Red-Veined Darter tops a mainly insect day

A light east wind, sunshine all day.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Janet checked it out early afternoon 

Red-Veined Darter 1 -  just the one darter seen today and it was elusive but Janet eventually managed to get some shots:

Male Red-veined Darter

The Coot are still battling 

Small Tortoiseshell 

I checked the main pond early evening (MD) and just managed the briefest glimpse of the Red-veined Darter, but at least it shows it hung around and will hopefully still be around tomorrow.

Both families of 8 Mallard ducklings were seen, the male Mute now seems to accept the almost adult sized brood, but still chases the slightly smaller brood.

Swift 4, Swallow 1 and House Martin 1 feeding.

This is odd, it is a juvenile Black-Headed gull bathing where I saw one bathing the other day. There was no sign of any adult and after its bath it flew off by itself to the west.

South shore (MD)

I had a walk along the wall late morning to see if any Mediterranean gulls turned up when the beach near the wooden jetty became exposed. They didn't, just Herring and Lesser Black-Backed gulls.

Lighthouse Rock Pipit still taking food to young somewhere 

There was a steady passage of butterflies coming in off the sea:

Small White 6

Red Admiral 5

Also 

Meadow Brown 2 each on scrub near lighthouse and Nature Park

Ringlet 1 Nature Park.

Clay tripple-lines moth, resting in the shade on the sea wall
Not common this far north

I checked Red Nab again in the evening as the tide was arriving, there were around 300 gulls on the mud just out from the foreshore.

At least:

Black-Headed gulls 227

Mediterranean gulls 3 - 2 adult and a second summer

Common gulls 18

Herring Gulls 24

Lesser-Black Backed gulls 16

Great Black-Backed gull 1

Kevin Eaves had some nice moths in his overnight trap:

Scarce Silver-lines

Blood-vein

Finally, the Barrel Jellyfish are still rolling out!

Barrel Jellyfish below the Barrows - Janet rolled it back in again!