Friday 8th May 2026

 

 

Greylag goose (Anser anser), near the tip of the peninsula first thing this morning. 

A sunny morning with a slight ENE wind. Once again opening nets to the sound of the Black redstart 1st year male, calling out from the walls of the fort, and continuing throughout the morning. A single Wheatear remains on the peninsula and a Whimbrel seen on the beach. Potentially a pair of swallow hanging around the observatory - maybe thinking about nesting?. Excitingly we also ringed our first fledgling Linnet. 

Sea watching slowing with: 3 Oystercatcher, 2 Sanderling, a Cormorant and a Shelduck north. No passage south observed. 

Overland migration included below 10 Swallow, and 3 Jackdaw south. A Peregrine was also observed flying east.     

Moth trapping: 21 species caught last night, with three new species for this year: Sandy carpet, Garden Pebble and the Vine moth, today’s focus species.    

The Vine is a nationally scarce species with landguard being its Suffolk stronghold, the larvae most likely living on the Ivy berries at this site. 

Vine moth (Eupoecilia ambiguella)

Bird ringing: 2 Linnet, 1 Blackbird, 1 Blackcap, 1 Goldfinch 

Thursday 7th May 2026

 

Linnet (Linaria cannabina), a little delve into the scientific name: Linaria is latin for Flax, one of the birds favorite seeds (Linseed), Flax is also used to make linen!, cannabina also means hemp which is another of the birds favourite seeds.    

A bright morning with a very slight N wind. Few migrants within the compound, with Linnets making most of the noise this morning. A Yellow wagtail and two Wheatear remaining near the tip of the peninsula.

Sea watching produced a Buzzard, 3 Gannet and 5 Cormorant north. 8 Oystercatchers towards the port (W).    

Overland migration included 9 Swallow south and 3 north, joined by one Sand martin also heading north.    

Plenty of Painted lady butterflies flying around and our 1st Hairy dragonfly sighting of the spring. 

Moth trapping: 9 species present across the 3 traps, slight reduction in species - owing to the damp and cold night last night. On first inspection of the trap a Cream-spot tiger was on the ground next to the first trap and inside the trap was a nice fresh example of a Buff ermine. The larvae of this moth feeds on herbaceous plants , the adult moth is present on the site in small numbers, occurring mostly annually since recording began in 1991.

Buff Ermine (Spilosoma lutea)

Bird ringing: 1 Lesser whitethroat. 

 

Wednesday 6th May 2026

 

Northerlies has resulted in a bit of a migration hiatus. Apart from what lives here just 4 Chiffchaff, 2 Blackcap, 2 Wheatear & a Mipit. 9 Swallow went north. Offshore still dismal with a couple of hours purgatory producing just 2 Common Scoter & 2 Gannet.

Low overnight temperatures not good for moths with this Lychnis the first of the year amongst a paltry selection which produced the second Small Mottled Willow of the spring but little else.

Ringing: 1 Blackcap, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Robin.

Tuesday 5th May 2026

 

Spot the Purple sandpiper (Calidris maritima), very well camouflaged. 

A sunny morning with slight wind from the NE, produced a relatively quiet morning. Highlights included a Purple sandpiper hanging around the Jetty and unusual birds for the site: Jay and Mute swan. 

Just 3 Wheatear present near the tip of the peninsula, alongside a Yellow wagtail.     

Very little visible migration with just Swallows; 1 north, 31 south and a House martin also south.                                                         

Moth trapping: A little bit quieter than the previous night, owing to a clear night, with just 14 species recorded.  Phtheochroa rugosana is todays focus, this micro can be common here and the larvae feed on White bryony.

Phtheochroa rugosana

Bird ringing: 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Robin, 1 Spotted flycatcher, 1 Whitethroat. 

Monday 4th May 2026

Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus)

A damp foggy morning following overnight rain. A slight breeze from the N turning more NE late morning. 2 Crossbill were seen calling close to the observatory late morning. A female Firecrest was extracted from a net, this individual had a nice pollen horn showing it had wintered in Southern Europe, formed of pollen from Eucalyptus and citrus plants. Outside of the compound a Reed warbler was calling on "Icky ridge" near the the car park. 5 Wheatear and a Yellow wagtail present around the tip of the peninsula and 7 Sanderling on the shoreline.    

Sea watching produced: 4 Greylag geese and an Oystercatcher north, 3 Barnacle geese and one Fulmar south. 

Overland: 21 Swallow and a Hobby north. A Yellowhammer and 62 Swallow south.

Moth trapping: 40 Species present this morning, with today's focus being the Waved umber moth, which has been annual for the past 10 years, with records infrequent prior. The larvae feed on privet and lilac so it will do well here.   

Waved  Umber (Menophra abruptaria) 

Bird ringing: 6 Chiffchaff, 2 Blackcap 2 Lesser whitethroat, 2 Willow warbler, 1 Firecrest. 

 Pollen horn on a female Firecrest (Regulus ignicapillus) 

Sunday 3rd May 2026

 

Handful of expected migrants plus a "brucie bonus" in the form of this 10th site record of Melodious Warbler with a supporting cast of a female Pied Fly & a Cuckoo plus a small handful of Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Lesser 'throat, Whitethroat & Willow Warbler. On the reserve 5 Wheatear & Yellow Wag. At least 36 Swallow & 4 Sand Martin flew south with offshore movements limited to a couple of Barwits & Whimbrel. 12 Sanderling were on the beach & a Black Red was singing on the Fort.

This Matthew's Wainscot is early on parade. Most authorities now consider this is just the saltmarsh form of Common Wainscot.

Ringing: 4 Chiffchaff, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Melodious Warbler, 1 Pied Flycatcher, 1 Whitethroat, 1 Willow Warbler.

Saturday 2nd May 2026

 

Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)

Hearing a Wood warbler singing around 6am whilst making a brew, was a nice morning treat. Efforts to find the Tawny pipit where in vain, following the drop in winds over night and a spell of rain, this spell of rain is likely the reason the first spring Wood warbler for six years dropped in.

6 Yellow wagtail near the tip of the peninsula, 4 Wheatear and a White wagtail. A Woodlark appeared late morning & a Spotted Flycatcher mid-day.

Seawatching produced 8 Dunlin and 5 Sandwich tern flying north and 2 Sandwich tern and 2 Cormorant flying south. 2 Whimbrel flying west over the port. A House martin and 27 Swallow south overland. 

Moth trapping: Milder night resulted in 31 species including the 2nd site record of Pammene gigantena, a nationally scarce species that feeds on oak- apple galls.                                                          

 

 Pammene gigantena

Bird ringing: 6 Lesser whitethroat, 5 Blackcap, 5 Chiffchaff, 3 Linnet, 3 Whitethroat, 2 Willow warbler, 1 Chaffinch, 1 Robin, 1 Spotted Flycatcher.

Friday 1st May 2026

Common sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)

A sunny and slightly less breezy morning, with wind coming from the E. Tawny pipit still present and currently showing in the conservation area behind the sea watching hide (13:00). A Common sandpiper was seen on the jetty and hanging around for much of the morning, 6 Wheatear were present near the tip on the peninsula. 

Sea movements north included; 7 Arctic tern, 4 Whimbrel and a Gannet. South flying; 5 Bar-tailed godwit and an Oystercatcher.  Overland 33 swallow have been seen moving south by 13:00.  

A Brown argus butterfly was seen flying around the compound and a dead Slow worm that had been severed in half, possibly by a Blackbird.   

Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) having a stroll along the beach this morning, possibly in search of food for its cubs, could potentially be a male but hard to say. 

Moth trapping: Pale prominent is today's pick of the 61 moths caught today. Once again the bulk (46) being Shuttle shaped darts. The pale prominent has labial palps and tufts on the tail segment, creating an elongated appearance, making the moth very cryptic. 

Pale prominent (Pterostoma palpina)

Bird ringing: 2 Chiffchaff, 1 Goldfinch, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Reed warbler, 1 Willow warbler, 1 Robin.   

April ringing totals 2026

Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus), ringed on the 21st April as a 1st year Male, with black patches on the throat and breast.     

This month concludes with 401 birds of 30 species. We have had a good spring with a good mix of spring migrants, some such as the Reed warbler arriving earliest on record. You would have to go back to 2015 to get a higher total of 413 birds. In comparison to 2015 we had an increase from 71 to 144 Chiffchaff, and a slight decrease of Linnet from 49 (2015) to 17 this April, with other species remaining fairly constant.   

Chiffchaff	144
Blackcap	88
Willow warbler	35
Wheatear	24
Whitethroat	18
Linnet	17
Lesser whitethroat	11
Song thrush	11
Goldfinch	7
Robin	7
Sedge warbler	4
Long-tailed tit	4
Reed warbler	4
Blackbird	3
Great tit	3
Wren	3
Goldcrest	2
Redwing	2
Woodpigeon	2
Pied wagtail	2
Black redstart	1
Chaffinch	1
Redstart	1
Firecrest	1
Garden warbler	1
Greenfinch	1
House sparrow	1
Magpie	1
Sparrowhawk	1
Yellowhammer	1

Thursday 30th April 2026

Tawny pipit present (Anthus campestris), continuing to show quite well, with the bird being less mobile in the fenced off conservation area opposite observatory. 

A windy morning once again, today from the E. However sunny and bright. The Tawny pipit was soon rediscovered in the morning, seen from the obs, with a Yellow wagtail and 9 Wheatear also around the tip of the peninsula. A siskin was also heard briefly within the compound.  

Small movements over sea; with a Kittiwake, 2 Common gull and 2 Black-headed gull north. 4 Whimbrel south and overland; 22 Swallow and 2 Swift south (our first record of swift this spring).  

We had our first emergence of Green hairstreak butterfly within the observatory compound. Many Small copper present alongside Speckled wood, Red admiral, Peacock and Small and Green-veined whites.   

Green hairstreak (Callophrys rubi)

Moth trapping: A Chocolate-tip and a Poplar hawk take the limelight today, the Chocolate-tip is resident in small numbers, with larvae feeding on Poplar trees alongside the poplar hawk moth larvae. 17 Shuttle-shaped dart, 2 Common swift and a V-pug. 

   

Chocolate-tip (Clostera curtula) on the edge of the moth trap. 

Bird ringing: 5 Chiffchaff, 2 Lesser whitethroat.  

Wednesday 29th April 2026

 

Windy & not a lot about didn't prevent this Tawny Pipit arriving. The 15th site record of which the only previous spring ones were on 28th May 1991 & 6th May 2012. On site meagre offerings including 6 Lesser 'throat, 6 Wheatear, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Whimbrel, 2 Whitethroat, Blackcap & Swallow. 

Also meagre offerings in the moth traps with the first Turnip's of the year turning up the past couple of days.

Ringing: 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Wheatear.

Tuesday 28th April 2026

3 Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) dropped in briefly near the tip of the peninsula, then flew S.  

 A strong NE wind, with a spell of drizzle around 7am. Not many species calling first light and few new passerines. 5 Wheatear present on the peninsula and a Black redstart that looks to be the bird ringed last week, briefly joined by 3 Whimbrel, shown in the picture above. 

The strong winds reduced sea-watching to just 5 Cormorant and a Shelduck North.   

Moth trapping: White colon moth and Coronet are the pick of the bunch for today, of the total 25 individual moths, on the most part Shuttle-shaped dart (19). The White colon is our first for spring and is slightly earlier than expected. This moth is classed as nationally scarce and the larvae have likely fed on Common restharrow at this site. 

White colon (Sideridis turbida), first of the year. 

Bird ringing: 3 Wheatear,  2 Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaff. 

Monday 27th April 2026

White wagtail (Motacilla alba)

A mostly sunny morning with a slight N wind, feeling more like summer by late morning in sheltered areas. A few Chiffchaff singing and a Blackcap early morning in the compound and a Red admiral butterfly was seen flying around late morning. A Whinchat, a Black redstart and 8 Wheatear present on the peninsula, with a White wagtail present with the resident Pied wagtail. A Sanderling was also seen on the tide line early morning.   

Sea watching produced; 6 Oystercatcher, 2 Mediterranean gull, 2 Sandwich tern, 1 Common tern, 1 Little Egret, 1 Fulmar and 1 Whimbrel, all flying north. Flying south; 5 Canada, 2 Greylag and 2 Shelduck. 

21 Swallows where seen flying South and just 1 North low over the reserve. 

Moth trapping: Finally larger numbers! 20 Shuttle-shaped dart, Pebble Prominent, a Tawny shears, and some micros!; Rugged Bryony Beauty (Phtheochroa rugosana) and a Musotima nitidalis (sometimes known as Golden brown fern moth).     

Tawny shears (Hadena perplexa) - a pale morph that are regularly seen along SE coast, with inland examples reaching a dark brown and everything in-between, this is referred to in the scientific name with the complexity.    

Bird ringing: 5 Chiffchaff, 2 Robin, 1 Blackcap, 1 Linnet, 1 Reed warbler, 1 Willow warbler, 1 Whitethroat, 1 Wheatear. 

Sunday 26th April 2026

 

Selection of late April migrants plus some leftovers from recent days including 11 Swallow, 10 Chiffchaff, 9 Wheatear, 8 Lesser 'throat, 3 Whitethroat, 2 Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Black Red, Ring Ouzel, Sedge Warbler, Whinchat, White Wag & the first Garden Warbler of the year. Offshore northbound 7 Sandwich, 2 Common Tern, Fulmar & Gannet. Getting fairly regular sightings of Porpoise recently.

First Common Swift of the year. The great bulk of those that turn up in the traps are males.

Ringing: 5 Chiffchaff, 4 Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Wheatear, 1 Blackbird, 1 Blackcap, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Willow Warbler, 1 Woodpigeon.

Saturday 25th April 2026

Male Ring ouzel (Turdus torquatus)

Another foggy morning, with a slight N wind, fog slowly lifting to cloud and then clearing by late morning. Two Ring ouzel present on the peninsular a White wagtail, 12 Wheatear and the Serin also present, with the Serin last being seen around 8:30am. A Brambling was briefly present behind the obs kitchen and 4 Reed warblers where caught today, with two being recent retraps. New Songies are continental raced birds on their way back to Northern Europe.

Sea watching produced a Whimbrel and a Oystercatcher heading out the the docks and north, another Whimbrel, 15 Med gull and a Grey plover south and 2 Med Gull north. 31 Swallow, over the course of the morning where observed flying south over the reserve and a House martin.      

Freshly emerged Orange-tip butterfly (Anthocharis cardamines). Only three sightings of this species in 2025 so let's hope for more this!

Moth trapping: Finally getting more promising numbers! ... 7 Shuttle-shaped dart, Muslin, Angle shades & Northern drab.    

Bird Ringing: 6 Whitethroat, 4 Blackcap, 3 Song thrush, 3 Willow warbler, 2 Reed warbler, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Linnet, 1 Robin.   

Friday 24th April 2026

A female Serin (Serinus serinus), unfortunately looking away from the camera.  

A foggy 5am start to the day was a clear sign that wind had dropped,  allowing southly migrants, of the scarcer kind, to fly north after multiple days of strong northerly wind. We finally got a Ring ouzel, a Serin mobile around the reserve and the observatory compound, as well as a Whinchat, Redstart, 2 Black redstart, a Brambling, a Siskin and a Lapwing. 12 Wheatear present near the tip of the peninsula.  

Sea watching producing; 2 Brent and a Heron south. Just a Whimbrel out and north. Overland; 9 Swallow north and 2 South, 2 Sand martin north and 2 south and 5 Mediterranean gull south.              

Moth trapping: 2 moths present... very quiet with it being a particularly cold night, a Shuttle-shaped dart and a Swallow prominent. 

Small white (Pieris rapae) on Birds foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)

Bird ringing: 5 Whitethroat, 4 Willow warbler, 2 Blackcap, 2 Lesser whitethroat, 2 Wheatear, 1 Black redstart, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Song thrush, 1 Reed warbler, 1 Goldfinch.   

First-year plumaged Black redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)

Thursday 23rd April 2026

A flock of starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) near the cottage. 

A strong NE wind, but clear morning once again produced little movement of birds. With Chiffchaff being retrapped and only 2 new individuals arriving late morning. A pair of Greenfinch passed through, with the female having a brood patch, so likely nesting locally. 9 Wheatear and a Black redstart are present near the tip of the peninsula and a Turnstone along the shore. 2 Lesser whitethroat heard calling, scattered around the reserve. 

A few sea movements with; 14 Gannet, 10 Greylag geese, 6 Common gull, 4 Black headed gull, 4 Med gull, a Cormorant and a Shelduck going north. 3 Cormorant only going South.     

Moth trapping: Our first Muslin moth of spring, a Swallow prominent, a Shuttle-shaped dart and a Common quaker. 

A male Muslin moth (Diaphora mendica), with females being white with a similar black spot pattern on the wing. A look into the scientific name; diaphora refers to the extreme sexual dimorphism and medica is the Latin word for beggar, referring to the dull appearance of males!   

Bird ringing: 2 Chiffchaff, 1 Goldcrest, 1 Greenfinch, 1 Goldfinch.

Wednesday 22nd April 2026

Lyrid meteor shower, first recorded 2,500 years ago, with it being cited in an ancient Chinese text, viewed over Landguard very early this morning! The meteor shower peaks tonight with 10 - 15 meteors an hour and and even possibly up to 100. Somewhat fitting for national Earth day. 

Sunny & windy east-north-easterly gave hope for some offshore action but with only 16 Barwits, 9 Common Gull & 9 Gannet heading northwards in over two hours then hopes were soon dashed. Onshore equally hard work with 7 Wheatear, 3 Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Sand Martin, Swallow & Willow Warbler plus a couple each of Lesser' throat & Whitethroat that, maybe, are already holding territory. Black Red still here with a predated Red-leg suggesting that the sites population here might have gone down from 2 to 1 (unless Foxy Loxy found one on the tideline).

Moth numbers dire so here's a freshly emerged Green-veined White on Green Alkanet.

Ringing: 1 Chiffchaff.

 

Tuesday 21st April 2026

Sanderling (Calidris alba), one of a pair seen today on the beach, with this individual just moulting into its summer plumage. Many thanks Bill M for this lovely snap. 

Once again cold northerly wind increasing throughout the morning, slowing down migration, however throwing up the odd interesting thing. With a juvenile male Redstart being ringed, being noteworthy as we don't always get spring migrants. A Turnstone and 2 Sanderling were present on the shore and 8 Wheatear remain present near the tip of the peninsula.  

Sea watching produced a handful of movements with 4 Bar-tailed godwit, 3 Common scoter, 3 Whimbrel, 2 Brent geese, a Kestrel and a Black headed gull, all heading north and no passage south. 

Moth trapping: 3 moths present; Pine beaty, Shuttle-shaped dart and Swallow prominent.         

A freshly emerged Speckled wood (Pararge aegeria), first one for this spring at Landguard.  

Bird ringing: 1 Redstart, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Willow warbler, 1 Lesser whitethroat. 

Monday 20th April 2026

A pair of breeding plumage Mediterranean gull (Larus melanocephalus) in some nice golden hour light. 

A cold morning with a reasonably strong N wind. Of note 2 Woodlark flew south calling, small movements of Mediterranean gull north 3 and south 2. A Black redstart and 10 wheatear remain present near the tip of the peninsula, with the morning flock of 10 Shelduck also present. Hirundine migration slowing with only 2 Swallow seen flying south. 4 Mallard were also seen in flight, a somewhat uncommon sight for Landguard.   

Moth trapping: Pebble prominent is the most noteworthy moth, alongside 3 Shuttle-shaped dart and a Swallow prominent.   

A freshly emerged Pebble prominent (Notodonta ziczac)

Bird Ringing: 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Wheatear, 1 Song thrush, 1 Blackcap.  

Sunday 19th April 2026

 

Hard work as the weather pattern has brought cooler north-westerly conditions. 15 Wheatear is a decentish count with other migrants including 9 Swallow, 3 Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Whitethroat, 2 Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Sand Martin, Sedge Warbler & what is presumably yesterdays Black Red.

Small Mottled Willow is a far from annual autumn migrant that we have not noted in the spring before.

Ringing: 2 Willow Warbler, 2 Wheatear, 1 Magpie, 1 Sedge Warbler.

Saturday 18th April 2026

Red kite (Milvus milvus) -  appearing to be in active wing moult, making it a juvenile from last year or a bird not breeding this year. 

A cloudy start to the day with a slight bit of drizzle in the air, produced a small dose of migrants, Including; a Black redstart, a White wagtail, 6 Lesser Whitethroat and the group of Wheatear have increased to 12 individuals. Early morning a pair of Raven where seen flying north over the port and a juvenile Red kite was observed flying south late morning directly over the ringing room. A hedgehog was spotted running under a building while opening nets - but the photo is not worth showing as it was still quite dark.     

 Hirundine migration:  A steady flow of Swallows over the reserve, with 10 south and 4 north (birds that have likely overshot) and our first sighting of House martins this spring, with 2 flying south. A Sand martin was also seen flying South.     

Sea watching produced 21 Black headed gull, 14 Mediterranean gull, 4 Barnacle geese, 2 Jackdaw and a Common gull heading south. An Oystercatcher only observed flying North. 

A freshly dead porpoise washed up on the shore, likely from being struck by a boat, makes a tasty breakfast for the local herring gull.  

Moth trapping:  4 moths present, with a Shuttle Shaped dart again, Angle shades, Swallow prominent and double striped pug. 

Our first Large red damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) of this spring, seen in our heligoland trap - our first damselfly to be recorded this spring.   

Bird Ringing: 7 Blackcap, 5 Willow warbler, 3 Chiffchaff, 2 Lesser whitethroat, 2 Goldfinch, 2 Wheatear, 1 Common whitethroat, 1 Sedge warbler, 1 Robin. 

Friday 17th April 2026

Woodpigeon (Columba palumbus) nesting near the cottage. 

A cloudy but pleasant morning with hazy sunshine at times and a strengthening SSW wind. A Brambling was seen calling within the compound early morning and departed to the south. A small increase to 8 Wheatear on the peninsula and 13 Swallow were observed passing through. A Reed warbler was also heard near the butts.  

Seawatching produced 31 Black-headed gull, 6 Mediterranean gull, 4 Barnacle Geese and a Whimbrel all south. Seen flying north; 9 Mediterranean gull, 3 Teal, and a Common Scoter       

A Holly blue butterfly was seen flying around the back of the ringing room, high up in the canopy, this being our first for spring. The holly blue is unique among butterflies in the British Isles for having a two-food-larvae-system, with this spring emergence having fed on Holly, while the summer emergence feed on Ivy flower buds.   

Our first Holly blue butterfly (Celastrina argiolus) of spring 2026.

Moth trapping: Angle shades, Common plume and Silver Y present only. Surprisingly low biodiversity considering a slightly warmer overcast night. 

 Bird Ringing: 5 Blackcap, 3 Chiffchaff, 1 Linnet, 1 Long-tailed tit, 1 Song Thrush, 1 Willow warbler, 1 Woodpigeon.