Thwarted by the rain

The SW wind continues, but not quite so fresh. Overcast all day with spells of heavy rain. 

South shore (MD)

Two checks, one towards high water to check the gull roost, a second in the afternoon to watch the beach by the wooden jetty become exposed. Both coincided with heavy rain! The period in between remained dry.

Little Egret 5

Wheatear 1 juvenile, again near the saltmarsh slipway

Linnet 6

Rock Pipit 4 - 1 on Red Nab and 3 on foreshore 

Whimbrel 1 at least

Curlew and Oystercatcher plentiful 

Redshank c30

There was at least 200 gulls roosting on Red Nab, but the rain was driving into the only direction they could be viewed from. I managed to identify 5 Meds before giving it up as hopeless!

I got to the beach by the wooden jetty in plenty of time to watch it become exposed today, but again it was raining, and for whatever reason not many meds turned up today.

Mediterranean gulls 7 - there had been a juvenile on No.1 outflow and two landed on the beach, only 5 adults arrived to feed.

The gulls clearly understand the behaviour of Sandmason worms better than I do. The few that turned up today were struggling to catch any. This is a juvenile and two adults running around in fruitless circles.

Once again the rain was easing as I was returning from the sea wall, so I decided to call in at Middleton Nature Reserve on the way home.

Mute Swan pair plus 8 cygnets, all together on the main pond.

The Mute family

Mallard 18

Gadwall 4 - 1 on the "no swimming" pond and 3 on the main pond

Shoveler 2 on the main pond. The background racket is a combination of the cygnets begging for food, a helicopter and my noisy camera.

Tufted Duck 1 - the odd looking female was back 

(see post 25/07)

Coot 4 adult 2 young

Moorhen 2

Nice inshore Gannet views

The fresh SW to W wind continued overnight and through the morning, easing slightly after lunch. Just a few light showers.

Pete managed a morning check:

Arctic tern 1 adult out 

114 turnstone heliport seawall

South shore (MD)

A laboured morning walk down the wall towards high water and another sprightlier one in the afternoon towards low water (cold seems to be improving!)

Little Egret 4

Wheatear 2 adult

Rock Pipit 1 on Red Nab

Whimbrel 2 at least

Gannet 1 adult flew past the harbour mouth then continued south (09:20)

Gannet being chased off by a Herring Gull, providing a nice comparison of size.

It was good to see a live Gannet, there have been more than normal washed up dead this year (four, I often don't see any and rarely more than one)

Cormorant 26 on the wooden jetty

Cormorants on the wooden jetty as the Gannet flies over

Mediterranean gull 25 minimum. In the morning there was just one adult on Red Nab and one juvenile on No.1 outflow. But in the afternoon there were 24 adult/3rd calendar year on the beach near the wooden jetty. They were all catching Sandmason worms, even those in the middle of the beach, although some had already stopped eating and were just resting.

Adult Mediterranean gull surrounded by the tops of the tubes of Sandmason  worms.

Butterflies in the Nature Park included:

Red Admiral 

Large White

Comma

Gatekeeper 

Small White

Speckled Wood 

Common Blue

The early bird..........catches the cold!

A fresh and gusty SW wind. Overnight rain but only a few lightish showers during the day.

Just my stuff so far (MD) and not much of it. I woke early this morning feeing rough, I thought an early morning walk might freshen me up......it didn't. I came home full of a cold.

Just a short check from Red Nab to saltmarsh a couple of hours before high water.

Mediterranean gull 1 - just the metal ringed adult. This bird was the first to arrive this year.

Rock Pipit 3 - 1 on Red Nab and 2 along foreshore 

Goldfinch 2 - Red Nab

Linnet 10 - on saltmarsh 

Wheatear 3 - 2 juvenile and a female.

One of the juvenile Wheatears

It was feeding along the tideline at the saltmarsh with a group of Linnet, when I spooked them the Linnet did as they always do, rest on the top of the surrounding vegetation until I pass by. The Wheatear joined them.

This is the other juvenile, you can see it has a hint of rufous on its breast. It clearly isn't happy to see the adult join it.

Little Egret 17 - 2 on Red nab 15 on and around the saltmarsh 

Little Egret

Curlew c300 (250 on shore + 50 on Red Nab

Whimbrel 2 at least

Oystercatcher c150 (50 on shore + 100 on Red Nab)

Redshank 20

There were no small waders on the shore, but a flock of 5 Dunlin flew south.

Hopefully, the continuing wind will have blown something different in by the morning

One Knot........does not a summer end.

A light, mainly SW wind. Plenty of sunshine.

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Ringing and vis report from Jean:

Fewer birds caught today at Heysham NR, just 11 in 3 hours, but 2 of them were Willow Warblers, also 

1 Dunnock, 

2 Goldfinch, 

5 Greenfinch 

1 retrapped Blue Tit from Monday. 

One of the Goldfinches and one of the Greenfinches were starting to moult their flight feathers. 

Overhead on their way back to Africa were 40 Swifts, 15 Swallows and 6 House Martins.

South Shore (MD)

Just a very brief check if the foreshore mid morning.

Wheatear 1

Linnet 2 

Goldfinch 2

Swallow 2 individuals south

Nature Park (KE)

Brown Hawker ovipositing in the nature park pond this afternoon. 

Also seen:

Gatekeeper

Common Blue

Small Tortoiseshell

Comma

Peacock

Brimstone

Common Darter 

Male Common Darter

Heysham skear. Low water 14:30 (MD)

Red-breasted Merganser 2 female type

Great Crested Grebe 1

Little Egret 6

I didn't cross the innermost skear where again many waders were feeding. The numbers recorded here are the number seen near the skear edge plus those flying to the innermost skear and any birds visible there from the waterline, so almost certainly under recorded.

Oystercatcher 150

Curlew 100 

Redshank 88

Turnstone 69

Turnstone 

Dunlin 1 

Knot 1 still, largely, in summer plumage.

Knot and Oystercatcher 

This Large Yellow Underwing moth was in my greenhouse 

No need to ask how it got its name

Snipe 7 in one flock flew SW over my garden at 19:00.

Attacked by a Sandwich!

 The light wind started SE before switching to the west. Overnight rain eased off by 08:00.

Middleton Nature Reserve (MD)

Just a quick check of the two main ponds, just as the rain was easing.

Mute pair plus 7 cygnet 

Coot 4 adult 2 young

Moorhen 2

Mallard 25

No sign of the odd Tufted Duck.

Goosander 1 juvenile. It gives a nice plumage display in this clip.

Heysham Nature Reserve (JP)

Looks to be a young Roe Deer, you can still make out the dappling on its flanks.

Kestrel 

Burnet Companion moth

Silver Y moth - there have been loads this year

Don't know.....but looks interesting. Please advise if you know

South Shore (MD)

A walk along the foreshore and sea wall in the morning an a check of the shore out from the saltmarsh in the evening.

Little Egret 5

Eider 2 female south

Wheatear 5 including 2 juvenile 

This one looks barely old enough to be out on its own!

Two juvenile and an adult in this clip, but Pete advises that they will be independent migrants.

Pied Wagtail 5

Rock Pipit 1 near the waterfall 

There were no gulls at all on the beach near the wooden jetty, despite Oystercatcher, Curlew and Redshank seeming to be catching Sandmason worms easily enough.

Whimbrel 3 at least (2 seen in morning, 3 seen/heard in evening)

Whimbrel 

Turnstone 4 

The following are this evening's records

Curlew 310 in one group, resting on the shore out from the saltmarsh, plus several others along the waterline. The only other waders were Oystercatcher and Redshank, plus a couple of Lapwing on the saltmarsh.

Swift 2 

Swallow 5

Mediterranean Gull 8 - 4 adult and 4 first summer

Sandwich Tern 2 adult and a juvenile came in off from the west and settled with the gulls. 

Today's title isn't some long lost Lou Reed song, I really was attacked by a Sandwich Tern! This clip begins with the juvenile Sandwich Tern centre with an adult to its left. The other adult was further to the left, but it took umbrage at me filming its family and flew over to mob me.

I didn't feel threatened, just unwelcome! At least it allowed me some close up shots.

Adult Sandwich Tern

I left them to it, but soon after they flew off south.

Southern Hawker - 1 male patrolling the path in the Nature Park, just before you reach the Power Station perimeter fence. Unfortunately it wouldn't settle and I couldn't manage a decent shot

Eight wader species on the skear.....not bad for summer

The light wind started in the east then gradually swung through the south before ending from the east. Dry and largely sunny till late afternoon when the rain started.

First some stuff from Janet.

These excellent Swift shots from Heysham Nature Reserve are worth opening to see the plumage detail, that you never see as they zip past.

Swift

Also on Heysham Nature Reserve was a Brown Hawker.

These shots from the Nature Park 

Male Common Darter

Brimstone 

Comma

Heysham Skear - low water 12:20 (MD)

Nothing seen on the sea.

Little Egret 6

Not much of a walk this, at least distance wise, were are on neap tides now and very little of the skear is exposed. Still it was good to see an increasing variety of waders.

Oystercatcher c200

Curlew c150

Whimbrel 3 together flying north 

Bar-Tailed Godwit 1

Bar-Tailed Godwit

Redshank 25

Turnstone 35 in one group which moved off south

Ringed Plover 3

Dunlin 21 in one feeding group.

Dunlin

South shore (MD)

Just a check of the foreshore and Red Nab towards high water. Unfortunately by this time it was tipping down!

Rock Pipit 2 on foreshore 

Wheatear 1 on foreshore 

Washed out Wheatear

Mediterranean gull - just one adult remained with the Black-Headed Gulls on Red Nab

Again, there were no small waders along the rising tideline.

Odd duck and another Hummingbird Hawkmoth

A west wind freshened after a calm start. Dry with sunny spells.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Ringing report from Alan

John and I set nets at Middleton this morning - the conditions were initially good with little breeze and plenty of cloud. Sunny spells developed and the breeze increased during the morning. The catch was 41 birds including a Sedge Warbler ringed elsewhere:

Wren 1 +1 retrap

Dunnock 1

Robin 2

Cetti's Warbler 1

Grasshopper Warbler 1

Sedge Warbler 7 + 1 from another site

Reed Warbler 5

Lesser Whitethroat 3

Common Whitethroat 2

Blackcap 5

Chiffchaff 3

Willow Warbler 1

Long-tailed Tit 2

Blue Tit 3

Chaffinch 1

Reed Bunting 1

The majority of the birds were juveniles.

Janet had a check mid morning:

Cetti's warbler singing from "no swimming" pond.

Plenty of Gatekeeper

Late yesterday evening I called in passing to check the ponds (MD). There was a duck on the "no swimming" pond that looked like a female Scaup. But its size compared to the Mallards was too small, more like a Tufted Duck. The light wasn't good enough for definitive shots so I returned early this morning and got some better ones.

White around the bill, no sign of a tuft and only the nib of the bill black

This clip of it feeding gives an impression of size.

It suggested a Lesser Scaup, but during a visit early evening today it provided some wing flaps which showed that it couldn't be a Lesser Scaup. 

Today's duck showing full white wing bars 

Pete advises - Definitely tufted with bill possibly indicating hybrid 

Hummingbird Hawkmoth 1 zipped through Kevin Eaves' garden today, that's the second one through his garden this year.

South shore (MD)

Two visits, one early morning on the ebbing tide and one towards high water in the afternoon.

Little Egret 5

Whimbrel 1 probably 2 seen and heard on both visits (saltmarsh and Red Nab)

Linnet 22 on saltmarsh 

Rock Pipit 1 on Red Nab

Meadow Pipit 1 on saltmarsh 

Wheatear 1 on Red Nab.

Wheatear 

Mediterranean gulls 16 on Red Nab

There were no small waders along the waterline at high water.

Sanderling and Dunlin passing through.

A mercifully dry and mainly sunny day, after yesterday's deluge. A light north wind.

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Ringing report from Jean:

5 hours of ringing caught 26 birds, only one of which was a retrap. The rest were almost all juveniles.

Greenfinch 8

Chaffinch 3 new and 1 re trap

Goldfinch 1

Great Tit 8

Blue Tit 3

Robin 1

Wren 1

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Janet had a look around this morning, no sign of the Goosander.

Male Common Darter

South shore

I checked from Red Nab to the shore out from the saltmarsh towards high water (MD)

Mediterranean gulls 32, just one juvenile 

Rock Pipit 1

Pied Wagtail only 4 after yesterday's high numbers

Curlew 100+ flying south

Whimbrel 1 heard only

Lapwing 2

Oystercatcher c300

Redshank 57

Dunlin c400

Sanderling 7. Initially they were feeding with the Dunlin, but after a while they flew south leaving the Dunlin behind.

These are three of the Sanderling, still largely in summer plumage, as were the Dunlin

Dunlin and a Sanderling coming in to land

Sanderling