Osprey feeding again

The light east wind only held out till about 08:00, it then drifted south and continued to the west. Hot and sunny again.

First some updates from Rosemary and Peter Silvester:

Female Emperor Heysham Nature Reserve Monday

Middleton Nature Reserve yesterday 

Male Black Darter

Female Common Darter

Male Common Darter

Janet went to check the Middleton Black Darters this morning, but only one remained where there were four yesterday evening.

Black Darter

Male Common Darter

One of the influx of Small Whites

South Shore (MD)

I went along the wall mid morning, it was a little early for insect movement but the early east wind was already largely to the south. Even so a number of insects were seen coming in off (then later some heading out to the south).

These were seen along the wall and in the scrub near the lighthouse 

Small White 11

Red Admiral 3 in off, 2 out

Small Tortoiseshell 1

Large White 1

Darters sp, probably Common, coupled pair came in off 

Rock Pipit 3 on Red Nab

Wheatear 1 on inner harbour

Wheatear with dredger passing behind

Robin 5 - 3 on foreshore/Red Nab and 2 between lighthouse and waterfall 

Robin on one of the battered buffers - used when the dredgers are in operation near the harbour wall.

Osprey 1 - it was feeding off the end of No.1 outflow 10:30, just before low water. The gulls were harassing it, but clearly there were plenty of targets as it was still managing to dive.

The calm clear water would make it much easier than normal to spot the fish, it is normally Bass that feed here, they have formidable spikes on their dorsal fin (Mullet also have a spiked dorsal fin, but much smaller), so the Osprey will have to be careful how it grabs one. It seemed to have got closer this time.

Near miss

It wasn't obviously ringed, but this shot suggests possibly 

I was showing the bird to some interested visitors when it managed a successful dive, so I missed filming it. But I did get this clip of it flying off to the SE. You can see it is carrying the fish upside down, it does have a large dorsal fin so almost certainly a Bass.

Presumably there will be other Osprey fishing trips to witness here, but you have to drop lucky with the timing. From arrival to leaving with a fish today only took 10 minutes. Although I expect it will take a lot longer in less favourable conditions.

Pink-Footed geese - Pete advises that there are lots on the move, worth watching out for.

Just outside the recording area - Heysham Moss

Peter and Rosemary had a look yesterday 

One of many Black Darters. This one a mature male

This unfortunate Migrant Hawker was doing its best to free itself from
the spider's web but we didn't think it stood much of a chance.

I had a quick look today (MD)

I didn't go into the raised moss, it is quite overgrown this year and the going is tough. But the main reason was that I didn't need to, a 100m walk along the tractor track to the north of the raised moss located 

Migrant Hawker 2

Common Darter 10

Black Darter 10 - including 2 females, which were too flighty to photograph!

Immature male Black Darter

This is the tractor track between the wooded area and the raised moss. There are four or five 
pools that can easily be seen along its 100m length, and it's nice easy walking.

A good day for insects

Quite a fresh east wind. Hot and sunny all day

First, this shot by Kevin Eaves, of a Whimbrel on Red Nab yesterday.

Whimbrel 

Heysham skear - low water 10:20 (MD)

Great Crested Grebe 10 - including this juvenile fending for itself 

Red-breasted Merganser 3 female/immature feeding together.

Eider 22 including 5 males at various stages of breeding plumage. This clip,shows two of the males plus the feeding mergansers.

Little Egret 15

Oystercatcher c500

Curlew c100

Redshank 80

Turnstone 60

Knot 5

Ringed Plover 2 - none seen on inner skear, these came in off and rested on the middle skear

Dunlin 1

Several butterflies were coming in off, 5 Small White, 1 Small Tortoiseshell and 1 Red Admiral, so I went to check insect movement on the south side.

Red Nab (MD)

Mediterranean gull - just 2 adult seen.

Adult Mediterranean gull, top left, with Black-Headed gulls

Redshank 150

Dunlin 1

Ringed Plover 13 - they were feeding on the small cobbles, a terrain that they are perfectly camouflaged for. There are nine in this clip.

The tide was just reaching Red Nab when I arrived. The insects will still have been coming in off the sea, but no longer focused along the sea wall, as they are when the tide is out. Even so there had obviously been some significant movement. Along the track from Red Nab to the Nature Park there were:

Migrant Hawker 1

Small White 8

Red Admiral 4

Small Tortoiseshell 1

There wasn't many more in the park itself, just:

Migrant Hawker 1

Common Darter 3

Large White 2

Red Admiral 2

Small White 3

Speckled Wood 3

Treble-bar moth in the Nature Park

This Common Whitethroat was eating the blackberries, a Robin singing in the background.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Janet checked in the morning, there were plenty of active dragonflies, but mainly Common Darters. Their activity ensuring future generations.

Common Darters

The only other dragonfly was a Migrant Hawker.

I went to check early afternoon to see if anything interesting had moved in.....it had (MD)

Black Darter 4 male and a probable female - the males were defending small territories amongst the shallow pools that you have to cross to get to the peninsula on the main pond. I only got a quick look at the female as she moved through (obviously not impressed!).

This is the area, plus the very edge of the main pond behind me in this shot

They were all quite mature, but some still with hints of yellow markings.

Male Black Darter - uncommon here

Other dragonflies - only the main pond checked:

Common Darter 10+

Brown Hawker 3

Migrant Hawker 4

It was very hot. But the "resident" Heron was presenting its wings to the full glare of the sun. I can't think that this is to cool it down. Its wings appear to have insects amongst the feathers, perhaps it is using ants to help rid it of parasites. 

Grey Heron covered in insects

Janet called back in passing in the evening. She quickly found the Black Darters. These shots are with her mobile phone, they are just to show that you do not need an expensive camera, especially with these very approachable dragonflies.

Black Darters, snapped with a phone

Hopefully they will still be in the same area tomorrow

Hirundinidae action shots

A light breeze started from the east, gradually working it way clockwise around the compass to return to NE. Sunny and very hot.

Middleton Nature Reserve (JP)

Some nice shots from Janet, these first six from yesterday. It's worth opening these to appreciate the detail

Swallow having to turn its head to catch a fly.....

.......got it

They were taking insects (looks like flying ants) to feed the young on the wing.

House Martins were also hunting 

Today's action was more about refreshment 

Juvenile House Martin grabbing a drink

and then a bath

Meadow Browns

Common Darters, already finding a use for the Hawthorn berries

Male Common Darter

Great Tit with one of the seeds left by visitors 

There were two additional adult Mute Swans flying around.

The Coot are still bickering 

and the female Tufted is still on the main pond

South Shore (MD)

I had a walk along the wall around lunchtime on the rising tide, although it was still a way out.

Mediterranean gull 4 - just a juvenile and a second calendar year seen on Red Nab plus one adult on the beach and another out at sea.

Guillemot one drifted past the wooden jetty on the incoming tide.

Ringed Plover 10 Red Nab

Grey Plover c150 in a distant flock heading NW, they may have returned a little later as a similar sized flock flew south, but too distant to identify species.

Grey Heron with Cormorants on wooden jetty

Starling numbers continue to increase between the lighthouse and waterfall. They were like a swarm of locusts working their way over the vegetation.

They looked like locusts when they moved on too

I'd watched this grey blob drifting in on the tide for a while, thinking it was some sort of duck. Then it woke up, scratched its chin, had a yawn, a quick look around then back to sleep again - Grey Seal

Nature Park

Migrant Hawker 1

Common Darter 1

Large White 1

Red Admiral 1

Small,White 3

Meadow Brown 1

Speckled Wood 4

Osprey.....not missed today!

A light, but increasing SW wind Sunshine all day after the early mist cleared.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

First a ringing report from John for yesterday:

Nets set at Middleton yesterday morning. Bright conditions and slow start, only five birds in first two hours. Then a movement of birds through, helped to increase this to a total of twenty, which comprised:

Blackcap 4

Chiffchaff 6

Robin 3

Great Tit 2

Blue Tit 2

Willow Warbler 1

Lesser Whitethroat 1

Wren 1

South shore (MD)

A late morning check on the rising tide

Mediterranean gull 9 at least - the gulls on Red Nab were all sat down, many with their heads tucked in, so difficult to check. 6 adult, 2 second calendar year and 1 first calendar year. A first calendar year at the end of No.1 outflow may have been the same bird.

Shelduck 26 flew off to the west, presumably they had been on the shore as they started off low.

Osprey 1 - it had caught what looks to be a decent sized Grey Mullet. When first seen it was out from No.1 outflow and gripping the fish towards its tail.

Osprey with a blue ring on its right leg

It clearly wasn't satisfied with its grip, it spent over a minute circling out at sea till it was gripping it towards the front. This clip it the last 30 seconds of this process.

Fish gripped to its satisfaction it was ready to run the gauntlet of the inshore gulls

It managed to get through the gulls and headed east.

Falcon sp probably Peregrine 1 came in off high from the west and continued SE

Swallow 2 south

Ringed Plover 13 plus a single Dunlin near Red Nab - these are a few of them.

Just out of the recording area (actually quite a way out of the recording area, but still of interest) Pilling.

Little Tern 2 - ref Pete

Black Darter and Pinks start to return

 The east wind switched to NW late morning, but remained light. Dry with long sunny periods.

Heysham skear - low water 08:30 (MD)

Eider 23 - 10, 12 & 1 all female/immature 

Great Crested Grebe 13

Red-breasted Merganser 3 female/immature in one feeding group.

Little Egret 19 

These spring tides come in very quickly, these are some of the birds trying to feed while being displaced. Note the young Little Egret with quite yellow legs, towards the end of the clip.

Grey Heron 1

Pink-Footed goose 3 low to the east.

First Pink-Footed geese returning

There wasn't a great number of waders, no doubt more were on the outer skear

Oystercatcher c200

Curlew c150

Redshank c120

Turnstone c80

Knot 1

Harbour mouth early evening, Craig Bell 

Pink-Footed goose 4

Whimbrel 2

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Janet had a look in the morning

Cetti's Warbler 1 singing between the main and "no swimming" ponds

Black Darter 1 male on the flat area to the west of Tim Butler pond (the first record within the recording area this year)

Male Black Darter

I had a walk around just after lunch (MD)

Brown Hawker 2

Migrant Hawker 10 - just 1 female

Common Darter 10+ - these are two ovipositoring in the "no swimming" pond (my camera seems to be making up its own sound effects now!)

There wasn't a lot of butterflies, in order of abundance:

Speckled Wood several

Meadow Brown 4

Small White 4

Red Admiral 2

Brimstone 2

Large White 1

Mute Sawn 2 adult 8 Cygnets 

Mallard 4

Tufted Duck the odd looking female is still on main pond

Coot 8

There are still no wildfowl on the "no swimming" pond

Swallow - continuous high number feeding and moving through. 30 minimum 

Grey Heron 1 - it catches a small fish here

Long Tailed Tits at least 15 in one feeding flock, plus 1 Chiffchaff with them.

Sparrowhawk 1

The late summer rain has swollen the Hawthorn berrries. There were already high numbers but now they are large too. I suppose this will be the case in most of the rest of the country too.

Heavily laden Hawthorn bush

I thought this female/immature Blackbird had already started eating them, but it was actually eating Blackthorn fruit (sloes).

Quite often, sloes are the only berries/fruit to remain late into winter. I think the larger ones are just too large for even the largest thrushes to swallow.

Black Tern and some interesting recovery news.

A light east wind, dry with sunny spells.

South Shore

Report from Pete:

Mediterranean gull. 35 on Red Nab including one adult with green ring on right leg

Black Tern 1 juvenile seaward end hey 2 then in shipping channel behind sea truck

loads of gulls outfalls 

We have received the history of the young Mediterranean gull seen yesterday.

The bird comes from a small colony in inland Germany - Löbnitz Gravel Pit, Colony, Leipzig, Sachsen 51° 34' 49'' N 012° 28' 22'' E

Ringed as a nestling 18/06/22 it has already been seen in three different locations, including Dawlish Warren Nature Reserve Devon.

While we are on rings. A scan of the winter roosting Oystercatcher reveals a significant number with metal rings. Many of these will be from the ringing programs conducted on the Heliport earlier this century. Oystercatcher can live a long time.  Jean was contacted by Catherine Ramsay who found the ring of a recently dead bird on 09/07/23 on the Island of Mousa, Shetland. The BTO had confirmed that the bird was an Oystercatcher ringed at Heysham 12/12/08.

Found 5322 days after ringing as an adult, 671kn north of Heysham - many thanks Catherine

I only had chance for a very quick check of the south side mid afternoon, not a time of the tide I would choose (MD). 

Wheatear 2

Rock Pipit 3

Eider 1 female drifting out with the tide.

There were a number of Turnstone feeding along the sea wall. A duller bird amongst them looked promising, but it turned out to be a juvenile Knot.

Turnstone and Knot