Monday 28th September

Wader counts from the estuary included 353 Redshank, 70 Ringed Plover, 63 Dunlin, 42 Knot, 28 Greenshank, 24 Sanderling, 21 Black-tailed Godwit, two Whimbrel and the Spotted Redshank. Also present 225 Teal, 198 Wigeon, three Mediterranean Gull and a Sandwich Tern.

Elsewhere a Reed Warbler was at the Main Pond, with seven Chiffchaff, three Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Goldcrest on site, a Buzzard flew low east over The Bight and seven Pheasant were clearing Dead Dolphin Wood of inverts. 

Other Wildlife: The sunshine brought out a good selection of nectaring insects including a few Migrant Broadtail Eupeodes corollae and a Lunuled Broadtail E. luniger with other hoverflies including Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax and Batman Hoverfly Myathropa florea. 

Migrant Broadtail Eupeodes corollae - Alan Keatley

Lunuled Broadtail Eupeodes luniger - Alan Keatley

Ivy Bee Colletes hederae are now out en masse, joined by Red Admiral and Painted Lady on Ivy. Still a few Clouded Yellow, although numbers have dropped. A Banded Ragwort Picturewing Sphenella marginata was noted together with an Ectophasia crassipennis in the Back Meadow.

Ivy Bee Colletes hederae - Jim Summers

Banded Ragwort Picturewing Sphenella marginata - Alan Keatley

Nearer the ground the bugs Dicyphus annulatus and Gampsocoris punctipes on Rest-harrow, the groundbugs Trapezonotus arenarius and Peritrechus geniculatus, plus a barkfly Pteroxanium kelloggi.

Trapezonotus arenarius - Alan Keatley

Pteroxanium kelloggi - Alan Keatley

With a large low tide a visit to rockpools below Langstone Rock revealed several large Dotted Sea Hare Aplysia punctata and a Conger Eel amongst the usual mix of anemones, molluscs and crabs. 

Dotted Sea Hare Aplysia punctata - Kevin Rylands

Snakelocks Anemone - Kevin Rylands