Thursday 18th June 2026

Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), all juveniles, with one of individuals we ringed in the cottage box, seen in the middle of the group, coping well with independent living. 

Starting clear but then clouding over and then breaking late morning again, quite humid and not too much wind. 66 Swift south over the reserve early in the morning with a Swallow and House Martin also heading south. Inside the compound a Greater Spotted Woodpecker was seen and heard flying around as well as two Coal Tit. A male Black redstart was once again calling from the fort.

Seawatching produced: 22 Black- headed gull and 11 Curlew, 4 Sandwich Tern, 2 Common Tern, all south.  

Moth trapping: 107 Species across our moth traps, owing to the calm and warm night. Today's moth of the day is the Pine Hawk-moth - an occasional visitor to our site considering it lives less than 1km away as the crow flies at the Customs House on pine trees, adults feed on Honeysuckle.      

Pine Hawk moth (Sphinx pinastri)

Bird ringing: 4 Blue Tit, 2 Blackcap, 2 Coal Tit, 2 Linnet, 2 Reed Warbler, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 House Sparrow, 1 Robin.  

Wednesday 17th June 2026

 

Curlew passage picking up with at least 26 south. Also southbound 11 Swift, 2 Common Scoter & 2 Tufted Duck. 2 Lapwing were on the reserve plus 2 Chiffchaff & 2 Reed Warbler in the bushes. The first dispersing juvenile Blackcap of the summer turned up plus a well developed young Whitethroat which may have wandered down from the Butts. A Coal Tit was at the north end.

First site record of what looks like Elachista triatomella was nearly overlooked. Obsidentify misidentified it (but this may be due to the poor quality photo taken on an antique mobile) & thought it looked like a similar Elachista that we get here so just as well a better photo was taken with the camera so it could be re-identified.

We have very few records of Ingrailed Clay so good to get the first one for nine years of this declining species.

Ringing: 2 Linnet, 1 Blackcap, 1 Dunnock, 1 Goldfinch, 1 Great Tit, 1 Reed Warbler, 1 Ringed Plover (pulli), 1 Whitethroat.

Tuesday 16th June 2026

 

4 Coal Tit (Periparus ater) ringed today is on par with the sites ringed record set on 20/09/1996, with 6 ringed this year it appears to be a good year for them, alongside other Tits. 

A weird morning with a random shower at half 4 in the morning producing a double rainbow seen across Felixstowe, followed by a group of 7 Swift moving south. Late morning becoming warm with a nice sea breeze. All quiet within the compound except for a Coal Tit and a Whitethroat. Mostly quiet on the reserve, with our Ringed Plover chick still surviving.

Seawatching produced a Curlew south and a Mediterranean Gull north. Evening: 2 Sandwich Tern east, 2 Kittiwake and 2 Black-headed Gull and an Oystercatcher south.  

 

Moth Trapping: 72 Species across our 3 traps last night owing to the warm and overcast night and less wind. Moth of the day is the L-album Wainscot, a moth first recorded in Suffolk at Landguard in 2000. This moth is now well established in Suffolk, with plenty of coastline grass species for the larvae to feed on. 

L-album Wainscot (Mythimna l-album)

Bird Ringing: 4 Coal Tit, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Dunnock, 1 Linnet.

Monday 15th June 2026

A Juvenile Marsh Tit (Poecile palustris), 7th site record with 5 of the previous from 16th to 22nd June. 

A clear morning, later becoming hazy and then drizzly with slight N wind. A few more young birds around including a group of Lesser Whitethroat. At least one coal tit calling within the compound. Out on the reserve the Ring Plovers have one chick still and 2 families of Cetti's Warblers. Seawatching produced an Oystercatcher towards the port and a Curlew South.  

Moth trapping: 76 Species across our three traps.  Moth of the day, although not caught in any of our moth traps, has to be the Hornet Moth that looks to have just emerged underneath one of our Black Poplar trees. The Hornet Moth larvae overwinter for 1 or 2 winters and then as a fully grown larvae in cocoons made of silk for the second or third winters, emerging then as an adult. The Larvae bore into the trunk of Poplar trees and are believed to be at least contributing to a large dieback of Poplar trees across Europe. 

Hornet Moth (Sesia apiformis)

Bird Ringing: 3 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Blackcap, 1 Dunnock, 1 Great Tit, 1 Linnet, 1 Marsh Tit, 1 Robin.     

Sunday 14th June 2026

 

A juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker is a tad early as they don't normally start wandering & turning up until the later third of the month (we only have two earlier June sightings than today's individual on record). Migrants were 2 Blackcap, Chiffchaff & Reed Warbler. Otherwise it's what lives here.

Bordered Sallow lives on Restharrow so does well with us on the coast. Also worth a mention is the second Obscure Wainscot of the year having waited 30 years since the only previous one. This years previous is on the blog for 29th May.

Ringing: 1 Blue Tit, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Great Tit.

Saturday 13th June 2026

 

Pyramidal Orchids in the Butts Pond enclosure.

Breezy morning. Migrants were 2 Blackcaps & a Reed Warbler singing plus a single Lapwing. The first juvenile Chiffchaff of the year will have wandered down here from a location nearby (Langer Park?) as they have never bred on site. The pair of Crows have three young out which are totally dependent on mum & dad but will have to learn to forage for themselves pretty soon.

Two Spurge Hawk-moth are almost certainly bred on site rather than immigrants.

Ringing: 1 Blackcap, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Dunnock, 1 House Sparrow, 1 Great Tit, 1 Wren.

Friday 12th June 2026

Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)

A cloudy morning with a moderate breeze from the W. 14 Swift flying south low over the observatory early morning and 3 Swallow also south. Inside the compound 2 Collared Dove, a young Coal Tit that visited our nets eventually and a Blackcap singing. 3 young Crows seen in our on site nest. Out on the reserve the Ringed Plover have one chick remaining and one nest appears to have been abandoned, 6 Adults total. 

Seawatching produced: 7 Black-headed Gull, 2 Mediterranean Gull and a Curlew, all south. 2 Cormorant and a Gannet north. 

Moth trapping: 33 moth species across our 3 traps. Today's moth of the day is the Archer's Dart, a moth that regularly occurs along the Suffolk coast and in the Brecks. This moth can be abundant at this location as the summer progresses with adults on the wing from now till september as a single generation. The larvae feed on Ragwort and Heathers.  

Archer's Dart (Agrotis vestigialis)

Bird ringing: 3 Blue Tit, 1 Coal Tit, 1 Great Tit, 1 Robin, 1 House Sparrow.