Friday 7th June

Counts from the estuary included 360 Oystercatcher, 69 Sanderling, 24 Dunlin, 21 Whimbrel, 19 Curlew, 14 Ringed and a Grey Plover, the six Eider, four Turnstone, three Bar-tailed Godwit, an unseasonal pair of Teal and a Greenshank.

Elsewhere the Cuckoo was on Warren Point, an immature male Peregrine attempted to take one of 210 Starling around the Bight and offshore 200 foraging Manx Shearwater, four Common Scoter, three Great Northern Diver, three Sandwich and a Common Tern.

Other Wildlife: The resident Exe Common Seal made its first appearance of the year at this end of the estuary with a single Grey Seal in the Bight,

Elsewhere at least six plants of Grass Vetchling were found on the Golf Course, only the second record in 20 years. 

Grass Vetchling - Kevin Rylands

Thursday 6th June

Still good numbers of northbound waders around The Bight at high tide, perhaps held up by the change in wind direction, Counts included 76 Sanderling, 60 Dunlin and 24 Ringed Plover with 20 Curlew, 19 Whimbrel and a Bar-tailed Godwit in the saltmarsh and the six Eider on Finger Point.

The large feeding flock of 600+ Herring Gull was again offshore with 45 Black-headed Gull, four Common and three Sandwich Tern also foraging. Further out 45+ Manx Shearwater, 20+ Common Scoter, five Great Northern Diver and a pale phase Arctic Skua.

Elsewhere 120+ Starling, all juveniles, were around The Bight and seven Swift, five Rook, two Siskin, two Sand and a House Martin flew through.

Other Wildlife: The Golden-ringed Dragonfly was again around the Main Pond, where Broad-bodied Chaser are egglaying.

Golden-ringed Dragonfly - Dean Hall

Broad-bodied Chaser - Dean Hall

Another day another new species for the Recording Area, the spider wasp Auplopus carbonarius around the Bight, also on the exposed sand, Common Yellow-faced Bee, Silver-headed Satellite Fly Metopia argyrocephala and another Wharf Borer. 

Auplopus carbonarius - Alan Keatley

Silver-headed Satellite Fly Metopsia agryocephala - Alan Keatley

Lackey - Dean Hall

Wednesday 5th June

The most unexpected sighting was offshore, a distant flock of four Mute Swan and a Canada Goose flying S, also present 12 Manx Shearwater, two Great Northern Diver, two Great Crested Grebe and a Sandwich Tern.

Counts from the estuary included 80 Sanderling, 12 Whimbrel, six Eider and single Bar-tailed Godwit and Turnstone.

Other Wildlife: In the sunshine a wide range of insects were active with the highlight being the first record of the nationally scarce ground spider Zelotes electus found in a sand hollow on the Back Path. Also new for the recording area the first Heather Ladybird Chilocorus bipustulatus. 

Zelotes electus - Alan Keatley

Heather Ladybird - Alan Keatley

Making its first appearance since 2017, a Wharfborer Nacerdes melanura, found on the beach, and so named because it bores holes driftwood and wooden marine structures.

Wharf Borer Nacerdes melanura - Alan Keatley

Also recorded, another new species was the strange long legged mite Erythraeus phalangoides found in the dunes.

Erythraeus phalangoides - Alan Keatley

Summer is the time for bees and wasps, both Slender-bodied Crabro cribrarius and Armed Crabro Digger Wasp C. peltarius were active on Hemlock Water-dropwort with the first records of Silvery Leafcutter Megachile leachella, Common Yellow-faced Bee Hylaeus communis and the cuckoo wasp Hedychridium ardens of the year.

Common Yellow-faced Bee Hylaeus communis - Alan Keatley

Tuesday 4th June

A ♀ Greenland-race Wheatear (leucorhoa) in The Bight showcased continuing long range migration alongside 93 Sanderling, 46 Dunlin and 22 Ringed Plover. Also in the estuary the six Eider on Finger Point and counts of 18 Curlew, 10 Whimbrel and two Bar-tailed Godwit.

Offshore a foraging flock of 41 Black-headed and a 2cy Mediterranean Gull, 25 Common Scoter, two Great Crested Grebe and a Sandwich Tern. Seven Great Northern Diver were also present with an eighth  flying S high out of estuary and four more close in to Dawlish seafront, outside the Recording Area.

Monday 3rd June

Continuing northward wader passage with counts from the estuary including 162 Sanderling, 49 Dunlin, 18 Ringed Plover, 16 Whimbrel, four Bar-tailed Godwit, three unseasonal Redshank and a summer plumaged Knot. 

A Little Tern was also a new arrival, foraging offshore with 650 Herring Gull, c55 Kittiwake, 14 Black-headed and a 2cy Mediterranean Gull, six Sandwich Tern and, further out, 97 Manx Shearwater. Also offshore 39 Common Scoter and six Great Northern Diver.

Elsewhere a Red Kite flew NE over The Bight at15:17, noisily mobbed by the Oystercatcher flock, six Eider were on Finger Point, a Stock Dove was on Warren Point and three Swift flew through.

Other Wildlife: Overcast conditions didn't encourage too many butterflies and dragonflies to take the wing, the best being a Golden-ringed Dragonfly along the Dune Ridge. Ground based invertebrates were more prominent with a Dune Jumper Marpissa nivoyi, several nymph Lesser Cockroach and the tiny heleomyzid fly Trixoscelis obscurella (first record since 1987) all amongst the Marram.

Trixoscelis obsurella - Alan Keatley

Another insect that had gone unnoticed for a few years was the diving beetle Agabus bipustulatus, found on damp ground near the First Pond.

Agabus bipustulatus - Alan Keatley

Elsewhere another new beetle for the Recording Area was nectaring on Hemlock Water-dropwort, Anaspis frontalis, a tumbling flower beetle and Two-banded Spearhorn Chrysotoxum bicinctum and Box-headed Blood Bee Sphecodes monilicornis were new for the year.

Anaspis frontalis - Alan Keatley

Two-banded Spearhorn Chrysotoxum bicinctum - Alan Keatley

Box-headed Blood Bee Sphecodes monilicornis - Alan Keatley

Sunday 2nd June

Three Teal heading SW were the highlight of an early morning seawatch, with 30 Common Scoter, four Sandwich Tern, four Great Northern and two immature Red-throated Diver also offshore.

Another pulse of late wader migration saw 83 Sanderling, 49 Dunlin and 23 Ringed Plover in the Bight, also in the estuary, 11 Whimbrel, six Eider and three Bar-tailed Godwit.

Elsewhere a Cuckoo was again on Warren Point and 13 Swift were overhead.

Other Wildlife: The stands of Hemlock Water-dropwort continue to attract good numbers of insects, with at least eight species of hoverfly, a White-striped Darwin Wasp Ichneumon sarcitorius, several Wasp Beetle, the first Fairy-ring Longhorn Pseudovadonia livida of the year and the first Black-striped Longhorn Stenurella melanura for the Recording Area.

Black-striped Longhorn Stenurella melanura - Kevin Rylands

Dark-backed Epistrophe E. nitidicollis - Kevin Rylands

Water-dropwort Brown (Dingy Flayt-body) Depressaria daucella - Kevin Rylands Large numbers spinning together florets to form safe feeding areas before pupating in the stem

The sandier areas of the Buffer Zone were being patrolled by males of Common Spiny Digger Wasp Oxybelus uniglumis and Small Shieldbug Stalker Dryudella pinguis, awaiting for the first females to emerge.

Plenty of activity at the Main Pond with the first emergence of Red-eyed Damselfly, joining at least six Broad-bodied Chaser and two Emperor Dragonfly, both latter species egg-laying. A Golden-ringed Dragonfly hunted the scrub nearby. Also on the wing for the first time this year, a single Large Skipper with increasing numbers of Meadow Brown. 

Saturday 1st June

Some late spring passage, with Swift the most prominent species with 145 flying NE, mostly in large flocks at sunrise, also overhead two House Martin, two Siskin and a Rook. On site a Wheatear on the Golf Course and two out of place Reed Warbler were new arrivals. 

In the estuary 52 Dunlin were also new in, with counts of 15 Whimbrel, 14 Curlew, 12 Ringed Plover, five Eider and a Sandwich Tern.

Offshore c35 Kittiwake, 20 Gannet, two Manx Shearwater and a 2cy Mediterranean Gull foraged offshore early morning with four Great Northern and two immature Red-throated Diver also present. 

Other Wildlife: The first Golden-ringed Dragonfly of the year was hawking on the Golf Course, along with three Emperor Dragonfly.

Friday 31st May

Five Great Northern Diver and a summer-plumaged Red-throated Diver were offshore with nine Manx Shearwater, six Sandwich Tern, four Common Scoter and a Great Crested Grebe.

Elsewhere 10 Whimbrel, the six Eider, two Ringed Plover and a Bar-tailed Godwit were in the estuary, seven Sanderling were on the beach, 15 Swallow, four House Martin and three Swift flew W and a foraging flock of  86 Starling, with fledglings of later broods starting to increase.  

Other Wildlife: An Emperor Dragonfly was along the Dune Ridge and four Broad-bodied Chaser were around the Main Pond.

Thursday 30th May

Counts over high tide included 259 Oystercatcher, three Sanderling and a Grey Plover, with the six Eider roosting on Finger Point.

Elsewhere seven Swift were overhead and three Sandwich Tern were offshore. 

Other Wildlife: The fine weather saw a number of new species appearing for the year. Hoverflies included Bumblebee Plumehorn Volucella bombylans, Bumblebee Blacklet Cheilosia illustrata and Migrant Field Syrph Eupeodes corollae.

Bumblebee Plumehorn Volucella bombylans - Alan Keatley

Bumblebee Blacklet Cheilosia illustrata - Alan Keatley

Other insects included Turnip Sawfly Athalia rosae, Fan-bristled Robberfly Dysmachus trigonus, Striped-legged Robberfly Dioctria baumhaueri, a female White-zoned Furrow Bee Lasioglossum leucozonium digging out a nest hole and a nectaring Bristle-tailed Anoplius A. infuscatus.

Fan-bristled Robberfly Dysmachus trigonus - Alan Keatley

White-zoned furrow Bee Lasioglossum leucozonium - Alan Keatley

Also on the wing four Meadow Brown and a Red Admiral, a Black Mining Bee Andrena pilipes at Langstone Rock, an Ornate Brigadier Odontomyia ornata in the Back Meadow and a Vestal Cuckoo Bee Bombus vestalis in the Entrance Bushes.

Wednesday 29th May

An early morning visit saw four Great Northern Diver and a Sandwich Tern offshore, with breeding activity in full swing on site, including two pairs of Little Grebe, attending to two chicks each on Main Pond.

Other Wildlife: A Water Vole was seen at the Main Pond and 50 Bee Orchid spikes were beside the Dune Pond.

No shortage of these beauties locally. Dawlish Warren. pic.twitter.com/tjSAkN8P0s

— Chris Sumner (@ChrisSumner8) May 28, 2024