An early highlight was a flock of five Red Kite low WSW low just before 7am having presumably roosted nearby, also moving SW early morning a single Grey Heron, but other flyover were limited to two Rook and single Sand Martin and Swift.
An immature ♂ Ruff was briefly on Finger Point over the morning high tide, with wader counts including 42 Sanderling, 12 Whimbrel, 12 Bar-tailed Godwit, 10 Grey and seven Ringed Plover, seven Dunlin and four Turnstone. Also in the estuary an increase to 25 Black-headed Gull, five Eider and a Great Crested Grebe.
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| Jackdaw - Alan Keatley Formerly only a migrant this species has switched to foraging on the reserve as previous feeding areas have been developed. |
Elsewhere 10 Common Scoter, six Manx Shearwater, three Great Northern Diver and two Sandwich Tern were offshore and a Common Sandpiper was at Langstone Rock at dawn.
Other Wildlife: The first Common Blue was one of seven species of butterfly on the wing with another Wall Brown on the Golf Course a welcome sight. The first Azure Damselfly of the year had also taken flight with a Broad-bodied Chaser also seen.
Azure Damselfly - Alan Keatley
Several hoverflies also made their first appearance of 2024 including Pied Plume-horn Volucella pellucens, Humming Syrphus S. ribesii, Superb Ant-hill Hoverfly Xanthogramma pedissequum and Burdock Blacklet Cheilosa impressa.
Burdock Blacklet Cheilosa impressa - Alan Keatley
Occupying bare areas of sand good numbers of Sandpit Mining Bee, several Coastal Silver-stiletto Acrosathe annulata and along the beach, the beetles Bembidion quadrimaculatum and Phaleria cadaverina.
Coastal Silver-stiletto Acrosathe annulata - Alan Keatley
Phaleria cadaverina - Alan Keatley
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