Saturday 5th June 2021

Turnstone

 After a great deal of rain overnight it was understandably grey and a bit chilly first thing but it very gradually brightened up becoming sunny and warm once again by midday; two new Chiffchaffs in the nets were late migrants going who knows where at this time of year.   

Other birds comprised a Black Redstart, a flock of 90+ Common Scoter heading north on the horizon, a Common Tern, at least 16 Sandwich Terns broadly heading south, a Curlew, 3 Fulmars, 2 Mediterranean Gulls, a Reed Warbler, 11 Swallows, 11 Swifts, and 2 Turnstone.

Ringing: Chiffchaff 2, Robin 1, Linnet 1

Eyed Hawkmoth is one of those stunning looking species which only occasionally turns up here

Friday 4th June 2021

A regular feeding flock of Gulls has been appearing off the jetty when the tide reaches a certain point

 A fine morning with a light NNE breeze and some sunshine until it gradually clouded over bringing pretty solid rain from midday and through the afternoon; nothing really in the grounded migrant department with a few birds floating around offshore including 3 Common Terns, 3 Little Terns, 2 Sandwich Terns, 2 Kittiwakes, a Fulmar, 10 Mediterranean Gulls and a drake Pochard heading south.

Also of note were a Black Redstart, a Chaffinch, a Buzzard south, 14 Swifts and 3 House Martins in and north, a Reed Warbler and 3 Turnstone.

Ringing: Great Tit 1, Whitethroat 1, Robin 1

Oak Hook-tip lives on Oak trees, so is only occasional here

Thursday 3rd June 2021

Sanderling

 Another fine, warm day with some morning cloud and the wind now in the SW; 2 Chiffchaffs and a Reed Warbler in the nets hinted at some late spring passage still going on but it was again, a quiet day in the field.

Birds of note comprised 9 Barnacle Geese, 2 Black Redstarts, a single Brent Goose, 4 Lesser Whitethroats, 3 Mediterranean Gulls, 5 Sanderling, 6 Sandwich Terns, 13 Swallows, a Swift and 3 Turnstone.

Ringing: Reed Warbler 1, Chiffchaff 2, Great Tit 3, Black Redstart 1, Linnet 3

The number and variety of moths is finally picking up - Phyllonorycter messaniella mines are abundant on the Holm Oaks, with the moth only 4mm long

Wednesday 2nd June 2021

Pied Fly at the northern end of the site was today's prize with a handful of other migrants including 6 Sanderling, 3 Turnstone plus 7 Swallow south & a House Martin north. Apart from this it is largely down to the breeding birds.

Light Brocade is one of those species that we just get occasional one's of.

Ringing: 1 Great Tit, 1 House Sparrow.

Tuesday 1st June 2021

Plenty of young Starlings out and about now

 Similar again with a slightly lighter ENE breeze and wall-to-wall hazy sunshine; birds today comprised 3 Black Redstarts, one flock of 12 Brent Geese going north (can't be too many more to come now), a Chaffinch, a Chiffchaff, 19 Common Scoter north, single Gannet and Fulmar, a House Martin, a Kittiwake, a Little Tern, 3 Mediterranean Gulls, a Reed Warbler, 3 Swallows and a Turnstone.

Ringing: Woodpigeon 1, Chiffchaff 1, Linnet 2

Heart and Dart - can be very common here but even they, are only appearing in very low numbers this year so far

May Ringing Totals

 Despite the very poor month we moved up in the rankings with May 2021 only the third worst May on record, just behind 2017 and 2018!   As in April we have been pretty much defeated by the weather, dominated again by cold northerly based winds obviously not productive in terms of spring migrants coming from the south!

Totals comprised;

Willow Warbler	40
Blackcap	27
Lesser Whitethroat	18
Chiffchaff	17
Linnet	11
Blackbird	8
Spotted Flycatcher	8
Whitethroat	8
Wren	7
Reed Warbler	5
Robin	4
Dunnock	3
Woodpigeon	3
Garden Warbler	2
Sedge Warbler	2
Starling	2
House Sparrow	1
Blue Tit	1
Lesser Redpoll	1
Common Redpoll	1
Swallow	1
Goldfinch	1
Redstart	1
Fieldfare	1

Despite many birds having a rough start to the breeding season, the first juveniles began to appear by the end of the month - here a Dunnock and a Linnet

Monday 31st May 2021

Black Redstart

 A similar day again with a brisk ENE breeze and clear skies but pretty hazy, reducing visibility; it was also similar in the fact that it was still very quiet on the bird front as sightings comprised another 48 Brent Geese north, 2 Chaffinches, 2 Black Redstarts, a Common Scoter, a Fulmar, a Great-crested Grebe which landed on the sea, a gathering of gulls off the point in the evening which included 300 Herring Gulls and 5 Mediterranean Gulls, a House Martin, a Little Tern, 2 Sandwich Terns and 4 Swallows.

Ringing: Nil (despite having a good number of nets open all morning!)

Toadflax Brocade is a Red Data Book species that has colonised urban gardens in Felixstowe this century which accounts for the occasional ones here

Recent Ringing Recoveries

 

This Oystercatcher was originally ringed as an adult at Fagbury over 35 years ago on 23rd March 1986 - the mudflats that are now covered by the port's Trinity Terminal. It is known to have nested on the reserve in at least 1997 & 2003 but often chooses to nest just inside the dock complex in many other years.

Lesser Redpoll ringed Landguard 29th September 2020 was retrapped 215 km away at Budby, Nottinghamshire 23rd April 2021.

Lesser Redpoll ringed Landguard also on 29th September 2020 was retrapped 473 km away at the Calf of Man, Isle of Man 13th May 2021.

Sunday 30th May 2021

Local sparrows are starting to reoccupy holes in the main Fort in recent years as all suitable sites at the main colony around the cottage are in use.

Fairly stiff north-easterly breeze. Today's migrants included 3 House Martin, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Reed Warbler, 2 Swallow & Hobby. Have all the Brent gone as just 5 headed out then north - or had the head wind to migrate into put them off ?

Marbled Minor is one of those extremely variable species living on grasses.

Ringing: 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Reed Warbler, 1 Blackbird, 1 House Sparrow.