Better seabirds

Cooler today with quite a fresh SW wind.  Still hot in the few sunny spells though, but largely overcast.

First this is the history for the Netherlands ringed Mediterranean gull read yesterday:

South shore

Pete Crooks did a thorough check:

Heysham Nature Park (10.30 – 10.45 am)
1 Lesser Whitethroat
1 singing Blackcap
Butterflies: 2 Red Admiral, 1 Comma, 4 Gatekeeper, 7 Meadow Brown and 2 Speckled Wood

Red Nab – Heysham Stage One outfall (10.45 – 12.40 pm)
43 Mediterranean Gull – between Red Nab and the wooden pier – 33 adults (including 1 with white darvic ring right leg, 2 with green darvic ring left leg – all distant), 2 2nd summer, 6 1st summer and 2 juveniles.
1 1st summer Little Gull – Heysham Stage Two outfall

First summer Little gull

1 Whimbrel – Heysham Stage One outfall.

Just after lunch Pete (M) spotted a tern on No.2 outflow from Ocean Edge through the heat haze. Jean went to check, and confirmed it was a Common Tern.

It was still feeding when I checked at 13:15 (MD)

Common Tern

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Janet took a couple of shots while exercising this morning

Shaded Broad-Bar moth - there seems to be lots this year

Cinnabar moth caterpillar

I just did a very short check of the top path where the Purple Hairstreak was yesterday. The wind was fresh and the sun was behind clouds, there were no insects around. Yesterday I was serenaded by a male singing Blackcap. Today I was scolded by a female, I was too close to her young.