Saturday 12th September 2026

 

Small selection of typical mid-September fare on an increasingly breezy morning. Southbound 433 Swallow, 12 Sand Martin, 11 Mipit, 8 House Martin, Hobby & Yellow Wagtail. On site migrants, 6 Chiffchaff, 4 Lesser 'throat, 3 Whitethroat, 3 Willow Warbler, 2 Wheatear, Blackcap & Sedge Warbler. Single Sanderling on the beach & a Great Spot visited.

Beautiful Hook-tip first appeared ten years ago, colonised, and now appears to be having a second emergence in the autumn in addition to it's main one in the summer months. Always comforting that some species are doing well in these troubled times.

Ringing: 5 Meadow Pipit, 5 Robin, 3 Chiffchaff, 1 Blackcap, 1 Blue Tit, 1 Dunnock, 1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Willow Warbler. 

Friday 11th September 2026

2 Turnstone (Arenaria interpres). 

Rain overnight, clearing early morning. A small mix of warblers inside the compound including Lesser Whitethroat and Blackcaps. 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers also visited the compound. Out on the reserve a Whinchat, a male Redstart, a Skylark and 2 Wheatear. Out on the beach 2 Turnstone and a Purple Sandpiper. Hirundine movement: 276 Swallow and 4 House Martin south. 18 Meadow Pipit south.

Seawatching: South: 2 Cormorant, 2 Teal,  North: 3 Common Tern, 3 Shelduck and a Cormorant. Feeding offshore: 6 Sandwich Tern. 

Moth trapping: 21 moth species present between our 3 traps - a decrease due to the overnight rain. Moth of the morning is the Carnation Tortrix, appearing in the UK in the early 1900's and has undertaken a slow northwards colonisation across England over time.   

 Carnation Tortrix (Cacoecimorpha pronubana).
 

Bird ringing: 8 Blackcap, 1 Reed Warbler, 1 Robin. 

Thursday 10th August 2026

Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus).

A sunny and still morning with slightly more visible migration, compared to yesterday, with 400 Swallow and 30 Meadow Pipit both south. Other hirundine migration: 15 House Martin and 6 House Martin south. Out on the reserve 1 Wheatear and a Redstart. A Great Spotted Woodpecker inside the compound. 1 Yellow Wagtail also south.   

Seawatching: South: 30 Teal, 6 Cormorant and a Curlew. South West: 5 Shelduck. Feeding offshore: 4 Black-headed Gull, 2 Great Black-headed Gull, 2 Common Tern and a Common Gull.  

Moth trapping: 54 moth species between our 3 traps last night. Frosted Orange pays a visit on infrequently occasions and not every year.

Frosted Orange (Gortyna flavago).

Bird ringing: 9 Meadow Pipit, 4 Chiffchaff, 3 Willow Warbler, 2 Blackcap, 2 Dunnock, 1 Robin, 1 Whitethroat. 

 

Wednesday 9th August 2026

Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca) - not a regular sight from Landguard. 

A cold but sunny morning with strong W winds. Hirundine movement starting to pick up again from the bad weather yesterday with 175 Swallow, 1 House Martin both South. Meadow Pipit migration is starting with 10 Seen over the duration of the day, 2 Spotted Flycatchers seen with one inside the compound and anouther near Manor Road. 1 Wheatear out on the reserve, 2 Reed Warblers and a Whinchat. Late night one Ringed Plover, a Dunlin and a Common Sandpiper over the observatory. 

Seawatching produced: South: 4 Wigeon, 3 Cormorant, 2 Great Black Backed Gull, 1 Dunlin. Towards the port: 5 Cormorant and 5 Egyptian Goose. Feeding offshore: 2 Common Tern and a Common Gull.    

Moth trapping: 19 Species last night between our 3 traps. Moth of the morning, Bright-Line Brown-Eye is a regular in the moth traps in low numbers. 

Bright-Line Brown-Eye (Lacanobia oleracea).

Bird ringing: 4 Willow Warbler, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Robin, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Woodpigeon, 1 Whitethroat, 1 Spotted Flycatcher. 

Tuesday 8th September 2026

Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) chasing each other in the late evening sunshine.   

A wet morning, continuing to late evening before clearing up. The rain set in from around 5am with sightings from the observatory peaking on an Arctic Skua chasing Sandwich Terns offshore and 2 Grey-headed Yellow Wagtails feeding on the nature reserve, 1 Wheatear also observed within the conservation cordons. Hirundine migration hit hard with only 5 Swallow South. 

Seawatching produced: South: 28 Teal, 14 Greater Black-backed Gulls, 9 Common Tern, 7 Sandwich Tern, 3 Cormorant, 3 Shelduck, 3 Shoveler, 2 Bar-tailed Godwit and a Grey Plover. Feeding offshore: 7 Sandwich Tern and an Arctic Skua. 

Moth trapping: 37 species between our 3 traps last night. Moth of the morning, the Scarce Bordered Straw is an immigrant species that turns up in variable numbers one year to the next.

 Scarce Bordered Straw (Helicoverpa armigera).

Bird ringing: na 

Monday 7th September 2026

Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula) seen on the left, Dunlin (Calidris alpina) on the right. 

A warm and bright morning with most notable migration coming in the form of Hirundines: some 821 Swallows, 22 House Martin and 6 Sand Martin. Over the compound 6 Grey Wagtail and a Chiffchaff singing in front of the observatory. 2 Wheatear out on the nature reserve, a Tree Sparrow out on the Butts and along the beach early morning: a Redshank, 2 Dunlin, 2 Ringed Plover and 2 Sanderling.  

Seawatching produced: South: 53 Cormorant, 6 Teal, 3 Oystercatcher, 3 Wigeon, 2 Shelduck.  North: 14 Sandwich Tern. Towards the port: an Oystercatcher. Feeding offshore: 3 Sandwich Tern, a Common Tern, a Great Black-backed Gull.

Moth trapping: 57 moth species between our 3 traps. Moth of the morning, Small Brindled Tortrix is a nationally scarce species on poplars still appearing this late in its flight period.  

Small Brindled Tortrix (Gypsonoma minutana) 

Bird ringing: 2 Willow Warbler, 1 Blue Tit, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Robin, 1 Whitethroat.

Sunday 6th September 2026

 

Hard work. Southbound 28 Swallow, 7 Shelduck, 7 Wigeon, 5 Oyk & Teal plus a Gannet north. On site more birds appeared to have left us than arrived with meagre offerings including 5 Whitethroat, 2 Lesser 'throat & 2 Wheatear. Good to see a couple of juvenile Common Tern with adults off the point. Yet another Great Spot turned up - they must have had a bumper breeding season judging by the newbies turning up.

Good to get a Clifden Nonpareil which have been turning up in recent years. The one's here are possibly primary immigrants as opposed to the recent colonists.

Ringing: 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Willow Warbler.