Friday 10th July

Common Blue (Mythimna straminea).

Warm with a slight SSE breeze. A Black Redstart calling from the fort and an early morning visit from a Greater Spotted Woodpecker. A Lapwing also flew over the reserve first thing. 

Seawatching produced a handful of movements: including 22 Common Scoter, 5 Black-headed Gull, and 2 Sandwich Tern north. South: 4 Oystercatcher and 3 Sandwich Tern. 

Hirundine movement was small with 4 Swift North and 3 South, 2 Swallow North. 

 A mix of insects in flight with Emperor, Southern Hawker and Migrant Hawker dragonflies and butterflies including Brown Argus, Common Blue (pictured above), small white, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Large and Small White, Small Copper and Holly Blue. 

Moth Trapping: 97 species last night caught in our 3 moth traps. Pick of the day is the Southern Wainscot, another species wandering in the heat, from its usual reed bed home. 

Southern Wainscot (Mythimna straminea).

Bird Ringing: 3 Linnet, 3 House Sparrow, 2 Dunnock, 1 Blackbird, 1 Starling. 

Thursday 9th July 2026

 

Jersey Tiger moth (Euplagia quadripunctaria).

Once again warm and sunny with little breeze to start off with. A Peregrine Falcon was calling from near the port and then circled over the observatory. 7 Ringed Plover out on the reserve with our most recently fledged chicks having not been seen for multiple days so likely predated. A Black Redstart appeared in the observatory feeding on spiders, prompting me to keep a few nets open, sure enough it did indeed make a second visit to the ringing room however this time getting a ring!.11 Sandwich Tern were seen feeding near to the beach.     

Seawatching produced 26 Black-headed Gull, 6 Mediterranean Gull, 5 Sand Martin, 3 Curlew and an Oystercatcher, all south. No movement north. 

Moth trapping: 90 species present across our 3 traps last night. Todays pick of the bunch is the Jersey Tiger moth (Euplagia quadripunctaria) - pictured at the top of the page. The moth was first recorded here seven years ago, the moth is now ubiquitous in the Felixstowe area.  

Bird ringing: 3 Linnet,1 Black Redstart, 1 Blue Tit, 1 Great Tit, 1 Greater Spotted Woodpecker, 1 House Sparrow, 1 Woodpigeon. 

Juvenile Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros).

Wednesday 8th July 2026

 Another hot one. Basically baby birds & dispersing juveniles including 3 Song Thrush & Great Spotted Woodpecker. 3 Swallow flew south & the regular Black Red singing on the Fort.

Lots of species wandering in the heat including the nationally scarce Reed Dagger, a species we have less than ten previous records off.

Ringing: 3 Linnet, 3 Song Thrush, 2 House Sparrow, 1 Blackbird, 1 Blue Tit, 1 great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Robin, 1 Wren.

Tuesday 7th July 2026

Warm and sunny, with a W wind. Loads of dragonflies on the wing and some birds!. A Black Redstart calling again from the fort and a Coal Tit again drifting down from Felixstowe as well as a Greater Spotted Woodpecker. Azure and Blue-tailed Damselflies and Emperor Dragonfly all on the wing as well as the second wave of Brown Argus butterflies. 

Seawatching produced 10 Black-headed Gull, 6 Mediterranean Gull and a Curlew south. 4 Sandwich Tern and an Oystercatcher North. 2 Common Tern and 2 Shelduck south and towards the port.   

Hirundine movement included 41 Sand Martin and 11 Swallow, all south. 

Moth trapping: 124 species caught last night in our 3 traps. Todays pick of the bunch is this unassuming moth, the Fen Wainscot, noteworthy due to it being a Reedbeds specialist that occasionally blunders down here.  

Fen Wainscot (Arenostola phragmitidis).

Bird ringing: 4 Great Tit, 3 Linnet, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Goldfinch, 1 Blue Tit, 1 Lesser Whitethroat. 

Monday 6th July 2026

 

Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) seen first thing today around 4am, an irregular visitor to the site with the area being so dry. 

A small amount of cloud first thing, with it then clearing and wind slowly picking up from the NW. A Greater Spotted Woodpecker seen flying around the compound as well as anouther Coal Tit. Black Redstart calling from the fort once again with anouther individual seen out on the reserve. 

Seawatching produced 5 Black-headed Gull, 4 Mediterranean Gull, 2 Curlew and 2 Oystercatcher South. 2 Oystercatcher North only. 

Hirundine movement included 17 Sand Martin, 13 Swallow and 4 Swift south. 

Moth trapping: 107 Species of moth caught in our 3 traps last night. Most of note out of the selection was this Sallow moth, mainly as the moth is recorded as emerging at the end of August, making this one 6 weeks early!. 

Sallow moth (Cirrhia icteritia)

Bird ringing: 4 Linnet, 2 Robin, 1 Blackcap, 1 Blue Tit, 1 Coal Tit, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Dunnock, 1 Great Tit, 1 Reed Warbler, 1 Wren.   

Sunday 5th July 2026

 

Gatekeeper's are now out.

On the move 4 Shelduck flying directly out early doors are probably heading for Waddenzee to moult. Southbound 5 Sand Martin, 3 Swallow, Curlew & Oyk. A juvenile Little Egret came straight in off & inland. Juvenile Sedge Warbler was the first of the autumn, a tad earlier than expected but with the climate changing birds habits are changing. A couple of juvenile Song Thrush in recent days will have been reared fairly locally. Black Red still singing. 4 young Ringo's chicks on the beach that were a week old now look like its down to one. The big chick has not been seen since Thursday at 36 days old so will have fledged to pastures new.

Second site record of  Dark Umber with the first only two years ago. It is a species known to wander in warm conditions.

Ringing: 6 Linnet, 1 Blackcap, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Song Thrush.

Saturday 4th July 2026

Whitethroat (Curruca communis). 

A Sunny morning with winds increasing from the west. Quite within the compound. Starlings are starting to build up in numbers with around 250 seen out on the nature reserve and our Ringed Plover chicks are still running around the beach area. The Black Redstart remains calling from the fort. 

Seawatching produced: 5 Black-headed Gull, 3 Dunlin, 3 Mediterranean Gull and a Curlew southbound. A Sandwich Tern north. 

Hirundine movement included 25 Sand Martian, 12 Swift and a Swallow all south. 

Moth trapping: 86 Moth species recorded between our 3 traps this morning. Todays pick of the bunch is the Digitivalva pulicariae (pictured below), this moth is a rare species in Suffolk with two previous records here. The larva mine into common fleaban and form inflated brown/whitish blotches - UK Moths.     

Digitivalva pulicariae.

Bird ringing: 3 Linnet, 2 Blue Tit, 2 Chiffchaff, 1 Blackcap, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Whitethroat.