The usual few divers offshore early morning with four Great Northern (one on sea and three SW) and three Red-throated (two on the sea and one SW). Less expected were a pair of Pintail with the roosting flock of 37 Great Crested Grebe.
In the estuary on a low tide, 192 Dark and a Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 84 Redshank, 39 Teal, seven Greenshank, four Red-breasted Merganser, two Wigeon and the pair of Goldeneye, with 43 Dark-bellied also feeding on the exposed reefs below Langstone Rock.
Elsewhere eight Eider were sat offshore on Pole Sands at low tide, two pairs of Shoveler were at the Main Pond, five Rook flew overhead, four Reed Bunting on site after a winter max of one, with 12 Siskin, three Goldcrest and a Chiffchaff in the bushes.
Other Wildlife: The continuing early spring weather saw three Red Admiral on the wing along with increased numbers of Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax, hovering territorial males, typically a few feet above the ground, unlike the plentiful Common Dronefly E. tenax.
Red Admiral - Alan Keatley
Tapered Dronefly - Alan Keatley
New insects for the year included 24-spot and Harlequin Ladybird, and an early record of Kelisia sabulicola, a Sand Sedge planthopper.
24-spot Ladybird - Alan Keatley
Harlequin Ladybird - Alan Keatley
Kelisia sabulicola - Alan Keatley
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