Saturday 1st July 2023

 

Breezy morning. Heading south 225 Swift, 8 Black-headed Gull, 8 Curlew, Common Tern & Oyk. Otherwise its the breeding birds & their offspring. A couple of broods of Red-legs have appeared so far although the mortality rate of their chicks when small is high.

Gypsonoma minutana is a nationally scarce species living on Poplars that we do okay for most years. Fresh ones, like this, can be stunning.

Ringing: 2 House Sparrow.

JUNE RINGING TOTALS 2023

 

This June was, somewhat surprisingly, significantly better for birds ringed than 2022. This despite the fact that juvenile wrens and coal tits have been fairly non existent (for now) and the numbers of blackbirds and robin juveniles have been incredibly low. This shortfall was made up for by a large number of freshly fledged linnets and goldfinches, and a higher diversity of species, 27 over last years 24. Starlings have yet to really come to the observatory, and house sparrows seem to have had a slower start. We've had some notable scarcities this month, continuing the reasonable run we've had, though the difference is we actually caught the greenish and Blyth's reed warbler, whereas the previous good birds have been observations only. 7 reed warblers is significantly up from last year, a firecrest in late June was unexpected, and a single spotted flycatcher and black redstart added to the years pretty poor total (under 4 individuals) ringed this year for both species. 

Despite lower numbers almost across the board, we still finished the month almost 70 birds above June 2022, and the higher diversity made for a more interesting month, especially as we expect this to be the month for juvenile birds and not much else.

Linnet	108
Goldfinch	31
Blue Tit	16
House Sparrow	14
Great Tit	12
Dunnock	9
Blackbird	8
Reed Warbler	7
Chiffchaff	7
Whitethroat	6
Starling	6
Woodpigeon	5
Robin	5
Lesser Whitethroat	5
Greenfinch	4
Blackcap	3
Wren	1
Willow Warbler	1
Spotted Flycatcher	2
Song Thrush	1
Nightingale	1
Greenish Warbler	1
Firecrest	1
Coal Tit	1
Chaffinch	1
Blyth's Reed Warbler	1
Black Redstart	1
Total	257

Friday 30th June 2023

More of an autumn hint in the movement today, with a couple of wader species heading south, 3 golden plover and 12 curlew, much like yesterdays black-tailed godwits, their breeding season is done for the year, though whether they're failed breeders or early returning successful breeders will remain unknown. Another sign of autumn was the return of the local peregrines, with a female carrying a woodpigeon being harassed by gulls over the reserve, before being joined by a male on the dock cranes. 

 

The Lackey is a declining species classed as 'vulnerable' on  the Red List but is doing well here in recent years.

Birds Ringed: Blue Tit 2, Goldfinch 1, House Sparrow 2, Linnet 5. 

Thursday 29th June 2023

A very wet morning meant that observations were sparse. Avian highlight was 22 back-tailed godwits flying up river, an early sign of autumn, or perhaps failed breeders returning early. 40 swifts over the car park was notable but expected in periods of unsettled weather.

Only our fifth record of Scorched Wing despite it being a common enough species inland.

Birds Ringed:0

Wednesday 28th June 2023

Southbound 8 Curlew, 2 Gannet, 2 Oyk, 2 Sandwich Tern & a Little tern which is a scarce species here this year. Also offshore at least 9 Med Gulls feeding with Black-heads & larger gulls on we know not what ? On site the only migrant was a Reed Warbler.

Bactra robustana is a nationally scarce species that wanders down here occasionally from up the river estuaries.

Ringing: 6 Linnet, 2 House Sparrow, 2 Whitethroat, 1 Blackbird, 1 Goldfinch, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Reed Warbler.

Tuesday 27th June 2023

A good day for young birds, an influx of new goldfinch and house sparrow juveniles. Also a young whitethroat paid us a visit. Observations were pretty standard, with most of the regulars represented. Our local fox is still keeping the rabbits on their toes, even paying some of our observers a visit in the compound this morning. 

 

Large Tabby lives in buildings and only rarely comes into the traps.

Birds Ringed: Blue Tit 1, Dunnock 1, Goldfinch 8, House Sparrow 7, Linnet 4, Whitethroat 1.

Monday 26th June 2023

Now as June draws to a close we approach the quiet time for birds, with many young having fledged and many individuals starting their post breeding or post juvenile moult and as a result becoming much more secretive. Thankfully other taxa are just getting started. Moths, butterflies and dragonflies are much more abundant currently with the hot and sunny weather, and other taxa such as grasshoppers are yet to really take off. 12 species of butterfly were present on the reserve today, with the skippers finally having emerged in force, with small, Essex and large on the wing.

Channel Island Pug was recorded here for the first time last year. Much like buses, they've since turned up twice in the last week.

Birds Ringed: Goldfinch 2.

Sunday 25th June 2023

Southbound 7 Teal, 6 Sandwich Tern & 3 Curlew. Reed Warbler is todays on site migrant which needs to find its breeding locale soon or it will have left it to late for this year. Amongst the dispersing baby birds the first Great Spotted Woodpecker of the 'autumn' wandering for its own vacant site to settle down in.

First Langmaid's Yellow Underwing for the season. First noted in 2004 it has been annual in increasing numbers since 2017 & has undoubtedly colonised.

Ringing: 3 Linnet, 2 Goldfinch,1 Blue Tit, 1 Dunnock, 1 Great Tit, 1 House Sparrow, 1 Reed Warbler, 1 Whitethroat.