Tuesday 11th August 2026

Peregrine (Falco peregrinus)

Sunny and a stronger Easterly breeze. The most entertainment for this morning came from a juvenile Peregrine learning how to use its claws on tufts of grass, then being mobbed by our resident female from the nearby port, with the male watching from afar. 2 Wheatear near the point and a Greenfinch again on the grass area in front of the observatory. 

Seawatching produced: 12 Oystercatcher and 5 Cormorant south. 1 Common Tern West towards the port. 1 Gannet North. Feeding offshore: 8 Sandwich Tern, 3 Great Black-backed Gull and a Mediterranean Gull.   

Moth trapping: 65 Species of moths identified this morning between our 3 traps. Moth of the morning goes to the somewhat uncommon Celypha rosaceana, distributed South of England and Wales, putting in an appearance most years in August here at Landguard. 

Roseate Marble (Celypha Rosaceana). 

Bird ringing: 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Willow Warbler. 

Monday 10th August 2026

Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba), one of the 23 currently on the reserve. 

Sunny with a gentle breeze, turning cloudy late morning. A Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Green Woodpecker mobile around the compound and nature reserve. Another Pied Flycatcher mist-netted  today however interestingly an Adult Female. Out on the beach 3 Ringed Plover, 2 Sanderling. 2 Wheatear near the point. A Sedge warbler also on the reserve. 2 Peregrine on the nearest crane on the port viewed from the observatory.

Seawatching produced: South: 2 Shelduck and a Curlew. Feeding just offshore: 14 Sandwich Tern, 6 Black-headed Gull, 4 Common Tern, 2 Little Tern. 2 Porpoise making their way around the point.  

Hirundine movement included 57 Swallow south. 

Moth trapping: 95 Moth species recorded between our 3 traps last night. Moth of the morning is Star-wort, a nationally scarce species that we last saw here five years ago. The larvae feed on the edges of saltmarsh sites on Sea-aster. - Suffolk Moths.  

Star-wort (Cucullia asteris).

Bird ringing: 1 Reed Warbler, 1 Pied Flycatcher, 1 Willow Warbler. 

Sunday 9th August 2026

 

Young Starlings are in various stage of post-juvenile moult.

First Pied Fly & Tree Pipit of the autumn although few other migrants on site included 5 Whitethroat, Lesser 'throat, Wheatear & Willow Warbler. 2 Black Red's were in the vicinity of the tank traps. Offshore movements non-existent apart from feeding Sandwich Terns coming & going.

Palpita vitrealis is an immigrant that mostly occurs from now up to mid-November in ever increasing numbers over the past 20 years.

Ringing: 1 Great Tit, 1 Linnet, 1 Pied Flycatcher, 1 Song Thrush.

Saturday 8th August 2026

Greenfinch (Chloris chloris)

Sunny and a gentle breeze. Briefly a Great Spotted Woodpecker in the compound. Out on the reserve a nice healthy Greenfinch feeding on a Grasshopper as well as some 21 Pied Wagtails, a Wheatear and a Song Thrush. A concerning morning for our Ring Plovers with our chicks predated, confirmed - taken by our resident Kestrel. 

Seawatching produced; 8 Cormorant, 4 Black-headed Gull, 3 Oystercatcher and a Scoter, all South. Feeding offshore: 12 Sandwich Tern and a Common Tern.       

Moth trapping: 72 Moth species recorded this morning between our 3 traps. Moth of the morning is the Marbled Green. This moth is regular with us as it is a coastline species in Suffolk living on Lichens. 

Marbled Green (Nyctobrya muralis)

Bird ringing: 1 Blackbird, 1 Whitethroat, 1 Wren. 

Friday 7th August 2026

Lesser Whitethroat (Curruca curruca).

Colder to start off with but soon becoming warmer with little wind. Not much in the compound. 2 Yellow Wagtail briefly out on the reserve before flying across the river. A Wheatear also present. 2 Sanderling present on the beach.   

Seawatching produced; south movements: 37 Oystercatcher, a Whimbrel and a Redshank. North movements: An Oystercatcher and a Mediterranean Gull. Feeding offshore: 12 Sandwich Tern, 3 Black-headed Gull, 2 Mediterranean Gull and an Oystercatcher.    

Moth trapping: 98 moth species recorded between our 3 traps last night. Moth of the morning is the Gypsy Moth, with single records in 2003 and 2014 but then becoming an annual occurrence since 2020. This species was accidentally introduced into London area in the 1990s, a government eradication program failed to wipe out this 'pest' species. The species gained this pest branding due to the caterpillars ferocious appetite taking foliage off a variety of  trees and shrubs, causing reduced growth and reduced fruit, also caterpillars have bristly hairs that can cause skin irritation in humans and may become airborne, affecting respiratory systems.

Gypsy Moth (Lymantria dispar dispar).

Bird ringing: 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Robin, 1 Willow Warbler. 

Thursday 6th August 2026

A Juvenile Dunlin (Calidris alpina) on the beach today, Calidris meaning grey coloured from aristotle days and alpina is latin for mountains, referencing their breeding grounds.  

A sunny and bright morning with a strong wind from the west. A Nightingale was a nice surprise on the first net round but on the whole mostly quiet within the compound, bar anouther visit from a Great Spotted Woodpecker and shouty Cetti's Warbler. Out on the beach a juvenile Dunlin and briefly on the grass in front of the observatory our Ring Plover family with both chicks remaining. A Peregrine was also seen on the crane again at the port.  

Seawatching produced: 12 Black-headed gull, 3 Sandwich Tern, a Dunlin, a Gadwall and a Whimbrel, all south. 18 Oystercatcher south west towards the port. A Cormorant West. Feeding offshore: 18 Sandwich Tern.  

Hirundine movement included 14 Swallow, 4 Swift and a Sand Martin south. Later in the evening 84 Swift were seen in one large groups over the nature reserve and observatory. 

Moth trapping: 56 moth species present between our 3 traps. Bulrush Wainscot is the moth of the morning, with it being a wetland wanderer. Occurring infrequently here.     

Bulrush Wainscot (Nonagria typhae). 

Bird ringing: 2 Willow Warbler, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Nightingale. 

Wednesday 5th August 2026

 

Warm & windy. Southbound 43 Swift, 8 Swallow, 6 Golden Plover , 5 Oyk, 4 Dunlin, 4 Teal, 3 Sand Martin, 2 Grey Plover, 2 Turnstone, Curlew & Whimbrel. 28 Sandwich & 9 Common Tern feeding offshore & in the river. Birding difficult in the wind with migrants including 5 Whitethroat, Lesser 'throat, Wheatear & Willow Warbler. 2 Peregrine were chasing each other.

First site record of Clay Triple-lines which is a common species in areas of Beech Woodland that has not visited before.

Ringing: 6 Linnet, 1 House Sparrow, 1 Whitethroat, 1 Willow Warbler.