Sanderling and Dunlin passing through.

A mercifully dry and mainly sunny day, after yesterday's deluge. A light north wind.

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Ringing report from Jean:

5 hours of ringing caught 26 birds, only one of which was a retrap. The rest were almost all juveniles.

Greenfinch 8

Chaffinch 3 new and 1 re trap

Goldfinch 1

Great Tit 8

Blue Tit 3

Robin 1

Wren 1

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Janet had a look around this morning, no sign of the Goosander.

Male Common Darter

South shore

I checked from Red Nab to the shore out from the saltmarsh towards high water (MD)

Mediterranean gulls 32, just one juvenile 

Rock Pipit 1

Pied Wagtail only 4 after yesterday's high numbers

Curlew 100+ flying south

Whimbrel 1 heard only

Lapwing 2

Oystercatcher c300

Redshank 57

Dunlin c400

Sanderling 7. Initially they were feeding with the Dunlin, but after a while they flew south leaving the Dunlin behind.

These are three of the Sanderling, still largely in summer plumage, as were the Dunlin

Dunlin and a Sanderling coming in to land

Sanderling 

It rained! All day!

Very heavy overnight rain continued throughout the day. A light NE wind.

South shore (MD)

A wet morning walk was all I had time for today.

Moorhen 1 - Moneyclose Lane was awash and one was swimming in one of the larger puddles

Pied Wagtail 34 - on the foreshore and Ocean Edge grass. There has been a small presence throughout the summer, but no more than 6 till this morning.

Rock Pipit 3 - two on Red Nab and one sheltering below No.2 outflow superstructure.

Redshank 30 - a feeding group of 23 on the beach near wooden Jetty the others scattered along the shore.

Whimbrel 1 - flew out from the foreshore 

Curlew 8 - along the shore, the bulk will have left to feed on the skear.

Oystercatcher c30

Mediterranean gull 2 adult/second summer on the seaward end of the beach next to the wooden jetty.

These Mediterranean gulls aren't today's birds, but from a couple of days ago.
Second summer at the back. The adult was ringed in Holland in 2019.
It has also been seen in Portugal, Spain and France 

I took this sequence the other day in the Nature Park, and was saving it for a rainy day. I didn't have to wait long! 

It always disappoints me that the splendid colour of male Brimstone butterflies in flight disappears when you photograph them after they have landed. This is because their underwings are a paler yellow than the upper wings and they alway close their wings when they land. You can see why in this clip, their wings mimic a leaf, quite green when the sun shines though them, pale yellow otherwise.

So I tried to get some in flight shots, with only partial success, still it's a bit of colour on a dull day!

Male Brimstone butterfly 

At 20:30 Kevin Eaves' weather station had recorded 60.2mm of rain since midnight, and it is still raining! The forecast is brighter for tomorrow though.

Feeding Osprey and the Goosander lingers

 A light south wind. It rained pretty much all day, but it varied in intensity.

Middleton Nature Reserve (MD)

Just a brief call in to check on the Goosander, it was still on the main pond.

Goosander 1 juvenile - I got there just as it was swallowing a fish. By the time I'd got my camera out it was washing it down with a drink.

South shore (MD)

I managed to walk out along the wall while the rain wasn't too heavy.

Mediterranean gulls - just 5 seen on Red Nab

Rock Pipits 3 - 1 on foreshore and 2 on Red Nab

Osprey 1 it was near the end of No1 outflow. It had already caught a fish when I spotted it.

Originally I presumed it was a Bass, but it looks more likely to be a Grey Mullet

Pete spotted that it has a blue darvic ring on its right leg, but too distant to read.

Initially it was being harried by gulls, but it took that pretty much in its stride (the shadow around the edges of this clip is my hand keeping the rain off the lens).

But then a Peregrine Falcon started diving it, which wasn't so welcome! You only get a glimpse of the Peregrine as it drops through the frame at the end of this clip (watch in slow motion)

Peregrine diving, this is a still from the above clip

It was raining quite hard by this time and everything was greyed out beyond the buoys. The Osprey disappeared into the murk as it headed south, but it wasn't clear if it was actually planning to go in that direction or was just trying to get beyond the Peregrine's territory.

Another, or returning? Goosander

After some early morning showers, the threatened thunderstorms didn't materialise and the day remained dry, with the odd sunny spell. A light west wind.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Janet was exercising a dog but still managed some great shots and records.

This Roebuck was looking for cover

Looks like it has been reading the Ostrich book of hiding!
(Yes, I know it's only a myth)

This doe was nearby 

Greenfinch 

Swallow upside down chasing flies

Goosander 1 juvenile on the main pond - historically they have been extremely rare here, but this year we have had two females and a male visiting during spring passage. And we had a juvenile, as early as June 30th, this could well be the same one. Janet took some good shots, but it was quite distant. Fortunately she let me know and I popped down with my zoom camera (MD)

Juvenile Goosander 

Initially it was just resting

Perhaps, it had already eaten, as a little later it was fishing. Same technique as last time, snorkel first then dive. It didn't catch anything on this foray.

Dragonflies:

Emperor 1 male

Four-Spotted Chaser 1

Black-Tailed Skimmer 1 male

Male Black-Tailed Skimmer

Red Nab

I checked towards high water (MD)

Mediterranean gulls 12. Just one previously read white ringed darvic bird seen

Curlew c100 heading south

Whimbrel 1 heading south

Whimbrel 

Redshank 20

Ringed Plover 2. In the same patch of rocks as yesterday, but both striving to keep out of sight (slightly better at it than the Roebuck!)

Adult Ringed Plover

Juvenile Ringed Plover (head)

Kevin Eaves spotted a Painted Lady on the Nature Park Buddleia, as well as:

Comma

Red Admiral

Peacock

Large White

Gatekeeper

Meadow Brown

A nice sunny day......so, butterflies and sunflowers

Another dry and largely sunny day with a slight NW wind.

Red Nab

I didn't have much time today, just a quick lunchtime check of Red Nab towards high water (MD).

Mediterranean gulls 36+ there were 26 on Red Nab, but many of today's gulls were flying directly from where they had been resting on the shore towards Potts Corner. At leat 10 Meds seen doing this.

The ones that were on Red Nab were mainly squatting, making darvic ring spotting difficult. I did manage two, but they had been read previously this year. These are some of the Red Nab gulls.

This was one of yesterday's new birds and the first German ringed one this year.
Ringed in Saxony in 2019 as a nestling and has subsequently been seen in France,
Wales, Portugal and Holland. This is its first record at Heysham

Redshank 15

Ringed Plover 2

Ringed Plover

The rest of today's stuff from Janet

Rock Pipit on Red Nab

Janet also reported flushing a "silent Snipe" from Middleton yesterday.

There was a good selection of butterflies on the Nature Park/dog walk Buddleia.

Comma

Red Admiral

Worn Small White

Large White

Brimstone 

Peacock

Female Common Blue

Male Common Blue

Also abundant were Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper 

Janet took this shot of the Sunflowers growing along the sea wall at Red Nab. They have done really well this summer as the tides have been relatively low and the the weather was calm during the higher tides. There must be 100+ plants along the foreshore and Red Nab, but not all as splendid as these.

Sunflowers along the high water line. The seeds obviously deposited 
by the tide, but you wonder where they come from in such numbers
Unless we get storms, they should be fine till the first week of August 

Lots of youngsters around

A dry and mainly sunny day after heavy overnight rain. A light NE breeze till mid morning, then it freshened slightly as it shifted to NW.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Ringing report from John

Nice to have some weather suitable for ringing again, vegetation very wet, but calm conditions and not too sunny early on. Three nets set and a total of twenty five birds caught and processed. With the vast majority being this years young.

They comprised:

Chiffchaff          5 juveniles

Reed Warbler     4 juveniles

Cetti's Warbler 2 juveniles and 1 adult retrap

Blackcap            2 juveniles

Sedge Warbler   1 juvenile  and 2 adults

Great Tit             1 juvenile  and 1 adult retrap

Greenfinch          1 juvenile

Blackbird            1 adult retrap

Wren          1 juvenile

Goldcrest            1 juvenile

Tree Pipit            1 juvenile

Robin                  1 juvenile

Janet had a walk around late morning 

Young Robin

Swallow 

Brimstone 

Very worn Gatekeeper

Soldier Beetles 

Heysham Skear - low water 07:50 (MD)

Eider 2 individuals, a female and eclipsed male.

Great Crested Grebe 6

Red-breasted Merganser 2

Little Egret 17

Grey Heron 1

Oystercatcher c150

Curlew c250

Redshank 60

Most of the waders were close inshore on the inner skear. This area too is covered in mussels this year.

Red Nab to saltmarsh - high water 13:15 (MD)

Mediterranean gull c30. I didn't attempt to count them today, but there were similar numbers of adult but more first summer on Red Nab than yesterday. Plus 2 juvenile. There were fewer out from the saltmarsh as most gulls went further south towards Potts. I managed to read four ringed Meds on Red Nab, two of them new birds. This shot makes it look easy.

Two darvic ringed Meds on Red Nab

But easy it wasn't, this shot shows the Red Nab gulls. Most have legs hidden by rocks or other gulls and many sat down.

Today's gulls on Red Nab

Young Dunnock in the Nature Park

There were three young Blue Tits, finding plenty to eat amongst the weed covering the Nature Park pond.

More Meds and more passing terns

A heavy early shower, followed by light rain till late morning when the heavier persistent rain began. A light southerly wind.

South shore (MD)

I went down late morning toward high water, the promised heavy rain was, just about, holding off.

Mediterranean gulls 56 absolute minimum, probably many more. There were at least 27 on Red Nab, including 2 juvenile. Later there were 54 on the shore out from the saltmarsh, but no juvenile. Unfortunately, only one was was ringed and that had been read earlier this year.

Yesterday's new bird was ringed as a nestling in Belgium in 2018. It first visited Heysham as a juvenile that year, and was seen again in 2020. In between it has been seen in France, Belgium and Portugal.

This Great Black-Backed gull was also resting on the shore

It had been drizzling since I set off, but you could see the more serious rain approaching.

Dark clouds coming in over the new Isle of Man ferry (Manxman)

Common Tern 3 together passed overhead and continued south calling all the while. Unfortunately my camera was set for trying to pick out gull ring details, not for passing terns.

It was easier to get out my old camera, at least it has a much better sound pick up. This clip isn't great and only shows one of the terns, but you can hear the others.

After that the promised heavy rain fulfilled its promise, it was time to leave.

Little Egret 3

Grey Heron 1

Sand Martin 1 south

Rock Pipit 2 - one on foreshore and this one feeding along the tide line on east side of saltmarsh.

Janet has just returned from her holiday and visited a wet Middleton early this morning.......and saw some wet insects:

Gatekeeper 

Buff-tailed Bumblebee 

Slightly better Tern shots

A light west wind. Dry all day with plenty of sunny spells.

South shore (MD)

Mediterranean gulls 35+ there were 15 adult/2nd summer, 5 first summer and a juvenile on the beach near wooden jetty. Another 4 adult near No.2 outflow. Later in the tide there were similar numbers on Red Nab including 3 juvenile and 4 second summer. Another 5 adult, 2 second summer and 3 first summer on the shore out from the saltmarsh.

Most of the birds on the beach by the jetty were just resting, and had been for some while, judging by the amount of guano surrounding most of them. But that wasn't because of the lack of feeding opportunities, the few that were feeding were finding Sandmason worms relatively easily. The resting birds had obviously eaten their fill.

This first summer bird catches a Sandmason worm in this clip.

There were 3 white darvic ringed adults, one was a new one for this year.

3867 last seen at Heysham in 2020 - updated history awaited
That makes 8 white and 3 green darvic ringed birds read so far this year.

Little Egret 3

A particularly shaggy Little Egret

Grey Heron 1

Curlew 100+

Oystercatcher c50

Lapwing 1

Common Sandpiper 1 around the rocky outcrop just south of the saltmarsh 

Common Sandpiper

Common Tern 1 - it was resting with the gulls just south of the saltmarsh. 

The tide was still coming in but almost full. The gulls didn't budge when it reached them but the, shorter legged, Tern had to.

It landed on the mud closer to me

Common Tern, its black bill tip almost faded to nothing
Metal ringed as well, but no chance of reading it

Rock Pipit 3 together on Red Nab

These Gatekeeper were along the foreshore.

There are plenty of young birds flitting around the Nature Park, Robin, Chaffinch, Long-Tailed Tits, Blue Tits and this Chiffchaff seen today, although keeping track of them in the foliage isn't easy.