Saturday 4 May 2024

Saturday 4th May

The first Sedge Warbler of the year was singing at the Main Pond early morning with a Garden Warbler in Dead Dolphin Wood also a new arrival. Other passerine migrants where however limited to a single Wheatear in The Bight and overhead two Siskin, a Chaffinch and a Yellow Wagtail.

More arrivals in the estuary with counts including 68 Whimbrel, 17 Bar and a Black-tailed Godwit, 14 Sanderling, six Turnstone, six Dunlin, three Knot and three Ringed Plover with the five Eider on Finger Point.

Elsewhere 12 Common Scoter and two Sandwich Tern distantly offshore.

Year list addition:

148. Sedge Warbler

Other Wildlife: Although prints are seen daily, the first Fox sightings of the year were an adult by the Main Pond and a cub on Warren Point. The first Small Tortoiseshell was also seen one of five butterfly species again on the wing.

Otherwise spiders were the theme of the day with another Dune Wolf Xerolycosa miniata, amazingly the second record in a week having gone unnoticed for many years. The nationally scarce dune spider Alopecosa cuneata was also a good find, only the second Warren record.

Dune Wolf - Alan Keatley

Alopecosa cuneata - Alan Keatley

It has, so far, been a disappointing spring for mining bees. Just a few today with Orange-tailed and a Short-fringed on Hawthorn and a few Sandpit Mining Bee on the sandy paths. Searching out their nests was its cleptoparasite Sandpit Blood Bee Sphecodes pellucidus.

Hoverflies are faring better with many recently emerged Smudge-veined Clubtail Neoascia podagrica nectaring on remaining Alexanders flowers.

Smudge-veined Clubtail - Alan Keatley

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