Tuesday 26th May

The two Curlew Sandpiper reappeared in The Bight over the afternoon high tide with 22 Ringed Plover, 15 Dunlin, 10 Whimbrel, eight Grey Plover, four Bar-tailed Godwit, four Black-headed Gull, three Knot and a Sandwich Tern also in the estuary.

Curlew Sandpiper - Kevin Rylands

Elsewhere the female Eider remains offshore and the first fledged Chiffchaff were being fed below the station. 

Other Wildlife: At least half a dozen freshly emerged Broad-bodied Chaser and Meadow Brown were on the wing, with three Painted Lady and a couple of Red Admiral having travelled from further afield. Other new emergences included Striped Slender Robberfly Leptogaster cylindrica, Two-banded Spearhorn Chrysotoxum bicinctum and Small Signal Fly Rivellia syngenesiae. 

Monday 25th May

Minimum counts over the afternoon high tide included 85 Oystercatcher, 75 Sanderling, 18 Black-headed Gull, 18 Dunlin, 12 Whimbrel, eight Ringed and six Grey Plover, three Turnstone and two Knot.

Elsewhere a late migrant Willow Warbler was in song in the Entrance Bushes and offshore the female Eider, 630 Herring Gull, 20 Manx Shearwater, three Sandwich Tern and a Great Crested Grebe. 

Other Wildlife: Overnight mothing produced over 100 different species to light, including three new for Recording Area, Channel Islands Pug, Poplar Kitten and Spotted Shoot Moth Rhyacionia pinivorana. The latter was most likely a migrant, the others likely breeding onsite.

Poplar Kitten - Luke Harman

Spotted Shoot Moth Rhyacionia pinivorana - Luke Harman

Channel Islands Pug - Luke Harman

Other migrants included 50+ Diamond-back, 30 Small Mottled Willow and single Rush Veneer, Rusty-dot Pearl, Silver Y and Dark Sword-grass.

Local specialities included White Colon, Sandhill Knot-horn Anerastia lotella and Yellow Belle, with others such as Lime Hawkmoth, Mocha and Marbled Coronet rarely recorded on site. 

White Colon - Luke Harman

Mocha - Kevin Rylands

Lime Hawkmoth - Kevin Rylands

A range of other taxa were also attracted to the lights, including several Cockchafer, a Hornet and two new beetles for the Warren, a rove beetle Deleaster dichrous and a hide beetle Trox scaber. 

Sunday 24th May

On a low high tide two brick-red Curlew Sandpiper were the pick of the few waders, although they didn't linger, part of several small flocks that visited the beach or Bight before being disturbed on a very sunny and busy bank holiday weekend. Minimum counts of other species included 38 Dunlin, 33 Sanderling, 16 Ringed Plover, 12 Whimbrel, 10 Curlew, nine Turnstone, five Grey Plover and two Knot. 

Offshore the female Eider, three Black-headed Gull, two Sandwich Tern and a Common Scoter tried to dodge the many boast and paddle-boarders.

Saturday 23rd May

Little to report with no news received from high tide although the female Eider remained offshore.

Around the bushes the breeding season remains in full swing with Magpie, Robin and Great Tit joining the ranks of newly fledged species and several broods of Moorhen on the two larger ponds. The Moorhen nests at the First and Dune Pond both failed, likely due to predation after the dropping water levels left them high and dry. 

Other Wildlife: The warm weather is certainly stirring up insects in to action with several species of digger wasp, both on vegetation and in bare sandy areas, including increasing numbers of Minute Black Wasp Diodontus minutus and Common Spiny Digger Wasp Oxybelus uniglumis, plus the year's first Armed Crabro Digger Wasp C. peltarius.

Common Spiny Digger Wasp Oxybelus uniglumis - Alan Keatley

Also, on the wing Fan-bristled Robberfly Dysmachus trigonus, the hoverflies Bolete Blacklet Cheilosia scutellata and Common Twist-tail Sphaerophoria scripta and the fly Graphomya maculata in the Entrance Bushes, a Small Magpie moth near the carpark and the first Meadow Brown of the year in Skipper Meadow.

Bolete Blacklet Cheilosia scutellata - Alan Keatley

 Common Twist-tail Sphaerophoria scripta - Alan Keatley

Small Magpie - Alan Keatley

There has been a sudden increase in the number of Honey Bee with large numbers especially during the heat of the early afternoon when many other species are seemingly absent. presumably feral colonies unless hives have been moved near the SSSI. Good numbers of bumblebees are also on the wing including Vestal Cuckoo Bumblebee. 

Friday 22nd May

There was no sign of the Little Stint over the morning tide, although at least 130 Sanderling, 41 Dunlin, 20 Ringed Plover, 12 Whimbrel, five Grey Plover and a Knot. 

Elsewhere eight Sandwich Tern, five Black-headed Gull, a Great Crested Grebe and the female Eider were offshore and a migrant Reed Warbler was on the Golf Course. 

Other Wildlife: Migrants included a couple of Painted Lady, five Silver Y, a Diamond-back and the first Rush Veneer of the year. Other moths included at least ten Alexanders Straw Aethes deaurana around the car park, Portland Ribbon Wave, Common Carpet, Large Longhorn Nematopogon swammerdamella and Common Marble Celypha lacunana. 

Alexanders Straw Aethes deaurana - Kevin Rylands

Portland Ribbon Wave - Kevin Rylands

Also appearing for the first time this year the wasp Small Shieldbug Stalker Dryudella pinguis and the ichneumon wasp Amblyteles armatorius.

Stripe-legged Robberfly Dioctria baumhaueri - Kevin Rylands

Flowering plants included hundreds of Southern Marsh Orchid, the first Bee Orchid, Blue-eyed Grass, Clustered Clover and the first Warren record of Corn Spurrey for over 50 years, 

Corn Spurrey - Kevin Rylands

Clustered Clover - Kevin Rylands

Thursday 21st May

There was no sign of the Temminck's Stint over the morning tide, although a fine summer plumaged Little Stint was present, the second of spring. Also in the estuary at least 110 Sanderling, 70 Dunlin and 50 Ringed Plover, four Grey Plover, four Turnstone and, flying high north, a Great Northern Diver. 

Little Stint - Luke Harman

Little Stint & Sanderling - Luke Harman

Elsewhere the first Marsh Harrier of the year headed north midmorning with the first two Spotted Flycatcher around the Main Pond and offshore the female Eider, 12 Common Scoter and four Great Northern and a Red-throated Diver. 

Year List additions:
150. Marsh Harrier
149. Little Stint

Other Wildlife: Summerlike weather conditions encouraged more insects to make their first appearance of the year including Minute Black Wasp Diodontus minutus, these hyperactive digger wasps were numerous around their nest holes in sand hollows along the Back Path. Sharing the same location the tiny dune fly Trixoscelis obscurella, with the first Red-banded Sand Wasp Ammophila sabulosa on the Dune Ridge. 

Trixoscelis obscurella - Alan Keatley

Other hymenoptera on the wing included five species of bumblebee, a Hornet, several species of Andrena mining bee including Black, Catsear, Short-fringed, Ashy A.cineraria and Grey-patched A,nitida, the last two first emergences, both often late here, and the spider-hunting wasp Agenioideus cinctellus.

Ashy Mining Bee Andrena cineraria - Kevin Rylands

Agenioideus cinctellus - Alan Keatley

Beetles included the first Warren record of the tumbling flower beetle Mordellochroa abdominalis, a couple of Wasp Beetle Clytus arietis and Garden Chafer Phyllopertha horticola, five species of ladybird and increasing numbers of Swollen-thighed Beetle. 

Mordellochroa abdominalis - Kevin Rylands

14-spot Ladybird - Dean Hall

Wasp Beetle Clytus arietis - Dean Hall

Hoverflies included Pied Plumehorn Volucella pellucens, Superb Ant-hill Hoverfly Xanthogramma pedissequum and Large Stripe-back Helophilus trivittatus, with several Azure Damselfly across site and an Emperor Dragonfly at the Dune Pond, the first of the year.

Pied Plumehorn Volucella pellucens - Alan Keatley

Azure Damselfly - Dean Hall

Wednesday 20th May

An early morning seawatch saw the year's first Balearic Shearwater and Pomarine Skua head south along with six Great Northern Diver and four Fulmar. Also offshore 28 Black-headed and a 2CY Mediterranean Gull, seven Sandwich Tern and the female Eider. 

The highlight was however the Warren's fourth Temminck's Stint in The Bight late morning, the first since 22 May 2013. It remained separate from the large flocks of waders and flew off as the tide dropped, returning with the rising tide early evening. 

Temminck's Stint - both Luke Harman

Also in the estuary circa 160 Sanderling and 130 Dunlin, with 62 Ringed Plover, 20 Whimbrel, nine Turnstone, five Knot and four Grey Plover. 

Sanderling - Luke Harman

Ringed Plover - Luke Harman

Elsewhere a Wheatear and the two Red-legged Partridge were on Warren Point and the Yellow-legged Gull was on the beach. 

Yellow-legged Gull - Dave Jewell

Year List additions:
148. Temminck's Stint
147. Balearic Shearwater
146. Pomarine Skua

Other Wildlife: In overcast conditions fewer insects on the wing but there included Parsley Blacklet Cheilosia pagana, the cranefly Nephrotoma quadrifaria and several Sandpit Blood Bee Sphecodes pellucidus,

Sandpit Blood Bee Sphecodes pellucidus - Alan Keatley

Parsley Blacklet Cheilosia pagana - Alan Keatley

Tuesday 19th May

With overnight rain and a strong southerly seawatching was rewarding, especially with a couple of sightings tracked past headlands further south. The first were five Eider that flew south at 6.50am, went S past Hope's Nose 30 minutes later, they were later seen heading back N past both Berry Head and Hope's Nose early afternoon. The second was a group of three Sandwich and a Little Tern that flew south out of the estuary at 8.35am, then S past Hope's Nose at 9.30 & S past Berry Head at 10.25. 

Also offshore the first three Arctic Tern of the year late morning, 13 Common Scoter, four Great Northern and two Red-throated Diver, another three Sandwich Tern and the female Eider. 

Counts from the estuary included 90 Sanderling, 75 Ringed Plover, 54 Dunlin, 34 Whimbrel, 13 Turnstone, 11 Black-headed and two Common Gull, three Grey Plover and a Great Crested Grebe.

Year List addition:
145. Arctic Tern

Other Wildlife: Good numbers of insects were on the wing after the morning showers including several first emergences of the year, including four Common Blue. Other butterflies included Orange-tip, Holly Blue and Peacock, with several caterpillars nests of the latter on the Golf Course.

Utilising holes in fencing for nesting were several Common Yellow-faced Bee Hylaeus communis, including a mating pair and a Mournful Wasp Pemphredon lugubris. In search of wood-nesting mason wasps in the same habitat, a Linnaeus's Cuckoo Wasp Chrysis ignita.

Mournful Wasp Pemphredon lugubris - Alan Keatley

Linnaeus's Cuckoo Wasp Chrysis ignita - Alan Keatley

Common Yellow-faced Bee Hylaeus communis - Alan Keatley

More interested in nectaring a Narcissus Bulb Fly Merodon equestris, a bumblebee mimic hoverfly and a Broad-barred Fleckwing Dasysyrphus venustus with Woolly Alder Sawfly Eriocampa ovatus on its food plant.

Narcissus Bulb Fly Merodon equestris - Alan Keatley

Woolly Alder Sawfly Eriocampa ovatus - Alan Keatley The larvae, rather than the adults, are woolly

Also noted the mayfly Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum was near the Main Pond with a Silver Y and a Fox around The Bight. 

Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum - Alan Keatley

Monday 18th May

Minimum counts from the estuary at high tide included 150 Dunlin, 100 Sanderling, 40 Ringed Plover, 20 Whimbrel, six Knot, three Grey Plover and three Turnstone.

Dunlin - Jim Summers

Elsewhere the Eider and the 5CY Yellow-legged Gull were around the groynes, half a dozen Swift were overhead, the two Red-legged Partridge were on Warren Point and two Little Egret and a Great Northern Diver flew south offshore.

Yellow-legged Gull - Jim Summers

Sunday 17th May

Counts over the evening high tide showed that many of the recent waders remain on the estuary with 295 Dunlin, 110 Sanderling, 72 Ringed Plover, 23 Whimbrel, six Knot and three Grey Plover.

Whimbrel - Kevin Rylands

Elsewhere 225 Manx Shearwater flew east across the bay, with five Sandwich Tern, a Great Northern Diver and the female Eider also offshore.