Thursday 20th August

A noticeable arrival of migrants on site with a Grasshopper Warbler on the Dune Ridge a highlight, along with 12 Willow Warbler, five Whitethroat and two Wheatear. Feeding overhead at least 25 Swallow and five House Martin.

Grasshopper Warbler - Jim Summers

Willow Warbler - Jim Summers

Swallow - Jim Summers

Counts from the estuary included 260 Redshank, 255 Dunlin, 230 Ringed Plover, 70 Sandwich and 30 Common Tern, 19 Sanderling, 14 Greenshank, 13 Mediterranean Gull, 10 Knot, two Bar-tailed Godwit and a Turnstone.

Elsewhere a Great Northern Diver was off the seawall, the Red-legged Partridge was on the Golf Course, three Kestrel were over Greenland Lake and the Teal was at the Main Pond. 

Other Wildlife: Another autumn migrant, the year's first Grey Squirrel, was heading east along the estuary bank at the back of the Golf Course. Elsewhere two Grey Seal were on Bull Hill.

Wednesday 19th August

Still good numbers of terns and waders around the estuary, although the welcome overnight rain did not bring much change. Counts included 120 Common and 118 Sandwich Tern, with 89 Common Tern south early morning, some returning soon after.

Also present over high tide 286 Ringed Plover, 230 Dunlin, 45 Whimbrel, 16 Sanderling, 14 Greenshank, eight Mediterranean Gull, seven Knot, six Black and two Bar-tailed Godwit, a Common Sandpiper and the juvenile Little Ringed Plover.

Little Ringed Plover - Lee Collins

Other Wildlife: A Grey Seal again on Bull Hill, unfortunately with a large scar/wound on back, suggesting propeller damage.

Tuesday 18th August

A Roseate Tern was on Bull Hill early morning along with 175 Common Tern, 20 Sandwich Tern and a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull. Just 35 Common Tern remained over high tide although there were 85 Sandwich Tern, the former leave the estuary during the day, returning to roost in the evening.

Over high tide an increase in small waders with 326 Ringed Plover and 250 Dunlin in The Bight, where there was also a juvenile Little Ringed Plover, 48 Whimbrel, 10 Sanderling, eight Knot, three Bar-tailed Godwit, two Grey Plover and a Turnstone.

Also in the estuary 14 Greenshank, 10 Mediterranean Gull and a Kingfisher. Elsewhere two Kingfisher were at the Main Pond and the Red-legged Partridge was on the Golf Course.

Other Wildlife: A good day with two new insects for the Recording Area. First the hydrophilid beetle Sphaeridium scarabaeoides on Dune Ridge and second, a female Bat-winged Phasia P. hemiptera, a shieldbug parasite. With the two main hosts, Green and Forest Shieldbug, both common on site this species is likely to reappear. 

Sphaeridium scarabaeoides - Alan Keatley

Bat-winged Phasia P. hemiptera - Kevin Rylands

Bat-winged Phasia P. hemiptera - Alan Keatley

A range of species were active in the cooler weather including a few more Nysius senecionis groundbugs on Common Fleabane, Small Beegrabber Thecophora atra, the spider wasp Auplopus carbonarius, the rove beetle Bledius spectabilis on the tide line, plus the usual butterflies including five Clouded Yellow and a Jersey Tiger.

Bledius spectabilis - Alan Keatley

Auplopus carbonarius - Alan Keatley

Small Beegrabber Thecophora atra - Alan Keatley

Miltogramma germari - Alan Keatley

Monday 17th August

Counts from the estuary included 240 Ringed Plover, 160 Dunlin, 125 Sandwich and 103 Common Tern, 31 Whimbrel, 10 Greenshank, 10 Sanderling, nine Knot, eight Mediterranean Gull, two Grey Plover, two Turnstone and a Bar-tailed Godwit.

Sunday 16th August

Another day of arrivals in the estuary with the first Great White Egret and Black Tern of the year present. The egret was distant in the Railway Saltmarsh and the tern was on Finger Point mid morning, relocating to Turf on the dropping tide and on Bull Hill late evening. 

 Great White Egret - Kevin Rylands

Also in the estuary 155 Sandwich and 120 Common Tern, 116 Ringed Plover, 69 Dunlin, 15 Sanderling, nine Knot, seven Mediterranean and an adult Yellow-legged Gull, three Grey Plover, including a new summer plumaged bird, a Black-tailed Godwit and the Black Swan.

Elsewhere two other firsts for the year flew over early morning, a Green Sandpiper and a Tree Pipit, with 10 Balearic Shearwater offshore, two Willow Warbler and a Wheatear on site and a Kingfisher and a Teal at the Main Pond. 

Year List additions:

162. Great White Egret

161. Black Tern

160. Tree Pipit

159. Green Sandpiper

Other Wildlife: Migrants included a Ruddy Darter at the Main Pond, the first since 5 Oct 2013, at least 15 Rush Veneer, four Clouded Yellow and three Painted Lady.

Ruddy Darter - Kevin Rylands

The remaining Water Mint was attracting numerous pollinators including the first Locust Blowlfly Stomorhina lunata and Stripe-winged Dronefly Eristalis horticola of the year, Twist-winged Parasite Fly Ectophasia crassipennis and Tree Bumblebee. 

Tree Bumblebee - Kevin Rylands

Saturday 15th August

Counts from the estuary included 110 Sandwich and 79 Common Tern, 85 Dunlin, 55 Whimbrel, 14 Sanderling, 10 Greenshank, three Bar-tailed Godwit, three Mediterranean and the first juvenile Common Gull, two Grey Plover and two Turnstone. 

Elsewhere a Tufted Duck flew south offshore early morning, a Teal and a Sedge Warbler were at the Main Pond with other migrants including single Wheatear and Willow Warbler.

Sedge Warbler - Jim Summers

Teal - Jim Summers

Other Wildlife: In Greenland Lake five Clouded Yellow, a Painted Lady and a Hummingbird Hawkmoth. On Common Fleabane, a couple of Hairy Shieldbug and Bronze Furrow Bee Halictus tumulorum but little else on the wing. 

Hairy Shieldbug (nymph) - Alan Keatley

Hairy Shieldbug - Alan Keatley

Many bramble bushes are turning brown before the berries have ripened reducing availability of food for birds and insects.

Friday 14th August

A small arrival of migrants was headlined by a Grasshopper Warbler on Warren Point with single Sedge and Willow Warbler, Wheatear and Yellow Wagtail on the reserve.

In the estuary arrivals included an Osprey north at 10.15, a Ruff off Cockwood and at least 78 Common Tern. Other counts included 240 Redshank, 138 Dunlin, 105 Sandwich Tern, 14 Sanderling, 11 Greenshank, six Knot, two Common Sandpiper and two Grey Plover.

Elsewhere four Balearic Shearwater, 40 Gannet, a Common Scoter and a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull were offshore and two Teal were at the Main Pond.

Thursday 13th August

Counts from the estuary included 259 Ringed Plover, 133 Dunlin. 60 Sandwich and 23 Common Tern, with another 47 'commic' tern distantly offshore, and six Teal with a Wheatear and a Yellow Wagtail around The Bight.

Yellow Wagtail - Lee Collins

Quiet in the bushes, with just a few Chiffchaff, Blue and Great Tit trying to find food in the trees and a juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker tapping on a branch. Elsewhere two Great Crested Grebe were offshore and the Teal remains on the Main Pond with Mallard, and a Kingfisher passed through.

Teal - Alan Keatley

Other Wildlife: The hot weather seems to have suppressed insect activity with fewer butterflies; just a single Clouded Yellow and Painted Lady, with a few Small White passing through. At the Main Pond a couple of Migrant Hawker, Emperor and a pair of Small Red-eyed Damselfly.

Hoverflies included the migrant Large Stripe-back Helophilus trivittatus on Water Mint. 

New for the Recording Area were a pair of Nysius senecionis groundbug, associated with Common Fleabane and Ragwort, first UK record was in 1992; it is now common and widespread in southern Britain so therefore not unexpected new addition.

Nysius senecionis - Alan Keatley

Wednesday 12th August

A half hour seawatch from 6.15am saw a a large movement of at least 154 Balearic Shearwater east with many others not counted much further out. Also offshore six 'commic' tern and an Arctic Skua flew south.

In the estuary a juvenile Marsh Harrier headed south high over The Bight, with wader numbers similar to recent dates with a juvenile Black-tailed Godwit and Common Sandpiper in The Bight. 

Marsh Harrier - Lee Collins

Tuesday 11th August

A juvenile Little Ringed Plover was a new arrival over the evening high tide along with counts including 238 Ringed Plover, 145 Sandwich and 16 Common Tern, 102 Dunlin, 18 Sanderling, 12 Greenshank, nine Mediterranean Gull, seven Knot, five Turnstone, three Bar-tailed Godwit, two Grey Plover and a Common Sandpiper.

Dunlin - Lee Collins

Elsewhere 40 Greenfinch and two Wheatear were on Warren Point, a Teal was on the Main Pond and two Arctic Skua were offshore.

Other Wildlife: The remaining flowers are going over very quickly in the dry hot weather with most of Wild Carrot in seed and some Heather turning brown, leaving Common Fleabane and Water Mint as the main nectar source.

Eleven species of butterfly were on the wing, including five Clouded Yellow, four Painted Lady and a Comma, with most species struggling to find suitable plants for egg-laying. A Small Red-eyed Damselfly was at the Main Pond, numbers are much lower this year.  

A selection of nectaring hoverflies included several Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax, Stripe-faced Dronefly E, nemorum, Batman Hoverfly Myathropa florea and single Pied Plumehorn Volucella pellucens and Hornet Plumehorn V. zonaria. 

Pied Plumehorn Volucella pellucens - Alan Keatley

Batman Hoverfly Myathropa florea - Alan Keatley

Also on the wing numerous Bee-wolf Philanthus triangulum, however its main prey, Honey Bee appear almost non-existent on site at the moment.