Four Goosander and a Zebra hunting clip

A dry and sunny day with a light SE wind.

Middleton Nature Reserve

Otter - spraint seen by the main pond yesterday, first one for ages. Linda Renshaw.

I just did a quick check of the "no swimming" pond (Malcolm)

Goosander now 4. A male plus 3 female. I've still not seen one feeding, but that surely must be why they are here.

Little Grebe 1

Grey Heron 2 - unusually, they were flying around together and making soft calls, unlike their normal hoarse croaking. You can just make out a couple of calls at the start of this clip.

Cetti's warbler 4 singing - central marsh 1, "no swimming" pond 2 and main pond 1.

Sparrowhawk 1

Song Thrush

Janet checked the main pond a little later.

Tufted Duck

One of several Mallard

One of many Black-Headed gulls

Small Tortoiseshell

Heysham skear - low water 14:10 (MD)

Little Egret just 1

Pale-bellied Brent goose 2 resting on the sea to the west of the skear.

(Later 29  per David Yates)

Eider 16

Red-breasted Merganser 4. These are a pair preening together

Great Crested Grebe 1 in summer plumage feeding close to the shore.  These are two clips joined together, the first is just it diving. The second, resulting from this dive it catches a small fish, but for some reason it wasn't going down properly, so it brings it back up and then swallows it again without a problem.

Shag 1 adult resting on Conger rock. 

Initially it had to play second fiddle to a Cormorant 

When the Cormorant left the Shag took the top spot

And it wasn't for relinquishing top spot when another Cormorant arrived. It looks quite pleased with itself when it is accepted as being dominant.

It was facing the wind most of the time, which tended to flatten its crest.
But it was more obvious when it looked the other way.

Waders similar to recent.

Alba Wagtail 1 north

The water must be warming slightly as the anemones are opening again

This is the Zebra hunting clip, not some intrepid "white hunter" bravely slaughtering Zebras on the Serengeti. But a Zebra Spider tackling a fly almost twice its size on the south sea wall. Taken by Kevin Eaves today, it was the first he's seen here this year. (Not one for arachnophobes!)

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

Glossy Ibis - it wasn't there during a quick passing look in the morning, but it was entertaining several birders in the afternoon.