Wrong sort of Sandpiper and an old "friend" returns.

A heavy shower first thing, and another early evening. In between it was dry with plenty of sunshine. A light SW wind.

South shore

I checked from the saltmarsh to No.2 outfall (Malcolm) 09:30 - 10-30

I had planned to go further, but had got the tide times mixed up (I used a 2024 tide table! It just shows that even when you think you know the tide time you should always watch what the sea is doing to confirm, everyone makes mistakes)

Swallow 4 south over the saltmarsh 

Grey Plover 2 out from the saltmarsh 

Grey Plover

Robin 1 by the saltmarsh 

There hasn't been a Robin here since early spring

Wheatear 2 along the foreshore 

Wheatear

Rock Pipit 4 feeding on top of the sea wall at Red Nab

Later, Janet had a walk along the sea wall

The four Rock Pipits were finding small insects and fighting each other

Rock Pipits

 Cormorants on the wooden jetty

Cormorants 

Curlew

In the Nature Park

Common Darters on the newt pond

Small Tortoiseshell 

A tatty looking White, probably a Large

I checked to the south of the saltmarsh around high water (Malcolm)

At 9.6m there is only a narrow strip of shingles remaining. I was hoping to locate a Curlew Sandpiper, probably hoping too hard!

There were two small groups of Ringed Plover 28 in total. One group landed to the north of me and were easy to see with the sun shining on them. As well as the Ringed Plover there were 3 Dunlin and a Sanderling 

Sanderling with Ringed Plovers and a Dunlin

Also Sanderling with Ringed Plovers and Dunlin

Another group was to the south of me with the light behind them, at first I thought they included 2 Curlew Sandpiper, but they too turned out to be Sanderling, so 3 in total.

Sanderling

Two Sanderling with Ringed Plover and Dunlin

Two of the six Dunlin in total

I did manage to see one sandpiper. Common Sandpiper, briefly on the rocky outcrop just south of the saltmarsh 

Common Sandpiper 

This Curlew made short work of a shore crab

Curlew

Middleton Nature Reserve 

The male Mute Swan, injured by a dog attack, it to return home tomorrow, by the sound of the following e-mail he has been as disruptive at the Sanctuary as he often is on the main pond......

Good afternoon guys. As some have met me but most haven't.. I'm Col from Bella's legacy Wildlife Rescue.. I was contacted by Jo Bailey reguarding the psychotic Swan now called "Swanable Hector" that was subject to a dog attack almost a fortnight ago... 

After what can only be described as a top tackle only performed by scrum halfs, he was carried to the car for a full examination.. Where he was given pain relief..

Apart from possible muscle & tendon/ligament soft tissue injuries, the visible injuries was upper wing (Feathers & abrasions, & lower wing where it had been dragging on the floor.. 

That was treated with a colloid dressing & manuka honey and his wing strapped up..

Fast forward 10 days of crate rest & strapped up wing & I've now got the terrifying experience of taking the strapping off (getting bitten, hissed at & no doubt wing slapped).. I will put some pics up later either of Swanable Hector wing stretching or of me in A&E...

But he will be coming home tomorrow... (🙏 thank the lord🙏)....🦢🦢🤕🤕...

An excellent e-mail and a job well done! Hopefully he will be more subdued now, but it doesn't sound like he will be in the best of moods when he returns.

Just out of the recording area. Black Tern - river Lune estuary 

Shag numbers increasing

Some very light rain during the morning, then heavy and prolonged showers from late morning. A SE wind.

These shots from Middleton Nature Reserve yesterday, by Rosemary and Peter Silvester.

Migrant Hawker

Common Darters

Common Bluetail

Common Blue

Speckled Wood

South shore (Malcolm) 09:30 - 11:15

This Great Black-Backed gull has a flatfish, the Carrion Crows and other gulls hoping for a stray titbit.

Rock Pipit 2

Rock Pipit on the sloping sea wall

Redshank and Turnstones

Shag 5 juveniles on the wooden jetty.

Three on the shore side of the old lighthouse 

Two beyond the lighthouse, just one in this shot

Full frontal and profile views

Cormorants and Shag on the wooden jetty

We are quickly moving to spring tides, the tidal surge today was really powerful!

One of the two buoys out from the north wall had been dragged under 
the surface, the other showing the force of the tide out there

The dredger had to head on a collision course to the roundhead.......

........but the force of the tide pushed it safely past

Grey Seal 3. All three were near No.1 outfall, this one towards the seaward end.

The other two were quite close to the sea wall

Unusual to see two together like this. The nearest is a female (dark spots
on a pale skin). The other suggests a male, but if so, far from fully grown.
Seal pups are independent from their mother just after they are weaned so
this is unlikely to be the female's youngster.

Just out of the recording area Potts Corner, early afternoon 

Juvenile Curlew Sandpiper on the dropping tide (and pouring rain) 

Hobby joins the raptor movement

Another fine day with a freshening SE breeze.

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Ringing report by Jean:

We caught 51 birds this morning. The main aim was to catch Grey Wagtails to fit them with colour rings. I managed to catch 2 out of 7 that flew over (Alan at Middleton NR caught 5 out of 6). 
The by-catch consisted of:
30 Goldfinch (only 3 retraps)
2 Greenfinch
2 Robins
3 Chiffchaff
1 Cetti’s Warbler
1 Reed Warbler
1 Wren
4 Blue Tit
2 Great Tit
3 Dunnock
The only “vis” apart from the Grey Wagtails was a single Swallow.
A Peregrine appeared from the coast with prey.

Two Roe Deer above the reserve office

A yellow butterfly flew/blew high to the north as the wind was really getting up. Almost certainly clouded yellow - Pete

At least 20 Swallows off Clay Lane near Heysham Moss - Janet

North shore (David Kaye)

Juvenile Hobby in off the sea Heysham Village beach plus 

Whimbrel 1

Wheatear 1

Sanderling 7

South shore (Malcolm)

08:45 - 09:15 saltmarsh to Red Nab

Swallow 2

Linnet 35 around the saltmarsh 

Linnets on the wing

Linnets on the roof

Little Egret 8

Little Egret

Mediterranean gull, just 2 on Red Nab

Osprey 1 flew south

Osprey, unwavering in its flight south

Interestingly, it lifted all the Oystercatchers off Red Nab, but the gulls were unmoved. It seems they are becoming accustomed to the increasingly regular Ospreys. The Osprey isn't in this clip, just its aftermath.

15:15 - 16:45 along the sea wall

Osprey 2 more, almost certainly additional to this morning's bird which looked determined to continue south.

One was resting on the post at the seaward end of No.2 outfall

It looks to have a blue ring

The second was fishing way out from the north wall

This clip gives an idea of location 

Mediterranean gulls 14 at least. 6 at least on Red Nab, 1 second calendar year on No.2 outfall another on No.1 outfall and 6 adults on the feeding beach by the wooden jetty.

2nd calendar year Mediterranean gull (left) with a Black-Headed gull

Some of the Meds on the feeding beach. The Sandmason worm tubes showing
well now. Hopefully they will provide some good feeding opportunities over this
set of spring tides

The Martin Mere ringed juvenile Black-Headed gull is still around 

Rock Pipit just one along the sea wall.

The warn SE wind was promising for insect migration, as I drove to Ocean Edge there were numerous Red Admirals and Large Whites on the move, so I was quite expectant. But there were fewer butterflies in the Nature Park than of late, and just a trickle coming in off the sea.

Small White 5

Small Tortoiseshell 1

Peacock 1

Janet took these in the Nature Park 

Comma

Female Common Darter