Purple Sandpiper tops the bill

The light NW breeze freshened slightly and moved to the west. The sunny periods increased as the day progressed.

Pete and Jean conducted their Webs survey today the highlight being,

Purple Sandpiper 1 on sloping heliport wall

A summary of the other Webs records from Jean:

This is the count from Heysham Village Bay to Ocean Edge saltmarsh:

WADERS

Oystercatcher 5854

Redshank 761

Turnstone 96

Lapwing 1

Knot 2

Bar-tailed Godwit 1

GULLS

Black-headed Gull 120

Mediterranean Gull 2

Lesser Black-backed Gull 58

Herring Gull 85

Great Black-backed Gull 3

OTHER

Cormorant 93

Other stuff from south shore

Pied Wagtail 25 on Ocean Edge field in the morning

Linnet 12 on foreshore before moving along sea wall to join the resident 5 near lighthouse 

Rock Pipit 3

Wheatear 1 - none in the morning but one came in near the lighthouse in the afternoon then moved to Red Nab.

Bar-Tailed Godwit 2 

Whimbrel 1

Both the above on the beach near wooden jetty in the afternoon.

Mediterranean gull 4 on the beach near jetty in the morning 3 arrived shorty after it became exposed again in the afternoon plus 1 juvenile on sea out from the harbour

Insects near Buddleia in Nature Park behind Red Nab

Common Darter dragonfly 1

Red Admiral 7

Large White 1

Comma 2

Small Tortoiseshell 8

Meadow Brown 4

Speckled Wood 1

Common Blue 2

Red Admiral and Meadow Brown 

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Just a very brief check of the two main ponds

Mute Swan pair plus 9 cygnet

Coot 4

Moorhen 4

Mallard 7

Gadwall 19 

Swallow 15 SW in 15 minutes 

House Martin 2 also SW

Dragonflies :

Brown Hawker 1

Black-Tailed Skimmer 1 

Still at least one male Black-Tailed Skimmer can be found on the main pond peninsula.

This very worn Gatekeeper was the only one seen in a brief visit