Pretty much the same stuff

Mainly overcast with the odd light shower. A light west breeze.

Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet

Silver Y, hovering to feed

Six-spot Burnet

South shore

Shaun managed a quick check of Red Nab and the outfalls this morning 

Mediterranean Gull 11 - 8 adults and 3 x 3cy. 

Janet checked later

One of two Little Egret

No Mediterranean gulls seen

Pied Wagtail with either a mate or young to feed

I checked from 15:45 - 17:15 - Malcolm

In the Nature Park 

Ringlet 6

Meadow Brown 1

Painted Lady 1

Peregrine Falcon 3 - an adult flew across the Nature Park. 2 juveniles were buzzing the gulls around the Power Stations 

Juvenile Peregrine Falcon

I went to watch the feeding beach by the wooden jetty become exposed. I know that there are hardly any Sandmason worm tubes high up the shore, but perhaps any arriving Mediterranean Gulls wouldn't. One adult did turn up as soon it the mud was exposed, but didn't stay long!

You can see that there are some embryonic Sandmason tubes just showing, but clearly no feeding opportunities yet.

It flew over to the beach between the outfalls.......

.......and joined 3 other adult Mediterranean gulls

As I was heading back a 3rd calendar year Mediterranean gull tried feeding
along the waterline of the beach by the wooden jetty, there are a few more
Sandmason worm tubes further out

Shag 1 2nd calendar year on the wooden jetty

Shag, second from the left, with Cormorants 

This shot is from 5 days ago. A Herring gull with 2 chicks on one of the
Harbour platforms 

This is one of the, slightly larger, chicks today. Its sibling was hiding 
behind a bollard, waiting for an adult to return 

Cormorant in the harbour have a spruce up

Gulls on Red Nab. Left to right: Great Black-backed, Lesser Black-backed
and Herring gulls

Curlew c150 in several groups north

Between the lighthouse and the waterfall:

Rock Pipit 1

Pied Wagtail 1

Linnet 7

Goldfinch 2

Most of the Linnet were on the perimeter fence, but this one obliged briefly 

Goldfinch having a drink

Kestrel 1 feeding over the saltmarsh 

More variety today

A few light showers before more consistent rain by evening. A light SW breeze

South shore

I went to watch the tide reach Red Nab - Malcolm 10:00 - 11:15

Mediterranean gulls 14. 10 adult, 1 3rd calendar year and 3 2nd calendar year. They were very flighty again and were lifted off Red Nab twice after everything was spooked by the young peregrines.

They were gathering nicely on Red Nab

Then everything either left to the south or settled on the mud

2nd calendar year Mediterranean gull

A lot of gulls, including Meds returned to Red Nab.
When Pete checked closer to high water there were still 11 Meds

Osprey 1 heading south

I think it has a small fish, presumably a Mullet 

Osprey 

Curlew 194 flew south, many from Red Nab but some directly from the north side

Common Sandpiper 2 flew towards Red Nab out from the sea wall

Common Sandpipers and a Common gull

Plenty of butterflies in the Nature Park, but of the home grown variety, as opposed to migrants.

Small Skipper 1

Large White 3

Ringlet 7

Meadow Brown 2

Comma 1

Gatekeeper 1 - first record this year

Comma

Gatekeeper 

Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet

Red-veined Darter 1 male resting by the bench at the main pond bottom car park

Male Red Veined Darter

Four-spotted Chaser

Well camouflaged Painted Lady

Red Admiral

Small Skipper

Red Soldier Beetle (also known as bonking beetles for some reason)

Alder Leaf Beetle larvae 

There was a dead Water Rail chick by the pond on the southern section 

Heysham skear - Malcolm 15:15 - 16:45

Unfortunately the steady rain started just I was in my favourite area for checking the gulls for rings. There were c400 again, but I only managed to see one of yesterday's again before having to cede to the rain.

This close up allows you to see the form of the colour ring. It is just a curved
strip of very thin plastic sheet. N:47K. We now have its history. Ringed as a chick
on Walney Island 2024, it was also on the skear last year. N:49K which was close
by yesterday, also ringed at Walney 2024, but yesterday was its first sighting.

Sandwich Tern 1 flew north

Great Crested Grebe 1

Curlew c25

Oystercatcher c1000

A bit of ring news

A dry day with intermittent sunshine. Pleasantly cooler (19°C max). A light west breeze

South shore - Janet

Mediterranean gulls with Black-Headed gulls and Curlew
On Red Nab, towards high water

We have received the history of the white ringed Mediterranean gull seen on Saturday, just 28 days earlier it had been seen on its nesting grounds in the Netherlands. Yesterday it was seen at the Conder pool.

Several Painted Lady seen in the Nature Park and Middleton Nature Reserve 

Heyshan skear - Malcolm 15:00 - 1700

Little Egret 9

Great Crested grebe 3 (1 plus 2)

Great Crested grebe and feeding Herring gulls

Gulls c400 most were Herring gulls

The gull just left of centre manages to eat five seed mussels in the duration of this clip.

They feed like this for a short while, but their crops are soon full and then they just rest, often just floating on the sea. Nevertheless, I managed to find four ringed birds, including 3 new ones for this summer.

These two 3rd calendar year Herring gulls could well be siblings 
N:49K eating a seed mussel

And resting just 5m away N:47K. Details awaited 

Oystercatcher 1000+

Curlew 25

Another(?) Yellow-Legged gull

Overnight rain and some light morning showers. Increasing sunshine as the day progressed. A fresh west breeze

Report by Pete Crooks:

Heysham 2 Power Station – 3 Peregrine (adult & 2 juveniles) on ledge near roof, with one of the juveniles practicing its hunting skills by chasing passing Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls 

Heysham Wooden Pier – regular 2nd CY Shag roosting with 8 Cormorant during incoming tide

Heysham Stage 2 Outfall – adult Yellow-legged Gull briefly stood on railing alongside Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Perhaps the same bird as seen by Malcolm on the low-tide skears a couple of days ago.
Red Nab – 7 Mediterranean Gull (2 adults, 3 3rd CY and 2 2nd CY) displaced from HS2 outfalls area by incoming tide.
125 Curlew

Just some shots around Red Nab - Malcolm

They were very flighty, there were none on Red Nab as I approached,
then this lot arrived, but quickly moved on again

Black-Headed gulls, including a juvenile 

Two 3rd calendar year Mediterranean gulls with Black-Headed gulls
Some of these birds would not be visible from the sea wall.

Still very flighty 

Some of the 2nd calendar year Meds with Curlew in front

Some of the Curlew with a 2cy Med behind

The gulls ended up on the shore out from the play area.
Black-Headed gull with 2cy Med (right)

Middleton Industrial Estate Main Pond – Pete Crooks 

A gusty wind and only intermittent morning sunshine were not ideal for looking for flying insects.
Dragonflies – Emperor, female Common Darter, Black-tailed Skimmer and Four-spotted Chaser, but none of the scarcer species seen in recent days.
Butterflies – 2 Painted Lady, 2 Gatekeeper, 3 Small Skipper, 1 Green-veined White, 2 Speckled Wood

These on the southern section - Janet

Common Darter with breakfast 

Common Blue Damselfly 

There were so many Ringlets!

Brown China-mark

Large Skipper

Peacock Butterfly caterpillar spotted by Angela Gillon