Gannet drama!

A sunny day with a west breeze. The temperature increasing throughout the day, reaching 24°C by evening.

Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet

Gannet 1 in the bottom car park! Me and another guy moved it by herding it to a safer area so it didn't get run over. 

This is Steve from Wolfwood wildlife rescue who came to capture it

He was going to release it on the sea, to give it chance 
He said he's had a few these in the last couple of weeks he thinks because
of the windy weather we've had. Poppy the Springador was being very good

Not often I get a close up of a Gannet.

Later, this shot of its release was posted on Facebook 

Swallows over the main pond

Swallow and House Martin

Also patrolling the main pond. Emperor and Brown Hawker

South shore - Malcolm 15:30 - 16:30

I set out from the saltmarsh to check the birds on Red Nab as the tide came in. Things didn't bode well, there were already a group of gulls sat on the mud out from the saltmarsh.

Gulls, including an adult Mediterranean gull out from the saltmarsh 

Sure enough, as I approached Red Nab something lifted everything 

Many landed on the mud, but they drifted back to Red Nab

Mediterranean gulls at least 16

This is the same red ringed 2nd calendar year Med that I couldn't quite read
the third character of yesterday. The scheme narrowed it down to one of three
birds all ringed near Székesfehérvár Hungary last year. A 3cy Med behind 

Today's shots showed the third character to be an 8. So a more detailed 
history will be provided soon

On Sunday, I had seen an orange flagged Oystercatcher but couldn't make out the code. Today I managed to relocate that as well!

117 - Details awaited

There ended up being just a small group of gulls, including 9 Meds, just 
below the sea wall. But it wasn't long before they moved on too. I didn't 
see what flushed them, but juvenile Peregrines are the main suspects 

In the Nature park

Red Admiral 1

Painted Lady 1

Ringlet 3

Large Skipper 1

There are lots of Buddleia flowering now. If migrant butterflies start coming in towards the end of the week many could top up on the Buddleia before moving on. A Hummingbird Hawkmoth would be nice too.

Mainly gulls today

A dry day becoming increasingly warm and sunny during the afternoon. A light west wind

South shore

Janet had a walk along the sea wall while the tide was out:

Plenty of Black-Headed gulls feeding on the outfalls

This one has a tiny Sandeel

The Mediterranean gulls were feeding on the beach by the wooden jetty

This is the Belgian ringed bird seen earlier this summer

Oystercatcher - I just missed the shot where it had a worm in its beak!!

Curlew

Gatekeeper in the Nature Park 

I checked Red Nab towards high water - Malcolm

Lots of gulls on Red Nab again, and today they weren't disturbed 

Mediterranean gulls not counted, but a similar number to yesterday 

Mediterranean and Black-Headed gulls plus Curlew

The one having a wing stretch is a Common Gull

This 2cy Mediterranean gull is part of a Hungarian ringing scheme. It is the
same bird as the one with most of its code obscured 22/06. I still can't be certain
about the third character, hopefully the scheme will be able to advise.

Grey Squirrel, Blue Tits and Chaffinch, eating seeds left by visitors 
to the Nature Park

Heysham skear - Malcolm 10:45 - 12:15

c300 large gulls, mainly Herring feeding on the mussels

Many of the Herring gulls were feeding towards the end of the middle skear

Black-Headed gulls c40. This group were feeding in the SE skear corner, finding plenty to eat on the surface. Likely insects that had landed on the sea and concentrated in the skear corner by the onshore wind

Little Egret 5

Great Crested grebe 5 together 

Eider 1 female

Eider and Great Crested grebe

Lesser Emperor lingers

Dry and largely overcast till evening sunshine. A west breeze

South shore

A walk along the sea wall 10:45 - 11:30 - Malcolm

Mediterranean gulls at least 23 on the feeding beach by the wooden jetty.

Two 3rd calendar year Mediterranean gulls

This is where the Mediterranean gull with a limp always is (circled)
There are plenty of Sandmason worm tube here, but for some reason 
the other gulls keep clear. Perhaps it is only an undesirable area as the
limping bird defends it vigorously.

Its tactic it to wait and watch the nearby tubes, it misses out on one to the left but catches one to the right in this clip.

Osprey 1 - when it arrived from the north, all the gulls on the seaward end of the feeding beach lifted, but most, if not all, landed again and resumed feeding even though the Osprey was fishing close by.

It made a few aborted dives.....

......then had a rest on the post at the end of No.2 outfall.
It has a blue ring on its right leg

Then back to fishing again

Peregrine Falcon 1 adult flew over the Nature Park.

I returned towards high water.

Nature Park

Bullfinch 2 juvenile 

Sparrowhawk 1 female

Meadow Brown 4

Ringlet 5

Small White 4

Large White 1

Gatekeeper 7

Red Nab

Painted Lady 1

Juvenile Pied Wagtail 

Female Eider

Plenty of gulls remained on Red Nab

There were Mediterranean gulls with the Black Headed

Pete checked from Ocean Edge

29 Mediterranean gulls (3 x 2cy) Red Nab and outfalls 

2cy Shag wooden jetty 

1 Whimbrel Red Nab

Middleton Nature Reserve main pond - Malcolm

We are moving back to hot sunny weather later in the week, so I thought I would check the main pond for what dragonflies remained after the last spell. The sun had come out and it was quite warm. But there weren't a lot of dragonflies to be seen.

Brown Hawker 1

Black-Tailed Skimmer 3 males

Black-Tailed Skimmer

Emperor - only one seen, but it was chasing a 

male Lesser Emperor 

Far from great shots, but fortunately good enough to identify the distinctive 
male of this species. 

Butterflies 

Red Admiral 1

Meadow Brown 2

Green-Veined White 1

Gatekeeper 2

Silver Y several

Reed Warbler

Chiffchaff 

Blackcap 

Cetti's Warbler

All singing

Swallow 3

Swallow 

Pheasant 1 (accidentally flushed)

Pheasant 

Mallard at least 3 broods with mums

Coot at least 4 broods with adults 

Moorhen 2

Mute Swan 3

Pick of the day......some yellow flowers!

A dry and mainly overcast day. A light west(ish) breeze

Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet

At least 8 Swifts over the main pond

Ringlet

Meadow Brown

There were lots of Gatekeeper all over the reserve

Common Darter

Carder Bumblebee in bumblebee heaven!

Red-Tailed Bumblebee 

Red Soldier Beetle

Red Nab - Malcolm

I went out on the shore as the tide was approaching Red Nab. All the gulls were very flighty again and many were leaving to the south all the time. There were still a lot of gulls, but I only saw 10 Mediterranean gulls, including one 3rd calendar year and one 2nd calendar year 

Mediterranean and Black Headed gulls plus Curlew on Red Nab

But everything kept being flushed from Red Nab
Those that didn't continue south settled on the shore, before drifting 
back to Red Nab

Black Headed Gulls and Curlew

Curlew 200+ flew south, some from Red Nab others directly from the north side

Curlew leaving Red Nab

This Curlew has an orange flag and two blue rings.
Unfortunately, it wasn't possible to read the code on the flag

Most of the birds had moved on before the tide reached Red Nab, no point in staying, they weren't going to come back. 

In the Nature Park:

Ringlet 6

Small White 1

Gatekeeper 2

Gatekeeper 

A nice stand of flowers that I didn't recognise. On checking they turned
out to be Smooth Hawksbeard

Shaun checked this evening on the ebb tide:

Mediterranean Gull 5 ads & 2 3cy roosting on Red Nab. Plus 2 ads harbour entrance. 

Shag on the Wooden Pier. 

Peregrine 4 (two juvs hassling adults). 

I called in at Imperial Rd on my way home (Malcolm)

Not a lot going on other than the constant mewing of a patrolling Buzzard

Chiffchaff calling, Sedge Warbler seen

Female Roe Deer in the empty horse paddock, full of yellow flowers.

Most of the yellow flowers were not Dandelions, probably a Hawkweed or Hawkbit. Whatever they are, they are obviously tasty!