It's all about food.......finding it, or not being it!

 Showers all day particularly in the morning. A light east wind.

South shore

Report from Shaun Coyle:

Red Nab to Heysham Harbour 11:00 to 13:00. 

Mediterranean Gull 22 (adult 13, 2nd summer 6 and 3 1st summer). 

First summer Kittiwake harbour entrance area. 

Common Tern adult followed the Steam Packet ferry in, then headed off towards the outfalls.

Peregrine Falcon 2 spooking the gulls

I had a stroll in the rain (Malcolm)

One of the adult Meds had a darvic ring, but not easy to spot as it was the
same shade of red as its legs. It is from a Czech Republic scheme, details 
awaited. It is the first Czech ringed bird since the metal ringed bird was last
seen in December 2019 after overwintering every year from 2003!

When I reached the beach by the wooden jetty there were only six resting Meds, then the beach was cleared by the Peregrines. I took these shots on the skear yesterday, but they are pertinent to the beach by the jetty.

Honeycomb worms do not have a monopoly on the skear, there are several 
samdmason worm tubes in this shallow pool. Because they are still underwater 
the worm's feeding tentacles extend beyond the end of the tubes. You can see where
a gull has walked through the pool, the worms would have quickly retracted deep
into their tubes and would have been slow to return.

This is a detail of the tubes and feeding tentacles, the tentacles extend from
the worms head. The worm itself is very thin but can be as long as 30cm, so
plenty of protein. These are what the Mediterranean gulls feed on when they 
feed on the beach by the wooden jetty. You can see how when they are feeding 
in shallow water with their tentacles showing, the gulls can trap the worm by 
grabbing the tube behind the worm's head. I suspect the occasions when they 
catch them on the dry beach relates to the worm's breeding cycle 

This beach by the wooden jetty is ideal for Sannmason worms, protected from
disruptive waves on all sides. Plus the wakes of ships entering and leaving the
harbour will regularly wash in nutrients, and there will be lots of nutrients in
the outflows. I can't imagine that there will be a denser population of
sandmason worms anywhere else in Morecambe Bay. (Malcolm)

The gulls were finding plenty to eat on the outflows, no need to fly they were just swimming around picking tiny fish as they rose to the surface

This is what they were feeding on. Tiny fry (this year's hatchings)

Grey Seal 1 - This is interesting and I can't pretend to completely understand it. The seal was dozing and happily drifting along, but close by small fish kept leaping out of the water. There are six in this short compilation.

Fish will only leap like this if they are chasing food or being chased for food. I suspect the latter. The seal is likely attracting small creatures, perhaps the tiny fry. These will attract larger fish, the size jumping out of the water, and of course these attract big fish that then cause them to leap clear. The details are just speculation of course, but it will be a scenario similar to this. The sleeping seal is basically the centre of a temporary ecosystem.

Redshank 23 (8 and 15)

Rock Pipit 1 along the sea wall

This young Blue Tit seemed to be finding plenty to eat on the newt pond in the Nature Park

Some nice shots from Janet yesterday 

Juvenile Black-Headed gull

Oystercatchers

Pied Wagtail on Red Nab

Common Darter in the Nature Park

Six-spot Burnet near the lighthouse 

House Sparrows at the heliport

Another Yellow-Legged gull.......and this time with pictures!

A warm sunny day, with a light variable wind

South shore

Yellow-Legged gull - a second summer was on No.2 outflow yesterday morning at 08:00. Located by Steven Higginbottom, who also took these excellent pictures.

2nd summer Yellow-Legged gull with a Lesser Black-Backed gull

Shaun Coyle checked Red Nab to Heysham Harbour 11:00 to 13:00. 

Mediterranean Gull 31 (adult 21, 2nd summer 6 and 4 1st summer). 

First summer Kittiwake roosting on Wooden Pier. 

Ringlet 7 and 4 Gatekeepers  Heysham Nature Park.

I had a look this evening (Malcolm)

The first summer Kittiwake was resting on the sloping wall, pretty much 
where the second summer was yesterday, between the outflows

Peregrine Falcon - 2 very noisy birds. Not a great clip, but you can hear some of their screaming.

Heysham skear - low water 08:30 (Malcolm)

There isn't normally much on and around the skear at this time of year, but I went down thinking that at least there should be something different to the north side. The first bird I came across was not so different!

Mediterranean gull on the inner skear

Other gulls:

Herring gull 350

Lesser Black-Backed gull 25

Black-Headed gull 20

Little Egret 13 minimum. These were on the south side, feeding amongst the honeycomb worm beds.

Great Crested Grebe 6 summer plumage birds in one group, although one was slightly detached.

Eider 5

Eider and some of the grebes

Oystercatcher 500

Curlew 100

Redshank 12 (3 + 9)

Dunlin 1 summer plumage 

Janet saw 2 Red Admiral on Heysham Head, lots of Six-spot Burnet and Meadow Browns on scrub near lighthouse.

This Blackneck moth was on MNR yesterday 

A better Med count

Overcast with a west wind. It managed to stay dry, with sunny spells in the afternoon 

South Shore

Report by Pete Crooks:

Red Nab – Heysham Harbour
Mediterranean Gull – 33 (24 adults, 2 2nd summers, 7 1st summers) between Heysham Stage 2 Outfall and Heysham Harbour mouth. Difficult to keep track of as many were mobile, with 23 on the sea off the harbour mouth just after the arrival of the Seatruck at one point. One colour-ringed adult: Yellow AZTZ.
Kittiwake – long-staying 1st summer roosting on the Wooden Jetty
Bar-tailed Godwit – 1 on shoreline near the end of Heysham Stage 1 Outfall
Grey Seal – 1 off the end Heysham Stage 1 Outfall
Ringlet – 5 in Heysham Nature Park

I went out mid morning as Pete was leaving (Malcolm)

One of the many mobile Meds

Long staying 1st summer Kittiwake

Later, another adult like Kittiwake had arrived and was resting on the sloping sea
wall. It was worn and looked worn out! I managed to pass it without disturbing it.

One of four newly fledged Lesser Black-Backed gull

Bar-Tailed Godwit on the beach beside the wooden jetty

I've often wondered why more long billed waders don't feed here more often, the Sandmason worms were not available to the gulls today, but the Godwit was finding plenty of worms along the waterline.

Of course there are not many long billed waders around at the moment, except for Curlew. This one checked out the drier middle of the beach, found nothing to tempt it, and quickly moved through.

Rock Pipit 2 - 1 displaying near the lighthouse and this one on Red Nab

Rock Pipit

These shots from Nature Park, by Janet.

Goldfinch and young Blue Tits,
 feeding and drinking on the surface of the weed covered newt pond

Cinnabar moth caterpillars 

Middleton Nature Reserve (Malcolm)

Just a quick check of the two main ponds just before lunch.

Mute 2 adult 2 cygnets 

Mallard 20, many looking like well developed young.

Some of the Mallard on the main pond

Coot at least 7 adult and 6 young

Moorhen 2 adult

Little Grebe 1 adult

Little Grebe

Grey Heron 1

Only warblers heard were,  Cetti's warbler 2 and Chiffchaff 3 

Almost unbelievably for July, no damselflies were seen and the only dragonfly was this Common Darter

Common Darter

There were no butterflies on the wing, but two were accidentally disturbed, a Ringlet and the first Gatekeeper of the year.

Gatekeeper

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Ringing report by Jean:

I did an hour’s ringing 11:30-12:30 at Heysham and caught mainly young birds: 

Blue Tit 1

Greenfinch 1

Goldfinch 7

Bullfinch 1, 

Chaffinch 1

Also caught 2 adult Dunnocks (both retraps) and 3 adult Goldfinches (1 retrap) 

A Whitethroat and Chiffchaff were still singing on the reserve.

A dearth of insects

The early light NE wind switched to NW and strengthened significantly. Plenty of sunshine, but not particularly warm

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Janet checked in the morning 

Grasshopper warbler 1 reeling - other than that, not a lot about 

Goldfinch 

Ringlet

Green-veined White

A couple of shots from the main pond by Angela Gillon

Coot family with two chicks

The two remaining cygnets are looking well

South shore (Malcolm)

I went to the south of the saltmarsh late morning, hoping the gulls from Red Nab would relocate on the mud here when displaced by the tide. But no gulls settled on the mud, most drifted high over to the SE. 

One second summer Mediterranean and a handful of Black-Headed gulls
settled on the edge of the saltmarsh 

They were soon joined by another Med and more Black-Headed gulls

The gulls continued to arrive but only one more Med seen (later than this clip).

On the saltmarsh:

Little Egret 2

Curlew 4 

oystercatcher 2

Carrion Crow 2 adult with 2 young

Pied Wagtail 1

Goldfinch 6

Linnet 2

Linnet amongst the shingles

Nature Park - it was surprisingly cool despite the sunshine. The only butterfly seen was a single Ringlet!

A very faded Narrow-bordered Five-Spot Burnet wasn't for moving

There's a bee in this shot

It was resting under the flower!

I had a walk along the sea wall early evening. As I approached No.1 outflow it was obvious that there were a number of gulls on the beach beyond

had something changed.......

.......no, with one exception, the gulls on the beach were Black-Headed, and
they were just resting. The Mediterranean gulls were resting on the rocks 
beside the outflow, as yesterday. Note the Curlew passing over

Mediterranean gulls 19. 13 resting on the rocks beside No.1 outflow, 1 beside No.2 outflow, 4 feeding on the sea out from the harbour and 1 on the beach between the wooden Jetty and No.1 outflow.

Four adult, including the yellow ringed German bird and 2 second summer (bottom)
Mediterranean gulls beside No.1 outflow

The only Med on the beach was the one with the lower half of its right
leg missing, presumably the mud is more comfortable than barnacle covered
rocks. Note that the tips of the Sandmason worm tubes are showing again,
but nothing was attempting to feed on them

Kittiwake 1 first summer on No.2 outflow.

Nothing new.........apart from the Robins.

A lighter west wind eased further during the day. Dry with sunny periods.

South shore (Malcolm)

This is the second summer Mediterranean gull, read in the light of yesterday's
setting sun. Ringed as a nestling at Pays de la Loire; France (Atlantic coast) 25/06/22.
Its first sighting was here in July last year. It was then seen at Montijo beach; Spain in
January this year, before moving to Pannel Valley Nature Reserve Sussex in March
and April. It has been recorded on 2nd and 3rd July at Conder Pool. It wasn't seen
here today, perhaps it headed back to the Conder.

Mediterranean gulls today c20. Most resting or feeding on the outflows. These are some feeding off the end of No.2 outflow this morning with 3 Black-Headed gulls (not a telephoto lens, I had a walk out there).

There were 15 Meds resting on the rocks around No.1 outflow, there are 
at lest 8 in this shot. No gulls were feeding on the beach, and hardly any
Sandmason worm tubes were visible

The first summer Kittiwake is still around 

Curlew c250 flew to the north side. There are 135 in this flock.

One of at least three young Robins in the Nature Park

The only butterflies were

Ringlet 6

Large White 2

Yellow-Legged gull best of the day.

A strong west wind began to ease by the evening. Some very heavy showers, particularly around lunchtime. Sunny spells in between.

Early am coverage by Pete Marsh and on north wall Mark Prestwood. 

At least 26 Mediterranean gull

1 2cy  little gull on red nab then flushed by tide and headed south (also seen on the outfalls 13:15)

1 2cy  kittiwake

distant common/arctic tern ocean edge to wooden jetty as watched from Ocean Edge grass. 

Juvenile Yellow-legged gull red nab then soaring north above seawall. 

Not a lot on the sea but no coverage after 1100 - ad and 2cy Gannet and two common tern out 

South shore (Malcolm)

I waited till mid afternoon when the beach by the jetty was exposed. As I watched the rain battering against my window, I just hoped it would be dry, and possibly a bit of sunshine. I got my wish....but I wished I hadn't!

It was still very wild and there were loads of gulls, including many Herring and Lesser Black-Backed feeding on the outflows.

Mediterranean gull 12 at least. 6 on the sea out from the harbour others feeding on the outflows and occasionally resting on the beaches beside them.

By this time the sun was blazing down making the beach a silver shimmering sea of lights. It was very difficult to even identify the Meds, let alone read the two birds that were ringed.

This is the yellow ringed German bird, leaving the beach by the wooden jetty
to feed on the outflows. Note the smooth shiny surface of the mud below and
the slew of soft mud dripping from its feet. Unlike the last storm which stripped
away a layer of mud, this storm has deposited one

This is the other ringed bird, definitely new for this year with a green ring
on the left leg. Normally I would be able to read it at this range, but not in 
this light. I suspect that every point of light on the mud is the tip of a Sandmason
worm tube just below the surface. They can easily extend their tubes but unlikely 
to extend as far above the mud as they were. This bird also returned to the outflows.

I don't think either the bathing adult or the second summer bird in this clip were ringed, but it shows just how difficult viewing was. Particularly being buffeted by the still strong wind. The Sandmason worm tubes closer in are still showing, but beyond are fresh deposits of mud.

Peregrine Falcon 2

I returned late evening and managed to relocate and read the green ringed Mediterranean gull. - details tomorrow.

The gulls were drinking and washing in the freshwater run off at Red Nab before heading for their night roost.

Just for a splash of colour, two more moths from Kevin's trap from the two days of summer we managed last month!

Barred Yellow

Elephant Hawk-moth

Just out of the recording area. Mark Jones is at his caravan at Middleton Sands this week. He advises that the Rooks visiting the feeders there are now being accompanied by young birds (2 individual adults each with a youngster today).

Although the record is just south of the area, it is assumed that they are from the new Rookery on the very southern tip of the recording area.