West fresh breeze. Overcast in the morning but increasing sunshine during the afternoon and evening.
Middleton Nature Reserve
Mute 2 pair plus 2 and 9 cygnets
Coot 6 adult 2 immature
Moorhen 6 adult plus 2 and 3 chicks
Gadwall 1 female plus 4 chicks
Mallard 6
Little grebe 3 adult 2 immature
Warblers singing:
Lesser Whitethroat 1
Common Whitethroat 3
Blackcap 3
Chiffchaff 4
Willow Warbler 4
Reed Warbler 1
Dragonflies:
Emperor 5 male 2 female
Brown Hawker 1
Black-Tailed Skimmer 5 male 2 female
Broad-bodied Chaser 1 male
Butterflies:
Still not great numbers of butterflies but a reasonable variety
Small and Large Skipper - several each
Small Tortoiseshell 2
Speckled Wood 1
Small Heath 2
Red Admiral 1 - think this is the first record since the, presumably overwintering, early one seen by Janet 31/03/21.
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| Quite a worn Red Admiral, presumably has travelled some distance |
Ringlet 1 - this species never seems to settle and I rarely get a shot of one, I haven't got Janet's patience, but today this one obliged.
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| Ringlet |
Small gull roost too far out for me to check (MD)
Rock pipits 4
The ringed male was feeding on the roundhead sloping wall. Another adult, with two immature birds were feeding together on sloping wall and rocks near No.1 outflow. It isn't possible to tell if these are the birds from the lighthouse nest. The young birds are at least trying to feed themselves.
Green Woodpecker 1. There was only one brief sighting last year, and this is the first so far this year. Not seen but a burst of unmistakable "yaffling" from the copse behind Red Nab at 18:30. A wandering post breeding season bird, hopefully it will hang around.
