Sunday 27th September

Counts from the morning high tide included a September record 98 Shelduck, the autumn arrival for this species recently becoming earlier each year on site. Other wildfowl included 488 Wigeon, 280 Teal, five Dark-bellied Brent Geese and a Great Crested Grebe. 

Waders included 68 Dunlin, 63 Ringed and four Grey Plover, 40 Turnstone, 28 Knot, 24 Sanderling, 21 Greenshank, 15 Bar and two Black-tailed Godwit and two Whimbrel.

Also present, an increase of 17 Mediterranean Gull (eight ad, 3CY, eight 1CY) and an Osprey, with 14 Grey Heron, including nine high N in two flocks. 

Grey Heron, Black-headed Gull & Greenshank - Kevin Rylands

Saturday 26th September

Counts from the estuary included 464 Wigeon, 308 Curlew, 280 Teal, 79 Dunlin, 68 Ringed and 13 Grey Plover, 27 Knot, 25 Sanderling, 17 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 17 Greenshank, 16 Bar and eight Black-tailed Godwit, 16 Sandwich Tern, seven Mediterranean and a 1CY Yellow-legged Gull, two Pintail, two Whimbrel, a Kingfisher and a Spotted Redshank.

Little Egret - Kevin Rylands

Elsewhere nine Grey Heron flew high N, six Common Scoter were offshore, a Grey Wagtail was at the Main Pond and a Wheatear was in The Bight. 

Friday 25th September

The first 16 Dark-bellied Brent Geese of the autumn in The Bight early morning headlined a significant arrival of wintering wildfowl with 402 Wigeon, 340 Teal, 64 Shelduck and four Pintail in the estuary.  

Also present an Osprey fishing on the dropping tide, a Great White Egret briefly on the rising tide before heading SW, three juvenile Curlew Sandpiper, a Spotted Redshank and a Golden Plover. Counts included 351 Redshank, 65 Dunlin, 53 Ringed and two Grey Plover, 15 Bar and three Black-tailed Godwit, 15 Knot, 14 Greenshank, 11 Sanderling, seven Sandwich and a Common Tern, two Mediterranean Gull, two Whimbrel and a Kingfisher. 

Great White Egret - Lee Collins

Elsewhere a Spotted Flycatcher was in the Buffer Zone, with five Chiffchaff, four Blackcap, two Goldcrest and a Firecrest in the bushes and the Red-legged Partridge on the Golf Course.

Kestrel - Lee Collins

Other Wildlife: A Fox was foraging on Finger Point mid morning and at least half a dozen Clouded Yellow were on the wing.

Common Blue - James Marshall

Thursday 24th September

A Spotted Redshank was in the estuary corner over the evening high tide with 50 Ringed Plover, 26 Sandwich Tern, 23 Sanderling, 19 Dunlin, 19 Greenshank and, offsite, an Osprey in the estuary,  

Elsewhere a Kingfisher was at the Main Pond, the Red-legged Partridge was on the Golf Course and a Mediterranean Gull flew south offshore.

Other Wildlife: Favourable weather for insects in calm sunshine including a migrant Locust Blowfly Stomorhina lunata and several species of hoverflies on Michaelmas Daisy with good numbers of Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax, several Stripe-faced Dronefly E. nemorum, Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus pendulus, Common Globetail Sphaerophoria scripta, Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus and Humming Syrphus S. ribesii.

Locust Blowfly Stomorhina lunata - Alan Keatley

Common Globetail Sphaerophoria scripta - Alan Keatley

Day flying moths included Fig-leaf Skeletoniser Choreutis nemorana and a Silver Y.  A nationally scarce Dune Spurgebug Dicranocephalus agilis was a good find in The Bight, plus a late Mournful Wasp Pemphredon lugubris in the Entrance Bushes.

Dune Spurgebug Dicranocephalus agilis - Alan Keatley

Mournful Wasp Pemphredon lugubris - Alan Keatley

Fig-leaf Skeletoniser - Alan Keatley

Elsewhere more Ivy Bee Colletes hederae in evidence, a Painted Lady and several Clouded Yellow moving through and three Grey Seal on Bull Hill.

Wednesday 23rd September

A Ruff was a new arrival in the estuary with counts including 260 Curlew, 143 Wigeon, at least 50 Dunlin, 35 Sandwich and two Common Tern, 34 Knot, 18 Sanderling, 16 Greenshank, 11 Bar and two Black-tailed Godwit, three adult Mediterranean Gull, two Whimbrel and two Kingfisher.

Elsewhere three Red Kite flew east early afternoon, the first September record for the Warren, with 60 Swallow, a few Meadow Pipit and a Buzzard also overhead. Offshore 34 Balearic Shearwater flew east early evening and 15 Common Scoter were on the sea.

 Other Wildlife: A Grey Seal was off Langstone Rock.

Tuesday 22nd September

An overcast start saw a small fall of migrants including the first Spotted Flycatcher of the autumn, at least 12 Chiffchaff, six Blackcap and single Goldcrest, Whitethroat and Willow Warbler. Also present 100+ Linnet, 20 Goldfinch and, on the sea wall, two Grey Wagtail.

Spotted Flycatcher - Dean Hall

An Osprey was in Shutterton Creek on the rising tide with a juvenile Curlew Sandpiper in the Bight at high tide. Counts from the estuary included 136 Teal, 74 Ringed Plover, 44 Dunlin, 30 Knot, 28 Sanderling, 26 Sandwich Tern, 18 Greenshank, 12 Wigeon, eight Bar and a Black-tailed Godwit, two Kingfisher and a Whimbrel. A Kingfisher was also watched fishing off the beach perching up on groynes.  

Other Wildlife: In the afternoon sunshine insect activity increased on ivy with several Ivy Bee Colletes hederae, a late worn Hairy-saddled Colletes C. fodiens and hoverfly Humming Syrphus S. ribesii. Across the reserve at least ten Clouded Yellow with a few moving through on Warren Point.

 Hairy-saddled Colletes C. fodiens - Alan Keatley

Ivy Bee Colletes hederae - Alan Keatley

Humming Syrphus S. ribesii - Alan Keatley

Clouded Yellow - Kevin Rylands

Along the beach and Warren Point dune specialists included a Strand-line Burrower Broscus cephalotes, a seaweed rove beetle Cafius xantholoma under driftwood and spider wasps; Leaden Spider Wasp Pompilus cinereus and Bristle-tailed Anophilus A. infuscatus, plus a Sand Bear Spider Arctosa perita.

Sand Bear Spider Arctosa perita - Dean Hall

 Bristle-tailed Anophilus A. infuscatus - Alan Keatley

Strand-line Burrower Broscus cephalotes - Alan Keatley

Cafius xantholoma - Alan Keatley

On Sycamore leaves several Harlequin Ladybird variants including a yellow emerging adult, the wings yet to harden and change colour to reveal the patterning. 

Harlequin Ladybird - Alan Keatley

Common Darter - Dean Hall

Monday 21st September

No sign of the Pectoral Sandpiper, with fewer waders present over high tide than yesterday. Counts from the estuary included 240 Redshank, 83 Teal, 55 Ringed Plover, 51 Sandwich and a Common Tern, 34 Knot, 20 Sanderling, 17 Greenshank, 13 Dunlin, 12 Wigeon, 11 Bar and eight Black-tailed Godwit, two Whimbrel and a Kingfisher.

Sandwich Tern - Jim Summers

Elsewhere seven Common Scoter and a summer-plumaged Red-throated Diver, the first of the autumn, were offshore, a few Meadow Pipit, a Grey Wagtail and a Reed Warbler were on the Golf Course, with the first small movement of 10 Skylark overhead

Other Wildlife: A Grey Seal was feeding off Langstone Rock and just a couple of Clouded Yellow were recorded. 

Sunday 20th September

A juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper, with a flock of 33 Knot, on the dropping tide was the highlight. Always distant it sat tight when the Knot flew off, before flying high east then returning and dropping on the mudflats. Here it was soon lost as the tide dropped in its chosen channel. The 15th site record, but only the second since September 2015. 

Also in the estuary 260 Redshank, 71 Ringed Plover, 54 Teal, 26 Sanderling, 23 Greenshank, 16 Sandwich and three Common Tern, 11 Bar and two Black-tailed Godwit, eight Dunlin, a Kingfisher and a Wigeon. Offsite an Osprey flew across the estuary 500m N of Bull Hill.

Elsewhere single Wheatear and Willow Warbler were the pick of the migrants. 

Kestrel - Martin Overy

Year List addition:
172. Pectoral Sandpiper

Other Wildlife: A strong movement of Clouded Yellow was notable early afternoon at least with over 60 heading west in a couple of hours, with them smaller numbers of Red Admiral and Small White.

Saturday 19th September

Migrants included the first Firecrest of the autumn in brambles around Skipper Meadow, with at least 14 Chiffchaff, seven Blackcap, two Goldcrest and a Wheatear on site. Offshore at least 50 Balearic Shearwater early morning.

Skylark - Jim Summers

Estuary counts from the neap high tide included 259 Curlew, 258 Redshank, 106 Ringed Plover, 102 Dunlin, 78 Teal, 34 Knot, 22 Greenshank, eight Mediterranean Gull, eight Sanderling, seven Bar and two Black-tailed Godwit, three Sandwich Tern and a Whimbrel. 

Other Wildlife: Also around the Skipper Meadow a totally unexpected record of an albino Bank Vole feeding on blackberries on top of a bramble hedge.

Bank Vole - Alan Keatley

A Southern Hawker was on the outer edge of Dead Dolphin Wood, with a couple of Common Darter. The first Ivy Bee were on its foodplant in Skipper Meadow, no doubt the first of many in the coming weeks.

Southern Hawker - Alan Keatley

A few Clouded Yellow, Small White, Common Blue were on the wing with a single Red Admiral, Small Copper and Speckled Wood. Of the few hoverflies on the wing, a Grey-spotted Sedgesitter Platycheirus albimanus.

Grey-spotted Sedgesitter Platycheirus albimanus - Alan Keatley

Friday 18th September

Estuary counts on the dropping tide saw 138 Dunlin, 102 Ringed Plover, 34 Shelduck, 28 Knot, 12 Greenshank, 12 Sanderling, nine Bar and a Black-tailed Godwit, eight Sandwich Tern, with 30 Common Tern on Bull Hill early morning, seven Teal, two Whimbrel and a Kingfisher. 

Elsewhere eight Chiffchaff, four Blackcap and two Goldcrest were in the bushes, two Wheatear were around The Bight and 15 Common Scoter were offshore.

Other Wildlife: Six Grey Seal were on Bull Hill late evening, a record count.