Mid July 2019

July 20th. Early morning rain; increasing south-westerly wind.
 On Tennyson's Sands were a Spoonbill, 2 Grey Heron, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 239 Black-tailed Godwit, a Knot, a Little Stint, a Common Sandpiper, a Green Sandpiper, a Spotted Redshank, 11 Greenshank, 5 Snipe and a juvenile Mediterranean Gull; and on Jackson's Marsh 2 Garganey, 2 Spoonbill, a Little Ringed Plover, 2 Common Sandpiper, a Green Sandpiper and 2 Wood Sandpiper. Birds around included a Marsh Harrier, 1500 Sanderling, a juvenile Cuckoo and a Hobby. Going south were 14 Little Egret, 6520 Swift, 3 Swallow and 2 Sand Martin.

Wood Sandpipers, 20th July 2019.
Photo - Owen Beaumont

Spoonbill, 20th July 2019.
Photo - Owen Beaumont

Little Egrets, 20th July 2019.
Photo - Owen Beaumont


 July 19th. A Serin flew south over Mill Hill mid morning. On Tennyson's Sands were a Wigeon, the female Mandarin Duck, a Spoonbill, 2 Grey Heron, 3 Little Ringed Plover, 146 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Green Sandpiper, a Spotted Redshank, 47 Redshank, 2 Wood Sandpiper, 21 Snipe and an adult Mediterranean Gull; and on Jackson's Marsh a Little Ringed Plover and 2 Common Sandpiper. Birds around included 26 Shelduck, 5 Gadwall (plus 11 chicks), 5 Shoveler, 3 Eider, 9 Little Egret, another Spoonbill, a Sparrowhawk, 1300 Oystercatcher, 5 Grey Plover, 4 Whimbrel, 449 Curlew, 7 Bar-tailed Godwit, 2 Turnstone, 1000 Knot, 1500 Sanderling, 1000 Dunlin, another Common Sandpiper, another Spotted Redshank, 4 Greenshank, 116 Redshank, a Snipe, 600 Sandwich Tern, a juvenile Mediterranean Gull, a juvenile Cuckoo, a Short-eared Owl and 4 Yellow Wagtail. Heading south were 2 Green Sandpiper, 822 Swift, 68 Sand Martin and 3 Yellow Wagtail.
 A morning ringing session in East Dunes produced 13 new birds: a Robin, 6 Linnet, 2 Blackcap, a Whitethroat, 2 Dunnock and a Blackbird; and 5 retraps: a Robin, 2 Whitethroat, a Chiffchaff and a Blackcap.
 
Wood Sandpiper, 19th July 2019.
Photo - Nige Lound 
The Moon, Waning Gibbous phase, 19th July 2019.
Photo - Ben Ward

July 18th. Heading south were a Red Kite, 61 Knot, 6704 Swift, a Hobby, 59 Sand Martin, 4 House Martin and 52 Swallow; and north 20 Arctic Tern. On Tennyson's Sands were 2 Wigeon, the female Mandarin Duck, 4 Spoonbill, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 47 Avocet, a Little Ringed Plover, 176 Black-tailed Godwit, a Green Sandpiper, 3 Spotted Redshank and 5 Snipe; and on Croftmarsh a Garganey and a Green Sandpiper. Around were 52 Teal, 11 Shoveler, 11 Little Egret, 2 Grey Heron, a Golden Plover, 3 Grey Plover, 42 Lapwing, 2 Whimbrel, 191 Dunlin, 28 Sanderling, a Curlew Sandpiper, a Greenshank, 307 Sandwich Tern, 80 Common Gull, a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull, a Short-eared Owl, 320 Swallow and a Grasshopper Warbler.
 A morning ringing session in East Dunes, with Keith Collett, resulted in 6 new birds: a Wren, 2 Linnet, a Blackcap, a Whitethroat and a Song Thrush; and 11 retraps: 3 Wren, a Blue Tit, 2 Whitethroat, 2 Dunnock and 3 Great Tit.
 Notable insects included a Red-veined Darter.

Garganey, 18th July 2019.
Photo - Ben Ward
July 17th. On Tennyson's Sands were the female Mandarin Duck, a Shoveler, a male Scaup, a Spoonbill, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 36 Avocet, 5 Little Ringed Plover, 193 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Greenshank, a Spotted Redshank, 33 Redshank and a Mediterranean Gull; on Croftmarsh were a Garganey, 2 Green Sandpiper and 5 Snipe; on Jackson's Marsh 3 Common Sandpiper; and on Fenland Lagoon another Spotted Redshank. Birds around included 7 Gadwall (plus 13 chicks), 68 Teal, 53 Tufted Duck, 11 Little Egret, a Sparrowhawk, 48 Lapwing, 2 Whimbrel, 40 Sandwich Tern, a Greenshank, 3 Stock Dove, a juvenile Cuckoo, a Peregrine, a Grasshopper Warbler and 136 Goldfinch. Going south were 8 Sand Martin and a Yellow Wagtail.
 A morning ringing session in East Dunes provided 23 new birds: a Wren, 7 Linnet, 2 Sedge Warbler, 10 Whitethroat, a Reed Bunting and 2 Blackcap; and 8 retraps: a Wren, a Sedge Warbler, 2 Linnet, a Dunnock, 2 Whitethroat and a Great Tit.
 Insects of note were a Red-veined Darter, 2 Southern Hawker and a White-letter Hairstreak.

Scaup, eclipse drake, 17th July 2019.
Photo - Ben Ward
White-letter Hairstreak, 17th July 2019.
Photo - Ben Ward
Essex Skipper, 17th July 2019.
Photo - Owen Beaumont
Adult male Linnet in main moult lacking red pigment, ringed 17th July 2019.
Photo - George Gregory
July 16th. On Tennyson's Sands were the female Mandarin Duck, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 66 Black-tailed Godwit, a Knot, a Dunlin, 2 Common Sandpiper and a Spotted Redshank; on Croftmarsh a Spoonbill, a Little Ringed Plover, a Green Sandpiper and a Spotted Redshank; and on Jackson's Marsh a Grey Heron and a Greenshank. Around were 48 Teal, 37 Tufted Duck, 8 Little Egret, 24 Avocet, 32 Lapwing, 420 Knot, 3 Sanderling, 3 Greenshank, 42 Sandwich Tern, 14 Common Gull, 4 Stock Dove, 30 Sand Martin, a Grasshopper Warbler, a Treecreeper and a Yellow Wagtail. Heading south were 11 Whimbrel, 5 Knot, 13 Sandwich Tern, 9 Swallow, a Yellow Wagtail and a Grey Wagtail.
 A morning ringing session in East Dunes produced 15 new birds: 3 Wren, a Chiffchaff, 8 Whitethroat, a Linnet, a Blackcap and a Greenfinch; and 6 retraps: a Blue Tit, a Robin, a Sedge Warbler, 2 Whitethroat and a Great Tit.
A moth trapping session run by Nige Lound in the North end of the East Dunes yielded a phenomenal 1169 moths of 102 species!Attached photos courtesy of Nige Lound.

Burnished Brass, 16th July 2019

Cream-bordered Green Pea, 16th July 2019

The Delicate (Rare Migrant), 16th July 2019

Rosy Footman, 16th July 2019

Little Egret and Spoonbill, 16th July 2019.
Photo - Ben Ward
July 15th. On Tennyson's Sands were the female Mandarin Duck, a Grey Heron, 4 Little Ringed Plover, 168 Black-tailed Godwit, a Spotted Redshank, 4 Greenshank and 2 Snipe. Birds around included 2 Common Sandpiper, 19 Sandwich Tern, a Collared Dove, a Short-eared Owl, 2 Grasshopper Warbler and 2 Yellow Wagtail. Flying south were 3 Little Ringed Plover, a Green Sandpiper and 2 Snipe. Offshore were a Red-breasted Merganser and an Arctic Skua.
 The eighth session of CES was done this morning. The 34 new birds were 8 Wren, 2 Chiffchaff, a Long-tailed Tit, a Blackcap, 8 Whitethroat, 4 Great Tit, 5 Blue Tit, a Sedge Warbler, a Robin and 3 Dunnock. The 25 retraps were 2 Blackbird, 6 Wren, a Great Tit, 3 Whitethroat, 2 Dunnock, a Sedge Warbler, 9 Long-tailed Tit and a Chiffchaff.
 Migrant insects included 4 Red-veined Darter at the Mere.

Common Darter, 15th July 2019.
Photo - Ben Ward

Roesel's Bush-cricket, 15th July 2019.
Photo - Ben Ward
July 14th. Soggy start, gradually drying out.
 On Croftmarsh were 2 Garganey, a Little Ringed Plover, 2 Spotted Redshank and 7 Snipe; on Tennyson's Sands 2 Shoveler, a Mandarin Duck, 2 Great Crested Grebe, a Knot, a Ruff, a Common Sandpiper, 3 Greenshank and 2 Common Tern; and on Jackson's Marsh a Grey Heron and 3 further Greenshank. Around were 90 Shelduck, 65 Teal, 38 Tufted Duck, 3 Eider, 9 Little Egret, 64 Avocet, 28 Lapwing, 2 Whimbrel, 99 Curlew, 161 Black-tailed Godwit, 68 Dunlin, 53 Redshank, 22 Sandwich Tern, 13 Common Gull, 4 Stock Dove, 2 Tawny Owl, a Short-eared Owl, 25 Sand Martin, 2 Grasshopper Warbler and 110 Goldfinch. Going south were an Eider, a Greenshank and 3 Swallow; and north 8 Common Scoter, 21 Gannet, 2 Little Tern and 63 Sandwich Tern.
 A morning ringing session in East Dunes yielded 5 new birds: a Wren, a Chiffchaff, a Reed Bunting, a Sedge Warbler and a Whitethroat; and 4 retraps: a Blue Tit, a Sedge Warbler, a Whitethroat and a Dunnock.

Black-tailed Godwit, 14th July 2019.
Photo - Owen Beaumont

Ruddy Darter, 14th July 2019.
Photo - Ben Ward
July 13th. On Tennyson's Sands were 2 Shoveler, a Mandarin Duck (the remaining female), 2 Great Crested Grebe, 43 Avocet, 4 Little Ringed Plover, 134 Black-tailed Godwit, a Knot, 2 Ruff, 2 Spotted Redshank, 4 Greenshank, 51 Redshank and 2 Common Tern; on Croftmarsh 2 Garganey and 2 Green Sandpiper; and on Fenland Lagoon 6 further Greenshank. Birds around included 96 Shelduck, 12 Gadwall (including 5 chicks), 63 Teal, 26 Common Scoter, 8 Little Egret, 2 Marsh Harrier, 47 Lapwing, 6 Whimbrel, 123 Curlew, a Bar-tailed Godwit, 7 Sanderling, 70 Dunlin, 108 further Redshank, 7 Snipe, 6 Little Tern, 18 Sandwich Tern, a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull, 20 Common Gull, 8 Stock Dove, a Short-eared Owl, a Grasshopper Warbler and a Grey Wagtail.  Heading south was a Greenshank; and north were 18 Common Scoter.
 A morning ringing session in East Dunes provided 8 new birds: 2 Wren, 2 Blackcap, a Sedge Warbler, 2 Whitethroat and a Reed Bunting; and 6 retraps: a Robin, a Sedge Warbler, 2 Dunnock, a Great Tit and a Whitethroat.
 Migrant insects included a Red-veined Darter.

Garganey, 13th July 2019.
Video - Ben Ward

Yellow-legged Gull, juvenile, 13th July 2019.
Photo - Ben Ward
Red-veined Darter, 13th July 2019.
Photo - Ben Ward

Mandarin Duck, 13th July 2019.
Photo - Ben Ward
July 12th. Soggy start, gradually drying out.
 Birds around included a Brent Goose, 94 Shelduck, 41 Teal, a Shoveler, 9 Little Egret, 2 Grey Heron, 2 Great Crested Grebe, a Marsh Harrier, 35 Avocet, 41 Lapwing, 6 Whimbrel, 159 Curlew, 108 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Common Sandpiper, 2 Green Sandpiper, a Spotted Redshank (Tennyson's Sands), 3 Greenshank, a Wood Sandpiper (Croftmarsh), 140 Redshank, 6 Snipe, 435 Sandwich Tern, 13 Common Gull, a Short-eared Owl, 138 Swallow, 950 Starling, a juvenile Wheatear and a Yellow Wagtail. Flying north was an Arctic Skua; and south were many Sandwich Tern and 100 Sand Martin.
 A morning ringing session in East Dunes produced 32 new birds: a Wren, 20 Long-tailed Tit, 2 Chiffchaff, a Blackcap, 2 Linnet, a Whitethroat, a Blue Tit, 3 Great Tit and a Dunnock; and 17 retraps: 2 Wren, 2 Sedge Warbler, 2 Great Tit, 2 Whitethroat, 8 Long-tailed Tit and a Robin.
 Migrant insects around included 2 Red-veined Darter.

Wheatear, juvenile, 12th July 2019.
Photo - Ben Ward
Whimbrel, 12th July 2019.
Photo - Ben Ward
Red-veined Darter, male, 12th July 2019.
Photo - Ben Ward
Gatekeeper, 12th July 2019.
Photo - Ben Ward
July 11th. A Quail was watched as it arrived in off the sea during the morning. Offshore were 2 Red-breasted Merganser, 76 Sandwich Tern and 7 Little Tern. On Tennyson's Sands remained the Mandarin Duck. Also there were 2 Great Crested Grebe, 50 Avocet, a Whimbrel, 112 Black-tailed Godwit and 3 Common Sandpiper; and on Fenland Lagoon 3 Greenshank. Birds around included a Brent Goose, 45 Teal, 53 Tufted Duck, 9 Little Egret, a Grey Heron, 26 Lapwing, 5 Little Ringed Plover, 6 Whimbrel, 2 Green Sandpiper, 7 Snipe, a juvenile Cuckoo, 110 Swallow, a Grasshopper Warbler, 450 Starling and a Yellow Wagtail. Going south were 146 Swift and 41 Swallow.
 A morning ringing session in East Dunes yielded 5 new birds: a Sedge Warbler, a Whitethroat, 2 Goldfinch and a Dunnock; and 3 retraps: 2 Whitethroat, a Blackbird and a Wren.
 Migrant insects included 2 Red-veined Darter, a Brown Hawker and a Southern Hawker.

Red-veined Darter, 11th July 2019.
Photo - Ben Ward
Cuckoo, juvenile food begging, 11th July 2019.
Photo - Ben Ward
Mandarin Duck, 11th July 2019.
Photo - Ben Ward
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