Saturday 14th July 2018

Second emergence of Common Blues are now out and about.

Todays migrant birds are 4 Swallows & a Brent Goose southbound plus a Redshank headed inland.

Marbled Green is a Lichen specialist that is extremely variable.

Friday 13th July 2018

Young Kes is still begging for food from dad despite catching its own food.

Nothing of note to report bird wise with a chunk of the morning spent on essential on site maintenance.

Dark Arches is one of the commonest macro moths in the traps at the moment - it is present throughout the entire country with its larvae feeding on a wide variety of grasses.

July Litter Pick

Litter Pick this Saturday 14th July 0930 hrs start. Further details on the Events page of www.lbo.org.uk

Thursday 12th July 2018

This pair of Ringos are on their fourth clutch this year with the other three attempts having failed. You have to admire their perseverance.

A Chiffchaff sang briefly is suggestive of a non-breeding adult loitering furtively on site as spring migration should be done and dusted and its to early for autumn migration in this species. Offshore northbound 11 Teal & 4 Sandwich Tern. A Gadwal flew over the observatory heading out and a Swallow going south are the only other movements noted. Nice selection of Med Gulls of assorted ages and plumage's knocking about in recent days. One only has to look back at the paucity of records in the mid 1980's to when we could identify the Med Gulls as individuals by plumage characteristics as there were that few of them in the local area in the "good old days" - how times have changed.

Euzophera pinguis is an Ash tree specialist so not sure why it bothers to disperse down to here.

Ringing: 2 Starling, 1 Chaffinch, 1 House Sparrow, 1 Linnet, 1 Whitethroat.

Wednesday 11th July 2018

Baby gulls including these Black-heads now turning up more regularly.

On the move southbound 19 Gannet, 2 Oyk, 2 Curlew & Common Tern with northbound 77 Common Scoter, 2 Gannet & 2 Swift. No obvious migrants on site just those living here for the summer.

Oncocera semirubella is one of the more colourful micro's that is having a good season.

Ringing: 2 Herring Gull, 1 Great Tit, 1 House Sparrow, 1 Lesser Whitethroat.

Tuesday 10th July 2018

Todays migrants were a Reed Warbler singing & a Yellow Wag south. The post high tide melee held a dozen Med Gulls plus a juvenile Common Gull that presumably has not come from to far away.

Oak Egger is always impressive. Confusion over yesterdays featured moth with it actually being Anarasia innoxiella not Peach Twig Borer A. lineatella.

Monday 9th July 2018

Common Tern numbers off the point have not been very good so far this summer.

Migrants today consisted of a Whimbrel south, 18 Swift north & a Sand Martin doing some loitering. A fully independent young Shelduck joined the locals on the reserve must be from an early brood somewhere. 8 Med Gulls were sat on the reserve including the first juvenile of the autumn.

Peach Twig Borer is an adventive species having spread around almost the entire world on fruit. Confusion surrounds our only previous record around a newly described similar species that we were unaware even existed at the time of the previous one.

Ringing: 2 Linnet, 1 Dunnock, 1 Wren.

Sunday 8th July 2018

Brown Argus on parched sun scorched vegetation.

Once again today's migrant is a Yellow Wagtail heading south. Offshore southbound 5 Barnacle geese & 4 Oyk with northbound 4 Sandwich Tern and a Swift. On site a Swallow paid a brief visit but otherwise its down to baby birds.

Bee Moth is a clever devil having the ability to enter nests of bees and wasps to lay eggs without getting attacked. Its larvae then consumes the contents of the nests.

10 birds ringed: 3 House Sparrow, 3 Linnet, 2 Great Tit, 1 Blackbird, 1 Wren.