Another dry sunny day with a light variable breeze.
Seawatch report - Pete - 0620-0800:
Pretty dead this morning at Heysham after first 20 mins - should been there earlier.
41 Sandwich tern in (16? of these out)
Gannet c19
guillemot 7
razorbill/guillemot 2
common scoter 23
Avocet 1 in - first, possibly the only, one of the year.
Canada goose 2
whimbrel 2
Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)
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| Common Whitethroat |
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| Four-Spotted Chaser - first of the year Also a glimpse of a dragonfly with a blue abdomen |
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| Female Orange Tip |
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| Small Heath |
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| Cranbus lathoniellus |
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| Noon Fly |
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| Second day in a row a large military plane flew low over the reserve |
Heysham skear (Malcolm). 11:45 - 13:45
Eider 7
Little Egret 2
Oystercatcher 1,300
Whimbrel 6
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| Whimbrel |
Dunlin 4
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| Dunlin |
Swallow 2 north
Gulls 850 - mainly Herring but c50 Lesser Black-Backed
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These neap tides do not expose much of the skear and the gulls were waiting for the seed mussels to become exposed. |
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| Not always patiently |
At least it was possible to get closer to the gulls today and I managed to read five ringed birds, all from the North West England gull project - see the link to this scheme on the sidebar
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| One Lesser Black-Backed...... |
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| ....and Four Herring gull - note the Whimbrel in the background Details of all birds awaited |
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| Then the low military plane went over. It really was quite intimidating, particularly when its shadow zipped over me and everything around me! |
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| It lifted everything! |
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| Look how lush the gutweed is now in places. The oxygen released by photosynthesis becomes trapped in the tubes it is made of, when it is like this, it's similarity to gas filled guts is obvious. |
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| Barrel Jellyfish |
