Sunday, 20 February 2022

Sunday 20th February

The Velvet Scoter was still offshore this morning along with five Red-throated and three Great Northern Diver102 Kittiwake, 41 Gannet and eight Great-crested Grebe.

Counts from the estuary included 1460 Dunlin309 Oystercatcher189 Dark-Bellied Brent Geese160 Bar-tailed Godwit139 Grey Plover123 Common Gull110 Knot36 Shelduck27 Teal19 Sanderling, eight Red-breasted Merganser and six Wigeon. 

Elsewhere two Goldcrest and a Chiffchaff were in the bushes, a Water Rail was at the First Pond with four Shoveler and a Kingfisher at the Main Pond.

Wildlife News: An afternoon of continuing strong winds and rain saw focus shift to ground level with various fungi, bryophytes and lichens recorded. Scarlet Elfcup provided some much needed colour for the day with Nectriopsis lecanodes a more subtle affair. The Recording Area is one of only five sites in England for this species. 

Scarlet Elfcup - Kevin Rylands

Nectriopsis lecanodes - Kevin Rylands

Mossy Stonecrop is emerging around the Car Park and Buffer Zone in bare areas with the nationally rare liverworts Micheli's Balloonwort Sphaerocarpos michelii and Blue Crystalwort Riccia crystallina, the latter was also found at a new site on the Golf Course. 

Blue Crystalwort & Micheli's Balloonwort - Kevin Rylands

Mossy Stonecrop - Kevin Rylands

Insects were few and far between with a Yellow Dung Fly grimly hanging onto a flowering Alexanders and the nationally scarce Lesne's Earwing a surprise daylight find.

Lesne's Earwig - Kevin Rylands

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