A change in behaviour and new butterflies emerging

A sunny day with a fresh west wind.

Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)

Plenty of Swallows, House Martins and a Swift, feeding over the main pond

Swift

House Martin 

A particularly acrobatic Swallow

First Meadow Brown of the year

Burnet Companion 

Common Darter

Heysham Skear (Malcolm) 14:30 - 16:00

Eider 2

Female Eider

Male Eider

Red-breasted Merganser 2

Female and male Red-breasted Merganser

Great Crested grebe 1

Great Crested grebe

The only waders were 200 Oystercatchers

Gulls 600 mainly Herring, but a few Lesser Black-Backed. The west wind providing easy shrimping options.

Some of the gulls shrimping along the waterline.

I managed to see three ringed birds, but all seen previously here.

This one is the only one that you could call regular. It has been seen eight
times since first seen on the 7th May. Interestingly, while most of the other
gulls were shrimping it was still after the seed mussels.
Ringed 02/07/24 at Bowland

The trouble with shrimping birds is that you sometimes have to wait
for the right wave. Also ringed at Bowland 02/07/24. But only seen once before

Carrion crows don't always get a mention, but there are always some. Four today

Imperial Rd (Malcolm)

I checked twice today, morning and afternoon. The water table has risen considerably again, I don't know if that has any relevance, but the Stonechat behaviour has changed.

Stonechat 1 male. No longer near the road, but further west into the wetlands. I saw him carrying food a couple of times but there was no singing or calling today. The only place I saw him take food to was this bush.

I'm hoping that the female is on the nest in this bush

This is looking from the road, the bush above is circled

No sign of any youngsters on either visit, and I couldn't even spot the male this afternoon, although it isn't so easy looking into the afternoon light. I checked further to the south this morning hoping to locate at least one youngster. They surely can't be totally self sufficient yet. 

Buzzard one seen soaring and "hovering" on both visits. Today's west wind seemed ideal for hovering.

Kestrel 1 also hovering 

Grey Heron 1

Reed Bunting 1

Swallows and House Martins feeding

Warblers

Cetti's warbler seen carrying food and heard singing, probably not the same bird.

Chiffchaff 2 singing 

Sedge Warbler 1 seen

Common Whitethroat 1 seen (although not immediately recognised!)

One wet Whitethroat 

Greenfinch eyeing up this winter's food supply

Ringlet two together, or rather chasing each other around, this afternoon. First record this year.

Ringlet, a rarity here until recently, now common.
They will be showing everywhere soon.

20:50 a skein of geese sounding like Canada Geese flew over  Janet's house