June 20th. Sunny, with light south-westerly wind.
A Wood Sandpiper was heard calling overnight. A few Swifts went south in the morning and a pair of Med Gulls were around.
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| Great White Egret and Marsh Harrier, 20th June 2024. Photo - Jack Hood |
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| Marsh Harrier, 20th June 2024. Photo - Jack Hood |
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Roe Deer fawn, 20th June 2024. Photo - Jack Hood |
Birds around were 2 Cuckoo, a Sandwich Tern and a Marsh Harrier. On Tennyson's Sands were 75 Avocet, 2 Little Ringed Plover, a Green Sandpiper and 8 Spoonbill. 2 Curlew Sandpipers flew East off the Fenland Lagoon, and a Greenshank was calling around after dark. Also vocal during the night was a Quail. A Peregrine flew south; and a Red-throated Diver and a Gannet north.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes yielded 9 new birds: 2 Chiffchaff, a Wren, a Robin, a Whitethroat, 2 Great Tit, a Chaffinch and a Dunnock; and 10 retraps: 2 Dunnock, 4 Great Tit, a Wren and 3 Whitethroat.
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Yellow-banded Longhorn Moth, 19th June 2024. Photo - Nige Lound |
Both ringtail Hen Harrier and Montagu's Harrier were hunting the saltmarsh today. 5 Cuckoos were around the dunes and marshes and 2 Great White Egrets ad female Pintail were on the lagoons. Other birds around included Mistle Thrush and Siskin.
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Linnet, 18th June 2024. Photo -Rikki Clark |
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Reed Bunting, 18th June 2024. Photo -Rikki Clark |
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Oystercatcher, 18th June 2024. Photo -Rikki Clark |
370 Swifts headed south in an hour early morning and 26 Sandwich Terns and 5 Gannets went south offshore. Song Thrushes were in full voice at Sykes and Aylmer and a Grasshopper Warbler was reeling along Mill Pond Road.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes provided 4 new birds: a Willow Warbler, a Chiffchaff, a Grasshopper Warbler and a Dunnock; and 4 retraps: a Robin, 2 Dunnock and a Whitethroat.
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Oystercatchers, 17th June 2024. Photo - Rikki Clark |
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| Grasshopper Warbler, ringed 17 June 2024. Photo - George Gregory  Whitethroat, 17th June 2024. Photo - Jack Hood  Brown Hare, 17th June 2024. Photo - Rikki Clark |
June 16th. Overcast and cool with occasional drizzle in the morning, giving way to a warmer, drier and sunnier afternoon with a moderate south-west breeze.
An excellent day once the weather had cleared, although Swifts were moving occasionally in batches of up to 50, undeterred by poor conditions. A total of 800 passed in two hours, with a further 250 feeding over the West Dunes and Plantation. Offshore, an Arctic Skua flew low south, pausing to harass a Sandwich Tern briefly - an atypical spring date for this species. In the Shorebird Sanctuary, the first Little Tern chicks of the season hatched! On the beach, a roost of 300 Sanderling was accompanied by 26 late Dunlin and 3 summer-plumaged Curlew Sandpipers. Other new birds included House Sparrow and Grey Wagtail. Around the lagoons the highlights were 2 Great White Egrets, 7 Spoonbills and a Green Sandpiper. Other birds around were 4 Cuckoos.
June 15th. Fairly soggy start, drying out and becoming sunny, with increasing south-westerly wind.
Swifts were passing south again this morning, with a single Red Kite also heading south.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes produced 8 new birds: a Willow Warbler, 5 Whitethroat, a Blackcap and a Chaffinch; and 2 retraps: a Whitethroat and a Wren.
June 14th. Soggy start, slowly drying out with fresh south-westerly wind, then rain in afternoon.
A Swift movement saw a minimum of 2250 head south during the morning. At one stage, 300 were over the Plantation while 200 were over the East Dunes. 3 Great White Egrets were with a group of 6 Spoonbills which included 4 juveniles, presumably from the Norfolk colony. 2 Crossbills flew north and 2 Snipe were new arrivals.
The fifth session of CES was done this morning. The 9 new birds were 5 Wren, a Chiffchaff, 2 Robin and a Whitethroat; the 4 retraps were a Wren, a Dunnock, a Sedge Warbler and a Blackcap; and there was a control Willow Warbler.
Ringing Recovery: Turtle Dove, ringed GPBO 12 May 2017, ring read in field Burgh le Marsh, Lincolnshire 30 April 2024.
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Spoonbill, adult with 2 juveniles, 14th June 2024. Photo - Nige Lound |
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Spoonbill juvenile, 14th June 2024. Photo - Nige Lound |
June 13th. Misty start, gradually clearing, with slowly increasing south-westerly wind.
Spoonbills had increased to 5, a flock of 100 Starlings included many juveniles and there was a Green Sandpiper on Jackson's Marsh with 2 Great White Egrets. Otherwise, little change was noted.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes resulted in 21 new birds: 2 Wren, 2 Chiffchaff, 3 Robin, a Blackcap, 5 Blue Tit, 4 Great Tit, a Dunnock and 3 Starling; and 8 retraps: a Dunnock, a Whitethroat, a Blackcap, 2 Blue Tit and 3 Great Tit.
June 12th. Mostly cool and cloudy with occasional rain showers and a light westerly wind.
Today's highlights were 2 Hobby, 2 Marsh Harrier, a Peregrine, a Barn Owl, a Short-eared Owl, a Grasshopper Warbler and 2 Spoonbill.
Roe Deer are now a frequent sight on the Reserve but todav was the first time that a fawn had been seen here.
June 11th. Soggy start with some early morning light rain and moderate north-westerly wind.
A Spoonbill flew south onto the estuary early morning. Another 2 Spoonbill were on Tennyson's Sands with 3 Great White Egret, the regular Pintail and 2 Water Rail. Offshore were 4 Common Scoter and a Fulmar, and along the beach 775 Sanderling.
