Thursday 26th March

Migrants on site included six Chiffchaff and three Wheatear, with a few Chaffinch and a lone Swallow overhead. 

Wheatear - Dean Hall

Counts from the estuary included 47 Sandwich Tern on Bull Hill on the dropping tide with 37 Bar-tailed Godwit, 35 Redshank, 12 Grey and two Ringed Plover, 11 Knot, 10 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, eight Dunlin, five Greenshank and four Red-breasted Merganser at high tide

Elsewhere the Red-legged Partridge was on Warren Point and offshore at least 30 Sandwich Tern before moving to the estuary, 17 Common Scoter, 11 Great Northern and six Red-throated Diver.

Other Wildlife: The sunny start encouraged some insect activity despite the windy conditions but things slowed down in the later showery weather.  New emergences for the year included Small Sallow Mining Bee Andrena praecox near the Entrance Bushes and a male Trimmer's Mining Bee A. trimmerana on the beach.

Trimmer's Mining Bee Andrena trimmerana - Alan Keatley

Small Sallow Mining Bee Andrena praecox - Alan Keatley

Also noted on the wing for the first time this year, the dung fly Norellisoma spinimanum and the hoverfly Melanostoma scalare. At ground level in the dunes, bugs included Cymus claviculus and Nysius huttoni, beetles included Dune Scarab Aegialia arenaria and Phylan gibbus and spiders were represented by Dysdera crocata, a woodlouse spider and Arctosa perita, the Sand-bear Spider.

Nysius huttoni - Alan Keatley

Phylan gibbus - Dean Hall

Dune Scarab Aegialia arenaria - Dean Hall

Sand-bear Spider Arctosa perita - Alan Keatley

Dysdera crocata - Alan Keatley