Meds and first RVD

It started off with a brisk southerly, overcast and a few showers, but by mid afternoon the breeze had shifted to the west and the sun came out.

South shore high water 13:30 - tide height 8.9m (MD)
I was a bit late getting to Red Nab (12:30), a number of gulls had already left and more were leaving all the time. Even so, I managed 12 Mediterranean gull
Adult 6
3rd calendar year 2
2nd calendar year 4 (possibly as many as 8)

 3cy on left, adult middle, 2cy on right - this bird has a ring.

2 of the 2cy Meds leaving with BHG

,

This adult was feeding between the outflows, possibly additional to the six seen on RN

Heysham Nature Reserve mid afternoon (JP)
Plenty of insects including

 Ringlet - a total of 3 located - first of the year and, I think highest number ever seen here.

 Silver Y

Six-spot Burnet

Very good pictures, particularly as Janet only had her phone camera!


Middleton Nature Reserve 18:15 (MD)
Just a short, but successful check of the main pond for Red-Veined Darter.

Just this one located. Possibly female or a teneral male. The weak flight suggested teneral. The next two days look promising. It was feared that the combination of fish, crayfish and corvid predation may have been too much for this species. But this one, at least, appears to have thwarted them - hopefully more to come.

Just a few bits and pieces

Overcast and cool for late June, but the rain largely held off.

No records so far from anyone checking the south shore gulls

Middleton Nature Reserve - late am (MD)
The wildfowl pretty much the same, Still 5 + 3 Cygnets with parents and 10 Mallard (large) chicks with mum. Still no sign of any Gadwall.
Little grebe 2 adult plus two young on "no swimming" pond.
Coot and Moorhen with chicks

Warblers:
The following heard - Grasshopper (1 reeling on western marsh - first time heard for some while), Sedge, Willow, Chiffchaff, Lesser and Common Whitethroat.
Not heard - Reed, Blackcap and Cetti's (bizarrely first time I've not heard one since they started singing in early spring)

Stock dove 2
House Martin 7 feeding out of the wind over the "no swimming" pond

Thanks for picture Justine.

A St. John’s wort feeding micro Lathronympha strigana on Middleton NR today - ref Pete(M)

These Cinnabar caterpillars on ragwort near heliport - ref Janet

A check of the beach were the doe deer tracks were on Saturday, revealed a pristine beach. No tracks of any sort, including human and canine.

More Meds

Quite a strong south wind. A few showers, but mainly dry, and little sunshine.

South shore sea wall  - mid to late morning.
Pete Crooks conducted a thorough check.
A total of 10 Mediterranean Gull (4 adults, 3rd CY, 3 2nd CY) on the incoming tide, with large numbers of Herring and LBb Gulls attracted to both outfalls. One of the 2nd CY Med Gulls had a metal ring on its right 'ankle', but no colour-ringed birds.

These pictures from Kevin of some of the insects from his circuit yesterday.

 Six-spot Burnet 

Meadow Brown

Better day

Today's title refers to weather and sightings, although neither were overly exciting (MD)
Light westerly breezes, overcast in the morning but sunny for much of the afternoon and evening.

Red Nab 10:00
Rock pipit 1
Black-Headed gull c320 including the first juvenile seen this year
Common tern at least 1 probably 2
Mediterranean gull 3 adult plus 1 3rd calendar year - there were still two at high water 11:30.

Common Tern top left, plus at least two Med gulls, although they are not being cooperative.


This is a better shot of one of the adults

And the 3cy

Heysham skeer low water 18:20
Grey Heron 1
Little Egret 8
Great-Crested Grebe 3 in summer plumage.

Shelduck 4 south
Greylag goose 6 north

Shore to SE of Ocean Edge saltmarsh
I seem to be saying this a lot this year, I think some of it is due to reduced human activity since lockdown started. Either way....... This is something I've never seen before. Roe Deer tracks on the
beach (mud).

There are at least two deer involved, these small ones accompanying larger ones, must be a fawn with  a doe.

These are much larger. Plus the two hoofs are splayed and the two additional marks behind them are made by the dew claws. This is the mark left when a Roe Deer jumps.

It's not possible to sex a Roe Deer by the size of its footprints, but something was going on here. The tracks went for hundreds of metres and most were jumping, and in both directions.

One possibility is that a Doe and her fawn were leaving the Middleton area, and a Buck turned her back. She'll not be ready to mate yet, so he'll be keeping an eye on her till she is.
All the footprints were erased by the tide. I might have another look tomorrow, but I suspect if the above theory is correct, there won't be a repeat performance.

It didn't feel much like summer!

Tomorrow is the longest day of the year. Today, it just felt like it!
It wasn't actually too bad in the morning, light NNE breeze and overcast, but the threat of rain held off, till after lunch. Then the rain became heavy and the wind shifted to a strong SW.

Only records so far are from my morning walk on the south shore at high water 11:00 (MD)
Rock Pipit 1 on saltmarsh
Lapwing 1
Linnet 12
Black-headed gull 240 on mud out from the saltmarsh plus c30 on Red Nab
Common gull 10 x 2nd calendar year on mud with BHGs
Mediterranean gull one 3rd calendar year with BHG on mud.


Quite a few butterflies around, at least some of them coming in off the sea into the light breeze.
Small Tortoiseshell 6
Small White 1
Small Skipper 3
Meadow Brown 1
Mother Shipton moth several on saltmarsh.

The water was same height as when I saw all the fingerling bass last week. Today just a few slightly larger fish, probably mullet, feeding.

This Carrion crow seemed very pleased with this gull egg,


But wasn't for sharing

Strolling in the rain

Variable strength breeze mainly from west, light to moderate rain for most of the day.

Evening gull check by Pete (M) on and around oitflows
Mediterranean gull 2 adult - unringed
Common gull 43 (all but one 2cy)
Black-headed gull 315

The only news I have so far, is from my morning stroll along the south wall - hopefully more later (MD)

Rock Pipits - a minimum of four. There were three near the lighthouse, two feeding together plus one seperate, often standing above nest. At least one other bird seen on the harbour wall near waterfall and the old LMS building.

This is a Sea Slater, it is about 3cm long. The Rock Pipits have been seen both eating these and feeding them to their young. I don't now how much nourishment there is in one of these, but it certainly seems a large meal, particularly for the younger birds.

Redshank 1 on sea wall. It's nice to be shouted at for intruding again.
Greylag Goose 2, either flew from Red Nab or Potts and flew north over the Power Station
No sign of the leucistic gull today

This cormorant made short work of a decent sized eel.

This eel will have just left fresh water, in preparation for its journey back to the sargasso sea.

Meds starting to return.

Westerly breezes again. A bit cooler, with less sun and a few showers.

The high tide check for Mediterranean gulls was interrupted with a white winged bird resting on Red Nab.

 It was hunkered down at first and doing a very good impression of a Glaucous gull.

But this excellent picture, by Matt Jackson, later on when it stood up, revealed it to be a leucistic large gull. Probably a large male Herring gull.

Mediterranean gull 3 adult plus 2 x 2nd calendar year

Middleton Nature Reserve
Mute Swan - Pair with 5 chicks plus 1 adult with 3 x 2nd calendar year on main pond. Pair plus 3 chicks on "no swimming" pond. 1 adult on Tim Butler pond
Coot a pair on all three main ponds, all have had chicks and at least three still being fed.

Moorhen 6 seen today - two pairs at least have had chicks, none seen today.
Mallard - the nomadic female, still has 10 well developed chicks
Little grebe pair on both "no swimming" and Tim Butler. Both have had three chicks, two seen on "no swimming" pond today.
Swift 4, Swallow 4 and House Martin 2 feeding over main pond.
Stock dove - at least 2, probably 3

Warblers:
8 of the 9 (hopefully) breeding warblers seen and/or heard. Just Grasshopper missed.

Willow Warbler singing.

Insects:
A couple of teneral darters avoided identification, but suspect Common.
Emperor, Black-tailed Skimmer, 4-spotted chaser and Broad-bodied chasers seen.

Small Skipper - first record this year

Days like today, are just about good timing - I couldn't have got it more wrong!

Light breeze from west, still quite warm, especially when the sun came out, resulting in heavy thunder showers.

I waited till late morning then set off, in the sunshine, to Middleton to check for dragonflies. I reached the furthest point from my car and the heavens opened! So, in the afternoon I thought I'd check the skeer at low water. Set of in my waterproofs, in the rain, then the sun came out!. I decided to check Middleton on my way home. I just managed a short circuit of the main pond, before the heavens opened again! I didn't really mind. (MD).

Heysham Nature Reserve - Saturday 
Dark green fritillary below old classroom site (RN)

Middleton Nature Reserve 

No darters on any description seen today.

This Grey Heron was taking advantage of the much reduced visitor activity, to do a spot of fishing in the main pond.

This Willow Warbler was feeding newly fledged young, there is a fly in its bill.

Heysham skeer - low water 15:30

Wasn't expecting much on this neap tide, and wasn't overly disappointed.

Great Crested Grebe 1 in summer plumage

Eider 1 

Knot 5 - quite late 2nd calendar year 

By now you will gather there are not many places you can look on the skeer without seeing a Little Egret, at least 7 around.

Large areas of the skeer are currently lush with gut weed.

These are over a metre long, shame it isn't like this in winter when the Brent Geese feed on it.

This is what the skeer is supposed to look like this time of year.

These are seed mussels, they start by anchoring to the skeer stones. Then each tide deposits silt between them, and the mussels move upwards so that they can still feed. In a month's time they could be sat on a metre of unconsolidated mud, which is ultimately reshaped/destroyed by any summer storms.

Darters emerging, but no Red Veined yet.....

A light west breeze strengthened during the day. Very warm in the sun.

Middleton Nature Reserve
Ringing and moth trap records AD and JM
Another fairly low key session at Middleton this morning. A modest selection of warblers trapped and retrapped. Few juveniles again with only two each of Goldfinch, Chiffchaff and Dunnock plus one Great Tit.
An adult Grasshopper Warbler confirmed their presence in western marsh.

Moths included a decent record of a Bordered Sallow and two good records of Obscure Wainscot and Silver Hook (pictured below)

Two checks were made of the pools and ponds. A total of 7 teneral Common Darter were located, but no sign yet of Red Veined Darter.

Harbour/Heysham nature reserve circuit, (report and picture KE)
Butterflies seen:
Red Admiral 2
Small Tortoiseshell 2
Common Blue
Large Skipper
Large White
Speckled Wood 3
Burnet Companion moth.
One of The Red Admirals was on the track to the harbour, but all the others on the reserve.

Jay by the dipping pond. Presumably drying itself after a dip.

A better class of insects

Light breeze mainly from west. Still very warm, hot when the sun came out

The title refers to two insects
Hummingbird Hawkmoth Westmoor Grove this morning

Possible Southern Migrant Hawker male at Middleton NR at 1300. Seen by Dan H. The "possible" status, as this, very important, record would have to be formally verified.

Hopefully more later.

A quick check of the Lighthouse area confirmed the east wind is key to bringing insects in off the sea here. The tide was out, the temperature high, but the very light breeze was from the west.
No insects were moving. The only butterfly was a worn Common Blue which looked very like yesterday's male.

Suspect this male Common Blue's roving days are over