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
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| Male Banded Demoiselle |
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| Black-Tailed Skimmer |
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| Azure Blue Damselflies |
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| Green Lacewing |
These shots by Janet on the southern section of the reserve
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| Azure Blue Damselflies |
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| Broad-bodied Chaser |
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| Burnet Companion |
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| Silver Y |
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| Brimstone |
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| This is one of the Mute Swans from the "no swimming" pond It has a metal ring |
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| 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
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| Nine male Eider |
Red-breasted Merganser 1
Great Crested Grebe 1
Little Egret 5
Gulls c350 mainly Herring
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| 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
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| 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
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| 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
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| Rock Pipit between the lighthouse and waterfall |
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| 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.
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| 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
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| Painted Lady |
Then between the lighthouse and waterfall there were:
Silver Y 10
Cinnabar 2
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| Silver Y feeding on the tiny Sea-milkwort plants on the roundhead |
This Silver Y is feeding on the bramble flowers
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| Cinnabar moth |
Just out of the recording area - Heysham Moss Nature Reserve - Janet
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| Buzzard crossing over the bypass |
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| Four-Spotted Chaser showing its hairy underside |
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| Common Heath |
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| Brown Silver-line |
