Terns hang around

The winds eased slightly today, getting wild again tomorrow. Rain pretty much on and off all day.

Only two reports so far, hopefully more later

Mediterranean gull 1 adult plus 2  x 2nd calendar year flew south, early in the tide from Red  Nab. No others seen

Common Tern At least 4 on and between the two outflows about an hour before high water.

The winds may have eased, but the sea is still "well developed" and the waves will quickly build as the wind increases tomorrow.

A good year for Fulmar!

Very strong SW winds all day, heavy driving rain in the morning, more showery by evening.

The rain was horizontal at high water 10:30. This was compounded with driving sea spray. You'd have to be a fool to venture along the south wall....... Anyway, this is what I saw (MD)
Common Tern - just one feeding on No.2 outflow. Later (11:15) two, together, battled past the lighthouse.

It was just possible to use a camera sheltering from the wind and rain behind the lighthouse. This was one of the two just out from the roundhead wall.

A second visit just after low water (17:30) the rain had eased off, and of course no driving sea spray.
Common Tern - 4 feeding on No.2 outflow

Fulmar 2 out past round head 18:40 and 18:45.

After that the rain started again, so I called it a day. In 2019 there were a total of 4 Fulmar records. I've just had a quick check and so far in 2020 there have been 26, including nine seen by Shaun on 29th June.

Watching mussels grow!

Light westerly breezes. Some rain for most of the day, but a little sunshine by evening.

Not much to report. So far all I have is the merger fare from my check of the skeer at low water 16:40. (MD).
Todays title reflects the highlights, it is somewhere between "watching paint dry" and "watching grass grow"!
Little Egret 12
Great Crested Grebe 3 in summer plumage.
The only waders were Oystercatchers and Curlew.
This Herring gull was diving for crabs

Not as elegant as a tern, but not bad!

Now the mussel growing bit.....
On 16th June I posted the picture below of the seed mussels on the skeer. At this stage they are still anchored to the skeer stones. I said at the time that within a month they could be sat on a metre of unconsolidated mud.

This is the same area today. Only two weeks on and they are already almost a metre high in some places. The only thing they are anchored to now are each other. But it isn't enough, the fast ebbing spring tides undermine the edges of the mud, leaving them vulnerable to storms.

These days, the winter storms clear the remaining mussels, but they will be very lucky to last that long this year. The significance of this, of course, are that these mussels are a prime food source for some diving birds, particularly Eider.  I'll probably provide an update in a month or so - meanwhile you'll just have to contain your excitement!

From storm to flat calm

There was hardly any breeze this morning, and the sea, that just two days ago was a brown and white tempest, was a blue mirror! Later a gentle west breeze picked up and it was quite warm in the afternoon when the sun came out.

Red Nab on late Incoming tide - brief check (PM)
Mediterranean gull - one adult  Darvic ringed with what appeared to be yellow letters on dark blue background - four characters.
Six altogether (4 2cy, one 3cy and the above Ad).

Lighthouse area around 10:00 (MD)
Just a quick check.
Nothing on outflows

Rock Pipits
A bird waiting above nest hole with food in its bill. I assumed it would take the food to the hole when I backed off, but then it was joined by a second bird begging.

It was given one portion of food

The recipient didn't look like a juvenile (to me - I  could be wrong)

It kept begging and was fed two more times

The donator, now on left, went off with an empty bill. The recipient, retained the last portion of food in its bill and flew off towards the nest hole.

My interpretation, for what it's worth, was that this was the male feeding the female, who is either
laying or sitting on a second brood of eggs or small chicks.

Middleton Nature Reserve 
Preliminary ringing report - Juvenile  Cetti’s was caught in western marsh and a reasonable selection of young and adult Warblers

Moth traps (PM)
Western marsh -  Agonopterix conterminella identity confirmed by John Girdley. Really nice catch including four species of Wainscot and 17 Double Dart with a further 6 Double Dart in central marsh trap.

 Silky Wainscot western and central marsh traps 

 Agonopterix conterminella

morning (JP) afternoon (MD)
Mute Swan - pair with 5 cygnets plus 2 adult and 2 2cy on main pond. Pair with 3 cygnets on "no swimming" pond. 1 adult on Tim Butler pond.
Coot 5 adult 2 young
Moorhen 6
Mallard 7 plus 1 with at least 9 well developed young
Tufted duck 1 male in eclipse
Little grebe 1 in summer plumage.


Dragonflies:
Black-Tailed Skimmer c5
Brown Hawker 1
Emperor several

Emerald damselfly

Butterflies:
Plenty of Gatekeeper and Small Skippers. Plus
Comma 2
Ringlet 5

Thanks Janet

Still a few bits of interest about

The wind quickly eased to almost nothing, mainly overcast with just a few light showers.

Harbour and outfalls:  0500-0730. (SC)
Little Gull  1 adult
Mediterranean Gull 1 adult
Kittiwake 6 adult + 1 2nd cy.
Sandwich Tern 4
Common Tern 2.
Gannet 2.
Fulmar 1.

South wall and Harbour (MD)
late morning:
Kittiwake - Still 3 adult and 1 2nd calendar year

 

2cy bird

Rock pipits
1 adult with 2 juveniles on Red Nab - these are not the lighthouse nesting birds.
1 adult each Ocean Edge foreshore and lighthouse area.

One of the juvenile Rock pipits

Early evening
Kittiwake still 1 adult
Mediterranean gull - some roosting with BHGs on Red Nab others in small groups on the mud.
Minimum numbers. Adult 6, 3cy 4, 2cy 2. Earlier, Kevin saw two adult feeding on beach next to wooden jetty - this is good news as this area has previously been their favoured feeding area.

3cy + 2cy on left another 2cy right

Rock pipits - adult with 2 juveniles still on Red Nab. The lone bird near lighthouse was seen taking food to the nest. Presumably feeding the female.

Rock pipit taking food to nest hole in the wall.

Kevin located this Yellow-tail moth caterpillar on his daily circuit

 Not particularly uncommon, but probably a first for this square SD35Z

The storm, reluctantly, delivers a Petrel.

Strong SW wind easing slightly during the day. Heavy showers in the morning, but afternoon onwards largely dry.

Pete(M) managed three hours sea watching early to mid morning from Heysham:
Common Tern 3 No.2 outflow, these were present, at least till mid afternoon.
Fulmar 3 - fairly quickly, then just one other sea bird in the next 2.5hrs
Storm Petrel 1 - moving slowly in before being lost from view.

Stone Jetty  0630-0930 (SC)
Gannet 5,
Fulmar 9 (Nine is more than twice the total records for this species last year!)7
Manx Shearwater 4
Common Tern 5
Arctic Tern 1
All above moving out -  Nothing from 0930-1030.

Lighthouse and outflows mid afternoon (KE and MD)
Kittiwake 2 single adult out
Common Tern 2, probably 3 singles out, plus the three on No2 outflow
Sandwich Tern at least 1 on No.2 outflow

Picture by Kevin, very dificult in today's conditions.

It's still forecast windy tomorrow, but not storm force. Hopefully there will be waifs and strays about

Terns and a turn

As forecast the SW wind blew hard all day, often accompanied with driving rain.

6:15-11:30 everything heading south past the Stone Jetty (NG)
Eider 33 (78 here on 20/6)
Great crested grebe 1
Sandwich tern 1
Arctic tern 3
Common tern 2
Little tern 1
Little gull 1 ad
Gannet 15
Fulmar 3
Manx shearwater 2
Oystercatcher 291
Knot 24
Curlew 9

At least 10 Terns Heysham outfalls, but conditions horrendous - at least two Arctic and three Common and one Little - rest not sure.  The Little and two Arctic were furthest out but the whole lot gave me the impression they didn’t want to be there as opposed to feeding.
LIttle gull 1 x2cy (PM)

Later, some of the Common did come nearer the wall to feed (MD).

Another excellent moth from Kevin's trap yesterday - Marbled White Spot.

It's the first record for Heysham, and is a moth that's been expanding its range northwards and westwards in recent years. It's now starting to appear in North Lancashire/South Cumbria. Usually a moorland species, so may have originated from Heysham Moss.

The "turn" in the heading refers to the Seatruck. It almost reached the harbour, but both the wind and the incoming tide were driving it. It must have been moving too quickly, so the captain turned it round and they sailed back out to deeper water.

It was a lot wilder than these pictures suggest, the waves do not really develop until the tide is moving in the oposite direction to the wind. The Seatruck must have waited until the tide was ebbing, it was safely berthed in the harbour when I returned at 19:00,

Complete change in the weather

Strong SW wind built up during the day. Heavy showers, but some sunshine. The wind is set to strengthen overnight and continue throughout tomorrow and Tuesday.

So far no reports of any seabirds

Middleton Nature Reserve - main pond early afternoon
Just a quick circuit between showers.
Darters - four seen in flight. It wasn't possible to confirm the species of any of them. But one flew to the middle of pond when flushed by a Reed Bunting. Too distant to follow or see colour.
Little Grebe 1 adult

Cetti's Warbler 1 - singing vigorously from a new area. The developing bushes between the SW corner of the main pond and the hedgerow before the footpath. Not heard one singing here before, possibly the "no swimming" bird extending its territory, or perhaps a new bird. Any records of further singing or calls from this area would be appreciated.

Hopefully more later.

First juvenile Med gull arrives

It started of overcast and sticky, rain later in the morning didn't freshen things up much. A fresh westerly in the afternoon plus sunny spells.
As expected in these conditions, there was no in off insect movement near the lighthouse today.

Pete (M) timed his brief visit well:
Middleton Nature Reserve - main pond
Red-Veined Darter - 1 male east centre over the pond when I got there but it moved towards the eastern shore and was chased out of sight into the SE corner.  It was not seen again in the next 30 minutes.
Banded Demoiselle 1 male headed along edge to same corner
By the end of the 30 minutes, even the Common Blue damselfly activity had decreased.

Red Nab
Mediterranean gull -   Just 7 - one was a juvenile , first this year, one adult,  two 3cy and 3 2cy.  Other adults may have anticipated a higher tide and gone straight to the Lune

This splendid moth was in Kevin's overnight trap.

Old Lady

Warmth and east breeze brings in the RVD

Very warm with east breeze all day and constant sunshine.

Middleton Nature Reserve (SR)
Ringlet 10+ seen along the grassy paths. Again, the most abundant butterfly

It was established last year that in these conditions insects fly in off the sea focused on the west facing wall next to the lighthouse. This is especially the case when the tide is out when this wall is the only direct sea to land site for many miles. 

It proved to be so today (MD). The best records being:

Red-Veined Darter 5 males

All records below from strip between waterfall and lighthouse. 

Morning - tide out

Lots of butterflies quickly moving east. Only counted on the first traverse from waterfall to lighthouse. 10:15 - 10:25.

Small White 31

Large White 3

Red Admiral 7

Small Tortoiseshell  8

Meadow Brown  8

Gatekeeper 2

When I got to Lighthouse, butterflies were coming in off at the rate of 5 per minute. Pretty much in line with the above ratio, although later they were joined by Painted Lady, but no more than 5.

I didn't see a dragonfly till 10:45, only a glimpse but it looked to be a Four-spotted Chaser.

In the next 5 minutes two Darters came in but didn't settle just kept flying east. One was red, this only have been a Red-Veined Darter, as male common not red yet. The other was yellowish, and unidentifiable.

By 11:00 the first male Red-Veined Darter started resting before continuing, no chance of duplication, when they took off again they flew inland. Saw three in total.

The last one at 11:33, when I left for lunch.

Afternoon - tide in

Returned at 1:00 - still lots coming through

Only counted for first 10 minutes, same strip as this morning

Red Admiral 38

Meadow Brown 2

Small Tortoiseshell 5

Painted Lady 3

Small White 8

Red-Veined Darter 1 male

 Black- Tailed Skimmer 1 male

At the lighthouse, only Red Admiral were coming in at the rate of 3 per minute

No further dragonflies seen.

Evening - tide out

Still lots of butterflies around but no longer moving through, they were either feeding or looking for a mate, "gangs" of Small Tortoiseshell up to 7.

18:45 10 minute count of same strip

Red Admiral 27

Small Tortoiseshell 17

Small White 6

Large White 1

Painted Lady 1

Meadow Brown 1

Nothing was coming in off and no sign of dragonflies.

Other stuff.

Rock Pipit 1

Grey Seal 1 - dozing by outflow. This was a relief as a dead seal was found earlier in the week, but seemingly not this regular.