Medless morning......everywhere!

Heavy rain eased by mid morning, then dry with the odd sunny spell. The SE light wind switched to a westerly mid afternoon 

South shore (Shaun and Malcolm) 

"Light rain" the forecast said......it was torrential! 

After yesterday's record high count of Mediterranean gulls, today we equalled the all time low count - zero! Not a single Med anywhere along the shore or on the outfalls. By the time we finished the sun had come out! After leaving Shaun went to Sunderland Point checking fields from Heysham to there, and then back to Lancaster. Nothing. Couldn't see any Med Gulls in the estuary either.

Osprey 1 - waiting out the rain hunkered down on the post at the seaward end of No.2 outfall

Osprey, it was still there when we left

Whimbrel 1 on Red Nab

Rock Pipit 4

One wet Rock Pipit

It had stopped when we were at the roundhead. This Herring gull was breaking open a mussel.

Herring Gull

And that was it really, providing more questions than answers as to the circumstances leading to yesterday's high Med count.

I went back in the afternoon sunshine (Malcolm)

Plenty of gulls on Red Nab, but mainly Black-Headed. Just a single Mediterranean gull.

Today's solitary Mediterranean gull 

I walked the tide in, out from Ocean Edge, the only birds feeding along the waterline were 80 Oystercatchers.

A flock of 20 medium sized waders, probably Knot, flew south and joined c200 waders south of the recording area. Quite distant and the light behind them, but most looked to be Grey Plovers.

Curlew 150 resting on the beach.

Lapwing 3 on the saltmarsh 

First returning Lapwings

There were quite a lot of butterflies in the Nature Park

Large White 9

Painted Lady 2

Small Tortoiseshell 3

Small White 1

Specked Wood 3

Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)

The older Coot brood are developing their forehead plate now

The younger ones have a way to go

Common Darter

Green-Veined White

Small White

Silver Y

A particularly nice shot of a Painted Lady

Top Meds count and a Swan rescued

Largely overcast with the odd sunny spell. Light rain showers early afternoon. A fresh south wind.

South shore (Malcolm)

I checked this morning 08:00 - 10:00

Mediterranean gulls an amazing 208! Far and away the highest count for the recording area.

At 08:15 there were c50 on Red Nab. Between 08:25 and 08:30 more arrived from the NE. At this point they clearly didn't like the density on Red Nab and decided to move to the shore. Nothing spooked them, they moved off without a sound.

This clip shows just some of the 184+ on the shore. There were so many birds, I had to shorten the whole clip by 15 seconds, and reduce the quality, to allow it to upload to the post. 

All this beach and one Med has to rest on another's "favourite spot"!

They were clearly intending to rest on the mud, so I didn't follow them. I had already read six ringed birds, including one new adult with a yellow ring.

One from German scheme - details awaited

Mediterranean gulls out from a now deserted Red Nab

They were all still resting out from Red Nab when I reached No.1 outfall. There were 2 juvenile Meds feeding at the seaward end of No.1 outfall and at least 22 Meds at the seaward end of the feeding beach by the wooden jetty.

When I returned past Red Nab, the resting gulls were still on the mud, but had moved further out. 

I returned on the rising tide at 12:30. There were still two resting groups on the mud 60 and 47 all sat down!

There were also 50+ on Red Nab. As the tide moved them on some moved to Red Nab before eventually flying back to the NE. Others flew directly to the NE. Presumably they are feeding on slurried fields in that direction. Fortunately before they left I managed to read another four ringed birds (ten for the day), including another new adult with a yellow ring.

This one is a UK scheme bird

Some of the Meds heading off to the NE

Curlew with a fine long bill. Females have the longest bills

Curlew with a Whimbrel sized bill. Males have shorter bills
and juveniles shorter still

Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)

The injured male Mute Swan was caught today by a Col Sproule a guy who rescues wildlife, with the help of Jo Bailey who has pestered everyone for help. On first inspection it looks like he has a puncture wound to the bone of the nub on the wing and maybe discolated? So he'll take it to his vets and the rescue centre which I think is somewhere near Widnes. 

It took a bit of a rugby tackle......

........but once caught he became really calm.

He gave it a shot of Metacam which kicked in quite fast.

A good job - well done!

A couple of visitors to the Heysham moth trap from Southern Europe.  - Alison

Scarce Bordered Straw - Helicoverpa armigera

Palpita vitrealis

Yellow seems to be the colour the young ones are wearing this year.

A varied day, it managed to stay dry, with the odd sunny spell, till lunchtime then light showers. Very heavy thundery showers mid afternoon. It then became quite sunny in the evening. A fresh south wind all day, very blustery during the thunderstorms.

South shore (Malcolm)

A morning check at low water 09:00 - 10:30

Peregrine Falcon 1 - as I reached the saltmarsh it had just caught a passerine, probably a Starling, 

Peregrine with a small catch

It took it to the shore 

It didn't seem overly impressed with such meagre catch. Perhaps not a clip for those of a more sensitive nature.

Unsurprisingly, there were only 2 Linnet around the saltmarsh plus 3 more at Red Nab

Rock Pipits 2 on Red Nab

Shelduck 1

Little Egret 4

Mediterranean gulls 63 minimum

There were 20 on Red Nab, but they quickly took flight. Whether something spooked them or it was just time to feed I don't know. Fortunately, I did spot a new yellow ringed juvenile before they moved on.

Yellow ringed juvenile Mediterranean gull - part of a German scheme.
Details for this one awaited, but we have now received the history of the
red ringed bird seen on Monday - ringed at Bugyi, Hungary 20/06/24
Monday's sighting was its first

This is the beach where the Mediterranean gulls like to feed, but most
of it is covered in soft mud at the moment. All the Mediterranean gulls
today were on the thin spit at the waterline, detail below.

I confirmed that 56 of the white specks at the top of this shot were Mediterranean
gulls, likely some of the others were as well. There were 7 additional juveniles
feeding at the seaward end of No.1 outfall and resting between the outfalls.
Unfortunately, tomorrow's tide is lower and probably won't expose this
spit. The gulls moved off as soon as the tide covered it.

I returned to Red Nab as the tide was reaching it at 12:30. Unfortunately, the rain had started and most of the gulls were hunkered down behind the rocks. I did manage yet another yellow ringed juvenile.

The fourth yellow ringed juvenile this year, from three different schemes.
This is the second ringed at Norfolk. Ringed 25/06/25 last seen there 7/07/25

This nice shot by Janet at Heysham Moss Nature Reserve yesterday.
The water level is low and the Common Darters were concentrated.
Two pairs and a male here

First Sanderlings of autumn

Light showers in the morning then dry with sunny spells. The freshening SW wind was quite strong by evening.

South shore (Malcolm)

Just a quick look from the saltmarsh to Red Nab towards high water.

Linnet 30 at the saltmarsh 

Linnet

Rock Pipit 2 on Red Nab

Mediterranean gulls 30 at least on Red Nab

But they were drifting off all the time

Only one juvenile seen, no sign of the yellow ringed birds.
Just two previously seen ringed adults 

The juvenile Martin mere Black-Headed gull is still around

Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)

Migrant Hawker

Common Darters - no sign of yesterday's Ruddy Darter

One of three Painted Lady

Small Tortoiseshell 

Silver Y

Heysham skear (Malcolm) 17:00 - 18:30

I went out as the tide was exposing the skear

Shag at least 2 juveniles 

This one was flying south as I walked out

There were at least two feeding, but difficult to spot in the choppy sea.

Juvenile shag, the strong low light making it look lighter than it is.

This one seemed to have finished fishing and set off south. Unfortunately it was lost in the sun just after the end of this clip, so I don't know if it landed again.

Eider 1 male

Great Crested grebe 6

Quite a lot going on here, including the Eider and five of the grebes.
But you will need to open the shot to have much chance of seeing them.

Gulls, mainly Herring 300

Oystercatcher 500

Curlew 50

Redshank 120 - not so many around at first then a flock of 100 arrived

Turnstone 60

Sanderling 2 in non breeding plumage few right past me but were quickly lost in the sun. I tried to relocate, but I didn't even know if they landed or continued south.

Juvenile Turnstone

Redshank

Curlew and Turnstone