Sunday 8 October 2023

Sunday 8th October

Counts in the estuary over the low neap high tide included 99 Dunlin, 39 Ringed Plover, seven Sandwich Tern and four Grey Plover with a smart drake Common Scoter feeding in shallows of the Bight. Late afternoon 36 Cattle Egret gathered on the mudflats at low tide and disturbance of the corvid roost at Eastdon saw c140 Jackdaw and c60 Rook gather on Bull Hill. 

Elsewhere two drake Eider and a Great-crested Grebe were offshore, single Coal Tit and Whitethroat were in the bushes with four Goldcrest, four Chiffchaff and two Blackcap and overhead 62 Meadow Pipit, 15 Skylark, eight Pied Wagtail and single Siskin and Swallow.

Linnet - Alan Keatley

Ringing News: Despite the neap tide 44 DCWRG ringed Oystercatcher were recorded amongst the roosting birds. In addition a further five birds ringed during previous studies were present, all now over 20 years old. 

Other Wildlife: Migration was also ongoing amongst insects with Red Admiral passing S throughout  day, a three hour count of 64 indicated a rate of almost 20 per hour. Few other butterflies were on the wing, with three Painted Lady and a Common Blue also amongst the 10 species recorded.

Moths disturbed from roosting sites included several Silver Y and Rush Veneer, with singles of VestalRusty-dot Pearl and Red Underwing. Also on the wing at least two Hornet and around the Ivy large numbers of Common Wasp, Ivy and Honey Bee but little else. 

Hornet - Alan Keatley

Eggcase of Wasp Spider - Kevin Rylands

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