It was an ill wind.....

Overnight rain then amazingly a dry day with a sunny afternoon. A strong west wind.

North shore - Janet

Oystercatchers just out from Heysham Village, before flying to the Heliport
roost. The one with a white leucistic head is among them

South shore  

Malcolm 14:45 - 16:00

Nothing of note blown in by the strong wind, or at least nothing seen.

Wheatear 2 - one on Red Nab and another near the lighthouse 

Wheatear

Pied Wagtail 1 along the foreshore 

Rock Pipit 4 - one along the foreshore and three on Red Nab

There is some nice gutweed in this shot, but this is near the freshwater runoff,
generally on Red Nab the hot dry spell has left it with lower amounts of gutweed 
than typical at this time of year. There is still time for it to become more lush, but I
expect it to be "disappointing" for the returning Wigeon and Brent Geese

Several lots of Oystercatcher flew to Red Nab, likely including the ones
seen by Janet earlier

No Cormorants on the rails today, they were all hunkered down on the boards

This Black-Headed gull looked to be living dangerously, but it was actually feeding on the flotsam below the north roundhead

In the Nature Park

Red Admiral 2

Small White 6

Common Darter 7

Male Common Darter

Female Common Darter

This Small White seemed to be visiting every floret on this Buddleia. The little time spent at each suggesting that the cupboard was bare.

Pete- Nothing in 30 min Seawatch mid pm (but Leachs out past Rossall 1900hrs).  

c10 Mediterranean gulls red nab 

53 shelduck nearby on mud  

Middleton Nature Reserve - Malcolm

Just a wildfowl check of the two largest ponds

Main Pond

Mute Swan 2

Mallard 12

Little Grebe 2

Coot 3

Cormorant 1

Cormorant and Little Grebe

Little Grebe still in summer plumage

"No swimming" pond

No Mute Swan

Tufted Duck 2 females

Gadwall 1 male

Mallard 1 female

Coot 9

Moorhen 3

Tufted Duck

Gadwall

I am currently attracting a lot of birds to my feeders (Malcolm). Bolstered by large numbers of young birds, especially Goldfinch and House Sparrow. This inevitably attracts the small bird eaters!

This male Sparrowhawk was on my fence, you can hear the alarm calls of the other birds. He knew I was there, but he also knew how to make me disappear....

.......and there I was.....gone, at least from his point of view