Saturday 17th December 2016

Fog all day even worse than this at times. A Golden Plover was heard calling early on but the day was basically unbirdable.

Friday 16th December 2016

Southbound 15 Brent, 6 Red-throated Diver, 2 Velvet Scoter & Little Egret. Bullfinch still with us & good to see Mr & Mrs Peregrine around the lighting towers as they spend so much time on the big cranes we don't see them so often these days (despite the fact they are obviously in the area).

Thursday 15th December 2016

Dull dank morning. Young male Blackbird without a ring suggests that migration isn't totally over (or is this one just super clever at avoiding being caught).  A few bits noted going south including 13 Brent, 8 Red-throated Diver, Little Egret plus a Siskin over the observatory.

Wednesday 14th December 2016

Moving south 3 Mipit, Rock Pipit & Snow Bunting. A good morning to census the locals produced nothing more exciting than the fact that the Bullfinch is still with. The local Crows spend a fair amount of time beach combing all year round with the Landguard juveniles fairly tame as they are used to people feeding them.

Recent Ringing Recoveries

Latest batch includes Song Thrush ringed Sandwich Bay, Kent 29/09/2015 retrapped 75km away here on 21/10/2016. Lesser Redpoll ringed Chobham Common, Surrey 02/04/2016 retrapped 148km away here on 19/10/2016. Chiffchaff ringed Grimston, Yorkshire 12/10/2016  retrapped 227km away here on 29/10/2016. Reed Warbler ringed Landguard 12/05/2013 retrapped 30km away at Iken 08/05/2016. Chiffchaff ringed Landguard 09/07/2016 retrapped 16km away at Hollesley 08/09/2016.

Tuesday 13th December 2016

Intermittent mist or fog clearing at times and now a pea souper again. A dose of Cormorants went out to sea during a clearer patch but nowt else to report.

Monday 12th December 2016

Always good to arrive in the morning to find a hole in the rifle fencing where someone has broken in overnight - oh the delights of living in Felixstowe. Obviously dealing with such issues tends to take up one's time. Bird wise today's migrant is a Mistle Thrush on site that departed inland over the docks by 9am. Two Mipits went south are getting late in there autumn passage with 12 Carrion Crow also heading south and into Essex notable as visible migration movements in this species being almost non-existent this year. Great Black-backed Gulls are a bit camera shy but this adult on the beach reveals that it has not yet finished it's post breeding moult but having just read a book this moult can carry on into January.

Sunday 11th December 2016

2 Snow Bunting flew south along the beach just offshore early on and may be out there somewhere. Also on the move southbound 2 Mipits & a Rock Pipit. A couple of new Songies of the British race T.p.clarkei were a bit unexpected as there is no cold weather to force them down the coast from inland at present. This Bullfinch is still with us which would make it the longest stay for one of it's kind this century ! 555 Cormorants headed out to sea fishing and whilst watching gulls behind shipping 4 Shelduck went south plus a Gannet north.

3 birds ringed: 2 Song Thrush, 1 Chaffinch