Peregrines affecting Med behaviour

It managed to remain dry but feeling cool in the NW wind.

South shore

Report by Pete Crooks:

Mediterranean Gull – 9 roosting on Red Nab at 8.30 am – 7 adults (including Yellow AZTZ from Germany), 1 2nd summer & 1 1st summer. As the tide began to drop the Med Gulls became spread across the exposed areas of mud between HS2 outfall and the wooden pier, with some also off the harbour mouth: at least 18 – 11 adults (including Green AKUT also from Germany), 3 2nd summer and 4 1st summer) by 10.20 am when I had to leave. Malcolm stayed on so probably saw more.

Kittiwake – long-staying 1st summer on the rocks by HS2 outfall

Oystercatcher – 575 roosting on Red Nab

Peregrine – 2 over Red Nab, flushing all the Oystercatcher just after I had finished counting them!

Mute Swan – 1 immature on the foreshore between Red Nab and HS2 outfall before flying off north

Rock Pipit – 1 displaying near the harbour lighthouse

Ringlet – 1 in Heysham Nature Park

Brown Rat – 1 feeding on bird seed scattered by the parking area at the entrance to the Nature Park

There wasn't really much else to see (Malcolm)

The green ringed bird never arrived at the feeding beach

The green ringed adult Med with a Black-Headed gull

.....and the yellow one left it late.

The yellow ringed adult coming in to feed, plus a second summer Med

Some of the first summer Meds have almost complete hoods

There almost certainly were more Meds around but as Pete said they were well scattered and difficult to keep track of.

The cooler conditions today meant the
Six-spot Burnets were more subdued 

I went to check Red Nab as the tide was reaching it.

Mediterranean gulls 15 at least, but it was still difficult counting as the Peregrines flushed them at least twice. The gulls actually lifted four times, but they were edgy and two of the occasions looked to be false alarms.

This is the adult with the lower half of its right leg missing.
It wasn't on the feeding beach this morning, but clearly finding
 plenty to eat somewhere it was quite happy just resting 

A nice comparison shot of a Med with two Black-Headed gulls

These are the gulls returning to Red Nab after the third lifting.

Seven Meds in this shot. Four adult, two first summer and one second summer

Unfortunately, they were all then flushed again and it was one time too many. 

The gulls relocated further south, too distant to check properly 
But I don't think any more were colour ringed

Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)

The Mute family on the main pond have lost a cygnet, now only two

Two Pheasants seen, a female plus this male

A Sparrowhawk wasn't happy with a Buzzard drifting over.

Bell Aire Park (Alison Hayward)

Early morning Sparrowhawk

Tortoise Beetle larvae, interesting method of camouflage/ predator deterrent. 
They cover themselves with their own faeces. 

Also from Alison:

Possibly most interesting was what I am pretty certain was a Ring Necked Parakeet flying over the end of Smithy Lane this morning at about 10:20 am no pictures unfortunately but both calls and silhouette seemed right.

More Meds

Heavy showers throughout the day. A light SW wind.

South shore (Malcolm)

I went down in the morning as the beach between No.1 outflow and the wooden jetty was becoming exposed.

Mediterranean gull 19 - there were several resting on the beach between the outflows as I walked out, and surprisingly they were slow arriving on the feeding beach, turning up in ones and twos long after the sandmason worms became exposed, despite them still being easily caught by the earlier arrivals. The incoming SeaTruck disappeared, a soon to arrive squall had obscured it. By that time there were 13 adults, 5 first summer and 2 second summer. I'm certain more would have arrived but the already arriving rain made it impractical to continue watching.

4 adult and a 2nd summer (right)

The yellow ringed German bird was again the most successful catcher of
Sandmason worms. Perhaps it was just hungrier than the others.
Another green ringed bird arrived - details awaited

First summer Kittiwake resting on the sloping sea wall between the outflows.
Later feeding on No.2 outflow

Rock Pipit 1 on Red Nab

No Peregrines seen or heard today

Another quick look at Red Nab towards high water was hampered by heavy rain. There were at least 15 adult Mediterranean gulls, including the one with the lower half of its right leg missing. That one wasn't on the beach this morning. Plus first and second summer birds. Minimum total numbers today 22 Mediterranean gulls.

These are some of the Mediterranean gulls with Black-Headed gulls this evening. You can see the yellow ringed German bird.

A few of yesterday's Curlew - Janet

The warm weather at the beginning of the week attracted several attractive moths to Kevin's overnight trap. These are some of them.

Coxcomb Prominent 

Buff Arches

Blackneck (a local species)

What a difference a day (or a storm) makes

Just a few short sharp showers. A less strong west wind.

South Shore

I went along the sea wall mid morning at low water (Malcolm)

Tern 1 - almost certainly a Common feeding at the seaward end of No.1 outflow, but very difficult to see against a backdrop of breaking waves.

Mediterranean gull 8 (6 adult 1 each 1st and 2nd summer) - yesterday the Meds were either resting along the shoreline or feeding at the seaward end of No.1 outflow. But today, something had changed. Not only were they feeding on the Sandmason worms on the beach between No.1 outflow and the wooden jetty, they were catching them easily and regularly.

Adult (same ringed bird as yesterday) with a Sandmason worm

This 2nd summer also has one here, but what you can see is not just the worm, but
the top of its tube with the worm below. This worm is clamped through the tube walls

You can see it catch the above worm and remove it from its tube in this clip.

I've always thought that the worms are more vulnerable when they need to pop above their tube at breeding times, and that that is linked to the lunar/tidal calendar. But this change was too abrupt for that. It looks like yesterday's strong SW wind driven waves had washed away some of the sediment, leaving more of the tube above the mud. That also explains why the gulls were grabbing the tube to grip the worm.

This shot shows the extent of the worms' tube above the mud today

Both Herring and Lesser Black-Backed gulls were taking advantage of the harvest, but strangely, the Black-Headed gulls showed little interest. But the Meds are the specialists, and one of the reasons they are here.

I returned towards high water to check the gulls on Red Nab.

Mediterranean gulls 15 at least. Including 4 first summer and 2 second summer. 

No sign of any colour ringed birds, but most were hunkered down.
The only real chance to check their legs was when they were landing.
The bird on the right does have a metal ring.

Unfortunately, for gull spotting, a juvenile Peregrine falcon was patrolling the sea wall and developing its hunting skills by swooping down on the gulls and lifting everything.

Fortunately, Janet was on the sea wall:

Some of the gulls being flushed from Red Nab (at least 8 Meds in this shot)

The young flusher.....juvenile Peregrine Falcon

Also by Janet

First summer Kittiwake 

1 of c200 Curlew returning from the north side feeding grounds

First summer Mediterranean gull

Plenty of Ringlets in the Nature Park

First colour ringed Med of the year

A strong gusty SW wind freshened throughout the day. Mainly dry after early showers.

South shore (Malcolm)

A check in the morning at low water 

Kittiwake 1 first summer

Black-Headed gulls 200+

Mediterranean gulls at least 6 adults alternating between feeding on the seaward end of No.1 outflow and resting along the shoreline (more on these later)

Tern (probably a Common but too distant to be sure) also feeding, albeit briefly, at the seaward end of No.1 outflow.

This Cormorant was worn out. It rested on No.2 rail for the duration of my walk.
Most of the time with its head under its wing.
This was the only time it showed its face.

Peregrine Falcon two cavorting around the Power Stations.

Peregrine Falcons

A second check in the afternoon on the quickly rising tide.

No sign of the Tern

Mediterranean gulls 9 at least - 6 adult, 2 first summer and 1 second summer

Ringed as a nestling 11/06/19 at Leipzig Germany
It was seen at Heysham later that year. And agin in 2022 and 2023
This record is a month earlier than any previous ones. Recent history awaited

Don't think there were any more ringed birds, although most were hunkered 
down against the wind. There are three adults in this shot

Two adults and a first summer. The nearer adult is the yellow ringed bird

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Angela Gillon managed some nice wildfowl shots with her phone

Mute Swan family

Coot with chicks

Angela also took this clip of feeding Swifts yesterday evening. They were over her house to the east of the recording area where they are not regular visitors.

A lazy sort of day (things change tomorrow!)

Another warm dry sunny day. An early east breeze shifted to SE by lunchtime then to the west later when it freshened a little.

South shore (Malcolm)

I went along the sea wall at 09:00. The tide was out, the day was warm and the breeze from the east. These are the conditions that can result in insect passage, but it was early in the day and any movement could only be relatively local.

A Red Admiral near the lighthouse at 10:00 was likely to have come in off.

A nice fresh Red Admiral

2 Meadow Browns and 20+ 6-spot Burnet in the scrub near the lighthouse more likely to be residents. These are some of the Burnet moths.

This Willow warbler was near the waterfall 

Linnet 7 between lighthouse and waterfall 

Rock Pipit 1 between lighthouse and waterfall 

Black-Headed gulls 200 - many on and around No.1 outflow.

For some reason today the gulls on No.1 outflow, including Herring and 
Lesser Black-Backed, elected to drift along the surface with the current 
picking up titbits as they went.

In contrast the only bird feeding on No.2 outflow was the long staying Kittiwake.

Mediterranean gull 2 adult - none were seen on the shore in the morning, but 2 were on Red Nab towards high water early afternoon.

This Chiffchaff was in the Nature Park

Butterflies in Nature Park

Ringlet 5

Large Skipper 1

Small Skipper 2 (not quite in the Nature Park but in the grass just behind Red Nab)

Large White 1

Just out of the recording area - Heysham Moss Nature Reserve (Janet)

Large Skipper

Large Heath

Grass moth

Silver Y

Black Darter
The only other dragonfly species seen was an Emperor 

Common Buzzards

Chiffchaff