Better than expected seawatch

A fresh SW wind all day. Mainly sunny.

Report from Pete:

Sample 35 mins seawatch in clear conditions Heysham - better than expected:

flock 5 Guillemot in then presumably the same out

Puffin a ‘probable’ in and out of wave troughs and distant 

5 Gannet out

2 Manx Shearwater out

2 Canada goose in 

Mediterranean gull 1 2cy red Nab

Incidentally 10 per cent of the usual annual LDBWS species total of c205 comes exclusively from spring seawatching.  Partly but not completely due to autumn seawatching being dreadful this last few years with September equinox gales from the right direction consigned to mythology!  

Middleton Nature Reserve (MD)

Wildfowl as yesterday plus additional Little Grebe adult on "no swimming" pond

Swift feeding over main pond

Warblers heard/seen:

Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Common Whitethroat, Blackcap, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler (no Cetti's today).

The main interest were insects.

Dragonflies:

The strong SW wind focused a few in the Sheltered SW corner of "no swimming" pond. Difficult to see here, but at least:

Emperor 2 (Male and female) - another female Emperor seen near central marsh (first records here this year)

Four-Spotted Chaser 2

On the small ponds on the western marsh

Broad-bodied Chaser 2 male and an ovipositoring female (a male hovering above her for protection). Two points of interest in this clip. First, if you listen closely you can hear her wings "rattle" against the stems as she moves forward. Second, watch closely and you can see clusters of eggs floating down, especially the last few deposits towards the end of the clip.

These Azure Blue Damselflies were also on the small ponds

Azure Blue Damselflies 

Butterflies:

Speckled Wood 8

Small Heath 5

Red Admiral 4 - all showing some signs of wear, this one especially so.

Worn Red Admiral

Large Skipper 2 - first records this year

Large Skipper 

Moths:

Cinnabar 3

Burnet Companion 3

South shore (MD)

I had a pleasant evening stroll along the south sea wall.

Rock Pipits 3 - adult with two young in tow, feeding along the sea wall between the outflows. These could either be the Red Nab or Lighthouse breeding birds.

Canada goose 6 in

Shag 1 2nd calendar year flew to wooden jetty

Mediterranean gull  - almost certainly this morning's 2nd calendar year bird, now feeding on No.2 outflow.

2nd calendar year Mediterranean gull

The lowering sun meant looking along the outflow wasn't practical, so I had to walk a way along the wall and look back. It just means this clip is more distant than I would have liked.