The itch that, just about, could be scratched!

Light breeze, east overnight switching to west early morning to late afternoon, then back to east again. Hot and sunny.

Middleton Nature Reserve (MD)

Mute Swan pair plus 9 cygnets 

Mallard 3 eclipsed male plus 1 female with 8 large youngsters.

Gadwall 1 eclipsed male, 2 female, 1 with 5 small chicks. All on "no swimming" pond.

Male Gadwall in eclipse 

This is one of the females with her chicks, the dogs barking in the background are from a large group on/in the main pond.

Coot 5 adult, 2 large young and 5 small chicks

Moorhen 2

There wasn't loads of warblers singing, but again managed eight species.

Cetti's Warbler 4, only Chiffchaff more than this. Willow Warbler, Blackcap,

Common Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Reed Warbler and Sedge Warbler.

Sedge Warbler 

Surprisingly few butterflies 

Meadow Brown 2

Large Skipper 3

Speckled Wood 5

Red Admiral 2

Lots of dragon flies.

Emperor, Four-spotted Chaser, Broad-bodied Chaser, Black-Tailed Skimmer, Common Darter.

Male Black-Tailed Skimmer

These are female Emperors ovipositoring, with a couple of males flying above.

Also lots of Damselflies, Janet took this shot.

Common Bluetail Damselflies

South shore (MD)

A walk after lunch, unfortunately not ideal for insects with the west breeze. Presumably this Poplar Hawk-moth came in overnight when the breeze was from the east.

Poplar Hawk-moth, resting in the shade 

There was also a Mother Shipton in the scrub near the lighthouse (ref Kevin)

Rock Pipit 2. 1 display calling near the waterfall plus 1 feeding near the lighthouse.

Whimbrel 1 heard flying past the roundhead.

Curlew 7

Black-Headed gulls, strangely only c20 with most of those resting on the mud out from Red Nab. 

Mediterranean gull 3 with the resting Black-Headed gulls.

The metal ringed adult Mediterranean gull with a first summer 

Unfortunately a second summer bird has lost its right leg from the knee down and has adapted by walking on its left knee.

Second summer Mediterranean gull with the lower half of its right leg missing

It has obviously adapted very well and appears to be in good health otherwise. But it is clearly handicapped and will struggle to capture any Sandmason worms near the wooden jetty, where the gulls have to run to capture exposed worms. Although most gulls will struggle again this year, there was another 5cm of mud on that beach today. Hopefully the outflows will provide it a feeding option. Either way it will be an easy one to keep track of.

You have to feel for it here, it clearly has an itch that needs to be scratched......

.......just about managed it!

In the Nature Park:

Ringlet 1 - first this year, but too flighty to get a shot

Meadow Brown 2

Speckled Wood 3

Common Blue 2

There were 14 spikes of Bee Orchid in this group.
See post 3rd June for location details 

The Honeysuckle looked, and smelt, nice too