More Ospreys on the move

A dry day with a light west breeze. Sunny spells.

South shore

Pete scanned from Ocean Edge towards high water:

Mediterranean gulls, at least 15 on Red Nab. Including 4 juveniles and a green ringed adult

Shag at least 1 on the wooden jetty

Osprey 1 between the outfalls

I checked from the saltmarsh to Red Nab (Malcolm) 09:45 - 10:15

Osprey 1 (same as Pete's) - it flew high from the Lune estuary area towards the outfalls, fortunately I got a decent view as it approached Ocean Edge. 

The dark streaking on the crown showing it to be a juvenile 

There were four Ospreys on the sands off Sunderland Point per Ian Hartley, watching from Cockersands, probably where the above bird came from

Many of the birds on Red Nab lifted when the Power Station suddenly blew
off (it's an age thing!). Most of these gulls are Black-Headed, but there is at 
least one adult and juvenile Mediterranean gull amongst them

Heysham skear (Malcolm) 13:30 - 15:30

Osprey 1 flew south, almost certainly additional to this morning's, so at least 5 through the area today.

Shag 1 juvenile flew past the skear to the north

Great Crested Grebe 1 juvenile 

Juvenile Great Crested grebe

Eider 1 male

Little Egret 3

Gulls 250 mainly Herring gulls. Two ringed birds seen, one hasn't been seen since May.

Ringed at Bowland in 2020, the only other sighting was here in May

Oystercatcher 600

Curlew 70

Redshank 320

Turnstone 40

Redshank. A bit odd, it is facing the wind yet its belly feathers were stuck
out. Hope it wasn't a lump.

Turnstone 

The shore everywhere is in a state of flux, there is loads of extra mud coming from somewhere, probably higher up the bay, where there has been a lot erosion. Today there was a 50m wide strip of mud running right across the middle of the skear. I've never seen it like this before!

A 50m wide strip of mud running North-South across the skear.

A few Meds before bed.

Heavy morning showers, then fine in the afternoon with sunny spells. A light west(ish) wind.

This is one of Janet's shots from yesterday. A Small White and a tiny wasp!

The Small White is easy to see, but you will have to open the image to see
the detail of the parasitic wasp.......it isn't there to smell the flowers!

South shore (Malcolm) 09:30 - 10:00

Just a very quick check from the saltmarsh to Red Nab at high water

Wheatear just 1 on the foreshore 

Quite a stocky Wheatear, it was reluctant to move. In fact it didn't move,
I left it where it was

Just 2 Linnet and a Rock Pipit on Red Nab

No Mediterranean gulls seen.

Something spooked all the Oystercatchers from Red Nab. There was no
human disturbance and no raptor seen. Nothing else lifted, just the Oystercatchers.

Leaving just a scattering of gulls, Curlew and a Cormorant 

Male Chaffinch in the Nature Park, collecting grit from the path

Janet had a walk along the sea wall in the afternoon 

Little Egret

Redshank

Turnsone

This Oystercatcher has a Sandmason worm. It has grabbed the tube and
pulled it clear of the mud. It is then just about removing the worm from its tube

I have no idea why more waders, particularly the ones with long bills,
don't feed on the Sandmason worms like this (Malcolm)

Lesser Black-Backed gull making short work of a shore crab

In the Nature Park:

A very faded Small Copper

A very bright Red Admiral

Large Whites

Painted Lady

Migrant Hawker

Common Darter

I checked again this evening 19:00 - 20:15 (Malcolm)

There were loads of gulls on Red Nab......

.......but I had to go out on to the shore to get the low sun behind me
before I could see them properly 

Nearly all Black-Headed gulls, there were some Mediterranean gulls on the mud. 5 adult and 2 juvenile.

Adult Mediterranean gull (right)

Juvenile Mediterranean gull (centre)

By this time the sun was setting

The gulls flew south to wherever they were going to spend the night

The gulls were not the only ones heading off 

Curlew

Cormorants 

The moon was out as I squelched back (the mud is soft everywhere at the
moment). A waxing gibbous moon, a sure sign that we are moving to spring
tides again. A potentially interesting set of tides ahead.

Just out of the recording area - Andrew Cornall

Lots of clouded yellow just to south of Heysham on fleabane 

Wet Wheatears!

Heavy showers all morning, then dry in the afternoon. A light SE breeze, freshened slightly as it drifted to the west.

South shore (Malcolm) 09:45 - 10:15

I only checked from the saltmarsh to Red Nab, it rained the whole time. All the passerines were on Ocean Edge grass and the foreshore, nothing on the saltmarsh or Red Nab

Wheatears 9

Rock Pipits 3

Linnet 52 (probably more)

Pied Wagtail 18

Mediterranean gulls 7 on Red Nab including 1 juvenile 

I checked again this afternoon 13:45 - 15:15. By this time it had stopped raining and the sun shone a couple of times. The only birds on Ocean Edge grass and foreshore now were 2 Wheatears, looking somewhat drier than they did earlier.

Male Wheatear

Linnet 25 on Red Nab

Rock Pipit 3 on Red Nab

Rock Pipit

Mediterranean gulls, 5 adults on the feeding beach and a juvenile at the seaward end of No.1 outfall, all likely the same as this morning's birds

The regular German ringed Mediterranean gull was on its favourite patch,
there are a few Sandmason worm tubes showing now

In the Nature Park:

Migrant Hawker 3

Common Darter 3

Large White 13

Small White 5

Red Admiral 4 

Painted Lady 2

Small Tortoiseshell 2

Speckled Wood 3

Common Blue 1

Small White

Janet checked the Nature park a little later, the mix of butterflies was similar, but the camerawork was better!

Painted Lady

Painted Lady and a Large White

Small Tortoiseshell 

Middleton Nature Reserve (Kevin)

On the main pond, in addition to the regulars 

Tufted Duck 5

Gadwall pair

Male Gadwall

Janet's regular fox visitor brought a friend last night

Raptors on the move

A dry day after an early morning shower. Sunny spells and a light variable breeze.

South shore (Malcolm) 08:30 - 10:15

Linnet 45 around the saltmarsh 

Linnet

Carrion Crow 27 minimum, 21 flew in together, they had probably been feeding near the water line, rather than coming in/off. 13 flew to the east 8 to the north

These are the 13 that flew east

One of the saltmarsh Carrion Crows

Shelduck 1

Shelduck heading south

Mediterranean gulls 5 - 2 adult a second calendar year and 2 juvenile 

Two Mediterranean gulls flying across the shore. 2cy bird top

Two juvenile and an adult Black-Headed gull

Heron having a rest on No.2 outfall rail

Redshank 39 

Turnstone 16

Some of the Redshank 

Osprey 1  - it was fishing between the outfalls, not the same bird as yesterday which had an obvious white patch on its upper wing. 

It doesn't catch a fish this time.....

The next time it dived it came up with a Bass

It only got one talon in, but it was enough 

Another bird with no ring

It soon got a decent grip and flew off to the south.

This report from Adam is from the south of the recording area, but almost certainly involving birds from within the area.

Preesall: This morning in just over an hour had 51 buzzards and 7 Sparrowhawks go south looking from house in Pressall. All picked up coming south from maybe Heysham sort of direction quite high then gaining more height overland and continuing south .

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Janet checked early afternoon 

Black Darter 1 male near the pond on the southern section of the reserve

Male Black Darter - first record within the recording area this year

One of several Common Darters
Migrant Hawker also seen

Red Admiral 

Green-Veined White

The insects love the Devil's-bit scabious

Small Tortoiseshell 

Painted Lady

Two of four Painted Lady feeding here

Large White

Bumblebee sp

Drone fly sp

Chiffchaff 1 heard singing

I checked later in the afternoon (Malcolm). Unfortunately by that time it had clouded over.

Please note that access to the sides of the main pond is now cut off by new fencing. Although this can be a bit frustrating for those wanting to view the wildlife here, particularly dragonflies, it is to protect the wildlife from the excessive disturbance it has experienced over the last few years, culminating in the male Swan being attacked by a dog.

Perhaps the benefits of no disturbance are already having an effect. Apart from the Female Mute Swan with her 7 remaining cygnets, 11 Coot, and 10 semi tame Mallard, today there were 

Tufted Duck 11

Gadwall 2

Most of the Tufted Ducks

Not only were the Tufted here, they were also relaxed. They were mainly dozing.

Male Gadwall, already largely out of eclipse plumage

Male and female Gadwall feeding

Surprisingly the water level on the "no swimming" pond is 1m above its normal level. Very unusual for this time of year. There were also 6 Gadwall on the pond. Another 3 on the fence pond bringing the total to 9

Gadwall on the Fence Pond

Moorhen 3

Coot 15 total including several young

Grey Heron 1

Cormorant 1

Swallow 3

Cetti's warbler 2 singing

Blackcap 1 singing 

Chiffchaff 2 calling