Monday 15th June 2026

A Juvenile Marsh Tit (Poecile palustris), 7th site record with 5 of the previous from 16th to 22nd June. 

A clear morning, later becoming hazy and then drizzly with slight N wind. A few more young birds around including a group of Lesser Whitethroat. At least one coal tit calling within the compound. Out on the reserve the Ring Plovers have one chick still and 2 families of Cetti's Warblers. Seawatching produced an Oystercatcher towards the port and a Curlew South.  

Moth trapping: 76 Species across our three traps.  Moth of the day, although not caught in any of our moth traps, has to be the Hornet Moth that looks to have just emerged underneath one of our Black Poplar trees. The Hornet Moth larvae overwinter for 1 or 2 winters and then as a fully grown larvae in cocoons made of silk for the second or third winters, emerging then as an adult. The Larvae bore into the trunk of Poplar trees and are believed to be at least contributing to a large dieback of Poplar trees across Europe. 

Hornet Moth (Sesia apiformis)

Bird Ringing: 3 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Blackcap, 1 Dunnock, 1 Great Tit, 1 Linnet, 1 Marsh Tit, 1 Robin.     

Sunday 14th June 2026

 

A juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker is a tad early as they don't normally start wandering & turning up until the later third of the month (we only have two earlier June sightings than today's individual on record). Migrants were 2 Blackcap, Chiffchaff & Reed Warbler. Otherwise it's what lives here.

Bordered Sallow lives on Restharrow so does well with us on the coast. Also worth a mention is the second Obscure Wainscot of the year having waited 30 years since the only previous one. This years previous is on the blog for 29th May.

Ringing: 1 Blue Tit, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Great Tit.

Saturday 13th June 2026

 

Pyramidal Orchids in the Butts Pond enclosure.

Breezy morning. Migrants were 2 Blackcaps & a Reed Warbler singing plus a single Lapwing. The first juvenile Chiffchaff of the year will have wandered down here from a location nearby (Langer Park?) as they have never bred on site. The pair of Crows have three young out which are totally dependent on mum & dad but will have to learn to forage for themselves pretty soon.

Two Spurge Hawk-moth are almost certainly bred on site rather than immigrants.

Ringing: 1 Blackcap, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Dunnock, 1 House Sparrow, 1 Great Tit, 1 Wren.

Friday 12th June 2026

Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)

A cloudy morning with a moderate breeze from the W. 14 Swift flying south low over the observatory early morning and 3 Swallow also south. Inside the compound 2 Collared Dove, a young Coal Tit that visited our nets eventually and a Blackcap singing. 3 young Crows seen in our on site nest. Out on the reserve the Ringed Plover have one chick remaining and one nest appears to have been abandoned, 6 Adults total. 

Seawatching produced: 7 Black-headed Gull, 2 Mediterranean Gull and a Curlew, all south. 2 Cormorant and a Gannet north. 

Moth trapping: 33 moth species across our 3 traps. Today's moth of the day is the Archer's Dart, a moth that regularly occurs along the Suffolk coast and in the Brecks. This moth can be abundant at this location as the summer progresses with adults on the wing from now till september as a single generation. The larvae feed on Ragwort and Heathers.  

Archer's Dart (Agrotis vestigialis)

Bird ringing: 3 Blue Tit, 1 Coal Tit, 1 Great Tit, 1 Robin, 1 House Sparrow.  

Thursday 11th June 2026

Woodpigeon (Columba palumbus) sitting next to some Narrow-leaved Ragwort, which is an invasive weed from South Africa. 

Starting sunny but later clouding over and raining for the rest of today. Few additions to the compound with 2 Blackcaps arriving new. Lesser Whitethroat and Whitethroat present also and the Ring Plover were still present on the reserve with a chick. 

Seawatching produced a small number of movements with 5 Black-headed gulls flying south and 2 east. 1 Cormorant was also seen flying south. 

Moth trapping: A colder night, so once again a smaller catch with 21 species present across our 3 traps. Todays moth of the day is the Heart and Club, a moth now classified as nationally common with the moth preferring sand dune habitat in the south east. Once not recorded here in the previous century, it is now a regular visitor to our traps in summer. 

Heart and Club (Agrotis clavis).

Bird ringing: 3 Linnet,  3 Blue Tit, 2 Blackcap, 2 Dunnock, 2 Cetti's Warbler, 1 House Sparrow.

Wednesday 10th June 2026

 

Carrion Crow have nested within the compound for the first time ever - only one begging youngster on view so far.

A singing Garden Warbler is getting late in the spring, although they do nest in the far north of Europe so it may well be a tardy migrant. Grey Wag was an adult female so when one considers how many actually nest in Suffolk, it's intriguing as to know where it has attempted breeding this year. Other migrants largely insignificant although southbound 3 Swift, Little Egret & Swallow.

First Lackey of the year. It is a declining species with Landguard bucking this trend noting more over the past ten years than ever before.

Ringing: 2 Linnet, 1 Blue Tit, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Wren.

Tuesday 9th June 2026

Cetti's Warbler (Cettia cetti)
                  

A bright morning with increasing wind from the W. A handful of migrants with a new Chiffchaff and some young Whitethroat around in the compound. A Black Redstart re-appeared on the fort. 8 Swallow passing over the course of the morning, 4 W and 4 S. Norfolk Hawker dragonfly and Broad-bodied Chaser seen out on the reserve. 

Seawatching produced; 3 Black-headed Gull, 3 Cormorant, 3 Swallow, an Oystercatcher and a Curlew all South. 

Moth trapping: 41 species across our 3 traps. Today's moth of the day the Shore Wainscot. This is a nationally scarce species associated with Marram grass, which has expanded its range here over the last few year. Prior to this, we had only recorded the moth in two years during the last century. 

Shore Wainscot (Mythimna litoralis) 

Bird ringing: 2 Dunnock, 2 Great Tit, 1 Cetti's, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Coal Tit, 1 Linnet, 1 Whitethroat