Saturday 9th July 2011

A few bits & bobs on the move this morning including 5 Swifts, 5 Sand Martins, 3 Curlew, 2 Whimbrel, 2 Redshank, Hobby & Little Egret going south plus 3 Lapwing on the reserve. After all the rain in recent weeks botanically the reserve looks excellent at the moment and well worth a visit with plenty of baby birds to see if nothing else.

Friday 8th July 2011

4 Teal south were the first of the autumn. Also going south 14 Curlew, 12 Barwits, 1 Whimbrel & 17 Swifts. An adult Common Gull was the first for some while. The wind & rain deteriorated as the morning went on precluding any meaningful observations on the reserve.

Thursday 7th July 2011

Blowing a gale this morning. 5 Curlew & an Oyk went south with little else of note noted. To compensate for the lack of avian activity a Spurge Hawk-moth was a cracker in the otherwise largely barren moth traps.

Wednesday 6th July 2011

First Golden Plover south of the autumn seems early to me. Also going south a handful of Curlew, a couple of Whimbrel & a Barwit. 67 Swifts south also on the move. In the moth trap another Langmaids Yellow Underwing & a Bordered Straw.

Tuesday 5th July 2011

6 Avocets and 2 Sandwich Terns south plus 2 Gannets north offshore. Lesser throats might finally have some young out judging by the alarm calls in one group of brambles on the reserve. Yesterdays prediction about Hummingbird Hawk-moths might be coming true as there are 2 by the observation point this am and maybe more elsewhere if you go and look.

Monday 4th July 2011

A Treecreeper was only our 15th ever (following on from the 14th record a fortnight ago). Yellow Wag flying over is probably a wandering juv. A Lapwing was on the reserve early morning with 8 Curlew noted going south. Plenty of baby birds around with the Robins by the obs churning out a second brood & yet more dispersing juvenile Chiffchaffs turning up. A Hummingbird Hawk-moth along the Butts following on from a couple of other records recently will hopefully be an indication of more to come - hopefully !

Sunday 3rd July 2011

Grey Heron south this am but apart from this its the usual birds in the usual places. Pyla fusca in the moth trap put in its first appearance since 1997.