Saturday 14th June 2025

 

This Ringo is on 5 eggs - 4 is the norm & only once in over 40 years of monitoring here has a clutch of five been noted before. Egg dumping by another female ? or just an ambitious pair ?

Southbound 30 Curlew & 5 Whimbrel exemplifies the fact that autumn passage is well under way for these species, whereas a Sanderling on the beach at high tide is probably still battling it's way north to breed. A Grey Heron south will be juvenile dispersal. Also on the move northbound 11 Sandwich Tern, 4 Med Gull & 3 Common Scoter. A visiting Jay was a bit unexpected as we have only eight previous June records, with several of them in the same season suggesting the same individual. A juvenile Grey Wagtail surely hasn't come from far away to get here - but from where ? One thing that is apparent from the ringing studies this summer is that Tits have churned out plenty of offspring that are now wandering off widely on their own.

Only the second site record of Marbled White Spot with the only previous one in 2017. It's not a rare species but probably is just not prone to wandering.

Ringing: 9 Great Tit, 5 Blue Tit, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Linnet, 1 Wren.

Friday 13th June 2025

A humid start as Landguard was covered in a layer of dew which soon evaporated off in the Summer heat. 5 Swift were feeding out the back of the compound early morning and a Sparrowhawk was sending the Starling flocks in to chaos. Meanwhile Ornate Tailed Digger Wasps have been really active in their holes outside the office. They seem to have a preference for the digging in the hardest substrate they can find. 

Other migrants include 1 Common Tern, 9 Curlew, 4 Sandwich Tern and 5 Swallow. 1 Buzzard high over the docks.

A wanderer to our shores - the foodplant of Scotia adelphella, White Willow, isn't found on site.

Ringing: 1 Blackbird, 4 Blue tit, 1 Dunnock, 2 Great Tit, 1 House Sparrow.

Thursday 12th June 2025

 

Few migrants include 2 Sandwich Tern, 1 Sand Martin, 2 Swallow and 1 Swift so naturally some of the focus shifted towards inverts. Essex Skipper started to appear yesterday and was seen again in today's sunshine. Early afternoon a couple Green-eyed Hawkers also appeared. An abundance too of Meadow Brown and Small Heath.

Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix is another moth that suddenly appeared here in the year 2000 despite being common all over Suffolk.

Ringing: 1 Blue Tit, 1 Great Tit, 1 Wren.

Wednesday 11th June 2025

A struggle today to spot any migrants but we are course moving further in to June. Out of the ordinary 1 Coal Tit, 3 Collared Dove and 1 Greenfinch. Offshore the usual Med Gull and Kittiwake passing and 3 Curlew South. All eyes today were in the moth trap as we claimed another first site record.

Goat Moth is a BAP priority species and is scarce in Suffolk. The larvae can feed on wood up to 5 years before leaving their holes to pupate.

Ringing: Coal Tit 1, Great Tit 2, 1 Wren.

Tuesday 10th June 2025

 Strong South-westerlies today - seems to be a running theme which has played out far too long but thankfully that's due to change tomorrow! 1 Grey Wagtail flushed off the top this morning. Offshore 2 Tufted Ducks heading South don't often make the day list and a late Brent Goose heading North looking a bit worse for wear. Also 4 Curlew, 1 House Martin, 4 Pied Wag and 7 Swallow.

The odd Dark Sword-grass has been a bit of a saving grace from the absence of many migrant moth species this year. Hopefully due to change with tomorrows' Easterlies.

Ringing: 1 Blue tit, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Dunnock, 1 Great tit, 1 Robin, 1 Wren. 

Monday 9th June 2025

 

Someone's aviary didn't stand up to yesterday's gale as this Laughing Dove turned up. The only previous site record was a brief visitor on 26th May 2001.

Grounded migrants were 3 Reed Warbler & a Chiffchaff with southbound 5 Swallow, House Martin & Swift. Otherwise it's baby bird time. Some Lesser Whitethroat & Whitethroat are busy feeding young whereas others are singing there heads off.

Shore Wainscott is a nationally scarce species that has increased here due to its foodplant, Marram Grass, increasing in quantity.

Ringing: 2 Great Tit, 2 Reed Warbler, 2 Wren, 1 Blue Tit, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Linnet.
  

Sunday 8th June 2025

 

Strong, cool WNW wind not pleasant for the time of the year. 12 Swift went north with southbound 5 House Martin & 4 Swallow. Offshore equally tedious with southbound 4 Black-headed Gull, 3 Oyk, 2 Med Gull, Little Egret & Sandwich Tern with northbound 8 Common Scoter & Sandwich Tern + 2 Little Tern fishing offshore for a brief while. No migrants noted on site apart from those settled into breed.

Paltry selection of moths this morning, as predicted in these chilly, windy conditions did include this Lackey, which is a a declining species categorised as "vulnerable" on the Red List.

Ringing: nil.