Double figures for RVD

What a difference to yesterday! Warm, dry and sunny with a light NW to west breeze.

South Shore

Shaun Coyle 06:00 - 09:30

Common Tern 1 adult on No.2 outfall first thing

Little Gull 1 2nd calendar year alternating between feeding on No.1 outfall and resting on the mud with Black-Headed gulls.

Mediterranean gulls 19 - 8 adult, 3 3rd calendar year, 2 2nd calendar year and 6 juveniles (1st calendar year)

Osprey 1 fishing between the outfalls.

Still plenty of butterflies in the scrub near the lighthouse:

Small White 7

Common Blue 75

Meadow Brown 11

Red Admiral 3

Gatekeeper 3

Small Tortoiseshell 2

Shaun was still there when I arrived (Malcolm).

The Osprey had just caught a Bass and headed off to the north
Unfortunately, it had spooked most of the Meds and just a few remained

Juvenile Wheatear on foreshore 

One of two Linnet on foreshore 

Rock Pipit 1 on Red Nab

I returned later to watch the tide reach Red Nab, fortunately no disturbance today, but there were only 12 Mediterranean gulls including 4 juvenile.

Just the one adult Med here (bottom right), but this shot is really to
show the high number of feathers being shed

Not even the Curlew were spooked today, there were 100+ on Red Nab

One of the juvenile Mediterranean gulls

I was hoping to read any ringed birds, but most were either sat down,
or partially hidden 

One adult Mediterranean gull did reveal itself to be ringed, but it is one
that has already seen here this summer. A Dutch bird ringed 2019

In the Nature Park:

Meadow Brown 6

Red Admiral 6

Large White 4

Small White 8

Comma 1

Common Blue 6

Gatekeeper 2

Speckled Wood 1

Male (left) and female Large White

Two Red Admirals 

Middleton Nature Reserve - main pond (Shaun and Malcolm) 09:45 - 10:20

We did a full circuit of the pond.

Red-Veined Darter 10 probably 12 males. There were up to 12 red darters over the water chasing each other. 10 were confirmed as RVD, the other 2 almost certainly were. There were several male Common Darters over the water too, but they were generally closer to the banking, and any that did go to the middle were easily distinguished from the RVD.

Male Red Veined Darter - this was the only one we saw settled
on the western bank.

David Talbot checked mid afternoon, by that time territories must have been won and lost, and presumably some moved on. David didn't see any over the water, but managed four sightings of at least two males along the steep sided eastern bank

Also:

Common Darter 10+

Black-Tailed Skimmer 8 

Emperor 3

Middleton's Cetti's spreading far and wide!

Heavy rain all day! Plus strong south to southwest winds.

A Cetti’s warbler ringed as a local juvenile at Middleton  in July 2023 has been caught as a breeding female at Beal in North Yorkshire on 1st July 2025.  A nice dispersal of 117km ESE.  

Some shots by Alison Hayward, in Sunday's sunshine.

These are the slightly more unusual ladybirds spotted in amongst the hundreds of 7 spots seen along the sea wall

Adonis Ladybird 

10 Spot Ladybird - variant 1

10 Spot Ladybird - variant 2

11 Spot Ladybird

Eyed Ladybird

Hummingbird Hawkmoth
  (it isn't easy getting a shot of its wings in flight, they move so rapidly!)

Painted Lady

Just a fraction of the capture of many hundreds of
Large Yellow Underwings both Sunday and Monday

South shore (Malcolm) 08:00 - 09:30

At least the rain was to my back as I walked out along the sea wall, and it actually stopped briefly while I was at the end, but the walk back was like being in a car wash!

Wheatear 1 juvenile on saltmarsh 

Peregrine Falcon 2 around the Power Stations

Tern sp at the seaward end of No.1 outfall very briefly, looks to be an Arctic

Mediterranean gulls 24 minimum 

There was at least 4 adult and a juvenile Mediterranean gull feeding
at the seaward end of No.1 outfall. 

More Mediterranean gulls on the feeding beach by the wooden jetty 

This is yesterday's yellow ringed Mediterranean gull, we now have its details.
Ringed as a chick at Pioneer Island, Lower Saxony, Germany. 15/06/24.
Yesterday was its first sighting since being ringed.

The rain stopped battering against my window just before 18:00, so I had a quick look along the wall again to watch the beach by the wooden jetty become exposed. I just got back to my car at 19:15 as the rain started again.

The Mediterranean gulls began arriving at the beach as soon as it was exposed.

You can see the Sandmason worm tubes

I only saw 16 Meds this evening, but that included 4 juveniles 

The weather is looking better for tomorrow

Juvenile Meds arrive plus mayhem in the moth traps!

Some overnight rain, then it managed to stay dry till mid morning, then showers till mid afternoon.

South shore

I checked from 07:40 till the rain began at 10:00 (Malcolm)

Mediterranean gull at least 47, including 4 x 3rd calendar year, 8 x 2nd calendar year and the first 3 juveniles this year

Juvenile Mediterranean gull

There were 30+ on the feeding beach between the wooden jetty and No.1 outfall. Some just resting close to the sea wall, but many catching Sandmason worms, close to the waterline.

This Med is drawing a Sandmason worm from its tube

This is another one, they quickly pull the worm from its tube....

.......which stretches the worm to its full, and quite impressive, length!

Two of the Meds were ringed, a yellow ring from a German scheme plus a returning white ringed adult.

From the bottom up: Juvenile Black-Headed gull, juvenile Mediterranean gull.
Three adult Mediterranean gulls, the top one with a white ring. Ringed as a
chick at Antwerp, Belgium in 2018, it was first seen here the same year and
returned 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024. In between it has been recorded in the
Netherlands, France, Portugal and Belgium. Since it left Heysham last autumn,
It was recorded in the Netherlands in March and two locations in France in May.

This Curlew out from the foreshore has a small crab

This Curlew was on the beach by the wooden jetty, look how wet
the mud is in places

Peregrine Falcon 2 around the Power Stations

Juvenile Peregrine Falcon 

Wheatear 1 juvenile along the foreshore.

One of a few young Chiffchaff flitting around the Nature Park

I wasn't expecting any butterflies coming in/off today, but it felt strange seeing none at all along the foreshore, there had been so many!

Yesterday, there were c500 Large Yellow Underwings in Kevin and Alison's moth traps. Today there was a minimum of 700, probably closer to 1,000 - it was mayhem!

More RVD and a HBHM

Another hot day, but not quite as hot as yesterday with the fresher east(ish) breeze and occasionally overcast.

Middleton Nature Reserve

Pete scanned from the main pond lower car park bench this morning.

Red-Veined Darter minimum 4 probably 5

Ovipositing pair, then split up with male chasing another male. 

Later at least three males over water probably four 

Picture by Muhummad H

I checked the main pond at 13:30 (Malcolm)

There was a male Red-Veined Darter near where the swans rest on the west bank.

The RVD where the swans rest

Another male was on the peninsula 

Two males were seen over the water, at least one, probably both additional 

Also

Black-Tailed Skimmer 5

Emperor 4

Common Darter 5

Male Common Darter

House Martins 2

Little Grebe 1

Plus the regular Mute, Mallard, Coot and Moorhens.

South shore

I checked this morning 08:15 - 09:45 (Malcolm)

Mediterranean gulls 20 scattered around (17 adults and 3 2nd calendar year). There were no Sandmason worm tubes showing on the beach by the wooden jetty and no gulls were feeding there.

Little Gull 1 2nd calendar year was resting and preening on the beach between the outfalls.

Little gull (bottom) with Black Headed gulls

This clip shows the location, it begins with a resting Mediterranean gull on the right

Osprey 1 out from the harbour mouth and continued north, probably to fish in the low water channels past the skear. Good conditions to catch a large flatfish there today, a less tricky prey than a Bass with heavily spiked fins.

Peregrine 2 around the Power Stations, at least one a juvenile.

Juvenile Peregrine Falcon with a distinctive tail feather

Sparrowhawk, I female zipped past me in the Nature Park 

Rock Pipit 2

Wheatear 1 juvenile 

Juvenile Wheatear on the saltmarsh 

Some of the Herring gull chicks are fledged now
But not those on the harbour platforms

Insects:

Small Whites were coming in/off all the time. 58 counted in 60 minutes along the sea wall, not including those feeding in the scrub near the lighthouse 

The only other insects seen coming in/off were 2 Red Admirals

Pete checked from Ocean Edge late morning 

65 large ladybirds south ocean edge in 15 mins - two examined were 7 spot. 

C150 small white in-off/loitering on shore edge flowers with a few large white 

These from Jean are additional to Pete's

122 Small Whites in one hour (10:30-11:30). Also 2 Small Tortoiseshell.

The Six-spot Burnets in the scrub near the lighthouse are getting quite faded now

Kevin and Alison checked early evening 

Hummingbird Hawkmoth 1 feeding on Buddleia bush near the wooden gate in the Nature Park 

Hummingbird Hawkmoth

There were Ladybirds all the way along the sea wall. Alison counted 100 including 3 species in the first 100m, and it is a 1500m long wall! Details to follow.

I checked 17:15 - 18:30 as Kevin and Alison were heading back (Malcolm)

There was just a trickle in/off, 3 Small Whites, 2 Red Admiral and a Peacock.

The Ladybirds (I only saw 7 spot) were everywhere and still coming in.

Large Yellow Underwing on the sea wall
There were 500+ of these in Alison's and Kevin's traps this morning!
A Peach Blossom moth also flew along the sea wall.

There were several Mediterranean Gulls in the beach by the wooden jetty, including a 3rd calendar year that I didn't see this morning. More interestingly, the Sandmason worm tubes were just showing, there was no sign of them this morning. The mud was very soft though.

Two Meds close to the sea wall and the Sandmason worm tubes just showing

This Oystercatcher has a Sandmason worm

Rock Pipit watching the Ladybirds fly in

In the Nature Park 

Small Skipper

Peacock

Little gull and lots of insects, mainly butterflies

A hot sunny day, a light east wind occasionally varying to NW.

South shore - insects

I walked along the sea wall 09:00 - 10:30 Malcolm

The breeze had a touch of west in it as I walked out, but still there were Small Whites coming in. 17 in total, another 18 around the scrub and strip to the waterfall. By this time the breeze was back to the east and  another 24 on the way back. So 59 in 90 minutes.

Later Pete scanned along the length of the wall and saw 17 in/off in a minute.

Jean saw 40 whites in 20 minutes come in/off past her 11:50 - 12:10 (2 per minute in one location, that's a lot of butterflies along the length of the wall)

I checked again 15:15 - 16:15 (Malcolm), once again the wind teased by being slightly in the west as I walked out, still 10 Small White came in/off, it was firmly in the east again by the time I reached the roundhead, there were 50+ Small Whites in the scrub and strip to waterfall and another 28 on the walk back.

In summary, Small Whites were coming in/off all day at between 1 and 2 per minute along the full length of the sea wall. Many hundreds, if not thousands must have passed through in the course of the day.

Small Whites were by far the most numerous, but other butterflies seen along the sea wall were:

Small Tortoiseshell 3

Red Admiral 3

Peacock 1

Large White 5

There were 50+ Common Blue and 7 Meadow Brown around the scrub and the strip to the waterfall.

One of the Large Whites near the waterfall

In the Nature Park

Ringlet 2

Comma 2

Large White 5

Small White 6

Meadow Brown 5

Gatekeeper 2

Common Blue 20+

Red Admiral 3

Speckled Wood 3

Brimstone 1 female

Female Brimstone 

Common Darter
A Hawker sp also glimpsed 

Other stuff 

Pete scanned from Ocean Edge on the rising tide

2cy little gull

ad sandwich tern

c25 Mediterranean Gull (1250 bhg to go through!)

On my morning walk (Malcolm)

Osprey 1 rested on the post at the seaward end of No.2 outfall for the duration of the walk.

Osprey with a blue ring, but it was too hot to be wearing wellies so I
couldn't walk out to check the code

Not a shot that you can take very often - 2 Small Whites coming in/off
(top left) while the Osprey perches on the post at the end of No.2 outfall

Wheatear 1 juvenile along the foreshore 

Juvenile Wheatear in a different area today

In the afternoon.

The cormorants clearly have different feeding strategies, most here target largish Bass which can take some swallowing, but this one regularly feeds close to the sea wall after smaller prey.

This looks like a Rockling. It caught two as I was walking past.

Fiddly to eat, but not difficult to swallow 

Middleton Nature Reserve (Pate) 11:00

Male red veined darter over water as viewed from car park at main pond