Osprey and Sanderlings top a decent day.

A warm sunny day with initially a very light east breeze, it freshened later and shifted mor to SE.

South shore:

Report by Shaun Coyle

Red Nab to Harbour. 05:30-09:30.

Canada Goose low flying group of 27 over the harbour entrance, south towards Fylde.

Shelduck 28 (in three groups) into the bay.

Whimbrel 2 roosting on Red Nab.

Bar-tailed Godwit 5 on the  beach off Red Nab.

Sanderling 2 roosting on Outfall 1 with 2 Dunlin and 8 Turnstones.

Kittiwake juv on Outfall 1.

Med Gulls 8 adults/3CY and 6 juvs (also 6 juv Common Gulls). 

Sandwich Tern adult and juv briefly on Outfall 1, plus 16 into the bay.

Cormorant 34, plus 73 high into the bay (in three groups).

Little Egret 2 ads + juv on Red Nab.

Osprey fishing between the outfalls from 07:30-07:50. After catching a fish it then headed NE. Presumably, the same bird was back again at 09:15. Quickly caught another smaller fish (lots jumping between the two outfalls), before heading south. (So much for my theory about the Osprey(s) only feeding here as a last resort, today's conditions were perfect for large flatfish in the north side channels (Malcolm))

Swallow 5 east.

Wheatear female on seawall.

Single Rock Pipit at the Lighthouse.

Grey Seal 1

Heysham Nature Park 09:30-10:00.

Peacock 9, Red Admiral 6, Painted Lady 2 and 6 Speckled Woods.

I went down mid afternoon to check the gulls on the beach out from the saltmarsh (Malcolm)

They took some checking, there was over 600 and the majority sat down on the dry mud.

This is just one of the two main groups

Mainly Black-Headed Gulls, but at least 10 Mediterranean, one with a red ring sat down before it could be read. 

A couple of Meds with Black-Headed gulls

Managed to read a white ringed Black-Headed gull.
Another Norwegian ringed bird - details awaited 

The gulls started moving off to go anting. Many quite high, but this group low over the caravan site.

The 5 Bar-Tailed godwit were still on the beach.

Bar-Tailed Godwit

Curlew 150

Whimbrel 3

Swallow 7 south

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Ringing report by Alan:

I set three nets at Middleton this morning.  It was calm and cool with a high thin cloud layer and a heavy dew.  The sun soon cleared the cloud and warmed the air.

The catch of 22 birds was modest but comprised 13 species.

Wren  3          

Robin     2      

Blackbird 1         

Sedge Warbler 1   

Reed Warbler    3   

Lesser Whitethroat  2    

Whitethroat      2      

Chiffchaff        1 retrap   

Willow Warbler    3      

Blue Tit            1 retrap 

Great Tit          1    

Chaffinch         1

Reed Bunting    1

(Jean caught a Treecreeper in a short ringing session at Heysham Nature Reserve yesterday)

Janet had a short walk but was exercising two dogs and therefore was quite restricted.

Demoiselle sp - definitely a Demoiselle but it was too quick for a shot and to confirm species.

Hawker sp - possibly a female Southern Hawker on the south section of the reserve

Red Admiral

I had a quick check of the main pond this evening (Malcolm)

Emperor 1

Black-Tailed Skimmer 2

Black-Tailed Skimmers

Common Darter 5

A juvenile Mediterranean gull was having a bath again.

There were loads of hirundines zipping around, difficult to get a precise count, but at least:

Swallow 6

Sand Martin 5

House Martin 3

Swallow and a Sand Martin

A change of venue was all it needed.

A hot sunny day with a light west wind.

South shore (Malcolm)

I went along the sea wall late morning hoping to see some ringed Mediterranean gulls feeding on the beach by the wooden jetty. There were 10 adult and 2 juvenile on the beach, a couple were feeding on sandmason worms, but most were just resting and preening, presumably having already eaten their fill.

Preening adult Mediterranean gull, this shot shows how prominent 
the sandmason worm tubes are again

There were three ringed birds, but all previously seen this year. Other Meds were resting/preening on the other beaches.

Mediterranean gull total 23 - 20 adult/3rd calendar year, 3 juvenile 

Peregrine Falcon 1

In the Nature Park

The juvenile Sparrowhawk was whining again, unfortunately silent in this short clip.

Juvenile Sparrowhawk 

Painted Lady 2 - first record this year

Painted Lady

One of three Small Skippers

Male Large White

Red Admiral 4

Meadow Brown 2

Gatekeeper 5

Speckled Wood 2

Common Darter 5

Middleton Nature Reserve (Malcolm)

An early evening check of the main ponds, really just to see what dragonflies were around.

Brown Hawker 4

Emperor 1 male

Broad-bodied Chaser 1 male

Broad-bodied Chaser

Black-tailed Skimmer 1 male

Black-tailed Skimmer

Common Darter 10+

Not many butterflies 

Large White 1

Meadow Brown 2

Gatekeeper 6

This young Little Egret seems to be developing its skills nicely.

Swallow 2, House Martin 3 south

By this time gulls were arriving for an evening bath, including 4 Mediterranean gulls, an adult, a 2nd calendar year and two juvenile.

This is one of the juveniles, I am just sat on the seat in the lower car park for this and the following shots.

This is the adult and a juvenile. If you watch closely (or in slow motion) you can see the adult has a white ring.

Fortunately, it kept lifting out of the water while it was bathing, and it was just possible to read the ring.

After checking so many Meds along the shore, this is the first new ringed 
bird seen this month! 

This is the 2nd calendar year Mediterranean gull

A bit more variety

A dry mainly sunny day with a gusty west wind.

Heysham skear - low water 09:30 (Malcolm)

Little Egret 6

Eider 9

Great Crested Grebe 1 juvenile 

These are some of the Eider and ending on the juvenile Great Crested Grebe.

Juvenile Great Crested grebe

Herring Gull 120

Lesser Black-Backed gull - none seen

Black-Headed gull 20

Oystercatcher 500

Curlew 40

Redshank 30

Summer plumaged Redshank 

Turnstone 35

Summer plumaged Turnstone 

Turnstone moulting to winter plumage

Ringed Plover 11

Ringed Plover

Dunlin 1

Dunlin moulting from summer plumage

South shore

I checked Red Nab then a walk along the sea wall towards high water ((Malcolm)

Approaching Red Nab it was clear that there were loads of gulls feeding on the outflows.

Mediterranean gull 23 resting on Red Nab - 2 juvenile, 1 x 2nd calendar year and the rest adult or 3rd calendar year. There were three white ringed birds amongst them, but all seen previously this year.

Mediterranean gulls

Black-Headed gulls c200 - 150 feeding on outflows

Kittiwake 1 juvenile feeding on No.1 outflow

Juvenile Kittiwake

The Nature Park was sheltered from the wind and the insects were taking advantage of the warm conditions. I bumped into Kevin by the Buddleia and over a five minute chat we saw ten species of butterfly and three species of dragonfly:

Red Admiral 2

Peacock 1

Comma 1

Large White 3

Brimstone 3 (all female)

Meadow Brown 2

Gatekeeper several

Small Skipper 3

Common Blue 2

Speckled Wood 2

Red Admiral and a Brimstone 

Meadow Brown

Comma and a Brimstone 

Common Darter just 1 near the Buddleia but several around the  Nature Park

Brown Hawker 1 by the Buddleia plus another 

Hawker sp, zipping around. Likely a Southern Hawker as its head and thorax were predominantly green.

What sounded like a young raptor was whining in the trees between the Nature Park and Ocean Edge, after a while an adult Sparrowhawk flew to the trees and the whining stopped. 

A Norwegian visitor

An overcast day with a few showers, some very heavy. A SW wind.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Janet didn't have her camera this morning, but still managed some nice shots with her phone.

Speckled Wood

Shaded Broad-bar

South shore

I ventured out twice today and was rewarded with a good soaking both times! (Malcolm)

Mediterranean gulls c25 on Red Nab towards high water. This one followed the StenaLine into the harbour this evening.

I was fortunate with this white ringed Black-Headed gull this evening. It was on Red Nab as I was walking back in the rain. The rain just eased long enough for me to locate and read the ring, then the heavens opened big style! Two minutes either way and I wouldn't have even seen it.

It is one of a Norwegian ringing scheme - details awaited

Lesser Black-Backed and Common gull

Redshank and a Turnstone

One of many groups of Curlew heading north to their feeding grounds

Whimbrel 1 south

Peregrine Falcon 2 cavorting around the Power Stations 

Peregrine Falcons

Cormorants on the wooden jetty

Slaters being slaughtered

A fresh SW wind stirred up the sea. Overcast with a few light showers.

Middleton Nature Reserve (Malcolm)

Just a quick look at the two main ponds.

Wildfowl as recent although just one female type Gadwall seen.

Gadwall, front with Mallard behind

This young Little Grebe provides a tour past the Gadwall and feeding Coot, before the inevitable dive.

This is one of the two summer plumaged adults.

Kingfisher 1 - on the "no swimming" pond. I only saw it briefly, but it didn't move on, just out of sight behind the bushes.

South shore (Malcolm)

Wheatear 1 female/immature on the foreshore 

Rock Pipit 2 - 1 each Foreshore and Red Nab

Whimbrel 2

Whimbrel 

Mediterranean gulls c15 flew early from Red Nab this morning, several were on the mud this evening.

Adult Med flying along the sea wall this evening 

Oystercatcher on the heliport wall at high water

Sea Slaters are like a large fast Woodlouse. Like Woodlice, they like to rest in dark damp areas, only coming out to feed after dark. But they drown if submerged in water so as the tides get higher, as they have been doing this week, they are forced to move from their hiding place and find a new one, making them vulnerable. This first clip is from yesterday when the Red Nab Rock Pipit finds one scurrying up the sloping wall.

But today's higher tide, with high waves forced the Sea Slaters out in numbers. There were c50 Starlings feasting on them at the heliport.

This one caught quite a large one, and had to take it out of sight to eat in peace. The Oystercatchers had no interest in the bounty.

Flycatcher on the Head

 A warn sunny day with a SW light wind.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Janet and the insects were enjoying the sunshine.

Common Darters

Brimstone 

Gatekeeper 

Two of three Peacock

Common Blue

Shaded Broad-bar

Silver Y

Little Egret

Heysham Head

Spotted Flycatcher 1 reported anonymously on BirdTrack

South shore (Malcolm)

Two checks again, foreshore to Red Nab towards high water in the morning and a walk along the sea wall in the evening.

Wheatear 2

Wheatears, clearly different birds, along the foreshore 

Rock Pipit 3 on Red Nab (1 + 2)

Little Egret 4

Whimbrel 1 heard

Curlew 175 at least, groups constantly flying to the south.

One of many groups of Curlew

Dunlin c150 in one flock south this evening 

Solitary Dunlin amongst the sandmason worm tubes near the wooden jetty

Mediterranean gull 30 at least, there were 25 on Red Nab this morning, including 4 juvenile. But other Meds were flying directly towards the estuary, as they tend to do when the tides are high enough to flush them from Red Nab.

In the Nature Park

Gatekeeper several

Large White 1

Small White 2

Ringlet 1 faded

Meadow Brown 1 faded

Peacock 2

Speckled Wood 2

Common Blue 1

Small Skipper 3

Small Skipper

Brown Hawker 2

Common Darter 5

These Carrion Crows were on the small anemometer 

It isn't obvious what is actually happening here, it's a bit early for apples to be over ripe. I like to think it's mum, saying, "What have I told you about eating apples? Put it down and go and find some nice junk food to eat." (Malcolm)