Monday 24th August

The strong onshore wind saw a gathering of gulls in The Bight on the rising tide including 55 Great and 14 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 19 Mediterranean and two Yellow-legged Gull. 

Large numbers of terns and waders joined them over the high tide including juvenile Black Tern and Little Ringed Plover with minimum counts of 352 Dunlin, 349 Ringed Plover, 243 Common and 108 Sandwich Tern, 28 Bar and three Black-tailed Godwit, 23 Knot, 10 Sanderling, five Turnstone and a Grey Plover. 

Black & Common Tern - Kevin Rylands

Also in the estuary 260 Redshank, 206 Curlew, 12 Greenshank, 11 Whimbrel, three Teal, two White and a Yellow Wagtail. 

The wind also reduced bird activity in the bushes with a lone Willow Warbler the only noted migrant.

Other Wildlife: In sheltered areas, the hoverflies Striped-winged Dronefly Eristalis horticola and Hornet Plumehorn Volucella zonaria, with two Clouded Yellow, plus Field Digger Wasp Mellinus arvensis and the ant-like flower beetle Anthicus antherinus.

Hornet Plumehorn Volucella zonaria - Alan Keatley

Striped-winged Dronefly Eristalis horticola - Alan Keatley

Field Digger Wasp Mellinus arvensis - Alan Keatley

Resting on the pond dipping platform the male Ruddy Darter and a Common Darter and a brood of final instar Parent Bug Elasmucha grisea were found on the Golf Course. 

Ruddy Darter - Alan Keatley

Parent Bug Elasmucha grisea - Kevin Rylands

Sunday 23rd August

No sign of the Little Stint or Ruff on today's neap tide with lower numbers of many wader species as some presumably continue south. Counts included 279 Redshank, 140 Ringed Plover, c50 Dunlin, 36 Sanderling, 27 Knot, 11 Whimbrel, 10 Greenshank, five Turnstone and three Bar-tailed Godwit.

Also in the estuary, 83 Common and 73 Sandwich Tern, 14 Mediterranean Gull, a Teal and an Osprey.

Elsewhere a juvenile Little Gull flew east offshore with 35+ Kittiwake with seven Balearic Shearwater also heading east, a flock of 15 House Martin flew through and single Wheatear and Yellow Wagtail were on the Golf Course. 

Ringing News: A Dutch ringed juvenile Common Tern was a new recovery, with six newly returned Exe-ringed Oystercatcher.

Other Wildlife: The injured Grey Seal was on Bull Hill once the many boats and dogs had departed and single Clouded Yellow and Painted Lady flew through. 

Saturday 22nd August

A Little Stint was a new arrival in The Bight on the dropping tide with the Ruff still present alongside at least 180 Ringed Plover, 170 Common and 85 Sandwich Tern, 110 Dunlin,14 Knot, nine Turnstone, eight Sanderling and three Bar-tailed Godwit.

Also in the estuary 294 Redshank, 10 Greenshank, five Mediterranean Gull, a Kingfisher and an immature Peregrine, which eventually took a Redshank after 15+ attempts.

Elsewhere grounded migrants included eight Whitethroat, four Willow Warbler, two Yellow Wagtail and a Wheatear.

Willow Warbler - Jim Summers

Other Wildlife: After several days apparent absence three Clouded Yellow were on site with a late/migrant Black-tailed Skimmer on the Golf Course and a Grey Seal on Bull Hill. 

Friday 21st August

A Ruff was a new arrival in The Bight over high tide with 320 Dunlin, 230 Ringed Plover, 65 Sandwich and 20 Common Tern, 28 Knot, 10 Sanderling and a Turnstone. Other counts from the estuary included 300 Redshank, 14 Greenshank, eight Teal, six Mediterranean Gull, five Bar and a Black-tailed Godwit.

Elsewhere a Great Northern Diver and seven Common Scoter were offshore, two Teal were at the Main Pond, two Wheatear were on the Golf Course and two Willow Warbler and a Coal Tit were in the Entrance Bushes. 

Other Wildlife: At least 30 Rush Veneer and a couple of Painted Lady were on the wing along with the first Heather Colletes C. succinctus of the year. 

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.