Tuesday 30th January

Waders were well scrutinised for colour rings over high tide, Oystercatcher will be on the move north soon. Selected counts from the estuary included 102 Bar-tailed Godwit, 70 Knot, 56 Shelduck, 32 Ringed Plover, 27 Sanderling and a Red-breasted Merganser.

Elsewhere the first Little Grebe since the short freeze was back on the Main Pond with seven Shoveler and four Teal, with 19 Red-throated Diver, through and in the bay at dawn.

Other Wildlife: A Grey Seal was in the estuary with a Devil's Coach Horse Ocypus olens, 25mm of elite predator under driftwood. 

Devil's Coach Horse - both Alan Keatley

Monday 29th January

A 1hr 30m seawatch first thing saw 547 auk sp. head SW across the bay along with 262 Kittiwake and 11 Red-throated Diver.

Counts from the estuary included c1765 Dunlin, 436 Dark and a Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 188 Teal, 162 Grey and 17 Ringed Plover, 133 Bar-tailed Godwit, 93 Redshank, 87 Common and two Mediterranean Gull, 62 Knot, 14 Curlew, 11 Wigeon, seven Sanderling, five Eider, five Red-breasted Merganser, two Greenshank and a ♀ Goldeneye in Shutterton Creek.

Dark-bellied Brent Geese - Alan Keatley

Elsewhere the year's Great Spotted Woodpecker was on the Golf Course with a Siskin overhead, five Shoveler on the Main Pond with two Goldcrest and a Chiffchaff in the bushes.

Skylark - Alan Keatley

Year list addition:

101. Great Spotted Woodpecker

Other Wildlife: A fairly dull day subdued any insect activity with a Seven-spot Ladybird being the bright spot. A marsh beetle Contracyphon sp. under bark could not to identified to species in the field, but would probably be new for site. The Grey Squirrel was in the Entrance Bushes.

Seven-spot Ladybird - Alan Keatley

Sunday 28th January

A remarkable movement of at least 73 Red-throated Diver SW during a 1h 20m seawatch from first light, some landing in the bay, but most moving through. The second highest count following 76 on 2nd March 2014. Also offshore 97 Kittiwake, 14 Pintail, nine Wigeon, five Common Scoter, two Fulmar and a Great Northern Diver.

Counts from the estuary included a winter high 401 Dark-bellied Brent Geese moving between fields at Eastdon and the Recording Area, with the presumed hybrid and single Pale-bellied Brent Goose. The wader roosts were again disturbed with no accurate counts possible, wildfowl included 170 Teal, 54 Shelduck, 14 Wigeon, the nine Eider, four Red-breasted Merganser, a ♂ Pintail and the year's first Mute Swan!

Elsewhere four Shoveler were on the Main Pond, two Chiffchaff and a Goldcrest were in the bushes and a small arrival of Meadow Pipit with 19 counted on site, showed spring is on it's way.

Year list addition:

100. Mute Swan

Saturday 27th January

The juvenile Spoonbill again roosted on Finger Point at high tide, unperturbed by the hunting Sparrowhawk that kept the wader flocks mobile, many eventually settling on the railway embankment at Cockwood. Counts from the estuary included 279 Dark and a Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 216 Teal, 157 Grey and 33 Ringed Plover, 131 Bar-tailed Godwit, 117 Knot, 104 Curlew, 101 Redshank, 18 Wigeon, nine Eider, two Mediterranean Gull, two Red-breasted Merganser and the Avocet.

Elsewhere 42 Great Crested Grebe, five Great Northern and four Red-throated Diver were offshore, a flock of 13 Pintail circled the bay before entering estuary, six Shoveler were on the Main Pond, with two Goldcrest in the bushes and Green Woodpecker, Kestrel and at least four singing male Cirl Bunting on site. 

Friday 26th January

Offshore 144 Kittiwake flew SW in 30 minutes first light, with 49 roosting Great Crested Grebe, four Great Northern and two Red-throated Diver.

A pair of Goldeneye were in Shutterton Creek, with the Avocet, a Jack Snipe and the year's first Water Pipit in the saltmarsh (no access). Also in the estuary 348 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 102 Teal, 75 Shelduck, 61 Turnstone, 15 Wigeon, a winter high 15 Red-breasted Merganser, 14 Ringed Plover, 13 Sanderling and an adult Mediterranean Gull, with the nine Eider also present.

Elsewhere four Shoveler were on Main Pond, single Goldcrest and Chiffchaff in the bushes and a lone Siskin overhead.

Year list addition:

99. Water Pipit

Other Wildlife: The first Grey Seal of the year was in the estuary, the removal of their favoured haul out barge has reduced records at this end of the estuary.

Wednesday 24th January

A generally quiet middle of the day visit saw a Great Northern Diver off Langstone Rock with 27 Dark-bellied Brent Geese feeding there at low tide with another 66 on the estuary mudflats. 

Two Goldcrest were noted in the bushes with three Shoveler on the Main Pond. 

Goldcrest - Alan Keatley

Other Wildlife: Insects were also keeping their heads down despite the warming conditions, the cranefly Symplecta stictica was on the wing, but other discoveries were under wood including Blue Willow Beetle Phratora vulgatissima, Common Earwig and a few Greenhouse Slug Ambigolmax valentianus.

Symplecta stictica - Alan Keatley

Greenhouse Slug Ambigolmax valentianus - Alan Keatley

Tuesday 23rd January

A juvenile Spoonbill feeding off Cockwood at low tide was the only news received. 

Monday 22nd January

Early morning saw another large auk movement SW across the bay with 2502 clicked through in 1hr 20 mins, a small sample suggested another roughly even split. Also passing 108 Kittiwake, 56 Gannet, nine Red-throated and five Great Northern Diver, three Common Scoter, three Fulmar and a ♀ Red-breasted Merganser. The year's first Egyptian Goose was watched entering the estuary from Exmouth. 

The single Avocet and Pale-bellied Brent Goose were in the estuary with counts of 177 Teal, 89 Shelduck, 57 Turnstone, 35 Wigeon and two ♀ Red-breasted Merganser.

Elsewhere nine Eider were offshore, an immature male replacing one of the females, five Shoveler were on the Main Pond with five Chiffchaff and two Goldcrest in the bushes.

Year list addition:

98. Egyptian Goose

Sunday 21st January

Seawatching from 1hr 45 minutes from first light saw the following heading, SW, 544 auk sp., 200 Gannet, 43 Kittiwake, seven Common Scoter, seven Red-throated and three Great Northern Diver, three Fulmar, three Red-breasted Merganser and the year's first Golden Plover flew in off the sea with a Turnstone.

The juvenile Spoonbill was again in the estuary with the Pale-bellied Brent Goose and a possible hybrid/intergrade Dark/Pale-belled Brent amongst the 311 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 241 Teal, 95 Shelduck, 50 Wigeon, two Eider, a pair of Red-breasted Merganser by the Wreck and an adult Mediterranean Gull and a grey Muscovy Duck in the saltmarsh.

The monthly WeBS count was on a neap tide so wader counts were much reduced with just 802 Dunlin, 136 Knot, 48 Grey and 16 Ringed Plover, 16 Curlew, six Bar-tailed Godwit and two Sanderling present.

Storm Isha, despite being centred northwest of Ireland, kept the site blown out with just two Goldcrest and a Chiffchaff found in the bushes, seven Shoveler (five ♂ two ♀) on the ponds and a ♀ Pheasant in Greenland Lake.

Year list additions:

96. Golden Plover
97. Pheasant

Other Wildlife: The Grey Squirrel was in the Entrance Bushes and a Field Vole was in Greenland Lake.

Saturday 20th January

A 2h 45 minute seawatching from first light was particularly busy with all birds heading SW across the bay; totals included 1184 auks (estimate 65-75% Razorbill, 25-35% Guillemot), 285 Gannet, 111 Kittiwake, 43 Red-throated Diver, 40 Common Gull, with similar numbers in the estuary, 14 Fulmar and nine Common Scoter.

The regular juvenile Spoonbill flew in from up estuary and landed on Finger Point on high tide, with counts from the Bight including 1051 Dunlin, 156 Knot, 107 Grey and 11 Ringed Plover, 84 Bar-tailed Godwit, 82 Curlew and 12 Sanderling.

Other counts from the estuary included 294 Teal, 284 Dark and a Light-bellied Brent Geese, 100 Wigeon, 91 Shelduck, the nine Eider, five Red-breasted Merganser and the Avocet.

The land was quiet in the increasing wind with three Goldcrest in the bushes, the Cetti's Warbler in the brambles beside Back Path near Dead Dolphin Wood and four Shoveler on the Main Pond.

Sparrowhawk - Lee Collins

Year list addition:

95. Fulmar