Thursday 24th March

Another warm day with clear blue skies and little wind saw two Red Kite drift low over the site early morning with a pair of Garganey in the estuary and a second drake offshore. The first records since Sep 2019. The male Black Redstart was still present between the Visitor Centre and Main Pond but a single Wheatear in Greenland Lake was the only other arrival. 

Elsewhere six Red-throated and two Great Northern Diver were offshore, counts from the estuary included 144 Curlew, 64 Bar-tailed Godwit, 45 Dunlin, 26 Grey Plover, 24 Turnstone, 18 Knot, four Sanderling, two Red-breasted Merganser and two Greenshank; with 117 Dark-bellied and three Pale-bellied Brent Geese on the beach at low tide:

Wildlife News: Numbers of flowering Sand Crocus are increasing, the forecast continues to suggest this weekend will be a good time to see this Warren speciality. 

Sand Crocus - Alan Keatley

Also enjoying the sunshine, Speckled Wood with the first six of the year on the wing along with three Comma and Peacock, the first Early Long-horn moths and Meadow Field Syrph Eupeodes latifasciatus. 

Meadow Field Syrph - Alan Keatley

Early Long-horn - Alan Keatley