Wednesday6th December 2023

 

Glorious sunny day was the highlight. Getting late for Chiffchaff to still be moving through, although not unprecidented. Rock Pipit on the river bank only other thing to report.

Tuesday 5th December 2023

 

A trip into the Mine Station produced 16 Peacock butterflies, 1 Small Tortoisehell & 8 Herald moths hibernating.

Otherwise another dull morning with annoying mizzle. Offshore 47 Common Scoter went north + 28 south with no sign of the flock offshore in the poor vis. A walk around the reserve resulted in a Snipe flushed plus 2 Cetti's Warbler worth a mention but very little else.

Monday 4th December 2023

 

More like purgatory than pleasure this morning. Cold, dull, windy with annoying intermittent rain. 843 Cormorant went out fishing. Southbound 23 Teal, 12 Common Gull, 3 Kitts, 2 Common Scoter, 2 Shoveler, Great Crested Grebe & Red-breasted Merganser with northbound 12 Common Scoter & 10 Brent plus 43 Common and a Velvet Scoter sat offshore. 

Sunday 3rd December 2023

 

Bleak, wet & windy. 783 Cormorant headed out fishing. Southbound 13 Common Gull, 12 Common Scoter, 12 Teal, 2 Brent, 2 Gadwal & Gannet with northbound 11 Common Scoter, Velvet Scoter plus offshore 48 Common Scoter, 8 Gannet, 7 Kitts & a Velvet. A flock of Scoter on the sea feeding north of the observatory watchpoint has been a fairly regular feature in recent weeks.

Ringing Recoveries

Blackbird ringed Anjum, Friesland, The Netherlands, 27th January 2022 was retrapped 362 km away at LBO 31st October 2023. This one is interesting as it is obviously wintering in The Netherlands two winters back then was caught on autumn passage at LBO presumably coming into the UK for the winter this year.

Herring Gull ringed as a pullus on the Museum 17th July 2023 and present at Landguard up to 20th September 2023 was seen on a landfill site at Blaringhem, France on 1st December 2023. Interesting in that this birds two siblings were still present in the car parks here in November whereas this one cleared off. An increase in colour ringed gulls has been noted in Northern France in recent years roughly in line with the closure of landfill sites in the UK.

Saturday 2nd December 2023

"Brass Monkey Weather" down here. Freezing fog with a cold north-westerly breeze and the bulk of the site below zero all day. 2 Redwing were seen & a Redshank was heard.

Friday 1st December 2023

 

Dull frosty start with a light dusting of snow/sleet then rain. 793 Cormorant headed out fishing. 14 Lapwing came in off the sea & headed inland, Snow Bunting on the beach & Woodcock in the compound. Southbound 59 Common Scoter, 30 Red-throated Diver, 4 Pintail, Brent & Eider with northbound 11 Common Scoter, 3 Red-throats & 2 Teal plus a Little Gull offshore.

Mist nets packed away for the winter with the moth traps packed away yesterday.