Tuesday 29th July

The Little Stint was still present in The Bight over the morning tide along with 156 Sandwich and seven Common Tern, 47 Dunlin, 37 Ringed Plover, c30 Sanderling, 10 Greenshank and two Turnstone.

Little Stint - Jim Summers

Sanderling - Dave Jewell

Elsewhere two Swift were overhead and two Common Scoter, a Great Crested Grebe and a Great Northern Diver were offshore. 

Ringing News: A distinctly Dutch feel to proceedings with new ringed juvenile Mediterranean Gull and Sandwich Tern arriving from Holland, with the ringed juvenile Ringed Plover still present. Part of an increasing pattern of birds from the continent starting to appear. 

As well as these migrants wintering birds also continue to arrive, mostly Oystercatcher, but also an Exe-ringed Dunlin and a German ringed Ringed Plover, first recorded here in August 2019, back for at least it's seventh winter. 

Other Wildlife: New species keep being discovered on coming, this time a new springtail Allacma fusca. A  widespread, rather large (by springtail standards) globular springtail, usually found in summer months.

Allacma fusca - Alan Keatley

Insects included several nectaring bee species including Geoffroy's Sphecodes geoffrellus and Sandpit Blood Bee S. pellucidus, Sandpit Mining Bee Andrena barbilabris, Heather C. succinctus and Hairy-saddled Colletes C. fodiens, White-zoned Furrow Bee Lasioglossum leucozonium and Common Yellow-faced Bee Hylaeus communis. 

Also taking advantage of the available nectar, Ornate-tailed Digger Wasp Cerceris rybyensis, Common Ectemnius E. continuus and a Four-banded Bee-grabber Conops quadrimaculatus. 

 Four-banded Bee-grabber Conops quadrimaculatus - Alan Keatley

 Ornate-tailed Digger Wasp Cerceris rybyensis - Alan Keatley

A male Sand Lizard was on the Dune Ridge and a Water Vole swam across the Main Pond. The Wasp Spider remains on its web in Heather near the Visitor Centre and a Jersey Tiger was resting up near the Main Pond.

Jersey Tiger - Alan Keatley