Enough to maintain interest

 Early morning cloud cover quickly cleared, leaving clear skies till evening. Breeze started from east, then strengthened and shifted to the north - hot.

Middleton Nature Reserve early to mid morning (AD, MD)
A steady ringing session included:
Cetti's Warbler 1 plus one singing in central marsh
Garden Warbler 1
Common Whitethroat 9
Willow Warbler 13
Sedge Warbler 5
Reed Bunting 1

Water Rail calling from central marsh
Grey Heron 2 + 1 flying around, noisily, early on.

Dragonfly activity started early with first Common Darter at 08:10. Also, Brown Hawker and Emperor. An increase in Migrant Hawker numbers was reported later in the day.

Lighthouse area checked twice to check for insects coming in. Tide out both times (MD)
11:00 - unfortunately the breeze had shifted to north by this time. No sign of any current  or earlier movement.
19:00 wind now NE. Still no sign of any insects coming in off the sea.
Rock Pipit 1
Wheatear - at least 2 (2 seen both visits but none when Kevin checked in between)

One of this evening's Wheatears

Some pictures from Kevin:

From the overnight trap - a rather lovely Bordered Beauty.

I reckon it could give many butterflies a run for their money

a lovely pristine Brimstone feeding on Buddleia near the old anemometer.

Just an aside from this morning's visit to Middleton (MD)

Grey squirrels are regularly seen here, you normally get a glimpse of one feeding in the perimeter trees. So this one was unusual, to say the least!
It approached me along the road and I had to "shoo" it away, but it wasn't for going.

When I sat on a low wall it sat itself opposite me, no more than 3m away. It was as if it was a lost pet. But then I realised that.......he........."was, just pleased to see me"!

My wife suggested that he must need glasses!

I made my excuses, and left.

Better insect variety

 The second warmish day in a row - what a summer! Light west breeze, overcast till the evening, then sunny spells.

Middleton Nature Reserve (MD)
Water Rail 3 squealing - first since early summer

There where hardly any small birds around, until I encountered the mixed feeding flock, which is now larger than ever. Led by at least 30 Long-Tailed Tits and followed by Great, Blue and Coal Tits, plus several Willow Warbler, and probably Chiffchaff- 40 to 50 birds in total.

It would be nice to think that this Pheasant with a pink leg ring, obviously reared as a game bird, had decided the safest place to play the "game" is inside a Nature Reserve!

Butterflies included:
Small and Large White, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood, Small Skipper, Peacock and the first of the second generation Common Blue

Common Blue

Dragonflies:
Common Darter, Brown Hawker, Emperor.

Emperor 

And the first two Migrant Hawker of the year.

Another nice moth from Kevin's trap - Four-spotted Footman

They are quite scarce in Lancashire.
This one was probably a migrant. 

Finally, Janet spotted this Lime Hawk Moth caterpillar on Heysham Nature Reserve this morning. Presumably, the blue appendage evolved to make it look intimidating.

It works!

Not quite happening

Gentle and variable breeze. Overcast all day, but still very warm.

Middleton Nature Reserve early am (from PM)

Vis mig

Tree pipit 1

Grey Wagtail 2

Pied Wagtail 4

Tree Sparrow 1

Swift 3. NO Swallows seen or heard in five hours and not a lot of grounded stuff 

Best ringing records were two Lesser whitethroat 

Lighthouse area (MD)

10:30- tide out. The breeze at this time was very slight, but from the east, there were just a few butterflies drifting in.

Small White 3

Gatekeeper 1

Meadow Brown 1

There wasn't a single gull or wader on the beach next to jetty. They obviously "know" when the sand mason worms are not accessible. I'm plotting Meds numbers against moon phases on a spreadsheet, and I still can't work it out!

Another quIck check at 13:00, breeze now from south and tide in - no insect movement

Rock Pipit 1

Middleton Nature Reserve mid afternoon (MD)

It was 22C without any sun. 

There were lots of darters, many ovipositoring. I didn't see any dragonflies settle, but pretty sure all the darters were Common. 

Male Common Darter

The humid weather inevitably brought out the flying ants and the gulls amassed. 

There were Swallows and Swifts feeding above them.

The overcast and warm weather also seemed to make the moths active, there were several Shaded Broad-bar and Common Wave seen on Middleton. And this Large Yellow Underwing on Moneyclose Lane - from Janet

Antisocial Rock Pipits

The strong overnight southerly winds quickly eased. Heavy and prolonged showers.

Again, just my check of the south shore, so far (MD)

11:15 Two hours before high water

Mediterranean gull - just one juvenile feeding on No.2 outflow. No sign of any on Red Nab.

Common Tern 1 adult on No1 outflow.

Rock pipits

They appeared to be everywhere today, but what was happening was that two birds must have moved from their breeding area and were not being tolerated in the regular bird's territories. First there were three squabbling between the outflows, two (presumably the intruders) moved towards Red Nab and the other returned towards the jetty area.

Unfortunately they were not greeted kindly at Red Nab, at one point there were five birds bickering.

This one was being driven....

.......up the wall.......

and round the bend!

The two were moved on to Ocean Edge foreshore, there were then three birds. The two eventually left for the east side of the saltmarsh, possibly where they came from.

So an absolute minimum of six birds involved, almost certainly seven.

Not much so far

Winds building all day starting SSE and ending warmer from SW. rain showers all day.

So far the only records are from my look at the south shore in the morning on flooding tide (MD)

Mediterranean gull - just one on the beach near jetty. There seemed to be plenty on Red Nab, but I could only confirm 10 through the rain.

Rock pipit 4 - 1 near waterfall, 1 on Red Nab, 2 on sea wall may have been movement.

Wheatear 1 - flew straight through along foreshore

Whimbrel 1

Ringing endorsement

Mainly sunny in the morning, but the WNW breeze was quite cool. 

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Early morning ringing (JM, AD)

A productive 4 1/2 hour ringing session this morning produced a varied mixture of migrant and some local species. Over 50 captures included a good selection of warblers including Sedge, Willow, Reed and Garden, plus Common Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat and Blackcap.

The only overhead movement noted were two Swifts flying south at around 09.30. No Swallows were seen.

Moth traps set overnight on the east and west sides also produced decent catches.

More detail to follow.

Some nice cumulus clouds were forming early this morning. Their tops were being blown off as they rose into a faster moving airstream 

Mid morning (MD)

It was warm in the sun, so the plan was to check for dragonflies, unfortunately cloud cover arrived and the cool breeze reduced insect activity. Only Emperor 3 and Common Darter 2 seen.

I came across a large mixed feeding flock of tits and warblers. At least 40+ made up of adult and immature Long-tailed Tit and Blue Tit, adult Coal Tit plus Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff. A flock like this is not uncommon on the Reserve, but what made it interesting was that all three birds photographed with legs visible were ringed. Most legs, indeed birds, are obscured by the foliage at this time of year but the implication is that a large proportion of this flock were probably ringed (hence the ringing endorsement).

Juvenile LTT with ring. Other ringed birds were juvenile Blue Tit and a Chiffchaff

Lighthouse area - 15:30 as tide was exposing beach next to wooden jetty (MD)

Mediterranean gull- none turned up to feed on the beach. But this ringed bird was flying out from harbour mouth.

Wheatear 1 

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