A good proportion of warblers and a nice moth

A couple of early morning showers, then dry and sunny with a light west wind.

Bordered Pug in Kevin's trap last night. Very local and not common in Lancashire. 

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Ringing report by John:

Three nets set at Middleton yesterday morning resulted in 16 birds captured.

Sedge Warbler  2  + 1 retrap

Lesser Whitethroat  3

Willow Warbler  3

Reed Warbler   1  +  1 retrap

Garden Warbler  2

Cetti's Warbler   1

Chiffchaff   1

Robin   1

All warblers bar the Robin

Janet took this shot of Goldfish in the pond in the southern section of the reserve.
Obviously someone's released pets. They will cross breed with the resident Rudd.
As time goes by the more conspicuous offspring are more likely to be predated, so
after several generations most of the fish will look more like the countershaded Rudd.

Heysham Skear - low water 16:35 (Malcolm)

2.6m low water only exposed the skear as far conger rock. Some days when you walk out you get a sense that "something is going to happen". But not today. Still it was a very pleasant walk in the cooling sea breeze.

Little Egret just 1

Eider 3

Eider in the evening sun

Great Crested Grebe 1

Herring Gull c250

There were c25 Lesser Black-Backed. This one was hunting crabs, successfully. 

Oystercatcher 600

Oystercatcher with a leucistic head

Curlew 70

Turnstone 13

Turnstone moulting from summer plumage are perfectly camouflaged here

Saltmarsh beach (Malcolm)

I just had a look on my way home, earlier in the tide than I normally check. There were a few resting gulls, but only one Mediterranean gull.

This Black-Headed gull has a black ring - details awaited