A fresh NE wind, plenty of sunshine, temperatures peaking at 21°C by lunchtime.
First a couple of updates from yesterday
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| Sparrowhawk high over Janet's house |
Middleton Nature Reserve - ringing report by John
Nets set from 6.30am to 11.00am. Much warmer with light winds.
No significant overhead movement observed and catch comprised;
Lesser Redpoll x 10
Chiffchaff x 3
Willow Warbler x 2
Sedge Warbler x 2
Garden Warbler x 1 (1st of the year, plus a male was singing)
Wren x 1
Goldfinch x 1
Blackbird x 1
Heysham Nature Reserve - ringing report by Alan
three nets but the catch was rather poor:
Wren 1 retrap
Dunnock 1
Blackbird 1
Lesser Whitethroat 1
Whitethroat 2
Blackcap 3
Chiffchaff 1 retrap
Blue Tit 3 retraps
Great Tit 2 retraps
Seawatch today - Pete:
from back of harbour 0650-0850 in unless stated :
3 ad summer little gull
38 kittiwake
7 gannet
15 sandwich tern
180 common scoter
female scaup
59 arctic tern (7 small flocks)
2 common tern
3 Teal
1 red throated diver (out)
two pink feet (on)
2 dark morph Arctic skua
295 swallow/swallowish bombing through bottom of scope
flock 30 grey plover
120 Dunlin
8 bar tailed godwit seemingly migrating
3,500 Knot
Additional after Pete left - Mark Prestwood
1st S little gull
4 sand tern
1 red-throated diver
1 gannet
20 common scoter
34 arctic tern
This male Whinchat was spotted by Martin Jordon on Heysham Head early afternoon, with at least 6 Wheatear.
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| Male Whinchat |
Also from Martin 17:00 fromOcean Edge
Wheatear 10 (so at least 16 today)
Whimbrel 4
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| Whimbrel |
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| Rock Pipit |
Heysham skear - low water 13:15 (Malcolm)
Eider 54 - quite a hotchpotch of plumages.
Red-breasted Merganser 1
Oystercatcher 1500
Knot 1500
Redshank only 2 seen
Turnstone 120 - more than of late
Dunlin 35
Curlew none seen or heard
Whimbrel 3
Bar-Tailed Godwit 128 resting till moved on by the tide. Not one showing any sign of breeding plumage.
These are just some of them, you might just be able to pick out one with a yellow flag, barely above the water
(Just a glimpse of the yellow flag 14 seconds into the clip)
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| Bar-Tailed Godwit |
South shore
Kevin had a walk along the sea wall this afternoon. It was classic conditions here for insects coming in off the sea and resting along the wall. NE wind, warm and sunny and the tide out. Not all the insects have been identified yet. These are just a selection of what Kevin saw.
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a smart ichneumon fly but it was distant and is heavily cropped. |
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10-spot Ladybird |
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| Just a few of several hundred Seven Spot Ladybirds |
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| "Ladybird" with a Groundhopper |
It was amazing! Quite overwhelming really.
Just out of the recording area - horse paddock behind Middleton Parish Hall. The Glossy Ibis was checked for several time today, starting at 07:30. No sightings.
