September Ringing Totals

 

371 birds of 30 species is only half last September's ringing total. 2 Tree Sparrows were the first ones ringed here since 2019.

Blackcap	60
Chiffchaff	56
Robin	49
Blue Tit	46
Willow Warbler	37
Meadow Pipit	36
Great Tit	9
Great Spotted Woodpecker	7
Cetti's Warbler	6
Dunnock	6
Sedge Warber	6
Whitethroat	6
Goldfinch	5
Lesser Whitethroat	5
Song Thrush	5
Garden Warbler	4
Grey Wagtail	4
Reed Warbler	4
House Sparrow	3
Pied Flycatcher	3
Linnet	2
Redstart	2
Tree Sparrow	2
Wood Pigeon	2
Chaffinch	1
Jay	1
Sparrowhawk	1
Spotted Flycatcher	1
Starling	1
Swallow	1
Total	371

Wednesday 30th September 2026

 

Shorelark increased to at least two - these are our first September records with the previous earliest ever on 3rd October in several years.

Drizzly morning with a southerly wind. Southbound 201 Wigeon, 163 Brent, 92 Teal, 16 Pintail, 11 Common Scoter, 9 Dunlin, 8 Common Gull, Gannet, Oyk, Red-breasted Merganser, Red-throated Diver & Tufted Duck. An Arctic Skua offshore in the afternoon departed north. Passerines southbound were 31 Mipit, 24 Swallow, 2 Rock Pipit, Skylark & Yellow Wag. On site at least 20 Robin, 18 Mipit, 5 Songies, 3 Brambling, 3 Wheatear, Chiffchaff, Rock Pipit, Skylark, Snipe & Whinchat. 4 Common Sandpiper on the point was odd for us.

Hoary Footman first turned up in 2021 although we failed to get one last year. This one is, presumably, a migrant.

Ringing: 5 Robin, 1 Blue Tit, 1 House Sparrow.

Tuesday 29th September 2026

A misty morning with overnight rain and wind blowing from the east. Our first Siskin, Redpoll and Redwing of the autumn around the compound. A Snipe heard this morning and last night. A Redstart and Chaffinch ringed alongside 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers with the latter on one net round! A Rock Pipit on the beach. 4 Swallows south and 6 Meadow Pipit remaining on site. 

Shorelark spotted on the nature reserve opposite the observatory 18:00 - 18:30. 

Seawatching: 

South: 201 Wigeon, 72 Teal, 6 Shelduck, 5 Brent Goose, 4 Cormorant, 3 Mediterranean Gull, 2 Pochard, an Arctic Skua, a Common Gull, a Great Crested Grebe, a Little Egret and a Pintail. 

North: 3 Common Scoter, 2 Cormorant, 2 Gannet North, an Oystercatcher and a Red-throated Diver.

Feeding offshore: 22 Sandwich Tern, 4 Great Black-backed Gull, 2 Black-headed Gull. 

Moth trapping: 36 moth species recorded in our 3 traps and around the compound today. Moth of the morning goes to to the several male Vapourer flying around by day presently.

Vapourer Moth (Orgyia antiqua).

Bird ringing: 5 Robin, 3 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Blue Tit, 2 Brambling, 2 Linnet, 2 Song Thrush, 1 Blackcap, 1 Chaffinch, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 House Sparrow, 1 Meadow Pipit, 1 Redstart.

Monday 28th September 2026

 An overcast morning with a slight NNW wind. Quiet within the compound with a small mix of warblers and 2 Chaffinch, on the reserve: a single Wheatear near the Butts and 2 Rock Pipit on the beach. 4 Meadow Pipit and a Great Spotted Woodpecker overhead south. 

Seawatching: South: 220 Teal, 12 Wigeon, 9 Cormorant, 8 Brent Goose, 7 Wigeon, 2 Red-throated Diver, 2 Pintail, 2 Shelduck, a Common Gull, a Common Tern and a Gannet. North: a Brent Goose. West: 7 Cormorant. Feeding offshore: 4 Mediterranean Gull.           

Moth trapping: 32 species between our 3 traps. moth of the morning falls to the Red-line Quaker, which is a scarce autumnal visitor here from areas with willows. 

Red-line Quaker (Leptologia lota).

Bird ringing: 3 Blackcap, 2 Blue Tit, 2 Great Tit, 1 Goldfinch, 1 Willow Warbler. 

Sunday 27th September 2026

 

Onshore wind. Southbound 438 Brent, 303 Wigeon, 220 Teal, 92 Black-heads, 27 Shelduck, 8 Common Gull, 6 Pintail, 3 Med Gull, Curlew, Dunlin, Gannet, Knot & Red-throated Diver with northbound 5 Sandwich Tern & 4 Common Scoter. Onshore counts again poor with Vis Mig southbound just 3 Mipit, 2 Grey Wag, single Kes & Swallow. Grounded migrants are truly pitiful for the time of the year with just 3 Chiffchaff, 3 Wheatear, 2 Blackcap & Lesser 'throat with visitations from single Buzzard & Jay. 

We do appreciate that whinging about the poor state of migration & low dailly tallies is now so routine it has become the "new normal". However it's being so cheerful that keeps us going - we are resilient & defiant enough that we ain't going to let the bastards grind us down !

Probably told you before that Channel Islands Pug first turned up here five years ago & is now our commonest Pug moth. Living on Tamarisk this years flight period should be coming to an end soon, unless it decides to keep going in the mild conditions. Some very good positive news amongst all the "doom & gloom".

Ringing: 2 Blackcap, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Robin.

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.