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. 

Friday 13th March

Counts from the estuary over the lowest high tide of the year included 46 Dark-bellied Brent Goose, 28 Bar-tailed Godwit, 27 Turnstone, 25 Redshank, eight Shelduck, six Curlew, six Oystercatcher, five Teal, three Dunlin and two Red-breasted Merganser. 

Elsewhere seven Great Northern Diver, six Common Scoter and four Great Crested Grebe were offshore, 40+ Linnet, 14 Oystercatcher and a Greenshank were in Greenland Lake and the Cetti's Warbler and four Chiffchaff were in the bushes.

Greenshank - Jim Summers

Thursday 12th March

A short seawatch early morning saw hundreds of Gannet heading south along with smaller numbers of Kittiwake and auks, with both Guillemot and Razorbill closer in. On the sea six Common Scoter and three Great Northern Diver.

Wednesday 11th March

The first Redpoll of the year was with a flock of 72 Linnet in Greenland Lake although other migrants were limited to two Chiffchaff. Elsewhere the Cetti's Warbler was singing by the Car Park and a Great Northern Diver was offshore.

Cetti's Warbler - James Marshall

Year List addition:
112. Redpoll

Other Wildlife: The sunshine brought out a good selection of spring bees for the first time this year, mostly nectaring in sheltered areas. Yellow-legged Mining Bee Andrena flavipes were eager to start a new generation, also on the wing Chocolate A. scotica and Buffish Mining Bee A. nigroaenea. Green Furrow Bee Lasioglossum morio were nectaring on small flowers adding to the mix.

Yellow-legged Mining Bee Andrena flavipes - Alan Keatley

Chocolate Mining Bee A. scotica - Alan Keatley

A selection of wind-blown beetles on the beach included Marram Weevil Philopedon plagiatum, Common Sun Beetle Amara aenea and the dung beetles Calamosternus granarius and Melinopterus prodromus.

Calamosternus granarius - Alan Keatley

Away from the beach, the first Nursery Web Spider of the year, the weevil Mecinus pascuorum, the bedstraw feeding sawfly Red-belted Cleaver Aglaostigma aucupariae and, by the Main Pond, the aquatic Saucer Bug Ilyocoris cimicoides.

Saucer Bug Ilyocoris cimicoides - Alan Keatley

Tuesday 10th March

The first Golden Plover of the year was in The Bight over high tide along with 73 Dunlin, 26 Knot, 20 Grey and six Ringed Plover, nine Greenshank, five Red-breasted Merganser and single Continental sinesis Cormorant, Pale-bellied Brent Goose and Sanderling.

Golden Plover - Lee Collins

Golden & Grey Plover - Dave Jewell

Continental Cormorant - Lee Collins

Elsewhere 27 Great Crested Grebe, eight Great Northern and seven Red-throated Diver and seven Common Scoter were offshore with the Cetti's Warbler by the Car Park. 

Year List addition:
111. Golden Plover

Other Wildlife: The change in weather saw a Sand Lizard basking on Warren Point, with an increase in invertebrate activity on the warming sand, including a new ground beetle for the Recording Area, Bembidion obtusum.

Sand Lizard - Jim Summers

Bembidion obtusum - Alan Keatley

Active groundbugs included Plinthisus brevipennis, Beosus maritimus and Scolopostethus thomsoni, with the tachinid fly Macquartia tenebricosa looking out for a leaf beetle host.

Beosus maritimus - Alan Keatley

Macquartia tenebricosa - Alan Keatley

Dock Bug - Alan Keatley