Tuesday, 26 May 2026

RVD arrive, plus a Demoiselle

Another hot (27°C) sunny day, with a light NW to W breeze

Seawatch report - Pete
As expected not much on the sea but bit of mammalian magic with two porpoise and a grey seal in scope at same time. 
Otherwise 
3 sandwich tern in
1 guillemot out 
10 greylag in including leucistic bird
Definitely a pair of Rock pipit on north harbour wall in 36V

Middleton Nature Reserve 
These shots at the main pond by Peter and Rosemary Silvester


Male Banded Demoiselle 

Black-Tailed Skimmer

Azure Blue Damselflies 

Green Lacewing

These shots by Janet on the southern section of the reserve
Azure Blue Damselflies

Broad-bodied Chaser

Burnet Companion 

Silver Y

Brimstone 

This is one of the Mute Swans from the "no swimming" pond
It has a metal ring

The main pond Heron was panting in the heat

Later Pete and Jean checked from the bottom car park
Red-Veined Darter at least 2 males were flying very quickly over the water. They kept heading for the SW corner.

Heysham skear - Malcolm 11:15 - 12:45
Eider 16 mainly males
Nine male Eider
Red-breasted Merganser 1
Great Crested Grebe 1
Little Egret 5
Gulls c350 mainly Herring 
This green ringed Herring gull is an old friend from last summer, I saw it at
lest 10 times! Ringed in Bowland in 2024, unfortunately it hasn't been seen
since it left us last August 

Sandwich Tern 5 - 4 south and 1 hanging around 
Sandwich Tern

Oystercatcher c800
Curlew 24 - 10 and 13 south plus 1 feeding
Sanderling 7 - none until I was getting ready to leave then 7 arrived, fed a while then continued north
Sanderling 

Dunlin 6 north
Painted Lady 25 north all singles and reasonably evenly spaced at 15 per hour
Red Admiral 2 north

South shore Malcolm 15:45 - 17:00
Osprey 1 on the post at the end of No.2 outfall
Rock Pipit 3 in the inner harbour 
Rock Pipit between the lighthouse and waterfall
Linnet 4 between the lighthouse and waterfall 
Linnet

The Carrion Crow's nest on one of the platforms isn't abandoned after all. There were at least two chicks panting in the heat. No sign of the adults again, but they must be feeding the chicks.
Carrion Crow chicks


There were no insects seen along the sea wall itself. It is best here with the wind from the east. But between the saltmarsh and Red Nab there were:
Small White 12
Painted Lady 5
Common Blue 9
Silver Y 8
Painted Lady

Then between the lighthouse and waterfall there were:
Silver Y 10
Cinnabar 2
Silver Y feeding on the tiny Sea-milkwort plants on the roundhead

This Silver Y is feeding on the bramble flowers


Cinnabar moth

Just out of the recording area - Heysham Moss Nature Reserve - Janet
Buzzard crossing over the bypass


Four-Spotted Chaser showing its hairy underside 


Common Heath


Brown Silver-line



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