Friday, 19 April 2024

Friday 19th April

The first notable wader movement of spring with 54 Ringed Plover, 50 Whimbrel and 47 Dunlin, the latter all in summer plumage, in The Bight. Also in the estuary, 12 Dark and nine Pale-bellied Brent Geese, eight Sanderling, four Eider (two ♀ and two imm ♂) on Pole Sands and singles of Bar-tailed Godwit, Common Sandpiper and a Redshank.

Other migrants included at least nine Wheatear, two new Whitethroat, a Willow Warbler and overhead, two Meadow Pipit and two Rook. The pair of Tufted Duck remain on the Main Pond.

Wheatear - Alan Keatley

Tufted Duck - Alan Keatley

Elsewhere four Great Northern Diver, three Great Crested Grebe and 17 Sandwich Tern foraged offshore, with totals SW from an hour seawatch early morning including c50 Gannet, 16 Common Scoter, 12 Kittiwake, two Fulmar and two Red-throated Diver.

Other Wildlife: Four Orange-tip and a Speckled Wood were on the wing along with several species of hoverfly including Platycheirus scutatus and Gossamer Hoverfly Baccha elongata both new for the year.

Gossamer Hoverfly - Alan Keatley

Orange-tip - Alan Keatley

Great Green Bush-cricket nymph - Alan Keatley

No comments:

Post a Comment