Some insect movement

A warm, but mainly overcast day. A freshening east wind.

First, these are Janet's shots of the adult with juvenile Rock Pipits from Heysham Head yesterday.

Rock Pipits

Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)

Mullien caterpillars on a Mullien plant on the scrubland to the
left of the security hut on Middleton.

Mullien plant on the banking to the west of Tim Butler pond

Also hosting Mullien caterpillars

Imperial Rd

Mark Jones checked first

I stood where the wooden gate was and immediately saw a male stonechat (to my left) on a post with food, it went into brambles.

What a great little spot it is, a buzzard soon appeared and flew in to harass the crows and unsettle everything else.

I checked later (Malcolm). Unlike Mark I failed to see a Stonechat, but clearly he still has something around to feed.

Buzzard hovering in the east wind

Male Chaffinch 

A Chaffinch calling was one of the first (of few) calls that I learned to recognise as a child. It reminded me of someone pushing a wheelbarrow with a squeaky wheel. A sound more common then than now....

Other finches: Goldfinch with 3 newly fledged, Linnet male, Greenfinch several.

Common Whitethroat 

Sedge Warbler

Other warblers: Cetti's 2 singing, Chiffchaff 2 singing

Reed Bunting 3

Roe Deer

South shore (Malcolm)

Warm weather and an east wind is normally good for insects migrating in off the sea. It tends to be better when the tide is out, but a thunderstorm was threatening, so I went early 13:45 - 15:15.

Canada geese to SE

Red Admirals were coming in off the sea at a rate of one a minute. Most were passing down the north side, still in total I saw 28. 

Most continued straight through, but some stopped for a rest on the wall

This was the only one that settled with its wings open, it was sheltered 
from the wind near the waterfall

Painted Lady 4

Small White 1

Darter sp seen coming in off but too distant to be able to identify.

Cinnabar moth caterpillar near the lighthouse scrub

Six-Spot Burnet 50+ in and around the scrub near the lighthouse 

Six-spot Burnet ensuring the next generation 

There were literally thousands of small orange flies. They were all along the sea wall and covering the scrub near the lighthouse.

Turned out to be Turnip Sawflies

The insect eating birds were making the most of things

Not sure what this Rock Pipit has, possibly a Dragonfly?

A barely fledged Pied Wagtail enjoying its early days.
Although it doesn't look very happy!

This Pied Wagtail was on Red Nab

This Hawk moth was resting on the floor of the sea wall.
I was afraid that an approaching party with dogs may accidentally trample it.
So I reached to move it to the top of the wall, as I did.......

........it showed itself to be an Eyed Hawk moth.
I placed it safely on top of the wall.

As it turned out the threatened thunderstorm didn't materialise. I wonder how I would have fared if I had gone out later in the tide? Not to worry, it was a very pleasant walk.

.......and then there were none!

A warm sunny day with a light variable breeze.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Report by Alan:

At last a windless morning allowed setting of mist nets at Middleton, after most of yesterday spent on ride maintenance.  There has been little opportunity over the last few weeks for ringing.

The majority of the catch were Reed Warblers, but no young trapped yet.

 

Reed Warbler 5 + 2 retraps

Chiffchaff  1 + 3 retaps

Singles of each of Robin, Song Thrush, Jay, Willow Warbler, Wren and Cetti's Warbler. 

A couple of shots by Janet from yesterday 

Lesser Whitethroat 

Drinker moth caterpillar 

Heysham Head

Janet confirmed Rock Pipits feeding young - pictures to follow when Janet's internet is restored

Imperial Rd (Malcolm)

Two checks again today, but no sign of any Stonechats. Hopefully it's just me being useless. Not that there aren't any predators around.......

This Buzzard is targeting small prey, it has a small rodent here

It took it to this small copse between the substation and the bypass

Then immediately returned to hunting 

Not sure what it has in these two shots, possibly a young Weasel.
But whatever, another small prey

Female Kestrel. She has a metal ring, not ringed in the recording area
as the only two Kestrels ringed here (1996 and 2015) were both males. 

Wood Pigeon several as always

Stock Dove 2 

Stock Doves

One of two recently fledged Carrion Crows

You can still see the remnant of its gape.

Song Thrush after slugs again

Swallows 6

Reed Buntings seen and heard

Common Whitethroat seen and heard

Cetti's warbler 2 singing

Chiffchaff 2 singing

Sedge warbler seen

Male Linnet

Heysham skear (Malcolm) 15:00 - 16:00

Eider 13

12 Eider in this group plus a solitary female

Red-Breasted Merganser 3 a male plus a pair. 

Great Crested Grebe 1

Little Egret 4

Oystercatcher 150

Curlew 4

Gulls - probably 500, but today's breeze was no good for shrimping, so most were just resting.....

........some on the the rocks

..........and many on the sea (the Eider are in this shot too)

I managed to read two ringed Herring gulls and, amazingly, neither seen
here before. Details awaited

A change in behaviour and new butterflies emerging

A sunny day with a fresh west wind.

Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)

Plenty of Swallows, House Martins and a Swift, feeding over the main pond

Swift

House Martin 

A particularly acrobatic Swallow

First Meadow Brown of the year

Burnet Companion 

Common Darter

Heysham Skear (Malcolm) 14:30 - 16:00

Eider 2

Female Eider

Male Eider

Red-breasted Merganser 2

Female and male Red-breasted Merganser

Great Crested grebe 1

Great Crested grebe

The only waders were 200 Oystercatchers

Gulls 600 mainly Herring, but a few Lesser Black-Backed. The west wind providing easy shrimping options.

Some of the gulls shrimping along the waterline.

I managed to see three ringed birds, but all seen previously here.

This one is the only one that you could call regular. It has been seen eight
times since first seen on the 7th May. Interestingly, while most of the other
gulls were shrimping it was still after the seed mussels.
Ringed 02/07/24 at Bowland

The trouble with shrimping birds is that you sometimes have to wait
for the right wave. Also ringed at Bowland 02/07/24. But only seen once before

Carrion crows don't always get a mention, but there are always some. Four today

Imperial Rd (Malcolm)

I checked twice today, morning and afternoon. The water table has risen considerably again, I don't know if that has any relevance, but the Stonechat behaviour has changed.

Stonechat 1 male. No longer near the road, but further west into the wetlands. I saw him carrying food a couple of times but there was no singing or calling today. The only place I saw him take food to was this bush.

I'm hoping that the female is on the nest in this bush

This is looking from the road, the bush above is circled

No sign of any youngsters on either visit, and I couldn't even spot the male this afternoon, although it isn't so easy looking into the afternoon light. I checked further to the south this morning hoping to locate at least one youngster. They surely can't be totally self sufficient yet. 

Buzzard one seen soaring and "hovering" on both visits. Today's west wind seemed ideal for hovering.

Kestrel 1 also hovering 

Grey Heron 1

Reed Bunting 1

Swallows and House Martins feeding

Warblers

Cetti's warbler seen carrying food and heard singing, probably not the same bird.

Chiffchaff 2 singing 

Sedge Warbler 1 seen

Common Whitethroat 1 seen (although not immediately recognised!)

One wet Whitethroat 

Greenfinch eyeing up this winter's food supply

Ringlet two together, or rather chasing each other around, this afternoon. First record this year.

Ringlet, a rarity here until recently, now common.
They will be showing everywhere soon.

20:50 a skein of geese sounding like Canada Geese flew over  Janet's house