Warm weather brings out the insects

Even warmer today despite there being less sunshine. A light NW wind.

South shore (Malcolm)

A check mid morning at low water.

Black-Headed gulls 160 mainly on and either side of No.1 outflow.

I'd gone along the sea wall to see if any of the gulls (specifically Meds) were feeding
on the sandmason worms on the beach between the wooden jetty and No.1 outflow.
On approach it was clear that there were plenty of gulls on the beach.......

.........but most turned out to be Black-Headed gulls

The tubes of the sandmason worms were visible, but the gulls were either just resting or paddling to flush out small invertebrates (it hardly seems worth the effort!)

Mediterranean gull just 2 on the beach, and no others seen.

First summer Mediterranean gull (left) with first summer Black-Headed gull

Second summer Mediterranean gull

Kittiwake 1 first summer 

Rock Pipit 1 display flying and singing near lighthouse 

Peregrine Falcon presumably 2 - commotion only heard, the birds were on the opposite side of the Power Station.

This male and juvenile Pied Wagtail were feeding on Ocean Edge field. The gurgling noise is from the groundwater runoff near the slipway.

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Janet had a stroll around the main reserve early afternoon.

Moths:

Straw dot

Six-spot Burnet

Burnet Companion 

Silver Y

Butterflies 

Meadow Brown

Very worn Common Blue

Small Skipper

Ringlet were particularly abundant 

Various

Blackfly aphids

"Blackfly aphid" hunter

One of the (large) funnel-web spiders

Tatty looking Magpie