Tuesday 3rd November 2026

Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris). 4 birds in front of the observatory for the past few days. 

Showers from dawn, with wind building from the NNE. 1 Swallow feeding around the observatory and a Chiffchaff inside the compound. Across the site: 3 Mealy Redpoll and 2 Firecrest. 1 Short-Eared Owl on the beach early morning, 2 Ringed Plover, 11 Lapwing in front of the observatory early morning. 1 Rock Pipit near the point.  

Visible migration: 

South: 27 Shelduck, 22 Common Scoter, 8 Eider, 6 Wigeon, 2 Common Gull, 2 Oystercatcher, 2 Red-throated Diver. 

North: 114 Common Scoter, 10 Brent Goose, 7 Cormorant, 5 Gannet, 5 Wigeon, 3 Little Gull, 3 Shelduck, 1 Curlew, 1 Kittiwake, 1 Oystercatcher and a Teal. 

East: 21 Cormorant. 

Feeding offshore: 35 Great Black-backed Gull, 8 Black-headed Gull, 2 Cormorant, 1 Mediterranean Gull. 

Moth trapping: 8 moth species between our 3 traps. 

Bird Ringing: 4 Blackbird and 1 Mealy Redpoll. 

Monday 2nd November 2026

Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita). Good to see a small number still on site. 

A mostly sunny morning with a stronger NW wind and showers late morning. 1 Brambling mobile inside the compound, alongside 3 Chiffchaff and a Firecrest. 3 Fieldfare in front of the observatory. 1 Mealy Redpoll feeding in dunes. 2 Black Redstart across the reserve and fort. 4 Turnstone, 1 Rock Pipit and an Oystercatcher on the point. 

Visible migration: 

South: 132 Common Scoter, 46 Wigeon, 34 Brent Goose, 30 Shoveler, 15 Pintail, 13 Cormorant, 10 Meadow Pipit, 4 Lapwing, 3 Stock Dove, 2 Red-throated Diver, 2 Shelduck, 1 Mallard, 1 Pied Wagtail and a Rock Pipit.  

North: 62 Common Scoter, 16 Cormorant, 3 Wigeon, 2 Little Gull, 1 Grey Plover, 1 Pintail, a Red-throated Diver and a Shelduck. 

West: 2 Cormorant. 

Arriving in: 304 Starling. 

Feeding offshore: 300 Herring Gull, 80 Great Black-backed Gull, 4 Common Gull, 4 Common Scoter and a Gannet. 

Moth trapping: 7 species between our 3 traps. Here's a nice comparison below, between different morphs of the Red-headed Chestnut. 

Red-headed Chestnut (Conistra erythrocephala), dark and light morphs. 

Bird ringing: 6 Blackbird, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Redwing, 2 Robin, 2 Song Thrush, 1 Barn Owl, 1 Blue Tit, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Goldcrest, 1 Kestrel, 1 Mealy Redpoll.  

Sunday 1st November 2026

Fairly classic start to November with 40 Blackbird, 8 Chaffinch, 7 Redwing, 4 Redpoll, 4 Songies, 3 Woodcock, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Fieldfare, 2 Goldcrest, Blackcap & Firecrest. 17 Lapwing were on the reserve first thing, Black Red on the Fort, Purp & Rock Pipit on the point. Southbound 67 Brent, 7 Shoveler, 4 Shelduck & Oyk.

Feathered Thorn is a classic late autumn species that failed to put in an appearance last year so good to get one.

Ringing: 19 Blackbird, 3 Lesser Redpoll, 2 Redwing, 2 Robin, 1 Blackcap, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Dunnock, 1 Goldcrest, 1 Woodcock.

October 2026 ringing total

Mealy redpoll (Acanthis flammea flammea). 

677 Birds of 34 species which is on par with recent years, following a recently busy autumn last year with 1051 birds, owing to good numbers of Goldcrest which have only just started arriving in the past week. First Barn Owl for 30 years ringed. 

Species	Total ringed
Robin	100
Blackbird	89
Long-tailed Tit	66
Song Thrush	65
Goldcrest	52
Blackcap	51
Chiffchaff	51
Chaffinch	38
Blue Tit	27
Meadow Pipit	24
Great Tit	18
Wren	18
Firecrest	12
Redwing	10
Woodpigeon	7
Lesser Redpoll	11
Goldfinch	6
Dunnock	5
Cetti's Warbler	4
Jay	4
Brambling	3
Grey Wagtail	2
House Sparrow	2
Barn Owl	1
Black Redstart	1
Common Redpoll	2
Great Spotted Woodpecker	1
Greenfinch	1
Lesser Whitethroat	1
Linnet	1
Magpie	1
Siskin	1
Sparrowhawk	1
Yellow-browed Warbler	1
Grand total	677

Saturday 31st October 2026

Peregrine (Falco peregrinus).

A clear morning with an ESE wind. A Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Siskin, 1 Chiffchaff and a Black Redstart within the compound. Another Black Redstart on the reserve and also 1 Woodcock flushed over the road. 1 Snipe on the reserve.  

Visible migration:

South: 647 Brent Goose, 150 Teal, 77 Goldfinch, 75 Wigeon, 38 Meadow Pipit, 35 Woodpigeon, 26 Linnet, 26 Starling, 24 Pintail, 23 Common Scoter, 16 Chaffinch, 12 Redwing, 11 Skylark, 5 Pied Wagtail, 3 Reed Bunting, 2 Redpoll, 2 Shoveler, 1 Brambling and a Rock Pipit.   

North: 3 Oystercatcher.  

Feeding offshore: 2 Common Scoter, 1 Great Crested Grebe and a Red-throated Diver.   

Moth trapping: 12 Species between our 3 traps this morning.

Bird ringing: 15 Blackbird, 6 Long-tailed Tit, 4 Robin, 2 Goldcrest, 1 Black Redstart, 1 Blue Tit, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Chaffinch, 1 Meadow Pipit, 1 Redwing, 1 Song Thrush.  

Friday 30th October 2026

A sunny morning with a ESE wind. 1 Hawfinch late morning inside the compound, also inside the compound: 1 Firecrest, 1 Green Woodpecker and 2 Black Redstart on top of the fort. On the beach a Purple Sandpiper, a Turnstone and an Oystercatcher. 

Overhead migration: 86 Goldfinch, 66 Woodpigeon, 35 Stock Dove, 32 Starling, 24 Chaffinch, 18 Linnet, 16 Skylark, 11 Meadow Pipit, 10 Brambling, 10 Redwing, 9 Reed Bunting, 5 Pied Wagtail, 4 Greenfinch, 2 Fieldfare, 2 Rook, 2 Sparrowhawk, 1 Rock Pipit, 1 Song Thrush, all south.

Seawatching: 

South: 46 Wigeon, 34 Teal, 28 Brent goose, 18 Pintail, 9 Common Scoter, 9 Shelduck, 6 Black-headed Gull, 4 Cormorant, 4 Common Gull, 1 Red-throated Diver,   

North: 3 Cormorant, 1 Grey Plover, 1 Red-throated Diver. 

West (up river): 12 Cormorant

East then south (out from the river): 1 White-fronted Goose

Moth trapping: 11 species of moths between our 3 traps. Moth of the morning is the Gem, a regular scarce immigrant all this time in the Autumn. 

The Gem (Orthonama obstipata).

Bird ringing: 16 Goldcrest, 17 Blackbird, 10 Long-tailed Tit, 4 Blue Tit, 2 Song Thrush, 2 Wren, 1 Blackcap, 2 Chaffinch, 1 Firecrest, 1 Goldfinch, 1 Great Tit, 1 Song Thrush, 1 Meadow Pipit.

Thursday 29th October 2026

Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe). 

Clear with little wind, very slight W turning to SSE. Inside the compound 3 Chiffchaff and 3 flocks of Long-tailed Tits over the duration of the day. On the reserve: 1 Black Redstart, 1 Yellowhammer and a Wheatear.3 Turnstone, 2 Rock Pipit, 1 Purple Sandpiper and an Oystercatcher on the beach. 

Overhead migration: 18020 Woodpigeon, 226 Stock Dove, 165 Goldfinch, 55 Chaffinch, 41 Skylark, 35 Linnet, 32 Meadow Pipit, 15 Song Thrush, 14 Greenfinch, 10 Brambling, 7 Blackbird, 5 Pied Wagtail, 5 Swallow, 5 Siskin, 4 Woodlark, 3 Reed Bunting, 2 Mistle Thrush, all south. 109 Starling off the sea. 

Seawatching: 

South: 27 Cormorant, 9 Shelduck, 6 Black-headed Gull, 4 Egyption Goose, 3 Brent Goose, 2 Great Black-backed Gull, 2 Grey Heron, 1 Common Scoter

West: 1 Great White Egret. 

Moth Trapping: 17 moth species present between our 3 traps. Turnip is a common species that we forget to feature as moth of the day. 

Turnip (Agrotis segetum).

Bird ringing: 36 Long-tailed Tit, 5 Blackbird, 2 Blue Tit, 2 Great Tit, 2 Meadow Pipit, 1 Chaffinch, 1 Dunnock, 1 Robin, 1 Magpie, 1 Woodpigeon, 1 Wren. 

Wednesday 28th October 2026

Busy vis mig with minimum figures southbound 18,344 Wood Pigeon, 770 Goldfinch, 709 Stock Dove, 460 Starling, 184 Chaffinch, 171 Mipit, 128 Linnet, 54 Skylark, 45 Siskin, 25 Swallow, 23 Greenfinch, 15 Redpoll, 13 Rook, 12 Brambling, 11 Jackdaw, 11 Woodlark, 10 Reed Bunting, 6 Pied Wag, 2 Heron, Curlew, Great Northern Diver & Little Gull. Offshore movements quiet. On site less hectic, at least 40 Mipit, 3 Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Ring Ouzel, Black Red, Fieldfare, Long-eared Owl, Mealy Redpoll, Mistle Thrush, Reed Bunting, Rock Pipit, Song Thrush, Wheatear & a couple of new Blackies. 3 Peregrine had "fun" tormenting the Pigeons. 2 Clouded Yellow butterflies were on the Butts mid-day.

Ringing: 5 Lesser Redpoll, 3 Blackcap, 3 Meadow Pipit, 2 Blackbird, 2 Chaffinch, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Great Tit, 1 Mealy Redpoll, 1 Robin, 1 Song Thrush, 1 Wood Pigeon.

Tuesday 27th October 2026

Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola). 

Overcast with a S wind, fine drizzle then showers late morning. Inside the compound 2 Chiffchaff, 1 Blackcap and a Firecrest. On the nature reserve: 2 Rock Pipit, 2 Skylark, 1 Stonechat and 1 Wheatear. 

Overhead migration: 25 Meadow Pipit, 24 Siskin, 10 Linnet 8 Goldfinch, 5 Woodpigeon, 4 Pied Wagtail, 1 Greenfinch, 1 Swallow, all south.

826 Starling off the sea then West. 

Seawatching: 

South: 30 Wigeon, 17 Shelduck, 8 Cormorant, 6 Little Gull, 3 Grey Plover, 2 Tufted Duck, 1 Arctic Skua, 1 Brent Goose and a Common Gull.  

North: 2 Common Gull, 2 Gannet, 1 Arctic Skua and a Red-throated Diver.

East: 1 Cormorant and an Oystercatcher

West: 1 Cormorant. 

Feeding offshore: 4 Common Scoter, 2 Kittiwake, 1 Mediterranean Gull

Moth trapping: 5 moth species between our 3 traps. 

Bird ringing: 2 Robin, 1 Blackbird, 1 Blackcap, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Wood Pigeon.

Monday 26th October 2026

2 Ring Ouzel (Turdus torquatus) seen on the butts this morning. 

An overcast morning with SW wind and rain late morning. 3 Ring Ouzel on the butts, 1 Stonechat and 1 Wheatear, 3 Rock Pipit and 11 Pied Wagtail out on the reserve. 4 Firecrest, 6 Goldcrest, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Blackcap, a Common Redpoll and a Redwing. 9 Greenfinch, 3 Collared Dove, 2 Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel and a Peregrine on site. 2 Turnstone near the point. 

Above head migration, 6230 Woodpigeon,  910 Goldfinch, 167 Linnet, 139 Stock Dove, 126 Meadow Pipit, 118 Chaffinch, 30 Skylark, 20 Brambling, 19 Siskin, 17 Starling, 9 Pied Wagtail, 7 Rock Pipit, 6 Reed Bunting, 5 Lesser Redpoll, 3 Jackdaw, all South

Seawatching: 

North: 2 Cormorant. 

South: 24 Black-headed Gull, 16 Dunlin, 9 Wigeon, 2 Cormorant, 2 Shelduck, 1 Brent Goose and a Curlew. 

West: 2 Cormorant. 

Feeding offshore: 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1 Great Black-backed Gull and a Mediterranean Gull. 

Moth trapping: 4 moth species between our 3 traps. Moth of the morning goes to the Oak Rustic, which first turned up in 2019 and has colonised the holm oaks. 

Oak Rustic Mesapamea secalis. 

Bird ringing: 2 Blackcap, 2 Firecrest, 2 Goldfinch, 2 Wren, 1 Blackbird, 1 Common Redpoll, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Lesser Redpoll, 1 Song Thrush.    

Sunday 25th October 2026

 

Gales gusting up to Force 9 are not conducive to easy birding. This didn't prevent 1,101 Woodies & 31 Stock Dove moving south. Worth a mention are 3 Swallow south, Little Egret, Marsh Harrier & Stonechat plus some lingering crests from recent days. A Wheatear was our first since 3rd October.

Moth trapping a waste of time. A tatty Common Blue is still lingering at the northern end of the reserve.

Ringing: 1 Blackbird, 1 Goldfinch, 1 House Sparrow, 1 Wood Pigeon.

Saturday 24th October 2026

2 Peregrines (Falco peregrinus) on the cranes of the port. 2 Peregrines were seen over the observatory today.

W winds. 1 Greenfinch within the compound heading south then turned back around. 1 Waxwing seen changing from south to North. 1 Brambling out on the reserve. 2 Peregrine over the observatory. 1 Turnstone on the beach. 2 Stonechat on the reserve then south. 

Overhead migration:  846 Wood Pigeon, 439 Goldfinch, 211 Meadow Pipit, 137 Skylark, 125 Linnet, 60 Chaffinch, 8 Swallow, 7 Siskin, 5 Rock Pipit, 3 Reed Bunting, 1 Shorelark, all south. 

Seawatching: 

North: 26 Cormorant and 6 Brent Goose. 

South: 23 Black headed Gull, 9 Teal, 7 Brent Goose, 6 Wigeon, 4 Shelduck, 1 Greylag Goose, 1 Red-throated Diver and a Pintail. 

Feeding offshore: 36 Great Black-backed Gull and 4 Common Gull. 

Moth trapping: 4 moth species present between our 3 traps. Moth of the morning is the Green-brindled Crescent, which occurs in low numbers at this time of the year.  

Green-brindled Crescent (Allophyes oxyacanthae). 

Bird ringing: 2 Blue Tit, 2 Firecrest, 2 Goldcrest, 1 Blackbird, 1 Chaffinch, 1 Greenfinch, 1 Jay, 1 Robin, 1 Song Thrush, 1 Wren.                          

Friday 23rd October 2026

Today brings the first named storm of the Autumn, Storm Austen, producing strong winds from the SSE, and rain by mid morning. A Greenfinch seen flying in front of the observatory and a Firecrest recaught in a mist net.  

Seawatching: - challenging conditions with mist and rain.  

South: 5 Common Scoter, 4 Brent Goose, 3 Red-throated Diver, 2 Common Gull, 2 Shelduck, 2 Wigeon, Arctic Skua and a Curlew.

North: 9 Cormorant, 6 Common Scoter, 4 Gannet, 2 Gadwall, 2 Goosander, 1 Great Skua(Bonxie), 1 Little Gull and a Red-throated Diver.

West: 1 Cormorant.

Feeding offshore: 41 Great Black-backed Gull, 2 Common Scoter and 2 Mediterranean Gull.

 Moth trapping: 13 Species recorded between our 3 traps this morning. Moth of the morning goes to the Red-headed Chestnut, which is an immigrant from the continent, noted on only a handful of previous occasions.

Red-headed Chestnut (Conistra erythrocephala).

Bird ringing: 1 Blackbird, 1 Blackcap, 1 Goldcrest, 1 Robin, 1 Song Thrush. 

Thursday 22nd October 2026

Jay (Garrulus glandarius). Garrulus is latin for noisy and glandarius refers to acorns, their main diet, with birds caching around 5 thousand acorns per bird - BTO.  

A bright and blustery morning with SW wind. Inside the compound a smaller selection of thrushes early morning, 1 Black Redstart, 1 Fieldfare, 1 Greenfinch, 3 Firecrest and 7 Chaffinch inside the compound and out on the reserve. On the beach one Oystercatcher. 

Overhead migration: 80 Skylark, 57 Goldfinch, 30 Chaffinch, 4 Rock Pipit, 1 Grey Wagtail and a Woodlark, all south. 

Seawatching: 

South: 40 Cormorant, 22 Brent Goose, 13 Common Gull, 12 Black-headed Gull, 10 Wigeon, 9 Shelduck, 4 Common Scoter, 4 Pintail, 2 Gannet, 2 Kittiwake, 1 Curlew, 1 Goosander and a Mediterranean Gull. 

North: 17 Cormorant, 1 Arctic Skua, 1 Gannet and a Red-throated Diver.

West (up river): 4 Cormorant.

East (out to sea): 39 Cormorant.

Feeding offshore: 8 Great Black-backed Gull and a Red-throated Diver. 

Moth trapping: 10 moth species between our 3 traps last night, owing to the strong winds... no moth of the morning as all have featured! 

Bird ringing: 6 Goldcrest, 4 Robin, 3 Blackbird, 2 Chaffinch, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Wren, 1 Blackcap, 1 Goldfinch, 1 Jay, 1 Song Thrush.    

Wednesday 21st October 2026

 

More Greater's are now following shipping & resting on the beach at quieter moments.

A Long-eared Owl was out hunting around the Emergency Battery at 0615 hrs. Winds increasing & veering from SE to West with showers evolving into longer periods of rain made birding difficult. Southbound 209 Shelduck, 82 Pintail, 44 Brent, 31 Common Gull, 19 Common Scoter, 14 Wigeon, 3 Dunlin, 3 Shoveler, 2 Greylag, Great Crested Grebe, Little Gull, Red-throated Diver, Sandwich Tern, Teal & Tufted Duck with northbound 7 Common Scoter, Eider & Red-throat. On site a small arrival of Blackies, Songies, 2 Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaff, Crests, Fieldfare & a Woodcock. At least one Black Red still present.

Dark Chestnut is one of those species we get from now onwards for the rest of the winter in variable numbers one year to the next.

Ringing: 5 Blackbird, 2 Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaff, 1 Dunnock, 1 Firecrest, 1 Goldcrest, 1 Song Thrush, 1 Wren.

Tuesday 20th October 2026

White-fronted geese (Anser albifrons). 

Day two of easterly winds. The highlight of this morning has to be the 80 White-fronted Geese heading out of the river then north, with the first group of 28 being directly overhead! Inside the compound more Goldcrest present (30) and also still a good number of Robins on site with around 60... one less, as a Kestrel decided one would make a good snack. 1 Brambling early morning also inside the compound and 7 Fieldfare. 1 Black Redstart seen in the moat in the afternoon. 1 Swallow, 2 Jackdaw and 2 Woodcock in flight around the observatory. Out on the reserve 9 Ringed Plover, 1 Dunlin and an Oystercatcher all feeding on the beach. 

Overhead migration: 40 Starling, 2 Song Thrush,1 Redpoll, 1 Sparrowhawk, all south. 120 Chaffinch flying inland. 

Seawatching: 

South: 428 Brent Goose, 82 Wigeon, 47 Shelduck, 43 Teal, 40 Black-headed Gull, 33 Cormorant, 15 Lapwing, 8 Common Gull, 7 White-fronted Geese, 4 Red-breasted Merganser, 2 Red-throated Diver, 1 Gannet, 1 Guillemot and a Tufted Duck.  

North: 31 Common Scoter, 6 Little Gull, 2 Barnacle Goose, 2 Red-throated Diver, 1 Arctic Tern, 1 Black-headed Gull, 1 Fulmar, 1 Kittiwake, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1 Oystercatcher, 1 Razorbill, 1 Red-breasted Merganser, 1 Sabine's Gull (08:22), 1 Sooty Shearwater and a Tufted Duck, 

West (up river): 1 Long-tailed Skua and a Sandwich Tern. 

Out of the river and north: 80 White-fronted Geese. 

Feeding offshore: 14 Great Black-backed Gull, 1 Black-headed Gull and a Mediterranean Gull.

Moth trapping: 22 Species between our 3 traps this morning. Moth of the morning goes to the Rusty-dot Pearl, which is an immigrant whose numbers often peak at this time of the year. 

Rusty-dot Pearl (Udea ferrugalis).

Bird ringing: 30 Robin, 17 Goldcrest, 11 Blackbird, 10 Chaffinch, 6 Firecrest, 5 Chiffchaff, 4 Song Thrush, 3 Blackcap, 2 Wren, 1 Dunnock, 1 Great Tit, 1 Redwing.  

Total 91

Monday 19th October 2026

Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus), one on the beach this morning. 

Finally the wind direction we have been waiting for! - a gentle ESE with variable cloud but remaining on the whole overcast for most of the day. Inside the compound: 1 Brambling, 1 Black Redstart, 1 Greenfinch, 1 Redpoll, 1 Siskin, 7 Chiffchaff (including 1 Siberian - tristis caught in a mist net), 10 Goldcrest. 40 Blackbird, 50 Song Thrush and 75 Robin across the site. 1 Mistle Thrush in front of the observatory, 3 Rock Pipit near the point and a Lapwing on the beach.   

Overhead migration: 17 Lapwing, 4 Chaffinch, 3 Redwing, 2 Grey Wagtail, 2 Rock Pipit and a Skylark all south. 1 Skylark north.   

Seawatching: 

South: 1432 Brent Goose, 855 Teal, 583 Wigeon, 17 Shoveler, 12 Cormorant, 11 Black-headed Gull, 11 Shelduck, 6 Red-throated Diver, 5 Common Gull, 2 Sandwich Tern and a Redshank.  

North: 81 Common Scoter, 27 Cormorant, 6 Eider, 5 Gannet, 4 Teal, 2 Brent Goose, 2 Gadwall, 1 Black-headed Gull, 1 Pintail and a Shelduck. 

East: 1 Pink-footed Goose. 

West (off the sea): 41 Starling.

Out and North: 2 Red-throated Diver. 

Feeding offshore: 5 Black-headed Gull, 4 Great Black-backed Gull and a Mediterranean Gull.  

Moth trapping: 20 moth species between our 3 traps this morning. Dotted Chestnut has only turned up on a handful of previous occasions. Appearing here in 2014, with the first record in Suffolk in 2007. 

 

Dotted Chestnut (Conistra rubiginea). 

Bird ringing: 37 Robin, 17 Song Thrush, 7 Blackbird, 6 Chaffinch, 6 Goldcrest, 6 Chiffchaff (1 tristis), 4 Redwing, 4 Wren, 3 Blue Tit, 3 Great Tit, 1 Brambling, 1 Siskin. 

Total 95

Sunday 18th October 2026

 

Northerly breeze with intimidating showers offshore occasionally rolling in. A Twite on the reserve was our first for 12 years. Back in the 1980's this species was regular in autumn but is now disappearing. Eclectic mix of migrants in low numbers with offshore southbound 286 Black-headed Gull, 137 Brent, 72 Wigeon, 19 Common Gull, 9 Shelduck, 9 Teal, 5 Common Scoter, 5 Red-throated Diver, 4 Gannet, Manx Shearwater & Turnstone with northbound 12 Brent, 8 Gannet, 7 Shelduck, 7 Teal, 6 Eider, 4 Common Scoter, 4 Lapwing, 2 Red-breasted Merganser & 2 Red-throats plus an Arctic Skua offshore. Passerines in off the sea were 300 Starling, 14 Chaffinch, 6 Skylark, 3 Fieldfare & a Jackdaw. On site a small handful of new Blackies, Redwing, Songies, plus 4 Lesser Redpoll, 3 Lapwing, 2 Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaff, Brambling & the first Woodcock of the autumn. 2 Black Redstart in the observatory compound, Rock Pipit flew south & another Jay visited.

Ringing: 4 Blackbird, 3 Redpoll, 2 Song Thrush, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Robin.

Saturday 17th October 2026

Barn Owl (Tyto alba). An unusual sight to see flying around the nature reserve at Landguard during the morning let alone anytime!

A clear morning with a brisk, cold NNW. Inside the compound: 2 Brambling, 2 Greenfinch, 2 Siskin, 1 Redpoll (+1 seen near the point) and a Yellow-browed Warbler that was mist-netted. A Buzzard was seen circling overhead. Out on the reserve: a Barn Owl gave great views mid morning, flying around the nature reserve, a Black Redstart mobile in the shrubs and 1 Turnstone, 1 Oystercatcher, 1 Redshank and a Rock Pipit all near the point seen at various times during the day. 

Overhead migration: 20 Meadow Pipit, 18 Skylark, 4 Rock Pipit, 2 Stock Dove all south. 60 Chaffinch and 33 Starling off the sea and inland. 

Seawatching: 

    South: 118 Black-headed Gull, 103 Brent Goose, 85 Wigeon, 28 Cormorant, 11 Common Gull, 9 Pintail, 7 Teal, 4 Sandwich Tern, 3 Oystercatcher, 2 Red-throated Diver and a Ringed Plover. 

North: 19 Cormorant, 9 Brent Goose, 4 Little Gull, 3 Gannet, 2 Barnacle Goose, 2 Sandwich Tern and a Common Scoter.   

Feeding offshore: 4 Great Black-backed Gull and a Mediterranean Gull.

Moth trapping: 12 moth species between our 3 traps this morning. Moth of the morning is the Cypress Carpet, which haunts areas with Monterey and Leyland Cypress, first noted in 2010.

Cypress Carpet (Thera cupressata). 

Bird ringing: 14 Long-tailed Tit, 3 Blackbird, 3 Blackcap, 1 Blue Tit, 1 Great Tit, 1 Jay, 1 Lesser Redpoll, 1 Meadow Pipit, 1 Robin, 1 Song Thrush, 1 Yellow-browed Warbler. 

Friday 16th October 2026

Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) seen near the point this morning.

A brief dry spell before rain setting in around quarter to 8 this morning, then clearing noon. WSW swinging to a NNW afternoon. Redwing over the compound early morning and extra Blackbirds. 1 Swallow circling the observatory. Out on the reserve a Turnstone, Rock Pipit and an Oystercatcher near the point. Mid-afternoon 25 Ringed Plover and 23 Sanderling on the beach but flushed.  

Seawatching - poor visibility most of the morning and little movement. 

 

South: 4 Common Gull and 3 Black-headed Gull and a Brent Goose. 

North: 1 Gannet, 1 Shelduck. 

Feeding offshore: 3 Black-headed Gull.

Moth trapping: 23 moth species recorded between our 3 traps this morning - no moth of the day as all the moths caught today have already featured!

Bird ringing: 1 Blackbird, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Wren.

Thursday 15th October 2026

Black redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros). 2 have been seen on site together the past couple days, it is quite possible these are two migrants and not bred locally. 

 A morning of variable cloud cover, with a brisk SW wind. Quiet once again inside the compound with Song Thrushes (12 in total across the whole site), 3 Chiffchaff, 2 Blackcap and 2 Collared Dove. Out on the reserve, the two Black Redstart were seen perched near the seawatching hide on the tank blocks. 

Overhead migration: 15 Meadow Pipit, 9 Skylark, 2 Swallow and a Grey Wagtail, all south.   

Seawatching: 

South; 24 Cormorant, 16 Black-headed Gull, 8 Common Gull, 7 Wigeon, 3 Dunlin, 1 Brent Goose, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Pintail and a Red-throated Diver.  

North; 3 Common Scoter. 

Feeding offshore: 2 Great Black-backed Gull and a Mediterranean Gull.

Moth trapping: 18 species recorded between our 3 traps this morning. Micro moth numbers are rapidly declining as the nights get colder. Eudonia angustea bucks the trend, with a very good late emergence period. 

Eudonia angustea.

Bird ringing: 6 Chaffinch, 4 Song Thrush, 2 Blackbird, 2 Chiffchaff. 

Wednesday 14th October 2026

 

Late autumn Lesser Whitethroat are probably C.c.blythi but it's open to conjecture whether this is the bird first seen ten days ago or a different individual. Glorious sunny day with a modest selection of mid-October fare on today's menu including southbound 44 Mipit, 36 Goldfinch, 36 Skylark, 12 Chaffinch, 2 Rock Pipit, 2 Woodlark, Grey Wag & Reed Bunting. Offshore very slack with southbound 49 Black-headed Gull, 10 Brent, 6 Common Gull & 2 Red-throated Diver. On site 2 Black Red are quite likely autumn migrants as opposed to the loitering breeders plus offspring. Other grounded migrants in very low numbers with the ringing figures given some flavour of those species present plus a single Brambling & another visiting Jay.

Mallow is a late autumn flyer whose numbers here are declining despite it still being a common & widespread species in southern & south-eastern England.

Ringing: 3 Blackcap, 3 Blue Tit, 3 Chaffinch, 2 Blackbird, 2 Great Tit, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Goldfinch, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Linnet, 1 Meadow Pipit, 1 Wren.

Tuesday 13th October 2026

Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba). Pied Wagtails this month have reduced in numbers on the reserve, with just 3 seen today, compared to late summer when we had over 20 individuals some days.  

A cloudy morning with SW wind, late morning showers. Numerous thrushes passing through at dawn but later quiet in the compound. 1 Stonechat and an Oystercatcher on the reserve. 

Overhead migration: 14 Skylark, 3 Swallow and a Lapland bunting south.

Seawatching: 

South: 990 Brent Goose, 522 Wigeon, 42 Black-headed Gull, 34 Common Scoter, 31 Cormorant, 29 Common Gull, 29 Teal, 19 Pintail, 12 Shelduck, 5 Turnstone, 3 Dunlin, 2 Red-throated Diver, 2 Snipe, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 Curlew, 1 Gadwall, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Grey Plover, 1 Knot, 1 Ringed Plover, 1 Shoveler and a Tufted Duck.  

North: 3 Cormorant, 2 Red-throated Diver and a Gannet. 

Feeding offshore: 9 Greater Black-backed Gull, 2 Mediterranean Gull, 1 Kittiwake, 

Moth trapping: 28 moth species between our 3 traps last night. Moth of the morning is the Grey Shoulder-knot, which comes out in the autumn, hibernates, then out again in the spring. It's only occasional here. 

Grey Shoulder-knot (Lithophane ornitopus).

Bird ringing: 8 Song Thrush, 2 Redwing, 1 Blackcap, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Robin.

Monday 12th October 2026

Brent Geese (Branta bernicla) near and far. 7016 our final day count migrating south. 

A sunny morning, clouding over later with some evening drizzle. SSE wind throughout. 1 Brambling inside the compound and a Chiffchaff. The main event of today was the significant movement of Brent Geese, some 7016 over the course of the day until dusk - our 3 highest day count (1983 16,000 and 12,326 in 1989), picking up with 1500 piling through in 35 minutes just after 2pm!. 

Overhead migration: 34 Skylark, 17 Siskin, 14 Meadow Pipit, 5 Goldfinch, 1 Swallow and a Whimbrel south over the nature reserve. 40 Chaffinch in off the sea. 

Seawatching:

South: 7016 Brent Goose, 580 Wigeon, 79 Teal, 39 Common Scoter, 26 Pintail, 16 Cormorant, 8 Bar-tailed Godwit, 8 Shoveler, 7 Black-headed Gull, 5 Common Gull, 4 Dunlin, 4 Grey Plover, 3 Curlew, 3 Golden Plover, 3 Knot, 2 Gannet, 2 Red-throated Diver, 1 Cory's Shearwater (15:02), 1 Goldeneye, 1 Mallard, 1 Sabine's Gull (13:45), 1 Shelduck and a Tufted Duck.    

North: 23 Gannet, 6 Common Scoter, 4 Red-throated Diver, 2 Cormorant, 1 Arctic Skua, 1 Shelduck and a Sooty Shearwater (15:05).

Feeding offshore: 14 Great Black-backed Gull and 4 Mediterranean Gull.  

Moth trapping: 21 moth species present between our 3 traps. Moth of the morning falls to the Plumed Fan-foot, which first turned up here six years and now occurs in small numbers. 

Plumed Fan-foot (Pechipogo plumigeralis).

Bird ringing: 2 Blackbird, 2 Blackcap, 2 Song Thrush, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Redwing.