Thursday 27th August 2026

Tree Pipit (Anthus trivialis) 5 Tree pipit is the highest day count since 2015.

A cloudy morning with wind dropping as showers progressed closer around 10am. Redstart within the compound. Out on the reserve 5 Tree Pipit with 4 near the cottage and 1 on the Butts making our highest day count since 2015. Some 24 Pied Wagtail, 3 Wheatear and a Yellow wagtail on the grass area. A Sanderling and a Purple Sandpiper along the beach on the reserve.   

Seawatching: South: 111 Teal, 24 Cormorant, 8 Shelduck, 4 Shoveler, 2 Gannet, a Curlew, a Little Egret, a Sanderling and an Oystercatcher. North: 5 Sandwich Tern, 3 Common Tern and a Sooty Shearwater. Feeding offshore: 4 Black-headed Gull, 3 Sandwich Tern. 

moth trapping: 53 moth species recorded between our 3 traps last night. Moth of the morning is the Wax moth (shown below). This moth lives on honeycomb in beehives. It is just about annual here with us.  

Wax Moth (Galleria mellonella).

bird ringing: 2 Willow Warbler, 1 Redstart. 

Wednesday 26th August 2026

 

Small arrival of migrants on a warm muggy morning with 6 Willow Warbler, 5 Wheatear, 4 Whitethroat, 2 Pied Fly, 2 Yellow Wag, Chiffchaff, Garden Warbler, Lesser 'throat, Tree Pipit & Whinchat. At least 1 Black Red on the Fort, 2 Sanderling on the beach & a Purp was on the groynes on the Butts. Southbound 124 Teal, 20 Swallow, 10 Common Scoter, 10 Dunlin, 8 Turnstone, 6 Shoveler, 2 Sanderling & Oyk with northbound 12 Sandwich Tern, 5 Common Tern, 3 Common Scoter & Gannet.

Feathered Gothic puts in an appearance about one year in three.

Ringing: 4 Willow Warbler, 2 Pied Flycatcher, 1 Garden Warbler.

Tuesday 25th August 2026

Good to see ZXX doing well. Ringed on the museum roof as a chick in 2023. Not long after it fledged it got a discarded fishing hook through its bill and entangled in fishing line. Hook and line removed it survived its ordeal to reach adulthood. 

A sunny bright morning with a strong E wind producing some hope, large movements of Teal south and a Pied Flycatcher late morning. 3 Wheatear present out on the reserve and a Sanderling out on the beach.  

Seawatching produced south: 226 Teal, 25 Common Scoter and 5 Gadwall. North: 12 Sandwich Tern, 2 Gannet and 2 Shelduck. Feeding offshore: 6 Sandwich Tern.   

Moth trapping: 25 moth species present between our 3 traps. Moth of the morning is the Flounced Rustic (Luperina testacea), a moth that should be common at this time of the year but numbers are very low, presumably to drought conditions. 

Flounced Rustic (Luperina testacea).

Bird ringing: 1 Robin, 1 Sparrowhawk. 

Monday 24th August 2026

Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus). 

A bright morning with a small amount of drizzle late morning. Our first Meadow Pipit of the season ringed. A Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Jay flying around the compound. Out on the reserve we had Nightingale briefly seen near the boardwalk. A Turnstone out on the beach and Yellow Wagtail.

Seawatching produced: South: 14 Teal, 3 Little Egret, 2 Common Scoter and 2 Redshank. North: 2 Common Tern and 2 Great Black-backed Gull, a Mediterranean Gull. 6 Sandwich Tern feeding offshore.

Moth trapping: 47 Species caught between our 3 traps. Moth of the morning is the Feathered Ranunculus, our 3rd record for this month, a regular in small numbers at this time of the year. 

Feathered Ranunculus (Polymixis lichenea).

Bird ringing: 2 Robin, 1 Meadow Pipit, 1 Willow Warbler. 

Sunday 23rd August 2026

 

Black -tip to Common Tern's bill can almost disappear by late summer.

Slightly more migrants this morning with 5 Willow Warbler, 4 Lesser 'throat, 4 Whitethroat, Grey Wag, Reed Warbler, Swallow & Wheatear. 2 Black Red still present & yet another Great Spot paid a visit. Offshore quiet with southbound 7 Turnstone, Fulmar & Oyk plus a few Common & Sandwich Terns feeding.

Clancy's Rustic first turned up 20 years ago & has colonised over the past ten settling into two emergences a year.

Ringing: 3 Robin, 3 Willow Warbler, 2 Blue Tit, 1 Dunnock, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Lesser Whitethroat.

Saturday 22nd August 2026

 

A Spoonbill flew south early morning. Apart from a small arrival of young Robin in search of vacant territories migrants few & far between with 3 Willow Warbler, 2 Reed Warbler, 2 Lesser 'throat & Whitethroat. Offshore movements southbound 10 Turnstone, 4 Teal, 3 Common Scoter, Barwit, Greenshank & Oyk with northbound 2 Common Scoter & 2 Oyk. Black Red still here.

Ancylosis oblitella is a Nationally Scarce saltmarsh species that is having a good season this year.

Ringing: 4 Robin.

Friday 21st August 2026

 

4 Spoonbill flew south over the observatory early on is still notable for us despite the numbers now nesting up the Suffolk Coast. Migrants included 6 Willow Warbler, 3 Reed Warbler, 3 Wheatear, 2 Lesser 'throat, Blackcap, Common Sandpiper, Garden Warbler, Grey Wag & Snipe. Several Black Reds still roaming around the locale. Offshore movements paltry

Double digit haul of Pearly Underwing is notable as this migrant normally only occurs here in low single figures.

Ringing: 2 Willow Warbler, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Reed Warbler, 1 Sparrowhawk.