Thursday 30th July 2026

Female Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus). 

A hazy morning with a light wind. Quiet within the compound with mostly Linnets and Goldfinch flying around. Out on the reserve a Yellow Wagtail and a Wheatear. 1 family of Ringed Plover with 2 chicks remain. A Peregrine flew over calling towards the port mid morning.

Seawatching: South; 39 Black-headed Gull, 7 Sandwich Tern, a Knot and a Whimbrel. Feeding offshore ; 15 Sandwich Tern and 5 Mediterranean Gull.

Hirundine movement included 42 Swallows and 3 Sand Martin both South and 2 Swift flying in circles high in the sky. 

Moth trapping: 82 Species recorded in our 3 traps last night. Moth of the morning is this freshly emerged Poplar Kitten, a very smart looking moth! It didn't have to travel far from our nearby poplar trees.   

Poplar Kitten (Furcula bifida). Forcula in latin means little fork and bifida two parts, both referring the caterpillar split appearance and also possibly the moth.   

Bird ringing: 3 Willow Warbler, 2 Linnet. 

Wednesday 29th July 2026

 

Juvenile Peregrine on the point.

Spoonbill flew south early morning. Also southbound 17 Cormorant, 5 Swallow, 4 Common Tern & Curlew. At least 5 Willow Warbler & a Sedge Warbler in the migrant department plus a Turnstone on the jetty.

Maiden's Blush was formerly very infrequent here but has managed to turn up in nine out of last ten years.

Ringing: 1 Robin, 1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Starling, 1 Whitethroat.
 

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 Sand Martin 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.

Saturday 25th July 2026

 

First Willow Warbler of the autumn is right on cue. Other migrants were southbound 45 Swallow, 3 Sand Martin, 2 Swift & a Curlew. Several Sandwich Tern were in the river & offshore. Green Wood & a young Grey Wag visited.

Brown-veined Wainscott is another reed bed species that wanders in hot weather. Good to get one as we drew a blank last year.

Ringing: 3 Linnet, 1 Goldfinch, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Robin, 1 Willow Warbler.

Friday 24th July 2026

 

Sanderling (Calidris albaon) on the beach yesterday mid morning. 

A somewhat hazy sunny morning with a gentle breeze building off the sea. A Green Woodpecker and a Nightingale found there way into our nets. A Black Redstart was once again calling from the fort. Flying ant time of year with Starlings and Gull ammassing, including 80 Black-headed Gulls. 3 Ringed Plover chicks + 1 with different parents survive anouther day!  

Seawatching produced South movements; 3 Oystercatcher, 1 Shelduck and 3 Little Tern. 

Hirundine movement included 1 Swift and 3 Sand Martin low over the beach mid afternoon.   

Moth trapping: 67 recorded species of moths last night. Moth of the morning goes to our first site record of Aristotelia ericinella, which lives on heather on the Suffolk Heaths but has not ventured down here before. 

Heath Elder (Aristotelia ericinella).

Bird ringing: 4 Linnet, 2 Robin, 1 Blue Tit, 1 Goldfinch, 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 House Sparrow, 1 Nightingale, 1 Pied Wagtail