A decent day with a Purple bonus

A hot sunny day with a light east breeze.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Report by Jean:

Warblers were on the move at Middleton NR today. Ringed the following:

Willow Warbler 3
Blackcap 6
Chiffchaff 3
Reed Warbler 1
Sedge Warbler 2
Whitethroat 5
Lesser Whitethroat 2
Goldfinch 1
Great Tit 1 (HNR nestbox bird from this year)
Bullfinch 1
Blackbird 1 (recent retrap)

Vis:
45 Swallows

Pyrausta despicata at the Middleton NR actinic trap today regular ones and twos at several 

sites this year of a usually elusive and thinly distributed species - Pete

South shore

Malcolm 09:00 - 10:30

Swallows 18 together over the saltmarsh before continuing south

Purple Sandpiper 1  - it was at the bottom of the slipway at the end of the foreshore. Not immediately obvious as it wasn't in the rather dowdy winter plumage that we normally see them in here.

Purple Sandpiper 

Pied Wagtail 8 on Ocean Edge grass

Wheatear 1 on Ocean Edge grass

Wheatear

Rock Pipit 4 - 1 on foreshore, 2 on Red Nab and 1 along the sea wall

Linnet 4 on Red Nab

What looked to be a distant flock of waders turned out to be Racing Pigeons.
I'm not sure you could describe it as a "flock" as presumably they are all trying 
to leave the others behind. Or, do "tactics" come in to play?

Whimbrel 1

Mediterranean gull just 1 adult resting on the feeding beach

Shaun checked in the afternoon:

Wheatear 3 on the foreshore - likely additional to this morning's 

Whimbrel 1

Mediterranean gull 5 - 3 adult and one that looked to be 3cy, plus 1 juvenile on No.1 outfall

Shag 1 juvenile on the wooden jetty

Dunlin 13

Turnstone 14

Grey Seal 1

Hot weather and an east wind here is good for insect migration so I checked again after lunch (Malcolm).

On the way out along the sea wall there were just:

Small White 3, Small Tortoiseshell 2 and Red Admiral seen coming in/off. 

I joined Shaun at the end of the sea wall at 14:00. In the previous 30 minutes he had seen the following come in/off.

Small Tortoiseshell 10

Peacock 3

Red Admiral 2

Plus a passage of Small Whites pretty much 1 a minute.

This passage rate was continuing. A walk around the scrub and down to the waterfall was busy with all the above butterflies, but the only dragonfly seen was a male Black-Tailed Skimmer along the sea wall.

Black-Tailed Skimmer disappearing into the distance 

Two of the Mediterranean gulls resting on the feeding beach

One juvenile Shag just left of centre, with another almost certainly juvenile Shag 
further to the left. Unfortunately, it refused to show itself.

Janet was just heading out as I was getting back. She did better for insects than me.

Painted Lady in the Nature Park 

Female Clouded Yellow flying across Red Nab

Linnet on the freshwater runoff on Red Nab

Rock Pipit on the freshwater runoff on Red Nab

Long -Tailed Tit in the Nature Park 

Common Darter in the Nature Park 
There were a lot of small dark flies again today........one less

This large Hoverfly was in Angela Gillon's garden today.
Hornet Plumehorn

Green Silver-lines in Kevin's trap this morning