A few more Meds

A very light early morning east breeze quickly switched to west and freshened slightly. Sunny and very warm.

South shore

Janet checked early morning

First summer Kittiwake by No.1 outflow

Plenty of Black-Headed gulls feeding on the outflows. At least 120 around this morning

Herring gull with a crab, but not a regular shore crab. Note the
flattened rear legs, this is a velvet swimming crab.

The gulls normally remove the claws off crabs this size before swallowing them.
It suggests that this crab was soft, that is, it has recently shed its carapace and
exoskeleton. The new exoskeleton takes a few days to fully harden.

Young Cormorant and a Black-Headed Gull

Linnets on Red Nab, 4 more between lighthouse and waterfall 

Rabbits everywhere, they have had a successful breeding season........there's a shock

I checked later in the morning as the rising tide was corralling the shore resting gulls (Malcolm)

Mediterranean gulls 6 at least. Definitely 4 first summer birds and at least 2 adults

This clip demonstrates how the rising tide move the gulls together and closer to the sea wall. It begins on 2 adult Meds, there are 2 first summer later in the clip. A couple of Common Gulls and the rest are Black-Headed.

First summer (left) and adult (right)

Adult and first summer

Two adults with a nice Black-Headed gull for comparison 

These two adults on Red Nab later looked to be the same birds

A second check in the evening saw just a first and a second summer bird. So at least 7 Mediterranean gulls seen today as I didn't spot a second summer in the morning.

Herring and Black-Headed gulls plus the first summer Kittiwake on No.2 rail

Peregrine falcon 2 seen on two occasions around the NE corner of No.2 Power Station. A large and smaller bird noisily exchanging prey mid flight. It wasn't clear if it was an adult feeding a young or passing food to another adult (to feed young?). It wasn't even possible to see which bird passed the prey, the Power Station security are understandably suspicious of anyone using optics to look beyond the perimeter.

In the Nature Park 

Ringlet 3

Common Blue 2

Large Skipper 1

Large Skipper

Returning? Med

Overnight showers finished about 08:00. Then dry and eventually sunny. A light west wind.

South shore (Malcolm)

A mid morning check on the rising tide.

Curlew 38 flew to Red Nab

Oystercatcher 10 on Red Nab

Redshank 1 on No.2 outflow rail

Black-Headed gull 150+ including several juvenile.

Black-Headed gulls with 2 juvenile 

Juvenile Black-Headed gull

This juvenile was feeding on No.2 outflow and seemed to be quite adept.

No sign of the Kittiwake today, perhaps there is now too much competition, or perhaps it was just resting out of sight somewhere.

Mediterranean gull 2. An adult was resting on the mud between the outflows with Black-Headed gulls. Unfortunately most of the gulls were facing away into the wind, not helping with identification.

The above shot is from the beginning of this clip. The arrow is pointing to the Med. Not easy to identify, but it takes a short flight in this clip and is then clearly a Med.

Another confusing factor was that it was "stood" very low to the mud.
Making it look no bigger than the Black-Headed gulls

Later, it was resting on Red Nab (just right of centre).
You can just make out a second summer Med top left

You can see in this shot why it stands low to the ground, it is missing the 
lower half of its right leg, so has taken to using its left knee as its left foot

We've seen this characteristic before. One of the first Meds to arrive last year (12th June) was a second summer bird also with the lower half of its right leg missing. It didn't hang around long, possibly as its disability would hamper it feeding on the favoured sand mason worms here. No guarantee it is the same bird of course, but it does seem likely (Malcolm)

This is a shot from last June

Greylag goose 9 - they flew from the south then NW along the sea wall, directly above my head, but even so I didn't get a clear view of them. They were either head on or above and I didn't hear a single honk.

Greylag geese

Grey Heron not welcomed on No.2 outflow rail

Grey Seal just beyond No2 outflow

Two of four Turnstone with the Oystercatcher on the old heliport wall

This nice sequence of a Swallow having a bath on the main pond at Middleton Nature Reserve - by Janet

Curlew and gull numbers continue to rise

Warm and sunny after overnight rain. A light west wind.

South shore

I had a walk along the sea wall mid morning on the rising tide (Malcolm)

Little Egret 2 on Red Nab

Curlew 157 minimum number. Birds seen on, flying to and flying from Red Nab.

Just a few of the Curlew moving on from Red Nab

Black-Headed gulls not counted today, but definitely more than yesterday so 100+

It's good having lots of gulls on the outflows again

Kittiwake 1 first summer

Five gull species in this shot. The Kittiwake is central and looks large as it was
closer. Also, Herring, Lesser Black-backed, Common and Black-Headed gulls

First summer Kittiwake. Had been resting on the wooden jetty before a
feeding trip to both outflows and patrolling the sea below the sea wall

Mediterranean Gull 2 - 1 adult flew east, this distant one on the shore looked to be an adult also, but a zoomed in shot revealed it to be a second summer.

Second summer Mediterranean gull, at least its legs were visible today 

Rock Pipit 2 - one near waterfall and one along the sea wall.

Peregrine Falcon 1 over Nature Park

Also in Nature Park

Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Common Whitethroat and Blackcap.

Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Chaffinch and Bullfinch

Great Tit, Blue Tit and Long-Tailed Tit

Blackbird, Song Thrush

Robin, Dunnock and Wren

The only butterfly seen was a single Ringlet.

Male Ringlet, also spotted by Janet a little later

Heliport (Malcolm)

Just a stop off towards high water.

Roosting Oystercatcher, plus a single Knot
(where the sea meets the rocks at the very left of this shot)

Solitary Knot

Rock Pipit 2 foraging amongst the Near Naze rocks

Seven gull species

Another warm and mainly sunny day with a light west wind.

South shore (Malcolm)

Two checks, one on the rising morning tide and another on the ebbing tide in the afternoon.

Curlew 82 resting on Red Nab in the morning till moved on by the rising tide. Almost certainly more seen heading north in the afternoon in several flocks.

Black-Headed gull numbers increasing quickly 91 were counted this morning including 3 juvenile.

A few of the Black-Headed gulls

Kittiwake 1 first summer (2nd calendar year)

Kittiwake on wooden jetty with Herring gulls and a Cormorant 

Kittiwake flying over a raft of Black-Headed and Common Gulls

Great Black-Backed gull looking particularly impressive on a lamppost 

So, with the Lesser Blacked-Backed, six gull species in the morning. The seventh was between the outflows in the afternoon.

Mediterranean gull 1 second summer (3rd calendar year)

Mediterranean gull partially obscured by a Common gull

This is a bit of a puzzle! This Cormorant has caught what appears to be a large eel, but the body looks ribbon like, an eel this size should be much rounder. The body shape and apparent light weight for its length suggest a Garfish, but it hasn't got the distinctive tail of a garfish. So it has to be an eel...... I suppose. (Malcolm)

Sorry about the quality of this clip is was some distance out.

Still from the above clip showing the ribbon like body with an eel like tail.
It looks like a question mark, and I can't really see eel. But what else?

Rock Pipit 2 - one along the sea wall and one around the lighthouse. The lighthouse bird had been display flying, in this clip it is just display calling as it begins to feed.

Linnet 4 along sea wall and near lighthouse 

Male Linnet between lighthouse and waterfall 

This Common Whitethroat was in the Nature Park

This Lesser Black-Backed gull swooped on Janet as she passed Surefreight again.
At least all the gulls got their picture in the post today!

Kittiwake lingers

Another warm, dry and largely sunny day with a light west wind.

South shore (Malcolm)

A check around morning high water

Little Egret 2

Curlew 40 on Red Nab

More Black-Headed gulls today 30+  only 1 juvenile seen

Kittiwake 1 first summer feeding on No.1 outflow and resting on wooden jetty.

First summer Kittiwake

The grey seal was closer in today, near No.1 outflow

Rock Pipit 2 one along sea wall and one on foreshore then saltmarsh 

The Lesser Whitethroat was singing again in the copse behind Red Nab. The Common Whitethroat there has never stopped singing.

Heysham Nature Reserve (Janet)

These shots from yesterday 

Moorhen with chicks

Elusive Sedge warbler

Chiffchaff 

Middleton Nature Reserve (Malcolm)

Just a brief early evening check of the two main ponds.

Wildfowl and dragonflies as recent

This discarded eggshell had clearly been broken from the inside.
The size and colour suggests Shelduck.......

This is a Coot chick with two adult. Nothing new in the clip, other than they were quite close and the noise was painful!

Just outside the recording area Heysham Moss Nature Reserve (Janet)

Large Skipper

Immature Black Darter

The 2023 Observatory report is now available. This is an excellent report containing not just the wildlife records but behaviour patterns, trends etc. A donation of £3 is requested plus postage if required. 

Contact Alan - alanxhill@btinternet.com