Monday 23rd March

The second Spoonbill of the year, an immature, was in the estuary early morning before flying north. It returned later to roost on Finger Point before being flushed north by a boat. 

Spoonbill - Lee Collins

Spoonbill - Dave Jewell

Also in the estuary 118 Curlew, 32 Bar-tailed Godwit, 24 Sanderling, 15 Grey and five Ringed Plover, 12 Dunlin, 11 Knot, six Greenshank, six Sandwich Tern, two pairs of Red-breasted Merganser and the regular Pale-bellied Brent Goose and Whimbrel.

Elsewhere single Great Northern and Red-throated Diver were offshore, four Chiffchaff were in song and Long-tailed Tit and Stonechat were nestbuilding. 

Other Wildlife: Increasing numbers of insects are visiting the flowering sallows, mostly droneflies and Honey Bee along with Yellow-legged and Chocolate Mining Bee.

Yellow-legged Mining Bee Andrea flavipes - Kevin Rylands

Other bees included the first Tree Bumblebee, Vestal Cuckoo Bumblebee and males of Sandpit Mining Bee Andrena barbilabris. At least seven Peacock and two Comma were also on the wing and hundreds of Sand Crocus were in flower, looking at the cloudy forecast most will likely stay closed until the weekend.

Sand Crocus - James Marshall