Thursday 4th June

Light rain at times and overcast skies in a chilly northwesterly fresh breeze stirred things up a little today with a minimum of 50 Swift, perhaps 20 Swallow and 17 House Martin through in flocks and at low altitude. A Red Kite clutching prey from Warren Point gained height and drifted east.

The evening tide yielded 222 Oystercatcher, 19 Sanderling, nine Ringed Plover, nine Dunlin, eight Great Black-backed Gull, seven Whimbrel, seven Shelduck, five Little Egret, three Curlew, two Grey Heron, the long-staying, summer-plumaged Golden Plover, and the Slavonian Grebe. Close inshore to hunt over calmer waters, six Sandwich Tern and four Gannet.

On the main pond, the pair of Mute Swan with their three small cygnets and the pair of Canada Goose with their three small goslings occasionally battled for supremacy in bouts of hissing and wing arching. One pair of Little Grebe remained with at least two chicks and eight Mallard also on ponds.

Mute Swan with cygnets - Alan Keatley

Canada Goose with goslings- Alan Keatley

One of the families of Stonechat were along the golf course track and flocks of post-breeding Starling continued to roam the site and for a time coalesced to one flock of 96 birds.

Wildlife news: the first Coast Leafcutter Bee Megachile maritima of the year and good numbers of Silvery Leafcutter Bee Megachile leachella. The display of independently waving about one or other of its bold patterned wings gives the Small Semaphor Fly Rivellia syngenesiae it name.

Megachile maritima Coast Leafcutter Bee - Alan Keatley