A minimum of 153 Common Gull were in the estuary on the rising tide, a welcome sign of spring passage. Also present 236 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 107 Knot, 20 Greenshank, 11 Teal, nine Avocet, four Red-breasted Merganser, two Wigeon, an adult Mediterranean Gull and the wintering Merlin.
Elsewhere a 2CY Little Gull was offshore with 10 Common Scoter, eight Red-throated and six Great Northern Diver, and the Dartford Warbler was on the Golf Course.
The Merlin was hunting waders around The Bight over the low high tide, with counts from the estuary including 144 Redshank, 118+ Common Gull, 57 Turnstone, 55 Bar and 40 Black-tailed Godwit, 23 Ringed Plover, 22 Greenshank, 21 Avocet, 16 Teal, five Red-breasted Merganser and a Great Northern Diver.
Elsewhere the Cetti's Warbler was in fine song today, maybe this year will see the first bird breeding territory, the first two Stock Dove of the year dropped into the saltmarsh with six Common Scoter and two Great Northern Diver offshore.
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| Greenland Lake - both Dean Hall Probably the most extensive flooding since the area was tidal. With the erosion from recent storms if we get another winter like this one it may be tidal again by next year. |
Year List addition:
107. Stock Dove
Other Wildlife: An increasing variety of invertebrates in the drier conditions including a Lesne's Earwig in the dunes, along with the ground spider Micaria micans and a Hedgehog Slug Arion intermedius, and more flies on the Alexanders.
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| Lesne's Earwig - Alan Keatley |
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| Micaria micans - Alan Keatley |
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| Hedgehog Slug Arion intermedius - Alan Keatley |
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| Phaonia tuguriorum - Alan Keatley |
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| Suillia variegata - Alan Keatley |
The first Cattle Egret of the year flew S from Cockwood early morning with a Greylag Goose doing the same a couple of hours later, briefly landing in Shutterton Creek. Also in the estuary 329 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 100+ Bar-tailed Godwit, 31 Ringed Plover, 16 Avocet, 11 Teal, six Greenshank, two Red-breasted Merganser and a Great Northern Diver.
An adult Little Gull was offshore along with 10 Great Crested Grebe, eight Common Scoter and eight Great Northern Diver with two Mute Swan in off the sea. Elsewhere the Cetti's Warbler was singing from the car park, two Cirl Bunting were in Greenland Lake, the species has been very scarce this winter, and 10 Long-tailed Tit, two Chiffchaff and two Goldcrest were in the bushes.
Cirl Bunting - Dean Hall
Year List additions:
106. Greylag Goose
105. Cattle Egret
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| Great Northern Diver - Lee Collins |
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| Warren Point 7th February - Kim Summers |
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| View looking east from the seawall 7th February - Kevin Rylands |
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| Dune Ridge looking west by Groyne Nine 4th February - Kevin Rylands |
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| Buffer Zone flooding 6th February - James Marshall |
The drake Goldeneye was off Cockwood briefly late afternoon with counts from the estuary including 820 Black and 101 Bar-tailed Godwit, 138 Knot, 85 Grey and 29 Ringed Plover, 21 Sanderling, 18 Avocet, six Greenshank and two Red-breasted Merganser.
Elsewhere the Little Grebe was trilling from the Main Pond, with four Common Scoter, two Great Northern and two Red-throated Diver offshore.
Ringing News: Today turned out to be a big recovery day. Ongoing labour intensive monitoring allows evaluation of both short and long term survivability rates for species like Dunlin, the 64 identified today adding to a burgeoning dataset. Oystercatcher numbers have begun to dwindle, signalling migratory movement, with birds already arriving back on breeding grounds in Scotland. Keeping an eye on those that remain holds added value, one seen and noted today may potentially be found several hundred miles away a few days later, or even the next day as happened in February 2019. Today 27 wintering individuals were noted, one ringed way back in 2004. Adding a bit of glamour and variety, one of the Netherlands ringed Avocet brought sparkle and culminated in a hugely rewarding bout of intensely watching our wintering wader residents.
Other Wildlife: A few more active insects despite the continuing showers. Alexanders continued to attract a few flies including Geomyza tripunctata, Tephritis vespertina and new for the Recording Area, the common Suillia affinis.
Suillia affinis - Alan Keatley
Beetles included Trechus quadristriatus, the weevil Hypera conmaculata and Rosemary Beetle with Buff-tailed Bumblebee and the moth Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana on the wing.
Trechus quadristriatus - Alan Keatley 
Hypera conmaculata - Alan Keatley %20070226.JPG)
Common Flat-body Agonopterix heracliana - Alan Keatley
An adult Little Gull, eight Great Northern and four Red-throated Diver were offshore, with single 1CY Caspian Gull and the 4CY Yellow-legged Gull amongst the large feeding flocks of Herring Gull along the beach and sandbars.
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| Lesser Black-backed Gull - Dave Jewell |
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| Grey Plover - Lee Collins |
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| Great Northern Diver - Jim Summers |
A 4CY Yellow-legged Gull was on Finger Point with at least 45 Great Black-backed Gull, with 290 Black-tailed Godwit and seven Avocet in the estuary corner.
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| Yellow-legged Gull - Lee Collins |
Counts from the high tide included 1,100 Dunlin, 840 Black and 120 Bar-tailed Godwit, 139 Grey and eight Ringed Plover, 118 Knot, 67 Common Gull, 27 Turnstone, 20 Greenshank and 10 Avocet.
Elsewhere the Cetti's Warbler was singing in the Entrance Bushes.
%20040226.JPG) |
| Bluish Plate-jaw Leistus fulvibarbis - Alan Keatley |
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| Tephritis vespertina - Alan Keatley |
A late afternoon visit saw 385 Dark and a Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 10 Greenshank and six Avocet were in the estuary with the usual mix of waders.
Elsewhere the Dartford Warbler was on the Golf Course, a Firecrest was in Dead Dolphin Wood and 730+ Herring Gull, two Great Northern Diver and a Common Scoter were offshore.
