Whitebait makes the outflows attractive

A strong west wind roughed up the sea. Mainly overcast with occasional showers.

South Shore

This report from Pete Crooks:

A walk along the South Harbour Wall (7.30 – 9.00 am) in a gusty westerly wind:
13 Mediterranean Gull – 7 adults (including 1 with white right leg darvic), 2 2nd summer, 4 1st summer – roosting on Red Nab, then dispersed by the rising tide
1 Whimbrel – summering? – Red Nab
24 Cormorant – Wooden Pier
1 Common Tern – Heysham Stage One Outfall

A 20-minute sea-watch from the North Harbour Wall (9.10 – 9.30 am) failed to produced anything offshore.

There was a lot of activity on the outflows, Janet's shots show why.

First summer Black-Headed gull picking out a tiny Whitebait

Juvenile Black-Headed gull

I checked a little later than Pete (MD).

The Common Tern was still feeding on No.1 outflow.

Common Tern

Second summer Mediterranean gull

First summer Mediterranean gull (left) and first summer Common gull

Eider 1 female west

Rock Pipit 1 along sea wall

An evening check found the outflows quieter. Which was good news as the Mediterranean gulls (4 adult, 1 1st summer, 7 2nd summer) were feeding on the sandmason worms and I managed to read a white ringed adult. 

Not the bird seen by Pete this morning, this one's darvic ring is on the left leg.
Details awaited

Shortly after this shot, the outflows suddenly became busy again (another shoal of Whitebait strayed too close to the intake) and all the gulls on the beach left

This is the history of the Belgium white ringed bird read on Wednesday 

Just a splash of colour from the Nature Park:

Small Copper

Red Admiral cleaning its tongue 

Middleton Nature Reserve (MD)

The juvenile Goosander was on the main pond all day. I wasn't planning on using any more of my shots of it, but when I looked this afternoon, despite several cars in the car park, it was just out from the car park. I doubt I'll ever get any closer to a Goosander and couldn't resist taking a picture.