Thursday 23rd June 2016

Another torrential deluge on already sodden ground overnight and during the morning. A quick walk around after it stopped produced just the usual birds in the usual places. At least there is plenty of puddles for bath time !

Soggy moth traps after the heavy rain are busy at the moment with warm overnight temperatures produced this female Ghost Moth. This species has been noted previously here in 2010, 2014 & 2015 so maybe it is trying to colonise.

No birds ringed.

Wednesday 22nd June 2016

A dispersing juvenile Treecreeper is only the 16th Landguard record. Other dispersing juvs on site include 3 Coal Tit & a Skylark. Yet another female Blackcap with a brood patch turned up suggesting that several of it's kind are failing in their breeding attempts this year - this one is slightly more interesting in that it is wearing a ring put on by another ringer elsewhere. Also worth a mention is 6 Barnacle Geese going north plus a Grey Heron heading south which will also be a dispersing juv as heron's start nesting early in the year.

A couple of days ago this plant was published on the blog but as we are botanically inept and incompetent  it was misidentified. This blog has quite a lot of readers and it is of concern that only one person pointed out this schoolboy error. It is actually Erigeron glaucus that goes under several common names including "Seaside Daisy", a garden escape originating in Oregon & California.

5 birds ringed: 1 Great Tit, 1 Treecreeper, 1 Wood Pigeon, 1 Goldfinch, 1 Linnet

Tuesday 21st June 2016

Yesterday's torrential rain didn't pay much dividends today as very little of note on-site.

New arrivals came in the form of 3 Goldfinch, 3 Swift, 1 Hobby, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Skylark, 1 Swallow, 1 Coal Tit and 1 Little Tern.

Ringing: 4 birds ringed this morning in the form of 1 Blue Tit, 1 Dunnock, 1 Greenfinch and 1 Wren.

Monday 20th June 2016

The overnight rain continued as forecasted and the day saw thick and heavy cloud with heavy rain for much of the day. A rather dreak day. Very little of note.

Apart from the regulars on-site, 53 Swift flew South along with 20 Curlew, 11 Gannet and 2 Little Tern. That really was the best of the rest for the day.

This Eyed Hawkmoth turned up in our moth traps this morning, just before the rain arrived.

Ringing: No birds ringed due to the weather.

Sunday 19th June 2016

Whitethroats with their young out & about.

A Coal Tit will be a dispersing juvenile whereas a couple of new female Blackcaps will be failed breeders going walkabout in search of pastures new. Offshore 3 Great-crested Grebe & a Curlew went south. A Nightingale on the Icky ridge may well be one summering here that we just don't see or hear very often.

Michaelmas Daisy at the northern end of the site is quite possibly an addition to the site list but as it's a garden escape originally from North America we aren't going to get to excited.

11 birds ringed: 3 Dunnock, 2 Blackcap, 1 Magpie, 1 Song Thrush, 1 Chaffinch, 1 Goldfinch, 1 House Sparrow, 1 Linnet.

Saturday 18th June 2016

A blustery morning with scattered rain showers proved to be a rather dreary day at the observatory with very little of note.

Notable species include 6 Swift heading North and 3 Goldfinch milling around the site. A Hobby flew through early am and with 18 Little Tern, 6 Common Tern, 4 Cormorant, 4 Curlew, 2 Oystercatcher and 1 Mediterranean Gull all out to sea - that's about it for today.

This Privet Hawkmoth turned up in our moth traps this morning.

Ringing: No birds ringed today.

Recent Ringing Recoveries

Goldcrest ringed here 4th October 2015 was retrapped 234km away at Castricum, The Netherlands on 31st March 2016. Redwing ringed here 24th March 2016 found freshly dead after it hit glass 1039km away at Nerstand, Sigdal, Buskerud, Norway on 18th May 2016. Lesser Whitethroat ringed here on 18th September 2015 was retrapped 7km away at Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex on 4th June 2016.