June 20th. Overcast and cooler than of late with two hours recording prior to rain showers through the morning. There was little evidence of Swift following yesterday's movement, but over 150 Starling moved south in groups of up to 30. A flock of 13 Crossbill flew high south over East Dunes while another 4 were in Pines on the west side. A Cuckoo also flew south. Offshore, Gannet were moving north, totaling 51, including a flock of 21. On the lagoons were 6 Spoonbill (including the first juvenile of the year), 3 Spotted Redshank, 3 Green Sandpiper, a Sandwich Tern, a Mediterranean Gull and 2 Snipe. $00 Starling came to roost on Croftmarsh in the evening.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes resulted in 3 new birds: a Willow Warbler and 2 Whitethroat; and 8 retraps: 2 Blue Tit, a Great Tit, 2 Blackbird, a Whitethroat, a Chiffchaff and a Dunnock.
More info about the Barn Owl control from Rutland featured on 7th June here: https://www.lrwt.org.uk/news/barn-owl-chick-rutland-water-nature-reserve-takes-unexpected-trip-beach
Sandwich Tern, 20th June 2023. 
Sandwich Tern, 20th June 2023. 
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Moth News: The moths below were trapped overnight on June 18th.
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| Eyed Hawk-moth, 18 June 2023. Photo - Nige Lound |
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| Female Ghost Moth, 18 June 2023. Photo - Nige Lound |
June 19th. Soggy start after overnight rain, but becoming very warm again.
An excellent day for variety today, with a return to south-westerly winds stimulatingly a movement of Swift and the first Sand Martin of 'autumn'. 133 Swift and 13 Sand Martin passed in two hours post 0630hrs with another 144 Swift in an hour between 1245 and 1345hrs. Also moving south were 26 Common Scoter, 70 Starling, a Grey Heron, 12 Curlew and 2 Turtle Dove. On the west side, a Redwing was a rare June sighting and a Spotted Flycatcher was a new arrival. 2 juvenile Goldcrest and a Coal Tit remained in the Pines, with the regular Bullfinch nearby and the Cetti's Warbler still in song. On the lagoons 6 Spoonbill, a Wigeon, 36 Teal, 2 Ruff, 4 Snipe and 3 Spotted Redshank were the highlights.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes, with Paul Edwards, provided 10 new birds: 2 Chiffchaff, a Linnet, 2 Blue Tit, 3 Whitethroat and 2 Dunnock; and 6 retraps: a Blackbird, 2 Blue Tit, a Whitethroat, a Lesser Whitethroat and a Reed Bunting.
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June 18th. A very warm, sunny day with cloud building during late afternoon prior to a thunderstorm with prolonged heavy rain. Spoonbills had increased to 8.
A morning ringing session at Aylmer Avenue produced 27 new birds: 7 Chiffchaff, 2 Long-tailed Tit, a Robin, a Lesser Whitethroat, a Bullfinch, 6 Whitethroat, 2 Blackcap, 3 Sedge Warbler, a Goldfinch, a Blue Tit. a Dunnock and a Blackbird; and 8 retraps: a Wren, a Whitethroat, 5 Long-tailed Tit and a Dunnock. Other birds around included 2 Cuckoo and a Short-eared Owl.
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| Bullfinch. ringed 18 June 2023. Photo - George Gregory  Roe Deer, 18th June 2023. Photo - Andrew Pendlebury |
Moth News: The moths below were trapped overnight on June 15th.
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| Blood Vein, 15 June 2023. Photo - Nige Lound |
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| Privet Hawk-moth, 15 June 2023. Photo - Nige Lound |
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| Rosy Wave, 15 June 2023. Photo - Nige Lound |
June 17th. A warm and sunny day. A few records from an evening visit. Birds seen included 2 Cuckoo, 2 Med Gull, 2 Snipe and 5 Spotted Redshank.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes resulted in just a new Blackbird.
June 16th. Despite heavy Fox predation on the Avocets and Gulls, several duck have hatched broods of chicks on the lagoons; Shelduck, Gadwall, Mallard, Tufted Duck and Shoveler. A pair of Avocets have a well grown chick now. Little Ringed Plovers (4) are still displaying but have not bred successfully so far. A Spotted Redshank was a new arrival, joining the Green Sandpiper and Black-tailed Godwit numbers had increased again to 267. A Hobby passed over and a Cetti's Warbler was singing along the road edge - the first record for a few weeks.
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A morning ringing session in East Dunes, with Kevin Armstrong and Bethany McGuire, provided 4 new birds: 2 Robin, a Blackcap and a Dunnock; and a retrap Dunnock.
June 15th. Birds around included 5 Spoonbill (flying to and from the Wash), 134 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Little Ringed Plover, a Green Sandpiper, 3 Snipe, a Med Gull, a Greenshank a Green Sandpiper, 4 Marsh Harrier and 2 Little Gull on Tennyson's Sands. Several Avocet and Black-headed Gull clutches have been lost to Fox predation on the lagoons.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes produced 5 new birds: a Blackcap, a Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Blue Tit and a Sedge Warbler; and a retrap Chaffinch.
Ringing Control: Barn Owl, ringed Beesby, Lincolnshire 24 July 2021, controlled GPBO 8 June 2023.
June 14th. A feeding flock offshore consisted of 100 Sandwich Tern, 500 Herring Gull and several Gannet. Around were 2 Egyptian Goose, 4 Spoonbill, 2 Mediterranean Gull, a Green Sandpiper, 4 Cuckoo, a Water Rail and a Barn Owl.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes yielded 2 new birds: a Whitethroat and a Dunnock; and a retrap Blue Tit.
A Convolvulus Hawk Moth was a great find today. Possibly the earliest record for the county.
June 13th. A Jay was a most unusual sighting for mid-June. Other birds around were 3 Spoonbill, a Red Kite, a Greenshank, a Green Sandpiper, 2 Cuckoo, 2 Mediterranean Gull and a Barn Owl.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes provided 8 new birds: a Blackcap, 3 Lesser Whitethroat, a Whitethroat, a Reed Bunting and 2 Dunnock.
Moth News: A Clouded Buff, the first for Gibraltar Point, was trapped overnight on June 10th by Nige Lound.
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| Clouded Buff, trapped overnight 10 June 2023. Photo - Nige Lound |
June 12th. The first returning Green Sandpiper was on Jackson's Marsh. Other birds around included 2 Cuckoo, a Wigeon, 4 Little Ringed Plover, a med Gull, 3 Marsh Harrier, 2 Bullfinch, a Coal Tit, a Wheatear and a Spoonbill.
The fifth session of CES, with Bethany McGuire and Paul Edwards, was done this morning. The 24 new birds were a Wren, 4 Long-tailed Tit, 2 Sedge Warbler, a Robin, a Chaffinch, 4 Goldfinch, a Lesser Whitethroat, a Reed Warbler, 2 Blue Tit, 6 Dunnock and a Blackbird; and the 10 retraps were 2 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Blackbird, a Sedge Warbler, a Wren, 2 Whitethroat and 2 Dunnock.
Several Bee Orchids are flowering along the Cycletrack opposite North Car Park.
June 11th. A bright , sunny and warm morning with the north-easterly breeze much reduced compared to recent days. This morning's effort concentrated on counting common birds in the dunes with good numbers of Whitethroat and Sedge Warbler in song and family parties of Great Tit and Long-tailed Tit much in evidence. Typically, Starling numbers are starting to build up at this time of year, with various small flocks arriving. At least 2 Cuckoo were still calling, a Spoonbill was on New Saltmarsh then flew north and offshore, and a Red-throated Diver and 90 Common Scoter flew north.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes, with Kevin Armstrong and Bethany McGuire, produced 8 new birds: a Meadow Pipit, 3 Blue Tit, a Whitethroat and 3 Great Tit; and 5 retraps: 2 Great Tit and 3 Whitethroat.
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| Pretty Chalk Carpet, 11 June 2023. Photo - Nige Lound |
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| Scorched Carpet, 11 June 2023. Photo - Nige Lound |
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| Small Elephant Hawk-moth, 11 June 2023. Photo - Nige Lound |
