Odd absence of Willow Warblers

A hot dry day with sunny spells. A light variable breeze, calm at times.

Middleton Nature Reserve

These moths from overnight Middleton NR actinic trap - Pete

Orange Swift

agapeta hamana

pale prominent 

Kingfisher early am and quite a few migrant warblers but no Willow Warblers at all! 

Ringing report by Jean:

Caught 47 birds, 41 of which were caught before 9am.
Goldfinch 15
Whitethroat 9
Lesser Whitethroat 5
Blackcap 5
Sedge Warbler 2
Reed Warbler 2
Chiffchaff 2
Great Tit 2
Swallow 1
Blackbird 1
Robin 1
Dunnock 1
Wren 1

Common Buzzard 2 over Janet's house mid morning 

Heysham skear (Malcolm) 09:30 - 11:00

I only checked along the northern edge and presumably there were also plenty of birds on the outer skear.

Eider 35, including this raft which includes well grown youngsters 

Eider, with a Honeycomb worm reef in the foreground 

Great Crested grebe 12  - no juveniles seen today

Great Crested grebes 

Little Egret 21

Little Egret

Gulls c200 mainly Herring + 25 Black-Headed

Oystercatcher 300

Curlew 30

Redshank 45

Turnstone 60

Ringed Plover 10

Dunlin 3

South shore (Malcolm) 16:30 - 18:00

I went to see if there were any insects coming in off the sea. There were small black flies everywhere, but particularly along the foreshore. They were constantly getting in my eyes, and you had to keep your moth shut. I would have worn a mask if I had one with me. Fortunately there wasn't so many along the sea wall, even so the spider webs between the fence rails were all full of them.

These black flies were everywhere, probably Kelp flies. They were fortunate 
that today's warm weather allowed them to emerge before the high spring tide
swamped them. Although I doubt these feel particularly fortunate!

By this time the breeze was from the north, not ideal. The only butterflies seen to come in/off were:

Small Tortoiseshell 2

Red Admiral 2

Painted Lady 1

The Painted Lady immediately began feeding on Ragwort in the scrub near
the lighthouse. The Gatekeeper next to it is probably a resident 

Rock Pipit 3

Wheatear 1

Wheatear on Red Nab

Whimbrel 3 individual birds

Whimbrel

Curlew 100+ flew to the north side in small groups

Oystercatchers over a silver sea

Cormorants 30+ most on the wooden jetty

This juvenile Cormorant was checking out the area

Shag 1 juvenile on the wooden jetty.

Juvenile Shag (middle)

In the Nature Park

Large White 5

Red Admiral 3

Small Tortoiseshell 3

Peacock 2

Meadow Brown 2

Speckled Wood 3

Common Blue 5

Common Darter 2

Male Common Darter