First Wheatear of autumn

Some overnight rain, then a dry and sunny day. A west breeze.

South shore - Malcolm 12:00 13:30

Wheatear 1 on the foreshore 

Wheatear

Rock Pipit 3 on Red Nab, this one feeding amongst the rocks

Linnet 3 on Red Nab 

Linnet

Little Egret 3

Little Egret 

There were quite a few large gulls resting towards the end of No.2 outfall
They all lifted twice as I walked along the sea wall. Both times I managed
to locate an Osprey heading south. Probably the same bird.

Osprey

Mediterranean gulls 13 gathered on the feeding beach by the wooden jetty shortly after it became exposed by the ebbing tide. There had only been 2 before the mud was exposed.

Plenty of Sandmason worm tubes showing

There were 12 Mediterranean gulls at this point

This latecomer started by patrolling the outfall, which is uncommon at the best of times, but there were no other gulls feeding on the outfall, so there was unlikely to be much food available. Turned out that this was the Mediterranean gull that chooses to feed close to the outfall, high up the shore.

This juvenile Herring gull in the harbour has found the wing of another juvenile 

It wasn't clear if it was trying to eat it or coax it back to life

Whimbrel 2

This Whimbrel has a less obvious pale crown stripe than typical 

Curlew

Redshank 11

Turnstone 5

Dunlin 8

Ringed Plover 2

There were a few butterflies between the lighthouse and waterfall,
Small White 7, Meadow Brown 3 and this Painted Lady 

Middleton Nature Reserve - Malcolm 16:00 16:45

It looks like it's going to be a hot sunny week, so I checked the main and "no swimming" ponds to set the benchmark for dragonflies. It was surprisingly low!

Just two dragonflies seen, a female Brown Hawker on the "no swimming" pond and a male Black-Tailed Skimmer on the main pond.

No Emperors seen and no Small Red-eyed Damselflies 

There were a few Common Blue and Bluetail Damselflies, but not many.

Common Blue Damselfly 

Common Bluetail Damselfly 

Not really a lot of butterflies either

Small White 3

Gatekeeper 2

Common Blue 1

Small White

Gatekeeper 

Female Common Blue

3 Mute Swans on the main pond plus 2 on the "no swimming" pond

c30 Mallard total both ponds

6 Gadwall "no swimming" pond.

15 Coot and 4 Moorhen total both ponds

Common Snipe flushed from main pond

Male Mallard moulting into breeding plumage 

Gadwall - there are feathers everywhere!