Monday 3rd June

Continuing northward wader passage with counts from the estuary including 162 Sanderling, 49 Dunlin, 18 Ringed Plover, 16 Whimbrel, four Bar-tailed Godwit, three unseasonal Redshank and a summer plumaged Knot. 

A Little Tern was also a new arrival, foraging offshore with 650 Herring Gull, c55 Kittiwake, 14 Black-headed and a 2cy Mediterranean Gull, six Sandwich Tern and, further out, 97 Manx Shearwater. Also offshore 39 Common Scoter and six Great Northern Diver.

Elsewhere a Red Kite flew NE over The Bight at15:17, noisily mobbed by the Oystercatcher flock, six Eider were on Finger Point, a Stock Dove was on Warren Point and three Swift flew through.

Other Wildlife: Overcast conditions didn't encourage too many butterflies and dragonflies to take the wing, the best being a Golden-ringed Dragonfly along the Dune Ridge. Ground based invertebrates were more prominent with a Dune Jumper Marpissa nivoyi, several nymph Lesser Cockroach and the tiny heleomyzid fly Trixoscelis obscurella (first record since 1987) all amongst the Marram.

Trixoscelis obsurella - Alan Keatley

Another insect that had gone unnoticed for a few years was the diving beetle Agabus bipustulatus, found on damp ground near the First Pond.

Agabus bipustulatus - Alan Keatley

Elsewhere another new beetle for the Recording Area was nectaring on Hemlock Water-dropwort, Anaspis frontalis, a tumbling flower beetle and Two-banded Spearhorn Chrysotoxum bicinctum and Box-headed Blood Bee Sphecodes monilicornis were new for the year.

Anaspis frontalis - Alan Keatley

Two-banded Spearhorn Chrysotoxum bicinctum - Alan Keatley

Box-headed Blood Bee Sphecodes monilicornis - Alan Keatley