A Couple Hours in a Bog

Small Red Damselfly - teneral male - superbly camouflaged amongst the rushes.

 

Only a brief look at the estuary today, just as the tide was dropping. Best bird was a single Black-tailed Godwit but I also recorded 27+ Sandwich Tern, 2 first-summer Mediterranean Gulls and 75+ Black-headed Gulls.

Speckled Fanner - Glyphipterix thrasonella - a beautiful and common 'micro' but not one I've seen before!

Clouded Buff on Round-leaved Sundew. What a moth!

Brown China-mark - a remarkable moth. The larvae are aquatic, constructing a case similar to those made by caddisfly larvae.

Bog Asphodel

Pretty Chalk Carpet

July Belle

 

Yesterday off Mudbank - 18+ Sandwich Tern and a second-summer Mediterranean Gull. On the 16th a relatively high count of c30+ Sandwich Terns in the estuary.

Pretty Chalk Carpet

Dusky Brocade

Commons

Silver-studded Blue

 

Again quiet on the bird front. Off the Imperial Rec - 22 Sandwich Tern and 3 Dunlin, and off Maer Rocks - an adult and first-summer Mediterranean Gull.

A couple hours spent on East Budleigh and Bicton Commons this afternoon produced a few insects - most notably a nice, freshly-emerged Silver-studded Blue. Great to see Dave Land, Dave Hopkins, Geoff Smale, Colin Chivers and Brian Heasman.

Common Spotted Orchid

Green Hairstreak

 Young Emperor Moth larvae.

Large Skipper

 

 Scalloped Hook-tip

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Spoonbill

I had just 10 minutes to look at Bowling Green's Spoonbill this afternoon, but unfortunately it was largely obscured by vegetation. It was asleep most of the time too. I haven't seen a Spoonbill in Exmouth since November 2016 so it would be good if this was one ventured a bit further south. No other news for today but yesterday evening - off Mudbank - 200 Oystercatchers in the roost, 16+ Sandwich Tern, 3 first-summer Mediterranean Gull, 20+ Dunlin and 200+ Black-headed Gulls.

Increase in Sarnies

Two first-summer Mediterranean Gulls, 17 Sandwich Terns, 8 Dunlin and 8 Sanderling off Mudbank this afternoon, and a dozen Manx Shearwaters distantly off Orcombe Point.

Sunset over Powderham Corner a couple nights ago.

Little Terns and Kittiwakes

Bar-tailed Godwit - Mudbank

 

Two Little Terns off Mudbank were today's highlight. I picked them up as they fished off Powderham Corner before they quickly made their way downstream, last seen gaining great height and heading high south over towards the Warren. Also my first Whimbrel for a while, 5 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Sandwich Tern, 2 Bar-tailed Godwit and a first-summer Mediterranean Gull in with a much-reduced number of Black-headed Gulls.

An early morning stroll from Orcombe to Sandy Bay (to look at the Kittiwake colony) produced a surprise in the shape of my fourth Nuthatch for Orcombe. Sadly it didn't hang around but 'bounced' off quickly eastwards along the clifftop.

Yesterday 11 Sanderling and a Bar-tailed Godwit off Mudbank, and on Friday - 3 Common Tern, 9 Sandwich Tern and 2 first-summer Mediterranean Gulls on Cockle Sands, viewed from the Imperial recreation ground. Good to see Rob and Steph Murphy there, but no sign of the Bonaparte's Gull which has now presumably gone.

Micro sp - think this is a Eucosma species, possibly cana, but I'm not sure it's quite right.

I didn't count the birds (or nests). The higgledy-piggledy arrangement of nests makes it a difficult task. Needless to say it was very busy and numbers seemed pretty high.

Exmouth's mini 'seabird city' - viewed from the beach at Sandy Bay.

Many birds were gathering seaweed to augment their nests.

High-flying Skuas

This Swallow was singing from a post in the marina.

 

At 0645 the first-summer Bonaparte's Gull was again off Shelly Beach, viewed from the Imperial recreation ground. It was also present shortly after 7pm this evening and still there when I left it at 810 pm. Also off Shelly Beach - c200/250+ Black-headed Gull, 3 first-summer Mediterranean Gull, 6 Sandwich Tern, 1+ Ringed Plover and 1 Swift.

Off the seafront - an adult Mediterranean Gull and from Shelly Beach at 1650 - 2 Arctic Skua. I picked them up in flight as they were circling high above the Warren, and I tracked them as they then headed north, really high up. I lost them from sight as they cruised towards Exeter!

 

Two dark phase Arctic Skuas flew high over the Warren, gained height and then continued high north upriver.

 

 

 Bonaparte's Gull - still playing hard to get and sticking to the middle of the river.