Thursday 4th February 2016

Southbound 24 Shelduck, 10 Red-throated Diver, 8 Brent, 6 Guillemot, 3 Gannet,  3 Goldeneye, 2 Razorbill, Great-crested Grebe, Oyk, Ringed Plover & Turnstone plus northbound 49 Red-throats, 7 Guillemot, Brent & Common Scoter with at least another 7 Guillemot & a Razorbill pitching in offshore. A Bonxie was marauding offshore for a while before departing out to sea.

Please note this blog will not appear for a few days with normal service resumed in a few days. Also please note that the beach area along the river will be closed imminently whilst beach replenishment work takes place.

Wednesday 3rd February 2016

Distinctly colder this morning. 2 Bean Geese south offshore were notable as was a Pom Skua north as they have been thin over the ocean this winter. Southbound 419 Red-throated Divert, 9 Golden Plover, 6 Guillemot, 5 Brent, 3 Shelduck, 2 Oyk & 2 Dunlin plus northbound 84 Red-throats, 9 Brent Pintail & Razorbill so far. The male Collared Dove who had his mate eaten by a Sparrowhawk hasn't acquired a new one yet.

Ringing: 1 chaffinch

Tuesday 2nd February 2016

229 Red-throated Diver north plus 34 south this morning is the best count for some while and suggests they are moving into this section of the North Sea. Also noted southbound 103 Golden Plover, 35 Guillemot, 16 Brent, 5 Gannet, 3 Grey Plover, 2 Oyk, 2 Razorbill & Shelduck plus north bound 9 Brent & 4 Guillemot with many of the auks pitching in offshore suggesting that some may have gone past, drifted on the tide, then gone past again to be counted more than once. Either way it is a decent auk count. 8 Linnet were the first of their kind for a while & Mr & Mrs Peregrine were flying around the cranes together. Wind increasing as the day carried on not conducive to gulls sitting still in the car park to get their rings read but this Pied Wagtail likes bread crumbs thrown out for the gulls.

Monday 1st February 2016

Southbound 214 Golden Plover, 5 Guillemot, 4 Brent, 2 Shelduck, 2 Gadwal & 2 Oyk plus northbound 12 Brent, 7 Red-throated Diver & Guillemot. Nowt else to report.

Ringing: 1 house sparrow

January 2016 Ringing Totals

31 new birds of 6 species is the second best January this century:

14 Greenfinch, 5 House Sparrow, 3 Wood Pigeon, 3 Song Thrush, 3 Blackbird, 3 Chaffinch.

Sunday 31st January 2016

Plenty of puddles available for a good scrub up as precipitation continued up to early/mid afternoon. Offshore southbound this morning 56 Red-throated Diver, 8 Shelduck, 15 Kitts, 4 Guillemot & Gannet with northbound 15 Red-throats & Gannet. It's a bit sad but we have a favourite ship. The Stenna Britannica is a stinky old ferry whose fumes probably take years off our life but it don't half nicely churn up the water for the seagulls as it steams out of Harwich on it's daily sailings to the other side. Unfortunately it's moby dick for a couple of days - we can but hope that they are working on it's exhaust system but dream on ! Mr Peregrine was noted for the first time since they demolished his old crane in the dock last weekend. Removing his favourite perch probably has no effects on him but it does effect us as if he is sitting on the nice new cranes further away it is a lot harder for us to find him & his missus. Finally worth a mention was a Rock Pipit feeding on the turf with Pied Wagtails in the middle of the open exposed turf on the reserve.

Ringing: 1 house sparrow