Tuesday 28th July 2026

Gull Aggression between Herring & Lesser Black-backed Gull.

A sunny morning with a gentle breeze. A variety of warblers inside the compound. A Turnstone and a Wheatear out on the reserve. It appears one pair of Ringed Plover have lost their final offspring leaving one pair with 2 chicks that are approaching a week old. 

Hirundine movement consisted of 3 Swallow and 2 Sandmartin both south.  

Moth Trapping: 82 species of moths recorded this morning between our 3 traps. Tawny Wave is the moth of the morning, a rare species, with its UK stronghold being the Suffolk Brecks and Sandlings, it is far from annual here at Landguard in recent years. 

Tawny Wave (Scopula rubiginata).

Bird Ringing: 6 Linnet, 5 Goldfinch, 2 Garden Warbler, 2 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Reed Warbler, 1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Starling. 

Monday 27th July 2026

Our first post breeding passage Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) this year out on the reserve. 

A sunny morning with a brisk WNW wind, turning to overcast late morning. Reed Warblers calling from inside the compound and a good variety of butterflies on the buddleia including Comma and Painted Lady. Another Great Spotted Woodpecker visited the compound. 1 Sanderling out on the beach.     

Seawatching produced south: 7 Mediterranean Gull, 4 Black-headed Gull, 4 Common Scoter, 3 Oystercatcher, 2 Turnstone, a Dunlin, a Common Gull and a Curlew. 

    North: A Common Scoter. 

6 Sandwich Tern, 5 Little Tern, a Common Tern and a Common Gull feeding offshore. 

Hirundine movement included 8 Sandmartain South, 1 Swallow south and 2 Swift north. 

Moth trapping: 31 Species in our 3 moth traps - windy and dry conditions. Moth of the morning is the Tufted Oak Knot-horn, an immigrant species first recorded here in 2018. The moth is now becoming established in Oak trees in Suffolk.     

Tufted Oak Knot-horn (Acrobasis tumidana).

Bird ringing: 2 Blackcap, 2 Linnet, Reed Warbler, 2 Willow Warbler, 1 Nightingale. 

Sunday 26th July 2026

 

Windy & even a couple of spots of drizzle that was a waste of time as it didn't even dampen the dust down. Migrants include southbound 41 Swift, 17 Sandwich Tern, 10 Curlew, 5 Sand Martin, 4 Sanderling, 4 Turnstone, 3 Common Tern, 3 Oyk, 2 Common Gull, 2 Dunlin, 2 Whimbrel & Golden Plover. In the bushes single Blackcap, Reed, Sedge & Willow Warbler plus it's also getting to the time of year when new Lesser Whitethroat & Whitethroat may be migrants started to head south as opposed to locally bred stock.

Double figure catches of Cydia amplana in recent days is suggestive of an immigration of fresh migrants. It was first noted here in 2003 and has been annual the past six years.

Ringing: 2 Goldfinch, 1 Blackcap, 1 Dunnock, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Linnet, 1 Reed Warbler, 1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Whitethroat, 1 Willow Warbler, 1 Wren.