Saturday 24 June 2023

First summer Med numbers continue to grow

A couple of overnight showers but dry all day. Overcast till after lunch then some sunny spells. A light SW to south wind.

Red Nab - high water 16:10 (MD)
At 7.7m high water barely reaches Red Nab. I walked out onto the shore and looked back at Red Nab rocks.
Mediterranean gull 18 - 2 adult, 1 second summer and 15 first summer 
Second summer Mediterranean gull

Five of the first summer Mediterranean gulls

I almost certainly missed some, this clip shows about half the gulls, but most of the Meds were in this section. There was at least one adult Med in the remainder. 
The tide was just behind me at this point, so time to leave. As the tide got higher, many of the Black-Headed gulls flew to the beach out from the saltmarsh, but the Mediterranean gulls remained on Red Nab.
Curlew 72
Lapwing 2

Middleton Nature Reserve 
Janet had a quick look this morning.

Male Black-Tailed Skimmer

Narrow-bordered five-spot Burnet

I just checked the main pond this evening (MD)
Red-Veined Darter 2 male
This one was resting on the western bank, just before the large reed bed begins.
A second was cruising in over the water so this one flew out to challenge it.

One flew out to the middle of the pond and this one returned to the bank, but c30m away, where the first reed bed ends.
Pretty sure this was the other male. Apart from returning to a different territory,
its veins looked redder and the dark markings on its abdomen darker.