Thursday 5th November 2026

Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis). 

Overcast and windy but brightening towards during the afternoon. 1 Chiffchaff and 5 Firecrest inside the compound. Out on the reserve: 1 Snow Bunting near the sea watching hide, 2 Rock Pipit and a Purple Sandpiper near the point. 

Visible migration

South: 127 Brent, 23 Wigeon, 11 Common Scoter, 8 Shelduck, 5 Teal, 4 Velvet Scoter, 3 Lapwing, 2 Pintail, 1 Curlew, 1 Dunlin and a Mallard. 

North: 131 Cormorant, 88 Wigeon, 60 Common Scoter, 6 Brent, 5 Eider, 5 Gadwall, 3 Shelduck, 2 Red Breasted Merganser, 1 Gannet, 1 Great Northern Diver, 2 Greylag Goose, 1 Oystercatcher and a Red Throated Diver.  

East: 78 Cormorant. 

Feeding offshore: 45 Great Black Backed Gull, 1 Common Gulland a Mediterranean Gull. 

Moth trapping: 2 Species between our 3 traps. Moth of the morning goes to Eudonia Anfustea, a common species in the Autumn that is lingering on later in the year nowadays.  

Eudonia Angustea.  

Bird ringing: 9 Blackbird, 6 Goldcrest, 4 Firecrest, 4 Goldfinch, 

2 Wren, 1 Chaffinch, 1 Lesser Redpoll, 1 Redwing. 

Wednesday 4th November 2026

 

Strong onshore wind brought southbound 316 Brent, 17 Teal, 14 Shelduck, 13 Black-headed Gull, 6 Common Scoter, 3 Wigeon & Tufted Duck with northbound 88 Common Scoter, 18 Kitts, 16 Gannet, 2 Curlew, 2 Dunlin, 2 Eider, 2 Goldeneye, 2 Little Gull, Golden Plover, Pomarine Skua, Red-throated Diver & Shelduck with an Arctic Skua in the rivermouth late morning. 8 Greylag Geese in then north up the river may be genuine wild birds (as opposed to the local feral population) as this species is very infrequent at this time of the year & not on this trajectory. On site at least 30 Blackbird, 2 Mealy Redpoll, 2 Redwing, Fieldfare, Goldcrest, Snow Bunting & Woodcock.

Ringing: 13 Blackbird, 2 Mealy Redpoll, 1 Blue Tit, 1 Goldcrest.

Tuesday 3rd November 2026

Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris). 4 birds in front of the observatory for the past few days. 

Showers from dawn, with wind building from the NNE. 1 Swallow feeding around the observatory and a Chiffchaff inside the compound. Across the site: 3 Mealy Redpoll and 2 Firecrest. 1 Short-Eared Owl on the beach early morning, 2 Ringed Plover, 11 Lapwing in front of the observatory early morning. 1 Rock Pipit near the point.  

Visible migration: 

South: 27 Shelduck, 22 Common Scoter, 8 Eider, 6 Wigeon, 2 Common Gull, 2 Oystercatcher, 2 Red-throated Diver. 

North: 114 Common Scoter, 10 Brent Goose, 7 Cormorant, 5 Gannet, 5 Wigeon, 3 Little Gull, 3 Shelduck, 1 Curlew, 1 Kittiwake, 1 Oystercatcher and a Teal. 

East: 21 Cormorant. 

Feeding offshore: 35 Great Black-backed Gull, 8 Black-headed Gull, 2 Cormorant, 1 Mediterranean Gull. 

Moth trapping: 8 moth species between our 3 traps. 

Bird Ringing: 4 Blackbird and 1 Mealy Redpoll. 

Monday 2nd November 2026

Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita). Good to see a small number still on site. 

A mostly sunny morning with a stronger NW wind and showers late morning. 1 Brambling mobile inside the compound, alongside 3 Chiffchaff and a Firecrest. 3 Fieldfare in front of the observatory. 1 Mealy Redpoll feeding in dunes. 2 Black Redstart across the reserve and fort. 4 Turnstone, 1 Rock Pipit and an Oystercatcher on the point. 

Visible migration: 

South: 132 Common Scoter, 46 Wigeon, 34 Brent Goose, 30 Shoveler, 15 Pintail, 13 Cormorant, 10 Meadow Pipit, 4 Lapwing, 3 Stock Dove, 2 Red-throated Diver, 2 Shelduck, 1 Mallard, 1 Pied Wagtail and a Rock Pipit.  

North: 62 Common Scoter, 16 Cormorant, 3 Wigeon, 2 Little Gull, 1 Grey Plover, 1 Pintail, a Red-throated Diver and a Shelduck. 

West: 2 Cormorant. 

Arriving in: 304 Starling. 

Feeding offshore: 300 Herring Gull, 80 Great Black-backed Gull, 4 Common Gull, 4 Common Scoter and a Gannet. 

Moth trapping: 7 species between our 3 traps. Here's a nice comparison below, between different morphs of the Red-headed Chestnut. 

Red-headed Chestnut (Conistra erythrocephala), dark and light morphs. 

Bird ringing: 6 Blackbird, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Redwing, 2 Robin, 2 Song Thrush, 1 Barn Owl, 1 Blue Tit, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Goldcrest, 1 Kestrel, 1 Mealy Redpoll.  

Sunday 1st November 2026

Fairly classic start to November with 40 Blackbird, 8 Chaffinch, 7 Redwing, 4 Redpoll, 4 Songies, 3 Woodcock, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Fieldfare, 2 Goldcrest, Blackcap & Firecrest. 17 Lapwing were on the reserve first thing, Black Red on the Fort, Purp & Rock Pipit on the point. Southbound 67 Brent, 7 Shoveler, 4 Shelduck & Oyk.

Feathered Thorn is a classic late autumn species that failed to put in an appearance last year so good to get one.

Ringing: 19 Blackbird, 3 Lesser Redpoll, 2 Redwing, 2 Robin, 1 Blackcap, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Dunnock, 1 Goldcrest, 1 Woodcock.

October 2026 ringing total

Mealy redpoll (Acanthis flammea flammea). 

677 Birds of 34 species which is on par with recent years, following a recently busy autumn last year with 1051 birds, owing to good numbers of Goldcrest which have only just started arriving in the past week. First Barn Owl for 30 years ringed. 

Species	Total ringed
Robin	100
Blackbird	89
Long-tailed Tit	66
Song Thrush	65
Goldcrest	52
Blackcap	51
Chiffchaff	51
Chaffinch	38
Blue Tit	27
Meadow Pipit	24
Great Tit	18
Wren	18
Firecrest	12
Redwing	10
Woodpigeon	7
Lesser Redpoll	11
Goldfinch	6
Dunnock	5
Cetti's Warbler	4
Jay	4
Brambling	3
Grey Wagtail	2
House Sparrow	2
Barn Owl	1
Black Redstart	1
Common Redpoll	2
Great Spotted Woodpecker	1
Greenfinch	1
Lesser Whitethroat	1
Linnet	1
Magpie	1
Siskin	1
Sparrowhawk	1
Yellow-browed Warbler	1
Grand total	677

Saturday 31st October 2026

Peregrine (Falco peregrinus).

A clear morning with an ESE wind. A Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Siskin, 1 Chiffchaff and a Black Redstart within the compound. Another Black Redstart on the reserve and also 1 Woodcock flushed over the road. 1 Snipe on the reserve.  

Visible migration:

South: 647 Brent Goose, 150 Teal, 77 Goldfinch, 75 Wigeon, 38 Meadow Pipit, 35 Woodpigeon, 26 Linnet, 26 Starling, 24 Pintail, 23 Common Scoter, 16 Chaffinch, 12 Redwing, 11 Skylark, 5 Pied Wagtail, 3 Reed Bunting, 2 Redpoll, 2 Shoveler, 1 Brambling and a Rock Pipit.   

North: 3 Oystercatcher.  

Feeding offshore: 2 Common Scoter, 1 Great Crested Grebe and a Red-throated Diver.   

Moth trapping: 12 Species between our 3 traps this morning.

Bird ringing: 15 Blackbird, 6 Long-tailed Tit, 4 Robin, 2 Goldcrest, 1 Black Redstart, 1 Blue Tit, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Chaffinch, 1 Meadow Pipit, 1 Redwing, 1 Song Thrush.