More insects, including RVD

A hot sunny day with a light variable breeze

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Janet checked this morning 

Red-veined Darter 1 male on the main pond

Emperor on the western scrape

Reed Bunting on the main pond

Ringlet

The most common view of a Pheasant, particularly when you are
exercising a dog

I checked the central marsh area at lunchtime (Malcolm)

Reed and Sedge warblers singing 

Emperor 3

Four-spotted Chaser 4

Common Darter 10+

Speckled Wood 2

Red Admiral 1

Ringlet 2

Silver Y 4

Imperial Rd - Malcolm 11:00 11:45

I only had time for a quick passing check yesterday, but managed a couple of glimpses of a "small" Hawker, but both times settling out of sight. Today I checked the same area for 45 minutes without any sign of a dragonfly! Still there were plenty of other things going on.

Buzzard 2. One returned from the SE with a rodent in its bill. A second was calling from the copse then flew to join the incoming bird, before both ended up at the tall trees by the bypass

Common Buzzard with a rodent

Both Buzzards make a show in this clip, plus a Carrion Crow buzzing the Buzzard.

These are the trees that the buzzard keeps returning to. They are by the
 bypass, at the brow of the hill before the bridge over the railway line

I clearly hadn't gone unnoticed. Shortly after landing the adult flew from the trees straight towards me.

It settled on a pylon close by and gave me a severe mewing at!

It then flew off hunting again

Sedge warbler, Chiffchaff, common Whitethroat and Reed Bunting all present 

Painted Lady 4

Red Admiral 1

Meadow Brown 2

Ringlet 6

Small Skipper 1 

Large Skipper 1

Silver Y 6

This female Roe Deer was in the vacant horse paddock

Spotted Orchid

Just out of the recording area

33 Mediterranean gulls on Conder pool at 9.00am.

Warmer weather stirring the insects

A warm largely sunny day with a light west(ish) breeze

Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet

Buzzard 1 - being mobbed by the gulls

Emperor 

Four-spotted Chaser

Ringlet

Large Skipper

Burnet Companion, front, back and side views

Heysham Nature Reserve - Kevin

Banded Demoiselle 1 female. It was at the northern end, near the road to the harbour.

South shore - Malcolm 13:30 - 14:30

Saltmarsh 

Meadow Pipit 2

This one was freshening up after a bath

Small Tortoiseshell 2, Small White 1

Small Tortoiseshell 

I'd gone to check Red Nab for gulls on the rising tide, there were just few large gulls to begin with, and no more arrived! Possibly the two Peregrines screaming around the Power Stations had been a nuisance. It doesn't bode well for checking for Mediterranean gulls!

Curlew 18

Some of the Curlew 

Little Egret 2

Rock Pipit 1 heard only on Red Nab.

Nature Park 

Ringlet 4

Speckled Wood 2

Imperial Rd - Malcolm 15:00 - 15:30

Buzzard 2 - one was arriving from the east with something in its talons, a second was calling from the copse, but it flew over to join the first bird when it landed in the tall trees by the bypass 

Buzzard with a smallish capture 

This is the other, presumably expecting to be fed

Chiffchaff, Common Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler, Reed Bunting and Dunnock were all feeding, calling and singing.. 

Sedge warbler

Common Whitethroat 

Reed Bunting

Dunnock

Painted Lady 1

Small Tortoiseshell 2

Silver Y 2

Not a lot today

 A dry day, but mainly overcast a south to SW wind.

Heysham skear - Malcolm 10:15 - 12:00

I started just after low water, but apart from the Gulls and Oystercatchers there were very few birds around.

Gulls c400 but thinly scattered over the extensive skear.

The dark line just below the horizon is the mussel covered eastern edge
of the outer skear. The rest of the outer skear behind it is currently covered
in mud. 

The rough and broken mussels in the foreground are the old mussel beds.
The browner mussels behind are this years.

Only one green ringed gull was seen and again, one seen previously this year. We don't seem to have numbers of gulls seen in recent years. There is plenty to eat here, but there are other mussel beds in the Bay, many on the west side, and they too will have seed musses aplenty.

Eider 2 males, one moulting to eclipse plumage.

Drake Eider

Great Crested Grebe 5. Initially there were two pairs and a single bird, but later in the tide they joined forces.

Four in this shot behind some of the north side Honeycomb worm reefs

Just managed to get all five in this shot

Oystercatcher c1500

Curlew 19 

Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet

Grasshopper warbler reeling on the south side of the reserve

First Meadow Brown this summer - it won't be the last!

Not so many Ringlets today, but there were a couple of Painted Lady

Just for a change, a Six-spot Burnet

A few more Meds

 An overcast morning, but it managed to remain dry. Heavy showers began early afternoon 

South shore - Malcolm 12:45 - 13:15

Just a check from Red Nab to the saltmarsh 

Mediterranean gulls 5 on Red Nab. One adult, two 2nd calendar year and two 3rd calendar year 

Even when there is no other detail showing the blackness of their heads,
compared to the chocolate colour of the Black-Headed gulls is obvious 

This is the same Med from a different angle. The dark markings on its
primaries showing it to be a 3cy

This is the other 3cy

These are the two 2cy and the adult 

Peregrine Falcon - at least two flying and calling around the Power Stations

Meadow Pipit 1 feeding and calling regularly on the saltmarsh 

Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet

Juvenile Blue Tit

Pheasant

Common Blue

Ringlets are showing well now on both sides of the reserve

Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet

Bee Orchid - In the meadow on the South Side where the Ringlets are,
don't think I've ever seen one there before.

I got home just before the rain!!

Heysham skear - Malcolm 17:30 - 18:45

The rain had eased and it looked like it may fair up, so I risked a walk. The rain didn't really stop until I got back to my car, but it wasn't too bad.

Red-breasted Merganser 1

Red-breasted Merganser amongst the gulls

Great Crested grebe 2

Gulls not as many as yesterday and most were just resting. I saw a couple of green ringed birds, but both seen yesterday, and in pretty much the same areas.

They are seldom as obliging as this one, ringed at the Power Station last year

Apart from the Oystercatchers, the only other waders were 8 Curlew.

Might try a look in the morning on the flood tide.