Bee Orchids out, but not abundant

A fresh SW wind. Sunny spells with a couple of light showers.

Heysham Skear (Malcolm)

Two checks, but didn't really see much. A short check this morning as the skear was being exposed then a longer check after lunch at low water.

Eider 2

Great Crested Grebe 1

Great Crested grebe, doing a spot of surfing 

Little Egret 4

Oystercatcher 50 were the only waders this morning. By this afternoon there were 350 and joined by a Curlew.

Gulls 150 this morning, 500 this afternoon. One previously seen ringed bird was seen, but many of the gulls were hunkered down when not actually feeding.

Some of this morning's gulls

I suspect that we have passed peak gull numbers here. There are now mussels of every size. Seed mussels continue to arrive, but they now tend to be packed tightly between larger mussels and presumably harder to remove.

A sample of the mussel beds, you can see plenty of small mussels but tightly 
packed. The days of easy pickings are drawing to a close.

Imperial Rd (Malcolm)

I stopped off on my way home from the skear on both occasions. 

From the road in the morning, with the light behind you, it is easy to view the bush where the Stonechat nest is. The male is still regularly taking food, and was still calling. Although, I think more accurately, he was shouting at me today and wouldn't go to the nest till I moved further away. The traffic in the background is the bypass (Bay Gateway).

Buzzard one seen flying into the copse and at least one almost constantly calling from the copse.

Sedge Warbler still taking food to the nest

This female Linnet was collecting Reedmace seedhead for nest lining
the male was watching over her close by.

You can just about make out a Buzzard call in this clip

When she flew back to a bush the male followed and perched on top of the bush.

This is the bush where the nest will be, the male perched above

Male Linnet

Middleton Nature Reserve 

These shots by Janet

Swallows

House Martin 

Pheasant 

Faded Burnet Companion 

Common Green Grasshopper 

Janet maned to locate a single Bee Orchid.

Meanwhile Kevin Eaves was also checking for Bee Orchids and he also managed to find a single specimen, but not the same one as Janet, so there are at least two out there.

First two Bee Orchids of the year.