North side Osprey fishing again

Another warm day with sunny spells. A light west breeze.

Heysham skear (Malcolm) 10:00 - 11:30

Yesterday David Kaye saw an Osprey fishing to the south of the skear around lunchtime. It caught a fish and settled on the shore to eat it. Today one began fishing earlier in the tide at 10:30. Initially to the south of the skear, but it continued working its way northwards. At one point it flew over my head, you can hear its call as it spots me.

Not ringed

It didn't catch anything whilst in view. This was as close as it got, but it pulled up just above the water.

Other than that it was pretty quiet

Gulls 150 mainly Herring

Eider 13

Great Crested grebe 4

Little Egret 8

Oystercatcher 300, plus at least another 300 lifted from the outer skear by the Osprey 

Curlew 20

Redshank 40

Turnstone 40

Ringed Plover 6

Ringed Plover

Heysham Nature Reserve

Clouded Yellow north from the Office - Pete

Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)

Three Cormorants on the main pond today.

These shots from yesterday

Small Skipper

Common Darter

South shore (Malcolm) 13:00 - 13:45

I went out onto the shore to check the gulls on Red Nab as the tide approached.

Mediterranean gulls just 4 adult 

Mediterranean gull to the left of centre. This one with a particularly pale face

This one didn't look well, I don't know what the white on its feet and bill is.
Possibly it had been feeding on a limed field? (Wet lime can burn!)

Oystercatcher 800

Curlew 200+ flew south in several flocks

Turnstone 1

Turnstone and Oystercatchers

Knot 1 still largely in summer plumage - this was odd.....

It landed and headed very quickly to the freshwater runoff. The tide is backing 
it up at this point, but it will only be slightly brackish 

It took a drink, then squirted a stream back out

Then took flight again. It was all over in 20 seconds!

Not really anything new

Another warm day with sunny spells. Feeling a bit fresher after a west breeze picked up mid morning.

South shore (Malcolm) 08:15 - 10:00

Linnet 50+ mainly on the saltmarsh, but a few moved to Red Nab.

Linnet on the sloping sea wall at Red Nab

Wheatear 3 along the foreshore 

Rock pipit 3 - 2 on Red Nab and 1 along the sea wall

Rock pipits on the sea wall above Red Nab

Swallow 4 feeding around the saltmarsh before heading south

Starlings 100+ around the saltmarsh 

Some of the Starlings and a Swallow

Pied Wagtail 12 

Whimbrel 1

Mediterranean gulls 9, there were 6 adults and 3 juveniles on the feeding beach, most at the seaward end, but none appeared to be feeding.

This is the metal ringed adult Mediterranean gull that favours being 
close to the sea wall

This ringed juvenile Herring gull (N:36P) was on No.1 outfall.
This year's ringing records are not yet available, but should be soon.

In the Nature Park

Small Tortoiseshell 10 - a significant increase plus there were 2 on the scrub near the lighthouse.

Green-Veined White 1

Small White 5

Large White 2

Red Admiral 3

Meadow Brown 2

Common Blue 2

Common Darter 3

Small Tortoiseshell and a Red Admiral 

Green-Veined White

Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)

Just a quick look around the main pond. 

The young Cormorant provided a good photo opportunity today, It didn't seem aware I was there.

This young Coot looks large enough to be safe from the Cormorants now

Male Common Darter, no other dragonfly species seen

Swallow taking a dip

Odd absence of Willow Warblers

A hot dry day with sunny spells. A light variable breeze, calm at times.

Middleton Nature Reserve

These moths from overnight Middleton NR actinic trap - Pete

Orange Swift

agapeta hamana

pale prominent 

Kingfisher early am and quite a few migrant warblers but no Willow Warblers at all! 

Ringing report by Jean:

Caught 47 birds, 41 of which were caught before 9am.
Goldfinch 15
Whitethroat 9
Lesser Whitethroat 5
Blackcap 5
Sedge Warbler 2
Reed Warbler 2
Chiffchaff 2
Great Tit 2
Swallow 1
Blackbird 1
Robin 1
Dunnock 1
Wren 1

Common Buzzard 2 over Janet's house mid morning 

Heysham skear (Malcolm) 09:30 - 11:00

I only checked along the northern edge and presumably there were also plenty of birds on the outer skear.

Eider 35, including this raft which includes well grown youngsters 

Eider, with a Honeycomb worm reef in the foreground 

Great Crested grebe 12  - no juveniles seen today

Great Crested grebes 

Little Egret 21

Little Egret

Gulls c200 mainly Herring + 25 Black-Headed

Oystercatcher 300

Curlew 30

Redshank 45

Turnstone 60

Ringed Plover 10

Dunlin 3

South shore (Malcolm) 16:30 - 18:00

I went to see if there were any insects coming in off the sea. There were small black flies everywhere, but particularly along the foreshore. They were constantly getting in my eyes, and you had to keep your moth shut. I would have worn a mask if I had one with me. Fortunately there wasn't so many along the sea wall, even so the spider webs between the fence rails were all full of them.

These black flies were everywhere, probably Kelp flies. They were fortunate 
that today's warm weather allowed them to emerge before the high spring tide
swamped them. Although I doubt these feel particularly fortunate!

By this time the breeze was from the north, not ideal. The only butterflies seen to come in/off were:

Small Tortoiseshell 2

Red Admiral 2

Painted Lady 1

The Painted Lady immediately began feeding on Ragwort in the scrub near
the lighthouse. The Gatekeeper next to it is probably a resident 

Rock Pipit 3

Wheatear 1

Wheatear on Red Nab

Whimbrel 3 individual birds

Whimbrel

Curlew 100+ flew to the north side in small groups

Oystercatchers over a silver sea

Cormorants 30+ most on the wooden jetty

This juvenile Cormorant was checking out the area

Shag 1 juvenile on the wooden jetty.

Juvenile Shag (middle)

In the Nature Park

Large White 5

Red Admiral 3

Small Tortoiseshell 3

Peacock 2

Meadow Brown 2

Speckled Wood 3

Common Blue 5

Common Darter 2

Male Common Darter

Nothing where it "should" be

A mainly sunny day with very light variable breeze. A light shower early evening.

South shore

These shots by Janet from yesterday:

Meadow Brown on the sea wall

Swallow heading south

In the Nature Park 

Chiffchaff 

Large White

Peacock

I checked this morning (Malcolm)

Linnet 35 on the saltmarsh, 5 near the lighthouse 

Rock Pipit - just one seen today by the saltmarsh 

Pied Wagtail 8 on OceanEdge grass, 6 around the scrub near the lighthouse and 2 along the sea wall.

Juvenile Pied Wagtail near the lighthouse 

Adult Pied Wagtail on the railings by No.2 outfall

Whimbrel 1

Mediterranean gull 13 - there were no gulls on the feeding beach today. There were 12 adults resting with the Black-Headed gulls between the outfalls and just 1 juvenile feeding on No.1 outfall.

Mediterranean gull bottom right, with Black-Headed gulls

Juvenile Mediterranean gull 

Grey Seal 1 fishing at the seaward end of No.1 outfall

Robin 1 adult near the lighthouse, there hasn't been one here all summer 

This juvenile Robin was in the Nature Park, nearly in adult plumage now

Heysham skear (Malcolm) 16:00 - 18:00

The fast draining spring tides have shifted much of the loose mud around. It was like walking in a new area. Some places that were relatively barren were covered in mussels, areas that have been firm were soft and some areas that were previously soft ware even softer! The gulls weren't feeding where they had been but still finding plenty to eat in different areas. At least 250 mainly Herring gulls (most of the smaller gulls were busy anting again).

Herring gull with a mussel. The pink blob is an upturned Barrel Jellyfish.
We used to call them Medusa jelly fish. You can see why. It's a much better name.

There were several stranded. The far one is upside down and the nearer one
with its dome on top.

Eider 9 including 2 males coming out of eclipse 

Herring gull and male Eider

Great Crested Grebe 10 minimum, including at least 1 juvenile 

Juvenile Great Crested Grebe 

Grey Heron 1

Little Egret 16 - these are fishing/shrimping. The water flowing in front of them is just the result of the  ebbing tide.

Cormorants several

The young Cormorant has a metal ring

Shag 1 juvenile 

Juvenile Shag

Oystercatcher 400 with many more in the wings

Curlew 30

Redshank 200+ 

Turnstone 40

Ringed Plover 2

Starlings 100+ - I don't think they actually feed when on the skear, I think they just collect broken shells for grit.

Another Light Brown Apple Moth, this time in Janet's 
garden this evening