RXwildlife Sightings

Highlights this morning were a very confiding Marbled Duck, 4 Little Stints, 3 Greenshank, 100 Wigeon, 5 Pintail and 3 Egyptian Geese.

The moth trap is still producing a good array of migrants. We have had amazing numbers of Delicate over the last two nights and Convolvulus Hawk-moths are becoming common! Recent highlights have been several Vestal, a Striped Hawk-moth yesterday and two Clancy’s Rustics.

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A mixture of summer and autumn at Brede High Woods yesterday, I was surprised to find a Golden-ringed Dragonfly still on the wing, but expected to find emerging fungi like Orange-peel Fungus (Aleuria aurantia) and Sulphur Tuft (Hypholoma fasiiculare).

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Today’s highlight was an osprey flying over the ARC pits. 

Other raptors seen today included: hobby, peregrine, marsh harrier and a buzzard flying over. 

A black-necked grebe was spotted on Burrowes pit whilst greenshank and black-tailed godwit were seen on the ARC pit. 

This strange construction is an egg-sac of the Wasp Spider (Argiope bruennichi, bottom). All spiders use silk to protect their eggs, providing protection from both the elements and predators and parasites, but this is probably the largest of any British species, measuring up to 25mm. The outer coating is of a papery texture, while the whole thing is surrounded by a mesh of finer silk as added protection. This is really a cocoon, as the egg-sac proper is suspended inside.

Wasp Spider egg-sac

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Highlight in the Lime Kiln Cottage moth trap last night was Palpita vitrealis (below) a rare migrant micro only recorded at Rye Harbour three times in the past, and then only around Winchelsea Beach. Other notable migrants included four Delicate, four L-album Wainscot, three Gem, two Scarce Bordered Straw, two Small Mottled Willow and a Convolvulus Hawk-moth. Other interesting species included Feathered Brindle, a national rarity, and Old Lady, something of a reserve rarity with only four previous records.

Palpita vitrealis

Today’s sightings included pintail, peregrine, marsh harrier, nine greenshank, common sandpiper, four ruff, 16 black-tailed godwit, curlew and snipe.  Two black terns were seen flying over the New Diggings and the ARC pits. 

House martins and sand martins were still passing through.  A redstart was still around, between Scott hide and Christmas dell hide. 

On the Beach Reserve, 2 Green Sandpiper, 2 Marsh Harrier, Merlin and Whinchat. The Black-necked Grebe and Red-crested Pochard are still on Long Pit. At Castle Water hide, Kingfisher, Great Crested Grebe and Little Egret all regularly close enough to photograph!

Today’s sightings included: hobby, marsh harrier, barn owl, curlew, house martin, and redstart. 

There has been lots of interest for the Temminck’s Stint, it is now back on the scrape by Lime Kiln Cottage 1.15pm.