Yellow Brow just makes it before the weather changes

It remained dry with sunny spells. A light SE breeze to begin with but freshening. By the evening the forecasted showers started.

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Report by Alan:

This morning was the last possible mist netting day for the next week with westerly winds forecast.

I set just two nets by the office building from 09.00 to around 13.30 with 61 birds captured.

The nets were then taken down as larger numbers of local retraps were being caught and the wind was becoming too strong.

The majority caught were Goldfinches (20 ringed plus 14 retraps).  Small numbers of Dunnock, Goldcrest, Chiffchaff, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit and Blue Tit were also trapped.

 

The star of the morning was a Yellow-browed Warbler caught and ringed with colour rings as part of a National project to help learn more about The Autumnal movements of the species and their wintering grounds.

Yellow-browed Warbler 

South shore (Malcolm) 08:30 -09:00

Just a quick check from the saltmarsh to Red Nab

Linnet 45

Wheatear 6

Reed Bunting 1

Wheatears

Reed Bunting

Shelduck 300+ they were everywhere!

Just a fraction of the Shelduck 

Wigeon 50+ around Red Nab, many obscured by the rocks.

Wigeon and Shelduck

This caterpillar was behind the foreshore rocks. It was huge! I estimated 7.5cm

I placed it on a rock, expecting it to crawl off and show its full length.
But it curled up in a ball and played dead! I returned it to safe cover.
It turned out to be a caterpillar of a Fox Moth.

Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)

2 Roe deer, Migrant Hawker and Common Darter

Good to see the pond full of ducks and a Cormorant but very frustrating having no camera... 

Heysham skear (Malcolm) 14:15 - 15:15

It was quiet out here today. The only birds seen on the sea were Cormorants, gulls and a single Eider.

Immature Eider

Little Egret 4

Gulls 50

Oystercatcher 600 (it's never really quiet with this many Oystercatcher around you!)

Curlew 45

Redshank 80

Knot 16

Turnstone 60

Ringed Plover 7

Oystercatcher and Knot