Saturday 26th September 2026

 

Common Gull (Larus canus).

Starting overcast but then turning sunny with a slight NW breeze. 2 Brambling over the observatory early morning. Lesser 'throat, Song Thrush, Skylark, Tree Pipit & Wheatear out on the reserve. Black Red on containers by the car park & 5 Buzzards soaring in the thermals over the Port late morning.

Seawatching: Earliest ever autumn Goldeneye with our only previous September record on the 30th, 2010. 

North: 7 Heron, 2 Arctic Skua,Common Scoter & Oystercatcher

South: 11 Wigeon, 8 Teal & 4 Shelduck.

Moth trapping: L-album Wainscot arrived in the year 2000 and has colonised and slowly spreading north in the UK. 

L-Album Wainscot (Mythimna l-album)

Bird ringing: 5 Blue Tit, 3 Goldfinch, 3 Meadow Pipit, 2 Great Tit, 1 Blackcap, 1 Dunnock, 1 Robin, 1 Starling.    

Friday 25th September 2026

Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros).  

A sunny morning with a light breeze from the south. Quiet within the compound, 3 Wheatear out on the reserve and a Black Redstart calling from the fort roof mid morning. A Grey Wagtail, 2 Jackdaw and 2 Rock Pipit over the reserve. A small number of Swallows with 8 south and 14 Meadow Pipit also south. A Jay briefly visited us again, imitated a Buzzard very well and then flew off. 

Seawatching: South: 78 Teal, 65 Wigeon, 16 Black-headed Gull, 13 Shelduck, 4 Cormorant, 1 Pintail, West: an Oystercatcher. Feeding offshore: 15 Sandwich Tern and a Common Tern. 

Moth trapping: 24 species between our 3 traps. Only the second Autumnal Rustic in the last ten years. It is declining species on the IUCN red list, classed as near threatened. 

Autumnal Rustic (Eugnorisma glareosa). 

Bird ringing: 6 Blue Tit, 1 Dunnock, 1 Meadow Pipit, 1 Song Thrush.

 

Thursday 24th September 2026

Jackdaw (Coloeus monedula).

A Sunny morning with little wind. Meadow Pipit migration reducing to 7 south and 4 feeding on site, 2 Rock Pipit and a Grey Wagtail also south. 3 Peregrine over the observatory. A Black Redstart heard on the fort and unusually, a Jackdaw perched on the motus tower at the observatory. A Jay being ringed is  also of note with few individuals passing through this area. 

Seawatching: South: 28 Teal, 13 Cormorant, 10 Spoonbill, 2 Common Tern, a Common Gull and a Grey Heron. 

North: 10 Common Scoter, 7 Common Tern, 2 Cormorant, an Arctic Skua, a Red-throated Diver, a Shearwater species and a Grey Heron. 

Feeding offshore: 5 Sandwich Tern and a Common Gull.  

Moth trapping: 27 Species between our 3 traps this morning. Moth of the morning goes to the Chequered Grass-moth, it has not had a good year so difficult to know why this late individual has come out.  

Chequered Grass-moth (Catoptria falsella).

Bird ringing: 9 Blue tit, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Meadow Pipit, 2 Tree Sparrow, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 House Sparrow, 1 Jay. 

Wednesday 23rd September 2026

 

The first site record of Fox was a one off sighting in 1994 & since 2001 they have colonised & are now ubiquitous across Felixstowe despite culling in the countryside nearby.

Garganey flying south was only the tenth site record & our first for ten years. Entertaining southerly movement including 502 Teal, 242 Wigeon, 64 Swallow, 35 Brent, 25 House Martin,18 Common Tern, 13 Shoveler, 12 Pintail, 7 Avocet, 6 Turnstone, 5 Common Gull, 5 Common Scoter, 5 Shelduck, 4 Red-throated Diver, 3 Gadwal, 3 Gannet, 2 Heron, 2 Knot, 2 Oyk, Arctic Skua & Sanderling with northbound Black Tern, Gannet & Red-throat + a Skylark in off. Measly numbers of grounded migrants with 10 Chiffchaff, 2 Wheatear, Songie & Whinchat best of a grim selection.

Barred Sallow wanders down here in the autumn from areas with Beech & Maple.

Ringing: 4 Chiffchaff, 2 Blue Tit, 1 Robin, 1 Song Thrush.

Tuesday 22nd September 2026

Sanderling (Calidris alba). 

An overcast morning with little wind, clearing by late morning. Our first Song Thrush of the autumn ringed and an influx of on site Blue Tits. In the moat of the fort, 3 Black Redstarts. 16 Pied Wagtail on the grass in front of the observatory. 2 Sanderling along the beach and an Oystercatcher. Hirundine movement dropping to just 6 Swallow south. Meadow Pipit visible migration dropping to just 5 South and 6 feeding on site. 

Seawatching: South: 116 Teal, 15 Cormorant, 14 Black-headed Gull, 11 Sandwich Tern, 11 Wigeon, 8 Shelduck and a Red-throated Diver.  

 South West: 8 Grey Heron. 

West: 1 Gadwall. 

Feeding offshore: 10 Great Black-backed Gull, 9 Common Tern, 7 Mediterranean Gull, 5 Sandwich Tern, 1 Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull. 

Moth trapping: 45 moth species between our 3 traps. Moth of the morning is the Brick, it lives here in low numbers on the poplars. 

Brick (Sunira circellaris). 

Bird ringing: 9 Blue Tit, 6 Blackcap, 4 Chiffchaff, 2 Grey Wagtail, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Great Tit, 1 House Sparrow, 1 Song Thrush, 1 Woodpigeon. 
 

Monday 21st September 2026

Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus).

A sunny morning with wind dropping significantly to a light NW. A Chaffinch, Reed Bunting and Great Spotted Woodpecker within the compound and a Skylark overhead. Out on the reserve 2 Wheatear and 2 Whimbrel. 2 Mute Swan at the entrance to the port. Hirundine movement: 250 Swallow, 116 House Martin and 17 Sand Martin all south. 

Seawatching: South: a Cormorant and an Oystercatcher.

North: 4 Gannet, 4 Cormorant and a Common Scoter. 

East: a Cormorant.

Feeding offshore: 5 Mediterranean Gull, 5 Sandwich Tern, 2 Common Tern.

Moth trapping: 52 species between our 3 traps recorded this morning. Moth of the morning falls to the Beaded Chestnut is a declining autumnal species now on the IUCN Red list as Near Threatened.  

Beaded Chestnut (Agrochola lychnidis). 

Bird ringing: 9 Meadow Pipit, 4 Blue Tit, 4 Chiffchaff, 3 Blackcap, 2 Grey Wagtail, 2 Great Tit, 2 Robin, 1 Goldfinch.      

Sunday 20th September 2026

 

Ivy Bee arrived in the UK in 2001 & has spread north fairly quickly.

Despite the wind a few bits n' bobs of note including a Merlin hunting a passerine offshore, 2 Cattle Egret south & our first Chaffinch since mid-June. The supporting cast included southbound 263 Swallow, 190 Mipit, 9 House Martin, 2 Grey Wag & Sand Martin with offshore southbound 14 Med Gull, 10 Shelduck, 7 Black-headed Gull, 3 Greylag Goose, 3 Teal, 2 Red-throated Diver & Oyk with northbound 4 Common Scoter, 2 Oyk & Red-throat plus a Marsh Harrier in off. On site 6 Chiffchaff, 4 Wheatear, 2 Blackcap, 2 Lesser 'throat, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler & Whitethroat. 2 Black Red were around Darrell's Battery. A Wall Brown butterfly was again by the Butts pond & at least 10 Clouded Yellow were noted.

Black Rustic is an autumnal species was first noted in 1993 & has since colonised.

Ringing: 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Meadow Pipit, 1 Robin.