Saturday 14th September

A Whinchat in Greenland Lake and a Sedge Warbler on Warren Point were the pick of the migrants with 20 Blackcap, five Whitethroat and three Wheatear also on site with 25 Meadow Pipit, six Grey and two Yellow Wagtail overhead.

 Sedge Warbler - Alan Keatley

An Osprey was feeding upriver early morning with two Curlew Sandpiper amongst 113 Ringed Plover, 70 Knot, 62 Dunlin and 39 Sanderling. Also in the estuary 31 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 326 Redshank, 38 Teal, 30 Bar and a Black-tailed Godwit, 13 Sandwich Tern and the Slavonian Grebe. Elsewhere 255 Linnet were around the Bight, a Kingfisher was on the Main Pond and a Coal Tit was in Dead Dolphin Wood.

Wildlife News: A Yellow-barred Peat Hoverfly Sericomyia silentis in the Entrance Bushes was a surprise first for the Recording Area. Also nectaring on the remaining Water Mint and Gypsywort, several Hornet Hoverfly Volucella zonaria and a Beewolf Philanthus triangulum. Also on the wing two Clouded Yellow, 20+ Painted Lady and a lone Small Tortoiseshell.

Yellow-barred Peat Hoverfly - Alan Keatley

Friday 13th September

A juvenile Curlew Sandpiper remained in the Bight with 70 Dunlin, 62 Ringed Plover, 45 Sanderling, 43 Knot and seven Grey Plover. Also in the estuary 33 Teal, 16 Sandwich Tern, a Greenshank and the Slavonian Grebe. 

Elsewhere 50 Swallow, 15 House Martin, 15 Meadow Pipit, three Raven and two Grey Wagtail were overhead with six Wheatear and a Whitethroat on site.

Wednesday 11th September

A juvenile Curlew Sandpiper was in the Bight on the evening tide with counts from the estuary including 1302 Oystercatcher, 98 Ringed Plover, 81 Teal, 78 Dunlin, 67 Knot, 27 Sandwich Tern, 22 Sanderling, 15 Bar-tailed Godwit, 12 Wigeon, five Grey Plover and two Greenshank. Other records included 146 Linnet and five Wheatear on site and 534 Canada Geese in to roost.

Wildlife News: The Autumn Ladies Tresses are starting to go over for the season, a Fox was on Warren Point and five Migrant Hawker and four Common Darter were hunting along the Back Path.

 

Tuesday 10th September

The Slavonian Grebe remains off Cockwood but no other news was received.

Monday 9th September

An small influx of wildfowl included the first Garganey of the year, the first autumn record since 2013. It was present in the saltmarsh with 41 Teal, nine Wigeon and two Shoveler. The Purple Sandpiper was still present on the dropping tide with 69 Ringed Plover, 50+ Dunlin and four Sanderling.

Also in the estuary an adult Yellow-legged and 51 Great Black-backed Gull, 26 Sandwich Tern, 13 Bar and four Black-tailed Godwit, nine Greenshank and the Slavonian Grebe. Elsewhere a Whinchat was on the Golf Course.

Sunday 8th September

A juvenile Purple Sandpiper in the Bight was the first for the year, it was roosting with 94 Ringed Plover, 64 Dunlin, 39 Knot, 14 Sanderling and the juvenile Curlew Sandpiper. Also in the estuary 411 Curlew, 332 Redshank, 55 Sandwich Tern, 16 Mediterranean Gull, 12 Teal, six Greenshank, five Snipe, including on the Bull Hill sandbar, three Wigeon and the Slavonian Grebe.

Elsewhere the summer plumaged Red-throated Diver remained off the seawall, 16 Chiffchaff, 15 Blackcap, three Willow Warbler and two Wheatear were on site and 95 Swallow, four Sand and two House Martin, a Grey Wagtail and the first Chaffinch of the autumn passed overhead.

Saturday 7th September

A juvenile Curlew Sandpiper was in the Bight with 110 Ringed Plover, 76 Dunlin and 18 Knot over the high tide. Also in the estuary 26 Sandwich Tern, 11 Mediterranean Gull, a Greenshank and the Slavonian Grebe. Elsewhere a Red-throated Diver was offshore and migrants included 80 Swallow, 50 House Martin, 19 Meadow Pipit, a Yellow Wagtail and a Buzzard overhead and seven Wheatear, seven Whitethroat and a Reed Warbler in the bushes.
 

Curlew Sandpiper - Alan Keatley

 
Wildlife News: Two Clouded Yellow were on the wing with the first Ivy Bee Colletes hederea of the year, a Phantom Cranefly Ptychoptera contaminata and at least 14 hoverfly species including Hornet Hoverfly Volucella zonaria, Hook-banded Wasp Hoverfly Chrysotoxum festivum,  Common Spotted Eupeodes Eupeodes luniger and Superb Ant-hill Hoverfly Xanthogramma pedissequum.

Hook-banded Wasp Hoverfly Chrysotoxum festivum - Alan Keatley

 Ivy Bee Colletes hederea - Alan Keatley

Phantom Cranefly Ptychoptera contaminata - Alan Keatley

Friday 6th September

An early visit saw 30 House Martin overhead with 14 Meadow Pipit and two Grey Wagtail with a feeding group of 104 Gannet offshore. The bushes held nine Blackcap, nine Chiffchaff and three Whitethroat with a Wheatear and the first two of this year's nearby Pheasant releases.

Thursday 5th September

Two Teal on the Main Pond were a further sign of autumn with 30 Swallow, eight House Martin, single Grey Wagtail and Meadow Pipit overhead, grounded migrants included eight Wheatear and three Willow Warbler.  Counts from the high tide were made difficult due to regular forays of hunting Peregrine and Sparrowhawk, but 90 Dunlin, 60 Ringed Plover and eight Sanderling were in the Bight with 19 Mediterranean Gull and six Sandwich Tern in the Railway Saltmarsh.

Wildlife News: An autumnal feel amongst the invertebrates as well with just a few Common Darter and Emperor on the wing along with a few Red Admiral and Painted Lady. Hoverflies were largely composed of drone fly species but also a Marsh Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus hybridus.

Stripe-winged Dronefly Eristalis horticola - Alan Keatley

 

Wednesday 4th September

Two Whitethroat were in Greenland Lake with 100+ House Martin and five Raven overhead but no other news was received.