Friday 4th April

The first two Whimbrel of the year were in The Bight amongst 78 Curlew over a low high tide, with 35 Dunlin, 10 Sanderling, eight Turnstone, six Grey and four Ringed Plover, five Teal and four Dark-bellied Brent Geese also in the estuary.

Whimbrel - Alan Keatley

Elsewhere the first two Swallow of the summer flew through, two Willow Warbler were by the Main Pond and two Sandwich Tern were offshore.

Year list additions:
119. Swallow
118. Whimbrel

Other Wildlife: Overcast conditions saw attention focussed on the beach where the minute scavenger beetle Cartodere bifasciata and seaweed rove beetle Cafius xantholoma were new for the year. 

Cafius xantholoma - Alan Keatley

Cartodere bifasciata - Alan Keatley

As the day brightened up other insects were more active with four species of butterfly and bumblebee on the wing with Orange-tip, Small White and Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius first emergences. Also new for the year the daggerfly Empis femorata and the hoverfly Common Meadow Syrph Eupeodes latifasciatus. 

Empis femorata - Alan Keatley

Thursday 3rd April

An evening visit after the rain failed to locate any migrants with the exception of a new male Pheasant! There were new arrivals offshore with eight Eider including four adult males, so at least two fresh in.

In the estuary at low tide, 10 Redshank, eight Turnstone, seven Dark-bellied Brent Geese, three Teal, a pair of Red-breasted Merganser, two Greenshank and two Sandwich Tern.

Wednesday 2nd April

An evening visit on the rising tide saw 72 Carrion Crow, 34 Dunlin, 22 Turnstone, 11 Redshank, seven Grey Plover, four Greenshank, two Dark-bellied Brent Geese, two Sandwich Tern, two Teal and a Knot in the estuary.

Other Wildlife: The first Common Carder Bee of the year was on the wing as were the first two Common Pipistrelle. A Water Vole showed well on the Main Pond.

Tuesday 1st April

The high spring tide resulted in little room for waders to roost in the estuary with 22 Turnstone and eight Sanderling resorting to what's left of the beach. The Curlew, Oystercatcher and 26 Bar-tailed Godwit found limited space on Finger Point with 29 Dunlin, six Grey Plover and a Knot also around The Bight. 

In the saltmarsh 17 Redshank and six Greenshank, with 12 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 12 Teal and two Red-breasted Merganser also in the estuary, with two Sandwich Tern and a fly through Sand Martin.

Elsewhere a pair of Teal were on the First Pond and single singing Blackcap, Willow Warbler and five Chiffchaff were in the bushes.

Other Wildlife: Fewer insects today in the strong easterly wind with a Tipula vernalis cranefly noted and a saltmarsh ground beetle Pogonus chalceus in The Bight on the intertidal sand. In sheltered areas were at least six Common Lizard, a Comma, and a couple of Speckled Wood and Peacock.

Comma - Alan Keatley

Pogonus chalceus - Alan Keatley

Tipula vernalis - Alan Keatley

Monday 31st March

On a low tide visit a flock of 11 Pale-bellied Brent Geese on an offshore sandbar was the most notable sighting, with two Grey Plover in The Bight and two Great Crested Grebe off the seawall late morning.

 

Elsewhere Blackcap is on territory in Dead Dolphin Wood with a migrant Willow Warbler by the Main Pond.

Other Wildlife: More insects on the wing for the first time this year in the fine weather. Leading the way was a selection a ladybirds on the Alexanders including 10-spot, Pine and a variety of Harlequin.

10-spot Ladybird - Alan Keatley

Pine Ladybird - Alan Keatley

New bees for the year included Common Furrow Bee Lasioglossum calceatum and Common Mini-miner Andrena minutula nectaring on Dandelion. Hoverflies have also responded to the weather with good numbers of Grey-spotted Boxer Platycheirus albimanus, Common Eristalis tenax and Tapered Dronefly E. pertinax along with singles of Common Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus pendulus and Spring Epistrophe E. eligans.

Grey-spotted Boxer Platycheirus albimanus - Alan Keatley

Common Furrow Bee Lasioglossum calceatum - Alan Keatley

Butterflies were limited to six Speckled Wood and four Peacock, with the Grey Squirrel roaming around the Entrance Bushes.

Sunday 30th March

Highlights from a short morning visit included four Willow Warbler, five Chiffchaff and single Buzzard and Sparrowhawk in the bushes with three Sandwich Tern offshore.

Other Wildlife: A Peacock butterfly was on the wing and several dozen Sand Crocus were flowering in the Crocus Compound behind the Visitor Centre.

Sand Crocus - David Flack

Saturday 29th March

Early morning at least 18 Red-throated and four Great Northern Diver flew south offshore with 15 Sandwich Tern foraging, six Great Northern and five Red-throated Diver on the sea along with five Common Scoter and two Eider. 

Counts from the estuary over the high tide included 120 Curlew, 18 Bar-tailed Godwit, 15 Redshank, 12 Sanderling, nine Grey and three Ringed Plover, eight Dunlin, six Red-breasted Merganser and a Knot. 

Elsewhere migrants included two Willow Warbler and a Blackcap, with the pair of Tufted Duck still on the Main Pond. 

Other Wildlife: The first Speckled Wood of the year was found freshly emerged in the Entrance Bushes, with a male Sandpit Mining Bee Andrena barbilabris, single Honey Bee and Harlequin Ladybird also new for the year.

Speckled Wood - Alan Keatley

Sandpit Mining Bee Andrena barbilabris -  Alan Keatley

Friday 28th March

Counts from the estuary included 310 Oystercatcher, 110 Curlew, 15 Dunlin, nine Grey Plover, three Bar-tailed Godwit and a Knot, with 11 Sandwich Tern, 10 Great Crested Grebe, four Great Northern and two Red-throated Diver and an immature male Eider offshore.

Elsewhere the first Willow Warbler of the year joined yesterday's Blackcap in song.

Year list addition:
117. Willow Warbler

Thursday 27th March

A singing male Blackcap and a female Wheatear were new arrivals, with at least 60 Linnet on site also likely to include migrants. A Meadow Pipit displaying on Warren Point may have also been a migrant, but hopefully will be the first to hold territory since 2013. 

Wheatear - Dean Hall

Blackcap - Dean Hall

Counts over the evening high tide in addition to the Oystercatcher and Curlew, included 46 Dark and three Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 42 Turnstone, 16 Sanderling, 10 Teal, nine Grey and three Ringed Plover, eight Greenshank, three Dunlin, two Red-breasted Merganser and a Knot.

Offshore there were 14 Great Crested Grebe, 10 Sandwich Tern, six Eider (three female & three male (two ad)), six Great Northern and a Red-throated Diver. 

Other Wildlife: Warm but few insects in the cloudy conditions, although a Peacock was on the wing along with Hairy-footed Flower Bee Anthophora plumipes, Early Bumblebee, a few Tapered Dronefly, a Marmalade Hoverfly and a Grey-spotted Boxer. 

Hairy-footed Flower Bee Anthophora plumipes - Alan Keatley

Early Bumblebee - Kevin Rylands

Also recorded a Grey Squirrel around the Entrance Bushes, the strandline beetle Broscus cephalotes around The Bight, the first Striped Ommatoiulus sabulosus and White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger of the year and new for the Warren the white blister rust Albugo hohenheimia on Hairy Bittercress and the cellar spider Psilochorus simoni in a golf course shed. 

Striped Millipede Ommatoiulus sabulosus - Alan Keatley

Broscus cephalotes - Alan Keatley

Amara tibialis - Alan Keatley

Albugo hohenheimia - Kevin Rylands

Wednesday 26th March

The year's first Black-throated Diver was offshore early evening along with nine Great Northern and a Red-throated Diver. Also present 20 Great Crested Grebe, an increase to seven Eider, five males (three immature & two adult) and two females and three Sandwich Tern. 

Counts from the estuary over the evening tide included 351 Oystercatcher, 162 Curlew, 42 Dark and a Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 24 Redshank, 20 Turnstone, 16 Sanderling, eight Grey and four Ringed Plover, eight Dunlin, four Greenshank, four Red-breasted Merganser, two Teal and a Knot.

Year list addition:
116. Black-throated Diver