Suffolk Birci Report
2010
The year's peak day-count was ten off Southwold on September 19th.
Aug 12
Sep 63
Oct 10
Nov 2
M A N X SHEARWATER Puffinus puffinus Uncommon passage migrant. Amber list. A remarkably poor year for this species off our coast seemed like a throw-back to the days before Suffolk seawatching first became so populär in the 1980s. The first was seen off Thorpeness on May 3rd and the last was seen off Orfordness on October 16th - the latter bird being Orfordness's only record of the year. The table below showing the monthly totals may well include some duplication of records, thus making it even more of a disappointing year:May 5
Jun 10
Jul 2
Aug 8
Sep 4
Oct 1
BALEARIC SHEARWATER Puffinus mauretanicus Rare, but nearly annual, passage migrant. Critically endangered. Red list. As with the previous species, a poor year - but to put it into context, Suffolk's first records were as recent as 1998. This year's only record concerned an individuai off Landguard, September 6th (P Oldfield), which is only the site's second record. LEACH'S STORM-PETREL Oceanodroma leucorhoa Scarcepassage migrant. Amber list. Another seabird putting in a poor show in 2010, the individuai listed below being the only storm-petrel to be reported in the county throughout the year. Southwold: north, Nov lOth (P Whittaker). NORTH E RN G ANN ET Morus bassanus Common passage migrant. Amber list. In recent years, June, July and August concentrations off our coast have been particularly marked, but in 2010 during this period it was not until the latter month that numbers increased noticeably. This may be accounted for by the wanderings of fish stocks in the North Sea, or perhaps some other factor. However, what the table below clearly indicates is that, once again, the species' northward spring surge took place in March, although autumn passage was not especially pronounced. The table shows the monthly totals reported in the county, excluding those from Landguard - from where monthly data were not received - and it should be remembered that duplication within the figures is inevitable: Combined Peak day
Jan 54 8
Feb 149 22
Mar 2362 392
Apr 720 158
May 216 16
Jun 254 120
Jul 157 27
Aug 1283 179
Sep 427 177
Oct 810 114
Nov 369 131
Dee 24 7
GREAT C O R M O R A N T Phalacrocorax carba Common winter visitor and passage migrant: has nested since 1998. The fascinating travels of GR4 C6, a green-ringed female ringed at the Mageoerne colony in Denmark, 55.35N, 10.07E, have been outlined by Suffolk's Cormorant watcher-in-chief Robin Biddle. The story illustrates how enlightening the reporting of such marked individuali can be. With more than 70 sightings reported since the bird was ringed on June 3rd, 2000 an endearing picture of site fidelity on either side of the North Sea has emerged. Its first UK sighting was at Loompit Lake, Trimley St Martin, in April, 2001 and the bird
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