Monday 28th July

An adult Little Stint in The Bight on both tides was the first record of the year and just the second record for July since 2005. other new arrivals included three summer plumaged Knot with other counts from the estuary including 202 Redshank, 98 Whimbrel, 82 Dunlin, c80 Sandwich and a Common Tern, 35 Sanderling, 29 Ringed and a Grey Plover, 24 Mediterranean Gull, 10 Greenshank and four Bar-tailed Godwit. 

Little Stint - Lee Collins

Year list addition: 
158. Little Stint

Ringing News: Colour-ringed Ringed Plover from Holland and Hampshire were new arrivals with the Bardsey ringed Whimbrel first seen on 14th July making a reappearance.  

Ringed Plover - Lee Collins

Other Wildlife: A mainly overcast the warm muggy morning with little wind meant insects were mostly found settled on flower heads. These included the first Locust Blowfly Stomorhina lunata of the year, a sporadic but increasing summer visitor, Waisted Bee-grabber Physocephala rufipes, Hook-banded Wasp Hoverfly Chrysotoxum festivum, Sand-tailed Digger Wasp Cerceris arenaria and Common Yellow-faced Bee Hylaeus communis.

Sand-tailed Digger Wasp Cerceris arenaria - Alan Keatley

Locust Blowfly Stomorhina lunata - Alan Keatley

Deeper in vegetation, a Beautiful Plume, several Straw Dot and the hoverflies Common Paragus P. haemorrhous, Grey-spotted Boxer Platycheirus albimanus and Many-tufted Boxer P. scutatus. 

Common Paragus P. haemorrhous - Alan Keatley

Beautiful Plume - Alan Keatley

The first Hornet of the year was moving through the flowers, several Rush Veneer underfoot and a Wasp Spider with a web in Heather trapped an unfortunate Heather Colletes C. succinctus.

Rush Veneer - Dave Jewell

Heather Colletes C. succinctus - Alan Keatley

Elsewhere seven Common Dolphin and two Grey Seal were offshore and in the tunnel, a Small Dusty Wave and a Knapweed Conch Agapeta zoegana.

Knapweed Conch Agapeta zoegana - Alan Keatley