Sunday, 16 July 2023

Sunday 16th July

Continuing evidence of wader passage with counts including 274 Curlew, 87 Redshank, 65 Dunlin, 28 Whimbrel, 13 Sanderling, 12 Greenshank, four Grey, four Ringed and a Little Ringed Plover, three Turnstone, two Bar-tailed Godwit, two Common Sandpiper and a breeding plumaged Knot.

Also in the estuary the Dark-bellied Brent Goose and 26 Sandwich Tern including five juveniles, with c700 Black-headed, just four juveniles, and 16+ Mediterranean Gull joining the terns in feeding at to sea. These feeding flocks attracted at least six Arctic Skua and a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull.

Elsewhere 120 Starling were on Warren Point, with 20 Swallow, two Swift and a Sand Martin feeding along the Dune Ridge.

Other Wildlife: A new population of the nationally scarce Dune Jumper Marpissa nivoyi was discovered on the Dune Ridge, all other records have come from Warren Point. Also sheltering amongst the Marram, several Lesser Cockroach, both adult and nymph, the carrion beetle Thanatophilus sinuatus, 11-spot and Red Marsh Ladybird Coccidula rufa.

Dune Jumper - Alan Keatley

Red Marsh Ladybird - Kevin Rylands

Other insects of note included a Painted Lady along the beach, with seven Red Admiral and three Peacock also on on the wing in the blustery conditions, a Dull Four-spined Legionnaire Chorisops tibialis, a late worn Buffish Mining Bee and the solitary wasps, Tachysphex pompiliformis, a grasshopper hunter and Slender Woodborer Trypoxylon attenuatum

Dull Four-spined Legionnaire - Alan Keatley

Black Marram Weevil Otiorhynchus atroapterus - Kevin Rylands

Six-spot Burnet - Kevin Rylands

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