Saturday 13th August 2022

Today's migrants on another hot day included single Garden Warbler, Pied Flycatcher, Redstart, Swallow & Willow Warbler plus a visiting Great Spotted Woodpecker. 22 Cormorant came south then in as groups are now arriving for the winter.

The first site record of Duponcuella fovealis has probably escaped from a pot plant via a Garden Centre so we ain't going to get to excited about it. The larvae can be a serious pest to horticulturalists but they will keep bringing these adventive species into the country and with the climate changing it may colonise the great outdoors.

Ringing: 1 Blue Tit, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Willow Warbler, 1 Wood Pigeon.

Friday 12th August 2022

A cloudless morning meant that despite the promising wind conditions, we had a similar day to yesterday in terms of migration. Highlights were another pied flycatcher in the compound, the first green woodpecker we've had in several days and 2 first year whitethroats. 

Dragonflies were very noticeable today, with almost double figures of migrant hawker, a southern hawker and an emperor working the net lanes.

Despite being common elsewhere, the Blood-Vein moth is scarce here. 

Ringed Birds: House Sparrow 2, Whitethroat 2. 

Thursday 11th August 2022

A very quiet day today, despite promising conditions. One pied flycatcher and a willow warbler were the only migrants of note. We still have some breeding birds, with woodpigeons taking up residence under one of our sets of steps in the compound. There are plenty of juvenile woodpigeons present around the water features. 

On the mammal front, we had our second ever record of house mouse in the observatories 40 year history. Our usual species are yellow-necked or wood mouse. During the days of military occupation they were surely more common.

                                      

Very few hawthorn moths have been noted this year.

Birds Ringed: Willow Warbler

Wednesday 10th August 2022

A couple of flocks of Cormorants have been coming in off & inland the last couple of days but difficult to know their origin.

With the winds moving around to the north-east the predicted first Pied Fly of the autumn duly arrived on cue. Another autumnal first was a Whinchat at the north end with 2 Wheatear at the southern end of the reserve the only other grounded migrants new in on, what was otherwise, a largely migrant free day.

Moth traps much quieter, despite the heat, as many of the commoner species for this time of the year are largely done & dusted. Orange Swift is an autumnal species as the days start to shorten significantly.

Ringing: 3 Starling, 1 Greenfinch, 1 House Sparrow, 1 Pied Flycatcher.
 

Tuesday 9th August 2022

Another hot and quiet day today. A few willow warblers were passing through, and yet more linnet juveniles appeared. Terns have started to feed in the river behind the observatory, quite a lot later than in previous years, it seems to be have been a late year for the three local breeding species. 

A few dragonflies were hunting the net lanes, including the first emperor in a while. 

On the moth front, Neocochylis molliculana, also known as Ox-tongue Conch, has colonised here after first being reported only a few years ago.

Birds Ringed: Linnet 2, Willow Warbler 3

Monday 9th August 2022

 Very hot and quiet today. Avian highlight was a female sparrowhawk early morning. 

A nice Jersey Tiger in the moth traps today. First recorded here in 2019, there's been an explosion of records this year, with several daily just on the observatory grounds this last two weeks. 

Birds Ringed: Robin 3, Willow Warbler 1, Wren 1

Sunday 7th August 2022

A young Stonechat was only our fifth August record which was seen to tower up at the north end and head high over the caravan site. On the move southbound 27 Swallow & 4 Redshank with northbound a Little Egret. A selection of migrants on site included 3 Willow Warbler, Garden Warbler, Wheatear and yet more visits from Great Spotted & Green Woodpecker. Difficult to know whether the Lesser Whitethroats and Whitethroats at this time of the year are birds that originate here or are migrants now starting to pass through. Chiffchaff (above) will be a wandering juv as passage doesn't get going in this species until the end of the month.

Marbled Green is a variable species common along the coast living on lichens.

Ringing: 37 Starling, 2 Dunnock, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Goldfinch, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Willow Warbler.