Saturday 4th July

The dropping tide saw 122 Curlew and 41 Canada Geese, including all eight fledged young from the Main Pond, remaining in the saltmarsh with a flock of five Raven flying across The Bight and three Shag on the breakwater at Langstone Rock. 

Other Wildlife: Plenty of insect activity in the warm sunshine with nine species of butterfly including a female Brown Argus in the Entrance Bushes and four Odonata species including a female Broad-bodied Chaser and 10+ Red-eyed Damselfly at the Main Pond.

Brown Argus - Alan Keately

Red-eyed Damselfly - Alan Keatley

New emergences included a Four-banded Beegrabber Conops quadrifasciatus, the leaf beetle Cryptocephalus fulvus, the mirid bug Plagiognathus arbustorum and the nationally scarce Hairy Stiltbug Berytinus hirticornis.

Hairy Stiltbug Berytinus hirticornis - Alan Keatley

Friday 3rd July

The first eight returning Teal were in the saltmarsh early morning with other counts from the estuary including 39 Redshank, 21 Sandwich Tern, four Whimbrel, three Ringed and two Grey Plover, three Bar-tailed Godwit, two Dunlin, a Greenshank and a Sanderling.

Elsewhere four Common Tern and three Great Crested Grebe were offshore. 

Thursday 2nd July

A low tide visit saw few birds of note with a 3CY Mediterranean Gull on the beach, two Sandwich Tern offshore and a juvenile Grey Heron at the Main Pond.

Other Wildlife: A good day for summer insects with eleven butterfly species on the wing, including the first Brown Argus of the year, a male, in the Back Meadow and, now rare for the Recording Area, a Small Tortoiseshell near the Crazy Golf. A couple of summer generation Holly Blue were seen and on the move good numbers of Large and Small White with a few Red Admiral.

Small Tortoiseshell - Alan Keatley

A good variety of Odonata including ovipositing Red-eyed Damselfly on the Main Pond and a male Red-veined Darter briefly on the Dune Ridge. Also, on the dune ridge a Roesel's Bush-Cricket and a Mottled Grasshopper along the Back Path.

Roesel's Bush-Cricket - Alan Keatley

Mottled Grasshopper - Alan Keatley

Less noticeable, a pair of mating Dark-winged Black Pachygaster atra soldierfly and a false blister beetle Oedemera lurida.

Dark-winged Black Pachygaster atra - Alan Keatley

Oedemera lurida - Alan Keatley

Wednesday 1st July

A brief seawatch early morning saw a Balearic and 70 Manx Shearwater head east with 11 Common Scoter also offshore.

Elsewhere 15 Mediterranean Gull, 13 Sandwich Tern, including the first juvenile, four Ringed and two Grey Plover, a Dunlin and a Sanderling were in the estuary.

Tuesday 30th June

Another day of Mediterranean Gull movement with at least 40 present over the evening tide, a sample count in the estuary saw 15 ad, 11 2CY and nine 1CY, with the first juvenile in the morning. 

Mediterranean Gull (1CY & ad) - Jim Summers

Also over high tide 196 Curlew, 25 Redshank, 18 Sandwich Tern, eight Whimbrel, four Ringed and two Grey Plover, three Bar-tailed Godwit, two Greenshank, a Common Sandpiper and a Dunlin. 

Elsewhere eight Raven were on Finger Point with 15 Manx Shearwater and a Great Crested Grebe offshore.

Ringing News: The Dutch ringed Black-headed Gull was again present, joined by a bird from Poland. Other recoveries included five new Mediterranean Gull from Ireland, France and Germany and a Sandwich Tern from Northern Ireland. 

Mediterranean (and Black-headed) Gull - Jim Summers

Monday 29th June

A low tide visit so few birds in the estuary although about 25 Redshank were in Shutterton Creek with a pair of Stock Dove in the Railway Saltmarsh. Amongst the usual birds around the ponds and the bushes, with a young Sparrowhawk calling from the Entrance Bushes, young Moorhen still at the Dune Pond and a very protective hen Pheasant was guarding at least seven small chicks in the Back Meadow.

Other Wildlife: Fewer flying insects today in generally overcast conditions with just six butterfly and two Odonata species, although a hyperactive Hummingbird Hawkmoth and a flighty Wasp Plumehorn Volucella inanis were in Dead Dolphin Wood.

Of a more sedentary nature the plant bug Leptopterna dolabrata and flower bug Anthocoris nemoralis, a Fig Leaf Skeletoniser Choreutis nemorana on its foodplant by the Go-karts, with a Lagria parasite fly Gastrolepta anthracina and a Spotted Bee-burglar Miltogramma punctata on nearby flowers.

Anthocoris nemoralis - Alan Keatley

Leptopterna dolabrata - Alan Keatley

Fig Leaf Skeletoniser Choreutis nemorana - Alan Keatley

Gastrolepta anthracina - Alan Keatley

Spotted Bee-burglar Miltogramma punctata - Alan Keatley

Sunday 28th June

Fewer gulls around today with no feeding flocks offshore, although 130 Black-headed and eight Mediterranean Gull were still in the estuary. Also present over high tide, 28 Redshank, four Bar-tailed Godwit, two Grey and a Ringed Plover, a Dunlin and a Greenshank.

Swallow - Lee Collins

Ringing News: This Dutch ringed Black-headed Gull, first recorded on Friday, was again present.  

Black-headed Gull EX6T - Lee Collins

Saturday 27th June

A large increase in Mediterranean Gull saw a minimum count of 62 birds around the site, with many feeding offshore with 400 Herring and the 5CY Yellow-legged Gull. Also offshore at least 50 Manx Shearwater and the female Eider.

Wader counts from high tide in the estuary included 175 Curlew, 22 Redshank, 14 Whimbrel, two Bar-tailed Godwit, two Grey and a Ringed Plover. Elsewhere 20 Sand and 15 House Martin and nine Swift were overhead, a fledged family of Swallow were feeding over the saltmarsh and the Red-legged Partridge was in The Bight.

Ringing News: Four colour-ringed Mediterranean Gull were noted from Belgium, Germany, Hungary and Slovenia, the first Warren recovery from the country. Further metal ringed birds were from Hungary and France. 

Mediterranean Gull - Lee Collins

Other Wildlife: A fresh pleasant morning after the heat of the last few days. Good numbers of flying insects with 12 butterfly species and several Odonata including a mating pair of Black-tailed Skimmer and at least four Red-eyed Damselfly at the Main Pond.

Comma - James Marshall

In more vegetated areas, the leaf beetle Cryptocephalus pusillus, a few Red Poplar Leaf Beetle Chrysomela populi, the flies Opomyza petersi and Exorista rustica, a sawfly tachinid, a Nettle Leafhopper Eupteryx urticae and the day flying moths Satin Grass-veneer Crambus perlella and Orange-spot Yarrow Moth Dichrorampha vancouverana.

Cryptocephalus pusillus - Alan Keatley

Opomyza petersi - Alan Keatley

Red Poplar Leaf Beetle Chrysomela populi - Alan Keatley

Orange-spot Yarrow Moth Dichrorampha vancouverana - Alan Keatley

Elsewhere more Beewolf wasps and the ant Formica cunicularia were on the hunt and a bull Grey Seal was in the estuary.

Beewolf - Alan Keatley

Friday 26th June

Counts from the estuary included some sizable increases, with 173 Curlew, 170 Black-headed and 19 Mediterranean Gull, 24 Oystercatcher, 18 Redshank, six Whimbrel, two Grey Plover and a Greenshank. Also eight Sand Martin feeding on the strandine in The Bight.

Thursday 25th June

Post-breeding wader passage is slowly on the up with 96 Curlew, 30 Redshank, five Whimbrel, two Dunlin and two Greenshank alongside the two summering Grey Plover. 

Elsewhere 19 Sandwich Tern and four Mediterranean Gull were feeding offshore, the 5CY Yellow-legged Gull was on the beach and a Red-legged Partridge was on the Golf Course.

Other Wildlife: The first two Purple Hairstreak of the year were on the Golf Course, with an increase in Gatekeeper, Peacock and Red Admiral and a Painted Lady.