Friday 1st May 2026

Common sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)

A sunny and slightly less breezy morning, with wind coming from the E. Tawny pipit still present and currently showing in the conservation area behind the sea watching hide (13:00). A Common sandpiper was seen on the jetty and hanging around for much of the morning, 6 Wheatear were present near the tip on the peninsula. 

Sea movements north included; 7 Arctic tern, 4 Whimbrel and a Gannet. South flying; 5 Bar-tailed godwit and an Oystercatcher.  Overland 33 swallow have been seen moving south by 13:00.  

A Brown argus butterfly was seen flying around the compound and a dead Slow worm that had been severed in half, possibly by a Blackbird.   

Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) having a stroll along the beach this morning, possibly in search of food for its cubs, could potentially be a male but hard to say. 

Moth trapping: Pale prominent is today's pick of the 61 moths caught today. Once again the bulk (46) being Shuttle shaped darts. The pale prominent has labial palps and tufts on the tail segment, creating an elongated appearance, making the moth very cryptic. 

Pale prominent (Pterostoma palpina)

Bird ringing: 2 Chiffchaff, 1 Goldfinch, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Reed warbler, 1 Willow warbler, 1 Robin.   

April ringing totals 2026

Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus), ringed on the 21st April as a 1st year Male, with black patches on the throat and breast.     

This month concludes with 401 birds of 30 species. We have had a good spring with a good mix of spring migrants, some such as the Reed warbler arriving earliest on record. You would have to go back to 2015 to get a higher total of 413 birds. In comparison to 2015 we had an increase from 71 to 144 Chiffchaff, and a slight decrease of Linnet from 49 (2015) to 17 this April, with other species remaining fairly constant.   

Chiffchaff	144
Blackcap	88
Willow warbler	35
Wheatear	24
Whitethroat	18
Linnet	17
Lesser whitethroat	11
Song thrush	11
Goldfinch	7
Robin	7
Sedge warbler	4
Long-tailed tit	4
Reed warbler	4
Blackbird	3
Great tit	3
Wren	3
Goldcrest	2
Redwing	2
Woodpigeon	2
Pied wagtail	2
Black redstart	1
Chaffinch	1
Redstart	1
Firecrest	1
Garden warbler	1
Greenfinch	1
House sparrow	1
Magpie	1
Sparrowhawk	1
Yellowhammer	1

Thursday 30th April 2026

Tawny pipit present (Anthus campestris), continuing to show quite well, with the bird being less mobile in the fenced off conservation area opposite observatory. 

A windy morning once again, today from the E. However sunny and bright. The Tawny pipit was soon rediscovered in the morning, seen from the obs, with a Yellow wagtail and 9 Wheatear also around the tip of the peninsula. A siskin was also heard briefly within the compound.  

Small movements over sea; with a Kittiwake, 2 Common gull and 2 Black-headed gull north. 4 Whimbrel south and overland; 22 Swallow and 2 Swift south (our first record of swift this spring).  

We had our first emergence of Green hairstreak butterfly within the observatory compound. Many Small copper present alongside Speckled wood, Red admiral, Peacock and Small and Green-veined whites.   

Green hairstreak (Callophrys rubi)

Moth trapping: A Chocolate-tip and a Poplar hawk take the limelight today, the Chocolate-tip is resident in small numbers, with larvae feeding on Poplar trees alongside the poplar hawk moth larvae. 17 Shuttle-shaped dart, 2 Common swift and a V-pug. 

   

Chocolate-tip (Clostera curtula) on the edge of the moth trap. 

Bird ringing: 5 Chiffchaff, 2 Lesser whitethroat.  

Wednesday 29th April 2026

 

Windy & not a lot about didn't prevent this Tawny Pipit arriving. The 15th site record of which the only previous spring ones were on 28th May 1991 & 6th May 2012. On site meagre offerings including 6 Lesser 'throat, 6 Wheatear, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Whimbrel, 2 Whitethroat, Blackcap & Swallow. 

Also meagre offerings in the moth traps with the first Turnip's of the year turning up the past couple of days.

Ringing: 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Wheatear.

Tuesday 28th April 2026

3 Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) dropped in briefly near the tip of the peninsula, then flew S.  

 A strong NE wind, with a spell of drizzle around 7am. Not many species calling first light and few new passerines. 5 Wheatear present on the peninsula and a Black redstart that looks to be the bird ringed last week, briefly joined by 3 Whimbrel, shown in the picture above. 

The strong winds reduced sea-watching to just 5 Cormorant and a Shelduck North.   

Moth trapping: White colon moth and Coronet are the pick of the bunch for today, of the total 25 individual moths, on the most part Shuttle-shaped dart (19). The White colon is our first for spring and is slightly earlier than expected. This moth is classed as nationally scarce and the larvae have likely fed on Common restharrow at this site. 

White colon (Sideridis turbida), first of the year. 

Bird ringing: 3 Wheatear,  2 Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaff. 

Monday 27th April 2026

White wagtail (Motacilla alba)

A mostly sunny morning with a slight N wind, feeling more like summer by late morning in sheltered areas. A few Chiffchaff singing and a Blackcap early morning in the compound and a Red admiral butterfly was seen flying around late morning. A Whinchat, a Black redstart and 8 Wheatear present on the peninsula, with a White wagtail present with the resident Pied wagtail. A Sanderling was also seen on the tide line early morning.   

Sea watching produced; 6 Oystercatcher, 2 Mediterranean gull, 2 Sandwich tern, 1 Common tern, 1 Little Egret, 1 Fulmar and 1 Whimbrel, all flying north. Flying south; 5 Canada, 2 Greylag and 2 Shelduck. 

21 Swallows where seen flying South and just 1 North low over the reserve. 

Moth trapping: Finally larger numbers! 20 Shuttle-shaped dart, Pebble Prominent, a Tawny shears, and some micros!; Rugged Bryony Beauty (Phtheochroa rugosana) and a Musotima nitidalis (sometimes known as Golden brown fern moth).     

Tawny shears (Hadena perplexa) - a pale morph that are regularly seen along SE coast, with inland examples reaching a dark brown and everything in-between, this is referred to in the scientific name with the complexity.    

Bird ringing: 5 Chiffchaff, 2 Robin, 1 Blackcap, 1 Linnet, 1 Reed warbler, 1 Willow warbler, 1 Whitethroat, 1 Wheatear. 

Sunday 26th April 2026

 

Selection of late April migrants plus some leftovers from recent days including 11 Swallow, 10 Chiffchaff, 9 Wheatear, 8 Lesser 'throat, 3 Whitethroat, 2 Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Black Red, Ring Ouzel, Sedge Warbler, Whinchat, White Wag & the first Garden Warbler of the year. Offshore northbound 7 Sandwich, 2 Common Tern, Fulmar & Gannet. Getting fairly regular sightings of Porpoise recently.

First Common Swift of the year. The great bulk of those that turn up in the traps are males.

Ringing: 5 Chiffchaff, 4 Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Wheatear, 1 Blackbird, 1 Blackcap, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Willow Warbler, 1 Woodpigeon.