LANDGUARD - 25th June

 Overcast with a light WNW breeze, some rain at dawn and a few spells of subsequent drizzle through the morning; all of the morning’s action was offshore, dominated by a steady trickle of 95 Curlews heading south along with a decent array of random bits and bobs, much of which gave a distinct autumnal feel to proceedings which included 12 Common Scoter, 5 Common Terns, a Gannet, a Great-crested Grebe, 2 Avocets, a Kittiwake, a Mallard, 4 Mediterranean Gulls, 11 Sandwich Terns, 6 Teal, 3 Tufted Ducks and 2 Whimbrel.   

The only other birds of note comprised 2 Black Redstarts, a Grey Wagtail, 3 Sand Martins and 5 Swifts.

Beautiful Hook-tip

Small Elephant Hawkmoth

LANDGUARD - 24th June

 A fine morning – very calm, clear and sunny albeit chilly first thing; there were some interesting mid-summer movements offshore which comprised an excellent 309 Common Scoter moving south (one of only ten >300 counts here) and 33 Curlew dribbling through, also heading south after presumably failing to breed this season.   

Also offshore were 27 Black-headed Gulls also vaguely heading south, 3 Common Gulls, a Kittiwake, 2 Little Terns and 2 Sandwich Terns.   

Elsewhere, highlights were hard to come by with the lingering Chiffchaff, a House Martin and 5 Swifts whilst a Southern Hawker along one of the net lanes was the first of the year and possibly new for me (I’m sure I’ve seen them before but not identified them).

Magpie

(not) LANDGUARD - 23rd June

 A fine morning albeit with a bit of cloud and a light, chilly northerly breeze; a walk round Minsmere from first thing didn’t produce too much different from last time with the exception of a smart Roseate Tern on South Scrape with increasing numbers of non-breeding, loafing Sandwich Terns and Kittiwakes, 2 Green Sandpipers, further increases in duck numbers including 80+ Gadwall, 30+ Teal and 30+ Shoveler, 2 Hobbies, a Water Rail pair with small chicks underneath Island Mere hide, a 3cy Yellow-legged Gull, 65+ Black-tailed Godwits and single Knot, Sanderling and Turnstone.   

I then drove over to west Suffolk and after a bit of running around I had good but distant views of a stunning ROLLER (a British tick!) on wires just off the A1101 between Icklingham and Lackford, I didn’t hang around too long as all the twitchers were crazy, parking and walking along the busy main road – too much excitement for me!

Whitethroat fledglings being fed and jumping for joy

Juvenile Stonechat

Common Tern

Sandwich Tern

LANDGUARD - 22nd June

 Overcast again with a lightish NNE breeze but it stayed dry with some brighter spells later on; a dispersing juvenile Marsh Tit which eventually found a mist-net was the highlight - only the fifth site record (four of which have been recorded between 16th and 22nd June), while obviously not from here, it presumably hadn’t come from too far away.   

Other birds included a Black Redstart, 12 Common Scoter, 11 Common Terns, a Gannet, a Grey Wagtail, 175 Linnets, a Sparrowhawk and a Stock Dove.

Marsh Tit

LANDGUARD - 21st June

 Overcast with a brisk ENE wind bringing persistent, light drizzle from late morning; a few bits went past over the sea which included 25 Common Scoter, 3 Fulmars, 3 Gannets, a flock of 12 Grey Plover (non-breeding plumaged birds – slightly odd), 4 Kittiwakes, 2 Little Terns, a Mediterranean Gull and 3 Sandwich Terns.   

Other birds of note were thin on the ground but comprised a Black Redstart, a lingering Chiffchaff (originally ringed on 3rd June), a Grey Wagtail, ever-increasing Linnets up to 160+, a Sparrowhawk and a Turnstone.

Archer's Dart

SPURN - 18th - 20th June

 A nice few days at Spurn where birding wasn’t really the focus but the highlights comprised ringing a brood of three Marsh Harriers at Patrington Haven (under a Schedule 1 licence), a single Buzzard chick in a nest at Skeffling and a brood of three Kestrels in a box along Beacon Lane.   

Birds seen included a Spoonbill on Kilnsea Wetlands along with a 2cy Kittiwake, a few Sandwich Terns floating around the Little Tern colony, a Cuckoo, an increase in Teal to 18 and a few Little Egrets.

Marsh Harriers (taken under a Schedule 1 licence)

Buzzard

Kestrel

(not) LANDGUARD - 16th June

 Another clear, sunny and eventually very warm and humid day, I walked round Minsmere from early in the morning and there was a very different feel to the place since my last visit two weeks ago; first off there were big numbers of Avocet and Black-headed Gull chicks running around (the Common Terns seem to be still on eggs) but there was a definite autumnal touch to proceedings with a noticeable influx of returning ducks with a drake Pintail with 13+ Teal, 35+ Shoveler, 50+ Gadwall and plenty of grotty looking Mallards while 2 Spotted Redshanks (both stunning black ones) and 3 Greenshank were also returning waders and there were many more Avocets, Kittiwakes and Sandwich Terns just loafing around in groups doing nothing – failed / non-breeding birds already making it look like autumn.    

Other bits of note comprised a 3cy Yellow-legged Gull on East Scrape, 41+ Black-tailed Godwits, 7+ Mediterranean Gulls and loads of Norfolk Hawkers – again only colonized in the last eight or so years.

Shoveler

Common Tern

Sandwich Tern

Common Tern and Kittiwake antics

2cy Kittiwake

Adult Kittiwake

I doubt this is a current nesting attempt as its a bit late to start and its in full wing moult

Avocet

Reed Bunting

LANDGUARD - 15th June

 Completely overcast through the morning for a nice change with the cloud breaking up from lunchtime to produce another warm afternoon; the day’s highlight was an adult Rose-coloured Starling out on the point on and off throughout – presumably a different individual from the one last seen on the 9th. 

Other birds included 2 Black Redstarts, 5 Common Scoter, a Fulmar, 4 Mediterranean Gulls, a Reed Warbler and 8 Swifts.

Great-crested Grebe in the dawn mist at Loompit on the 13th

Chiffchaff fledgling from Trimley on the 13th

Carrion Crow feeding a fledgling from Trimley on the 13th

A better view of a Norfolk Hawker from Minsmere tomorrow

LANDGUARD - 14th June

 Sunny and humid throughout although cloud built up from mid-afternoon; bird highlights comprised another 13 Curlews south at sea – while always nice to see, it is somewhat tempered by the fact that they represent failed breeders returning to their winter quarters already, the usual Black Redstarts, a Chiffchaff, a dispersing juvenile Coal Tit (a Landguard tick!), 2 Jackdaws, 2 Mediterranean Gulls, 2 Sandwich Terns and 3 Swifts.   

Also of note was another Norfolk Hawker at the top end of the recording area  (I also saw one yesterday in the compound) – there are still <10 records for the Obs area but with four records in the past three days and this once very restricted species rapidly colonising Suffolk from its UK stronghold in Norfolk, there’ll be more I’m sure.

Coal Tit

Slow Worm

Pine Hawkmoth

LANDGUARD - 10th June

 Clear, sunny and warm first thing with a little, cooling NW breeze bringing an extended cloud belt at lunchtime which lasted through until mid-afternoon; a singing Marsh Warbler halfway up the reserve near The Butts pond from late morning was the day’s highlight, it was giving nice little bursts of song but I only glimpsed its head once.   

Other birds comprised 7 Curlews heading south at sea and a dispersing juvenile Siskin giving an early autumn feel to proceedings along with a Black Redstart, a Chaffinch, 2 Common Terns, a Buzzard high over the docks, 3 Mediterranean Gulls, 2 Sandwich Terns and 5 Swallows.   

A walk up the river from Felixstowe in the afternoon was quiet for birds but I did see my first ever Norfolk Hawker in one of the ditches just downstream from Kingsfleet.

Norfolk Hawker

Black-tailed Skimmer

Black Redstart

Herring Gull