Wednesday 13th May

A low tide visit saw a few Whimbrel in the estuary, the female Eider and a Sandwich Tern offshore and a Buzzard overhead.

The Main Pond is providing a fertile area for wildfowl with at least two juvenile Little Grebe, a brood of eight Canada Geese goslings and three different age broods of Mallard, unfortunately for them a Grey Heron was also present, although survival rates are so far higher than recent years.

Canada Geese - Alan Keatley

Other Wildlife: With a chilly brisk north wind most flying insects were to be found in sheltered sunny areas, where there was a good selection considering the weather.

Several hoverflies were added to the year list including Common Weeny Paragus haemorrhous, Superb Ant-Hill Hoverfly Xanthogramma pedissequum, Broad-barred Fleckwing Dasysyrphus venustus and Dark-backed Epistrophe E. nitidicollis.

Common Weeny Paragus haemorrhous - Alan Keatley

Broad-barred Fleckwing Dasysyrphus venustus  - Alan Keatley

Other diptera including a new Lanxaniidae fly for the Recording Area, Minettia inusta, found in the Buffer Zone, plus the soldierfly Broad Centurion Chloromyia formosa in the Entrance Bushes.

Minettia inusta - Alan Keatley

Broad Centurion Chloromyia formosa - Alan Keatley

Also on the wing two male Common Blue behind the Visitor Centre, an Azure Damselfly in Skipper Meadow and a Common Spiny Digger Wasp Oxybelus uniglumis on the Dune Ridge, all first emergences for the year.

 Common Blue - Alan Keatley

Azure Damselfly - Alan Keatley

Common Spiny Digger Wasp Oxybelus uniglumis - Alan Keatley