Monday 27th July 2026

Our first post breeding passage Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) this year out on the reserve. 

A sunny morning with a brisk WNW wind, turning to overcast late morning. Reed Warblers calling from inside the compound and a good variety of butterflies on the buddleia including Comma and Painted Lady. Another Great Spotted Woodpecker visited the compound. 1 Sanderling out on the beach.     

Seawatching produced south: 7 Mediterranean Gull, 4 Black-headed Gull, 4 Common Scoter, 3 Oystercatcher, 2 Turnstone, a Dunlin, a Common Gull and a Curlew. 

    North: A Common Scoter. 

6 Sandwich Tern, 5 Little Tern, a Common Tern and a Common Gull feeding offshore. 

Hirundine movement included 8 Sandmartain South, 1 Swallow south and 2 Swift north. 

Moth trapping: 31 Species in our 3 moth traps - windy and dry conditions. Moth of the morning is the Tufted Oak Knot-horn, an immigrant species first recorded here in 2018. The moth is now becoming established in Oak trees in Suffolk.     

Tufted Oak Knot-horn (Acrobasis tumidana).

Bird ringing: 2 Blackcap, 2 Linnet, Reed Warbler, 2 Willow Warbler, 1 Nightingale. 

Sunday 26th July 2026

 

Windy & even a couple of spots of drizzle that was a waste of time as it didn't even dampen the dust down. Migrants include southbound 41 Swift, 17 Sandwich Tern, 10 Curlew, 5 Sand Martin, 4 Sanderling, 4 Turnstone, 3 Common Tern, 3 Oyk, 2 Common Gull, 2 Dunlin, 2 Whimbrel & Golden Plover. In the bushes single Blackcap, Reed, Sedge & Willow Warbler plus it's also getting to the time of year when new Lesser Whitethroat & Whitethroat may be migrants started to head south as opposed to locally bred stock.

Double figure catches of Cydia amplana in recent days is suggestive of an immigration of fresh migrants. It was first noted here in 2003 and has been annual the past six years.

Ringing: 2 Goldfinch, 1 Blackcap, 1 Dunnock, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Linnet, 1 Reed Warbler, 1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Whitethroat, 1 Willow Warbler, 1 Wren.

Saturday 25th July 2026

 

First Willow Warbler of the autumn is right on cue. Other migrants were southbound 45 Swallow, 3 Sand Martin, 2 Swift & a Curlew. Several Sandwich Tern were in the river & offshore. Green Wood & a young Grey Wag visited.

Brown-veined Wainscott is another reed bed species that wanders in hot weather. Good to get one as we drew a blank last year.

Ringing: 3 Linnet, 1 Goldfinch, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Robin, 1 Willow Warbler.

Friday 24th July 2026

 

Sanderling (Calidris albaon) on the beach yesterday mid morning. 

A somewhat hazy sunny morning with a gentle breeze building off the sea. A Green Woodpecker and a Nightingale found there way into our nets. A Black Redstart was once again calling from the fort. Flying ant time of year with Starlings and Gull ammassing, including 80 Black-headed Gulls. 3 Ringed Plover chicks + 1 with different parents survive anouther day!  

Seawatching produced South movements; 3 Oystercatcher, 1 Shelduck and 3 Little Tern. 

Hirundine movement included 1 Swift and 3 Sand Martin low over the beach mid afternoon.   

Moth trapping: 67 recorded species of moths last night. Moth of the morning goes to our first site record of Aristotelia ericinella, which lives on heather on the Suffolk Heaths but has not ventured down here before. 

Heath Elder (Aristotelia ericinella).

Bird ringing: 4 Linnet, 2 Robin, 1 Blue Tit, 1 Goldfinch, 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 House Sparrow, 1 Nightingale, 1 Pied Wagtail  

Thursday 23 July 2026

Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis) most likely feeding on Whitebait.

An overcast morning with a gentle breeze produced a nice group of 4 Sanderling on the beach as well as an increase up to 14 Ringed Plover, possibly 2 juveniles dispersing, with 4 of our tiny chicks still surviving. A new Great Spotted Woodpecker also ventured down to the point and on the way back visited one of our nets. 3 Common Gull is also worth highlighting from the seawatching.  

Seawatching produced South movements: 2 Oystercatcher, a Common Scoter and a Curlew. North movements: 3 Cormorant, 2 Gannet and a Common Tern. 5 Sandwich Tern and 3 Common Gull feeding offshore. Hirundines observations: 3 Swallow feeding on site with 1 North, a Sandmartin North and 8 Swift South. 

Moth trapping: 66 moth species recorded last night, a slight increase from recent days owing to a less windier night. Moth of the day is the Plain Pug, a moth recorded singularly each year with last year the moth being absent, this is mainly due to the moth having to travel a fair distance from its preferred saltmarsh habitat (small area at Trimley nature reserve) to be caught in our traps.

Plain Pug (Eupithecia simpliciata).

Bird ringing: 6 Linnet, 2 Whitethroat, 1 Blackcap, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 House Sparrow, 1 Pied Wagtail, 1 Reed Warbler. 

Wednesday 22nd July 2026

 

Sizeable flock of gulls feeding just offshore & on the reserve included at least 15 Med Gull & the first Common Gull's for a while. Also offshore several Sandwich Tern going back & forth plus 2 Porpoise. New migrants limited to 4 Swallow & a Sedge Warbler plus a visit from yet another Great Spotted Woodpecker. At least one Black Red still about.

Rest Harrow is on the IUCN Red List as "near threatened". It has been annual here over the last nine years in small numbers & is probably living here on, as it says on the tin, Common Restharrow.

Ringing: 2 Goldfinch, 2 Linnet, 1 Sedge Warbler.

Tuesday 21st July 2026

Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula) with its now one-week-old chick, having unfortunately lost the other.

An overcast morning with a gentle breeze. Although seemingly quiet within the compound plenty of dispersing migrants found their way into nets as well as a good dose of young Linnets. Out on the reserve 3 Lapwing were on the beach early morning and a Black Redstart calling from the Fort again. 3 young Kestrels again near the point, let's hope that ring plover keeps hiding well!.   

Seawatching produced South: 28 Sandwich Tern, 19 Black-headed Gull, 13 Cormorant, 5 Curlew

North:18 Sandwich Tern, 3 Mediterranean Gull, 2 Gannet.     

Moth trapping: 30 Moth species last night - very quiet for this time of year potentially due to the drought conditions. Moth of the morning is the Marbled Clover, a nationally scarce species, far from annual here, that is having a good year with 10 of these recorded at this location this month. This moth can be seen during the daytime feeding on Viper's-bugloss, common across the reserve. 

Marbled Clover (Heliothis viriplaca).

Bird ringing: 11 Linnet, 3 Reed Warbler, 2 Nightingale, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Great Tit, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Wren, 1 Whitethroat.