Saturday 25th April

Migrants overhead included two Yellow Wagtail, 40+ Swallow and three Sand Martin with two Red Kite offsite NE over Cockwood, one crossing estuary at Starcross. In the bushes at least five pairs of Whitethroat now on territory, two Reed Warbler and one Lesser Whitethroat. 

Offshore 22 Sandwich Tern, 13 Black-headed Gull in off, five Common Scoter, two Great Northern and a Red-throated Diver, a Great Crested Grebe and the female Eider.

In the estuary counts from the low high tide included 41 Whimbrel, 32 Bar-tailed Godwit, 25 Sanderling, eight Grey Plover and two Greenshank.

Kestrel - Dave Jewell

Kestrel - Lee Collins Consuming a Sand Lizard

Other Wildlife: Nine species of butterfly were on the wing including the first five Green-veined White of the year, a site record four Holly Blue, a Brimstone east across the estuary and also on the move 15 Red Admiral and a Painted Lady. 

Good numbers of the rove beetle Bledius spectabilis, males with their distinctive "horn" and a few of the ground beetle Pogonus chalceus were active around the drying edge of The Bight. On the beach a Copper Greenclock Poecilus cupreus was amongst the usual Dune Scarab and Marram Weevil.

Bledius spectabilis - Alan Keatley

Pogonus chalceus - Alan Keatley

Copper Greenclock Poecilus cupreus - Alan Keatley

On the Dune Ridge the first robberfly of the year, a Spring Heath Robberfly Lasiopogon cinctus alongside its prey species Coastal Silver-stiletto Acrosathe annulata. In Greenland Lake, a Migrant Broadtail Eupeodes corollae hoverfly and the cranefly Tipula oleracea.

Migrant Broadtail Eupeodes corollae - Alan Keatley

Bees and wasps on the wing included Early Bumblebee, Black, Orange-tailed, Sandpit and Short-fringed Mining Bee, Fork-jawed and Gooden's Nomad Bee and the first Median Wasp Dolichovespula media of the year. 

Orange-tailed Mining Bee - Kevin Rylands

Also recorded the plant bug Cymus glandicolor, Bramble Sawfly Arge cyanocrocea, the scorpion fly Panorpa germanica, the click beetles Agriotes lineatus and Agrypnus murinus, a Dark-edged Beefly and several cases of Lotus Case-bearer Coleophora discordella at Langstone Rock. 

Bramble Sawfly Arge cyanocrocea - Alan Keatley

Lotus Case-bearer Coleophora discordella - Kevin Rylands