Thursday 14 September 2023

Thursday 14th September

Much of the action remained in the estuary with two high tides to cover, the Spotted Redshank was on Finger Point early morning with 246 Curlew and 14 Pale-bellied Brent Geese but no Curlew Sandpiper. Counts from the evening tide included two Spotted Redshank, the first multiple record since Feb 2000, 281 Redshank, 196 Ringed Plover, 117 Teal, the first three-fig count of autumn, 115 Dunlin, 77 Wigeon, 53 Knot, 18 Sanderling, 17 Bar and three Black-tailed Godwit, 10 Greenshank and five Curlew Sandpiper.

Also around the Bight an Osprey early morning, 38 Great Black-backed Gull (five juvs), two Sandwich and a juvenile  Common Tern, a Whimbrel, a Common Sandpiper and the Little Ringed Plover.

Osprey - Lee Collins

Elsewhere a Balearic Shearwater flew south, the immature male Eider off Langstone Rock, a Kingfisher was at the Main Pond and migrants were limited to three Chiffchaff, two Wheatear and a Blackcap.

Other Wildlife: With Common Fleabane and Water Mint going over and Ivy largely still to flower there is a bit of a lull in insect activity. Apart from numerous Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax there were few hoverflies on the wing but these included second-generation Stripe-backed Fleckwing Dasysyrphus albostriatus, Large Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus trivittatus and Compost Hoverfly Syritta pipiens.

Stripe-backed Fleckwing - Alan Keatley

Large Tiger Hoverfly - Alan Keatley

Six species of butterfly were recorded with Red Admiral and Small White on the move with double figures of both. A few Meadow Brown remained on the wing and a Brown Argus was in the Buffer Zone.

Red Admiral - Alan Keatley

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