Distant Osprey

The wind was like a windscreen wiper today. Started of NNE then drifted round to NW before moving back to NE. Some prolonged rain with sunny spells between.

Ringing report from Alan:

At Last, a Lesser Redpoll, ringed elsewhere! This spring we have caught 95 of this species to date, including 16 today, so we were due for a ringed bird and it turned up this morning (unfortunately the details can take a while)

The catch this morning was:

Sedge Warbler 3 plus 1 retrap

Lesser Whitethroat 1

Blackcap 1

Willow Warbler 1 retrap

Long tailed Tit 2 retraps

Blue Tit 1 plus 1 retrap

Greenfinch 2

Goldfinch 1 plus 1 retrap

Lesser Redpoll 15 plus 1 ringed elsewhere 

A Grasshopper Warbler heard singing for a period around 06.30 in the centre of the western marsh was notable. It was quiet for the remainder of the morning

Heysham skear - low water 07:30

The seed mussels are currently winning the battle on the middle skear.
This is the same area I photographed 1st May. Then is was mainly honeycomb 
worm with pockets of seed mussels forming on old dead mussels

Seed mussels grow quickly. This is a detail now, the old mussels are more or less
buried again and the seed mussels are filling the gaps between the honeycomb
worm, but the tubes are still active. I'll watch this space (MD)

Eider 17

Great Crested Grebe 5

Red-breasted Merganser 1

Sandwich Tern 3

Turnstone c80

Dunlin 1

Osprey 1 - just a distant speck to the NW, it seemed to be flying to SW in a line that would take it towards Rampside. I just managed a record  shot before it dropped down and was lost against the hills.

High and distant Osprey taken from Heysham Skear

This is a Lesser Spotted Dogfish (a species of small shark) swimming. They have two dorsal fins, you can see them both. These are bottom feeding fish and are not normally seen at the surface. The tide has just reached this pool, I'm pretty sure this fish must have have been placed in the pool to recover after being caught earlier in the tide by an angler, and was just swimming out when I "spotted" it.

This is a still from the clip, you can see the spots on the dorsal fins
This fish is c60 cm long

On the beach by the skear a Bar-Tailed Godwit was "resting" with the Oystercatchers, but on these tides it come in too quickly for a long rest.

These three Mute Swan were on the sea out from Knowlys Rd later in the tide.
Possibly the three that occasionally disappear from Middleton
thanks to Steph for this one.

Lighthouse area - mid afternoon

This Herring gull is nesting on the upstand near the waterfall again

The north face of Fishers roof is almost complete, but awash with workers so the gulls were taking advantage of the wooden jetty.

Mainly Herring gulls, plus Turnstone on the lower tiers

Rock Pipits 5 possibly 7!

There were two feeding along the south sea wall between No.1 outflow and the wooden jetty, when they made their way to the sloping wall next to the lighthouse I wondered if one might be the ringed male. I started to video, and it immediately obliged - I do like a helpful bird!

So, the ringed male with a second bird, another male displaying near lighthouse, plus two near the waterfall including a displaying male. Two flew together across the harbour towards the sandworks, possibly the two previously on the sea wall, but they were still there when I walked back. If they are all breeding and are successful it's going to be a very busy area soon!

This young Robin near the dog walk path, was one of two recently fledged birds. Even at this age their stance is unmistakably Robin.