Tuesday 19th December 2023

 Rain all day - no coverage.

Monday 18th December 2023

 

A survey of the lepidoptera in Left Battery produced 21 Peacock butterflies & a Bloxworth Snout but no Herald moths. 4 Natterer's Bats probably explains the lack of Herald's as this bat has a penchant for them when they get peckish in the winter months. 

Migrants this morning were a Fieldfare plus a Skylark heading south. About 100 Common Scoter were a long way out.

Sunday 17th December 2023

 

Gulls following shipping have increased to 2,000 ish but with glorious sunny conditions looking through them for owt odd far from ideal. 6 Wigeon flew south but otherwise 'same old same old'.

Saturday 16th December 2023

 

 

A Buzzard perched on a telegraph post (does anyone under 50 know what a telegraph is?) in the half light moved off inland over the docks. Up to 1,500 seagulls offshore & in the estuary suggests Sprats are appearing. A first-winter Glaucous Gull came in with the melee following a container ship before siting around a while before going back out to sea. Southbound 27 Common Scoter, 12 Wigeon, 10 Brent, 10 Red-throated Diver plus 130 Common Scoter offshore. 

Friday 15th December 2023

 

160 Common Scoter offshore out from the Butts (with 400 to 450 off Felixstowe Pier in the afternoon flying off south past Landguard presumably including these seen in the morning). Having a flock of Scoter offshore loafing & feeding in recent weeks is not very Landguard but suggests a new food source has developed with the shifting sands of time. Nothing much else to report - 3 Kitts following shiping, 2 Cetti's on the Butts, Chaffinch in the compound, Song Thrush singing, Turnstone on the point.

Thursday 14th December 2023

 

A few late autumn migrants this morning were single Fieldfare, Mistle Thrush, Redwing plus a Heron in off the sea. Offshore 71 Common Scoter south, 9 north plus a distant flock of 120 sat on the sea. Also noted a handful of Red-throated Diver, Brent & 3 Mallard south over the obs and up river.

Wednesday 13th December 2023

 

More rain early morning & in the afternoon is getting tedious and delaying some of the on site management tasks from getting done. Offshore southbound 13 Red-throated Diver, 10 Common Scoter, 3 Brent, Great Northern Diver & Marsh Harrier with northbound 65 Red-throats & 11 Common Scoter plus a flock of 72 Common Scoter sat on the sea a fair way out. 6 Kitts were following shipping with the big gulls.