Saturday 21st August 2021

Sandhill Rustic is a nationally scarce species on saltmarsh that occasionally visits us

 Super flat-calm and overcast through the day with the feather-light breeze swinging round into the SE by late-morning - too late for today but it did provide some anticipation that autumn migration will get going over the next few days!   There was a varied bit of offshore, southerly passage in the morning which comprised 4 Shoveler, 103 Teal, 16 Oystercatchers, 6 Grey Plover, 6 Whimbrel, 2 Curlew, 29 Ringed Plover, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits, 2 Dunlin, 3 Herons, 4 Shelduck, a Common Scoter and a Fulmar.

Also of note were 3 Yellow Wagtails, a Grey Wagtail, 14 Swallows, 4 Willow Warblers and 2 Wheatears.

Ringing: Robin 2, Dunnock 2, Willow Warbler 1, Linnet 1

Friday 20th August 2021

Common Terns

 Another pleasant, calm, overcast morning but still quiet on the migrant front; heading south today were 7 Redshank, 17 Mediterranean Gulls, 4 Shelduck, 5 Oystercatchers, a Little Egret, 2 Dunlin, a Grey Plover, 24 Swallows, 3 Sand Martins and a Swift.

On the land birds of note comprised 4 Yellow Wagtails, 8 Willow Warblers and 4 Wheatears.

Ringing: Robin 3, Willow Warbler 2, Whitethroat 1

A few of the more regular scarce migrants like Palpita vitrealis are now turning up

Thursday 19th August 2021

First site record of Radford's Flame Shoulder and looking at the state of it, it's had a long flight to get here!

 Largely overcast through the morning but it [surprisingly] stayed dry and the WNW stayed light; southerly passage comprised 9 Teal, 24 Oystercatchers, a Knot, a Hobby out at sea, 7 Common Sandpipers, 5 Curlew, a Turnstone, 2 Ringed Plover, a Dunlin, a Grey Plover, 4 Sand Martins and 13 Swallows.

Also of note were 140 Common Terns and 40 Sandwich Terns leaving the river at first light, a Spotted Flycatcher caught a dawn, 4 Willow Warblers, 3 Yellow Wagtails and 2 Wheatears.

Ringing: Spotted Flycatcher 1, Robin 1, Dunnock 1, Linnet 1

Wednesday 18th August 2021

Early on in the half light 158 Common & 53 Sandwich Tern came out of the river & headed north. Our first Little Ringed Plover noted this year flew south. Also southbound 32 Common Tern, 26 Oyk, 15 Common Scoter, 10 Dunlin, 10 Swallow, 5 Sand Martin,  4 Great Black-backed Gull, 3 Curlew, 3 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Grey Plover, 2 Turnstone, Greenshank, Marsh Harrier, Redshank & Teal with northbound 16 Gannet, 12 Common Scoter & 5 Oyk. A Little Tern was offshore late morning. On site a couple of Willow Warbler but little else in the migrant department although a Nightingale is loitering.

Only noted in Suffolk for the first time in 2015, the nationally scarce Caloptilia cuculipennella has arrived here this year and will be coming to a Privet hedge near you soon if world domination is its aim.

Ringing: 2 Willow Warbler, 1 Robin, 1 Wren.

Tuesday 17th August 2021

Crescent is a rare visitor here from its wetland home and when they do turn up they are always well worn

 Grey, overcast and chilly throughout with a brisk westerly breeze bringing little spells of drizzle; a quiet day on the bird front with the few bits heading south consisting of 12 Curlew, 31 Dunlin, 4 Golden Plover, 2 Grey Plover, 2 Knot, 45 Oystercatchers, 3 Redshank, 11 Ringed Plover and 2 Turnstone.

Elsewhere birds comprised 8 Willow Warblers, a Yellow Wagtail and a re-trap Nightingale from the 13th.

Ringing: House Sparrow 1, Robin 1, Willow Warbler 7, Linnet 1

Monday 16th August 2021

Old Lady is a species that hides up in the buildings and only occasionally comes out to visit the traps

 Plenty of cloud and plenty of the brisk NW wind produced a chilly, autumnal day degenerating into a spell of rain in the afternoon; southerly passage again provided most of the interest as birds on the move comprised 21 Black-headed Gulls, 65 Common Terns, 4 Dunlin, 3 Greenshank, a Grey Plover, 2 Knot, 33 Oystercatchers, 32 Redshank, 10 Ringed Plover, 6 Teal, 2 Whimbrel, 8 Sand Martins, 32 Swallows and 7 Swifts.

Four Willow Warblers, 4 Wheatears and a Yellow Wagtail were the only migrants on the land.

Ringing: Woodpigeon 1, Blackbird 1, Willow Warbler 4

Sunday 15th August 2021

Moving south 67 Swallow, 8 Turnstone, 6 Common Tern, 4 Oyk, 2 Sand martin & Whimbrel. Migrants on site included 10 Willow Warbler, 2 Wheatear, yesterdays Garden Warbler, Hobby and visits from both Great Spotted & Green Woodpecker.

Acleris schalleriana has only been noted here in only four previous years. It lives on Viburnums.

Ringing: 2 Willow Warbler, 1 Goldfinch, 1 House Sparrow, 1 Linnet, 1 Robin, 1 Wren.