Swallow movement increasing

The light breeze from SE to E sunshine all day.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Ringing and vis report from Alan

A different morning again today, clear and sunny. Only two Grey Wagtails seen today (one only trapped).

Other captures:

Sedge Warbler 2

Blackcap 3

Chiffchaff 1

Willow Warbler 1

Blue Tit 1

Great Tit 4

A fairly constant steady trickle of Swallows (c60) flying south at least until I left just before 11.00.

I also had a quick check 10:00 - 11:15 (MD)

Swallow 36 in small groups 8, 6, 16 and 6

Mute the adult pair now on the "no swimming" pond with one of the cygnets. The other 8 cygnets still on the main pond

Mallard 8

Gadwall just 1 male

Little grebe 1

Not a lot of dragonflies around considering how warm it was

Emperor 3

Brown Hawker 2

Migrant Hawker 2

Common Darter 5

Butterflies included:

Red Admiral 

Small Tortoiseshell 

Speckled Wood 

Meadow Brown 

Silver Y moth

Silver Y, perfectly camouflaged against the dead leaves 

South Shore

These records are a composite of two checks each by myself and Kevin.

Common Snipe 10 flushed by the tide covering the saltmarsh.

Small Copper on the saltmarsh 

Small Copper - first one seen for a moth or so

Wheatear 6

Rock Pipit 3

Ringed Plover c50

Dunlin c15

Both the above were close in on the few remaining rocks on Red Nab at high water.

Dunlin 

Adult Ringed Plover with two juvenile plus a Dunlin 

A few of the Dunlin took the opportunity to forage the flotsam, the front bird never took its eye off me.

Mediterranean gulls at least 3 adult, 3 first winter, 1 second winter. The other day at Red Nab, a regular blog reader commented that they sometimes get confused with the different age groups (most of us do! MD). Perhaps this clip may help. There is an adult with completely white wings, a second winter (currently a 2cy) with just a few black spots on the wing tips and  first winter (currently a 1cy), with fully black primaries plus other dark upper wing markings. 

This is just a still from the clip. The adult is on the right, the 2nd winter middle 
and the 1st winter back. The other gull is a Common Gull

Just to add a bit more confusion, the "adult" could be 3rd winter bird, but that is arbitrary as there is no way to tell now, as 3 winter plumage is as adult.

The weather was perfect for drawing any migrating insects in off the sea, the tide was out, making the lighthouse area the only direct sea to land point. The sun was shining and it was hot, the breeze nicely  from ESE. Unfortunately, only a few butterflies were trickling in about 1 every 3 minutes 

Small Tortoiseshell 9

Small White 2

Painted Lady 1

There was still quite a lot of insect activity around the nature park behind Red Nab.

Red Admiral 3

Painted Lady 1

Comma 1

Large White 3

Small Tortoiseshell 7

Speckled Wood 5

Migrant Hawker 1

Common Darter 3

Kevin spotted this moth on the fence (the jury is still out on whether it is a Lesser Treble-bar or just a Treble-bar)

Kevin photographing the Treble-bar sp