Thursday 2nd July 2026

Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba) seen out on the reserve. 

An overcast morning with the wind picking up and cloud clearing by noon. Quite early in the morning within the compound, but a few young birds emerging with our first juvenile Song Thrush being caught in the Heligoland trap and ringed. Out on the reserserve all 4 of our recently fledge chicks survive. Black Restart calling from the fort late morning.   

Seawatching produced south movements: 30 Bar-tailed Godwit, 23 Swift, 14 Black-headed Gull, 10 Sand Martin, 7 Curlew, 6 Common Scoter, 4 Sandwich Tern. 2 Mediterranean Gull and an Oystercatcher north. 

A mix of insects around with our first Migrant Hawker seen at the front of the observatory, notably early in the summer. Common Blue, Small Copper, Comma, Peacock, Meadow Brown, Red Admiral, Small White and Painted Lady all out on the wing.    

First Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixta) of this spring. 

Moth Trapping: 75 moth species across our 3 traps last night. The Gold Triangle is a species that lives on dry vegetable matter, the moth is not annual, appearing roughly two out of every three years at Landguard. 

Gold Triangle (Hypsopygia costalis).

Bird Ringing: 3 Blackcap, 2 Linnet, 1 Blue Tit, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Dunnock, 1 Greater Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Lesser whitethroat, 1 Song Thrush, 1 Woodpigeon.    

Wednesday 1st July 2026

 

This Ringed Plover youngster is now 5 weeks old, flying, but still being watched over by its parents. Another pair have 4 tiny chicks that were starting to hatch on Saturday so are still very vulnerable.

Migrants include southbound 9 Bar-tailed Godwit, 4 Swallow, 3 Curlew, 2 Swift & Sand Martin. Mistle Thrush is still here otherwise it's baby bird time with several dispersing juveniles heading off on their own.

First noted in 2004 & annual in small numbers over the last ten years the Coronet has, apparently, shifted its foodplant from Ash to Privet.

Ringing: 2 Blackcap, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Dunnock, 1 Linnet, 1 Pied Wagtail.

June 2026 Ringing Totals

Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)

Blue Tit come out on top this month, with Chiffchaff being knocked down to 5th place - they've held strong from March!. We have to go back to June 2019 with 364 birds to beat this months total of 260 birds ringed, a comparison with these totals and 2023 with 258 birds, reveals a drop in the Linnet abundance with 156 in 2019 and 108 in 2023 respectively. Both years (2019 and 2023) 16 Blue tits were ringed, this year appears to have been good for their young output and therefore contributing to this years increase in birds ringed. It's been a good month ringing here, with interesting highlights including Marsh Tit and Mistle Thrush (shown above) a moulting female, both species infrequently occurring at Landguard. 

We also ringed our first Ringed Plover chick after a spell of no success in the past few years as well as a juvenile Black Redstart - a nice treat showing they have indeed bred locally and maybe our bird singing on the Fort was not in vain!.

Bird Species	Count
Blue Tit	42
Linnet	30
Dunnock	22
Great Tit	22
Chiffchaff	20
Blackcap	17
Goldfinch	12
Whitethroat	12
Coal Tit	11
Cetti's Warbler	10
House sparrow	10
Wren	8
Robin	7
Greater Spotted Woodpecker	5
Reed warbler	5
Woodpigeon	5
Grey Wagtail	4
Black Redstart	3
Blackbird	3
Lesser Whitethroat	3
Sedge Warbler	3
Garden Warbler	1
Marsh Tit	1
Mapie	1
Mistle Thrush	1
Redstart	1
Ringed Plover	1
TOTAL	260

Tuesday 30th June 2026

                                                                     

Blackbird (Turdus merula).

An overcast morning, providing a break from the recent heat. Mostly baby birds within the compound with these accounting for the most part of the ringing totals. A Greater Spotted Woodpecker heard distantly and a Black Redstart calling on the Fort. Our three youngest Ringed Plover chicks survived their first full day out on the reserve, fingers crossed for the coming weeks.  

Seawatching included most passage south with; 107 Black-headed Gull with 1 Juvenile mixed in .... at least one pair has been successful!, 54 Curlew, 19 Oystercatcher, 2 Whimbrel, 2 Cormorant, a Bar-tailed Godwit, a Common Tern and a Teal. 1 Sandwich Tern north.    

Moth Trapping: Agate Knot-horn (Nyctegretis lineana) is a red data book species that we have noted on only a handful of previous occasions. The caterpillar larvae feed on Common Restharrow, pupating in a silken tube beneath the host plant. The species is restricted to the east coast of England. - Suffolk Moths. 

Agate Knot-horn (Nyctegretis lineana).

Bird Ringing: 7 Linnet, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Robin, 2 Goldfinch, 2 House Sparrow, 1 Blackcap, 1 Dunnock, 1 Reed Warbler, 1 Wren, 1 Whitethroat.  

Monday 29th June 2026

 

Juvenile Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis), note the lack of any head markings with black and red seen on adults.  

A sunny morning with a moderate NW wind. We had another 3 Ringed Plover chicks hatch over the weekend. 2 Reed Warblers calling from around the compound. A Black Redstart remains calling from the fort. Essex Skipper present near the car park end of the reserve at Manor Road. A Mistle Thrush was seen down on the reserve and then ringed later on in the morning. 

Seawatching produced 3 Black-headed Gull and a Whimbrel south only. 

Moth Trapping: 77 moth species caught in our 3 traps. Today's moth of the day is the Light Crimson, with the second site record of this underwing today, following on from one in 2025. One of the moth's strongholds is in the New Forest, the caterpillar feeds on Oak and the species is considered as Near Threatened on the IUCN red list. 

Light Crimson underwing (Catocala promissa).

Bird Ringing: 5 Dunnock, 2 Blackcap, 1 Black Redstart, 1 Blue Tit, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Mistle Thrush, 1 Whitethroat, 1 Wren.   

Mistle thrushes have been elusive at Landguard and on the most part are recorded as wandering Juveniles, so today's bird, a moulting adult female was quite a surprise when ringed.  

Sunday 28th June 2026

 

Another tropical night followed by an increasingly windy morning. Southbound 45 Swift, 11 Sand Martin, 10 Curlew, 5 Oyk & Sandwich Tern with northbound 4 Sandwich & a Common Tern. Yet more juvenile Chiffchaff turning up suggesting that productivity at sites nearby has been good this year. 2 Black Redstart were on the Fort & 2 Sanderling on the beach. An adult Cuckoo at the top of the observatory will be departing to Africa.

July Highflyer is infrequent here turning up roughly one year in three from its woodland home.

Ringing: 3 Chiffchaff, 1 Blue Tit, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 House Sparrow

Saturday 27th June 2026

 

The hot conditions continue. Migrants include Chiffchaff, Reed & Sedge Warbler. Tad early for autumn Sedge Warbler passage to start but with the disrupted weather anything can happen. Offshore southbound 9 Curlew & 2 Sandwich Tern with northbound 8 Little Tern. Black Red singing on the Fort most of the morning.

First site record of Pale Shoulder which is a rare immigrant to our shores.

Very busy moth night in the hot humid conditions. Third site record of Scarce Black Arches which is an immigrant species was the pick of the bunch.

Ringing: 2 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Blue Tit, 1 Dunnock, 1 Linnet, 1 Sedge Warbler.