Tuesday 18 April 2023

Tuesday 18th April

The highlight was the eighth site record of Mandarin, with a pair on the sea off Warren Point during the morning, the first since a male on the Main Pond on 3rd April 2016. Also offshore 30 Kittiwake, six Common Scoter, four Eider, three Sandwich Tern and single Manx Shearwater, feeding with the Kittiwake, Red-throated Diver and Great-crested Grebe.

More typical migrants included the first Sedge Warbler of the year on Warren Point, three Wheatear, three Whitethroat and two Willow Warbler. A Redstart by the Crocus Compound was the first since 2021. A reported Hobby was also new for the year with Grasshopper Warbler and the first Whitethroat apparently present yesterday. Overhead 20 Swallow, four Rook, four Jackdaw, three House and a Sand Martin.

Elsewhere counts from the estuary included 17 Grey Plover, nine Dunlin, eight Turnstone, four Bar-tailed Godwit, three Whimbrel, two Knot and a Dark-bellied Brent Goose.

Wildlife News: The best day of the year so far with a wide variety of insects on show. Leading the list a second site record of Common Mourning Bee Melecta albifrons, this time on the Crazy Golf Rosemary, with a few Hairy-footed Flower Bee. Other bees were represented by Sandpit Mining Bee Andrena barbilabris, Orange-tailed Mining Bee A. haemorrhoa and Common Mini-miner A. minutula.

Common Mourning Bee - Alan Keatley

Hoverflies included the first Early Epistrophe E. eligans of the year, the scarce Slender-horned Leatherbug Ceraleptus lividus and the dune beetle Phaleria cadaverina were the latest species to make an appearance on the beach by the geotubes. 

Early Epistrophe - Alan Keatley

Phaleria cadaverina - Alan Keatley

Elsewhere a Grey Seal was in the estuary and four butterflies were on the wing including the first Comma of the year.

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