Saturday 18 July 2015

A better than seemed likely day

Heysham Obs
Better than seemed mid-morning with Malcolm having a decent walk around Middleton NR earlier on not rough enough for seabirds (no showers), too much sun and heat haze and too much wind for anything else

Red Nab/outfalls
Med Gull - 7 adult, 2 3CY, 1 2CY
Whimbrel - 1
Curlew - 361
Black-headed Gull - 820
Common Gull - 6 (2 adult)
Little Gull - adult reported but no sign as the tide started coming in

Middleton NR (Malcolm)
First dragon fly was a red veined darter, sunning on path next to top carpark. Only
saw the one, but also 9 common darter,  1 emperor and 1 black tailed skimmer.
Lots of big stuff hawking on west (Lee) side of "no swimming" pond, but out of
my recognition range. Only damsel were common and blue tail.
Butterflies dominated by gatekeeper (26), mainly on east side. Also 18 meadow brown, 4 small
skipper, 1 painted lady, 3 small white.
2 mute with 2 cygnets on boat pond, 6 (presumably displaced 2CY) on fence pond. Could only locate 1 adult on Tim Butler, but second bird and cygnet could have been out of sight.
Also, 1 little grebe, 1 little egret, 2 gadwall, 2 mallard with 4 chicks, 3 moorhen.
Moths
Garden Tiger, Double Dart the best of a meagre catch