Off day

A few heat hazy Meds on red nab this pm was about it with no reports of Little gull or the rock pipit family on Heysham half moon bay (checked)

A few Straw Underwing in the reopened Moth trap, next best probably Lime speck Pug

Mixed bag

Multi-genera highlights notably a soldier fly known as the Banded General which was found on the path by Heysham Nr office - this is one of the most North-westerly records of a species which is hardly going to be overlooked!

Next best was a Hummingbird Hawk-Moth near the bottle dump on Middleton NR

Outfalls saw at least one mobile adult Little Gull and a cursory check saw 7 Meds

Top two by Malcolm, bottom by Pete Woodruff - thanks for these

Ringing by the office was very productive with just short of fifty new birds including 5-6 each of both Whitethroats and Willow warbler and single out of habitat Reed and Sedge warblers

Early returning little gull

Ad summer little gull Heysham two outfall

Med gull - 10 adult, one 2cy, one Juv

71 Eider and four g c grebe low tide channels this am

Monday

No joy this evening at Middleton - single singing Grasshopper Warbler and a Brown Hawker still flying at 2203

Med gull - 5ad, one 2cy as seen from ocean edge early stages incoming tide

Greenfinch female ringed as a Juv in 2012 was caught by the office in rain interrupted session otherwise notable for a willow warbler and a blackcap!

Two juv Meds

 Not much else today - the Webs failed to reveal the Shag and it may have moved on

Med gull - 7 ad, one 2cy and two juvs pre tide, one Juv left for Webs count as 10m tide cleared most things out of the area

Small copper butterfly in SD35Z new for tetrad and a painted lady was seen on Middleton

The mythical Wall Brown reappears

Thanks Malcolm - all four Rock Pipit somewhere here

Whimbrel - 1 inshore
Curlew - 304 Red Nab
Med Gull - 11 x ad, 2 x 2CY Red Nab

Reed Warbler juv ringed next to office

Humming Bird Hawk-moth and Wall brown photographed on buddleia at southern end of landscape strip - where it meets the egress route

Interesting day - Friday posting

A heron emerged from the reedbed area just before dusk and gave a prolonged view of flight silhoeuttte before heading south east.   Once it had sorted itself out in level flight any worries about the initial ‘take-off’ views were dissipated and it was clearly a bittern for the observer with optics, not a possible night heron.   Always have optics at hand even though you are set up to deal with a swallow catch as rapidly as possible before dusk!

Dead harbour porpoise in harbour

Only c35 swallow this evening -21 ringed

Sand Martin - one juvenile ringed

The two rock pipit young were still being fed by one parent with the other fairly close by but ignoring them.   Still giving food begging calls!

Juv med and early swallow roost

Juv med red nab just before high tide plus two adults but most of gulls had moved off
23 adult Meds were feeding between No.1 outflow and wooden jetty on rising tide 20:00

At least 200 Swallow roosting Middleton Nr

Having serious trouble with very slow and ‘freezing’ computer late evening at home.   Please could you post your own pics thanks

Wednesday

Reports of northern brown and brown Argus in the recording area to be confirmed

Max of 6 med gulls

Rock pipits feeding at least  two young, no sign of the other pair

Rock Pipit confirmed breeding

Its a bit complicated, but we have definite evidence now with two recently fledged young being fed on 6th July and earlier pics showing insects being taken to the nest by both parents.  Thanks very much to John Dent for alerting us to this as it would perhaps otherwise have remained on Flickr

More detail later

Coastal coverage
Curlew - 400 exactly Red Nab and 15 nearby on mud at HT
Whimbrel - 4
Bar-tailed Godwit - 1
Ringed Plover - 3
Redshank - 31
Med Gull - max of 14 this evening

Common Sandpiper - 2 by wooden jetty