Sunday 23 August 2015

Sunday 23rd August

The wet weather cleared  midmorning to reveal birds across the site with terns and waders constantly on the move during the first few hours. Simple numbers fail to convey the spectacle from the hide but 13 Black, seven Little and at least three Arctic Tern dropped in amongst 175+ Sandwich and 70+ Common Tern whilst a moulting adult Curlew Sandpiper, a juvenile Little Stint and a Ruff were with 476 Ringed Plover, 430 Dunlin, 100+ Sanderling and 59 Turnstone. Also in the estuary the Slavonian Grebe, 15+ Bar and nine Black-tailed Godwit, 11 Greenshank, three Mediterranean Gull, a Snipe and a Knot. Elsewhere the first Whinchat of the year was in Greenland Lake and a Spotted Flycatcher was around the Main Pond, an adult Little Gull was offshore, a juvenile Osprey hunted around the estuary mouth having flown north from Teignmouth and two Swift were overhead.

 Little Tern - Lee Collins

 Black Tern - Lee Collins

Osprey - Simon Thurgood

Wildlife News: A Clouded Yellow and several Silver Y were on Warren Point. Elsewhere Autumn Ladies Tresses are now starting to flower across the site and a Common Seal was on Bull Hill. The Emperor photographed below with an Oak Eggar caught but the moth but because of it's weight couldn't fly very far, so it came down to grass level, cut off wings and flew off back to the trees with the body to feed.

Emperor - Simon Thurgood

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