A swift exit

A fresher south wind. Overcast all day with occasional light showers.

South shore (Malcolm)

Not much time today, just managed a quick look at Red Nab and foreshore towards high water, and a walk along the sea wall this evening 

Mediterranean gulls 40+ including 3 juveniles. Seen on Red Nab, resting/preening on all of the beaches and feeding on the beach by the wooden jetty and out on the sea from the harbour mouth.

Some of the Meds with Black-Headed gulls on Red Nab this evening 

This preening Belgium ringed Med has just dislodged a feather

This German ringed bird was the only other ringed bird seen today.
It is feeding on the beach by the wooden jetty, note the sandmason worm tubes are
more prominent again. Hopefully they will be providing good feeding opportunities
this set of spring tides - shame about the restricted access to the sea wall

There were a handful of young gulls on the waterfall, but no gulls resting on 
The platforms, which are normally filled with Black-Headed gulls at this time of year.

Whimbrel 1 heard this morning.

Rock Pipit 1 on foreshore 

Wheatear 1, presumably the same juvenile as of late. In the same central section of the foreshore, but looking a little more like first winter plumage today.

Wheatear

The evening was very warm and heavy, large numbers of small flies (not flying ants) were over the Nature Park. Inevitably attracting the attention of the passing fly eating birds.

Swallow 13 at least

Swift 8 at least

Pete also managed a quick check from Ocean Edge at high water.

3 juvenile Mediterranean gulls were feeding on No.1 outfall

Common Sandpiper 1 flew south

Lots of gulls again

Morning showers, followed by an overcast day, then rain again in the evening. A SW wind.

South shore

I just managed a quick morning check of Red Nab and Ocean Edge foreshore (Malcolm).

Lots of small gulls roosting on Red Nab including at least 30 Mediterranean gulls (4 juveniles). Just one white ringed bird spotted, but unable to read, although definitely a new one for this year.

Six of the Meds with Black-Headed gulls.
Including a 3rd calendar year bird, second from the right

Juvenile Med behind an adult or 3cy

The only sign of a ring seen, although many of the birds legs were obscured 

Rock Pipit 1 on Red Nab

Wheatear 1 on Ocean Edge foreshore.

Juvenile Wheatear at similar stage of plumage to the one seen on Friday

One of three Linnet on the foreshore

Janet had a walk along the sea wall at high water. There were lots of gulls feeding on the outflows, but mainly Black-Headed, Herring and Lesser Black-Backed

Juvenile Black-Headed gull picking out what looks to be a small sandeel

Cormorants heading past a dredger on their way to the wooden jetty

Sparrowhawk visiting my garden (Malcolm)

High Med count and a Dunlin influx

Dry and mainly sunny after overnight rain. A light west wind.

South Shore 

I did two  checks today (Malcolm). Red Nab as the incoming tide reached it this morning and a walk along the sea wall on the ebbing tide mid afternoon.

Mediterranean gulls 40 at least on Red Nab towards high water, including just one juvenile. No ringed birds were seen. 

Adult Mediterranean gull, now in winter plumage 

The Meds were scattered about this afternoon, feeding at the seaward end of No.1 outflow, more resting on the mud and out from the harbour mouth.

2nd calendar yer Med in the harbour mouth

10 turned up on the beach by the wooden jetty as it became exposed. But they were struggling to catch the sandmason worms.

The Oystercatchers were catching the worms easily enough though....

.......so the Meds turned to thievery!

If you watch in slow motion you can see the Med does end up with the worm

Fortunately, Shaun did a late evening check, it took him  while but he eventually sorted the numbers out

Red Nab to Wooden Pier. 18:30-20:45.

Mediterranean Gulls 68 adults/3CY, 2CY 4 and 5 Juvs. So 77 Meds in total

Sandwich Tern 3 following Seatruck out. 

Other stuff this afternoon 

Peregrine Falcon 2 juveniles annoying the gulls around the Power Stations, but not bothering those on the shore today.

Juvenile Peregrine Falcon

Rock Pipit 1 on Red Nab

Dunlin 130 resting at the base of the sea wall by the wooden jetty. Most are in this clip.

Nature Park

Coal Tit 2 at least moving noisily through the conifers. Not seen or heard them during the breeding season.

Brown Hawker 1

Common Darter 1

Red Admiral 1

Large White 3

Speckled Wood 3

Gatekeeper several

Middleton Nature Reserve

A couple of nice shots by Janet

Little Egret

Grey Heron

Good Med count and first autumn Wheatear

A dry day with plenty of sunshine till late afternoon, then clouds thickened and steady rain began at 19:00. A SW wind.

A couple of shots by Kevin Singleton on Heysham Head yesterday 

Curlew

Immature Little Egret

South shore 

The sea wall was open today and likely to be open Fri - Sun for a while (closed till 17:00 on other weekdays due to maintenance)

Report by Shaun Coyle:

Heysham 08:00-10:00. 

Red Nab : 

Mediterranean Gulls 36 adults/3rd cy, 2nd cy 3 and 7 Juvs. 

Oystercatcher 384

Curlew 238

Whimbrel 2

37 Redshank

Outfall No.1:

Turnstone 39 

Redshank 87

female/juv Wheatear along the seawall. 

Ocean Edge (salt marsh) : Mediterranean  Gulls 9 adults/3 cy and a single Juv. (So total Meds 56)

Gatekeeper 6 and a Peacock in the Nature Park.

I checked towards lunch (Malcolm). A juvenile Wheatear was along Ocean Edge foreshore, possibly the one seen earlier by Shaun.

Wheatear moulting from juvenile plumage

Rock Pipit 1 on Red Nab

Green ringed Mediterranean gull, almost certainly the German ringed ANLT - Kevin

Middleton Nature Reserve 

These shots by Janet:

Meadow Brown

Common Blue

Gatekeeper 

Parsnip moth caterpillar 

I had a check around the ponds after lunch (Malcolm).

Similar wildfowl as of late, but seemingly more adult Coot. 14 on the two main ponds, plus 2 small chicks. Presumably some of the older juveniles are now in adult plumage.

The female Gadwall with her well grown youngster was briefly visible on the "no swimming" pond.

Just Reed warbler heard in sub song. Chiffchaff calling.

Dragonflies and butterflies same mix as recent.

A good proportion of warblers and a nice moth

A couple of early morning showers, then dry and sunny with a light west wind.

Bordered Pug in Kevin's trap last night. Very local and not common in Lancashire. 

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Ringing report by John:

Three nets set at Middleton yesterday morning resulted in 16 birds captured.

Sedge Warbler  2  + 1 retrap

Lesser Whitethroat  3

Willow Warbler  3

Reed Warbler   1  +  1 retrap

Garden Warbler  2

Cetti's Warbler   1

Chiffchaff   1

Robin   1

All warblers bar the Robin

Janet took this shot of Goldfish in the pond in the southern section of the reserve.
Obviously someone's released pets. They will cross breed with the resident Rudd.
As time goes by the more conspicuous offspring are more likely to be predated, so
after several generations most of the fish will look more like the countershaded Rudd.

Heysham Skear - low water 16:35 (Malcolm)

2.6m low water only exposed the skear as far conger rock. Some days when you walk out you get a sense that "something is going to happen". But not today. Still it was a very pleasant walk in the cooling sea breeze.

Little Egret just 1

Eider 3

Eider in the evening sun

Great Crested Grebe 1

Herring Gull c250

There were c25 Lesser Black-Backed. This one was hunting crabs, successfully. 

Oystercatcher 600

Oystercatcher with a leucistic head

Curlew 70

Turnstone 13

Turnstone moulting from summer plumage are perfectly camouflaged here

Saltmarsh beach (Malcolm)

I just had a look on my way home, earlier in the tide than I normally check. There were a few resting gulls, but only one Mediterranean gull.

This Black-Headed gull has a black ring - details awaited 

Reflections

Another warm sunny day with a light variable breeze, although clouds were building by late evening.

Joanne Byrne spotted this Roe Deer yesterday. It was on the embankment to the railway line, to the east of the railway bridge at the start of Moneyclose Lane.

It was only small so likely one of this year's young

This shows the location, there were people talking in the gardens.....

.....but the deer was happy to continue feeding.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Janet reported one of the two Cygnets was dead on the main pond spit yesterday. The remaining one was looking well, but perhaps lonely, today. The following shots from Rosemary Silvester.

The solitary remaining cygnet

Common Blue Damselfly

Male Emperor

I had a look mid morning (Malcolm)

Two of the summer plumaged adult Little Grebe were together on the "no swimming" pond.

One of at least two independent young grebes

No sign of the Gadwall today.

Butterflies:

Ringlet a few faded ones

Meadow Brown several

Gatekeeper several

Green-veined White 3

Common Blue 3

No sign of the Copper-tip Longhorn moths again

Dragonflies:

Emperor 6

Female Emperor in flight, with its reflection below

Female Emperor ovipositoring, again nicely reflected

Black-Tailed Skimmer 1 male

Broad-bodied Chaser 2 males

Male Broad-bodied Chaser

Common Darter lots! This pair are ovipositoring.

Buzzard 1 drifted high to the south

Common Buzzard

Not so many Oystercatcher on the Heliport wall today, but these low neap
tides barely reach it

Ocean Edge beach (Malcolm)

The gulls were resting on the dry mud again this evening 

Including 27 Mediterranean gulls. Three were colour ringed, but all seen previously this summer.

This German ringed bird (AZ-ZZ) has not been recorded since it arrived 19/07
Clearly they commute between feeding/roosting areas

Swallows 5 feeding above the rotting strand line.