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.

Youngsters beginning to arrive

Early showers then dry and quite sunny after lunch. A SW wind

South sea wall - Malcolm 10:00 - 11:00

I was earlier in the tide this morning and much of the shore was still exposed. The Curlews didn't start arriving from the north side until I was back to Red Nab.

Many gulls were resting on the mud between the outfalls. Mainly Black-Headed
but the second bird from the right is a 2cy Mediterranean gull

2nd calendar year Mediterranean gull (centre)

The first juvenile Black-Headed gull was by No.2 outfall

Peregrine Falcon 3 flying and calling around the Power Stations. Presumably, at least one of them a juvenile

Unusually, no Rock Pipits seen or heard

Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet

Azure Blue Damselfly 

Amber snail

Celypha lacunana (apparently)

There were at least five Ringlet today

Painted Lady, seen on both sides of the reserve 

Heysham skear - Malcolm 16:45 - 18:30

Little Egret 8

Eider 1 female

Great Crested Grebe 2

Great Crested grebe, almost hidden by gulls

Gulls c450 on the skear, but more on the sea on both sides.

Herring gull next to a stranded Barrel Jellyfish 

Some of the gulls were feeding on seed mussels, but many were just resting. There is so much food available now they can soon fill their crops. This Herring gull has found a crab, but can barely bring itself to eat it. Even more unusual is that the other gulls totally ignore it. They normally fight over every scrap!

These are just some of the Oystercatcher and gulls

Then an Osprey arrived and cleared everything 

I say, an Osprey "arrived", but in reality it was very high to the north to begin with.

Osprey

This clip shows just how high over the sea it was fishing.

I saw it dive twice without success as it moved further south.

The gulls resettled on the water and waited for the ebbing tide to expose the skear below them. I eventually managed to see four green ringed birds, but all seen previously this summer.

I did see one new green ringed bird though. But not a gull.

This Oystercatcher is part of a Mid Wales scheme. It was ringed at Ynyslas National
Nature Reserve, Ceredigion last year, identified as a bird hatched in 2023

Oystercatcher c2000

Curlew 10

Another bird with a crab, but this one went down quickly!

Burnet day

A warm day but largely overcast and humid. A light variable breeze.

South shore

A check along the sea wall 10:00 - 11:00 - Malcolm

Mediterranean gull 1 adult between the outfalls

Adult Mediterranean gull

Plenty of small gulls on the outfalls

Curlew a total of 85 flew from the north side in groups from 1 to 28

One of the larger groups of Curlew

Redshank 1 in summer plumage by No.1 outfall

Redshank

Rock Pipit 2 along the sea wall plus 1 displaying by the lighthouse 

This one along the sea wall had plenty to say

Meadow Pipit 2 at the saltmarsh 

This one had just landed after a display flight

The other was foraging above the strand line

Grey Seal where it was yesterday, between the outfalls

Grey Seal having a snooze

Kevin checked the wall later

Giant Dark Horsefly

One of several Cinnabar moth caterpillars towards the end of the sea wall

First Six-spot Burnet this year near the gate behind Red Nab

Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet

Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet - first of the year. I was quite excited to see my first one and then they flew up from everywhere, on the south side of the reserve

Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet

Ringlet 2 and better behaved today!

Ringlet

Bullfinch and Greenfinch

Heysham skear - Malcolm 15:45 - 17:30

Little Egret 8

Red-breasted Merganser 1 female, she started to do a bit of snorkelling, then switched to preening

Great Crested grebe 2

Gulls c400 but many stayed on the flat sea to feed on the seed mussels, note the one at the back swimming left with a small crab.

I did see one green ringed Herring gull, but one already seen this summer,
 indeed it was the one seen most regularly last summer, so I doubt this is its last
sighting. Ringed at Bowland in 2024

A Common Tern was also taking advantage of the flat sea to fish along the northern edge of the skear

After several failed attempts it caught a decent sized Whitebait and flew with it towards the south.

Oystercatcher 1000+

Curlew 9

Knot 1

Knot and Oystercatcher