Saturday 6th June 2020

Another blustery day with the wind increasing throughout the morning.

The count of Swift was lower with only 321 counted as the cloud front moved through. In the bushes a single Blackcap was the only bird of note. A Lapwing was sitting on the beach this morning and a Hobby came in off the sea late morning

On the sea a Gannet headed north and 6 Little Terns fed just offshore.

Very few moths this morning due to the overnight weather conditions, however Vine's Rustic is very common here despite having only colonised Britain in the last 80 years

Ringing: 1 Blackcap, 1 Linnet

Friday 5th June 2020

A day of intermittent windy showers, with the rain stopping just before first light and then starting up again at about 1000.

The bushes were rather quiet, a Reed Warbler was chuntering on the reserve and a Firecrest was moving through the Holm Oaks.

There was a good weather movement of Swifts with a total of 1219 heading south over the Observatory mid morning, they were also joined by 12 House Matins and 3 Swallows.

On the sea a male Eider and a Common Tern headed north and a Pochard and a Fulmar headed south.

On the moth front, Heart & Club is starting to appear in the traps in force.

Ringing: Nil

Thursday 4th June 2020

The first time an Egyptian Geese photo has appeared on the blog! 

A cold blustery north easterly to start the morning.

There was little in the bushes this morning but a Willow Warbler was in the bramble scrub in front of the Mine Station before continuing north. Vis Mig was slightly better with 9 Swifts, 2 Swallows and a House Martin heading south, a Siskin heading north but the main event was 2 Egyptian Geese heading west, which are only the 10th site record!

On the sea 7 Sandwich Terns, 5 Little Terns, 4 Gannets headed northbound and 3 Gannets, 2 Fulmar and a Barnacle Goose headed south.

In the moth trap this morning was a Light Brocade, which occurs at Landguard in very low numbers most years.

Ringing: Nil

Wednesday 3rd June 2020

Azure Damselfly has been emerging from the ponds in the observatory in good numbers but none in the Butts pond so far this year.

Handful of new migrants including 2 Blackcap & Spot Fly. Four new female Blackcap trapped in the last two mornings is concerning as they all have brood patches and will all be failed breeders that have had to move on from the site of there first breeding attempt this year. Whether these attempts are well south of us or more nearby is unknown as is the causative factors behind these late spring movements. 2 young Coal Tits will be dispersing juveniles kicked out by their parents wandering in search of new sites to settle down in. On the move southbound 15 Swift, 6 Swallow & 3 Sand Martin plus 2 Sand Martin north. Are the Sand Martins being forced to move due to collapsing nest sites in the drought conditions as it is a tad early for autumn passage in this species ? Offshore southbound 3 Little Tern, 3 Meds & 2 Oyk with northbound 7 Common Scoter & 4 Brent plus 3 Tufted Duck that came in off and landed mid-estuary behind the observatory.

Tinea semifulvella lives in old bird nests but only occasionally find our traps.

Ringing: 2 Blackcap, 2 Coal Tit, 2 Linnet, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Wood Pigeon, 1 Wren.

Tuesday 2nd June 2020

A chilly start to the morning with a light northerly breeze was obviously enough to drift some good birds onto the point this morning.

A Rosefinch was trapped after being heard calling and spotted heading towards the feeders in the Heligoland and becomes the 6th Rosefinch to be ringed at the Observatory. A second Rosefinch was found perches above a Marsh Warbler, the first for several years, which was singing by the Butts Pond on the reserve. At least one of the Rosefinch has stuck around and has been showing intermittently on the Feeder by the Heligoland while the Marsh Warbler is occasionally singing from a Elder just north of the pond.

Vis-mig was reasonable with a few Swallows and Swifts heading south and a Hobby and a Little Egret coming in off the sea. Movement on the sea was limited to a couple of Sandwich Terns, a Kittiwake and 2 Little Terns heading north.

In the moth trap was a Treble Lines, a species which is becoming more regular in recent years

Ringing: 3 Linnet, 2 Blackcap, 1 Common Rosefinch

Monday 1st June 2020

A warm sunny day with a light north-easterly breeze.

Still very quiet with the only notable birds being 4 Swift, 2 House Martins and 3 Swallows and the male still trying to find a mate.

Offshore 139 Brents headed north, 7 Common Terns, 2 Kittiwake and a Little Tern loitered offshore. A small dark falcon species was seen heading north at first light but sadly didn't come in to allow for identification.

A Muntjac was behind the kitchen at Midday, are these roaming individuals being forced into less than suitable habitat because the population has grown so large?

The Figure of 80 is partial to Poplars and can be found here in small numbers

Ringing: 1 Magpie, 1 Linnet

May Ringing Totals

175 birds of 27 species is about par for recent years as migrant numbers decline. Total not helped by few baby birds fledging so far presumably as a result of the drought.

Willow Warbler	26
Chiffchaff	19
Lesser Whitethroat	17
Linnet	17
Whitethroat	13
Blackcap	12
Wheatear	12
Great Tit	10
Robin	10
Spotted Flycatcher	6
Wood Pigeon	5
Long-tailed Tit	3
Reed Warbler	3
Wren	3
Blackbird	2
Blue Tit	2
Garden Warbler	2
Goldfinch	2
Redstart	2
Starling	2
Carrion Crow	1
Firecrest	1
House Sparrow	1
Pied Wagtail	1
Sedge Warbler	1
Song Thrush	1
Stonechat	1

Sunday 31st May 2020

Couple of retards dragging a boat through the entire length of the area fenced off for ground nesting birds - oh the delights of a sunny Sunday !

Couple of migrants present in the form of 2 Spotted Flycatcher. 100+ Brent Geese went out then north & 2 female Eider flew north just off the beach but that's your lot.

Sand Dart is a nationally scarce species that has increased greatly in recent years coinciding with the increase of sand suffocating the upper shore.

Ringing: nil.