Heysham Nature Reserve
Report by Jean:
I did some ringing at the reserve this morrning. I caught 31 birds between 10am and 1:30pm, 26 new birds and 5 retraps. Only 2 birds were adults (a male Goldfinch and a female Blackbird).
Great Tit 11 (inc 3 retraps)
Blue Tit 4 (inc 1 retrap)
Goldfinch 4
Bullfinch 3
Dunnock 3
Greenfinch 2
Robin 2
Whitethroat 1
Blackbird 1 (a retrap from 2024)
South shore
Shaun Coyle had a walk along the sea wall 07:00 - 09:00
Osprey 1 caught a smallish fish and settled on the post at the seaward end of No.2 outfall to eat it. It wasn't seen which direction it left.
Mediterranean gulls 15 minimum, likely 18 adult, 4 2cy and 2 3cy
Black-Headed gulls 135 including 7 juveniles
Little egret 4
Eider 3
Rock Pipits 3 around the lighthouse area
Pipits sp 10 were on the wooden jetty, but not possible to confirm species with a scope in two halves!
I checked 09:30 - 10:30 (Malcolm)
Mediterranean gulls confirming at least 24
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| This is the beach between the outfalls, all but 2 of these are Med gulls. There were at least 5 more on the seaward edge of the beach next to the wooden jetty |
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| Just one white ringed bird, but it is the one already recorded this year |
These are the three Rock Pipits near the lighthouse, all adult or sub adult.
I couldn't see any Pipits on the jetty. The adult Rock Pipits often feed their fledglings on the jetty, but 10 is a high number. It will have to remain a mystery, for now at least.
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| Rock Pipit on Red Nab after a bath |
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| I knew a Herring gull was sitting on the platform furthest from the waterfall, she has now hatched three chicks, possibly more..... |
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| This is the middle platform, I haven't seen any gulls sitting here, and there is no sign of a nest. But this Herring gull has a chick there, and it certainly didn't fly there by itself. |
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| Solitary Herring gull chick. I wonder if a Great Black-Backed has grabbed it then been forced to drop it again. If so, extremely lucky! But more problems lay ahead. One to watch out for. |
This Herring gull was cleaning out a mussel shell.
Peregrine Falcon 2 over the Power Stations
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| Juvenile Whitethroat in the Nature Park |
Janet is away for a well earned break, so we're a bit thin on the ground for the next three weeks.
