Medless morning......everywhere!

Heavy rain eased by mid morning, then dry with the odd sunny spell. The SE light wind switched to a westerly mid afternoon 

South shore (Shaun and Malcolm) 

"Light rain" the forecast said......it was torrential! 

After yesterday's record high count of Mediterranean gulls, today we equalled the all time low count - zero! Not a single Med anywhere along the shore or on the outfalls. By the time we finished the sun had come out! After leaving Shaun went to Sunderland Point checking fields from Heysham to there, and then back to Lancaster. Nothing. Couldn't see any Med Gulls in the estuary either.

Osprey 1 - waiting out the rain hunkered down on the post at the seaward end of No.2 outfall

Osprey, it was still there when we left

Whimbrel 1 on Red Nab

Rock Pipit 4

One wet Rock Pipit

It had stopped when we were at the roundhead. This Herring gull was breaking open a mussel.

Herring Gull

And that was it really, providing more questions than answers as to the circumstances leading to yesterday's high Med count.

I went back in the afternoon sunshine (Malcolm)

Plenty of gulls on Red Nab, but mainly Black-Headed. Just a single Mediterranean gull.

Today's solitary Mediterranean gull 

I walked the tide in, out from Ocean Edge, the only birds feeding along the waterline were 80 Oystercatchers.

A flock of 20 medium sized waders, probably Knot, flew south and joined c200 waders south of the recording area. Quite distant and the light behind them, but most looked to be Grey Plovers.

Curlew 150 resting on the beach.

Lapwing 3 on the saltmarsh 

First returning Lapwings

There were quite a lot of butterflies in the Nature Park

Large White 9

Painted Lady 2

Small Tortoiseshell 3

Small White 1

Specked Wood 3

Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)

The older Coot brood are developing their forehead plate now

The younger ones have a way to go

Common Darter

Green-Veined White

Small White

Silver Y

A particularly nice shot of a Painted Lady