June 30th. Another sunny day with broken cloud getting into the low twenties with a light southerly breeze.
Very little movement today, although 3 Mediterranean Gulls and 2 Greenshank went south. Close inshore 31 Little Terns were fishing on the rising tide early morning.
On the water bodies around the reserve were a Greenshank, 3 Spotted Redshank, 4 Ruff, 2 Little Ringed Plover, 4 Green Sandpipers, 3 Common Sandpipers, 7 Cormorant, a Little Gull, a Great White Egret and 13 Spoonbill.
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| Black-tailed Godwits with Ruff, 30th June 2026 Photo - Jack Hood |
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| Ruff, 30th June 2026 Photo - Tom Baker |
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| Greenshank, 30th June 2026 Photo - Tom Baker |
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| Green Sandpiper, 30th June 2026 Photo - Tom Baker |
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| Avocets and Black-tailed Godwits, 30th June 2026 Photo - Tom Baker |
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| An Avocet having a spot of bother with a Great Black-backed Gull, 30th June 2026 Photo - Tom Baker |
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| Swallow, 30th June 2026 Photo - Tom Baker |
A Quail was calling overnight from the New Saltmarsh and was still calling early morning when a second bird was heard calling from the River Steeping bank at the Wash Viewpoint.
Only a few birds on the move this morning; 230 Swift, 4 Swallow, a Grey Wagtail, a Med Gull, a Heron and a Wood Sandpiper.
Elsewhere on the water bodies, there were a Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, 5 Green Sandpiper, 1 Curlew, 2 Spotted Redshank, 3 Greenshank, 2 Little Ringed Plovers, 2 Great White Egret, 1 Grey Heron and 11 Spoonbill.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes produced 6 new birds: 2 Wren, a Great Tit, a Blackcap, a Whitethroat and a Song Thrush; and a retrap Great Tit.
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| Spotted Redshank with Redshanks, 29th June 2026 Photo - Tom Baker |
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| Spotted Redshank (Right), 29th June 2026 Photo - Jack Hood |
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| Curlew, 29th June 2026 Photo - Jack Hood |
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| Green Sandpipers, 29th June 2026 Photo - Tom Baker |
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| Greenshank with Avocets, 29th June 2026 Photo - Tom Baker |
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| Small Skipper Butterfly's June 29th 2026 Photo - Tom Baker |
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| Emperor Dragonfly, 29th June 2026 Photo - Tom Baker |
On the water bodies around the reserve were 176 Avocet, 12 Lapwing, 170 Black-tailed Godwits, 99 Redshank, 3 Greenshank, 2 Spotted Redshank, 7 Green Sandpiper, 1 Oystercatcher, 2 Little Ringed Plover, 155 Black-headed Gulls, 1 Little Gull, 9 Spoonbills, 2 Great White Egrets and 1 Grey Heron. Heading south were 8 Swift and 2 Red Kite.
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| Little Ringed Plover and Redshank, 28th June 2026 Photo - Jack Hood |
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| Black-tailed Godwit, 28th June 2026 Photo - Jack Hood |
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| Great White Egrets and Cormorants, 28th June 2026 Photo - Jack Hood |
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| Spoonbills, 28th June 2026 Photo - Jack Hood |
Conditions were perfect for scanning the sea and shore where a feeding flock involved over 1000 Gulls with 200 Sandwich Terns, the first returning Common Terns (6), an Arctic Tern and 2 Manx Shearwaters. Waders arriving from the north included 35 Black-tailed Godwits, 30 Grey Plover, 5 Dunlin and 35 Curlew. 30 Starling, 200 Swift, 85 Sand Martins, a Green Sandpiper and 2 Yellow Wagtails flew south. Around were 2 Cuckoo, a Greenshank and a Whimbrel.
A brief recce over Tennyson's Sands produced 220 Back-tailed Godwits, 80 Redshank, 3 Spotted Redshank, 3 Greenshank, 4 Green Sandpiper 2 Little Ringed Plovers, 3 Spoonbills and a Little Gull.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes resulted in 14 new birds: 8 Whitethroat, 2 Blackcap, a Reed Warbler, a Robin, a Swallow and a Dunnock; and 5 retraps: 4 Whitethroat and a Dunnock.
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| Green Sandpiper, 27th June 2026 Photo - Jack Hood |
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| Spotted Redshank, 27th June 2026 Photo - Jack Hood |
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| Greenshank and Black-tailed Godwit, 27th June 2026 Photo - Jack Hood |
On the water bodies, there were 7 Green Sandpipers and 4 summer plumaged Spotted Redshanks on Tennyson's Sands. From Harvey's Hide there were 8 Spoonbills, 3 Little Ringed Plovers, a Great White Egret and a pair of Little Terns fishing briefly. 220 Sandwich Terns were commuting between the beach and the feeding flock offshore. Four Red Kites flew south together. Around were 2 Cuckoo, 30 Swallow and 20 Sand Martin.
Six White-letter Hairstreak Butterfly's were in the Plantation with a further 5 along the cycle track high up in the Elms. Five Red-veined Darter Dragonfly's were on the Mere and 4 Small Red-eyed Damselfly's were on Mill Pond.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes provided 17 new birds: a Chiffchaff, a Wren, 5 Long-tailed Tit, 2 Linnet, 5 Whitethroat, a Blue Tit, a Great Tit and a Great Spotted Woodpecker; and 19 retraps: 4 Whitethroat, 3 Dunnock, a Blue Tit, 2 Great Tit and 9 Long-tailed Tit.
Overnight moth-trapping produced 822 Moths of 148 Species, an excellent variety and abundance of moths. Six-belated Clearwing was a first for the Reserve.
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| Small Emerald, 26th June 2026 Photo - Jade Haddon |
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| Lunar-spotted Pinion Moth, 26th June 2026 Photo - Nige Lound |
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| Rosy Footman Moth, 26th June 2026 Photo - Nige Lound |
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| Scorched Carpet Moth, 26th June 2026 Photo - Nige Lound |
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| Six-belted Clearwing, 26th June 2026 Photo - Nige Lound |
June 25th. Wall to wall sunshine again all day from dawn to dusk with temperatures up in the mid to high twenties again despite a light onshore easterly breeze.
Plenty of bird activity in the dunes early morning but not much on the move except three Spoonbills headed out across the Wash and unusually, a Turtle Dove flying south. It was too hazy for sea-watching but a small increase in the local Eider flock to 15 was notable and an increase of Sandwich Terns with 40 on the sand bar, 70 on the beach and another 80 in a feeding flock offshore.
A hunting Peregrine was heavily mobbed by Little Terns in the Shorebird Sanctuary, forcing it to drift off south. A Ruff was new in on the lagoons where there was a Great White Egret, Spoonbills had increased to 10 and Spotted Redshank had increased to 2.
Along the cycle track near the entrance to Harvey's Hide, there were 15 White-letter Hairstreak Butterfly's feeding. A good number of Painted Ladies were recorded again.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes provided 5 new birds: a Goldfinch, 2 Whitethroat, a Blue Tit and a Dunnock; and a retrap Dunnock.
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| Spotted Redshanks, 25th June 2026 Photo - Jack Hood |
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| Spotted Redshank, Oystercatcher and Avocet, 25th June 2026 Photo - Jack Hood |
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| Green Sandpiper, 25th June 2026 Photo - Jack Hood |
Most unusual was a Spotted Redshank heard in song overnight whilst on the water bodies were 40 Redshank, 2 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Little Gull, 9 Spoonbill and 1 Grey Heron. Around was a Cuckoo.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes produced 13 new birds: 3 Wren, 3 Long-tailed Tit, a Robin, 3 Whitethroat, a Blue Tit and 2 Dunnock; and 6 retraps: 2 Great Tit, a Robin and 2 Long-tailed Tit.
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| x9 Spoonbills, 24th June 2026 Photo - Jack Hood |
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| Lesser Whitethroat, 25th June 2026 Photo - David Nutt |
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| Azure Damselflies mating, 24th June 2026 Photo - David Nutt |
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| Black-tailed Skimmer Dragonfly, 24th June 2026 Photo - Jack Hood |
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| Red-veined Darter Dragonfly, 24th June 2026 Photo - David Nutt |
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| Common Blue Butterfly, 24th June 2026 Photo - David Nutt |
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| Large Skipper Butterfly, 24th June 2026 Photo - Jack Hood |
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| Cinnabar Moth Caterpillar, 24th June 2026 Photo - David Nutt |
Around the water bodies were 28 Redshank, 1 Spotted Redshank, 1 Greenshank, 2 Oystercatcher, 68 Avocets, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Ringed Plover, 1 Little Gull, 2 Mediterranean Gulls, 2 Grey Heron and 6 Spoonbill.
Around the reserve were a a Grasshopper Warbler, a Cetti's Warbler, a Grey Wagtail (South), a Cuckoo and a Barn Owl.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes yielded a new Blackcap; and 3 retraps: 2 Chiffchaff and a Dunnock.
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| x2 Mediterranean Gulls, 23rd June 2026 Photo - Jack Hood |
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| Squabbling juvenile Grey Herons, 23rd June 2026 Photo - Jack Hood |
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| x6 Spoonbill, 23rd June 2026 Photo - Tom Baker |
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| Ruddy Darter Dragonfly, 23rd June 2026 Photo - Tom Baker |
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| Hummingbird hawk-moth, 23rd June 2026 Photo - Tom Baker |
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| A Ground Crab Spider (Xysticus genus), a spider family that do not spin webs, instead laying in wait to ambush an unsuspecting prey, 23rd June 2026 Photo - Tom Baker |
On the water bodies around the reserve were 10 Redshank, 1 Little Ringed Plover, 4 Spoonbill and 2 Grey Herons (Juveniles). Elsewhere there were 8 Curlew and a Sparrowhawk.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes provided 4 new birds: a Sedge Warbler, a Robin, a Whitethroat and a Dunnock; and 4 retraps: 2 Dunnock, a Robin and a Whitethroat.
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| x2 Grey Heron juveniles, 23rd June 2026 Photo - Jack Hood |
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| Reed Bunting male, 22nd June 2026 Photo - David Nutt |
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| Comma Butterfly, 22nd June 2026 Photo - David Nutt |
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| Essex Skipper with Hummingbird Hawkmoth (top left), 22nd June 2026 Photo - David Nutt |
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| Hummingbird hawk-moth, 22nd June 2026 Photo - David Nutt |
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| Hummingbird hawk-moth, 22nd June 2026 Photo - David Nutt |
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| Large White Butterfly, 22nd June 2026 Photo - David Nutt |
On the water bodies were 6 Redshank, 4 Spoonbill, 2 Great White Egret and the regular Little Gull.
Around were 3 Cuckoo, a Grasshopper Warbler, 8 Whitethroat and a Cetti's Warbler
A morning ringing session in East Dunes produced 9 new birds: a Chiffchaff, 2 Long-tailed Tit, a Wren, a Whitethroat, 2 Robin and 2 Blue Tit; and 3 retraps: a Great Tit, a Chiffchaff and a Whitethroat.
The sixth session of CES was done this morning by Dave Vincent. The 20 new birds were 3 Wren, 2 Chiffchaff, a Robin, a Lesser Whitethroat, 6 Whitethroat, 2 Blackcap, a Great Tit, a Goldfinch, a Dunnock, a Blackbird and a Great Spotted Woodpecker; and the 7 retraps were 3 Chiffchaff, a Wren, a Long-tailed Tit, a Whitethroat and a Dunnock.
