Stop, start insect migration

Another hot sunny day. A light east breeze till 10:00 then 30 minutes NW breeze, before switching back to SE.

These shots by Janet from the Nature Park yesterday 

Common Darter

Red Admiral

Common Blue

Emperor on the pond along the dog walk path

Immature Moorhen on the same pond. There has been three chick broods
this year

North shore - David Kaye

Osprey over Heysham Skear 

Sandwich Tern on beach 

South shore - Malcolm 09:15 - 10:30

Pied Wagtail 4

Wheatear 4

One of three foreshore Wheatears, the other was along the sea wall

Rock Pipits 3

Whimbrel 1

Whimbrel on the edge of Red Nab

Redshank 55 near wooden jetty

Turnstone 4

No Mediterranean gulls seen. 

This blue ringed juvenile Black-Headed gull was on No.1 outfall

Ringed at Martin Mere 16/06/25 - this is its first sighting 

Even at 09:30 there was a steady flow of butterflies coming in off the sea.

Red Admiral 8

Small Tortoiseshell 4

Small White 1

But by the time I reached the end of the wall at 10:00, the breeze had switched completely, and suddenly, to the NW, and incoming butterflies on the way back were just the odd Red Admiral, which could have come from the scrub near the lighthouse.

There were still lots of butterflies in the Nature Park

Red Admiral 15

Small Tortoiseshell 10

Small White 3

Large White 1

Speckled Wood 3

Migrant Hawker 1

A second check from 14:30 - 15:45.

Mediterranean gull 2 - an adult between the outfalls and a juvenile flying along the sea wall.

I was expecting quite a lot of insects to be moving through, but that wasn't the case. Possibly as there was more south in the breeze or perhaps it is just that they have to arrive from somewhere, and leave at some point. It can't be a perpetual conveyor belt of insects.

These were seen to come in/off along the sea wall

Red Admiral 5

Peacock 1

Painted Lady 1

Meadow Brown 1

Small White 1

There were several Red Admirals and Meadow Browns on the scrub near the lighthouse. Also Small Whites 5. Painted Lady 2

Painted Lady

There were small black flies everywhere, particularly towards the end of the sea wall. Most will be locally bred kelp flies. This is an example of the density here, you have to try to not breathe!

Not all the flies were home grown, there were some larger ones as well.
This one has a great name! red-thighed St Mark's fly

In the Nature Park

Similar to this morning, but more Meadow Browns and Common Blues. Plus: 

Painted Lady at least 1

Clouded Yellow 1 female flew past me heading towards the white barrier. Unfortunately not relocated. She was moving quickly with apparent intent, so unlikely to be the same as the one Janet saw yesterday

Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)

Just two Cormorants on the main pond today, doing a spot of snorkelling 

Small Tortoiseshell 

A decent day with a Purple bonus

A hot sunny day with a light east breeze.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Report by Jean:

Warblers were on the move at Middleton NR today. Ringed the following:

Willow Warbler 3
Blackcap 6
Chiffchaff 3
Reed Warbler 1
Sedge Warbler 2
Whitethroat 5
Lesser Whitethroat 2
Goldfinch 1
Great Tit 1 (HNR nestbox bird from this year)
Bullfinch 1
Blackbird 1 (recent retrap)

Vis:
45 Swallows

Pyrausta despicata at the Middleton NR actinic trap today regular ones and twos at several 

sites this year of a usually elusive and thinly distributed species - Pete

South shore

Malcolm 09:00 - 10:30

Swallows 18 together over the saltmarsh before continuing south

Purple Sandpiper 1  - it was at the bottom of the slipway at the end of the foreshore. Not immediately obvious as it wasn't in the rather dowdy winter plumage that we normally see them in here.

Purple Sandpiper 

Pied Wagtail 8 on Ocean Edge grass

Wheatear 1 on Ocean Edge grass

Wheatear

Rock Pipit 4 - 1 on foreshore, 2 on Red Nab and 1 along the sea wall

Linnet 4 on Red Nab

What looked to be a distant flock of waders turned out to be Racing Pigeons.
I'm not sure you could describe it as a "flock" as presumably they are all trying 
to leave the others behind. Or, do "tactics" come in to play?

Whimbrel 1

Mediterranean gull just 1 adult resting on the feeding beach

Shaun checked in the afternoon:

Wheatear 3 on the foreshore - likely additional to this morning's 

Whimbrel 1

Mediterranean gull 5 - 3 adult and one that looked to be 3cy, plus 1 juvenile on No.1 outfall

Shag 1 juvenile on the wooden jetty

Dunlin 13

Turnstone 14

Grey Seal 1

Hot weather and an east wind here is good for insect migration so I checked again after lunch (Malcolm).

On the way out along the sea wall there were just:

Small White 3, Small Tortoiseshell 2 and Red Admiral seen coming in/off. 

I joined Shaun at the end of the sea wall at 14:00. In the previous 30 minutes he had seen the following come in/off.

Small Tortoiseshell 10

Peacock 3

Red Admiral 2

Plus a passage of Small Whites pretty much 1 a minute.

This passage rate was continuing. A walk around the scrub and down to the waterfall was busy with all the above butterflies, but the only dragonfly seen was a male Black-Tailed Skimmer along the sea wall.

Black-Tailed Skimmer disappearing into the distance 

Two of the Mediterranean gulls resting on the feeding beach

One juvenile Shag just left of centre, with another almost certainly juvenile Shag 
further to the left. Unfortunately, it refused to show itself.

Janet was just heading out as I was getting back. She did better for insects than me.

Painted Lady in the Nature Park 

Female Clouded Yellow flying across Red Nab

Linnet on the freshwater runoff on Red Nab

Rock Pipit on the freshwater runoff on Red Nab

Long -Tailed Tit in the Nature Park 

Common Darter in the Nature Park 
There were a lot of small dark flies again today........one less

This large Hoverfly was in Angela Gillon's garden today.
Hornet Plumehorn

Green Silver-lines in Kevin's trap this morning 

Local colour ringed gulls

A warm sunny day with a light west breeze.

South shore (Malcolm) 10:30 - 12:00

Rock pipit 2 on Red Nab

Linnet 10 on Red Nab plus 2 near the lighthouse 

Mediterranean gull 5 adults, most at the seaward end of the feeding beach by the wooden jetty.

Mediterranean gull surrounded by Black-Headed gulls

This colour ringed juvenile Herring gull was on No.2 outfall. N:17P. It is part of
NW England gull project. See the link to the scheme on the sidebar.
We have not received all the details yet, but this one, and at least one of the
others recently seen, was ringed at the Power Station, likely on the roof!
 Anyone putting that much effort into ringing deserves as much feedback on
sightings as possible. Keep an eye out for them, there are at least 12, and either
report using the link or let me or Pete know.

Some of the 200+ Starlings milling around the wooden jetty

In the Nature Park 

Red Admiral 2

Large White 4

Meadow Brown 3

Speckled Wood 3

Migrant Hawker 2

Migrant Hawker 

Three young Cormorants on the main pond at Middleton Nature Reserve 
today - Janet

This moth report by Kevin Eaves:

These are some recent moths from the Heysham traps to illustrate some of the variety and colours that occur. All of these from this week:

Sallow: As we approach Autumn, many species take on a yellowish tinge
to camouflage with the changing vegetation. 

Light Knot Grass: a fairly local species more typically found in acid heartland/
moorland. This one may have strayed from Heysham Moss.

Dusky Thorn: There are several Thorn species and they all have nice faces!

Blood-vein. 

Yellow Shell

Just out of the recording area - Heysham Moss Nature Reserve (Janet)

Two of several male Black Darters

Red Admiral 

Painted  Lady

North side Osprey fishing again

Another warm day with sunny spells. A light west breeze.

Heysham skear (Malcolm) 10:00 - 11:30

Yesterday David Kaye saw an Osprey fishing to the south of the skear around lunchtime. It caught a fish and settled on the shore to eat it. Today one began fishing earlier in the tide at 10:30. Initially to the south of the skear, but it continued working its way northwards. At one point it flew over my head, you can hear its call as it spots me.

Not ringed

It didn't catch anything whilst in view. This was as close as it got, but it pulled up just above the water.

Other than that it was pretty quiet

Gulls 150 mainly Herring

Eider 13

Great Crested grebe 4

Little Egret 8

Oystercatcher 300, plus at least another 300 lifted from the outer skear by the Osprey 

Curlew 20

Redshank 40

Turnstone 40

Ringed Plover 6

Ringed Plover

Heysham Nature Reserve

Clouded Yellow north from the Office - Pete

Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)

Three Cormorants on the main pond today.

These shots from yesterday

Small Skipper

Common Darter

South shore (Malcolm) 13:00 - 13:45

I went out onto the shore to check the gulls on Red Nab as the tide approached.

Mediterranean gulls just 4 adult 

Mediterranean gull to the left of centre. This one with a particularly pale face

This one didn't look well, I don't know what the white on its feet and bill is.
Possibly it had been feeding on a limed field? (Wet lime can burn!)

Oystercatcher 800

Curlew 200+ flew south in several flocks

Turnstone 1

Turnstone and Oystercatchers

Knot 1 still largely in summer plumage - this was odd.....

It landed and headed very quickly to the freshwater runoff. The tide is backing 
it up at this point, but it will only be slightly brackish 

It took a drink, then squirted a stream back out

Then took flight again. It was all over in 20 seconds!