Saturday 1st August 2026

 Clouded Yellow (Luscinia megarhynchos)

Sunny and a gentle breeze. A Skylark - first since spring, Greenfinch, Collared Dove, Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker all seen from the observatory viewpoint. A freshly emerged Clouded Yellow Butterfly also made itself at home flying around the open areas on top of the observatory hill. Out on the beach, a Sanderling and 5 Ring Plovers with 2 chicks remaining.  

Seawatching produced: 17 Sandwich Tern and 2 Gannet North. South movements: 24 Cormorant, 10 Teal and an Oystercatcher. 2 Little Tern and a Mediterranean gull feeding offshore. 

Moth trapping: 79 Species recorded between our 3 traps last night. Moth of the morning is Ethmia quadrillella which is a nationally scarce species living on Comfrey. 

Ethmia quadrillella first site record. 

Bird ringing: 2 Willow Warbler, 1 Reed Warbler, 1 Linnet, 1 Goldfinch. 

July 2026 Ringing Totals

Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos)... one of 4 Juveniles ringed this July here at Landguard.  

We close this month on 281 birds ringed, with recent years catching 130 - 200 birds, this month we seem slightly up despite the now severe drought conditions. We have to go back to 2022 to see a higher number of 445 birds ringed - which interestingly was anouther warm summer. Linnet numbers seem on par with 88 being ringed in 2022. The largest contributor to 2022s good July appears to be the 133 Starlings being ringed!

Linnet	84
House Sparrow	22
Goldfinch	21
Reed Warbler	15
Great Tit	13
Lesser Whitethroat	12
Blackcap	11
Whitethroat	10
Dunnock	9
Blue Tit	9
Robin	8
Cetti's Warbler	7
Willow Warbler	7
Blackbird	6
Song Thrush	6
Sedge Warbler	6
Chiffchaff	5
Great Spotted Woodpecker	5
Starling	5
Nightingale	4
Wren	4
Garden Warbler	2
Herring Gull	2
Pied Wagtail	2
Woodpigeon	2
Black Redstart	1
Coal Tit	1
Grey Wagtail	1
Green Woodpecker	1
Total	281

Friday 31st July 2026

Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe).

A bright but quiet morning once again in the compound with Willow Warbler and Reed Warbler song briefly. Out on the reserve we have a Wheatear which does look like a juvenile from the freshness of the wing feathers in the picture above. 2 Lapwing were present early morning near the point. 4 Adult Ring Plover were present with 2 chicks. A Sparrowhawk and a Kestrel were both also seen from the compound. 

Seawatching produced a handful of movements with 15 Teal, 2 Black-headed Gull, 2 Whimbrel, 2 Grey Heron and an Oystercatcher, all south. Feeding offshore: 14 Sandwich Tern, 5 Mediterranean Gull and a Cormorant. 

Moth trapping: 79 Moth species recorded last night between our 3 moth traps. Moth of the morning is the Oak Processionary Moth, first noted on site in 1995 and in six subsequent years. The caterpillars of this moth species cause severe damage to oak trees by stripping leaves and can pose a risk to human and animal health with small irritational hairs they shed. The moth is Native to Europe but not to the UK and although internet sources say the moth was introduced accidentally to the uk in the 2000s and only causing damage to oak tree when in large populations in 2006, our early records are evidence of them naturally crossing into the UK.  

Oak Processionary (Thaumetopoea processionea)

Bird ringing: 1 Linnet.

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.