Wednesday 2nd April 2025

 

Crab for breakfast anyone ?

Clear high pressure with a chilly wind not ideal. Migrants were 4 Mipit, 3 Song Thrush, 2 White Wagtail, Chaffinch, Reed Bunting, Rook & Wheatear. Offshore movements almost non-existent except for a single Fulmar.

Ringing: nil.

Tuesday 1st April 2025

 Everything appeared to come to a bit of a stand still today with chilly North Easterlies. The highlight today was a new pair of Collared Doves which confirmed this theory. Nevertheless there were still 2 White Wagtails out on the reserve and 1 Male Wheatear. Also now up to 16 Shelduck, 1 Kestrel, 30 Starling, 2 Meadow Pipit, 1 Brent Goose, 7 Common Gull and 2 Oystercatcher. Very quiet around the observatory for migrants. 

Ringing: Nil

March Ringing Total 2025

 

140 birds of 22 species leaves us round about on par with last years total of 142 birds and 21 species. We did particularly well for numbers of Redwings and Robins this year but were down on Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps.

Please keep an eye out for our colour ringed Blackbirds. Sightings can be reported to landguardbo@yahoo.co.uk and help us to study survival rates of the local population. 

Monday 31st March 2025

The last day of March and according to the radio it's 'probably the sunniest on record.' Today was indeed very sunny. In the early morning light a Coal tit was spotted but it didn't hang around to find out if it was a continental or not. Later on 1 Swallow South and 1 Sand Martin North. Still Chiffchaffs coming through some singing here and there. Other migrants included 1 Collared Dove, 1 Reed bunting, 1 Redwing, 1 Song Thrush, 1 Sanderling, 4 Turnstone, 3 Meadow Pipit and 2 Med Gull.

 A new record for LBO was a female Minotaur Beetle in the moth trap. She is in fact a Dung Beetle and lacking the three front horns you would find on a male beetle. There sure is plenty of rabbit and fox feces about. 

Ringing: 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Great Tit, 1 Wren

Sunday 30th March 2025

A gusty yet bright day today on the Suffolk coast. Although most of the avian fauna hunkered down we did manage to record some migrants around the reserve. 3 Black Redstart, 1 Stonechat, 1 Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaff, 1 Chaffinch, 1 Sanderling and a Stock Dove present. 

On sea 16 Common Gull, 5 Great Black-backed Gull, 2 Mediterranean Gull, 1 Red-throated Diver and 10 Cormorant recorded. 

We were starting to get concerned about the wellbeing of our amphibious friends but thankfully they have arrived at the butts pond - albeit a few weeks later than normal.

It's not uncommon to get a year without this Grey Shoulder-knot moth in the trap.

Ringing: 1 Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaff