Again, another dry day after overnight rain. Warm and sunny by the afternoon, with a light west wind.
Heysham Nature Reserve (JP)
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| Brimstone Butterfly |
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| Greenfinch |
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| 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
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| 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).
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| 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.
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| Initially sharing with a Great Black-Backed gull |
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| But it was pleased when the gull left |
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| 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
