Gulls

There were 188 Common Gull and 18 Lesser Black- Backed feeding on and around No.1 outflow as the tide started to flood.

The LBB favour the sea wall end whereas the Common prefer the sea end

Mediterranean Gull one 2nd calendar year briefly on No.1 outflow slightly later in tide.

Black-Headed Gull 117 feeding on small shrimps in the drain into the lake to north of the skeer as tide was ebbing.

When the drain emptied,  they headed off together north

Rock Pipits:
1 Red Nab
1 Visiting nest site near lighthouse
2 very territorial below high cliffs

Wheatear 1 Heysham Head

Skeer in evening
Eider 18 only 2 female
Great Crested Grebe 8
Knot, just 14 today

Is this them away?

Similarly with the 6 Dunlin

Another good moth from Kevin's trap SD46A

Miller moth

Just enough to maintain interest

Fresh NNE wind. Overcast and showers in morning brightening up by late afternoon

Sea/mud watch 0550-0650 
Arctic Skua 1 dark morph in
Gannet 1 adult U turning
Sandwich Tern 6 slowly heading out

Grey seal
Swallow - 4 NE

Low water out from Half Moon Bay to skeer
Great-crested grebe 1
Eider 52 mainly male
Little Egret 7
Ringed Plover 20 + 4
Knot 120

Only a small percentage turning to summer plumage

Lighthouse area 16:00 - 16:30 (MD)
Rock pipit 1 visiting nest site
Whinchat 1 male briefly 

Only managed a record shot

Common Redstart 1 male feeding on the scrub near lighthouse.

Eventually, managed a decent shot

Bank Holiday break

 Traditionally everyone flocks to the sea on a warm bank holiday weekend. Today, as far as I am awaare, none of the regular observers check the sea. 

Most of today's records came from Middleton Nature Reserve. Obviously ringing is not an option at the moment so warbler movement can only be inferred, but based on the volume of noise this morning there were more Common Whitethroat and Sedge warbler than of late.

Nine warbler species were all seen and heard, but only glimpses seen of the 3 Cetti's warbler and 2 Grasshopper warblers heard.

Wildfowl:

Mute swan 3 pairs nesting plus 1 2nd calendar year 

Greylag 2 - these are regular visitors, but not tolerated by the male Mute

Coot 3

Moorhen 6

Mallard 1 + still with at least 14 chicks

Gadwall 2 males plus this pair

Doing an impression of Hilda Ogden's ducks - thanks Janet

Little Grebe 2 single birds feeding, hopefully their mates are sitting

Insects:

All the regular damselfy species are suddenly everywhere

Four-spotted chaser 2

Broad-bodied chaser 3

Thanks Kevin

The only other records so far are from a quick check of lighthouse area late afternoon.

Rock pipit 1 visiting nest site, hopefully with food. Another bird, almost certainly not one of the breeding pair near waterfall.

Mother Shipton at least three in the scrub near lighthouse 

The one that got away - it's always the best one!

Low cloud early on with a gentle southerly breeze, later brightening up and the breeze switching to west.

Common Gull 368
Mediterranean Gull 1 2nd calendar year
Sandwich Tern 8
Red-throated Diver one on water
Common Scoter 15 in
Dunlin 45 north
Whimbrel 25
Pink-footed goose 4 north
Swan (sp)  26-28 north, unfortunately seen to late to allow identification

"The one that got away" refers to an Osprey. Two observers saw the waders on the shore spooked, but couldn't locate source, only to find that an Osprey had been reported heading towards the area. Later shortly after an observer left the Red Nab area, an Osprey was seen approaching Sunderland Point from Heysham - missed by minutes!

Grey seal 6
No sign of passerine migration or even swallows

Little Egret 8

These 7 together, plus the regular bird here is just out of frame. The waders flying above are Oystercatcher.

Kittiwake 76
08:40 A flock heard above Heysham Head. They were above the cloud line but as the approached the skeer they dropped below the cloud.

But still very high

They then circled high (right over my head MD)

Before heading off NW

Reserves
The late morning and afternoon sun brought the insects out

Butterflies:
All the early flyers are still around including: Brimstone, Orange Tip, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Comma and Speckled wood
New for year
Common Blue on Heysham and Middleton

Jant took a leaf out of Pete's book and took these with here phone camera.

Small Heath just at Middleton, so far

Moths:
Burnet Companion, 3 at Heysham 1 at Middleton

Dragonflies:
Broad-bodied Chaser 3 Middleton
Four-Spotted Chaser 1 Middleton

Damselflies- Middleton
Large-red and Azure, plus new for year
Common Bluetail
Common Blue

Four Tern species!

All today's records, and picture, so far from Pete (M). All sea records before 09:30.

Goosander 1 drake flew in,
Arctic Tern 10 in at mid range then 31 in at close range.
Little Tern - one ‘following’ the first Arctic Tern flock but getting left further and further behind as it hovered to feed several times.
Sandwich Tern - all on the move this am totalling 17
Common Tern - two roosting red nab then flushed

Impressive picture of in flight Common Tern, considering by phone camera through scope!

Didn’t check gulls carefully, c200 plus Common gull, no obvious Mediterranean gull.
Whimbrel just 3 Red Nab
Dunlin 86 Red Nab
Knot 2100 on mud off north wall, then  c1600 flew south leaving 493 mainly 2nd calendar year and by near naze (all unringed)
Swallow 36 north,
Carrion Crow one very high north
Tree pipit 3 plus 1 north north wall then one flew inland near Red Nab

A quick check of Heysham Nature Reserve from entrance barrier found
Spotted Flycatcher - one probably two very active around dipping pond and roadside trees,

Moths
Silver Y north wall

Hopefully more to come

Common Gull influx

Notable of sorts this morning was a significant increase in 2cy Common Gulls bringing an extra Med with them

Sea 0730-0830
Pink footed Goose - flock of 40 north
Arctic Skua - dark morph on sea then circled up and flew inland over the seawall
Arctic Tern - flock of 6 in
Common Scoter - loose flock c30 - v distant
Sandwich Tern - 10 including flock of 6 in
Flava Wagtail -one NE
Whinchat - female on north wall
Knot - flock of 82 on sand then north - all non breeding plumage
Rock Pipit - one giving quiet parachute display calls on seawall Plus one above nest site near lighthouse

Ocean edge 0835-0905
Whimbrel - 5
Bar tailed Godwit - two in sp
Med gull - 2 - additional ‘black headed’ bird
Common Gull - min 318
Wheatear - one football pitch
Carrion Crow - three together high in-off heading NE

 Not a single hirundine seen!

Middleton Nature Reserve- late morning
Couldn't locate a Garden warbler, but all 9 other warblers seen and or heard including:
Cetti's warbler 3 heard singing
Grasshopper warbler seen (glimpsed) only
Lesser Whitethroat, 3 seen but none singing today
No hirundine seen here either

The Mallard with 15 chicks still has them all, but is back on the "no swimming" pond and is still being "moved along"  by the male Mute

Dragonflies:
Four-spotted chaser 1
Broad-bodied chaser 5
Large Red Damselfly 4
Azure Blue Damselfly 1 female - first record this year

Waders on the move

Evening update
A further 7 Whimbrel and 3 Dunlin to add to the tallies below, plus Rock Pipits feeding young. Here’s Dad keeping an eye out for approaching humans and other potential predators:

Seabirds, waders and gulls:
Arctic Tern - 17 +15 +10 in
Sandwich Tern 6 in, 2 on the buoys and 1 chased by a skua (see below)
Red-throated Diver - 3 in
Guillemot - 1 out
Razorbill - 1 out
Auk sp - 2 in
Arctic Skua - 1 dark-morph at 0918hrs chasing a Sandwich Tern
Common Scoter - 1 floating in
Dunlin - 281 plus others distantly
Golden Plover - 3
Grey Plover 21
Ringed Plover 13 on Ocean Edge saltmarsh
Bar tailed Godwit  -2
Mediterranean Gull - 1 2cy
Common Gull - 181
Leucistic Common Gull pretending to be an Iceland Gull. The photos, although not good because they are heavily cropped, show a white Gull but closer inspection shows that the wing tips are actually grey.

 

Vis:
Swallow - 8
House Martin - 3 over Ocean Edge, 5 over Heysham Moss and 1 over Middleton NR
Tree Pipit - 1
Linnet (may be resident?) - 2

Grounded:
Greenland Wheatear - 2
Whimbrel - 29 on Red Nab

One of the two Wheatears. Presumed ‘Greenland’ type as it was larger than the ones that passed through last month.

Sea and land bird interest

The breeze should have been NE but in reality it started more like NNE, later shifting further E. Mainly sunny
Sea watch totals from Pete (M) and Bill Martin
Common Scoter 35
Gannet 26
Red-Throated Diver 3
Kittiwake 39 in 10 flocks or singletons
Dunlin 4
Arctic Skua 1 dark morph in and another dark morph blogging outer bay chasing s terns
Carrion Crow one north over sea similarly Little Egret,
Arctic Tern 30 plus 6,8,7,
Common or Arctic Tern 5
Sandwich Tern c15
Guillemot 6
Razorbill/Guillemot 47
Swallow c20
Sand Martin 1
Greenshank flew high to north over OE
Rock Pipit one standing guard above nest site near lighthouse another near waterfall
Wheatear 4 near Red Nab

Inshore
Garden Warbler 2 singing Moneyclose Lane (PM). One singing yesterday on Middleton Nature Reserve (SC)
Cuckoo (first (probably only) record for the year) one singing in the small wood behind the Half Moon Bay cafe at 11:45. Heard from allotment at the bottom of Smithy Lane by Phil Rosser - thanks

Middleton Nature Reserve
See  yesterday's record for Garden warbler above. This means there are potentially 10 warblers to be found here at the moment.
Both Cetti's and Grasshopper warblers singing this morning - re Janet
Common Snipe 1

Four-spotted chaser - thanks Janet

Skeer - low water 16:40
No sign of Knot, Great-Crested grebes or Red-breasted merganser.
Eider 14 male
Dunlin 4

Two of the Dunlin amongst the honeycomb worm

Bar-tailed Godwit 8

One in full summer plumage

Another excellent seawatch!

The breeze was much lighter today from SE early on when the bulk of the birds were seen.  Seawatching totals have been carefully aggregated from observers stationed on Heysham Head, North wall and South wall roundhead. Thanks to all involved.
Arctic Skua - two dark morph together flew across the bay heading for Lune Estuary, one very distant dark morph in later
Gannet 24
Arctic Tern flock of c30 + 7 in
Sandwich Tern 80-100 some very close in others distant blobs.
Manx Shearwater 62
Common Scoter c60 plus 5 plus c35 out
Puffin one on sea then flew in. A different distant one in seen by Shaun and Jonathan,
Guillemot c5 on sea
Razorbill 1 in plus 1 close in on sea
Razorbill/Guillemot 16
Kittiwake 8 on sea plus 1 in
Red-Throated Diver 4 including very close bird showing red throat!
Whimbrel 9 in 5 on Red Nab

Not a sign of any landbirds or hirundine migrants

Middleton Nature Reserve mid afternoon
All 9 regular warblers seen and or heard including
Cetti's Warbler - no swimming pond, fence pond and cental marsh males singing
Grasshopper Warbler just one singing today NW corner of western marsh near yellow barrier.
This Mallard with chicks was driven off the "no swimming" pond by the aggressive male Mute.

She managed to get all 15 to the main pond.

Janet reported Moorhen chicks yesterday
Buzzard 1 over to west
Dragonflies:
Four-spotted chaser 1 (first record of year from the recording area, although they were on Heysham Moss last week)
Broad-bodied chaser at least 3 tenerals

Red Nab high water 07:30
To continue the theme of specialised feeding methods. This is a Peregrine hunting, and perhaps not one for the faint hearted. Forget the graceful stoops from tv documentaries, this one is about opportunism and manoeuvrability (MD)
It did start with a stoop though, then a chase, after the Oystercatchers

No luck

Then, as it was flying over the rocks it spotted a bird that hadn't taken flight. It stopped, almost immediately, in mid air. - you can see the effect of its wings down draught on the water below the Peregrine.

You can just make out the head of the prey bird behind the rocks lower right. It looks like a Whimbrel, probably exhausted, off passage.

The Peregrine spun round (there is a third of a second between these two frames) and headed back, this time the prey did manage to take off. Just in time....

All the Peregrine managed was a talon full of feathers

But it wheeled around again and this time grabbed the bird

It flew off with its catch. Presuming the prey was a Whimbrel, the size relationship suggests the Peregrine was a female.

If nothing else this sequence demonstrates just how vulnerable waders are to predation, if they don't take to the air when a Peregrine is hunting. 

Great seawatch!

Three of us separately covered the sea from the north wall 0700-1000:  The skuas were interesting.  The first (four) Arctic dropped out of the sky down to about 30m above the sea then circled up and headed inland over my head - so nearly missed at the top of the scope, the next two were gaining height steadily but carried on up the Bay.  The Poms on the other hand were a water-hugging, apart from a bit of wheeling, purposefully-flying flock up the centre of the Bay - it did appear at first that one bird was quite a bit ahead of the others which then caught it up; certainly they were at least a scope's width behind for a few seconds.  The two Bonxie were inbound singletons, the first landing on the (inbound) sea early on

Whimbrel - 2+2 in
Pomarine Skua - flock of six light morph adults in at 0815hrs
Arctic Skua - 4+2 at 0740 and 0745 (see above).  All dark/intermediate-dark morph
Bonxie - in then on 0715 and in at unknown time between 0900-1000
Manx Shearwater - 220 seen flying in and others could have been missed; outbound birds ignored but similar impression of numbers
Raz/Gill - 60 mainly in and most after 0825hrs and before 0900hrs
Guillemot - 7 definites
Razorbill - 5 definites
Arctic Tern - 26+5+2 in
Fulmar - one out 0757hrs
Kittiwake - flock 6 in
Common Scoter - 27 seen
Red-throated Diver - 3 in
Sandwich Tern - c30 - more blogging/less movement than yesterday
Gannet - 2+2+2 out