Wednesday 28th February

A grey day with rain from mid-morning, although a singing Chiffchaff didn't seem mind. Difficult to know this time of year, whether it's an early spring migrant or a wintering bird. 

Over high tide most of the small waders weren't roosting, spending the high tide circling around offshore with just a few resting on the groynes. 

Grey Plover, Knot & Sanderling - Dean Hall

Nearly all the Oystercatcher were roosting off site on the railway wall north of Cockwood, with just 20 around the Bight. Other counts included 239 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 93 Curlew, 70 Grey Plover, 31 Turnstone, 30 Sanderling, 27 Bar-tailed Godwit, 21 Knot, the nine Eider, two Red-breasted Merganser and a Great Northern Diver. 

Turnstone - Dean Hall

Dunlin - Dean Hall

Elsewhere a second Great Northern Diver was offshore, a pair of Shoveler were on the Main Pond and late in the day the 2cy presumed Glaucous x Herring Gull again appeared on Bull Hill preroost. 

Other Wildlife: No insects were to be found on the Alexanders in the damp weather, however, two weevils made on appearance; a gorse weevil Sitona striatellus, and a clover leaf weevil Hypera postica on a shop front wall early morning.

Sitona striatellus - Alan Keatley

Monday 26th February

Counts from the estuary included 600+ Dunlin, 354 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, c190 Black-tailed Godwit, 92 Curlew, 63 Redshank, 22 Sanderling, 22 Teal, 18 Ringed and 10 Grey Plover, just 14 Oystercatcher at mid tide, with only singles over high tide, the nine Eider, eight Red-breasted Merganser and a pair of Pintail.

Elsewhere just two Siskin noted in the scrub in the cold NE wind, with four Shoveler on the Main Pond and single Red-throated Diver and Common Scoter offshore.

Other Wildlife: Numerous Aphodius dung beetles were blown off the Dune Ridge and swept along the beach in the strong sand-blasting NE wind. Amongst them were the red dung beetle Aphodius fimetarius.

Aphodius fimetarius - Alan Keatley

It was a spider that stole the show with the nationally rare Bleeding-heart Spider Nigma puella, plus a Tibellus species, most likely T. oblongus.

Tibellus maritimus - Alan Keatley

Sunday 25th February

An early morning two hour seawatch saw 48 Red-throated Diver head SW along with 1558 auk sp., 134 Kittiwake, 19 Gannet, four Common Scoter and three Fulmar, with a Great Northern Diver close inshore.

Counts from the estuary included c700 Dunlin, 333 Dark and the Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 204 Black-tailed Godwit densely packed in the saltmarsh, 116 Bar-tailed Godwit around the Bight, 88 Knot, 86 Redshank, 75 Grey Plover, 57 Curlew, 31 Teal, the nine Eider and a Red-breasted Merganser.

Saturday 24th February

Counts from the estuary included c920 Dunlin, 76 Bar and 18 Black-tailed Godwit, 75 Redshank, 53 Grey Plover, 35 Turnstone, 32 Knot, 20 Teal, the nine Eider, five Sanderling, two Greenshank and two Red-breasted Merganser. Also present a Water Pipit in the saltmarsh, the Pale-bellied Brent Goose and an injured Great Northern Diver sat on the mudflats by Shutterton Creek. Elsewhere hundreds of Black-tailed Godwit in huge flock were stood on Cockle Sands, Exmouth on the ebbing tide.

Offshore nine Great Crested Grebe, three Red-throated and a Great Northern Diver, with four Siskin and single Chiffchaff and Goldcrest in the bushes and three Shoveler on the Main Pond. 

Stonechat - Alan Keatley

Other Wildlife: The Grey Squirrel was still in the Entrance Bushes and the spring-like weather saw Common Spotted Field Syrph Eupeodes luniger and the kelp fly Coleopa frigida on the wing for the first time this year.

Common Spotted Field Syrph Eupeodes luniger - Alan Keatley

Friday 23rd February

The highlight came late in the day with a 2cy presumed Glaucous x Herring Gull, found earlier from Exmouth on Cockle Sands, flying out to sea over Warren Point with a single Herring Gull at 16.52. This is just the first site record. Pictures from Exmouth can be found here

Counts from the estuary included 643 Dunlin, 524 Dark and a Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 111 Redshank, 106 Bar and a single circling Black-tailed Godwit, 36 Knot, 36 Teal, 21 Turnstone, 12 Red-breasted Merganser, 12 Ringed Plover, five Sanderling and five Greenshank. The nine Eider (six ♀ & three imm ♂) continue to favour the area inshore around Warren Point.

Elsewhere a Buzzard appeared to land in Dead Dolphin Wood, six Shoveler were on the Main Pond, two Chiffchaff and two Goldcrest were in the bushes and offshore four Red-throated and three Great Northern Diver, 29 Great Crested Grebe and 18 Razorbill.

Year list addition:

Glaucous x Herring Gull

Other Wildlife: The persistent rain of the last couple of days turned to sunshine and heavy showers. With a drop in temperature insect activity was minimal, even in the sunny spells, with just a few Common Dronefly braving it out. Elsewhere a Fleecy Jumper Pseudeuophrys lanigera was at the Visitor Centre.

Monday 19th February

The usual few divers offshore early morning with four Great Northern (one on sea and three SW) and three Red-throated (two on the sea and one SW). Less expected were a pair of Pintail with the roosting flock of 37 Great Crested Grebe. 

In the estuary on a low tide, 192 Dark and a Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 84 Redshank, 39 Teal, seven Greenshank, four Red-breasted Merganser, two Wigeon and the pair of Goldeneye, with 43 Dark-bellied also feeding on the exposed reefs below Langstone Rock.

Elsewhere eight Eider were sat offshore on Pole Sands at low tide, two pairs of Shoveler were at the Main Pond, five Rook flew overhead, four Reed Bunting on site after a winter max of one, with 12 Siskin, three Goldcrest and a Chiffchaff in the bushes.

Other Wildlife: The continuing early spring weather saw three Red Admiral on the wing along with increased numbers of Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax, hovering territorial males, typically a few feet above the ground, unlike the plentiful Common Dronefly E. tenax.

Red Admiral - Alan Keatley

Tapered Dronefly - Alan Keatley

New insects for the year included 24-spot and Harlequin Ladybird, and an early record of Kelisia sabulicola, a Sand Sedge planthopper.

24-spot Ladybird - Alan Keatley

Harlequin Ladybird - Alan Keatley

Kelisia sabulicola - Alan Keatley

Sunday 18th February

An impressive count of 124 Siskin commuted between Alders across the site and the mainland, the highest count outside the period 20 Sep - 05 Nov, all from vismig with the previous best 100 on 6 Jan 1994. Also on site a Firecrest in sallows near the Dune Pond, with five Goldcrest and a Chiffchaff in the bushes. 

In the estuary very low numbers for WeBS an hour before the lowest high tide of the month with just 214 Oystercatcher, 27 Sanderling, 19 Turnstone, 14 Curlew, five Dunlin and three Bar-tailed Godwit present. Later counts included 276 Dark and a Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 93 Redshank, 44 Teal, nine Greenshank, eight Eider, six Lesser Black-backed Gull, five Red-breasted Merganser and two Goldeneye.

Elsewhere an hour seawatch saw 42 Gannet, three Kittiwake, a Great Northern Diver and a Common Scoter flew SW with 23 Great Crested Grebe, eight Red-throated and three Great Northern Diver on the sea; a Jack Snipe flushed from Greenland Lake, six Shoveler on the Main Pond and four Rook and two Jackdaw flew overhead.

Other Wildlife: A single Red Admiral was on the wing with a few Common Dronefly and a migrant Rush Veneer. 

Hebrew Character - Kevin Rylands

Feverfly - Alan Keatley

Saturday 17th February

The two immature Spoonbill reappeared from the top end of the estuary to roost on Finger Point over high tide before feeding in the Bight. Also in the estuary, c1665 Dunlin, c470 Oystercatcher, 329 Dark and a Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 166 Common and a Mediterranean Gull, 137 Bar and eight Black-tailed Godwit, 91 Knot, 87 Redshank, 81 Grey and 22 Ringed Plover, 32 Teal, five Greenshank and five Red-breasted Merganser.

A quiet 1h 45 minute seawatch saw 17 Kittiwake, 10 Gannet, eight Red-throated Diver and a Fulmar offshore with 21 Great Crested Grebe, 10 Common Scoter, nine Eider and a Great Northern Diver on the sea.

Elsewhere the pair of Gadwall, two pairs of Little Grebe and a pair of Shoveler were on the Main Pond, where four of the Mallard ducklings survived the week. 

Friday 16th February

A fine day with some spring wildfowl movement early morning with a pair of Egyptian Geese SW past the seawall, a pair of Gadwall circling the site before later visiting the Main Pond, five Tufted Duck (four ♂ & a ♀) on the sea off Warren Point and two ♀ Pintail in the Bight.

Counts from the estuary included 945 Dunlin, 598 Oystercatcher, 273 Dark and two Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 119 Common Gull, 113 Curlew, 108 Bar-tailed Godwit, 85 Redshank, 62 Grey and 21 Ringed Plover, 41 Knot, 34 Teal, 31 Sanderling, nine Eider, eight Greenshank and four Red-breasted Merganser. The roost was disturbed by two different Sparrowhawk, one of which successfully caught a Dunlin. 

Elsewhere 27 Great Crested Grebe, eight Red-throated Diver and two Common Scoter were offshore, six Shoveler were on the Main Pond, 67 Siskin were again in the Alders and single Jackdaw and Rook were overhead.

Year list additions:

110. Tufted Duck
111. Gadwall

Thursday 15th February

The high spring tide left few exposed roosting areas with Dunlin and other small waders almost constantly in the air, before eventually settling on Finger Point. A flock of 60 Black-tailed Godwit flew into the saltmarsh but didn't stay for long, other records included a single Pale-bellied with 390 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 120 Bar-tailed Godwit, 60 Redshank, 37 Grey Plover, a Greenshank and an immature male Eider. 

Pale-bellied Brent Goose - Alan Keatley

Eider - Dean Hall

Elsewhere 12 Siskin and a Goldcrest were in the bushes, four Shoveler were on the Main Pond and single Common Scoter and Great Northern Diver were offshore.

Cirl Bunting - Dean Hall

Other Wildlife: A dry and bright morning saw the second butterfly species of the year on the wing, a Peacock. The Alexanders continue to attract good numbers of flies including Common Dronefly and a Marmalade Hoverfly.

Common Damselbug Nabis rugosus - Alan Keatley

Hypera arator a sea-spurrey weevil - Alan Keatley