Another Clouded Yellow

WNW light wind, overcast in the morning, but plenty of sunshine by the afternoon.

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Clouded Yellow 1 male around the office area before moving towards the None operational land - ref Pete.

South shore

Mediterranean gull 18 - 17 on Red Nab (ref Pete) plus one on beach near wooden jetty.

Adult Mediterranean gull on shore next to wooden jetty

Wheatear 1 on foreshore 

Linnet 9 

Rock Pipits 2

Nature Park butterflies (quite good considering it was still overcast)

Gate Keeper

Meadow Brown

Speckled Wood

Common Blue

Red Admiral 3

Painted Lady 2

Peacock 1

Large White 1

Small White 2

Middleton Nature Reserve (MD)

Mute Swan pair + 7 cygnets 

Moorhen 3

Mallard 2 female, 1 with 2 large young, 6 male in eclipse 

Gadwall 1 female (on Tim Butler - possibly more, as many areas of this pond are out of sight)

Heron 1

Water Rail 1 squealing

Little grebe 1 summer plumage bird on Tim Butler (Mallard in background)

Swallow just one having a quick drink from main pond

Butterflies nothing that wasn't seen earlier in the Nature Park

Dragonflies 

Emperor 5 (2 female)

Black-Tailed Skimmer 1 male, and 1 old female

Very mature female Black-Tailed Skimmer

Common Darter - common 

Black Darter 1 aged female. Despite the well established colony not far away at Heysham Moss Nature Reserve, they are barely annual at Middleton. It appeared to be in passage, as when it took off from here it lifted vertically till out of sight.

Mature female Black Darter

First Grey Wagtails of the autumn join the colour ringing scheme

Heavy overnight rain, but only the occasional light shower during the day. Variable light wind, mainly from west, overcast, but still very warm.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Report from Alan:

I thought I could be dodging showers this morning but none arrived apart from a few spots that hardly amounted to rain. The Grey Wagtail autumn season has started with the first two caught and colour ringed on the earliest date so far. I was alerted to set for the species by Jean's report of two passing over yesterday morning.

There were a few passage warblers around too but not in great numbers - no Tree Pipits in the very overcast conditions and no Hirundines whatsoever. A Sparrowhawk was patrolling around the mist net area which prompted a rather early end to the session as most of the birds had sensibly melted away.

Grey Wagtail 2 (see Grey Wagtail ringing scheme details on sidebar)

Cetti's Warbler 1 retrap

Sedge Warbler 1

Lesser Whitethroat 2

Common Whitethroat 4

Blackcap 1

Chiffchaff 3

Willow Warbler 2 + 1 retrap

Great Tit 1

Bullfinch 1 + 1 retrap

Heysham skear - low water (MD)

Eider 14

Great Crested Grebe 9

Shag 1 (presumably the regular 2nd calendar year) feeding near green marker post

Sandwich Tern 2 together in through the low water channel

Little Egret 14

Heron 2 - this one has a small flatfish 

Grey Heron with a small flatfish

It didn't last long

Waders: Oystercatcher, Curlew, Redshank, Turnstone, Ringed Plover 12, Dunlin 2

The tide was out quite a distance and the reef which formed over winter was largely exposed. Any submerged feature like this will always attract feeding creatures - great and small.

The long thin finger mid picture is the reef which formed last winter

South shore early evening dropping tide (MD)

Swallow 5 together came in over Red Nab

Rock Pipits 7 - the swarms of Kelp flies were not present today, but clearly there were still lots on the sloping wall, both the Pied Wagtails and the Pipits were helping themselves. This is one of the Pipits with a missing foot and currently moulting, even so it seemed to be easily finding plenty to eat, but it backed away as another group of 3 Pipits past by. It was clearly more wary of them than it was of me (which pleases me greatly!)

Common Sandpiper 3 - there was one on Red Nab and two together came from the north side and rested on No.1 outflow - just a couple of half hearted bobs today.

Good ringing with some interesting movement

East to NE light wind, but again occasionally swirling around to NNW towards the harbour entrance. Hot sunshine.

First, Pete Crooks has received the history for one of the colour ringed Oystercatcher he read on Thursday:

A prompt reply from the Devon & Cornwall Wader Ringing Group about one of the c-r Oystercatchers

Ringed at Dawlish Warren, Exe Exstuary, Devon on 4/2/18 and also seen there on 18/2/18 and 3/12/20, but not seen again until Thursday.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Report from Jean and Pete:

A busy ringing morning with 35 birds of 14 species caught and only one retrap:

Whitethroat 10

Willow Warbler 7

Chiffchaff 5

Reed Warbler 2

Blackcap 1

Garden Warbler 1

Lesser Whitethroat 1

Grasshopper Warbler 1 (retrap)

Tree Pipit 2

Treecreeper 1 dispersing juvenile 

Robin 1

Goldfinch 2

Wren 2

GreatTit 1

Vis: Tree Pipit 7, Yellow Wagtail 1, Grey Wagtail 2, Great Spotted Woodpecker 2

No hirundines at all!

Pheasant with chicks, a marauding Sparrowhawk made off with one of the chicks.

Roe Deer 3 together

South shore (MD)

A morning walk along the sea wall to see if any ringed Mediterranean gulls were feeding on the beach next to the wooden jetty. Three adults were resting there but quickly moved on as the tide started rising. None were ringed.

There were hoards of small black flies all along the sea wall and definitely coming in from the wall. Then the penny dropped! They are Kelp Flies, they have benefited from the same circumstances that allowed the Rat-tailed maggots to develop. Warm weather and low spring tides last cycle allowing them to complete their life cycle, probably twice. They lay their eggs in the wrack on the high water line along the sea wall and the maggots feed on the decaying weed. Whatever instinct drives them, they got the timing right. The spring tides have peaked and any eggs laid along the upper weed line will be safe for at least 2 weeks, barring storms.

An afternoon check found no Kelp flies, so this morning's swarms must have been their breeding flight.

The only other insects moving were a few Small Tortoiseshell coming in off the sea

Rock Pipits 2 on Red Nab

Other than that it was just a case of enjoying watching the hundreds of Curlew and thousands of Oystercatcher flying past.

Curlew 

Oystercatcher, one leucistic bird with a white head
I seem to recall this, or a similar bird, being around a couple of years ago

In the afternoon there was a Common Sandpiper on Red Nab

Common Sandpiper behind a Black-headed gull
It was particularly difficult to spot as it wasn't bobbing - probably too hot!

Common Sandpiper

Foiled again!

The forecast was for east light winds all day, and indeed for much of the region that was the case, but by afternoon along the south shore it was NNW! The hot constant sunshine continues.

Report from Pete:

Drake common scoter 1

2cy Shag 1

Eider 61 in three lots

off north side heysham head just as tide turned this am.

11 low tide Mediterranean gull on Red nab appeared to include a black darvic ringed adult

South shore - (MD)

In the morning the ESE wind was fine for insect migration, and the tide was largely out. But at 10:00 it was a bit early in the day for much to reach here. There were however black flies everywhere, particularly near the roundhead. 

Pied Wagtails seldom get a mention, and they should, it's just that they are omnipresent and, like the Oystercatcher, overlooked. There were at least 15 today, mainly youngsters, and they were taking advantage of the small fly abundance.

Juvenile Pied Wagtail surrounded by small black flies

Rock Pipit 1 on Foreshore 

Wheatear 1 on saltmarsh - it quickly caught a large beetle then moved off south.

Wheatear 

Willow Warbler 1 near the waterfall 

Every year we seem to get one gull, that isn't keen to be on the water.

Juvenile Herring Gull keeping its feet dry

By this time it was 10:30 and the first butterflies were starting to come in off the sea. 

Small White 2

Small Tortoiseshell 2 

Came in off at the roundhead. 

But by now the tide was against the wall for much of its length and there was a steady trickle coming in off along the wall as I walked back. Unfortunately, when the tide is in the influx is spread all along the wall and shore, rather than being focused at the roundhead when the tide is out, so I would have missed lots more.

Gatekeeper 4

Small Tortoiseshell 3

Red Admiral 1

Still it looked promising for early evening when the tide was again out. But it wasn't to be, the wind was North to NNW when I checked again 16:00, I just saw a lingering Small White and a Small Tortoiseshell. 

But there were no black flies either, they must have moved inland. I don't know if they originally came in off the sea, or just off the, guano laden, wooden jetty.

Nature Park 

A good variety, but not high numbers of insects

Dragonflies 

Emperor 1

Migrant Hawker 1

Migrant Hawker 

Butterflies in order of abundance 

Gatekeeper 

Meadow Brown 

Speckled Wood 3

Small White 3

Peacock 3

Small Tortoiseshell 2

Common Blue 2

Brimstone 1 female

Painted Lady 1

A rat tail's tale

The forecast was for some east winds today, but if there was any it was from west by mid morning and NW by mid afternoon. Very hot in the constant sun again.

South shore (MD)

A check along the wall mid morning, just in time for the wind to shift to west at 10:30. There were plenty of butterflies around the foreshore and Red Nab, but the only sign of any movement at the roundhead was a single Large White.

That said, this Grasshopper was half way along the sea wall. It may have just hopped out of the Power Station grounds though.

Common Field Grasshopper 

It was a lazy sort of day, summed up by this Grey Seal

There was a notable influx of large gulls, they were in rafts on the sea, plenty on and around the wooden jetty and lots in the harbour.

Large gulls on and around wooden jetty 

Large gulls in harbour 

There were only two on the platforms, but one was ringed, unfortunately it sat down before I could read it.

2nd calendar year Herring Gull

It knew I was watching it, but it steadfastly refused to care. The trick is to make them wary enough to stand up, but not enough to spook them into flight. After moving around a little and several coughs to no effect, I broke a mussel shell underfoot. Jackpot!

One of North West Gull Project's birds - see side bar for link to the scheme
Ringed in Bowland 08/07/21 seen previously in the harbour 31/01/22

Lots of insects in the Nature Park

Emperor 1

Migrant Hawker 1

Common Darter 3

Painted Lady 2

Peacock 3

Brimstone 1 male

Large White 1

Small Tortoiseshell 2

Meadow Brown several

Common Blue 3

Painted Lady and Common Blue

Photographs of Brimstone rarely look as splendid as they do in nature, mainly as they always settle with their wings closed and only the inner wings are bright yellow. So I tried to get an in flight shot. This is my best effort, still nowhere near as splendid as it actually was!

Male Brimstone 

This is interesting (I find anything that makes you think interesting MD)

This is the pool just below the the sea wall at the very start of the wall at Red Nab. The tide only fills this pool when it is over  9.5m high water (less height required when windy as the waves lap over). The last set of spring tides didn't get over 9m, so there will have been no sea water in this pool since it was filled on 17th July (24 days). After it is filled the sea water slowly seeps away and is diluted with rain water and, unlike much of England, we have had plenty of rain since then. So the pool will have only been slightly brackish.

Last night's tide at 9.52m in calm conditions will have only partly filled it with sea water again. This Rock Pipit was taking advantage - I like the way it peeps in pleasure/triumph before it captures its meal.

It's caught a Rat-Tailed Maggot, these are the larvae of some Hoverfly species.

Rock Pipit with Rat-Tailed Maggot

Rat-Tailed Maggots live underwater and use their long siphon to breathe from a safe depth. They are noted for tolerating poor quality water, presumably including slightly brackish, but it obviously couldn't tolerate the input of seawater last night and crawled out to "safety". This won't happen every tide cycle. This instance is the result of a low spring tide last cycle, allowing enough time for the maggots to grow, and a high tide last night just high enough, in the calm conditions, to only partly fill the pool. Bad news for the Rat-Tailed Maggots, but the Rock Pipit was clearly delighted!

Just out of the recording area - Heysham Moss Nature Reserve 

Just a couple of extra shots from Janet's visit yesterday 

Three pairs of Common Darters ovipositoring 

Sparrowhawk 

Four colour ringed Oystercatcher

Very hot again with light variable breeze and wall to wall sunshine.

South shore

Report from Red Nab by Pete Crooks:

A check through the gulls and waders on this morning’s incoming tide:
28 Mediterranean Gull – 15 adults, 1 2nd summer, 2 1st summer, 10 juveniles – all gradually departed SE between 9.15 and 9.50 am.
Oystercatcher – happy to remain on the diminishing areas of sandstone at Red Nab much longer than the gulls. A careful check through the large flock (2000+ ? but not counted) revealed at least 4 colour-ringed birds, including one probably from Devon/Cornwall (details awaited), one of as yet uncertain origin and two with faded colour-rings or unreadable codes; plus at least 7 metal-ringed birds.
Also: 1 Wigeon and 1 Whimbrel

I checked foreshore and saltmarsh (MD)

Rock Pipit 2 on foreshore 

Wheatear 1 on saltmarsh 

Wheatear 

Grey Plover 10 - they were on the tideline out from the foreshore, but we are back to spring tides now and it was coming in quickly. They got fed up of constantly moving with the tide and quickly flew off.

Heysham skear - just a quick evening check found nothing different to yesterday except that the scoter was not present.

Just out of Recording area - Heysham Moss Nature Reserve 

Janet checked it out today and took these excellent shots:

Common Darters ovipositoring 
This shots shows the dark peat bog water

Black Darters "in cop"
Great shot this, I didn't see any females earlier in the week (MD)

Common Green Grasshoppers everywhere!

Roebuck, looking tired now as we approach the end of mating season

Sulby Tate Kennels Middleton (also Janet)

this morning a line about 30+ Swallows sat along a wire, they have been nesting in their stables 

Scoter and Eider creche back on skear

Light variable breeze eventually settled WNW. Hot sunshine all day

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Report from Jean

Ringing this morning - only caught 1 Blackcap, 1 Robin, 2 Blackbirds and a Greenfinch (all juvs except for one female Blackbird). 

Vis: one Swift. 

On reserve ad and juv Kestrel, a Sparrowhawk and a Jay.

Heysham skear - low water 17:30 (MD)

I didn't have much time today, this was my only outing. One reason for lack of time was a trip to Kendal to purchase a new (improved) camera. So I was pleased to locate a decent target to practice on.

Common Scoter 1 male, feeding in the same location on the south side of the skear as 29th July, out from the green marker post. This is the location of the reef that formed over winter, and I did predict that it should attract diving birds, we just want something more interesting now. 

My new camera has twice the magnification as my old one, unfortunately today's tide wasn't out as far as last time, so the Scoter was twice as far out!

In this clip, it is preening with a couple of Great Crested Grebe providing a good size comparison.

This picture is a still from the clip below it. The fish behind the scoter is a Garfish, a strange looking creature with a body like an eel and a face like a Crane - it's worth a google. The splash to the left of the Garfish is its prey escaping.

Male Common Scoter with a leaping Garfish behind

This still is taken from just before the end of this clip, but it happens quickly, Garfish are extremely fast!

It's no coincidence that the Garfish, Scoter and Grebes are feeding in the same area. The reef will attract shrimps and other crustacea plus small fish, which in turn attract larger fish and other predators.

Great Crested Grebe 5

Eider 42 mainly youngsters - this clip shows some of them catching small crabs

Little Egret 5

Waders: Oystercatcher, Curlew, Redshank, Turnstone and 5 Ringed Plover

First returning Grey Plover

 Almost breathless early on, later developing into a light west breeze. Sunshine all day.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Report from Alan:

Ringing this morning resulted in a reasonable catch, with only two nets set. There were goods numbers of Swallows on passage pausing to feed over the reserve together with a smaller number of Swifts.

There must have been a mass hatching of flying ants as a gathering of a few hundred assorted gulls circled noisily over the north half of the reserve in feeding mode for half an hour or so in the mid morning.

Grasshopper Warbler  1 + 1 retrap

Common Whitethroat 3

Sedge Warbler  2

Willow Warbler  5

Reed Warbler  1

Lesser Whitethroat  2

Blackcap  1

Cetti's Warbler  1

Swallow  2

Red Nab to saltmarsh - just before high water 09:30 (MD)

Mediterranean gull 3 adult on Red Nab

Wigeon 1 on Red Nab, possibly yesterday's new arrival.

Wigeon behind a Mediterranean gull

Rock Pipits 4 - 1 on Red Nab, 2 on foreshore and 1 on the rocky outcrop on the SE of the saltmarsh. A bird held territory here all last winter, but I couldn't find any evidence of breeding here, despite it seeming an ideal location.

I went down to see what was roosting on the shore out from the saltmarsh, but it was such a lovely morning, I was far from alone on the beach as holiday makers were making the most of their holiday. And who could blame them.

The net result was that the gulls were well scattered, I couldn't see any more Mediterranean gulls.

Grey Plover 4 - still largely in summer plumage.

Grey Plover

Sandwich Tern 1 adult with a juvenile 

Juvenile and adult Sandwich Tern

This clip is just to show the location out from the saltmarsh looking back at the foreshore and Red Nab

There was a bounty of large butterflies on the Buddleia in the Nature Park

Red Admiral 2

Painted Lady 1

Peacock 5

Two Red Admiral, a Peacock and a Painted Lady
Unfortunately the Painted Lady has its wings closed. It is just below the Peacock.

This clip shows the Painted Lady better.

This clip is poor quality, but of interest, nevertheless. It is a Robin eating blackberries, can't say I've ever seen them feed on berries before (MD).

Finally, I could have shot this clip in my back garden. It is the age old "game" of cat and mouse between a Grey Squirrel and Magpies. The squirrel won't burry anything if it knows it's being watched. The Magpies often pretend not to be watching and the squirrel often pretends to burry something when it hasn't! Looks like they've got fed up of subtleties this time.

Just out of the recording area - Heysham Moss Nature Reserve (MD)

I just paid a short visit in the afternoon to see how the Black Darters were doing I only checked the main peat bogs 

Surprisingly few birds

Sparrowhawk 1

Long-Tailed Tits a mobile group

Wood Pigeon several 

Common Snipe 1

Or butterflies 

Speckled Wood several

Small Copper 1

Brimstone 1 male

Small White 1

Common Blue 1

But plenty of dragonflies both around the pools and amongst the scrub

Emperor 1

Four-Spotted Chaser 1 - this species was the most abundant around the pools at my last visit, but the only one I saw today was a barely recognisable worn specimen.

Worn Four-Spotted Chaser

Common Darter - these were the most abundant species today, I didn't count them but at least twice as many as the Black Darters

Black Darter 14 only males seen, unlike the reasonably high proportion of females on my last visit 12/07/22. 

Some were the classic black and gold colouring of a mature male.

Others were almost completely black, the difference between being mature and being old. Mmm, wonder what that feels like!

Black Darter

First Wigeon returns

Light variable wind settled to west by the afternoon. High cloud in the morning sunny spells increasing in length throughout the day.

First, an apology. Yesterday, for some inexplicable reason, I originally posted Rochdale as the location for Doreen's funeral. It is actually Reading. Very sorry if I caused any confusion - Malcolm

Middleton Nature Reserve 

I did a thorough check of the oaks near the top car park and gun club, but couldn't find the Purple Hairstreak (MD).

But there was plenty going on, there were, at least

Swallow 16

House Martin 4

Swift 6

Feeding over the main pond.

Insects included

Emperor 2

Brown Hawker 1

Common Darter several 

Meadow Brown several 

Gatekeeper several 

Speckled Wood 4

Large White 2

Common Blue 5

Peacock 1

Green-Veined White 2

Brimstone 1 male

Janet also checked the same area and took some excellent shots:

Swallows

House Martin 

Male Common Darter

Female Common Blue

Male Brimstone 

Heysham skear, low water 15:20 (MD)

Shag 1 x 2nd calendar year waiting on a Honeycomb worm colony for the tide to start running.

Great Crested Grebe 7 - this one flew off, giving a nice view of their unique flight.

Wigeon 1 male in eclipse - I was pleased with this, as I actually saw it fly in high from the east before landing just north of the skear.

It immediately waddled up the sand bar, sat down and tucked its head under its wing and didn't move again till the tide rudely awoke it. Even then it thought about having another snooze. I got the impression that it had flown some distance.

It eventually flew off towards the south side, possibly estuary bound.

Waders - as well as the Oystercatcher, Curlew, Redshank and Turnstone there were

Ringed Plover 8

Dunlin 3

South wall (MD)

Just an evening stroll as far as the outflows and back.

Whimbrel 1

Redshank 50+

Turnstone 6

Dunlin 11

Turnstone, Redshank and Dunlin, about to be displaced from No.1 outflow