Monday 2nd May

A damp grey Bank Holiday may not be what the tourists wanted, but it produced some excellent birding with at least 75 species recorded. The highlight, sadly, was a mobile Cuckoo. It was flushed from Warren Point by a Sparrowhawk, landed briefly behind the hide before flying across the Golf Course and appearing to land further up site. Here it called briefly before finally being seen offsite in trees behind the bakery in the village. 

Other migrants included a Yellow Wagtail overhead, six Wheatear and a Willow Warbler, a new Reed Warbler back on territory and 54 Swallow, 26 House and five Sand Martin through.

In the estuary the first Gadwall of the year, a brief Little Tern, six Pale-bellied Brent Geese, two Mediterranean Gull and a further arrival of waders. Counts included 218 Dunlin, 127 Bar-tailed Godwit, including a Dutch ringed bird, 55 Ringed and two Grey Plover, 40+ Whimbrel, 22 Sanderling, four Common Sandpiper and single Knot and Greenshank. 

Common Sandpiper - Dave Jewell

Ringed Plover & Dunlin - Dave Jewell

Offshore there were 27 Sandwich and two Common Tern, with 51 Shag, 10 Common Scoter and single Great-crested Grebe, Red-throated and summer plumaged Great Northern Diver.

Jackdaw - Dave Jewell

Jackdaw have become a regular May feature in recent years, foraging on site when feeding chicks in nests in nearby woodland. Previously recorded as mostly an overhead migrant, this change in behaviour is presumably linked to loss of habitat caused by recent development. A further pressure on the Warren?

Sunday 1st May

A visit after the rain for the evening tide showed little sign of migrants though two Swift were feeding over the Main Pond with single Wheatear and Willow Warbler also on site.

There was however considerable evidence of migration in the estuary with 136 Dunlin, mostly summer plumaged, 76 Bar-tailed Godwit, 73 Whimbrel, 30 Ringed Plover, nine Turnstone, six Pale-bellied Brent Geese, two Grey Plover and single Knot and Sanderling. 

Bar-tailed Godwit - Dave Jewell

Saturday 30th April

The first Whinchat of the year was in Greenland Lake with other migrants limited to 12 Swallow and single new Reed Warbler and Whitethroat, a Stock Dove on Warren Point was presumably more local. 

Elsewhere a Common Sandpiper was on the seawall with the same mix of waders as yesterday in the estuary, but no counts where received.

Wildlife News: The sunshine saw several new insects for the year on the wing with Dune Robberfly, Coastal Silver Stilleto, the cranefly Limonia phragmitidis and a phantom cranefly Ptychoptera contaminata all recorded. 

Ptychoptera contaminata - Alan Keatley

Lesser Stag Beetle - Alan Keatley

Friday 29th April

Whilst a few new birds are arriving, wader passage has largely paused as birds feed up before continuing northwards. Counts from the evening tide included 164 Oystercatcher, 48 Whimbrel, 36 Bar-tailed Godwit, 21 Turnstone, 13 Dunlin, 12 Sanderling, four Grey Plover and a Knot.

Offshore 53 Manx Shearwater east, eight Sandwich Tern feeding and two Common Scoter and a Great-crested Grebe on the sea. 

Wildlife News: The good year for Orange-tip continues with at least five early evening. A number of dead damselfy larvae in the Dune Pond was a worrying sign, the rapidly dropping water levels perhaps impacting on salinity or oxygen levels.

Orange-tip - Kevin Rylands

Thursday 28th April

Some continuing hints of Spring passage with small numbers of Whimbrel, a flock of seven Black-headed Gull and two Grey Heron coming in off the sea. Half a dozen Swallow and a Sand Martin passed through with all the warblers seen on territory. Two Little Grebe chicks were on the Main Pond.

In the estuary also signs of movement with 46 Whimbrel, 36 Bar-tailed Godwit, 34 Dunlin, six Sanderling, five Ringed and Grey Plover, four Turnstone, two Dark-bellied Brent Geese and a Knot.

Whimbrel - Alan Keatley

Wildlife News: A chilly start saw insect action but the cranefly Tipula lunata was in Greenland Lake, the second record this week for this new Warren species, so presumably previously oveerlooked. The few hoverflies on the wing including Stripe-backed Fleckwing Dasysyrphus albostriatus.

Tipula lunata - Alan Keatley

Dasysyrphus albostriatus - Alan Keatley

Wednesday 27th April

Migrants continue to trickle through with four Wheatear, a Swallow and a new Reed Warbler the only passerine arrivals. Other records included 30 Manx Shearwater south and 22 Sandwich Tern feeding offshore, seven Dunlin in the estuary, two Sanderling on the beach and a late Snipe over the Buffer Zone.

Monday 25th April

An evening visit found three Willow Warbler in the bushes and three Swallow over the Main Pond where the Reed Warbler remains in song but no there were other migrants.  Resident breeding birds were active with Stonechat and Song Thrush collecting food and a pair of Herring Gull were nest building on the Boathouse Inn roof. The incessant tape of alarming gulls and Peregrine calls clearly bothering visitors more than the birds!

Elsewhere 19 Bar-tailed Godwit, 16 Sandwich Tern and five Whimbrel were in the estuary. 

Sunday 24th April

The first Little Tern of the year was offshore with at least 33 Sandwich Tern and a pair of Eider, which lingered all afternoon despite being regularly flushed by boat traffic. 

Counts from the estuary were limited to 160 Oystercatcher, 63 Whimbrel, 35 Bar-tailed Godwit, 23 Curlew, 12 Shelduck and two Teal, with four Turnstone on the beach and a Ringed Plover flew over. 

Elsewhere a Red Kite flew east mid afternoon with a Wheatear the only passerine migrant reported, just single Whitethroat and Reed Warbler remain on territory.  

Wildlife News: The fine weather saw the first Black Mining Bee Andrena pilipes on the wing with several Orange-tip along with Holly Blue, Small Copper and Peacock. A dead Herring Gull on Warren Point hosted two Silpha tristis carrion beetle. 

Saturday 23rd April

A Grasshopper Warbler was reeling near the Visitor Centre early morning with the first Reed Warbler of the year singing at the Main Pond but other migrants were limited to two Wheatear and a new Whitethroat, with three singing males now present.

Offshore single Great and Arctic Skua flew east with c40 Manx Shearwater, 12 Fulmar and four Great Northern Diver. Counts from the estuary included 38 Sandwich Tern, eight Dunlin, seven Pale-bellied Brent Geese, five Whimbrel, four Sanderling, four Teal and a Ringed Plover. 

Wildlife News: A flowering Green-winged Orchid was discovered on Warren Point, a new location, the regular plant in Greenland Lake has not been seen this year. 

Green-winged Orchid - Alan Keatley

Insects were in short supply in the dull weather with those on the wing often found deep in flowering Dandelions.

Orange-tailed Mining Bee - Alan Keatley

Friday 22nd April

The first Yellow Wagtail of the year, a calling male, flew low NE along the Dune Ridge, but other arrivals with limited to four Wheatear and two Willow Warbler. Elsewhere no smaller waders were present over the high tide with 18 Sandwich Tern offshore. 

Wildlife News: A far better return amongst flying insects with two long overdue new fly species, a Plain-winged Spring Bee-grabber Myopa testacea near the Railway footbridge and a Common Snout Hoverfly Rhingia campestris on a Dandelion by the Tractor Compound. 

Myopa testacea - Alan Keatley

Common Snout Hoverfly - Alan Keatley

Other flies on the wing included a noticeable emergence of St Mark's Fly Bibio marci and the dance fly Empis femorata.

Empis femorata - Alan Keatley

A good count of six Orange-tip were also flying along with a Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum and a few Orange-tailed Andrena haemorrhoa and Sandpit Mining Bee A. barbilabris.