Monday 6th July

High pressure building, sunshine and an easing west-northwesterly breeze returned the site to more standard fare but some of the recent highlights were still present with a Roseate Tern briefly on the beach, plus a couple of Common Tern. Two Pomarine Skua and a juv Yellow-legged Gull passed by, which brings the site year-list to 149 or 150, approximately ten species below the long-term average for this time of the year. There were reportedly huge numbers of gulls foraging offshore today.

Wildlife news: two new species for the site were four Adonis Ladybird and a Scarce 7-spot Ladybird found along the seawall with good numbers of 7-spot Ladybird and some 11-spot Ladybird. 

 
Scarce 7-spot Ladybird (left) and Adonis Ladybird (right) - Guy Freeman

Stranded on the ebbing shoreline were the usual Compass Jellyfish, Barrel Jellyfish and over recent few days, an overdue new species for the site, a number of Moon Jellyfish Aurelia aurita. Invertebrates were active in the warm and humid conditions with sightings of Golden-ringed Dragonfly; also lots of Gatekeeper, some Meadow Brown, several Small Copper, Small Skipper, Common Blue, Small White, Large White, two Holly Blue and single figures also of Brown Argus, Peacock and a Red Admiral.

Moon Jellyfish Aurelia aurita - Alan Keatley

a spider-hunting wasp Pompilidae sp - Alan Keatley