Saturday 3rd July 2024

Yesterday's pied flycatcher reappeared late morning today behind the Observatory kitchen. A reed warbler was the other passerine migrant of note. Waders were more varied with an avocet, 4 golden plover and a grey plover joining 6 curlew and 27 oystercatchers moving south. 

The star of the morning however wasn't a bird, but a Large Conehead, a member of the grasshopper/cricket family. A first for the site, it's a recent colonist in Britain, having established itself in the south in the last 30 years from the continent. 

Sandhill Rustic is a nationally scarce species with this form restricted to an area from North Kent to the South Suffolk coast.

Birds Ringed: Reed Warbler 1.  

Friday 2nd August 2024

Essex Skippers are on their last legs now. 

A promising wind direction before an unpredicted heavy rain shower brought in the second sedge warbler and the first pied flycatcher of the autumn amongst a handful of willow warblers and dispersing young robins. Another yellow wagtail was on site, before this brief rush of interesting migrants dried up as the day warmed up.

A couple of Dark Crimson Underwings have shown up this week. First noted here in 2011 and recorded in 5 years since.

Birds Ringed: Pied Flycatcher 1, Robin 2, Sedge Warbler 1, Willow Warbler 1. 

Thursday 1st August 2024

A quiet day, despite promising easterly winds. Highlights were a yellow wagtail perched on the Obs antennae and a summering brent goose heading out to sea. 

More an insect day, with another brown hawker in the compound, joining migrant hawkers, emperors and a black-tailed skimmer. Butterflies are making the most of the hot weather, with common blue, brown Argus, meadow brown and gatekeeper all in good numbers.

Small Fan-footed Wave is a fairly common species that only rarely visits us. 

Birds Ringed: Wren 1. 

 

July Ringing Totals

 

A paltry 138 new birds of 26 species were ringed, although this is only slightly lower than last years poor return. The Wren total indicates that they have churned some young out this year whereas the Linnet total is our lowest ever July figure by some margin. 5 Grey Wags is a July record with the three young Cetti's, Common Sand & juv Nightingale (above) also worth a mention.

Wednesday 31st July 2024

Hot & breezy. Southbound 18 Common Scoter, 18 Teal & 2 Sandwich Tern with northbound Common Scoter, Common Scoter, Common Tern & Gannet. A single Willow Warbler was the only grounded migrant. Worth a mention is a Sparrowhawk with a vole as its prey item. 

We only have a couple of previous records of Pigmy Footman which is classified as a "near threatened" nationally rare species.

Ringing: 1 Willow Warbler. 

Tuesday 30th July 2024

A very warm and humid morning seems to have slowed any migration right down. Birds of note include the second sedge warbler of the autumn, yesterdays or another wheatear out on the reserve and a lapwing north. 

Still more young birds emerging, which is always a positive, even if the numbers aren't what they used to be. 

Tree-lichen Beauty was first noted in 2003 and has now colonised.

Birds Ringed: Dunnock 1, Linnet 3, Sedge Warbler 1, Wren 1. 

 

Monday 29th July2024

Another warm and bright morning, but with some highlights. A marsh harrier flew south, probably a dispersing juvenile, and another great spotted woodpecker and coal tit were in the observatory compound. A common sandpiper managed to find its way into the Heligoland trap and became only the 4th of the species to be ringed here and the first in 14 years. Yet more dunnock and wren juveniles are emerging or making their way down to us, and a young linnet was a welcome sight for a species that doesn't seem to have done well this year.  

 

Rosy Footman is a widespread species that only rarely visits us. 

Birds Ringed: Common Sandpiper 1, Dunnock 1, Great Tit 1, Linnet 1, Wren 1.

Sunday 28th July 2024

 

Southbound 60 Black-headed gull, 14 Swallow, 5 Cormorant, 3 Little Egret, 2 Common Gull, 2 Redshank & Oyk. Single Willow Warbler only grounded migrant although worth a mention is the fact that several Lesser Whitethroat are becoming more visible on site. In the breeding bird department Wren has had a very good year.

First site record of Apple Leaf Skeletoniser which is a species only occasionally seen in Suffolk.

Ringing: 10 Starling, 1 Dunnock, 1 Robin, 1 Wren.