More Meds

Heavy showers throughout the day. A light SW wind.

South shore (Malcolm)

I went down in the morning as the beach between No.1 outflow and the wooden jetty was becoming exposed.

Mediterranean gull 19 - there were several resting on the beach between the outflows as I walked out, and surprisingly they were slow arriving on the feeding beach, turning up in ones and twos long after the sandmason worms became exposed, despite them still being easily caught by the earlier arrivals. The incoming SeaTruck disappeared, a soon to arrive squall had obscured it. By that time there were 13 adults, 5 first summer and 2 second summer. I'm certain more would have arrived but the already arriving rain made it impractical to continue watching.

4 adult and a 2nd summer (right)

The yellow ringed German bird was again the most successful catcher of
Sandmason worms. Perhaps it was just hungrier than the others.
Another green ringed bird arrived - details awaited

First summer Kittiwake resting on the sloping sea wall between the outflows.
Later feeding on No.2 outflow

Rock Pipit 1 on Red Nab

No Peregrines seen or heard today

Another quick look at Red Nab towards high water was hampered by heavy rain. There were at least 15 adult Mediterranean gulls, including the one with the lower half of its right leg missing. That one wasn't on the beach this morning. Plus first and second summer birds. Minimum total numbers today 22 Mediterranean gulls.

These are some of the Mediterranean gulls with Black-Headed gulls this evening. You can see the yellow ringed German bird.

A few of yesterday's Curlew - Janet

The warm weather at the beginning of the week attracted several attractive moths to Kevin's overnight trap. These are some of them.

Coxcomb Prominent 

Buff Arches

Blackneck (a local species)

What a difference a day (or a storm) makes

Just a few short sharp showers. A less strong west wind.

South Shore

I went along the sea wall mid morning at low water (Malcolm)

Tern 1 - almost certainly a Common feeding at the seaward end of No.1 outflow, but very difficult to see against a backdrop of breaking waves.

Mediterranean gull 8 (6 adult 1 each 1st and 2nd summer) - yesterday the Meds were either resting along the shoreline or feeding at the seaward end of No.1 outflow. But today, something had changed. Not only were they feeding on the Sandmason worms on the beach between No.1 outflow and the wooden jetty, they were catching them easily and regularly.

Adult (same ringed bird as yesterday) with a Sandmason worm

This 2nd summer also has one here, but what you can see is not just the worm, but
the top of its tube with the worm below. This worm is clamped through the tube walls

You can see it catch the above worm and remove it from its tube in this clip.

I've always thought that the worms are more vulnerable when they need to pop above their tube at breeding times, and that that is linked to the lunar/tidal calendar. But this change was too abrupt for that. It looks like yesterday's strong SW wind driven waves had washed away some of the sediment, leaving more of the tube above the mud. That also explains why the gulls were grabbing the tube to grip the worm.

This shot shows the extent of the worms' tube above the mud today

Both Herring and Lesser Black-Backed gulls were taking advantage of the harvest, but strangely, the Black-Headed gulls showed little interest. But the Meds are the specialists, and one of the reasons they are here.

I returned towards high water to check the gulls on Red Nab.

Mediterranean gulls 15 at least. Including 4 first summer and 2 second summer. 

No sign of any colour ringed birds, but most were hunkered down.
The only real chance to check their legs was when they were landing.
The bird on the right does have a metal ring.

Unfortunately, for gull spotting, a juvenile Peregrine falcon was patrolling the sea wall and developing its hunting skills by swooping down on the gulls and lifting everything.

Fortunately, Janet was on the sea wall:

Some of the gulls being flushed from Red Nab (at least 8 Meds in this shot)

The young flusher.....juvenile Peregrine Falcon

Also by Janet

First summer Kittiwake 

1 of c200 Curlew returning from the north side feeding grounds

First summer Mediterranean gull

Plenty of Ringlets in the Nature Park

First colour ringed Med of the year

A strong gusty SW wind freshened throughout the day. Mainly dry after early showers.

South shore (Malcolm)

A check in the morning at low water 

Kittiwake 1 first summer

Black-Headed gulls 200+

Mediterranean gulls at least 6 adults alternating between feeding on the seaward end of No.1 outflow and resting along the shoreline (more on these later)

Tern (probably a Common but too distant to be sure) also feeding, albeit briefly, at the seaward end of No.1 outflow.

This Cormorant was worn out. It rested on No.2 rail for the duration of my walk.
Most of the time with its head under its wing.
This was the only time it showed its face.

Peregrine Falcon two cavorting around the Power Stations.

Peregrine Falcons

A second check in the afternoon on the quickly rising tide.

No sign of the Tern

Mediterranean gulls 9 at least - 6 adult, 2 first summer and 1 second summer

Ringed as a nestling 11/06/19 at Leipzig Germany
It was seen at Heysham later that year. And agin in 2022 and 2023
This record is a month earlier than any previous ones. Recent history awaited

Don't think there were any more ringed birds, although most were hunkered 
down against the wind. There are three adults in this shot

Two adults and a first summer. The nearer adult is the yellow ringed bird

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Angela Gillon managed some nice wildfowl shots with her phone

Mute Swan family

Coot with chicks

Angela also took this clip of feeding Swifts yesterday evening. They were over her house to the east of the recording area where they are not regular visitors.

A lazy sort of day (things change tomorrow!)

Another warm dry sunny day. An early east breeze shifted to SE by lunchtime then to the west later when it freshened a little.

South shore (Malcolm)

I went along the sea wall at 09:00. The tide was out, the day was warm and the breeze from the east. These are the conditions that can result in insect passage, but it was early in the day and any movement could only be relatively local.

A Red Admiral near the lighthouse at 10:00 was likely to have come in off.

A nice fresh Red Admiral

2 Meadow Browns and 20+ 6-spot Burnet in the scrub near the lighthouse more likely to be residents. These are some of the Burnet moths.

This Willow warbler was near the waterfall 

Linnet 7 between lighthouse and waterfall 

Rock Pipit 1 between lighthouse and waterfall 

Black-Headed gulls 200 - many on and around No.1 outflow.

For some reason today the gulls on No.1 outflow, including Herring and 
Lesser Black-Backed, elected to drift along the surface with the current 
picking up titbits as they went.

In contrast the only bird feeding on No.2 outflow was the long staying Kittiwake.

Mediterranean gull 2 adult - none were seen on the shore in the morning, but 2 were on Red Nab towards high water early afternoon.

This Chiffchaff was in the Nature Park

Butterflies in Nature Park

Ringlet 5

Large Skipper 1

Small Skipper 2 (not quite in the Nature Park but in the grass just behind Red Nab)

Large White 1

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

Large Skipper

Large Heath

Grass moth

Silver Y

Black Darter
The only other dragonfly species seen was an Emperor 

Common Buzzards

Chiffchaff 

Warm weather brings out the insects

Even warmer today despite there being less sunshine. A light NW wind.

South shore (Malcolm)

A check mid morning at low water.

Black-Headed gulls 160 mainly on and either side of No.1 outflow.

I'd gone along the sea wall to see if any of the gulls (specifically Meds) were feeding
on the sandmason worms on the beach between the wooden jetty and No.1 outflow.
On approach it was clear that there were plenty of gulls on the beach.......

.........but most turned out to be Black-Headed gulls

The tubes of the sandmason worms were visible, but the gulls were either just resting or paddling to flush out small invertebrates (it hardly seems worth the effort!)

Mediterranean gull just 2 on the beach, and no others seen.

First summer Mediterranean gull (left) with first summer Black-Headed gull

Second summer Mediterranean gull

Kittiwake 1 first summer 

Rock Pipit 1 display flying and singing near lighthouse 

Peregrine Falcon presumably 2 - commotion only heard, the birds were on the opposite side of the Power Station.

This male and juvenile Pied Wagtail were feeding on Ocean Edge field. The gurgling noise is from the groundwater runoff near the slipway.

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Janet had a stroll around the main reserve early afternoon.

Moths:

Straw dot

Six-spot Burnet

Burnet Companion 

Silver Y

Butterflies 

Meadow Brown

Very worn Common Blue

Small Skipper

Ringlet were particularly abundant 

Various

Blackfly aphids

"Blackfly aphid" hunter

One of the (large) funnel-web spiders

Tatty looking Magpie