12/06/2023

3 of 4 Avocets on the Flood behind Dengemarsh Hide

2 Green Sandpipers on Burrowes were new in and it was good to see 2 Common Terns on the ARC hopefully more will follow. In general what you saw last week on the reserve is what you wills today.

12 Black-tailed Godwits on the flood

Displaying Common Terns on the ARC

Little Ringed Plovers nesting on the peninsula

Adult male Marsh Harrier at the ARC

Grey Heron watching the pump outflow

This Hairy Dragonfly has seen better days

Rest Harrow

With the warmer weather the moth trap is getting busier, this mornings stars were a Rest Harrow and a Portland Ribbon Wave, both are scarce moths in the UK. A Fox Moth which is quite common but sadly very few have ever graced my MV. Plutella xylostella is a micro moth which is considered to be a migrant, in the last 2 nights I have caught in excess of a 1,000 in my trap.

Portland Ribbon Wave

Fox Moth

Plutella xlostella

Sand Wasp

After presumably paralysing the caterpillar this Sand Wasp carried and dragged it for a several yards along the footpath to Hanson hide, then dropped it while it dug out the entrance to its nest, then dragged the caterpillar down into the hole, where I guess the caterpillar will host the wasps eggs then be eaten by the young.

Many Swifts were again feeding over the ARC, the one above looks as if its crop is full

A drake Garganey sleeping on one of the exposed islands from Hanson

The Southern Marsh Orchids are still looking good in the field beside the track to Hanson Hide

Several Longhorn moths (Nemophora deegerella). were in the bushed beside the track

05/06/2023

A late Arctic Skua passing the bouy

Sea watching as expected in early June in this annoying strong NE wind has not been hugely productive, though there are are still a few Sanderling, Grey Plover, Bar-tailed Godwits, Common Terns, Arctic Terns and Sandwich Terns trickling through. A summer plumage adult male Long-tailed Duck was a surprise on the 5th. On the reserve a few waders have been dropping in, but nothing to get too excited about.

A black Tern spent the day at Burrowes on the 3rd

A gorgeous summer plumage Bar-tailed Godwit with good numbers of Redshanks have on the flood

At least 2 Lapwing chicks on Hayfield 3

 

01/06/2023

A very poor image of my first ever June Great Northern Diver today

An early start saw an entertaining sea watch.

05.45-09.45 joined by SO & RW

Teal: 4E

Shoveler: 11E

Tufted Duck: 2E

Common Scoter: 328E    2W

Great-crested Grebe: 4 present

Oystercatcher: 4E

Grey Plover: 6E

Sanderling: 82E

Dunlin: 2E

Kittiwake: 258E  31W  

Mediterranean Gull: 9E  

Sandwich Tern: 40E    

Common Tern: 248E

Arctic Tern: 42E

Guillemot: 15E    8W

Great Northern Diver: 1E

Fulmar: 3E

Manx Shearwater: 1W

Gannet: 94E    22W

Swallow: 8 in

Grey Seal: 4

Harbour Porpoise: 6+

As the NE wind continued to blow across the peninsula today it was difficult to get myself motivated. A couple of visits to Dennis's Hide saw a handful of Sanderling, Dunlin and Ringed Plover with Greenshank calling unseen, not s single Tern over Burrowes or the ARC. A few more Sanderling were on the ARC islands, also plenty of Swifts, Swallows and House Martins hawking there. There were 23 Redshank and 4 Greenshank on the hay fields per RW.

30/05/2023

A late Black-throated Diver

In general the persistent strong cold North East wind has ruined what is usually a good time of year for migrants, as for the breeding passerines I fear for their success due to the complete lack of insects to feed there young. Even the sea watching has been quite poor with just the odd highlights like the 5 Black terns that struggled East this morning.

An unusually early Clouded Yellow along the track to Hanson a couple of days ago

Crowfoot in the smaller ponds

The plus side to the winds is the speed at which the islands are appearing at the ARC, another couple of weeks and there should be plenty for the birds, alas I saw not a single Tern at the ARC or Burrowes today, there was however 100s of Swifts with smaller numbers of Swallow and House Martins hawking over the lakes with 3+ Hobbys in attendance.

Some of the Black-tailed Godwits that have been frequenting the hay fields

Common Buzzard over the garden

 

27/05/2023

Meadow Pipit on the perimeter wall early morning

A reasonably good sea watch considering the continuing force 5 North Easterly blast across the peninsula.

06.30-09.00 with OL & RW

Shelduck: 9E   single flock

Shoveler:13E.  2+2+9

Common Scoter: 17E      

Great-crested Grebe: 3 present

Oystercatcher: 1E

Knot: 8E

Sanderling: 9E

Curlew: 9E  2+2+5

Kittiwake: 54E      

Mediterranean Gull: 16E

Sandwich Tern: 24E    

Common Tern: 92E

Guillemot: 3E 

Fulmar: 3E

Gannet: 65E  

Cormorant: 14E  

Grey Seal: 2

Harbour Porpoise: 6+

Unsurprisingly with the wind blasting across the it, the ARC was quiet, on the plus side the wind and bright skies are evaporating the lake quite rapidly, already several islands are showing.

The other morning a Grass Snake was stalking Marsh frogs in the pools by the track to Hanson Hide

The Southern Marsh Orchids are starting to appear in the field by the track to Hanson

Lovely male Whinchat at Dengemarsh this afternoon with a female and 4 Yellow Wagtails

Female Whinchat

Displaying Yellow Wagtail

Avocets, Greenshank, 4 Grey Plovers, Redshanks and Lapwings on the flood today

Oystercatcher with young on the new islands at Makepiece a couple of days ago, although the young couldn't,t be seen today we think (hope) they have been moved into cover across the channel.

A Red Kite that flew over my house a couple of days ago

 Unsurprisingly in the very strong North Easterly this mornings sea watch was disappointing.

07.00-08.15 with RW

Common Scoter: 11E    14W  

Great-crested Grebe: 2 present

Oystercatcher: 1E

Kittiwake: 6E      

Mediterranean Gull: 2 around

Sandwich Tern: 2E    

Common Tern: 24E

Auk sp: 2E  

Fulmar: 1W

Manx Shearwater: 1E

Gannet: 14E    18W

Swallow: 4 in

Swift: 1 in

Grey Seal: 2

Harbour Porpoise: 5+

Four-spotted Chaser

After the sea watch I went to the ARC, the wind was howling across the track to Hanson but I still managed to hear the Bearded Tits. In the hide the cold wind again howled through the open flaps, the islands that are gradually being exposed held some resting Tufted Ducks and dabblers but no waders yet. The Willow Trail was less exposed allowing 100s of Damselflys to rest on the reeds and boardwalk, also several Four-spotted Chasers. Getting back to the car I received a message from DW that 2 Red Kites were over The Point heading in the general direction of Dengemarsh. I drove down the track to Dennis's Hide which gives a good all round view and quickly spotted the Kites over the Open Pits, they were circling quite high but moving towards me, one of the birds started to lose height over Burrowes and wasn't much more than roof top height as it passed over the VC and Dennis's hide, both birds then melted away to the North West.

Red Kite over Dennis Hide this morning

Greenshank on the flood behind Christmas dell this afternoon

2 Avocet dropped into the flood behind Dengemarsh Hide late afternoon

Common Sandpiper on the small island to the left of Firth. 

Burrowes held 3 Common Sandpipers, 2 Turnstones, 7 Ringed Plovers and 3 Grey Plovers late afternoon.