Saturday 28th December 2024

 

The ongoing grey, murky conditions continue, although it cleared offshore for a brief while to see southbound 2 Mallard, 2 Shoveler, Brent, Goldeneye & Oyk with northbound 6 Common Scoter. 7 Teal & a Common Scoter were sat offshore. 14 Fieldfare & 3 Lapwing on the reserve soon departed as walkers got out, despite the gloom. Rock Pipit & Turnstone on the point.

Friday 27th December 2024

 

The weather is in the doldrums at the moment. Flat calm, with the damp mist getting 'warser & warser', in Suffolk speak, as the morning has gone on. Single Fieldfare & Redwing plus the usual Rock Pipit on the point. The visibility did improve very briefly at one point to see 9 Shelduck fly past plus 18 Common Scoter, 2 Wigeon & a Teal sat on the sea.

Thursday 26th December 2024

 

Another misty, dank, dreich morning. If these weather conditions continue we are in danger of running out of adjectives & superlatives to describe it. 360 Cormorant went out fishing almost 40 minutes later than on a clear morning earlier in the week suggesting that they are not impressed with the poor visibility either. Offshore 17 Common Scoter plus 4 Shoveler that upped it and headed south. Rock Pipit on the point but no migrants encountered.

Wednesday 25th December 2024

 

Grim, misty, murky, damp, gloomy & generally unpleasant conditions didn't prevent 8 Fieldfare & a Redwing turning up. That's your lot.

RINGING RECOVERIES

Song Thrush ringed LBO 17th October 2024 was "hunted" 693 km away at Arceau, Saint-Pierre-d'Oleron, Charente-Maritime, France reported on 11th November 2024. This will be a continental bred bird ringed here on autumn migration that has probably ended up inPâté de grives. The location is an island roughly half way down the French coast along the Bay of Biscay. 

Great Tit ringed LBO 20th September 2024 was retrapped nine days later at Trimley Marshes.

Tuesday 24th December 2024

 

499 Cormorant went out fishing. 18 Fieldfare at dawn soon left so probably arrived overnight and roosted here + another 2 arrived mid-morning. Single Skylark went south late morning. Offshore southbound 9 Wigeon, 5 Shelduck, 3 Brent, 2 Red-breasted Merganser, 2 Red-throated Diver & Common Scoter. An additional 24 Common Scoter were offshore, 2 Rock Pipit & 2 Turnstone were on the point & 8 Linnet put in a brief appearance (which they are inclined to do on mild days in the winter).

Monday 23rd December 2024

 

570 Cormorant went out plus 380 in from the north almost an hour later. 2 Fieldfare & a Skylark in off the sea are today's migrants. Otherwise same old same old with very little offshore movement, 9 Common Scoter sat on the sea, Rock Pipit & Turnstone on the point. We are past the shortest day so a Red-leg was advertising it's presence pre-dawn (don't see them much in the winter as they spend a lot of time walking around in the Fort when its closed).

Sunday 22nd December 2024

Bright n' windy. 455 Cormorant went out early with another 350 coming in  from the north nearly an hour later. Southbound 20 Red-throated Diver, 3 Shelduck & 2 Brent with northbound 6 Red-throats, Guillemot & Shelduck. 9 Common Scoter were sat offshore. This is only our second Guillemot record of the year with the previous one back in January - last century they were offshore in small numbers all winter with fewer and fewer being noted over the years.