Ringing Recoveries

Wood Pigeon ringed LBO 14th September 2022 was taken by a raptor 11 km away at Nacton 14th August 2025

Reed Warbler ringed LBO 21st August 2025 was retrapped at Trimley five days later.

Blue Tit ringed LBO 7th September 2023 was retrapped 14 km away at Alderton 28th August 2025 is probably nesting somewhere near this site.

Chiffchaff ringed LBO 22nd April 2024 was retrapped 174 km away at Stanford Reservoir, Northants 26th September 2025 would be on migration through both sites when caught.

Reed Warbler ringed Hollesley 26th July 2025 was retrapped 17 km away at LBO 8th August 2025

Nightingale ringed Hollesley 30th July 2025 was retrapped 17 km at LBO 16th August 2025

Great Tit ringed Trimley 5th September 2025 was retrapped at LBO 28th September 2025

Great Tit ringed Witnesham, Suffolk was retrapped 20 km at LBO 10th October 2025

Chiffchaff ringed Iken, Suffolk 20th September 2025 was retrapped 30 km away at LBO 7th October 2025 would be on autumn migration through both sites.

Saturday 11th October 2025

 

Nearly every morning for the past couple weeks somebody has piped up and said 'Where's this Yellow-browed Warbler then?' Et voila! It has spent most the day chilling in the Sycamore outside the kitchen. Not much else out the ordinary but a reasonable day for Blackcap and Chiffchaff whilst still more Song Thrush coming through. Other migrants include 1 Brambling, 5 Chaffinch, 3 Goldcrest, 1 Greenfinch, 4 Meadow Pipit, 2 Redpoll, 6 Redwing and 4 Skylark. Offshore 2 Eider and a Red-throated Diver.

Double banger today! A new site moth Epinotia caprana. There are very few Suffolk records.

Ringing: 9 Blackcap, 1 Blue Tit, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 7 Chiffchaff, 1 Goldcrest, 6 Long-tailed Tit, 3 Redwing, 1 Song Thrush, 1 Yellow-browed Warbler.

Friday 10th October 2025

 

Short-eared Owl on the prowl.

A notable arrival of Song Thrush over night whilst new flocks of Tits continue to pour in! This morning's Short-eared Owl didn't stay long before it decided to check out what was happening in Essex. Out to sea 33 Brent Goose went south - we are still waiting for our big Brent day. 222 Goldfinch, 14 Skylark and 26 Meadow Pipit observed heading Southbound. Other migrants 5 Blackcap, 20 Chiffchaff, 1 Goldcrest, 21 Redpoll, 1 Redwing, 3 Rock Pipit, 2 Snipe, 32 Siskin and 2 Swallow.

Offshore 1 Curlew, 1 Eider, 1 Gannet, 2 Sandwich Tern, 1 Shelduck, 1 Turnstone and 12 Wigeon.

Cypress Carpet first turned up 15 years ago and has since colonised the Cypress Trees in Felixstowe. Occasionally we get a wanderer down here.

Ringing: 1 Blackbird, 9 Blackcap, 12 Blue Tit, 1 Chaffinch, 7 Chiffchaff, 1 Dunnock, 4 Great Tit, 6 Long-tailed Tit, 1 Magpie, 1 Meadow Pipit, 2 Robin, 6 Song Thrush, 1 Wren,

Thursday 9th October 2025

17 Chaffinch joined us over night and were making themselves heard as they left their roost site this chilly morning. At least a couple Redwing around at first light too. Vismig today mostly dominated by 60 Skylark and 170 Goldfinch southbound but still 33 Meadow Pipit passing over. Also moving through today 3 Blackcap, 18 Chiffchaff, 7 Goldcrest, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Greenfinch, 2 Grey Wagtail, 6 Redpoll, 1 Rock Pipit, 3 Siskin, 1 Snipe, 5 Song Thrush, 2 Stonechat and 10 Swallow.

Mottled Rustic is appearing in the autumn in small numbers in recent years having traditionally been finished by early August

Ringing: 2 Blackcap, 4 Blue Tit, 5 Chaffinch, 10 Chiffchaff, 2 Goldfinch, 4 Great Tit, 1 Lesser Redpoll, 1 Redwing, 2 Robin, 1 Song Thrush, 1 Wren. 

 

Wednesday 8th October 2025

Couldn't sleep last night? Blame it on yesterday's full moon whilst today the 8th, the moon is at its closest point to earth in its monthly cycle.

But let's not digress too much there are birds to count! Not quite the numbers observed over the last couple days but a further 63 Goldfinch, 53 Meadow Pipit, and 23 Skylark Southbound. Still 3 Stonechat and a late Common Whitethroat seen towards the northern end of the reserve. Other migrants 8 Chaffinch, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 3 Grey Wagtail, 3 Goldcrest and 10 Swallow. Early afternoon another flock of Long-tailed Tit passed through. 

Offshore 5 Brent Geese, 2 Egyptian Goose, 1 Gannet, 2 Med Gull, 1 Red-throated Diver, 2 Ringed Plover, 2 Sandwich Tern and 2 Shelduck.

First Large Wainscott of the Autumn; a reed bed specialist which sometimes wanders down here.

Ringing: 1 Blackbird, 14 Blackcap, 6 Blue Tit, 2 Cetti's Warbler, 13 Chiffchaff, 1 Goldcrest, 4 Great Tit, 1 Grey Wagtail, 7 Long-tailed Tit, 1 Meadow Pipit, 1 Wren.

Tuesday 7th October 2025

All that hovering must get tiring but there's plenty of vantage points by the dock for Kez.

Another reasonable day for vismig as a further 247 Goldfinch, 231 Meadow Pipit and 186 Siskin moved through. Yesterdays Firecrest was seen making it's way around the observatory. Plenty of Chiffchaff and Blackcap to keep the ringing room busy throughout the day and a very late Whitethroat made an appearance. Also on the move were 1 Brambling, 2 Cetti's Warbler, 4 Chaffinch, 15 Redpoll, 3 Redwing, 1 Reed Bunting, 2 Rock Pipit, 3 Rook, 31 Skylark, 8 Song Thrush and 20 Swallow.

Offshore 10 Brent Goose, 7 Cormorant, 1 Common Tern, 1 Common Scoter, 1 Gannet, 1 Red-throated Diver and 1 Shelduck.

White-speck is an infrequent migrant noted in 10 previous years.

Ringing: 19 Blackcap, 8 Blue Tit, 2 Cetti's Warbler, 28 Chiffchaff, 4 Goldcrest, 2 Great Tit, 4 Meadow Pipit, 2 Lesser Redpoll, 1 Redwing, 1 Robin, 4 Song Thrush, 1 Whitethroat, 3 Wren.

 

Monday 6th October 2025

 

Another day, another Glossy Ibis. More vis mig with southbound 357 Mipit, 322 Goldfinch, 67 Redpoll, 66 Siskin, 43 Skylark, 33 Chaffinch, 16 Swallow, 12 House Martin, 7 Shelduck, 2 Oyk, 2 Ringos, Brent, Crossbill, Grey Wag, Sandwich Tern, Turnstone & Woodlark. A juv Gannet circling over the observatory was a bit odd. On site the first Firecrest & Kingfisher of the autumn plus 25 Mipit, 10 Chiffchaff, 6 Blackcap, 6 Greenfinch, 3 Goldcrest, 2 Reed Bunting, Chaffinch Stock Dove, Stonechat, Wheatear & what is presumably yesterday's Dartford Warbler appeared late morning.

Oak Rustic first turned up six years back & has, presumably, colonised the Holm Oaks.

Ringing: 11 Lesser Redpoll, 5 Chiffchaff, 2 Blackcap, 1 Dunnock, 1 Firecrest, 1 Goldcrest, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Robin, 1 Wren.

Sunday 5th October 2025

 

Yesterday's gale still going slowly abated later during the day. Several species took the opportunity to go for it with vis mig southbound 468 Mipit, 375 Goldfinch, 105 Linnet, 66 Black-headed Gull, 18 Siskin, 17 Crossbill, 11 Skylark, 9 House Martin,8 Pied Wag, 7 Common Gull, 5 Swallow, 3 Brent, 3 Med Gull, Arctic Tern, Marsh Harrier & Wigeon. On site 40 Mipit, 6 Long-tailed Tit, 4 Blackcap, 4 Chiffchaff, 4 Goldcrest, 2 Wheatear, Chaffinch, Dartford Warbler (16th site record), Merlin (that departed north), Reed Bunting & Turnstone.

Ringing: 4 Blackcap, 4 Goldcrest.