Friday 13th October 2023

Extreme wind and some rain meant we had to shelter for our observations today. In such rough weather it wasn't surprisng to see a bit of movement at sea, with an arctic skua north, and an assortment of wildfowl and waders south. Passerine numbers were understandably low, but the yellow-browed warber seemed to have found a friend. Neither made it easy for observers to catch up with,or photograph them however.

Blair's Shoulder-knot lives on various introduced cypress trees, so visits us sparingly. 

 

Thursday 12th October 2023

Wind and rain were the order of the day, so observations were predictably low. A handful of passerine migrants were present in the compound, a couple of redwing, a coupleof goldcrest, a few chiffchaff and blackcap. 3 wheatear were the best out on the reserve. At midday the small warblers in the trees behind the kitchen were joined by a yellow-browed warbler, first of the year, that remained for the rest of the day, often elusive but also vociferous. 

Grey Shouldered-knot is recorded at Landguard roughly every other year.

Birds Ringed: Blackcap 1

Wednesday 11th October 2023

Lot quieter this morning although still some interest with the likes of southbound 168 Goldfinch, 78 Swallow, 16 Cormorant, 15 Mipit, 8 Grey Plover, 7 Dunlin, 7 House Martin, 4 Skylark, 3 Chaffinch, 2 Common Gull, 2 Sandwich Tern, 2 Siskin, 1 Brent, 1 Kitt & 1 Purple Sandpiper with northbound 4 Gannet, 2 Sandwich Tern & Arctic Tern. On site migrants included a small handful of Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, 2 Goldcrest, 2 Wheatear, Redwing, Song Thrush plus 2 Cetti's including a 5th one ringed so far this week which is totally unprecedented.

Moth traps very quiet this morning so here's a Radford's Flame Shoulder from yesterday which is, hopefully, the first of many still to come.

Ringing: 4 Chiffchaff, 1 Blackcap, 1 Cetti's Warbler.

Tuesday 10th October 2023

Despite the wind continuing to blow from the west, migration still continued apace.740 goldfinch moved south, with 13 redpoll, 23 siskin and 11 chaffinch. 2 ring ouzels went south in the half light of the early morning. A brambling hung around the compound briefly. Redwing numbers matched fiedlfare today with just 2 of each species recorded. 445 black headed gulls continued pass south also. Cetti's warbler numbers remain consistent, with at least 3 out on the reserve. 

Frosted Orange is anotther fairly common species in Suffolk but only occurs at Landguard roughly every other year.

Birds Ringed: Blackcap 2, Blue Tit 3, Cetti's Warbler 2, Chiffchaff 3, Dunnock 1, Goldfinch 1, Grey Wagtail 1, Great Tit 6, Lesser Redpoll 5, Meadow Pipit 2, Redwing 2, Song Thrush 1, Woodpigeon 2.
 

Monday 9th October 2023

Another decent day for migration with lots of finches going through. 513 goldfinch alongside 123 chaffinch, 108 redpoll and a handful of brambling all moving south. A few redwing and song thrushes were present in the compound along with a few new blackbirds, though no sign of yesterdays ring ouzel. A short-eared owl was seen on the Butts, probably the same bird as seen over the obs last night. Cetti's numbers are up to 3, its been quite a good autumn for them so far. 717 black headed gulls took the lead in terms of southward migration however, trickling through all morning.

Gem is a migrant from the continent with the bulk of records in October.

Birds Ringed: Blackbird 2, Blackcap 1, Blue Tit 1, Brambling 1,  Cetti's Warbler 1, Chiffchaff 3, Dunnock 1, Goldcrest 4, Lesser Redpoll 16, Pied Wagtail 1, Redwing 2, Song Thrush 5.

Sunday 8th October 2023

 

An unseasonally warm October day brought the first autumnal sightings of 28 Redwing, 8 Pink-footed Geese, Fieldfare, Goldeneye, Ring Ouzel plus two small flocks of Long-tailed Tits. An eclectic supporting cast included 47 Mipit, 22 Lesser Redpoll, 20 Blue Tit, 15 Blackcap, 15 Chiffchaff, 15 Great Tit, 8 Song Thrush, 4 Brambling, 3 Chaffinch, 3 Jay, 3 Wheatear, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Reed Bunting, 2 Yellow Wag & Goldcrest. Heading southbound at least 472 Wigeon, 397 Brent, 240 Goldfinch, 80 Linnet, 43 Teal, 23 Shelduck,  21 Swallow, 11 Mipit, 10 Skylark, 8 Pintail, 4 Cattle Egret, 3 Chaffinch, Curlew, Great White Egret, Marsh Harrier, Rook & Siskin. At least 1 Cetti's is still with us. A good selection of butterflies included the first Wall Brown for a couple of years.

Grey Pine Carpet is common across Suffolk but only ordains itself with a visitation to LBO about one year in three.

Ringing: 20 Lesser Redpoll, 14 Long-tailed Tit, 11 Blue Tit, 8 Great Tit, 7 Blackcap, 7 Chiffchaff, 5 Song Thrush, 3 Brambling, 2 Dunnock, 2 Wren, 1 Blackbird, 1 Goldcrest, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Redwing, 1 Reed Bunting, 1 Ring Ouzel.
 

Saturday 7th October 2023

Lighter winds allowed for better vismig today. 827 goldfinch flew south along with 27 siskin and 3 lesser redpoll. 1 woodlark and 9 skylark joined them throuh the morning, with 40 meadow pipits and 16 pied and 3 grey wagtails. Highlight of the southward passage was 10 spoonbills, the largest flock recorded here. The Cetti's was singing again from the north end of the reserve and chiffchaff numbers seem to have slightly risen. Some goldcrest were still present in the holm oaks at the front of the observatory with at least one female fresh in. 2 young male sparrowhawks were upsetting the large mixed finch and starling flocks all day.

Birds Ringed: Blackcap 5, Chiffchaff 8, Goldcrest 1, Goldfinch 2, Lesser Redpoll 1, Meadow Pipit 2, Robin 1, Sparrowhawk 1.