A bit of synchronised courtship displaying

Again, another dry day after overnight rain. Warm and sunny by the afternoon, with a light west wind.

Heysham Nature Reserve (JP)

Brimstone Butterfly 

Greenfinch

Great Tit

Middleton Nature Reserve (MD)

"No swimming" pond

Mute Swan 2 adults feeding

Goosander 6 (2 males)

This is one of the males having a preen while a Wren sings its heart out

Teal 2

Coot 2

Little Grebe 1 feeding - it has a small fish here. This clip ends with a burst of song from a Cetti's Warbler.

Cetti's Warbler 2 singing

Chiffchaff 2 singing

Stock Dove 1

Sparrowhawk 1 - chased off by a Carrion Crow

Main pond

Mute Swan 5 immature, 2 with white plumage looking like a young pair.

Mallard 10 - it isn't often that Mallard prompts the post title. This female Mallard is already paired up, but 5 more males were trying to impress, although they looked like they were as much about impressing each other than the female. (Malcolm)

Gadwall 1

Male Gadwall

Coot 3

Moorhen 1

Little Grebe 1

Cetti's Warbler 2 singing

Chiffchaff 2 singing plus 3 others seen

Bumblebee sp or possibly a Cuckoo Bumblebee 

Heysham Skear - low water 14:00 (MD)

Little Egret 2

Pale-bellied Brent goose 41 - they were scattered all over the skear, not feeding (there is no gutweed here, a green tinge to the outer rocks from the play area suggests that there is more there now).

Two adult and a first winter Brent goose

There was no path to the skear edge without having to pass too close to some of them, so I chose to pass the above three as they were the smallest group. They flew to the water about 50m away, I wouldn't have disturbed them if they had been feeding, but they just moved from resting on the skear to resting on the water. By now the tide was coming in and the others also moved to the sea, some to the south side, but most to the north side. This is the north side group, there is wisps of gutweed available from some of the submerged rocks, a few of the geese were seeking this, but most just milled about.

Shag 1 adult resting on conger rock.

Initially sharing with a Great Black-Backed gull

But it was pleased when the gull left

Only to be replaced by a Cormorant 

Eider just 12

No sign of Great Crested Grebes or Red-breasted Mergansers.

Waders were significantly reduced too with the exception of Turnstone 120. There were 45 in this feeding group, leaving no stone unturned.

Oystercatcher 500

Knot 8

Redshank 40

Curlew 5

Bar-tailed Godwit 3 on the beach to the south of the skear.

Grey seal 1 - a cloud of gulls gave it away. Seals are very messy eaters and the gulls know it.

Just out of the recording area - horse paddock behind Middleton Parish Hall

Glossy Ibis still feeding