December Ringing Total

For the sake of completeness. 7 birds of 6 species ringed:

2 Song Thrush, 1 Goldfinch, 1 Chaffinch, 1 Great Tit, 1 Redwing, 1 Wood Pigeon.

Saturday 31st December 2016

Southbound 41 Brent & 6 Wigeon. 4 Meds were scrounging off fishermen in the afternoon and the Rock Pipit was along the riverbank. A Linnet was the first of it's kind for 15 days which is fairly normal in the depths of winter as they largely abandon the site at this time of the year.

Friday 30th December 2016

Thick damp fog all day long. Rock Pipit & Purp were near the point early afternoon.

Xmas Litter Pick

The end of the year Christmas litter pick is this Saturday 31st December 0930hrs start. Usual arrangements on the events page of www.lbo.org.uk

Thursday 29th December 2016

Purple Sand & Rock Pipit put in an appearance again today both having not been reported for a few days. Turnstone also at the point with numbers of this species being pathetic again this winter.  A Jackdaw flying south is today's migrant with Mr & Mrs Peregrine on the lighting towers first thing obviously getting ready for the spring !

Book Sale

Landguard Bird Observatory library has duplicate copies of several books in order to make space & raise funds:

Landguard Conversation Trust – Books for Sale

Bids are invited for the following books.

All bids should be made through Dave Pearsons, Chairman of LCT via landguardbo@yahoo.co.uk

Where to watch Birds in Spain – Birdlife International publication

The Atlas of Breeding Birds of Britain & Ireland – J T Sharrock (3 copies)

 The Atlas of Wintering Birds of Britain & Ireland –Peter Lock

The New Atlas of Breeding Birds of Britain & Ireland -1988-1991

Important Bird Areas in Europe – 1989

Atlas of European Birds -1960

Atropos – issues 1 to 47

Tracks & Signs of the Birds of Britain & Europe –Roy Brown, John Ferguson etc

Birds of Britain & Europe –Bertel Bruun, Lars Svensson etc

Minsmere- Portrait of a Bird Reserve – Herbert Axel, Eric Hosking

Birds of the World – a Checklist – James F Clements

Birds of Australia – Graham Pizzey

Rare Birds of Britain – J N Dymond,  etc

A New Guide to the Birds of Essex – Simon Cox

The Orchids of Suffolk- Martin Sanford

Fungi & Slim Moulds in Suffolk

Grasses, Ferns, Mosses, & Lichens- of Britain & Ireland – Roger Phillips

Shorebirds – An Identification guide to the waders of the world – Peter Hayman, etc

Birds of the Middle East & North Africa – P A Hollom, etc (2 copies)

Where to watch birds in Britain & Europe – John Gooders issues 1984 & 1994

The Birds of Hungary – Gerard Gorman

An Atlas of the Birds of the Western Paleartic – Colin Harrison

A field guide to the Butterflies of Britain & Europe – L G Higgins & N D Riley

Suffolk Dragonflies – Howard Mendel

Birds of the World – Dr Christopher Perrins & Andrew Gosler

Flight Identification of European Raptors – R F Porter etc

Estuary Birds of of Britain – A J Prater (2 copies)

A Field Guide to the Birds of Britain & Europe – Peterson etc

Ticehurst – William H Payne 1962 edition & 1978 2^nd edition (Only sold after discussion with members of the committee)

The Big Bird Race- Bill Oddie & David Tomlinson

Peterson First Guides – Butterflies & Moths – Paul A Opler

Handbook of the Birds of the Middle East & North Africa volumes 1 to 9 

A Handbook of British Birds – Witherby etc volumes 1 to 5

Rare Birds of Britain & Ireland – J T R & E M Sharrock (2 copies)

Various Suffolk Bird Reports available

Wednesday 28th December 2016

Sharp frost. Refugees from freezing conditions inland seeking milder conditions at the coast were a Snipe & Fieldfare first thing. A quick walk round the site produced just the usual birds in the usual places.

Tuesday 27th December 2016

Glorious sunny frosty morning. A mere 920 Cormorants going out this morning as on clear sunny mornings many of them avoid us. Peregrine having breakfast on one of the dock lighting towers at 0750hrs but that's your lot.

Monday 26th December 2016

A mere 1620 Cormorants counted going out this morning but with a change in the weather others are probably departing the roost and heading north-east and missing us out. A Knot on the jetty at high tide is a bizarre mid-winter record here despite large numbers wintering very close by up the rivers Orwell & Stour.

Sunday 25th December 2016

Cormorant record smashed again this morning with 3,020 heading out to go fishing. Large numbers of big birds moving on mass is one of the spectacles of ornithology. In recent days the vanguard arrives just after 0745 and it is done & dusted in under ten minutes although the exact timing is a bit weather dependant and with increasing day-length hours it will get earlier in the morning over time. Windy morning with a brief sea watch producing southbound 26 Kitts, 7 Brent & 6 Red-throated Divers plus northbound a single Red-throat.