Sunday 31st August

A Grey Phalarope feeding close off the seawall was a surprise start to the day especially considering the calm, sunny conditions. Also offshore two Arctic Skua and a Great Northern Diver. The highlight of the day was however the seventh Rose-coloured Starling for the recording area, a very mobile juvenile with 100+ Starling. Other migrants included a Whinchat in Greenland Lake, two Yellow Wagtail, a Little Ringed Plover and a Hobby overhead, three Sedge Warbler, a Spotted Flycatcher and a Nuthatch. Elsewhere the Slavonian Grebe was in the estuary with seven Wigeon, six Common Sandpiper, 200+ Common and an Arctic Tern and a first winter Yellow-legged Gull.

 Nuthatch - Lee Collins

Rose-coloured Starling https://twitter.com/DawlishBirder/status/506155639488651264/photo/1 

 

Wildlife News: At two Clouded Yellow were on site with both Common and Grey Seal in the estuary.

Common Seal - Lee Collins

 

Ringing News: August has been a record month for recoveries on the Warren, thanks mainly to the excellent opportunities available from the hide. Over the month rings have been read on 63 different birds of 11 species. In total there have been 137 individual reads showing the site fidelity for many individuals.

 

Whilst the recording group are still awaiting details from ringers/ BTO for many of the records, birds have been traced from Poland (Black-headed Gull), Ireland (Little Tern), Guernsey, Norway, Dorset, France (Great Black-backed Gull), Cleveland (Common Tern) and Cornwall (Cormorant).

 

Saturday 30th August

With all five regular observers on site and nearly eleven hours birded, coverage today was good.  Including a pulse of passage south at sea before dawn, terns totals were 319 Common, 110 Sandwich, 6 Little, 4 Arctic, an adult Roseate and a juv Black Tern.   The sea was otherwise quiet with 35+ Gannet south, a Razorbill and 30 Common Scoter inshore.  Both high tides produced best counts of a juv Little Ringed Plover, 235 Ringed Plover, 319 Redshank, 1 Greenshank, 1 Ruff, two Knot, 25 Sanderling, 230 Dunlin, 12 Bar-tailed Godwit, 5 Black-tailed Godwit, 5 Whimbrel, 485 Curlew, 1 Green Sandpiper, 7 Common Sandpiper, a juv Curlew Sandpiper and 2 Turnstone.  Within the estuary, there was the resident Slavonian Grebe, 1 Bar-headed Goose with the Canada Goose flocks; 1 Wigeon, 3 Teal, a site notable count of 58 Mallard; 6+ Little Egret and 7 Mediterranean Gull.  An Osprey made a brief sortie over the site at lunchtime. Two Kingfishers ranged widely.

Little movement overhead with 5 Grey Wagtail, 2 Meadow Pipit, a few Swallows, one Sand Martin, two Jackdaw, two Rook and four Raven. The bushes, dunes and reed-beds were uneventful with 2 Wheatear, 3 Reed Warbler, 1 Sedge Warbler, 9 Blackcap, 10 Whitethroat, 15 Chiffchaff, 4 Willow Warbler, and the now semi-resident Treecreeper,  Though suspected for some time, pair of Collared Dove defending their nest against a couple of Magpies, was the first confirmed breeding record on site. 

Friday 29th August

There were still 180 Common Tern on Finger Point this morning with many more further upriver, also on Finger Point four Little and a Roseate Tern with a Black Tern over Bull Hill. Wader counts included 318 Redshank, 236 Dunlin, 160+ Ringed Plover with single Greenshank and Common Sandpiper. Elsewhere a Whinchat was on the Golf Course, three Grey Wagtail were overhead and the Slavonian Grebe, five Mediterranean Gull and a Kingfisher were in Shutterton Creek.

Thursday 28th August

Terns were again the main feature of the day with a movement of 501 Common Tern south before 7am with over 400 of those in just 20 minutes after dawn. The minimum count for the day was 747 birds, although 600+ were off site upriver late evening.  With these there were 168+ Sandwich Tern, at least 11 Arctic Tern, six Little, two Black and a single Roseate Tern. Waders included three Little Ringed Plover, the juvenile Curlew Sandpiper, a juvenile Ruff, two Greenshank and eight Common Sandpiper with other counts including 1651 Oystercatcher, 296 Redshank, 283 Dunlin, and 268 Ringed Plover. Elsewhere migrants included single Spotted Flycatcher, Garden Warbler and Yellow Wagtail, with an Osprey, four Swift and a Grey Wagtail overhead, the Slavonian Grebe was off Cockwood and the Treecreeper was again in the Entrance Bushes.

 Common Tern - Lee Collins

 Ruff - Lee Collins

Curlew Sandpiper - Simon Thurgood

Wednesday 27th August

Terns were the order of the day with incredible numbers around and passing through the site, although many were missed as no observers were on site early morning. In the afternoon Common Tern in their hundreds were flying south over the Bight and out to sea; many others remained in the estuary sheltering until pushed off by tide before heading upriver. A minimum of 865 were counted, the highest count for the recording area since 1000 in May 1973. With these flocks were at least 11 Black Tern, including a moulting adult, nine Little Tern, at least five Arctic Tern and three Roseate Tern, including two first summers. With all these there were also at least 275 Sandwich Tern. Other species didn't get much of a look in but a Shoveler was offshore, six Teal were in the estuary, five Wheatear were on the golf course and amongst the smaller waders there was a juvenile Curlew Sandpiper.

Roseate Terns - Lee Collins

Ringing News: A colour-ringed juvenile Little Tern first noted from the hide at the weekend was again present today. Although too distant to read the darvic code the colour and position of the ring meant it can be tracked back to its natal colony at Kilcoole, Co Wicklow, Ireland http://littleternconservation.blogspot.co.uk/
This is the first Little Tern recovery for the recording area and Devon.

Tuesday 26th August

Good numbers of terns remained around site with at least one juvenile Arctic Tern with 59 Common Tern on Finger Point, also feeding either in the estuary or offshore 17 Mediterranean Gull and the second winter Little Gull. Counts from the estuary included 278 Redshank, 218 Ringed Plover, 202 Dunlin, 16 Sanderling, three Bar and a Black-tailed Godwit, the summer plumaged Grey Plover, a Greenshank and the Slavonian Grebe. Elsewhere a Coot on the Main Pond was the first for the year, three Wheatear were on site and a Grey Wagtail was overhead.

Common Tern (top) & Arctic Tern - Lee Collins

Wildlife News: The Grey Seal was close offshore by groyne nine.

Monday 25th August

The wet weather that moved through during the day produced large numbers of terns around site with minimum counts of 200+ Sandwich, 120+ Common and at least six Arctic Tern with single Little and Black Tern also seen. Other counts included 480+ Curlew, 242+ Great Black-backed Gull,  212 Ringed Plover, 154 Dunlin,  20+ Whimbrel, 19 Black and six Bar-tailed Godwit, 12 Sanderling, eight Mediterranean Gull and single Knot, Greenshank and Grey Plover. Elsewhere a Redstart was in Greenland Lake, three Balearic Shearwater and a Great Northern Diver were offshore, two Shoveler were in the Bight and the Slavonian Grebe was in the estuary.

Knot, Black-tailed Godwit (both juveniles) & Turnstone  - Lee Collins

Wildlife News: At least five Bottle-nosed Dolphin were offshore early morning, a Grey Seal was in the estuary and Jersey Lily Amaryllis belladonna is in flower on Warren Neck - a first for a recording area.

Sunday 24th August

A small arrival of migrants included single Whinchat, Sedge Warbler and Yellow Wagtail, two Willow Warbler and five Wheatear. The Little Tern was in estuary with 196+ Sandwich and 25+ Common Tern whilst wader counts included 183 Dunlin, 142 Ringed Plover, seven Sanderling, five Bar and five Black-tailed Godwit, a Greenshank, a Knot and a Common Sandpiper.

Ringed Plover - Lee Collins

Saturday 23rd August

A juvenile Little Ringed Plover in front of the hide and a Hobby that flew through south were new arrivals with the juvenile Litte Tern, Great Northern Diver and Slavonian Grebe all still present.

Little Tern - David Boult

Friday 22nd August

A juvenile Little Tern was feeding offshore this afternoon with Sandwich and 89+ Common Tern. Elsewhere the Slavonian Grebe was in the estuary with 158 Ringed Plover, 132 Dunlin, 79+ Great Black-backed Gull, 10 Sanderling, six Mediterranean Gull, four Black-tailed Godwit and single Knot and Greenshank.