Monday 18 March 2024

Monday 18th March

A 1 hr 15min seawatch saw four Common Scoter and three Red-throated Diver head SW, with two Sandwich Tern, seven Great Crested Grebe, two Great Northern and Red-throated Diver offshore.

Records from the estuary included the nine Eider and a 2cy Mediterranean Gull on Bull Hill with counts including 55 Turnstone, 36 Oystercatcher, 21 Teal, 21 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 13 Redshank, eight Greenshank and a pair of Red-breasted Merganser.

Elsewhere a Sand Martin flew north, six immature Mute Swan flew SW out of estuary and a Chiffchaff on Warren Point was one of five on site. 

Other Wildlife: The second day of spring sunshine saw the first emergence of the Warren (Sand) Crocus, with at least 15 plants in flower.


The same weather encouraged a couple of basking Common Lizard and the first Speckled Wood of the year along the Back Path, with two Peacock again on the wing. 

Sunday 17 March 2024

Sunday 17th March

More signs of migration today with nine Wheatear on site, the first three Sand Martin of the year overhead, a ♂ White Wagtail along the Dune Ridge and a Firecrest behind the Main Pond. Also on site seven Chiffchaff, a Goldcrest and a Siskin.

A White-tailed Eagle, presumed a 4cy from the IoW reintroduction, flew NNW at 12:30 before being lost behind Cofton ridge. presumably the same bird flew over Paignton at 11:58. The fourth site record, the previous all being between 21st-27th March. 

Counts from the estuary included 124 Dark and a Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 105 Dunlin, 58 Turnstone, 57 Oystercatcher, 37 Bar-tailed Godwit, 23 Redshank, 20 Curlew, 17 Sanderling, 16 Teal, nine Eider, seven Greenshank, four Knot, a Grey Plover and a Sandwich Tern.

Elsewhere seven Great Crested Grebe and a Great Northern Diver were offshore with two Red-breasted Merganser and two Red-throated Diver SW during a 1hr 15 min seawatch.

Other Wildlife: Two Peacock were on the wing in the spring conditions with it mild enough for the first Common Pipistrelle of the year to emerge early evening. 

Beosus maritimus - Kevin Rylands

On Warren Point the continued rapid erosion of the dunes has reduced the remaining populations of the nationally scarce dog lichen Peltigera neckeri. A new species for the Recording Area was found whilst checking the losses, the lichenicolous fungi Corticifraga fuckelii on Peltigera canina

Peltigera neckeri - Kevin Rylands

Saturday 16 March 2024

Saturday 16th March

Despite the grey, drizzly weather there were signs of spring movement with three Sandwich Tern, the first of the year, in the bay, a smart ♂ Wheatear on Warren Point and seven Chiffchaff in the bushes. Overhead a Red Kite, one of three loosely together, drifted SW over the corner of the Recording Area, with single Skylark, Siskin and Meadow Pipit overhead.

The breeding season is also arriving with the pair of Mute Swan returning to the Main Pond for another season with Blue and Great Tit prospecting nestboxes.

Mute Swan - Alan Keatley

Counts from the estuary included 97 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 96 Dunlin, 85 Oystercatcher, 50 Turnstone, 38 Curlew, 26 Teal, 25 Sanderling, 24 Grey and five Ringed Plover, the usual nine Eider, two Greenshank, a pair of Red-breasted Merganser and a Bar-tailed Godwit.

Eider (immature male) - Alan Keatley

Elsewhere two Great Northern Diver and four Great Crested Grebe were offshore with six Common Scoter and three Red-throated Diver SW during a 1h 30 min seawatch.

Year list addition

116. Sandwich Tern

Other Wildlife: The resident Grey Squirrel remains in the Entrance Bushes.

Friday 15 March 2024

Friday 15th March

An hour seawatch early morning saw a Kestrel head SW along with three Wigeon, 20 Gannet, 11 Kittiwake, six Common Scoter, four Fulmar and two Red-throated Diver.

Another high tide with waders again roosting on groynes, counts included 152 Dunlin, 97 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 34 Turnstone, 27 Sanderling, 26 Bar-tailed Godwit circling The Bight briefly, 21 Teal, seven Eider, five Grey Plover, four Oystercatcher, a Knot and a ♂  Red-breasted Merganser.

Elsewhere eight Great Crested Grebe were offshore, two Rook flew SW and four Chiffchaff, a Goldcrest and a Siskin were in the bushes.

Wednesday 13 March 2024

Wednesday 13th March

The high spring tide meant again meant roosting space for waders was at a premium, some were using the beach and groynes with others packed tightly around the shore of The Bight. Counts reflect that many birds roosted elsewhere, with 140 Dunlin, 27 Grey and a Ringed Plover, 26 Turnstone, 20 Curlew, 15 Oystercatcher and a Bar-tailed Godwit. Also on the estuary, 123 Dark-bellied Brent Geese and nine Eider.

Elsewhere 10 Common Scoter were off the seawall early morning, one of at least five Little Grebe at the Main Pond was carrying nesting material, two Chiffchaff were on territory and a Pheasant was on Warren Point. 

Other Wildlife: A new ant for the Recording Area was a good find on Warren Point. Attention was drawn to it, a Myrmica ruginodis, as it tenaciously tried to drag an unfortunate Bibio johannis back to its nest.

Myrmica ruginodis with Bibio johannis - Alan Keatley

Paradromius linearis - Alan Keatley

Monday 11 March 2024

Monday 11th March

A morning of notable spring migration with c360 Woodpigeon heading NNE, the largest spring passage count on site, Also passing the first Stock Dove of the year in one of the pigeon flocks, 48 Jackdaw, 40 Siskin, 14 Carrion Crow, 12 Rook and a Chaffinch. Also overhead a Red Kite which headed north up the W side of estuary at 13:00. Grounded migrants where limited to five Chiffchaff and a single Wheatear

Sparrowhawk - Alan Keatley

Over the extreme high tide waders were largely restricted to the exposed groynes with counts of 431 Dunlin, 56 Grey Plover, 25 Sanderling, three Knot and just three Oystercatcher. Counts from the dropping tide included 304 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 49 Turnstone, 40 Redshank, 30 Teal, the nine Eider, five Greenshank and a pair of Red-breasted Merganser.

Two Great Northern Diver and seven Great Crested Grebe were offshore, with seven Common Scoter and a Red-throated Diver flying SW.

Year list addition,

115. Stock Dove

Other Wildlife: A Peacock was on the wing in the sunshine along with two new hoverflies for the year, a Grey-spotted Boxer Platycheirus albimanus and a Slender Melanstoma M. scalare.

Grey-spotted Boxer - Alan Keatley

Beetles below the geotubes included the first Hypocaccus dimidiatus, a clown beetle, since 2017, two more Prasocuris phellandrii and a Strawberry Seed Beetle Harpalus rufipes

Hypocaccus dimidiatus - Alan Keatley

Harpalus rufipes - Alan Keatley

A series of prints around Soft Sand Bay on Warren Point appear to belong to a Feral Cat, an unwelcome potential addition to the Recording Area's fauna. 

Sunday 10 March 2024

Sunday 10th March

The first Wheatear of the year made landfall, a ♂ moving between the Golf Course and The Bight, also arriving at least nine Chiffchaff on site and 10 Lesser Black-backed Gull heading north.

In the estuary 493 Dark and two Pale-bellied Brent Geese sheltered behind the Golf Course overnight with other counts on a flooded tide including 68 Grey and 13 Ringed Plover, 28 Teal, 26 Sanderling and the nine Eider. Offshore two Great Northern and a Red-throated Diver with a flock of nine Red-throated Diver flying SW.

Year List addition

114. Wheatear

Saturday 9 March 2024

Saturday 9th March

Spring migrants were largely limited to northward movements of gulls up the estuary with 21 Lesser Black-backed Gull during the day along with 30+ Common and Black-headed Gull. Also overhead four Rook with two Goldcrest and a Chiffchaff in the bushes. 

Elsewhere two Great Northern and a Red-throated Diver were offshore and counts from the estuary included 416 Oystercatcher, 292 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 61 Redshank, 44 Teal, 37 Grey and two Ringed Plover, 37 Turnstone, 37 Knot, eight Eider (six ♀ & two imm ♂), four Greenshank, two Sanderling and two Red-breasted Merganser.

Friday 8 March 2024

Friday 8th March

Increasing tides saw a return of species diversity in the estuary, but numbers continue to decline as birds depart north. Counts included 850+ Dunlin, 429 Oystercatcher, 227 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 124 Curlew, 57 Bar-tailed Godwit, 55 Teal, 32 Redshank, 27 Grey and nine Ringed Plover, 24 Knot, nine Sanderling, the nine Eider, three Greenshank and a pair of  Red-breasted Merganser.

Elsewhere two Red-throated and a Great Northern Diver were offshore, four Shoveler were on the Main Pond and four Goldcrest, three Chiffchaff and two Siskin were on site. 

Wednesday 6 March 2024

Wednesday 6th March

Aside from an increasing in birds sing on territory, not much to report on birds. The bushes were quiet apart from a hunting Sparrowhawk, with three half grown Mallard chicks surviving on the Main Pond, having hidden away in flooded areas for a several weeks. Nothing to report from offshore or in the estuary on the low tide.

Mallard - Alan Keatley

Other Wildlife: It was good day for insects in the spring sunshine with three Peacock butterflies, a Chocolate Mining Bee Andrena scotica, male and female Yellow-legged Mining Bee A. flavipes and the first worker Buff-tailed Bumblebee of the year were all nectaring on emerging spring flowers.

Peacock - Alan Keatley

Chocolate Mining Bee - Alan Keatley

On the beach was the leaf beetle Prasocuris phellandrii, new for the Recording Area and the groundbug Trapezonotus arenarius. A Common Lizard was basking on the Golf Course.

Prasocuris phellandrii - Alan Keatley

Trapezonotus arenaris - Alan Keatley

Common Lizard - Alan Keatley