A warm sunny day with a freshening SE breeze.
Middleton Nature Reserve
This from Rosemary and Peter Silvester's visit yesterday
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| Migrant Hawker |
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| Common Darter |
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| Common Darters ovipositoring A Brown Hawker was also ovipositoring |
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| Common Blue Damselfly |
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| The Mute Swan was walking on the track on the western side of Middleton. We were rather surprised to see it there ambling along. |
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| A rather worn Common Blue Butterfly. This shot was taken on a very quick visit to Heysham Nature Reserve. |
Janet checked the southern section of Middleton Nature Reserve today
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| There were four Painted Lady |
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| Small Tortoiseshell |
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| Ruddy Darter |
South Shore
Saltmarsh to Red Nab - Malcolm 09:45 - 10:15
As soon as I reached the saltmarsh a Clouded Yellow flew past. The same area as yesterday's Clouded yellow, but definitely different as yesterday's was a male and today's a female
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| Female Clouded Yellow |
Linnets 23 in one flock
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| Some of the Linnet |
Starlings 50
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| Starlings |
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| Starlings and Linnet |
Wheatear 3
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| Wheatear resting on an Ocean Edge sign |
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| It has a small cyst below its eye |
Rock Pipits 3 between Red Nab and the foreshore
Little Egret 2
The local conditions were ideal for insects coming in of the sea (warm with an east breeze). The tide was out this afternoon which is another key factor to focus them along the sea wall. But of course movement also depends on what is moving and from what distance.
Kevin checked along the sea wall early afternoon.
There were several butterflies coming in along the sea wall. Painted Lady, Red Admiral and Small Tortoiseshells.
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| This Emperor was resting near the pond in the Nature Park |
I set off along the sea wall at 14:45, just as Kevin was returning. (Malcolm)
13 Small Whites in the Nature Park was more than typical here.
Just 1 Red Admiral and 4 Speckled Wood were the only other butterflies
Common Darter 5
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| This Robin was singing its heart out at the gate just before Red Nab |
As I went through the gate another Clouded Yellow flew past. Unfortunately my camera was set for singing Robins, not flitting butterflies and I didn't manage a shot.
I only saw 2 Red Admirals and a Small White as I walked out and just 2 Red Admirals and a Painted Lady as I walked back.
But there clearly had been more movement. On the scrub and brambles between the lighthouse and waterfall there were
Red Admiral 8
Small White 14
Painted Lady 3
Wheatear 2 seen on the way back
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| This particularly rufous Wheatear was almost the same colour as the red sandstone it was resting on |
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| This juvenile male Great Spotted Woodpecker visited my feeders this evening. I've not been seeing any here this summer. |
