Sunday 4th October 2026

 

Glorious sunny, calm autumnal day. A Barn Owl was quartering the Butts pre-dawn & not long after daylight 14 Little Egret went north. Also on the move southbound 16 Mipit, 8 Siskin, 6 Crows, 5 Spoonbill, Grey Wag, Jackdaw, Rock Pipit, Rook & Woodlark. Offshore movements negligible. On site at least 20 Mipit, 14 Chiffchaff, 8 Blackcap plus a Lesser 'throat showing characteristics of C.c.blythi. A Purp was on the point & the 2 Shorelark are still with us.

Cypress Pug inhabits various ornamental Cypress trees. Failed to get one last year, although it has been almost of annual occurrence in the past 20 years since it arrived in Suffolk in the early part of this century.

Ringing: 5 Chiffchaff, 3 Great Tit, 2 Blackcap, 2 Robin, 1 Blue Tit, 1 Dunnock.

Saturday 3rd October 2026

A sunny morning with a W wind. A nice mix of birds inside the compound with Blackcap, Chiffchaff, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Reed Bunting, another Brambling ringed. South overhead; 146 Swallow, 60 Meadow Pipit, 2 Redpoll, 1 Skylark, 1 Woodlark. A Blackbird was observed flying in off the sea then heading out again. 5 Jay and a Merlin also observed on site. Out on the reserve 1 Wheatear and 2 Shore Lark. A Turnstone and a Rock Pipit on the beach.   

Seawatching:

South: 238 Wigeon, 133 Teal, 53 Brent Goose, 24 Black-headed Gull, 23 Cormorant, 14 Pintail, 7 Lapwing, 3 Dunlin, 3 Oystercatcher, 2 Sandwich Tern, 1 Little Egret, 1 Turnstone.

  Feeding offshore: 2 Mediterranean Gull.  

Moth trapping: 29 moth species between our 3 traps. Moth of the morning goes to the Red-green Carpet of the autumn plumb on cue (right on time). 

Red-green Carpet (Chloroclysta siterata). 

Bird ringing: 4 Meadow Pipit, 3 Blackcap, 3 Robin, 2 Chiffchaff, 1 Blackbird, 1 Blue Tit, 1 Brambling, 1 Chaffinch, 1 House Sparrow, 1 Jay.  

Friday 2nd October 2026

Shorelark (Eremophila alpestris). 

A sunny morning, starting with a WSW turning into SSW by late morning. Quiet within the compound with around 10 Chiffchaff and 6 Blackcap, overhead; 94 Meadow Pipit and 25 Skylark south and a Redpoll. 1 Shorelark remains on the nature reserve. 2 Sanderling and a Rock Pipit on the beach. 

Seawatching:

South: 8 Common Gull, 8 Red-breasted Merganser, 7 Cormorant, 6 Black-headed Gull, 4 Wigeon, 3 Great Crested Grebe, 3 Teal, 2 Oystercatcher, a Gannet and a Hobby. 

North: a Cormorant. 

Feeding offshore: 2 Mediterranean Gull. 

   

Moth trapping: Moth of the morning falls to the Box-tree moth, a moth that only first turned up here 8 years ago, became abundant but is having a poor year this year.  

Box-tree (Cydalima perspectalis).

Bird ringing: 7 Chiffchaff, 6 Blackcap, 4 Meadow Pipit, 2 Robin, 1 Great Tit, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Blue Tit.  

Thursday 1st October 2026

Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla).

A sunny and bright morning with a W wind. A mix of birds within the compound with a Ring Ouzel heard early morning and our first Goldcrest of the Autumn ringed. 58 Meadow Pipit south with 15 on. 17 Swallow and 2 Sand Martin south. A Siskin also south. 3 Wheatear on the reserve. A Short Eared Owl in and off the sea. 2 Rock Pipit south and one on the reserve. Just the single Shorelark today. 

Seawatching:  

South: 47 Wigeon, 7 Cormorant, 5 Teal, 4 Common Scoter, 2 Brent Goose, 2 Curlew, 2 Common Gull and a Mediterranean Gull 

South West: 2 Shelduck, 

Moth trapping: moth of the morning goes to the Thicket Knot-horn has become rarer here in recent years. This one is a late emerging individual. 

Thicket Knot-horn (Acrobasis suavella).

Bird ringing: 6 Robin, 5 Meadow Pipit, 4 Song Thrush, 1 Brambling, 1 Goldcrest, 1 Lesser Whitethroat and 1 Woodpigeon.   

September Ringing Totals

 

371 birds of 30 species is only half last September's ringing total. 2 Tree Sparrows were the first ones ringed here since 2019.

Blackcap	60
Chiffchaff	56
Robin	49
Blue Tit	46
Willow Warbler	37
Meadow Pipit	36
Great Tit	9
Great Spotted Woodpecker	7
Cetti's Warbler	6
Dunnock	6
Sedge Warber	6
Whitethroat	6
Goldfinch	5
Lesser Whitethroat	5
Song Thrush	5
Garden Warbler	4
Grey Wagtail	4
Reed Warbler	4
House Sparrow	3
Pied Flycatcher	3
Linnet	2
Redstart	2
Tree Sparrow	2
Wood Pigeon	2
Chaffinch	1
Jay	1
Sparrowhawk	1
Spotted Flycatcher	1
Starling	1
Swallow	1
Total	371

Wednesday 30th September 2026

 

Shorelark increased to at least two - these are our first September records with the previous earliest ever on 3rd October in several years.

Drizzly morning with a southerly wind. Southbound 201 Wigeon, 163 Brent, 92 Teal, 16 Pintail, 11 Common Scoter, 9 Dunlin, 8 Common Gull, Gannet, Oyk, Red-breasted Merganser, Red-throated Diver & Tufted Duck. An Arctic Skua offshore in the afternoon departed north. Passerines southbound were 31 Mipit, 24 Swallow, 2 Rock Pipit, Skylark & Yellow Wag. On site at least 20 Robin, 18 Mipit, 5 Songies, 3 Brambling, 3 Wheatear, Chiffchaff, Rock Pipit, Skylark, Snipe & Whinchat. 4 Common Sandpiper on the point was odd for us.

Hoary Footman first turned up in 2021 although we failed to get one last year. This one is, presumably, a migrant.

Ringing: 5 Robin, 1 Blue Tit, 1 House Sparrow.

Tuesday 29th September 2026

A misty morning with overnight rain and wind blowing from the east. Our first Siskin, Redpoll and Redwing of the autumn around the compound. A Snipe heard this morning and last night. A Redstart and Chaffinch ringed alongside 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers with the latter on one net round! A Rock Pipit on the beach. 4 Swallows south and 6 Meadow Pipit remaining on site. 

Shorelark spotted on the nature reserve opposite the observatory 18:00 - 18:30. 

Seawatching: 

South: 201 Wigeon, 72 Teal, 6 Shelduck, 5 Brent Goose, 4 Cormorant, 3 Mediterranean Gull, 2 Pochard, an Arctic Skua, a Common Gull, a Great Crested Grebe, a Little Egret and a Pintail. 

North: 3 Common Scoter, 2 Cormorant, 2 Gannet North, an Oystercatcher and a Red-throated Diver.

Feeding offshore: 22 Sandwich Tern, 4 Great Black-backed Gull, 2 Black-headed Gull. 

Moth trapping: 36 moth species recorded in our 3 traps and around the compound today. Moth of the morning goes to to the several male Vapourer flying around by day presently.

Vapourer Moth (Orgyia antiqua).

Bird ringing: 5 Robin, 3 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Blue Tit, 2 Brambling, 2 Linnet, 2 Song Thrush, 1 Blackcap, 1 Chaffinch, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 House Sparrow, 1 Meadow Pipit, 1 Redstart.