I set a couple of nets this morning while I carried out some maintenance on other ringing rides. Expectations were low as many birds are now on territory and use of Mp3 lures is very restricted during the breeding season to avoid disruption to birds on territory. There was plenty of bird song from the usual warbler species here.
Seven birds only caught :
Great Tit - retrap from this year
Willow Warbler - also from April this year
Reed Warbler - ringed here April 2024
Cetti's Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Reed Warbler and Blackbird - one each ringed as new birds.
Janet had a quick look this evening
Female Black-Tailed Skimmer - first of the year 
Common Blue Damselfly 
The Mute Swans were on the "no swimming" pond
Heysham skear (Malcolm) 07:15 - 08:45
Low water was 06:30 so the tide was covering the skear during my walk.
Canada goose 1 low to the north
Canada Goose
Eider 9
Sandwich Tern 1
Sandwich Tern
Great Crested Grebe 5 (2, 2 and 1)
Great Crested Grebes
Little Egret 4
Grey Heron 1
Grey Heron
The presence of gulls is obvious in the above shots, there were 1,200+, mainly Herring gulls. But as the tide covers the skear, most of the gulls just drift off with the tide. I did spot two green ringed birds, but it was only possible to read one.
One of North West UK gull project birds - details awaited
Oystercatcher 1,200
Curlew 1
Whimbrel 3 - this one finds a crab and a gull immediately tries to pinch it. The whimbrel takes it some distance before preparing it for swallowing.
Even suitably "prepared", it took some swallowing! 
But it looks pleased with itself when completed
South sea wall
Kevin checked first:
There were quite a few insects on the sea wall today, as expected with the warm weather and Easterly wind. Here are a couple of them.
White-pinion Spotted 
Turnip Sawfly
I checked this evening when the tide was out (Malcolm). The tide being out helps to bring migrating insects along the wall, and butterflies were coming in off in reasonable numbers.
Red Admiral 49 - they were coming in at a steady rate I saw 21 as I walked out along the wall and 20 on the return leg. The other 8 seen coming in/off near the lighthouse and between lighthouse and the waterfall. The Red Admiral were on a mission! I didn't see one stop to feed or rest, they just ploughed through into the wind.
This is about as good a view of them as you get
Painted Lady 7 - first of the year - in contrast only two were seen heading along the sea wall, the others feeding on the bird's-foot trefoil in the scrub near the lighthouse.
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| Painted Lady |
Small White 3 seen coming in/off
Common Blue - none were seen along the sea wall, but there were 20+ in the scrub near the lighthouse. So I thought them residents. But checking from the lighthouse I saw two fly up the sloping sea wall, suggesting they may have come in off.
Common Blue flying up the sloping sea wall 
Another resting on the sloping sea wall
Apart from the butterflies there wasn't many other insects moving through, 4 bees sp a Ladybird sp and a Crane fly.
This is a large Caddisfly, Kevin also it or another earlier.
Easily 2cm long without the antennae, pretty sure its Phryganea grandis
Rock Pipit 2 - one on Red Nab and this one above the sloping sea wall near the lighthouse.
Rock Pipit, also watching for insects coming in off the sea.
