Light winds mainly from WSW to W, but a brief shift to NW after lunch before returning to west. High cloud with plenty of sunshine, but not especially warm.
Seawatch report from Pete
Bits on the sea off Heysham in unpromising clear conditions on dropping tide 0645-0745
Gannet 10
Razorbill /Guillemot 5
Kittiwake 5
Red Throated Diver 1
Common Scoter 1
also flock 5 Greylag geese north
we are approaching the time when Canada geese move through on their moult migration flights
Heysham skear (MD)
I went down early on the ebb tide, at the same point where I left it last night, but again no waders other than Oystercatcher.
Shag 1 feeding
Little Egret 3
Eider 30+
Great Crested grebe 4 (2+2)
Middleton Nature Reserve (MD)
Mute Swan the remaining pair again on the main pond, but only 8 cygnets remain
Coot 3
Moorhen 4
Little grebe 1 feeding on main pond
Mallard 2 male on main pond and the female with chicks on Tim Butler pond - couldn't make out how may chicks as I didn't want to disturb them. But she seems to be doing ok with them.
Warblers - 9 species heard singing: Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Blackcap, plus
Grasshopper Warbler 1 reeling quietly from a bush near the southern entrance to the meadow between main and Tim Butler ponds
Cetti's Warbler - just the "no swimming" pond bird heard today.
Dragonflies
Broad-bodied Chaser I saw 1 female and 4 male, plus Janet saw another 2 male on a different area.
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| The females are more difficult to locate as they tend to feed away from the ponds till they are ready to mate |
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| Whereas the males tend to stay around the ponds waiting for the females to arrive. This one and three others around the small ponds on the western edge of the west marsh |
Plenty of Damselflies including these two Large Red
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| Large Red Damselflies |
Butterflies were quite thin on the ground, just
Small Health 1
Peacock 1
Small White 2
Drinker Moth caterpillars are again plentiful, or more realistically appear plentiful, as they always seem to rest in the middle of pathways.
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| Two different Drinker caterpillars on two different paths |
These are two of this morning's Great Crested Grebe doing a bit of displaying. I like the way they both just sink under the waves at the end of the clip.
