Looks like the feeding bonanza may be over, for the gulls at least.

The rain just about held off till lunchtime then it was persistent till evening. Quite a fresh SE wind.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Raven causing a commotion with the resident corvids - Janet

South shore

Report from Pete Crooks:

4 juvenile Black Tern – 3 favouring Heysham Stage 2 Outfall, the other commuting between HS2 and HS1 Outfalls and sometimes seeming to disappear – presumably wandering further offshore

12 Mediterranean Gull (8 adults, 3 2nd winter, 1 1st winter) spread across the beach between Red Nab and Heysham Harbour. One of the adults was a previously seen colour-ringed bird – White 3LX9.

25 Cormorant – roosting on the Wooden Pier

70 Pink-footed Geese – groups of 61 and 9 flew south offshore

3 Swallow – south over Heysham Harbour was the only evidence of passerine ‘vis mig’

I walked down as Pete was heading back (MD)

It was noticeable that there were only a few gulls feeding on the outflows, it looks like the feeding bonanza is over. The juvenile Black Terns seemed to be finding food though. These are the three on No.2 outflow.

Juvenile Black Terns

This is the very erratic bird on No.1 outflow. I thought this young Herring gull was chasing it presuming the tern had had a decent sized fish, but there is no sign of it carrying anything when I checked the individual frames. Perhaps it just wasn't welcome! 

I'd gone down to watch the beach next to the wooden jetty become exposed, but these neap tides go out so very slowly, even the gulls were becoming impatient. There were already nine Mediterranean and three Black-Headed gulls waiting on the sea for the mud to show.

Eventually 10 arrived on the mud. At this point very little was available and space was a premium. These two 2nd calendar year were bickering 

Unfortunately none of the gulls that ended up on the beach were ringed.

The tide was 20 minutes later leaving the shore than I expected. I'm not normally good at waiting, but the time wasn't wasted. This Bar-Tailed Godwit flew in and fed a while.

Goosander 1 flew out beyond the wooden jetty. Goosander are not normally common in the recording area and one or two sightings like this a year are typical. But this year there have also been numerous sightings on Middleton Nature Reserve. Towards the end of this clip it flies past a Mediterranean Gull feeding beyond No.1 outflow.

Distant Goosander

Rock Pipit 2 on the sea wall

Meadow Pipit 3 flew to SE

Wren 3 along the foreshore and I near the waterfall 

One of the three Wrens along the foreshore 

These Great Black-Backed gulls have found a dead fish. This species used to be called a Lesser-spotted Dogfish, they have now been reclassified as a Small-spotted Catshark (Oh the ignominy!)

Whatever you call them their skin is like leather. The adult has a go first then the youngster.