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Saturday 1st August 2020

On the move southbound 440 Black-headed Gull, 48 Common Gull, 29 Swallow, 23 Curlew, 19 Oyk, 15 Dunlin, 6 Golden Plover, 5 Sand Martin, 3 Sanderling, 2 Grey Plover, 2 Med Gull, 2 Tufted Duck, 2 Turnstone & Redshank with northbound 24 Sandwich Tern. On site 5 moulting adult Golden Plover on the lawn were tolerant of the dog walkers for a short while before departing when an Alsatian (on a lead) went across. A Willow Warbler was on the Icky ridge plus the usual Black Red was present & accounted for.


White Satin moth is fairly regular in the traps at the moment.

Ringing: 9 Starling, 4 Goldfinch, 2 Whitethroat, 1 Blackbird, 1 House Sparrow, 1 Linnet.

July Ringing Total


Please keep an eye out for the local Herring Gulls, ZSL & ZSN which should have fledged from museum roof recently. Please make sure you report your sightings!

July is a strange month, normally quiet for rarities but with a good dispersal of local juvenile species, some of which are only recorded at this time of year.

The month kicked off in style with a Common Crossbill caught on the 1st, other scarcities included only the second July record of a Goldcrest, 2 Wood Warblers, once a late July staple and 4 juvenile Great Spotted Woodpeckers and 3 juvenile Green Woodpeckers. In total 208 birds of 29 species were ringed.

Totals:
Linnet 37
House Sparrow 23
Dunnock 20
Goldfinch 17
Wren 12
Blackcap 10
Willow Warbler 9
Chiffchaff 8
Lesser Whitethroat 8
Starling 8
Blue Tit 7
Great Tit 7
Whitethroat 6
Blackbird 5
Great Spotted Woodpecker 4
Reed Warbler  4
Robin 4
Wood Pigeon 4
Green Woodpecker 3
Herring Gull 2
Wood Warbler 2
Common Crossbill 1
Garden Warbler 1
Greenfinch 1
Goldcrest 1
Nightingale 1
Pied Wagtail 1
Sedge Warbler 1
Song Thrush 1
 

Friday 31st July 2020

A hot breezy south easterly this morning, with only a little movement.

At least 2 Willow Warblers were on the point this morning, one by the Obs and one by the Mine Station. The Garden Warbler was still in the bushes and a Wheatear was out by the Tank Blocks.

A group of 18 Barnacle Geese headed out of the river this morning. Two Lapwings were in the fenced off enclosure before being flushed by a walker. There was a bit of movement on the sea, with a Whimbrel and a Common Sandpiper heading south and 4 Mallard heading north.







There were two additions to the site moth list this morning, a macro and a micro. The Plumed Fan-foot has started to colonise the country from the mid 1990's and has only been noted in Suffolk recently.  The second addition was Pempelia palumbella, a micro who's larvae feed on Heather.

Ringing: 5 Linnet, 3 Goldfinch, 1 Greenfinch, 1 Willow Warbler

Thursday 30th July 2020

A warm bright day with a light south westerly breeze. 

There were a few migrants in the bushes this morning, with a Garden Warbler and 2 Willow Warbler by the Obs. The Black Redstart was in its usual spot and 2 Green Woodpeckers moved between the Battery and the Mine Station for a couple of hours this morning. Overhead a couple of Swallows and Sand Martins headed south.

There was a bit of movement on the sea with 110 Black-headed Gulls moving south, along with 2 Mediterranean Gulls and 2 Common Gulls. There was a small passage of waders including 3 Dunlin, 2 Redshank, 2 Curlew, 1 Lapwing and a Whimbrel. A group of 19 Sandwich Terns were feeding in the river before departing north and a Fulmar headed inland.



In the moth trap this morning was a Brown-line Bright Eye, a well distributed species that can be found across Suffolk. Its name is confusingly similar to another Noctuid species so we refer to it as the 'other one'.

Ringing: 5 Linnet, 3 Goldfinch, 3 House Sparrow, 2 Blue Tit, 2 Robin, 1 Dunnock, 1 Reed Warbler, 1 Wren.

Wednesday 29th July 2020

On the move southbound 24 Sand Martin, 11 Crossbill, 10 Oyk, 7 Swallow, 5 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Dunlin, 2 Black-headed Gull, 2 Common Gull, Curlew, Kittiwake, Redshank & Turnstone with northbound 13 Common Scoter. On site a small handful of common migrants including 2 Willow Warbler & Reed Warbler. A small gang of Sandwich Terns are feeding regularly offshore in recent days and the Black Redstart is still with us out the front of the observatory. Finally, worth a mention is a young juvenile Great Black-backed Gull begging from an adult which surely confirms at least one pair have been successful on the dock roofs this year.


This tiny tot looks suspiciously like the first site record of Bucculatrix ulmella which seems to have been recorded fairly widely across Suffolk in areas with Oak trees but has not visited us before.

Ringing: 3 Linnet, 2 Willow Warbler, 1 Reed Warbler.

Tuesday 28th July 2020



A breezy morning but with a good variety of species passing through.

In the bushes were the first Garden Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher of the autumn, along with 3 Willow Warblers and a few Lesser Whitethroats. Out on the Reserve 5 Greenfinch and a scattering of Goldfinch have joined the Linnet flock. The Black Redstart was in its usual spot and the first Wheatear of the Autumn was by the Permanent Enclosure.  There was a small passage of Hirundines including 18 Sand Martin and 6 Swallows, 11 Crossbill and 15 Swifts also headed south.

On the sea 4 Common Terns and 4 Sandwich Terns were feeding offshore. There was a small movement of waders including 4 Curlew, 2 Turnstone and a Dunlin headed South.


In the moth trap this morning was a Saltmarsh Plume, a species who larvae feed on Sea Lavender and is well known for it Wanderlust.

Ringing: 3 Willow Warbler, 2 Dunnock, 1 Garden Warbler,  1 Goldfinch

Monday 27th July 2020

In a word this morning could be described as: Wet.

After yesterday it was a bit quiet, with very little being noted in the bushes except the usual local birds and the Black Redstart which was in its usual spot. A small passage of 45 Swifts headed south in front of one of the weather systems.

There was a good variety of waders moving on the sea with 9 Oystercatcher, 4 Curlew, 3 Whimbrel, 2 Sanderling, a Dunlin, a Bar-tailed Godwit, a Golden Plover and a Grey Plover were recorded heading south this morning. Three Common Scoter and 8 Teal also headed south. There were at least 12 Sandwich Terns were feeding offshore and a Gannet heading north.



In the moth traps this morning was a Ruby Tiger, which has just started its second emergence.

Ringing: 2 House Sparrow 

Sunday 26th July 2020

Butterflies are not having a great year so far not helped by the weather this year.

A few more passerines starting to show up with 2 Willow Warbler plus singles of Sedge & Wood Warbler noted with a Great-spotted Woodpecker also making a brief visit. More hirundines heading south with 66 Sand Martin & 16 Swallow heading for Africa as autumn sets in. Offshore southbound 5 Dunlin, 2 Black-headed Gull, 2 Redshank, Turnstone & Whimbrel. Finally a juvenile Black Redstart is still with us although its difficult to work out just how many different Black Reds have been here in the past couple of weeks.


Slender Brindle is a woodland species that has only showed up here in three previous years.

Ringing: 2 Starling, 2 Willow Warbler, 1 Goldfinch, 1 Great-spotted Woodpecker, 1 Linnet, 1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Wood Warbler.