Another Med returns

Warm and dry, despite being predominantly overcast. A light west wind after a calm start.

South shore (Malcolm) 09:00 - 10:30

No Wheatear seen this morning, perhaps it has finally moved on.

Rock Pipit 2 - one on Red Nab and one on the wooden jetty

Shelduck 1 - first seen for a while, but the numbers of small snails on the surface of the mud are increasing rapidly 

Shelduck

Little Egret 4

Grey Heron 1

Mediterranean gull 8 - 6 adults, a 2nd calendar year and a juvenile, all on the beach between the wooden jetty and No.1 outfall.  One of the adults had a white ring.

This is the white ringed adult, it has just caught a Sandmason worm.
Ringed in the Netherlands as a chick in 2019, it was first seen at Heysham 
in 2020 and has returned every year since. Hopefully it has been seen 
elsewhere since it left last year. It normally is, but not outside of the UK 
apart from 2021, when it was seen in Belgium 

A Curlew and several Redshank were also after the Sandmason worms. The Curlew gets one at the end of this clip.

Grey Seal 1 feeding at the seaward end of No.1 outfall

Janet took this shot of a small Dunlin flock as she walked the promenade 
past the play area off Knowleys Rd

Heysham skear (Malcolm) 16:30 - 18:00

Great Crested Grebe 1

Great Crested Grebe

No Eider or Mergansers seen

Oystercatcher 150, but more were arriving all the time.

Curlew 90+

Redshank 110

Turnstone 45

Dunlin 2

Ringed Plover 3

Two of the Ringed Plovers

Gulls 200 large gulls, predominantly Herring, two with rings, but both seen previously.

Herring and a Lesser Black-Backed gull
The central bird is ringed

Black-Headed gulls 45 shrimping in the drainage channels

Lesser Black-Backed juvenile closer to the promenade