This Hedge Mustard wouldn't have got a second glance were it not for #WildflowerHour #CabbageFamily

A good year for this species at the Warren, can't match this photo though!

Moss bryophyte forming a dense, upright tuft on dry sandy ground at the edge of coastal scrub grassland, Marram grass (Ammophila ) is behind it, a bramble (Rubus fructicosus) branch from the previous year passes above it. The colony spreads a few centimetres across, rising from pale, gritty sand with other low plants around it. Shoots grow close together and stand upright before bending, with long narrow leaves all curving strongly to one side, giving a swept or wind-shaped appearance. The outer parts appear yellow-green to golden in the light, while inner shoots are deeper green where more sheltered. Leaves are slender and tapering, concave and without visible hairpoints, and create a soft, brush-like texture across the surface. Found in an exposed, free-draining habitat near the sea.

Excited to find my first forkmoss.

Very surprised to see it on the edge of a sand dune, right where the grassy scrubland gives way.

Broom Forkmoss (Dicranum scoparium), Dawlish Warren, Devon, yesterday.

tinyurl.com/dicranum-sco...

#moss #bryophyte

Dawlish Warren- 2 Eider - adult male and female off the seawall still c145pm found earlier by Lee C- the first ones reported in Devon this year! Also c6 Sandwich Terns, 3 GCGrebes (dreadful pics taken with phone hand held to scope)!

Arriving at Dawlish Warren I knew exactly where to find the Sand Crocus, Romulea columnae, as I just made a bee-line towards someone who was crouched down in typical botanist position! This turned out to be @ghostofdatura.bsky.social! Super to meet her, and the stunning Sand Crocus. #WildflowerHour

Sea Mouse-ear, Cerastium diffusum, in the turf at Dawlish Warren. Rabbit dropping for scale. #WildflowerHour

Always nice to go to a different part of the country and see plants I'm not used to seeing. Portland Spurge, Euphorbia portlandica, which I've only seen once before, at Dawlish Warren. Leaves have a small point at tip & prominent mid-rib on underside which Sea Spurge doesn't have. #WildflowerHour

Grey Willow Salix cinerea catkins

Yellow-legged Mining Bee Andrea flavipes

Willows are important #TreeFlowers for early spring pollinators including this Yellow-legged Mining Bee

Finally feeling better after having a horrible cold. So took myself off to Dawlish Warren in the sunshine to see romulea columnae, Sand crocus, and what a beauty it is! I also bumped into @naturelark.bsky.social, was so lovely to meet you.

I thought I'd check in on Sand Crocus (Romulea columnae) at their sole Cornish site (rediscovered in 2002) and was astounded to find hundreds in flower already! I counted at least 564 flowers over two outcrops. @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Male wheatear.

Singing stonechat.

Very windy at dawlish warren today, the highlights were at least 5 wheatear and 2 beautifully plumaged little grebes on the pond. Also 10+ sandwich terns, single red throated diver, reed buntings, curlews, stonechats. Feels like spring despite the wind!
#devonbirds #ukbirds

Dune/Sand/Warren… whatever your preference, this Crocus by any other name would still be super sweet! (Romulea columnae… I like Dune Crocus) #dawlishwarren #wildcrocus #springflowers #wildflowerhour #rareplant #tinyflowers

Found this delightful teeny tiny yesterday at Dawlish Warren (little finger nail for scale). I am told it’s an Early Forget-me-not (Myosotis ramosissima) but am happy to be corrected. It was pretty damned beautiful, anyway! 💙

A 1st winter male Desert Wheatear in Cornwall on the Isles of Scilly at Porth Askin, St Agnes in 2015 - ©Martin Goodey, many thanks. 👍🏻

An adult Great Spotted Cuckoo on the Isle of Wight at Wheelers Bay in 2019 - ©Nick Edwards, many thanks. 👍🏻

A female Kentish Plover in S. Devon at Dawlish Warren in 2020 - ©Steph Murphy, many thanks. 👍🏻

March 21st: 🧾

Good morning! 🖐🏻👋🏻

There were sixteen (16) accepted records and on this day... 😃

#UKrares
#rarebirdsUK
#UKbirding

In the foreground can be seen large boulders and a curved sea wall that form the sea defences, primarily for the coastal railway.

#BlueskyArtShow #RockinTuesday #EastCoastKin

Sea wall defences, Dawlish Warren, Winter 2026

#PhotographersofBluesky #PhotographersUnited #Seascape #Devon

#BlueskyArtShow #RockinTuesday #EastCoastKin

Sea stack, Dawlish Warren, Winter 2026

#PhotographersofBluesky #PhotographersUnited #Seascape #Landscape #Devon

Thought the #WhiteFlowers #WildflowerHour hashtags would be at least a week early for the Sand Crocus, but the first emerged yesterday. The earliest in the last 20 years, with 2007, with the average 1st date is 25th March. Less sun today so they remained tightly shut, 🤞for a sunny Easter Weekend.

Earlier this week regular patch birder @duncbye.bsky.social spotted one of our colour-ringed Oystercatchers back in the area at Storwood. This individual breeds in the #LDV (back for its fourth breeding season) and winters at Dawlish Warren in Devon – 402 km to the south @yorkbirding.bsky.social

No early Wheatear or hirundines yet but the 2025 Bird Report has arrived. Thanks to all for their records, photos and support #devonbirding @patchbirding.bsky.social dawlishwarren.uk/2025%20Bird%...

All three have made occasional appearances at the Warren this year, X1 the most frequent visitor.

Lovely spring day at Dawlish Warren

A Little Gull associating with 2 Black-headed Gulls feeding offshore from Dawlish Warren looking towards Exmouth, 2 GN Diver and a GC Grebe. @warrenbirding.bsky.social

A Eurasian Saucer Bug

A Sand Bear Spider

A type of Narrow-waisted wasp

A type of Sun Beetle

i saw a few cool insects at Dawlish Warren today. Although most are quite difficult to identify, here’s some that have been id’ed or just look cool aha:)

Oystercatcher 2C back from Dawlish Warren, Devon today at Kirkapol, Tiree for the third spring running - in amongst hundreds of Oystercatchers now back to breed on the island #BirdingScotland

#BlueSkyArtsShow
#clouds
Dawlish Warren.

The storms have brought down many smaller Alder branches at the Warren and with it this species, new for the Recording Area. dawlishwarren.blogspot.com/2026/01/frid...

Herring Gull

Gulls on Dawlish Warren beach

Greenland lake being a bit more lakey

A rather meagre big garden birdwatch count

Did the @rspb.bsky.social big garden birdwatch yesterday morning, and some gulling at @warrenbirding.bsky.social which produced less than hoped, but still a couple subad LBBG’s and at least one kittiwake close in off the seawall
#devonbirds

Lesser Crested Tern 3rd December - Grahame Madge

Caspian Gull 20th October - Lee Collins

Purple Sandpiper 8th November - Lee Collins

Chough 27th July - Lee Collins

The #PatchBirding review of the second half of 2025 finally online dawlishwarren.blogspot.com/2026/01/wild... - now to finish the actual report! #UKbirding #DevonBirds

HN has been recorded here each autumn since ringing but never stayed later than October. Last seen here on 18 Oct 2025.

Previously found on Langstone Rock but no sign last year, only recorded on shady rock faces in Devon but one to look for on the dune Peltigera