All things bright and........

Again, rain in the morning and sunny in the afternoon. Quite a cooI west wind.

A quick check of wooden jetty area as the ebbing tide exposed the beach (MD)

Rock Pipit 1

Mediterranean gull - 4 adult and 2 x 2nd Calendar year 

Several Turnstone feeding along the sea wall

Some good stuff from Kevin:

micro moth new to Heysham .. Dioryctria abietella

Ruby-tailed Wasp which was in my porch

Mating Red Soldier Beetles alongside a mating pair of Sawflies, on Heysham nature reserve. 

Far from the madding crowd!

It started overcast with light rain, cleared in the afternoon then cloudy again by late evening. Winds still from SW.

First, Janet's picture of one of yesterday's Middleton Swallows.

On Thursday they were picking flying ants off the water surface, with some grace. This one splashing seems to be just cooling Down. It was very hot yesterday. (MD)

Heysham skeer early evening, either side of low water (MD)

A very pleasant stroll without encountering another soul.....

Great-Crested Grebe 1 

Eider 1

Little egret 8

These three were shrimping, the one on the left has just caught one. 

Oystercatcher and Curlew- lots

Whimbrel 1

Redshank 40+

Turnstone 30+

Knot 1 - first of autumn

This Great Black-Backed gull found a flounder in the shallows 

It was already dead but fresh, and had been bitten from behind cutting off the rear end. The obvious culprit would be a seal, but seal do not feed like this. A seal's canines would have gripped the flounder. It would have then eaten it, the nutritious front end first. All I can think of to bite off a portion like would be a Tope. These are reasonable sized shark, not uncommon in the deeper channels around Barrow, and do occasionally frequent this side of the bay.

Its rear end being missing didn't stop it from being too wide for the gull's gape. I watched it try this way three times before I left it alone.

I returned 30 minutes later, the GBB was still on same piece of skeer, but no sign of the flounder, so presumably it eventually managed its supper.

The mud seems to be leaving the skeer faster than new mud is building up. The mussel beds are much lower, and more secure now. But very patchy, all this area is normally covered With mussel beds at this time of the year.

Not much coverage.....so far

Bright and sunny till mid afternoon then increasing cloud and humidity. Light variable breezes ended up from SW

Just my couple of quick checks of lighthouse area so far. Possibly more to come (MD).

Lighthouse/wooden jetty area

13:45 - tide ebbing away from the wall and breeze from SE. East winds often bring insects in off the sea here, but it has historically been better E to NE.

Just a few butterflies drifting inland - Red Admiral 1, Small Tortoiseshell 1, Small White 3.

Mediterranean gulls 4 adult on beach.

18:00 - Tide flooding, but still away from the sea wall. By now the breeze was back to SW. No insect movement.

Rock Pipit 1

Mediterranean gulls 11 adult plus 1 juvenile on beach next to wooden jetty

The green German ringed Adult is still around 

Decent evening records

After heavy rain in the morning, the day ended calm and warm.

Ocean Edge/Red Nab - evening  (PM, JR)

Mediterranean gulls - absolute minimum 42 scattered off OE 

Greenshank 2

Bar-Tailed Godwit 15

Dunlin 50

Curlew 400+

Wheatear 1 - first autumn record

Middleton Nature Reserve evening (MD)

The conditions were again right for the emergence of flying ants, but tonight it was widespread so the small gulls were too high and wide to check for Meds. The large gulls (Herring and LBB) also got in the action, they preferred to catch the ants on the ground as they were emerging.

Several swallows, a few Sand Martin plus just two Swift were also feeding. The reduced numbers, almost certainly, the result of the wide ranging emergence.

Dragonflies included Emperor, Brown Hawker and Common Darter

Male Common Darter 

Moths 

Nice selection of moths in overnight actinic including Fen Wainscot 

Several Shaded Broad-bar were seen on Middleton early evening.

Shaded Broad-bar 

A sleepy sort of day

The SW wind eased to a breeze, generally overcast but some prolonged sunny spells.

Only my stuff so far hopefully more to come (MD)

South wall

Mediterranean gull:

10:30 - ebbing tide just exposing the beach by wooden jetty 7 adult plus 1 3rd calendar year, arrived early to feed, unfortunately none were ringed.

16:00 - flooding tide starting to cover beach 18 adult, 2 x 3cy and 1 juvenile.

Initially all were resting, some on rocks some on beach. Two of the adult on beach were ringed, but out of range for reading and they flew off when tide reached them. The birds from the rocks moved to beach and fed on sand mason worms.

Nothing of note on outflows. Red Nab not checked

These Lesser Black-Backed gull juveniles were being fed

Great things parents, you just tap this red button....

......and out pops food

Middleton Nature Reserve - early evening 

Just a quick check of the two main ponds

The only thing you could describe as "active" were the Gatekeepers, who seemed to be everywhere.

There are only two remaining cygnets on the main pond, originally five. There seems to be one less each time I visit. No evidence of the culprit(s).

Still at least two Little grebe.

The only dragonfly seen was this female Common Darter

Meds more scattered today

Strong SW winds still, some sunshine but a few showers too.

South shore - afternoon (PM, JR, MD)

Mediterranean gull 

Holiday maker disturbance of Red Nab left it Med free.

10 on and around No.2 outflow

Beach near jetty 13:00 - 15 including two ringed birds. 14:30 - 19, none ringed.

Arctic Tern 1

Common Tern 1

Common tern feeding on No.2 outflow with Black-Headed gulls, also two juvenile Meds upper left.

Heysham Nature Reserve - afternoon (JP)

Despite the wind there were still plenty of butterflies to be found In the sheltered reserve including:

Comma

Peacock

Small Skipper

Speckled Wood

Record broken (à la Bob Beamon)

Strengthening SW winds with heavy rain in morning, brighter later

Red Nab area - early afternoon towards high water (PM)

Mediterranean gull -  At least 107, possibly 117, with at least 4 juvs and plenty of all three other age classes, especially adult (50 plus) 

The previous high count was yesterday's 83. When Bob Beamon smashed the world long jump record in 1968, it stood for 23 years! So, perhaps not a good analogy - we'll see.

Common tern 1 adult

Arctic tern 1 adult

Record number of Meds

Still SW winds with a few showers and mainly overcast.

South shore on flooding tide (SC, MJ, PM)

It's not always easy to get accurate counts of roosting birds with multiple observers. Everyone today saw lots of Meds, although they started to drift off south as the tide rose. However, Shaun went through each of the areas systematically and managed an astonishing 83. Previous highest 78 in 2019. 

Mediterranean gull 

Red Nab: 45 3cy/ad + 2 juvenile 

Outfalls and Wooden jetty: 33 3cy/ad + 3 juvenile 

Adult Med resting on beach 

Black-t Godwit 1

Common Tern 1 adult on No.2 outflow 

Whimbrel at least one

Another bird, surprisingly difficult to see on rocks

Nice picture of a Small Skipper - this and the two images above from Matt

Heysham Nature Reserve - afternoon (KE)

Butterflies included:

Gatekeeper

Meadow Brown

Speckled Wood

Small Skipper

Common Blue

Peacock

Ringlet

Comma

The Peacock was a lovely, freshly emerged specimen. 

Comma, nicely displaying the white "comma" on underwing 

Ringlet

Meds spread about

Light SW winds, mainly overcast with a few light showers.

All I have so far are my two checks of the beach near wooden jetty - hopefully more later (MD)

11:30 - tide starting to flood, but still a long way out.

There were no Mediterranean gulls feeding on the beach. But this group were preening on the rocks on the seaward side of beach.

The German green ringed bird, first seen yesterday, is with these, as is a white ringed bird. 

There were also 3 adult and a 3rd calendar year bird on the beach near No.2outflow.

As the tide flushed the birds from the rocks most flew off east straight away, others tried the beach, but found nothing to eat so also set off east. Possibly to Red Nab, although Dan reported 16 on the Lune, as seen from Glasson Dock, yesterday.

Total seen this morning - adult 19, 3cy 3, juvenile 3

Whimbrel 1

Common Sandpiper 1

18:45 - 3.25 hours after high water - beach just about to become exposed.

There were 8 Meds waiting on the stones below sea wall (shame none were ringed). They moved on to water, and by the time they could get on to mud there were - adult 11, 3cy 2, 2cy 1, juvenile 2.

Still none with rings! They seemed to be finding some food, but only at the water's edge, so they followed the tide line.

These are the 2 x 3cy, waiting for the mud to become exposed

So, minimum for the day:

Mediterranean gull- adult 19, 3cy 3, 2cy 1, juvenile 3.

Meds join in on anting feast

A better day with warm SW light winds and quite a bit of sunshine.

Red Nab area rising tide (PM, MJ, JP)

Mediterranean gulls - 12 (one Juv, one metal ringed adult on left tibia).

And this German ringed adult - ringed as nestling 2012, and seen previously in Heysham 2017, 2018 and 2019

Matt Jackson did really well to read and photograph this, as it was a long way out on beach.

Janet photographed one on the Rock Pipits

Very hard to see them against the rocks - just as well they are noisy little peepers!

Middleton Nature Reserve late afternoon (MD)

There was a major emergence of flying ants. They were being eaten at every level.

The Blackbirds and Dunnock On the the ground - both soon full

There weren't many dragonfly around today, but the Emperors were feeding up to 3m high.

Got one!

C200 Black-Headed Gull from 3m upwards

This one is just going to catch one

There were also at least 4 (almost certainly many more) adult Mediterranean gulls feeding with the BHG

This is one of them

Above the gulls were an absolute minimum

Swallow 25

House Martin 10

Swift 50 - a knowledgeable couple on car park as I was leaving said they saw 60 - 70 Swift leaving to the south

The single large swarm split into three and the birds followed and also dispersed, presumably sated. 

A lot of the BHG and at least one Med settled on the main pond for a drink.

Med third from left

And this is what it was all about.