 |
| Wheatear - Lee Collins |
The first Black-throated Diver of the year was offshore early morning along with the pair of Eider, at least 16 Sandwich Tern, with more later on, 13 Manx Shearwater, 10 Red-throated Diver and nine Great Crested Grebe.
Elsewhere the Red-legged Partridge was on Warren Point, migrants included single Wheatear and Willow Warbler, 25+ Swallow, three House and a Sand Martin, and counts over the neap tide included 35 Bar-tailed Godwit, four Knot, two Dunlin, a Grey Plover and a Whimbrel.
Year List addition:
128. Black-throated Diver
Other Wildlife: An emergence of Striped Millipede Ommatoiulus sabulosus in the dunes with Dune Scarab and Marram Weevil along the beach and good numbers of Sandpit Mining Bee across the site.
 |
| Sandpit Mining Bee Andrena barbilabris - Judah Baker |
 |
| Marram Weevil Philopedon plagiatum - Judah Baker |
 |
| Dune Scarab Aegialia arenaria - Judah Baker |
Three Tufted Duck and a pair of Eider offshore were both first records for the year with the first three Whitethroat making landfall
Elsewhere two Willow Warbler and a Wheatear were on site, and the Red-legged Partridge was on Warren Point.
Year List additions:
127. Whitethroat
126. Eider
125. Tufted Duck
Other Wildlife: Four species of butterfly were on the wing including a Brimstone and two Orange-tip. Other insects including two new beetles for the Recording Area, Coelostoma ocbiculare, a water scavenger beetle, in a puddle on the main track, the other the ground beetle Common Shortspur Anisodactylus binotatus, in grass along the Back Path.
%20080426.JPG) |
| Anisodactylus binotatus - Alan Keatley |
Also, found today a mating scrum of Torpedo Sawfly Nematus lucidus on Hawthorn by the Tractor Compound, a few Brown Willow Beetle Galerucella lineola, the cranefly Tipula vernalis, a Ruby Tiger caterpillar and a fly through Hornet.
Brown Willow Beetle Galerucella lineola - Alan Keatley 
Torpedo Sawfly Nematus lucidus - Alan Keatley
 |
| Mute Swan - James Marshall. A pair back on the Main Pond for the first time since mid February |
 |
| Orange-tip - James Marshall |
Offshore there were at least 18 Sandwich Tern, three Red-throated and two Great Northern Diver with c80 Pale-bellied Brent Geese in four flocks which flew in from east and into estuary.
Also in the estuary c100 Curlew, 39 Bar-tailed Godwit, 18 Redshank, 11 Ringed and nine Grey Plover, 10 Sanderling, six Knot, four Dunlin, three Greenshank, two Red-breasted Merganser, a Whimbrel and a Dark-bellied Brent Goose.
Elsewhere two Swallow flew through and a single Wheatear was on site.
Other Wildlife: The sunshine and warmer weather brought out a variety of flying insects, the highlight being a male Hornet Grabber Conops vesicularis, a nationally scarce parasitoid fly in the Entrance Bushes.
%20060426.JPG) |
| Hornet Grabber Conops vesicularis - Alan Keatley |
Three species of butterflies were active; Peacock, Speckled Wood and Orange-tip, also on the wing Birch Tortrix Epinotia immundana, Dark-edged Beefly, Sandpit, Small Sallow and Yellow-legged Mining Bee, and the first St. Marks Fly of the year.
 |
| Speckled Wood - Alan Keatley |
%20060426.JPG) |
| Birch Tortrix Epinotia immundana - Alan Keatley |
Beetles on the beach included the nationally rare driftwood weevil Pseudophloeophagus truncorum, the weevil Trichosirocalus troglodytes and the ground beetle Paradromius linearis.
 |
| Pseudophloeophagus truncorum - Alan Keatley |
 |
| Trichosirocalus troglodytes - Alan Keatley |
 |
| Paradromius linearis - Alan Keatley |
Two adult Spoonbill that flew S from upriver gaining height at 9.45 were the highlight from the estuary, where there were also 97 Curlew, 46 Bar-tailed Godwit, 20 Redshank, 14 Sanderling, 10 Ringed and eight Grey Plover, six Knot, four Red-breasted Merganser, two Dunlin, two Greenshank and a Whimbrel at high tide.
Offshore there were at least 43 Sandwich Tern with seven Red-throated and five Great Northern Diver, five Common Scoter, five Great Crested Grebe, two Fulmar and a 3CY Mediterranean Gull.
Elsewhere the second Purple Sandpiper of the year was at Langstone Rock, the Red-legged Partridge and a Wheatear were on Warren Point and at least three Willow Warbler were on site.
Counts over the evening high tide included an increase to 18 Ringed Plover, with the first migrant Whimbrel, earlier on the beach, roosting with 55 Curlew on Finger Point. Also present in the estuary 32 Bar-tailed Godwit, 17 Turnstone, 14 Sanderling, 11 Snipe, nine Grey Plover, seven Dunlin, six Knot, five Greenshank and a Dark-bellied Brent Goose.
Offshore a drake Gadwall, the first of the year, 12 Sandwich Tern, three Great Crested Grebe, two Red-breasted Merganser and a Red-throated Diver.
Year List addition:
120. Gadwall
Other Wildlife: Good numbers of insects on the wing early afternoon including the first two Speckled Wood and Orange-tailed Mining Bee Andrena haemorrhoa of the year.
Along the beach at least a dozen Dune Scarab, several Marram Weevil Philopedon plagiatum and a Hypera nigrirostris, with the darkling beetle Opatrum sabulosum at Langstone Rock.
Opatrum sabulosum - Dean Hall
 |
| Yellow-legged Mining Bee - Dean Hall |
Seawatching early morning saw 10 Red-throated and seven Great Northern Diver, six Common Scoter, three Sandwich Tern and two Great Crested Grebe offshore.
Counts from the estuary over the morning high tide included 109 Curlew, 40 Bar-tailed Godwit, 15 Turnstone, 13 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 12 Ringed Plover, eight Red-breasted Merganser, seven Dunlin and a Knot.
Elsewhere migrants included single Blackcap, Swallow, Wheatear and Willow Warbler with a Shoveler on the Main Pond and the Red-legged Partridge was still on Warren Point.
Other Wildlife: It wasn't a day for flying insects, but there good numbers of beetles on the beach and edge of The Bight, including two new species for the Recording Area, a horned dung beetle Onthophagus similis and the ground beetle Bembidion dentellum, both relatively common and widespread.
 |
| Onthophagus similis - Alan Keatley |
 |
| Bembidion dentellum - Alan Keatley |
Other species included the rove beetles Tachyporus hypnorum and Philonthus cognatus, the rare driftwood weevil Pselactus spadix, the ground beetle Harpalus affinis and a 2-spot Ladybird, plus, the dune spider Zelotes electus.
 |
| Pselactus spadix - Alan Keatley |
 |
| Tachyporus hypnorum - Alan Keatley |
 |
| Philonthus cognatus - Alan Keatley |
 |
| Harpalus affinis - Alan Keatley |
 |
| 2-spot Ladybird - Alan Keatley |
 |
| Zelotes electus - Alan Keatley |
Counts from the evening hight tide 125 Curlew, 41 Bar-tailed Godwit, 22 Dark and a Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 21 Sanderling, 18 Redshank, 17 Turnstone, eight Dunlin, eight Grey and seven Ringed Plover, seven Knot and five Greenshank.
Elsewhere 18 Sandwich Tern, six Common Scoter and a Red-throated Diver were offshore and migrants included six Chiffchaff, three Wheatear and a Willow Warbler.
Other Wildlife: The first two male Orange-tip of the year were on the wing with at least a dozen Peacock, also emerging for the first time the hoverflies, Spring Epistrophe E. eligans and Common Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus pendulus.
On the beach the leaf beetle Prasocuris phellandrii, the rove beetles Bledius spectabilis and Cafius xantholoma and in rock pools, that were recently part of Warren Point, Painted Goby Pomatoschistus pictus, new for the Recording Area, and a European Sting Winkle Ocenebra erinaceus.
European Sting Winkle Ocenebra erinaceus - Kevin Rylands
