Goose, 24 Sanderling, nine Greenshank, two Black-tailed Godwit, two Sandwich Tern and two Curlew Sandpiper. 

Elsewhere a summer plumaged Red-throated Diver was offshore and a Wheatear was in the Bight.

Wildlife News: At Langstone Rock several Ivy Bee have found the only Ivy that is currently flowering on site, with a Red-legged Shieldbug and a late Pied Plumehorn Volucella pellucens. 

Red-legged Shieldbug - Alan Keatley

Another Yellow-girdled Dasysyrphus D. tricinctus was along the track by the Main Pond with two Ivy Waspgrabber Leopoldius signatus. In the sheltered Skipper Meadow, three Field Digger Wasp Mellinus arvensis were on the hunt for flies one successfully catching a bluebottle.

Field Digger Wasp - Alan Keatley

Sunday 25th September

The northerly winds again provided the highlight with a lone juvenile Pink-footed Goose in Shutterton Creek on the rising evening tide, the third site record. This closely matches the second record on 18 Sep 2010, although that bird's stay was even more fleeting. All three records have occurred between 18-25 September.

Pink-footed Goose - Lee Collins

Over the morning tide two juvenile Osprey were present, one over the Bight and one distantly offshore between Dawlish and Teignmouth, earlier seen over Torbay, which eventually headed up estuary where a third bird was off Powderham! 

Counts from the estuary included 444 Teal, 425 Wigeon, 359 Curlew, 301 Redshank, 65 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 30 Bar and two Black-tailed Godwit, 26 Sanderling, 20 Grey Plover, seven Greenshank, four Turnstone, three Knot, Snipe, Mediterranean Gull and Sandwich Tern, two Curlew Sandpiper, Shelduck and Pintail and single Kingfisher, Shoveler and the returning Spotted Redshank.

Elsewhere a Tree and 19 Meadow Pipit and lone Siskin were overhead and grounded migrants included 20 Chiffchaff, four Blackcap and single Whitethroat and Wheatear.

Saturday 24th September

Most of the activity came from the estuary with an increase in waders and wildfowl arriving on the northerly winds, amongst the latter a juvenile Scaup in Shutterton Creek, the first of the year. 

Also present first thing the juvenile Osprey with counts including 880 Oystercatcher, 517 Teal, 387 Curlew, 342 Wigeon, 171 Dunlin, 103 Ringed and 17 Grey Plover, 41 Dark-bellied Brent Goose, 32 Sanderling, 25 Bar and two Black-tailed Godwit, eight Greenshank, four Curlew Sandpiper, four Sandwich Tern, four Knot, three adult Mediterranean Gull, two Kingfisher, a Pintail and a Little Stint.

Elsewhere two Water Rail were at the Main Pond; 70 Swallow, 22 Meadow Pipit, four Rook and a Sand Martin flew through with a Wheatear on the Golf Course and 14 Chiffchaff, six Blackcap and two Goldcrest on site. A Coal Tit made a brief visit from the mainland with nine Long-tailed Tit.

Wildlife News: A Vestal was on Warren Point with a Locust Blowfly in Greenland Lake another migrant, also on the wing the second site record of Yellow-girdled Dasysyphrus D. tricinctus, one of ten hoverflies species seen. These included Gossamer Hoverfly Baccha elongata and Yellow-barred Peat Hoverfly Sericomyia silentis.

Yellow-girdled Dasysyphrus - Alan Keatley

Yellow-barred Peat Hoverfly - Alan Keatley

A Grey Seal was in the estuary and the first Vervain Verbena officinalis for the Warren was found growing on the Golf Course.

Vervain - Kevin Rylands

Brassica Bug - Kevin Rylands

Thursday 22nd September

An adult Spoonbill low north over the seawall early morning was a great start, but seemed to be the only new arrival with the bushes holding 14 Chiffchaff, three Blackcap, a Whitethroat and a Reed Warbler. 

In the estuary no sign of the Spoonbill but an Osprey was present late morning. Over the evening tide a juvenile Little Stint was with 112 Ringed Plover and 88 Dunlin in the Bight, with other counts including 328 Teal, 182 Wigeon, 178 Redshank, 31 Bar-tailed Godwit, 10 Sanderling, nine Greenshank, eight Sandwich Tern, five Mediterranean Gull, two Kingfisher and a Turnstone.

Wildlife News: A female Ectophasia crassipennis was seen by the Main Pond, this is the second Recording Area record for this rare tachinid fly, which was first recorded in the UK in 2019. Also nectaring on the abundant Michaelmas Daisy at least six species of hoverfly and a couple of late digger wasps, Common Ectemnius E. continuus and a Mournful Wasp Pempherdon lugubris. In Dead Dolphin Wood an Ivy Waspgrabber Leopoldius signatus was only the third site record.

Ectemnius continuus - Alan Keatley

Tuesday 20th September

The highlight was again a Wryneck, this time near the Visitor Centre, presumably the same bird as Sunday, but around 1.5km from its original location. A Redwing reported by the Golf Course was the earliest ever arrival, but other grounded migrants were limited to 16 Chiffchaff and four Blackcap. Overhead six Meadow Pipit, four Skylark, two Grey Wagtail and two Rook.

Elsewhere 316 Curlew, 166 Redshank, 48 Sandwich Tern and two Grey Plover were in the estuary, 15 Sanderling were on the beach and a Kingfisher was at the Main Pond.

Wildlife News: Several hoverflies were on the wing including a Yellow-barred Peat Hoverfly Sericomyia silentis amongst many Common Eristalis tenax and Striped-faced Dronefly E. nemorum, Humming Syrphus S.ribesii and Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus with several Batman Myathropa florea and Tiger Hoverfly Heliophilus pendulus along with Common Spotted Field Syrph Eupeodes luniger and White-clubbed Glasswing Scaeva pyrastri.

Vestal - Alan Keatley

Also today a Vestal on Warren Point, along with the darkling beetle Crypticus quisquilius, a first site record for this dune specialist.

Crypticus quisquilius - Alan Keatley