Curlew Sandpiper and a new Cricket

Lots of waders on sand out from Ocean Edge salt marsh at high water this morning, most in a mixture of summer plumage and winter plumage, and all stages in between. This will be the last neap tide not to cover the mud for a while.

Knot 1015
Bar-tailed Godwit 87
Grey plover 198
Dunlin 70
Curlew Sandpiper - one adult moulting
Sanderling  1

Sandwich tern - 3 adult
Little Egret 9
Rock pipit - 1 on salt marsh
Skylark 1 on Ocean Edge foreshore, later 1, possibly same bird, overhead south.

Linda Renshaw located a Speckled Bush Cricket on Heysham Nature Reserve. First for here.

Also at HNR
Goldcrest 2 - first of autumn
Grey wagtail  5 colour ringed.

Bank holiday tourists

South shore - 15:00 - 17:00
Wheatear - minimum 16
Rock Pipits 4 - 2 near lighthouse, 2 on Red Nab
Whinchat - 2 Red Nab

one of the Whinchat with a Wheatear

This bird was only seen briefly on PS razor wire near wooden jetty. Side in view was in shade, but is either a female or a juvenile Redstart (MD)

Skylark 1. This bird was resting on westen end of Ocean Edge foreshore

Mediterranean gulls 2 near wooden jetty.

Middleton Nature Reserve - mid morning
Cooler than last couple of days this morning, before sun broke through.
Mute - 1 pair with 5 young on main pond. 2 adult together on Tim Butler.
Coot - 1 on "no swimming" pond, plus 1 new arrival on main pond
Moorhen 6
Gadwall 10
Tufted 1 male
Little grebe 5 (2 x sp)

Bit cool for dragonflies, but still:
Emperor 1
Common darter 6
Migrant Hawker 3

Hopefully more later.

Sunday - insect action day

Middleton Nature Reserve - lunchtime
Tufted duck 1 male - on "no swimming" pond. First record this "autumn" but the liklihood is that it has been around a while and overlooked.

The hot sunny weather meant there was a lot of insect activity.
Butterflies:
Gatekeeper c10
Meadow Brown 2 (today's walk excluded most of the meadowlands)
Painted Lady c30 (half of them worn, half fresh)
Red Admiral 1
Peacock 1
Small White 3
Small Heath 3
Small Tortoiseshell 6
Common Blue c20
Wall Brown - a bright orange and black butterfly flew low straight and fast, till out of sight. It appeared to be a Wall, but couldn't be relocated and confirmed.
No Speckled Wood seen, despite checking likely habitats (too hot?)
Brimstone 1

Dragonflies:
Common Darter c30
Emperor 5
Brown Hawker 6
Migrant Hawker 2 + 3 other unidentified small hawkers
Broad-bodied Chaser - there was a freshly dead male on water surface of the new scrapes, plus this aging male on the seasonal pools to west of Tim Butler pond.

Saturday - insects in day

The warm weather and east breeze again brought insects in over sea wall between the wooden jetty and lighthouse, at low water. Although nothing exotic today.
Between 12:15 and 13:00, the following buterflies were seen coming in over the wall:
Painted Lady 14
Small Tortoiseshell 10
Small White 2
Red Admiral 1
No dragonflies seen today, but there were lots of smaller insects. Many of these stop for a rest as soon as they reach the top of the sea wall. This returning Wheatear was happily picking them off.

Until it was chased off, by what is presumed to be one of the breeding Rock Pipit.

Two more Rock Pipit watch on from the lighthouse.

Mediterranean gulls - 20 (including 3 juveniles) on beach beside wooden jetty 12:30

Swallow 9 south

Middleton Nature Reserve - evening
Water Rail 2 calling

Friday - anting day

Middleton Nature Reserve - early evening
Little grebe 5 (2 x sp, 2 x wp/j, plus at least one chick). All on "no swimming" pond.
Migrant Hawker 2

Gulls and swallows feeding on flying ants

Some of the swallows taking a rest from anting.

Skua freighted in.

Arctic Skua - 1 juvenile followed 17:00 freight ferry in, then continued on into bay.

Kittiwake - 2 adult plus 1 x 1cy around harbour mouth

Mediterranean gulls - 3 juvenile on outflows c2 hour after high water

Wednesday

Mediterranean gulls - just 15 on beach near wooden jetty. 11:30

Tuesday

Only limited coverage for next three days.

Mediterranean gulls - 36 on beach near wooden jetty 11:00. 1 juvenile on No.2 outflow

Record Med numbers over last two days

Mediterranean gulls
Sunday at least 73 seen on Red Nab roost and feeding area near jetty.
Today at least 76 in same locations.

These are some of yesterday's, there were 62 Meds, plus other gulls, feeding on beach 4 hours before high water.

Little gull - adult seen both days around outflows.

Rock pipit 1 on Red Nab and 1 near lighthouse Sunday

Nothing seen moving off shore.

Migrant Hawker - 5 on Middleton Nature Reserve

Cumbrian Bonxie

Seawatching from Knowlys road on the early incoming tide was beset by continuous sunlight and great detail on vehicles on Barrow coast road, so a complete blank might have been in order.  However:

Great Skua - one distantly in, then lost after switching to following the scoter flock
Common Scoter - 6 out (flock)
Sandwich Tern - ad out

Red Nab/outfalls
Med Gull - 26 plus feeding between Heysham one and the wooden jetty including white LCG.  Later 56 on Red Nab, the most seen here in one scope view, albeit from half way along Ocean Edge
18 2CY, 8 juv, rest Ad/3CY
Little Gull - adult outfalls

 

Rock Pipit - looks like worn adult - by the lighthouse - usually one or two still around the breeding site area