Loads of gulls

Another warm sunny day. The NE wind again shifting to NW mid afternoon.

Middleton Nature Reserve - main pond (Janet)

Mallards catching the morning sun

Male Broad-bodied Chaser

Azure Blues

Marsh Orchids on the main pond spit

Heysham Skear (Malcolm) 09:00 - 10:30

Eider 5

Little Egret 4 - this one fishing on the incoming tide.

Five Cormorants heading east

Oystercatcher 1,000

Curlew 1

Whimbrel 6

Bar-Tailed Godwit 2

Bar-Tailed Godwit with Oystercatchers 

Turnstone 1

Dunlin 6 (1 by itself plus 2 and 3 with Ringed Plovers)

Dunlin

Ringed Plover 10 - 3 and 7

Six Ringed Plover and a Dunlin

Gulls, more than 1,200 today

Five Whimbrel flying over a few of the gulls

This is only some of the gulls, I must have checked over 300 pairs of 
legs, but didn't see a single ringed bird. 

This young Herring gull has found a Pipefish. They are the same family as
Seahorses, and are basically just a straightened out Seahorse. That's its head
just above the water

Unfortunately, it was just too long for the gull to be able to swallow it. Although, it wasn't for giving up and took it away for another try. It would be easier head first, so it might manage eventually.

Heysham Head (Edward Wilkinson)

Rock Pipit

Wren

Goldfinch 

Common Whitethroat 

Linnet

House Sparrow

South shore (Malcolm)

Shelduck 2

Linnet 2

I wasn't going to go along the sea wall as the wind was again from NW. but there were more gulls on the outfalls than of late so I went to check.

Most of the gulls were immature Black-Headed, they seemed to be 
finding plenty to eat.

Grey Seal dozing between the outfalls

Rock Pipit 1 near the lighthouse 

Swallow 3 north

The only butterflies seen coming in/off were 3 Small White. There were still c20 Common Blue on the scrub near the lighthouse.

The Six-Spot Burnet were just emerging, they will be everywhere soon.

This large (18mm) beetle is a Common Burying Beetle. They are not called burying 
because they bury underground, but because they burry small animal carcasses for
them and their young to feed on safely