Last day of red-veined heat?

Red-veined Darters
Perhaps the last throw of the dice for this year on the forecast
Mark Nightingale and Pete Kinsella had up to 5 males 1500-1600 - unusual so late in the day - wonder how many there were earlier?

Unfortunately it has been all very vague re-females this year with just the one seen ovipositing and only two other sightings, one on the same day as the ovipositing.  If any of the photographers out there have any info on females and ovipositing, please could you let us know.  Thanks.

Despite the seeming unlikelihood of them magically finding this place during influxes, the general consensus is that this year's early and mature male dominated influx (just one 'teneral' reported) is part of a national migratory invasion.  Feedback suggests there are still a lot of people who look for perched insects rather than scanning the rippled areas of the waterbody (in preference to calm bits) during light winds, often far from the shore, as the most likely means of making contact (especially with mature migrants?).  Therefore I suspect that many in such (perhaps transitory) mode have been missed on Lancashire's waterbodies 

Seagull census
A rather belated finish to the nesting seagull census today but I have not got the data to hand

Lots on Fisher's roof but unexpected lack of any GBBG success there

Outfalls/Red Nab
The outfalls held a new Med - below on Red Nab and easier to find than yesterdays 3CY!  Also the first (dispersing) baby Black-headed Gull of the year - early?  Late afternoon saw two adults at low tide.  Its starting to happen!

More returning adult or near adult seagulls

Heysham Obs
A reasonable number of seagulls on the outfalls and Red Nab including a 3CY Med in full summer plumage:

Moth traps at Middleton held both Silky and Obscure Wainscot and a rather late Shaded Pug graced the Heysham trap.

Any dragonfly info from today?

Ringing took place at Middleton NR this am and the surprise was a rather early dispersing juvenile Treecreeper - usually an occasional July feature and scarce and erratic at all times away from Heysham Head - and the first juv Reed Warbler.   Perhaps surprisingly, the few recent ringing efforts have not included any juvenile Cetti's Warbler, but the territories are mainly to the east of the ringing site 

Monday

 

 

Middleton early am

General

4 Spotted chaser - minimum 10 (all checked were standard type)

Emperor - 1 male each, no swimming pond and new small scrapes. female type central marsh

Broad Bodied Chaser - 3 male on small scrapes

Common Darter - minimum 1 possibly 2

 

2 Cetti's singing

1 Grasshopper warbler reeling central marsh. First I've heard for a while, there are actual grasshoppers chirruping now, but this was definitely a warbler.

 

1 stoat

 

Later in am

5-6 male RV Darter plus a pair in cop then perhaps the same female on its own

 

Nice pic from John Wright later in afternoon:

 

Sunday

A four spotted chaser without the central spots was photographed by Malcolm and there was also a wandering RV Darter on the track between the fence and no swimming ponds

Red-veined day

Couple of pics from Dave Talbot - thanks Dave

At least 5 males and one female on model boat pond

Also Ad summer Little Grebe model boat pond

Brief gull check and a Shark

Tomorrow looks good for Red-veined Darter as does most of the next week.  Please report all sightings (e.g. email PMrsh123@aol.com) and especially any definite females/ovipositing.  I'm assuming no Common out yet, certainly not mature red males, but need to be very careful, especially with female/tenerals

Very distant gull facing away was half to two-thirds the size of the nearby BHGs but it flew as I was switching to 40 x lens on scope and didn't see it again & had to go.  Suspect the definite small 2CY BHG of a few weeks ago?

The 2CY Med still around along with 67 2CY Common Gull

The moth trap has at least come up with a few scarcities and the whole set up might be sorted out next week:

Shark

Unexpected day

Started with a clear run through all the traffic lights on the Bay Coneway for the first time, then the sea looked a bit rough and a sweep produced a Gannet, so gave it a bit of unscheduled time before checking the Sunderland Point moth trap

Sea 0845ish to 0920ish
Gannet - 11
Fulmar - 1
Manx Shearwater - flock of 6
Med Gull - yesterdays 2CY seaward end Heysham one

Middleton NR
Lunchtime and early pm saw the temperature high enough, wall to wall sunshine and a few bits of shelter out of the wind for Malcolm and dragonfly recording but later in the afternoon the wind increased and the site became a no show as the forecast had suggested for the whole day

Red-veined Darter - two males and two female types or tenerals
also low single figures of Black-tailed Skimmer, Four-spotted Chaser (one eaten by an Emperor!), Broad-bodied Chaser and an interesting darter seen very briefly in the central marsh

They survived in numbers

No need to worry about the prolonged 'grounding' of red veined darters.    A single sweep from the seat saw nine males over the model boat pond with smaller counts including at least one almost certain additional insect over the next five minutes.   No time to check the western shore

On red nab there was a new 2cy med gull - a large individual with an unremarkable head pattern cf being lost amongst bhg and moulted greater coverts giving the folded wing a very 'plain' look for so early in the "autumn"

Heysham skeers held two common scoter in the channel, a small flock of Canada geese past and a build up of little egret.   Detail later

A few seabirds

The outfalls are in a bit of a rut at the moment - plenty of gulls but no obvious change in personnel.

Offshore was a bit disappointing in the absence of squalls.   Early on saw 7 gannet and 4 Manx shearwater with o my one of the gannet 'close'.   Brief checks during high tide period saw an empty sea but 5 Manx shearwater headed towards heysham later in the afternoon (seen from
Cockersands)

Nowt

The Webs and pre-Webs outfalls check and rest of the coastal area plus the moth trap saw absolutely nothing of note

Might be worth a tomorrow morning seawatch though plus LOW tide check of outfalls