June 2005

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2005 Year List

 

 

 

 

 

Report sightings

 

 

 

Thursday 30th:

 

There were 120 Sandwich Tern on site today, including the first juvenile, but no sign of any Roseate Tern. A first summer Mediterranean Gull was present along with 260 Curlew, four Whimbrel and two Bar-tailed Godwit.

 

 

Wednesday 29th:

 

Overnight Sandwich Tern were heard calling on several occasions as they passed overhead. During the day 150 Sandwich Tern were present roosting in front of the hide and on the Railway Saltmarsh, with them were 18 Common and two Roseate Tern. Also present onsite 24 Dunlin and the Black-throated Diver.

 

 

Tuesday 28th:

 

The Black-throated Diver was off the windmill, also feeding at sea 100 Kittiwake, 10 Common Tern and an adult Mediterranean Gull. From the hide 40 Sandwich Tern could be seen settled on the mudflats with 20 Dunlin, 2 Grey Plover; a juvenile Ringed Plover and a Redshank with 325 Curlew and a Whimbrel on the Railway Saltmarsh. A Common Sandpiper was heard calling over around overnight along with small groups of Dunlin.

 

 

Monday 27th:


No news was received for today.

 

 

Sunday 26th:


The Black-throated Diver was still offshore, but no other news was received. 

 

 

Saturday 25th:


The Black-throated Diver was still offshore with six Great-crested Grebe, 80 Gannet, 50 Kittiwake, 32 Common Scoter and a Guillemot. Also present 30 Sandwich and seven Common Tern. Waders included 12 Dunlin, 2 Grey Plover, 2 Sanderling, and 2 Whimbrel.  A few Swallow and Swift moved through but otherwise there was no passage to speak. A Little Grebe was still on the Main Pond.
 

 

Friday 24th:


A Roseate Tern was offshore with 21 Sandwich and 17 Common Tern, also offshore the Black-throated Diver again and nine Common Scoter.  Single Dunlin, Ringed and Grey Plover, 160 Curlew, a Whimbrel and six Redshank were present over the high tide. Two singing Blackcap were unusual for late June.
 

 

Thursday 23rd:


No news was received for today.
 

 

Wednesday 22nd:


No news was received for today.
 

 

Tuesday 21st:


17 Common Scoter were offshore with 90 Shag, 12 "commic" terns and 20 Gannet. Four Ringed Plover and three Dunlin were in the Bight, with 18 Great Black-backed Gull on Finger Point.  On the Railway Saltmarsh there were 124 Curlew, two Little Egret  and a single Grey Heron.  Elsewhere a Peregrine flew northwest over the hide and 11 Mute Swan were on the estuary.
 

 

Monday 20th:


70 Gannet were offshore with the Black-throated Diver and 11 Common Scoter, 12 Black-headed Gull flew southwest with two Whimbrel and two Fulmar during the morning. Swift were also on the move with 53 also moving southwest. Two Shelduck were also offshore making there way towards the beach with two young, presumably from a nest some where along Dawlish Cliffs.  Elsewhere 20 Sandwich Tern were onsite with one Common Tern, 63 Oystercatcher were in front of the hide with a single Grey Plover and the first Redshank of the autumn.
 

 

Sunday 19th:


The Black-throated Diver remained offshore but no other news was received.
 

 

Saturday 18th:


Another quiet day, the Black-throated Diver remained offshore with a single Great-crested Grebe. The only other news was of a Great-spotted Woodpecker around the First Pond.
 

 

Friday 17th:


The first summer Black-throated Diver was still offshore with 20+ Sandwich Tern and a single Whimbrel was on Warren Point.
 

 

Thursday 16th:


A first summer Black-throated Diver offshore was a surprise,  there have been very few June records on site. Also offshore two Arctic and two Common Tern with 80 Kittiwake, 20 Sandwich and seven "commic" tern.  A single Grey Plover was in the estuary.
 

 

Wednesday 15th:

 

Offshore 53 Manx Shearwater passed through with 38 Sandwich Tern present there and in the estuary. Also in the estuary 101 Curlew and a single Dunlin.

 

 

Tuesday 14th:

 

No news was received for today.

 

 

Monday 13th:

 

Back to more typical June fare with 15 Sandwich Tern, 75 Curlew, 14 Dunlin and four Sanderling the reports of note.

 

 

Sunday 12th:

 

Today's unexpected highlight was an eclipse drake Gadwall first seen distantly offshore and then in the Bight and Shutterton Creek with three Mallard.  This is the first June record for the reserve.  Wader numbers were similar to yesterday with 67 Sanderling, 19 Dunlin, nine Ringed and six Grey Plover.  Also present today three Buzzard overhead, a Green Woodpecker and 30+ Sandwich Tern.

 

 

Saturday 11th:

 

The highlight was a Nuthatch, only the ninth for the recording area and the first in June. It was briefly in trees by the First Pond before flying off towards Greenland lake and was not relocated. A Turtle Dove on Warren Point was the only other notable migrant. Wader numbers increased again with 68 Sanderling, c30 Dunlin, 25 Ringed and six Grey Plover around the Bight with 64 Curlew on the Railway Saltmarsh and a single Whimbrel on the beach. Offshore two Arctic Skua, a dark and an intermediate phase, continue to harass the 20+ Sandwich Tern. Also offshore seven Common Scoter, five duck sp (probably Tufted Duck) and 40 Canada Geese, which flew in from the south and sat on the sea for half an hour before heading back south. Elsewhere on site the Lesser Whitethroat was singing by the First Pond with Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Blackcap now feeding fledged young along with most other breeding species.

 

 

Friday 10th:

 

A Red-throated Diver off the seawall was the only news received for today.
 

 

Thursday 9th:

 

A fairly typical quiet June day. A few Sandwich Tern were present with one Dunlin, 11 Ringed and five Grey Plover. A Black Swan with 33 Canada Geese was the first of the year to travel from the local Dawlish population.
 

 

Wednesday 8th:

 

35 Sandwich Tern were present today with two Arctic Skua, one seen flying down river and out to sea, with what was presumably the same bird was seen in the estuary again mid evening. Curlew numbers have built up, the first sign of autumn, 76 were on the Railway Saltmarsh, other waders included two Dunlin, two Ringed Plover and single Grey Plover and Bar-tailed Godwit.
 

 

Tuesday 7th:

 

There were still a few terns around with 20+ Sandwich, four Common and a single Little Tern present. Also a flock of 30+ terns up river were attacked by a Peregrine. Elsewhere three Grey Plover were still onsite with three Dunlin and a Ringed Plover and 11 Common Scoter were offshore.

 

 

Monday 6th:

 

Two Roseate Tern were again present in the estuary before moving offshore joining c25 Common and at least one Arctic Tern. An Arctic Skua was close inshore during the evening. There was also a slight increase in waders numbers with 23 Sanderling, 18 Turnstone, seven Dunlin, three Whimbrel, nine Ringed and three Grey Plover. A Cuckoo around the Golf Course and Warren Point was the first for several weeks.

 

 

Sunday 5th:

 

At least one Roseate Tern was offshore in the evening, with 30+ Gannet, good numbers of Kittiwake and a single Red-throated Diver, a Little Tern was also reported. There were few waders over the high tide with c220 Oystercatcher, five Sanderling, three Whimbrel, a Dunlin, nine Ringed and one Grey Plover.

 

 

Saturday 4th:

 

An albino Egyptian Goose, which has been around the Exe for a couple of years, was in the estuary early morning with 26 Canada Geese, more surprising though was a second "standard" Egyptian Goose. Also in the estuary seven Shelduck, four Little Egret and three Mute Swan, wader numbers were very low with 21 Sanderling, three Whimbrel, a  Curlew, three Ringed Plover, two Grey Plover and a single Dunlin. 60+ Gannet were still feeding close offshore this morning with 12 Sandwich, one Roseate and one Arctic Tern, two Great-crested Grebe were also present. Two Lesser Whitethroat were again near the First Pond.

 

 

Friday 3rd:

 

A slight change in the weather brought a change in fortunes with a new species for the year, a Green Woodpecker behind the Visitor Centre, but most of the interest was offshore with a Great Skua south 50+ Gannet in a feeding frenzy and a first summer Glaucous Gull attracted by trawlers,  the first June record for the recording area and probably the same bird as seen in February. Terns also returned to form with two Roseate, two Common and an Arctic present with 30 Sandwich Tern. Elsewhere there were five Shelduck on the Railway Saltmarsh, 35 Sanderling on the beach and a Wheatear in the Bight where a Great Northern Diver flying west was an unusual sight. This seems to be a poor year for Reed Warbler with only four singing birds present today, at least five Whitethroat were in the Greenland Lake area with 60 Starling, including many juveniles, four Reed Bunting were also on site with two along the Dune Ridge.

 

 

Thursday 2nd:

 

Another very quiet midsummer’s day, an Arctic Skua was offshore but the only news reported was of two Ringed Plover and four Sandwich Tern.

 

 

Wednesday 1st:

 

Only 11 Dunlin and 10 Ringed Plover were present over the high tide. 150+ Kittiwake, presumably from the Straight Point colony, were feeding offshore, in other years they have tended not to feed off the Warren. Another late Yellow Wagtail flew over, continuing the unusual run of recent records.

 

 

 

 

 

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