Saturday 11th April

A low high tide with The Bight left uncovered, although 51 Bar-tailed Godwit, eight Whimbrel, seven Knot, three Grey Plover and a Dark-bellied Brent Goose were on the water's edge.

Elsewhere three Willow Warbler were on site, the Red-legged Partridge and a Wheatear were on Warren Point, 21 Manx Shearwater flew S, and the pair of Eider remained offshore with 18 Sandwich Tern and small numbers of Great Crested Grebe, Red-throated and Great Northern Diver.

Other Wildlife: Despite the chill in the wind a good number of insects on the wing with five species of butterfly including the first Small Copper and Holly Blue of the year, and a Painted Lady along the beach.

Small Copper - Alan Keatley

Bees included the nationally scarce Black Mining Bee Andrena pilipes on the carpark roundabout, Gwynne's Mining Bee A. bicolor by the Entrance Bushes, where there were also good numbers of Orange-tailed Mining Bee A. haemorrhoa.

Black Mining Bee Andrena pilipes - Alan Keatley

Orange-tailed Mining Bee Andrena haemorrhoa - Alan Keatley

Gwynne's Mining Bee Andrena bicolor - Alan Keatley

Other insects included the first Dark Bush-cricket nymph of the year, the sawfly Aglaostigma fulvipes and the moths Nettle-tap and Grey Gorse Piercer Cydia ulicetana, with Bishop's Mitre Aelia acuminata and a nymph European Chinchbug Ischodemus sabuleti on the beach.

 European Chinchbug Ischodemus sabuleti - Alan Keatley

Bishop's Mitre Aelia acuminata - Alan Keatley

Aglaostigma fulvipes - Alan Keatley

Metellina mengei - Alan Keatley

 Crepidodera aurea - Alan Keatley

Friday 10th April

Migrants included eight Whimbrel and a Bar-tailed Godwit on the beach, seven summer plumaged Dunlin in the estuary, five Swallow through and two Wheatear were on Warren Point.

Wheatear - Lee Collins

Elsewhere the Black-throated Diver remained offshore with 11 Great Northern and 11 Red-throated Diver, four Great Crested Grebe and the pair of Eider, with counts from the estuary including 41 Bar-tailed Godwit, 12 Grey and a Ringed Plover, nine Sanderling and a Knot. 

Thursday 9th April

The first Black-throated Diver of the year was offshore early morning along with the pair of Eider, at least 16 Sandwich Tern, with more later on, 13 Manx Shearwater, 10 Red-throated Diver and nine Great Crested Grebe.

Elsewhere the Red-legged Partridge was on Warren Point, migrants included single Wheatear and Willow Warbler, 25+ Swallow, three House and a Sand Martin, and counts over the neap tide included 35 Bar-tailed Godwit, four Knot, two Dunlin, a Grey Plover and a Whimbrel. 

Year List addition:
128. Black-throated Diver

Other Wildlife: An emergence of Striped Millipede Ommatoiulus sabulosus in the dunes with Dune Scarab and Marram Weevil along the beach and good numbers of Sandpit Mining Bee across the site. 

Sandpit Mining Bee Andrena barbilabris - Judah Baker

Marram Weevil Philopedon plagiatum - Judah Baker

Dune Scarab Aegialia arenaria - Judah Baker

Wednesday 8th April

Three Tufted Duck and a pair of Eider offshore were both first records for the year with the first three Whitethroat making landfall 

Elsewhere two Willow Warbler and a Wheatear were on site, and the Red-legged Partridge was on Warren Point.

Year List additions:
127. Whitethroat
126. Eider
125. Tufted Duck

Other Wildlife: Four species of butterfly were on the wing including a Brimstone and two Orange-tip. Other insects including two new beetles for the Recording Area, Coelostoma ocbiculare, a water scavenger beetle, in a puddle on the main track, the other the ground beetle Common Shortspur Anisodactylus binotatus, in grass along the Back Path.

Anisodactylus binotatus - Alan Keatley

Also, found today a mating scrum of Torpedo Sawfly Nematus lucidus on Hawthorn by the Tractor Compound, a few Brown Willow Beetle Galerucella lineola, the cranefly Tipula vernalis, a Ruby Tiger caterpillar and a fly through Hornet.

Brown Willow Beetle Galerucella lineola - Alan Keatley

Torpedo Sawfly Nematus lucidus - Alan Keatley

Tuesday 7th April

A few more summer migrants today the highlight of which was the first Redstart of the year on the Golf Course, along with a couple of Willow Warbler, a Wheatear and overhead 12 Swallow and the first returning House Martin.

In the estuary counts included 41 Bar-tailed Godwit, 16 Sandwich Tern, 14 Sanderling, eight Black-headed Gull, seven Grey and a Ringed Plover, five Knot, five Turnstone, two Red-breasted Merganser, a Dunlin, a Greenshank and a Dark-bellied Brent Goose.

Mute Swan - James Marshall. A pair back on the Main Pond for the first time since mid February

Year List additions:

124. House Martin
123. Redstart

Other Wildlife: Four species of butterfly were on the wing including the first Red Admiral of the year and at least four Orange-tip. 

Orange-tip - James Marshall

Monday 6th April

Offshore there were at least 18 Sandwich Tern, three Red-throated and two Great Northern Diver with c80 Pale-bellied Brent Geese in four flocks which flew in from east and into estuary.

Also in the estuary c100 Curlew, 39 Bar-tailed Godwit, 18 Redshank, 11 Ringed and nine Grey Plover, 10 Sanderling, six Knot, four Dunlin, three Greenshank, two Red-breasted Merganser, a Whimbrel and a Dark-bellied Brent Goose. 

Elsewhere two Swallow flew through and a single Wheatear was on site. 

Other Wildlife: The sunshine and warmer weather brought out a variety of flying insects, the highlight being a male Hornet Grabber Conops vesicularis, a nationally scarce parasitoid fly in the Entrance Bushes. 

Hornet Grabber Conops vesicularis - Alan Keatley

Three species of butterflies were active; Peacock, Speckled Wood and Orange-tip, also on the wing Birch Tortrix Epinotia immundana, Dark-edged Beefly, Sandpit, Small Sallow and Yellow-legged Mining Bee, and the first St. Marks Fly of the year.

Speckled Wood - Alan Keatley

Birch Tortrix Epinotia immundana - Alan Keatley

Beetles on the beach included the nationally rare driftwood weevil Pseudophloeophagus truncorum, the weevil Trichosirocalus troglodytes and the ground beetle Paradromius linearis. 

Pseudophloeophagus truncorum - Alan Keatley

Trichosirocalus troglodytes - Alan Keatley

Paradromius linearis - Alan Keatley

Sunday 5th April

Two adult Spoonbill that flew S from upriver gaining height at 9.45 were the highlight from the estuary, where there were also 97 Curlew, 46 Bar-tailed Godwit, 20 Redshank, 14 Sanderling, 10 Ringed and eight Grey Plover, six Knot, four Red-breasted Merganser, two Dunlin, two Greenshank and a Whimbrel at high tide.

Offshore there were at least 43 Sandwich Tern with seven Red-throated and five Great Northern Diver, five Common Scoter, five Great Crested Grebe, two Fulmar and a 3CY Mediterranean Gull. 

Elsewhere the second Purple Sandpiper of the year was at Langstone Rock, the Red-legged Partridge and a Wheatear were on Warren Point and at least three Willow Warbler were on site.

Friday 3rd April

A pair of Garganey that flew south just after 7.30 were the highlight of a 50 minute seawatch, with 24 Red-throated Diver, five Manx Shearwater and four Red-breasted Merganser also heading south.

In the estuary counts over the high tide included 101 Curlew, 40 Bar-tailed Godwit, 13 Sanderling, 10 Grey and seven Ringed Plover, eight Sandwich Tern, six Knot and a 4CY Yellow-legged Gull.

Year List addition:
121. Garganey

Thursday 2nd March

Counts over the evening high tide included an increase to 18 Ringed Plover, with the first migrant Whimbrel, earlier on the beach, roosting with 55 Curlew on Finger Point. Also present in the estuary 32 Bar-tailed Godwit, 17 Turnstone, 14 Sanderling, 11 Snipe, nine Grey Plover, seven Dunlin, six Knot, five Greenshank and a Dark-bellied Brent Goose. 

Offshore a drake Gadwall, the first of the year, 12 Sandwich Tern, three Great Crested Grebe, two Red-breasted Merganser and a Red-throated Diver.

Year List addition:
120. Gadwall

Other Wildlife: Good numbers of insects on the wing early afternoon including the first two Speckled Wood and Orange-tailed Mining Bee Andrena haemorrhoa of the year.

Along the beach at least a dozen Dune Scarab, several Marram Weevil Philopedon plagiatum and a Hypera nigrirostris, with the darkling beetle Opatrum sabulosum at Langstone Rock.

Opatrum sabulosum - Dean Hall

Yellow-legged Mining Bee - Dean Hall

Wednesday 1st April

Seawatching early morning saw 10 Red-throated and seven Great Northern Diver, six Common Scoter, three Sandwich Tern and two Great Crested Grebe offshore. 

Counts from the estuary over the morning high tide included 109 Curlew, 40 Bar-tailed Godwit, 15 Turnstone, 13 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 12 Ringed Plover, eight Red-breasted Merganser, seven Dunlin and a Knot. 

Elsewhere migrants included single Blackcap, Swallow, Wheatear and Willow Warbler with a Shoveler on the Main Pond and the Red-legged Partridge was still on Warren Point.

Other Wildlife: It wasn't a day for flying insects, but there good numbers of beetles on the beach and edge of The Bight, including two new species for the Recording Area, a horned dung beetle Onthophagus similis and the ground beetle Bembidion dentellum, both relatively common and widespread.

Onthophagus similis - Alan Keatley

Bembidion dentellum - Alan Keatley

Other species included the rove beetles Tachyporus hypnorum and Philonthus cognatus, the rare driftwood weevil Pselactus spadix, the ground beetle Harpalus affinis and a 2-spot Ladybird, plus, the dune spider Zelotes electus.

Pselactus spadix - Alan Keatley

Tachyporus hypnorum - Alan Keatley

Philonthus cognatus - Alan Keatley

Harpalus affinis - Alan Keatley

2-spot Ladybird - Alan Keatley

Zelotes electus - Alan Keatley