Not a lot of Meds, but enough to go round.

Another steady west breeze all day, some light showers but largely sunny.

South Shore

A LDBWS event covered the rising tide this morning.

Report from Pete Crooks:

A group of 14 LDBWS members enjoyed searching for Mediterranean Gulls at Heysham on the incoming tide this morning. Highlights in roughly chronological order:

Heysham Nature Park – 1 Painted Lady

Red Nab (Brief check at low tide) – 2 Med Gulls (1 adult and 1 juvenile)

Heysham Outfalls – 8 Med Gulls (2 adults, 2 3rd CY and 4 juveniles)

1 1st CY Kittiwake

1 Eider

8 Turnstone

Red Nab (Longer check during incoming tide) – 10 Med Gulls (6 adults, including 1 with a right leg green darvic ring, 1 3rd CY, 1 2nd CY and 2 juveniles), 

1 adult Peregrine (briefly flushing the assembled waders and gulls)

2 Whimbrel  

1 Rock Pipit.

Assuming some duplication of Med Gulls at the different locations there were a minimum of 13 different individuals – 6 adults, 2 3rd CY, 1 2nd CY and 4 juveniles.

In addition 

Dave Hawkins had another two Kittiwakes at the back of the harbour, 1 adult + 1 juvenile 

Pete Marsh remained near Red Nab:

Sand Martin 1, in-off at red nab 

Manx Shearwater 1, very distant in against the turbines

7 non-juv Mediterranean gulls flew south past OE very early on (before 1030). Also 6 juvenile seen.

Before the LDBWS group arrived I (MD) had

Rock Pipits 3 on foreshore

Wheatear 5 - 2 on foreshore 3 on saltmarsh 

Wheatear amongst the Samphire at the edge of the saltmarsh 

A check of the Buddleia near the newt pond at 11:00 found it full of butterflies again, including:

Comma 1

Red Admiral 3

Painted Lady 4

Large White 3

Plus, Common Blue, Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown

These are two of the Red Admiral, both quite faded.

These Whitethroat were near the small anemometer, I initially thought Common, but Pete Crooks, advised Lesser. There is a female feeding at least two young, although the "young" look more than capable of feeding themselves.

It was a big meal, but fed in two servings. These are a couple of stills from the clip, but I still can't decide what the meal was.

Pete (M) also reported two Common Whitethroat in the Heliport scrub plus two Willow warbler in garden near horse paddocks. There was also a Willow warbler in scrub near the lighthouse. 

Middleton Nature Reserve late afternoon 

Mute Swan pair plus 9 cygnets, just one adult seen on the Tim Butler pond, but large areas are hidden from view.

Mallard 7

Gadwall 1 female with 3 young

Coot 3

Moorhen 9

Swallows 44 to SW. they started moving through at 16:00 and were still moving at 17:00. Biggest group were 12 that had been feeding over the central marsh before moving off, the remainder were in ones and twos.

Dragonflies - not a lot:

Emperor 2

Brown Hawker 1

Black-Tailed Skimmer 2

Common Darter 6

Butterflies - also unspectacular:

Peacock 1

Meadow Brown 3

Gatekeeper still abundant 

Common Blue, less so

Speckled Wood several but becoming faded

Large White 2

Small White 4 confirmed 

Green-Veined White also 4 confirmed, all looking very warn

Several other "small white" butterflies could have been either species.

Finally, in the spring (it feels like last week!), based on the blossom, I speculated that we should have a good crop of hawthorn berries to hold onto the winter Thrushes this year. The fruits are just beginning to ripen and it looks like a bumper crop.

The Hawthorn berries are starting to ripen - bring on the Thrushes!