Wednesday 7th January

The recent cold weather further east presumably lead to the roost count of 112 Great Crested Grebe, the first three-figure count here since January 2018. The flat calm conditions offshore also helped reveal at least 29 Red-throated and seven Great Northern Diver, 30+ Guillemot, eight Common Scoter and a Razorbill.

Counts from the estuary included 145 Wigeon, 103 Shelduck, 102 Curlew, 93 Redshank, 87 Grey Plover, 67 Bar and 11 Black-tailed Godwit, 44 Knot, four Greenshank, four Red-breasted Merganser, two Avocet and a drake Goldeneye.

Elsewhere the Cetti's Warbler was by the car park, three Shoveler and a Snipe were at the Main Pond and at least three Chiffchaff on site.

Snipe - Alan Keatley

Year List additions:

87. Black-tailed Godwit
86. Goldfinch

Other Wildlife: Offshore there were three of four Harbour Porpoise were feeding close to Langstone Rock most of the day. More surprisingly, a Common Frog stupefied by the cold, was motionless in Greenland Lake.

Common Frog - Alan Keatley

Elsewhere it was mainly about beetles, on the beach near the geotubes were Red Marsh Ladybird, the  ground beetles Calathus mollis, a minute scavenger beetle Cortincara gibbosa and a dung beetle Aphodius prodomus. 

Calathus mollis - Alan Keatley

A couple of Seven-spot Ladybird were found hibernating in gorse with a Blue Willow Beetle Phratora vulgatissima under bark, along a Walnut Orbweaver.

Walnut Orbweaver. - Alan Keatley

Other invertebrates included were Common Sea Slater Ligia oceanica, Common Earwig, Ant Damsel Bug Himacerus mirmicoides and the ground bug Peritechus geniculatus, all under driftwood. 

Common Sea Slater Ligia oceanica - Alan Keatley

Ant Damsel Bug Himacerus mirmicoides - Alan Keatley