North side Osprey fishing again

Another warm day with sunny spells. A light west breeze.

Heysham skear (Malcolm) 10:00 - 11:30

Yesterday David Kaye saw an Osprey fishing to the south of the skear around lunchtime. It caught a fish and settled on the shore to eat it. Today one began fishing earlier in the tide at 10:30. Initially to the south of the skear, but it continued working its way northwards. At one point it flew over my head, you can hear its call as it spots me.

Not ringed

It didn't catch anything whilst in view. This was as close as it got, but it pulled up just above the water.

Other than that it was pretty quiet

Gulls 150 mainly Herring

Eider 13

Great Crested grebe 4

Little Egret 8

Oystercatcher 300, plus at least another 300 lifted from the outer skear by the Osprey 

Curlew 20

Redshank 40

Turnstone 40

Ringed Plover 6

Ringed Plover

Heysham Nature Reserve

Clouded Yellow north from the Office - Pete

Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)

Three Cormorants on the main pond today.

These shots from yesterday

Small Skipper

Common Darter

South shore (Malcolm) 13:00 - 13:45

I went out onto the shore to check the gulls on Red Nab as the tide approached.

Mediterranean gulls just 4 adult 

Mediterranean gull to the left of centre. This one with a particularly pale face

This one didn't look well, I don't know what the white on its feet and bill is.
Possibly it had been feeding on a limed field? (Wet lime can burn!)

Oystercatcher 800

Curlew 200+ flew south in several flocks

Turnstone 1

Turnstone and Oystercatchers

Knot 1 still largely in summer plumage - this was odd.....

It landed and headed very quickly to the freshwater runoff. The tide is backing 
it up at this point, but it will only be slightly brackish 

It took a drink, then squirted a stream back out

Then took flight again. It was all over in 20 seconds!