Francis doesn't really provide

The wind from storm Francis started strongly enough but had a touch of east in it. By the time it had swung round to the west, it had eased. Heavy rain on and off all day.

South Shore (MD. PM)
Wheatear 5 (2 on saltmarsh, 2 on Red Nab and 1 near lighthouse)
Rock pipit 2 + 1 + 1

Rock Pipit in yesterday's sunshine 

Common Tern, 1 adult briefly on No.2 outflow 15:00
Arctic Tern, 1 juvenile on No.2 outflow at least 14:30 to 15:30

I know these pictures of the juvenile Arctic, are no better than Sunday's, but they were difficult in today's conditions so I decided to use them anyway (MD)

Just received these excellent pictures from Howard. Roosting waders on the Heliport wall yesterday.

The brown four legged individual, scurrying below the Redshank,
is a Brown Rat. They don't look pleased!

Just two Knot

The one that got away - well sort of..

Light breezes starting NNW, then drifted more westerly during the day, before stopping altogether in the evening. Mainly sunny.

Middleton Nature Reserve
Early morning - report from Alan

A ringing session this morning was rather unpromising at first with conditions that were cool and clear with a NNW gusty breeze. However, a steady trickle of captures produced the following:

Blackcap 1

Lesser Whitethroat 4
Garden Warbler 1
Common Whitethroat 4
Willow Warbler 1
Bullfinch 2
Greenfinch 1
Blue Tit 1
Goldfinch 11 (these captures were all juveniles from a flock of at least 30 birds roaming around the western marsh area)

No Grey Wagtails have yet been caught for the colour ringing project, although at least one passed over this morning. The passage should get going and hopefully result in some captures in the next few days.
There was little other visible migration noted.

Mid afternoon (MD)
Mute Swan - the family from the "no swimming" pond have now claimed the territory at the car park feeding area on the main pond. Fortunately the resident pair with the additional adult and two cygnet are still together, but now confined to the SE corner.

This is the current demarcation. 

The three cygnet family can move anywhere. 

But the other birds are pushed back, if they move from the corner.

House Martin 5 over main pond for a while

Swallow at least 9, a mixture of feeding and moving through.
Dragonflies- 6 species seen
Emperor 4
Brown Hawker 3

Brown Hawker ovipositoring 

Migrant Hawker 4 (including 3 together)

Southern Hawker 1

mature male Southern Hawker 

Black-Tailed Skimmer 1 male

Common Darter - lots

Butterflies included:
Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Small White and Speckled Wood.

An extremely "worn" Speckled Wood taking in the sun.

South Shore (MD)
Wheatear 9 (along Ocean Edge foreshore and Red Nab)
I reached the beach next to the wooden jetty at 10:45 I was expecting to see it full of feeding gulls and waders - instead it was deserted!
I was pondering this as I checked the inner harbour.
Robin 3 grounded
When I got back to the beach at 11:10 there were plenty of waders and c20 gulls. At least three were Mediterranean gulls.
Then every bird took flight south. I scanned the skies and located the reason:
Osprey 1. It was quite high and heading south. After confirming the species I was going to take a record shot, but my camera was set for reading Med rings and I couldn't focus on the ever decreasing dot that it had become - hence "the one that got away". But only the picture got away,  not the record.
At least it explained the deserted beach when I first got there. Something (else?) had flushed it clean.

A check again in the evening (19:30) as the beach became exposed again. There were 5 Mediterranean gulls on the water waiting. Then just as they could get onto the mud they were flushed by a particularly noisy family out for a walk - they had cow bells - why?

The wind had dropped and the sea was like a duck pond.
This Med tried its best duck impression.

The evening sun was shining on the south wall, attracting small insects. The wall was lined with pied wagtails. At least 60 between the two outflows and presumably a similar number between No.2 outflow and Red Nab. They reminded me of fans in a football stadium doing a Mexican wave. The birds were hopping into the air to catch the insects as they passed over them. An easy supper before going into the Power Station to roost.

Rock Pipits at least three feeding with the wagtails.

Still some bits hanging on

The winds eased, but still a fresh Southwesterly. Some heavy showers and sunny spells.

Wooden jetty11:30 as tide was covering beach. (MD).
Mediterranean gulls 24 feeding, no juvenile. The only darvic was the green ringed German bird.

Outflows c3hr before high water (M.Breaks)
Kittiwake 1 adult
Common Tern 1 adult
Sandwich tern 1 adult

Wooden Jetty 18:45 as tide was just exposing beach (MD)
Rock Pipit 1 + 2
Mediterranean gull - 12 including 2 juvenile started feeding on sand mason worms as soon as the beach became exposed. Shame none had darvic rings.

Some of the Meds.
You can see the end of the sea wall,
and the sand mason worms tubes on the beach.

No.2 outflow 19:30 (MD)

Common Tern 1 adult

Common Tern with Blackpool tower in the background.

Arctic Tern 1 juvenile

Excellent selection - but hard come by!

The strong winds continued from the south, largely overcast with, some heavy, showers.

Wooden Jetty area (MD)
11:00 tide starting to cover the beach next to jetty.
Mediterranean Gulls 18 feeding including 2 juveniles.  In addition there were 46 med gulls visible from the vantage point on Ocean Edge grass, mostly on red nab - many of these drifted south very early in tide cycle as I was mix and matching a Zoom meeting with telescope checks (PM)

The only darvic ringed bird,
was the long staying green ringed German bird

Wheatear 2

South shore - high water Webs check (PM)
Included:
Mediterranean gulls - 7 feeding on outflows
Little Gull - 1 second calendar year
Sandwich  Tern 1 adult
Common Tern 1 adult
Turnstone - 65 heliport seawall amongst 400 Redshank

Common Tern with juvenile Med and BHG above.
The Med has a yellow Darvic ring

The following excellent trio were seen flying into the recording area from the Stone jetty during an epic session by Nick Godden (thanks):

Great Skua (Bonxie) 
Osprey 
Grey Phalarope 

Meds, but little else.....so far

The strong wind started SSE freshened slightly during day and sifted to SSW. Not quite gale force, and nothing reported so far as "storm driven". Perhaps tomorrow

Red Nab area c2.5 hours before high water (PM)
Mediterranean gulls - at least 53, most roosting on Red Nab, but some juveniles on both outflows.

One of the juvenile Meds (left) on No.1 outflow

The juvenile Black-Headed gulls are also quite striking now

Waiting for the winds to stir things up

Steady quite fresh SSE winds all day. Sunny spells and a few light showers

Red Nab towards high water (PW)
Mediterranean gulls - 12 including three juveniles. White and green darvic ringed birds seen, but well out of reading range. Yellow darvic 2nd calendar year bird not seen today.

South shore (MD)
Lapwing numbers quickly growing. Flock of 45 out from saltmarsh.
Linnet numbers also increasing - 19 on saltmarsh
Rock Pipits 2 Red Nab. 1 near lighthouse
Grey seal 1
Mediterranean gull - 19 roosting on rocks at the seaward end of beach near wooden jetty early evening. Two juvenile. Only a handful searching for sand mason worms.

Turnstone moulting to winter plumage.

A quiet day

Warm with east winds, a few light showers.

Middleton Nature Reserve early morning (AD. JM)

Ringing session this morning with nets set on both sides at Middleton produced a much reduced catch. The majority of warblers seemed to have left the site during the clear and cool night.

The catch included:

Common Whitethroat 4

Willow Warbler 5

Lesser Whitethroat 2

Chiffchaff 3

Garden Warbler 1

Blackcap 2

Few migrating birds were noted, although the sky was fairly clear and migrants may have been flying high.

The only noted birds were a party of 7 Swallows moving SE and two single Swallows flying low and fast due south.

South shore 
(MD).

Not much happening.

Wheatear 1

Rock Pipit 2 + 1

Lapwing a grounded flock of 13 with at least 3 juvenile birds

2 hours before high water (PM)

Mediterranean gull - 21 (14 2cy, 5 juvs, 2 ad) two hours pre HT.  this Darvic ringed bird definitely a new (Yellow) one but couldn’t read the four characters.  Undoubtedly a lot of adults had already moved south on the tide  

Whimbrel  1

Meds drift away early

Wind from SW.  Varying degrees of rain all morning then just a few showers in the afternoon and evening.

South Shore earlyish morning - c3.5hr before high water (PM. MD)
Mediterranean gull:
There was just a single adult feeding near wooden jetty.
It was sometimes hard seeing through the rain, but Pete initially managed 32 on Red Nab, but some were already drifting off, although at least two more juveniles came in.

Common Sandpiper at least three individual birds heading south.
Wheatear 2
Rock Pipit 1 near lighthouse, 2 on Red Nab.

There were warblers grounded both on Ocean Edge and near waterfall. The OE bird eluded identification, but the three near waterfall were Willow Warbler

Willow Warbler over the razor wire.
(One of  Vera's less well known songs?)

Stop press - just had report of a juvenile Yellow Wagtail roosting with Pied near wooden jetty 20:00.

More Meds and a belated Red Kite

Another strange weather day. Light breezes predominantly from south, but started from east and ended in west. Mainly overcast, but some showers and sunny spells.

Red Kite - Thursday 13th Aug 12.30pm. Per Brian Rafferty.
picked up flying over Red Nab, on over Sunderland Point and Cockersand, out of view south east. 

Red Nab/ Ocean Edge area 
Early morning (PM)
Mediterranean gull - at least 72 including one dark davic ringed juvenile.
Yesterday's white ringed bird read by Pete Crooks has been identified as being ringed in the Netherlands.

3745109 White 3LX9

Ringed:     nestling       20/6/19   San van Gent, Terneuzen, Zeeland, Netherlands 51 14N 3.49E

Seen:                            7/11/19   Nevern Estuary, Newport, Pembroke, Wales

Seen                            3/2/20      Gann Est, Dale, Pembroke       

Seen                            16/8/20    Heysham outfalls, Lancs

Mid morning - high water (MD)
Sandwich Terns seemed to be everywhere, but never saw more than 10 together.
Shelduck 4 - first for a while
Knot c1,000
Common Sandpiper 1
Rock Pipit 1
Wheatear 1

Middleton Nature Reserve mid afternoon (MD)
Just a brief check of the main pond to see how the mute are doing.
The two resident breeding birds are still holding territory on the south side of the pond. They still have two cygnets and seemed to have formed an alliance with another adult to keep the aggressive male at bay. 
The pair from the "no swimming" pond with three cygnets are, reluctantly, confined to the north side of the pond.

Dragonflies:
Emperor 3
Brown Hawker 2
Common Darter 6
Black-Tailed Skimmer 3

Black-Tailed Skimmer with a Common Blue Damselfly.

Lighthouse area (MD)

Checked at 14:45 as the beach was becoming exposed. Hoping for a chance to read any Darvic ringed Mediterranean Gull. 13 birds quickly turned up, unfortunately none ringed.
Whinchat 1
RockPipit 1
Wheatear 2

This male Wheatear was still looking quite smart.

There was a short but heavy shower at 18:00. I returned at 18:45.

Wheatear 5
Whinchat - at least 1, probably 2

Not great shots, it was very flighty

Mediterranean gulls- at least 28 including 2 juvenile. Again, unfortunately none with darvic rings.

This is a better shot of one catching a sand mason worm. 
First they grab it with the bill....

Then between tongue and, in this case, upper mandible.
I think it allows them a better "feel"
So as not to break the worm

.

Better coverage = better results

 It was a bit of a strange day weather wise. Breeze mainly NE, overcast with a few light showers, but nothing pronounced enough to ground migrants.

Ocean Edge and Red Nab area
Early morning  c3hr before high water (PM)
Mediterranean Gull, at least 68 including 12 juvenile 
Sandwich Tern 51 in quick sweep further out
Greenshank 1
Ringed Plover 8
Whimbrel 1
Grey seal 1

Mid morning - around high water (although these neap tides are not so high) (PC)

Mediterranean Gull 47 (38 adults, 7 x 3rd CY, 2 x 1st CY). One of the 3rd CY on Red Nab had a white darvic ring on its left leg. I didn't see the bottom letter sufficiently well so the options are being investigated 

Sandwich Tern 27

425 Dunlin, 

53 Bar-tailed Godwit, 

20 Grey Plover (all but one still in full summer plumage), 

c.1000 Knot, 

2 Common Sandpiper, 

1 juvenile Wheatear. 

Lighthouse area early evening (MD)

Mediterranean Gull - at 16:45 there were 15 easily catching sand mason worms. The numbers grew quickly and by 17:10 there were 33 including 2 juvenile. No darvic rings could be seen. There was still 2 hours before the tide would move them on, and I'm sure more birds would have arrived, but I had to leave.

Some of the feeding Meds

This male Kestrel appeared to come in off from the south. But it immediately perched then dropped onto and caught a rodent.

It seemed to know what it was doing, so perhaps It's a relatively local bird that knows where the easy pickings are.

Talking of easy pickings - The Jays that feed almost daily in my garden over winter and spring, have made a few summer visits. But have been much more regular over the last two weeks. This evening's visitor appeared to be a juvenile.

It is not obvious through plumage. But it looked like a juvenile bird.

It seemed to struggle removing the peanut from its shell

Then instead of swallowing it whole into its crop

It "daintily" ate it - not at all like the regular adults.

Just a final comment (MD)

The RNLI hovercraft I photographed yesterday was not called out in response to the young men lost at Lytham yesterday, but an earlier incident. But the tragedy, must serve to remind everyone of the dangers of walking out on the shore. It is perfectly safe if you know what you are doing, but potentially lethal if you do not. The simple guide is, only walk out when you know the tide is also going out. Don't just trust tide tables, pick a marker and keep checking that the water is getting lower.