Saturday 23rd July 2022

 

On the move southbound 28 Black-headed Gull, 5 Sandwich Tern, 3 Common Gull, 3 Curlew & Oyk with northbound 8 Common Tern, 7 Sandwich Tern & 5 Cormorant. Single dispersing Great Spot & Green Woodpecker paid a visit & both Nightingale are still with us. Single Kestrel heading south also worth a mention as juvs disperse.

Webb's Wainscot have started appearing although it is suspected that they come from no further away than the observatory pond.

Ringing: 6 Linnet, 3 Dunnock, 1 Blackbird, 1 Blue Tit, 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Whitethroat.

Friday 22nd July 2022

 

Stinking Goosefoot on the Butts.

6 Eider heading north was a bit of a surprise with the only other species on the move being a small handful of Sandwich Terns. On site the first Reed Warbler of the autumn, a moulting adult Blackcap plus the 2 loitering Nightingale heard duetting.

This well marked Metzneria metzneriella is not a species featured on the blog before. It's one of those that the books say is 'common' but it is no where near as common these days here as in the past although paler examples may be being confused with one of its commoner congeners.

Ringing: 6 Linnet, 2 Wood Pigeon, 2 Wren, 1 Blackcap, 1 Dunnock, 1 Great Tit, 1 House Sparrow, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Magpie, 1 Reed Warbler.

Thursday 21st July 2022

Thankfully the temperatures have relaxed a little here, though seemingly not great for bird movement as it was very quiet today. Our first juvenile peregrine of the season was notable however, proving that some have bred successfully this year. We had a hat trick of wagtails, with the local pied  and flyover grey and yellow. Wader numbers are lower today than yesterday, though in general they're increasing as the month progresses as we would expect. 

 Monopis imella is a nationally scarce species whose larvae utilise decaying animals and old birds nests.

Birds Ringed: Wren 1

Wednesday 20th July 2022

A change in the wind direction resulted in birds on the move with southbound 307 Black-headed Gull, 59 Swift, 32 Curlew, 16 Sandwich Tern, 14 Sand Martin, 12 Common Gull, 9 Oyk, 7 Med Gull, 6 Common Tern, 4 Sanderling, 3 Dunlin, 2 Greenshank, 2 Kittiwake, 2 Whimbrel, 2 Wigeon, Barwit, Golden Plover, Swallow & Tufted Duck. On the beach early morning 2 Dunlin, 2 Sanderling & Lapwing. On site a couple of dispersing juvenile Chiffchaff plus a loitering Nightingale.

We weren't really expecting the first site record of Little Emerald which is, apparently, a common species but with very few records from this part of Suffolk this century.

Ringing: 2 Dunnock, 2 Linnet, 1 Blackbird, 1 Chiffchaff.

Tuesday 19th July 2022

Thankfully the scorching temperatures predicted elsewhere didn't hit us here at Landguard (too much anyway). There were some reasonable migrants, another juvenile great spotted woodpecker, a juvenile blackcap and a great diving beetle, the first found in a moth trap here for many years. 

Our first migrant hawker dragonfly of the year was joined by a southern hawker, an emperor and very briefly a brown hawker. 

We failed to record the nationally scarce species Tawny Wave at all last year. This is despite it having a healthy population further up the Suffolk coast and in the Brecks.

Ringed Birds: Dunnock 4, Goldfinch 1, Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, House Sparrow 1, Linnet 3, Woodpigeon 1, Wren 2.

Monday 18th July 2022

Despite the hot weather, there was actually some bird movement today. Some was dispersal movement of juveniles; a song thrush, green woodpecker and lesser whitethroats, but some were 'proper' migrants, a yellow wagtail and 3 common sandpipers at the point. Robins are much more in evidence at the moment, with a lot of juveniles moulting into their first year plumage. 

Southern Wainscot (moth pictured showing its distinctive head pattern) is a reed bed species which hasn't been seen here for five years.

Birds Ringed: Dunnock 1, Lesser Whitethroat 1, Linnet 3, Robin 1, Song Thrush 1.

Sunday 17th July 2022

 

Common Blue are out & about again.

Warm southerly breeze. Southbound offshore 2 Curlew & Redshank. On site new dispersing Blackcap, Chiffchaff & Robin plus the first Yellow Wagtail of the autumn passed through.

Peak emergence time for Dusky Sallow which is a species we just get odd ones & twos of.

Ringing: 3 Linnet, 3 Starling, 1 Blackbird, 1 Blackcap, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Robin, 1 Wren.