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Saturday 28th May 2022

 

Migrants were 2 Sanderling on the beach & a singing Reed Warbler plus southbound 4 Swallow & 3 Tufted Duck. Tern numbers have been very poor this spring with today's representative a single Sandwich Tern heading past. Finally a visiting Buzzard got well mobbed by local corvids & gulls. In the baby bird department good numbers of baby Dunnock are appearing on mass the last couple of days.

Cream-spot Tiger is a regular with us in small numbers.

Ringing: 5 Dunnock, 2 Linnet, 1 Whitethroat, 1 Wood Pigeon.


Friday 27th May 2022

Slightly more interesting on the bird front today, with another spotted flycatcher on the nature reserve, the first juvenile pied wagtail recorded for the year and a relatively interesting passage of various gull species and a couple of fulmars. 

A lone whitethroat sang loudly and constantly around the bird observatory, seemingly a male who still has not found a mate. 


Amongst the moths recorded today was this beautiful Eyed Hawk-Moth. This species visits us in small numbers each year.

Ringed Birds: Great Tits 3, Starling 2.

Thursday 26th May 2022

Pretty much null on the migrants today, excepting a few brent geese heading north and a handful of hirundines south. Juvenile bird numbers are increasing, with starling, linnet, dunnock, great tit and magpie youngsters seen throughout the day.

A female common blue damselfly was observed in the compound, having freshly emerged and sheltering from the wind.

Lunar Yellow Underwing is a nationally scarce and 'Biodiversity Action Plan' species that is starting to emerge.

Ringed Birds: Blue Tit 1, Dunnock 1, Woodpigeon 1.

Wednesday 25th May 2022

 

Cool & breezy morning for the time of year. Migrants include 2 Sanderling, Reed Warbler & Wheatear plus 14 Swallow heading south. Offshore single Eider & Great Crested Grebe went south with 29 Brent heading north.  Black Red has been singing more reliably off the Fort roof the past couple of mornings best heard from the car park. Apart from this more baby birds starting to appear.

Broken-barred Carpet only occurred here for the first time three years ago and, even now, there are only a small handful of records.

Ringing: 4 Great Tit, 4 Linnet, 2 Blackbird, 1 Goldfinch.
 

Tuesday 24th May 2022

Dock Bug

First juvenile linnets appeared today, joining the ever growing horde of juveniles out on the common. The first juvenile great tits have been out for a couple of days, and one found its way into the Helgoland trap late morning. A few more little terns were fishing off the beach and two spotted flycatchers were present, one of which was then ringed. 

Rain showers stayed away until midday despite contradictory predictions from various forecasters.


Pale Tussock moth, like a lot of relatively common species, is a scarce visitor to Landguard, occurring in roughly 1 out of 3 years. With luck this female may try and breed here, assuming she can find a male.

Ringed Birds: Great tit 1, Linnet 2, Spotted Flycatcher 1

Monday 23rd May 2022

Poor weather affected our migration monitoring today. Though 4 little terns were feeding off the beach, largest group seen here yet this year. The first juvenile starling was ringed today, and there was a spotted flycatcher hanging around the compound. Starling numbers are increasing rapidly out on the common, as juveniles fledge and adults are still working hard to feed younger birds in the nest.


This Elachista argentella is one of the very small moths that have been present the last few days.

Ringed Birds: Goldfinch 1, Starling 1, Woodpigeon 1.

Sunday 22nd May 2022

 

Impressive numbers of immigrant Painted Ladies have arrived over the last few days.

Spring bird migration is grinding down with today's representatives 5 Sanderling, 3 Wheatear, Reed & Sedge Warbler plus 20 Swallow heading southwards. 8 Brent went north. The first young Great Tit has ventured out into the big wide world from the security of its nest hole with more baby birds now starting to appear.

With a notable influx of immigrant Striped Hawk-moth into southern & western areas over the past week or so we were beginning to ask "Where's ours?" and it came to pass that one appeared. Previous years that they were noted here was in 2004, 2009 & 2015.

Ringing: 4 Linnet, 1 Reed Warbler, 1 Robin, 1 Sedge Warbler.