March 2011
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Report sightings |
Sunday 27th:
A Grey Seal was offshore.
Sand Lizard 27/03/11 © Lee Collins
Saturday 26th:
A pod of at least 20 Bottle-nosed Dolphin were offshore midmorning.
Wednesday 23rd:
A Large Tortoiseshell, only the third site record, was in the Buffer
Zone.
Sunday 20th:
Several Sand Lizard showed well along the Dune Ridge, with the warm
spring weather also producing the first Red Admiral of the year along
with several Comma. Elsewhere good numbers of Warren Crocus leaves
are visible but no flowers as yet.
Tuesday 15th:
Two Comma were by the First Pond the first of the year.
Monday 14th:
A Harbour Porpoise was offshore, only the fourth site record.
February 2011
Monday 28th:
A large piece of driftwood about 2 metres long was found lodged in rocks at
Langstone Rock, it was completely riddled with the burrows of the Shipworm
Teredo norvegica, and many more smaller holes made by Gribbles
Limnoria lignorum. The wood seems to be some sort of tropical hardwood as it
is very dense and heavy with a rich red colouration. The shipworm burrows are
lined with a chalky deposit and slightly larger than the diameter of a pencil,
but up to 30 cm long. Also visible at low tide several colonies of the
Honeycomb Worm Sabellaria alveolata, a UK BAP priority habitat.
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Honeycomb Worm 28/02/11 © Andrew Cleave |
 Shipworm 28/02/11 © Andrew Cleave |
Thursday 24th:
The warmest day of the year brought out two Peacock and a Small
Tortoiseshell around the Entrance Bushes, but the butterfly highlight was a
Brimstone in Greenland Lake, this species is barely annual on the Warren.
Saturday 19th:
The semi-resident Common Seal was again on Bull Hill.
January 2011
Sunday 30th:
A Grey Seal offshore was the first piece of wildlife news reported for
2011, with a Common Seal on Bull Hill the second!