Thursday 13th August 2026

 

19:17 yesterday afternoon, 5 minutes after passing 90.2%, with one of the few boats to go past over the duration on the eclipse. 

Sunny with a gentle breeze coming from the east produced a quiet morning inside the observatory compound with only a Reed Warbler ringed and1 Pied Flycatcher arriving mid day, migrant wise. A Black Redstart was on the Fort early morning. Quiet too out on the reserve with the highlight being our first autumn Whinchat this year as well as some 28 Pied Wagtail. 

Seawatching produced: South movements: 25 Common Scoter, 25 Teal. 1 Oystercatcher North. 10 Sandwich Tern feeding offshore.   

Moth trapping: 79 moth species recorded last night between our 3 traps. Moth of the morning goes to the Beech moth, an infrequent visitor from Beech woods. 

The Beech moth (Cydia fagiglandana).

 

Bird ringing: 1 House Sparrow, 1 Reed Warbler, 1 Robin, 1 Woodpigeon. 

Wednesday 12th August 2026

 

Juv Robin is "helping" to go through the top moth trap most mornings.

Considering the wind direction it's a tad disappointing although the first Whinchat of the autumn is plum on cue. Few other migrants although 10 Whitethroat & 5 Lesser Whitethroat are worth a mention. Offshore southbound 17 Redshank, 6 Oyk, 4 Teal, 2 Common Gull with northbound 6 Gannet.

White-line Dart used to be one of the commonest macro moths in our traps. It is now on the IUCN Red list as "vulnerable". It seems to be presently having a better season although only 10 - 20 % of the former numbers last century.

Ringing: 1 Black Redstart. 

Tuesday 11th August 2026

Peregrine (Falco peregrinus)

Sunny and a stronger Easterly breeze. The most entertainment for this morning came from a juvenile Peregrine learning how to use its claws on tufts of grass, then being mobbed by our resident female from the nearby port, with the male watching from afar. 2 Wheatear near the point and a Greenfinch again on the grass area in front of the observatory. 

Seawatching produced: 12 Oystercatcher and 5 Cormorant south. 1 Common Tern West towards the port. 1 Gannet North. Feeding offshore: 8 Sandwich Tern, 3 Great Black-backed Gull and a Mediterranean Gull.   

Moth trapping: 65 Species of moths identified this morning between our 3 traps. Moth of the morning goes to the somewhat uncommon Celypha rosaceana, distributed South of England and Wales, putting in an appearance most years in August here at Landguard. 

Roseate Marble (Celypha rosaceana). 

Bird ringing: 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Linnet, 1 Willow Warbler. 

Monday 10th August 2026

Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba), one of the 23 currently on the reserve. 

Sunny with a gentle breeze, turning cloudy late morning. A Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Green Woodpecker mobile around the compound and nature reserve. Another Pied Flycatcher mist-netted  today however interestingly an Adult Female. Out on the beach 3 Ringed Plover, 2 Sanderling. 2 Wheatear near the point. A Sedge warbler also on the reserve. 2 Peregrine on the nearest crane on the port viewed from the observatory.

Seawatching produced: South: 2 Shelduck and a Curlew. Feeding just offshore: 14 Sandwich Tern, 6 Black-headed Gull, 4 Common Tern, 2 Little Tern. 2 Porpoise making their way around the point.  

Hirundine movement included 57 Swallow south. 

Moth trapping: 95 Moth species recorded between our 3 traps last night. Moth of the morning is Star-wort, a nationally scarce species that we last saw here five years ago. The larvae feed on the edges of saltmarsh sites on Sea-aster. - Suffolk Moths.  

Star-wort (Cucullia asteris).

Bird ringing: 1 Reed Warbler, 1 Pied Flycatcher, 1 Willow Warbler. 

Sunday 9th August 2026

 

Young Starlings are in various stage of post-juvenile moult.

First Pied Fly & Tree Pipit of the autumn although few other migrants on site included 5 Whitethroat, Lesser 'throat, Wheatear & Willow Warbler. 2 Black Red's were in the vicinity of the tank traps. Offshore movements non-existent apart from feeding Sandwich Terns coming & going.

Palpita vitrealis is an immigrant that mostly occurs from now up to mid-November in ever increasing numbers over the past 20 years.

Ringing: 1 Great Tit, 1 Linnet, 1 Pied Flycatcher, 1 Song Thrush.

Saturday 8th August 2026

Greenfinch (Chloris chloris)

Sunny and a gentle breeze. Briefly a Great Spotted Woodpecker in the compound. Out on the reserve a nice healthy Greenfinch feeding on a Grasshopper as well as some 21 Pied Wagtails, a Wheatear and a Song Thrush. A concerning morning for our Ring Plovers with our chicks predated, confirmed - taken by our resident Kestrel. 

Seawatching produced; 8 Cormorant, 4 Black-headed Gull, 3 Oystercatcher and a Scoter, all South. Feeding offshore: 12 Sandwich Tern and a Common Tern.       

Moth trapping: 72 Moth species recorded this morning between our 3 traps. Moth of the morning is the Marbled Green. This moth is regular with us as it is a coastline species in Suffolk living on Lichens. 

Marbled Green (Nyctobrya muralis)

Bird ringing: 1 Blackbird, 1 Whitethroat, 1 Wren. 

Friday 7th August 2026

Lesser Whitethroat (Curruca curruca).

Colder to start off with but soon becoming warmer with little wind. Not much in the compound. 2 Yellow Wagtail briefly out on the reserve before flying across the river. A Wheatear also present. 2 Sanderling present on the beach.   

Seawatching produced; south movements: 37 Oystercatcher, a Whimbrel and a Redshank. North movements: An Oystercatcher and a Mediterranean Gull. Feeding offshore: 12 Sandwich Tern, 3 Black-headed Gull, 2 Mediterranean Gull and an Oystercatcher.    

Moth trapping: 98 moth species recorded between our 3 traps last night. Moth of the morning is the Gypsy Moth, with single records in 2003 and 2014 but then becoming an annual occurrence since 2020. This species was accidentally introduced into London area in the 1990s, a government eradication program failed to wipe out this 'pest' species. The species gained this pest branding due to the caterpillars ferocious appetite taking foliage off a variety of  trees and shrubs, causing reduced growth and reduced fruit, also caterpillars have bristly hairs that can cause skin irritation in humans and may become airborne, affecting respiratory systems.

Gypsy Moth (Lymantria dispar dispar).

Bird ringing: 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Robin, 1 Willow Warbler.