Skua and an increase of young Meds

 A dry day with occasional sunny spells. A west wind.

South shore

Report by Shaun Coyle:

11:15 - 14:15

Med Gull 22 - 8 adults/3CY, single 2CY and 13 1CY (7 between Red Nab and Wooden Pier and 6 harbour entrance and off North Wall). 

Kittiwake Juv 1 fed on both outfalls.

Arctic Skua distant dark morph into the bay at 12:10.

Nature Park. 14:15 - 14:45

Peacock 4

Red Admiral 4

Brimstone 2

Meadow Brown 7

Green-veined White 1

Large White 2

Speckled Wood 5

Gatekeeper 3

Common Blue 3

I checked the shore out from Ocean Edge earlier this morning (Malcolm). Only a few Knot on the sand bar. 

Curlew 50

Oystercatcher 30

Dunlin 1 flew south

Black-Tailed Godwit 1 flew south high overhead.

Black-Tailed Godwit

Lapwing 8 on saltmarsh 

Redshank 41 on saltmarsh and Red Nab

Lapwing and Redshank

Linnet 6 on saltmarsh 

Unusually, nothing along the foreshore or Ocean Edge grass, despite minimal disturbance 

Rock Pipit 1 on Red Nab

Little Egret 3

A good variety on Red Nab. Great Black-Backed gull top. Lesser Black-Backed
gull bottom. Two Little Egrets, Mediterranean gulls below the right side egret and
below the Lesser Black-Backed gull. The rest Black-Headed gulls

1st calendar year Black-Headed gull left
1st calendar year Mediterranean gull right

This is one of the 1st calendar year Mediterranean gulls on No.2 outflow.

Peacock and a Red Admiral in the Nature Park

This Koi looking fish was seen in the main pond at Middleton 
Nature Reserve - Jo Bailey

Flashy moth

 A dry day with a light westerly breeze. Plenty of sunny spells.

These shots are from Peter and Rosemary Silvester, taken at Middleton Nature Reserve yesterday.

A nice shot of a male Black-Tailed Skimmer and a male Common Darter

Little Egret, checking out the swans

Mute swan coming in to land

One of two Brimstones at Heysham Nature Reserve 

Heysham Nature Reserve today

Report by Alan:

I set a couple of nets at Heysham this morning but with little success, there was a moderate westerly breeze ruffling the nets. A Sparrowhawk was patrolling behind the office building which probably kept the passerines away. It was eventually caught, together with two Great Spotted Woodpeckers. Goldfinches were feeding on natural food near the office building.  

Sparrowhawk  1

Great Spotted Woodpecker  1 + 1 retrap

Dunnock  1 + 1 retrap

Chaffinch  1

Goldfinch  1 + 1 retrap

Greenfinch  4

Wren  1

Red Underwing moth was found on the outside of the building early on,
 perhaps attracted by the security lights. 

South shore (Malcolm)

Not much time today, I just had a walk on the shore out from Ocean Edge to check out the waders. As per Shaun's report yesterday there were a lot feeding on a sand bar at the edge of the recording area, unfortunately they all flew south when moved on by the rising tide. Minimum numbers

Bar-Tailed Godwit 4

Grey Plover 45

Knot 60

Dunlin 350

Just a fraction of the waders feeding on a sand (mud) bar

Bar-Tailed Godwit flying south

Curlew flying south

The wet mud marks the extent of last nights high water, the mud on the 
left hasn't been covered for a week. That is changing very quickly, today's 
tides will have completely covered the shore, and by tomorrow we are
back to 9m+ spring tides

Female/immature Kestrel on the saltmarsh 

The fickle nature of Nature

A dry day with long sunny spells. A west wind.

South shore

Report by Shaun Coyle:

Red Nab to Harbour. 05:30-08:30.

Mute Swan pair south the over outfalls, then landed near Red Nab, before heading off towards Cockerham.

Whimbrel 2 roosting on Red Nab with 27 Curlew.

Bar-tailed Godwit 3 on the beach of Red Nab.

Kittiwake juv on Outfall 2.

Med Gull 14 adults/3CY, single 2CY and 7 1CY

Sandwich Tern 2 feeding on the outfalls.

Cormorant 63 roosting on the Wooden Pier.

Little Egret 2 on Red Nab.

Adult and Juv Peregrine active over Power Stations before heading south. 

Lots of waders on a distant sandbar off Ocean Edge, included, about 30 Grey Plovers 

I had a walk along the sea wall at lunchtime (Malcolm)

Osprey 1 started fishing between the outflows at 12:35. It caught a Bass in less than 5 minutes on only its first dive into the water. It pulls itself up from this dive.

The next dive was completed and it caught a relatively small Bass, then flew off south with it.

It looks to have a blue ring on its right leg

If this is the same bird that has been seen here several times, then this behaviour suggests that it has already fed its family and was now fishing to feed itself. But the earlier opportunity to fish here would have been this morning when Shaun was checking. I still believe that an Osprey would only risk the dangers of grabbing a Bass if there was no easier option. Last time I proposed that the roughness of the sea  was the deciding factor, but then Shan saw one feeding here in what appeared to be ideal conditions to catch flatfish. Obviously there are other factors involved, so more observations required! (Malcolm). This clip is the Osprey beginning to fly south with its catch. Not the best quality, but if you watch in slow motion you can see first how far apart the Osprey's legs are to avoid the Bass' dorsal fin. It then juggles with it trying to get a firm safe hold.

The timing of this walk was to see the beach by the wooden jetty become exposed. Yesterday 19 Mediterranean gulls were feeding on it, today just 2 turned up! I was a bit surprised yesterday as neap tides are not normally good for feeding here. Perhaps the heavy rain yesterday made the sandmason worms more available, or perhaps the atrocious conditions yesterday just meant that the Meds were hungrier.

The juvenile Kittiwake had switched to No.1 outflow

They are very graceful fliers, but not graceful on the mud.

Little Egret 4 - we seem to have a particularly tall one. I couldn't managed a comparison shot, but it looks to be half as big again than the others.

As Little Egret go, this one appears large, probably just a little larger
than normal, but with a very dominant pose. The others kept their distance 

Rock Pipit 1 on Red Nab

Linnet 2 on Red Nab and 5 together near the lighthouse.

Three of the five Linnet near the lighthouse 

In the Nature Park 

Speckled Wood 5

Meadow Brown 2 

Very worn male Meadow Brown

Red Admiral 2

Peacock 3

Gatekeeper 2

Common Blue 1

Common Carpet 

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Some mobile phone shots by Janet

Speckled Wood 

Female Common Darter

Common Darter pair

It wasn't a complete washout

Rain all morning, particularly heavy late morning, it eased after lunch but didn't really stop till 15:30. Some sunshine late evening. A fresh SW wind drifting to NW by the evening.

First a splash of colour. These shots from Rosemary and Peter Silvester, taken on Middleton Nature Reserve yesterday.

Male Common Darter and a confident looking fly

Male Emperor

Female Emperor

South shore today (Malcolm)

The sea wall wasn't closed off today, so I risked a walk early afternoon, I should have left it later in hindsight. There was a heavy shower on the way out, then just enough rain to make looking out into the wind difficult.

Mediterranean gulls 23. 3 adults followed the ferry out. This is one of them.

Adult Med in the harbour mouth

1 first calendar year bird flew south past the roundhead.

First calendar year Mediterranean gull

Same bird, but this shot gives a better impression of the conditions 

There were 19 meds feeding on the beach by the wooden jetty some close to the sea wall.

Four Meds close to the sea wall, the one just right of centre is green ringed
ANLT. Ringed in Germany in 2012. It has claimed this same small patch of
beach as its own, since I first saw it feeding here in 2018.

The next two Meds out also included a ringed bird, this one a relative 
newcomer, ringed in Holland in 2019, it has been visiting here since 2022

Unfortunately, the birds further out meant looking directly into the wind driven rain, so checking for rings wasn't possible.

Kittiwake 1 first calendar year on No.2 outflow

We have received the histories of the two Norwegian ringed Black-Headed gulls. Both ringed in Oslow. One in 2021 and the only other sightings of it were in Limerick, Ireland in September and October 2022. The other one was ringed in 2020 and was seen at Knott End in 2022 and Wyre estuary in 2023, with trips back to Oslo in between. It is still around, Pete Crooks spotted it at Sunderland Point yesterday.

Quite an impressive looking Curlew

Little Egret 4

Linnet 4 - 2 near the lighthouse and 2 on the foreshore 

One wet Linnet

Wheatear 1 on foreshore 

Pied Wagtail 6 on Ocean Edge grass and foreshore 

Pied Wagtail 

Rock Pipit 1 on Red Nab

Rock Pipit - the notches (nails) in the pale fringes of its median
coverts means that it is a first calendar year bird

Juveniles

A light variable breeze. Sunshine all day.

Just my stuff so far (Malcolm), although I did get out more than normal, anticipating a washout tomorrow.

Imperial Rd 

Just stopped off in passing.

Common Buzzard 2 at least, constantly calling. At least one was a juvenile. Seeing is a little difficult at the moment, as the hedge has grown high and lush, and I never managed to see two birds at the same time. This is a juvenile.

Juvenile Buzzard

Stock Dove 2 - adult with a juvenile 

Stock Doves, juvenile on right

Heysham skear - low water 13:20

We are at the lowest of the current neap tides and low water was only 3.3m (high water was 7m, so only 3.7m tidal range today). Conger rock was just visible.

Eider 3

Eider

Little Egret 4

Herring Gulls 350 most immature 

Sandwich Tern 2 adult

Sandwich Tern

Only four wader species seen

Oystercatcher 500

Curlew 70

Redshank 20

Turnstone 40

South shore

An evening check of the gulls

There were c450 small gulls on Red Nab and the surrounding beaches, most Black-Headed

Mediterranean gull 12 - 6 adult, 2 x 2nd calendar year and 4 juvenile 

Juvenile Mediterranean gull

There was nothing feeding on the outflows, but loads of, mainly large, gulls feeding towards the shipping lane, presumably something(s) below water was chasing small fish to the surface. There were Meds with them and probably additional to the ones seen resting.

Ringed Plover 2

Ringed Plover, legging it across the dry mud

Not a lot of time, quite a lot of rain!

Showers all day some heavy. A south to SW wind

South shore (Malcolm)

I didn't get out till early evening. A walk along the sea wall and back. It was lashing down as I walked out, but dry for most of the way back.

There were c150 gulls on Red Nab mainly Black-Headed and not easy sorting them out through the rain, but at least 7 Mediterranean gulls

We have received the update for the adult seen on the main Pond at Middleton Nature Reserve (see post 10/08/24). It was ringed as a nestling in 2019 in Holland. It was first seen here last summer and as since been seen in Portugal in December, and various Spanish sites in January and February.

Kittiwake 1 juvenile feeding on No.1 outflow

Juvenile Kittiwake

Grey Seal, looks to be a male, also feeding on No.1 outflow

Grey Seal, males have light patches on a dark background. Females have dark
patches on a pale background , but sometimes it is difficult to decide which
are patches and what is background.

Curlew c 30 on Red Nab

Whimbrel 1 heard

Redshank 115 flushed by rising tide from No.1 outflow

Turnstone 6 with the Redshank

Little Egret 4 - 2 on Red Nab and 2 on the saltmarsh.

Little Egret on Red Nab

Pied Wagtail 10 - one each on sea wall and foreshore plus a group of 8 feeding together on Ocean Edge grass.

Rock Pipit 1 on Red Nab

Rock Pipit

Cormorant 40 - 35 on wooden jetty

Cormorant on Red Nab

It had just stopped raining when I took this clip of Rabbits feeding near the lighthouse (I don't think they thought anyone would be daft enough to be out in that rain!)

In the Nature Park

Sparrowhawk 1 juvenile 

Chiffchaff 1 calling

Bullfinch 2 male and female

Peacock butterfly 2

Two Peacocks waiting for the sun......better luck tomorrow