Monday 23rd March

The second Spoonbill of the year, an immature, was in the estuary early morning before flying north. It returned later to roost on Finger Point before being flushed north by a boat. 

Spoonbill - Lee Collins

Spoonbill - Dave Jewell

Also in the estuary 118 Curlew, 32 Bar-tailed Godwit, 24 Sanderling, 15 Grey and five Ringed Plover, 12 Dunlin, 11 Knot, six Greenshank, six Sandwich Tern, two pairs of Red-breasted Merganser and the regular Pale-bellied Brent Goose and Whimbrel.

Elsewhere single Great Northern and Red-throated Diver were offshore, four Chiffchaff were in song and Long-tailed Tit and Stonechat were nestbuilding. 

Other Wildlife: Increasing numbers of insects are visiting the flowering sallows, mostly droneflies and Honey Bee along with Yellow-legged and Chocolate Mining Bee.

Yellow-legged Mining Bee Andrea flavipes - Kevin Rylands

Other bees included the first Tree Bumblebee, Vestal Cuckoo Bumblebee and males of Sandpit Mining Bee Andrena barbilabris. At least seven Peacock and two Comma were also on the wing and hundreds of Sand Crocus were in flower, looking at the cloudy forecast most will likely stay closed until the weekend.

Sand Crocus - James Marshall

Sunday 22nd March

The first Red Kite of the year flew N over the Dune Ridge at 10.58 with a light northerly passage of Chaffinch and Lesser Black-backed Gull. On site a Red-legged Partridge was again on the Golf Course.

Counts from the estuary included 130 Dark and a Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 128 Curlew, 40 Bar-tailed Godwit, 24 Sanderling, 17 Grey and four Ringed Plover, 15 Dunlin, 13 Knot, nine Greenshank, five Sandwich Tern, four Continental (sinensis) Cormorant and the Whimbrel. 

Year List addition:
116. Red Kite

Saturday 21st March

Two Sandwich Tern were in the estuary with counts over high tide included 132 Dark and a Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 123 Curlew, 43 Bar-tailed Godwit, 25 Sanderling, 17 Grey and four Ringed Plover, 17 Knot, 15 Dunlin, 12 Teal, nine Greenshank, two Red-breasted Merganser and the Whimbrel.

Elsewhere a lone Wheatear by the seawall early morning soon moved on and two Red-legged Partridge were on the Golf Course.

Stonechat - Dave Jewell

Year List addition:
115. Red-legged Partridge

Other Wildlife: At least half a dozen Peacock were on the wing in a good spring for the species. The sunny conditions also brought out a couple of Common Lizard on the Golf course and a Sand Lizard on Warren Point. 

Portland Spurge - Kevin Rylands

Friday 20th March

The first two Wheatear of the year made landfall, other migrants were still largely absent, although a Sandwich Tern was offshore. Also offshore 14 Great Crested Grebe, seven Common Scoter and three Great Northern Diver.

Elsewhere counts from the estuary included 125 Curlew, 106 Dark and a Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 42 Bar-tailed Godwit, 38 Redshank, 25 Sanderling, 17 Knot, 15 Dunlin, 14 Grey and a Ringed Plover, nine Greenshank, seven Red-breasted Merganser and the wintering Whimbrel. 

Year List addition:
114. Wheatear

Thursday 19th March

Little change around the Warren with migrants still absent, excepting the Blackcap in the Entrance Bushes. Counts from high tide included 42 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, c40 Bar-tailed Godwit, 18 Grey and two Ringed Plover, 17 Knot, 15 Sanderling, 13 Dunlin, 12 Teal and six Red-breasted Merganser.

Elsewhere 20 Common Scoter, 19 Great Crested Grebe, a Great Northern and a Red-throated Diver were offshore and a Swan x Greylag hybrid flew past the seawall with two Canada Geese.

Skylark - Dean Hall

Other Wildlife: The warm early spring weather saw increasing insect activity with first appearances from Comma, Garden Bumblebee, Common Carder Bee, Hairy-footed Flower Bee, Ichneumon sarcitorius, Marmalade Hoverfly and the moth Early Longhorn Adela cuprella. Also on the wing  at least eight Peacock, Buffish, Chocolate and Yellow-legged Mining Bee.

Comma - Dean Hall

Peacock - Dean Hall

Elsewhere the water beetle Agabus bipustulatus was in a puddle on the main track and various beetles were on the beach including the ground beetles Bembidion lampros and Syntomus foveatus, the clown beetles Hypocaccus dimidiatus and H. crassipes, the water scavenger Helophorus grandis and the darkling Phaleria cadaverina.

 Agabus bipustulatus - Alan Keatley

Hypocaccus dimidiatus - Alan Keatley

Helophorus grandis - Alan Keatley

 Bembidion lampros - Alan Keatley

Syntomus foveatus - Alan Keatley

Over 100 Sand Crocus were in flower behind the Visitor Centre, along with the first Early Forget-me-not. 

Sand Crocus - Dean Hall

Wednesday 18th March

The first migrant Blackcap of the year was singing in the Entrance Bushes, with four Chiffchaff and the Cetti's Warbler also in good voice with several resident species nest building. 

Counts from the estuary included 110 Curlew, 62 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 41 Bar-tailed Godwit, 38 Redshank, 25 Sanderling, 18 Grey and three Ringed Plover, 17 Knot, 13 Dunlin, 12 Teal, five Greenshank and five Red-breasted Merganser. 

Elsewhere seven Great Crested Grebe and three Common Scoter were offshore and a flock of 12 summer plumaged adult Black-headed Gull in off late afternoon. 

Other Wildlife: The first Brimstone of the year was around the Entrance Bushes to Main Pond area, one wanderer or possibly two, also on the wing at least five Peacock.The bright sunshine also brought out a minimum 30 Sand Crocus by midday.

Sand (Warren) Crocus - Alan Keatley

Sand (Warren) Crocus - Dave Jewell

Several beetles were found stranded on the beach, swept along by drifting sand, including a new ground beetle for the Recording Area, Bembidion biguttatum, a relatively common species.

Bembidion biguttatum - Alan Keatley

Also, on the beach a Strawberry Root Weevil Otiorhychus ovatus, Marram Weevil Philopedon plagiatum, a water scavenger beetle Helophorus brevipalpis. a rove beetle Anotylus rugosus and a mud beetle Heterocerus fossor, a nationally scarce saltmarsh specialist. 

 Heterocerus fossor - Alan Keatley

In Marram were the ground beetle Clivina fossor, a 16-spot Ladybird and the ground bugs Scolopostethus affinis and Trapezonotus arenarius.

Clivina fossor - Alan Keatley

Scolopostethus affinis - Alan Keatley

Tuesday 17th March

Increasing signs of spring with five Sandwich Tern offshore and 34 Pale and 16 Dark-bellied Brent Geese arriving in off and heading up the estuary. Also offshore 12 Great Crested Grebe, nine Common Scoter and five Red-throated Diver.

A colour-ringed Golden Plover was present over the high tide along with 176 Dark and a Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 48 Redshank, 39 Bar-tailed Godwit, 30 Turnstone, 25 Sanderling, 19 Grey and three Ringed Plover, 14 Knot, seven Greenshank and five Dunlin.

Other Wildlife: A Common Seal was in the estuary. 

Monday 16th March

Counts from the estuary and afternoon high tide included 108 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 74 Curlew, 42 Bar-tailed Godwit, 28 Redshank, 23 Sanderling, 22 Turnstone, 17 Grey and five Ringed Plover, 15 Knot, nine Teal, eight Greenshank, three Red-breasted Merganser and a Dunlin. 

Elsewhere six Great Crested Grebe, three Common Scoter and a Great Northern Diver were offshore with two Chiffchaff and the Cetti's Warbler in song. 

Other Wildlife: Overcast conditions saw few insects on the wing but on the beach there were several Black Marram Weevil Otiorhychus atroapterus and Dune Scarab Aegialia arenaria with single Marram Weevil Philopedon plagiatum and the rove beetle Xantholinus linearis. 

Black Marram Weevil Otiorhychus atroapterus - Alan Keatley

A range of other invertebrates found elsewhere, including a flightless female Dotted Border moth, the springtail Orchesella villosa, the planthopper Eurysa lineata, a Bristly Millipede and the flightless wasp Callitula pyrrhogaster.

Dotted Border - Kevin Rylands

 Eurysa lineata - Kevin Rylands

Orchesella villosa - Alan Keatley

Sunday 15th March

Counts from the estuary included 112 Dark and two Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 106 Oystercatcher, 34 Turnstone, 26 Redshank, 23 Sanderling, 17 Teal, 14 Shelduck, 11 Dunlin, eight Curlew, six Red-breasted Merganser, five Greenshank, two Grey Plover and a Jack Snipe.

Elsewhere the first Sandwich Tern of the year was offshore with 90 Kittiwake, three Common Scoter, three Great Crested Grebe, a Great Northern and a Red-throated Diver, a flock of 60 Linnet were in Greenland Lake and a roost of 34 Magpie were in the Entrance Bushes.

Year List addition:
113. Sandwich Tern

Other Wildlife: Sand Crocus flowers to continue to emerge although the lack of sunshine meant few were open.

Sand Crocus - Kevin Rylands

Saturday 14th March

The Cetti's Warbler was still blasting out its song around the Buffer Zone, but no other news was received.

Other Wildlife: An unexpected early appearance of flowering Sand Crocus behind the Visitor Centre, the joint earliest date with 2007. The average first flowering over the last 20 years has been 25th March.