Red-veined Darter

An early south wind shifted to the west by late morning. Dry with sunny spells.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

I checked first (Malcolm). 11:30. After yesterday's good insect migration weather I checked the main pond to see if it had attracted any Red-veined Darters. It had.

Male Red-veined Darter

It was on the west side of the main pond, these shots 20m north of where the Mute Swans rest (bank covered in feathers and feaces). It was still in the same area when Janet checked at 13:30.

Janet checked again an hour later and Kevin Eaves looked later this afternoon, neither were able to relocate, but it is a small insect in a large area, so hopefully it is still around.

Three female/immature darters were seen, the only one providing a decent view was a Common Darter, they probably all were.

Common Darter

Black-Tailed Skimmer 3

Broad-bodied Chaser 1

Red Admiral 1

Speckled Wood 3

Mute Swan pair plus 7 cygnets

Mallard 6

Coot 2

Swift 3

House Martin 2

The following warblers were all heard from the main pond

Cetti's warbler 2

Blackcap 2

Reed warbler 2

Chiffchaff 1

Janet checked in the early afternoon 

Grasshopper warbler 1 reeling in the southern section of the reserve.

Swalow

Scary Pheasant!

As well as the Red-Veined Darter

Female Black-Tailed Skimmer

Male Black-Tailed Skimmer resting on dried Swan droppings

Lots of Damselflies, this one a male Common Blue

Imperial Rd

Mark Jones checked at 09:30 -  male stonechat very active taking food into brambles to the left of the Elder bush.

Stonechat showing the location of where he is now taking food

Song Thrush taking food in the same vicinity 

Also, common whitethroat pair feeding young near the Rd, numerous Reed buntings, greenfinch, buzzard, swallows and grey heron overhead. 

Male Greenfinch

I checked at lunchtime (Malcolm) The Stonechat was now just resting on the Elder bush.

Plus a couple of yesterday's imports:

Red Admiral 1

Painted Lady 1

Field along the edge of Moss Estate (Janet)

Plenty of Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet moths

Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnets

Heysham skear (Malcolm) 16:00 - 17:30

Eider what looks to be a family of five. At first there were two immatures by themselves then an adult pair plus two that looked like fledged juveniles flew from the north to join them.

All five fed in the shallows

He certainly looks to be a proud Dad

Great Crested grebe 5

Presumably this is the same solitary bird that has been here regularly recently 

Then four more, looking to be two pairs

Little Egret 3

Oystercatchers 100

Curlew 9

Some of the Curlew coming in

Gulls 600, mainly Herring. I must have checked over 300 pairs of legs and never saw a single ring.

Just out of the recording area, Caravan park just south of the recording area - Mark Jones.

It seemed like half of the rookery arrived to feed outside my caravan at first light, at least 5 adults and 5 well developed youngsters being fed from my feeders and extracted earthworms, very vocal!

Some insect movement

A warm, but mainly overcast day. A freshening east wind.

First, these are Janet's shots of the adult with juvenile Rock Pipits from Heysham Head yesterday.

Rock Pipits

Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)

Mullien caterpillars on a Mullien plant on the scrubland to the
left of the security hut on Middleton.

Mullien plant on the banking to the west of Tim Butler pond

Also hosting Mullien caterpillars

Imperial Rd

Mark Jones checked first

I stood where the wooden gate was and immediately saw a male stonechat (to my left) on a post with food, it went into brambles.

What a great little spot it is, a buzzard soon appeared and flew in to harass the crows and unsettle everything else.

I checked later (Malcolm). Unlike Mark I failed to see a Stonechat, but clearly he still has something around to feed.

Buzzard hovering in the east wind

Male Chaffinch 

A Chaffinch calling was one of the first (of few) calls that I learned to recognise as a child. It reminded me of someone pushing a wheelbarrow with a squeaky wheel. A sound more common then than now....

Other finches: Goldfinch with 3 newly fledged, Linnet male, Greenfinch several.

Common Whitethroat 

Sedge Warbler

Other warblers: Cetti's 2 singing, Chiffchaff 2 singing

Reed Bunting 3

Roe Deer

South shore (Malcolm)

Warm weather and an east wind is normally good for insects migrating in off the sea. It tends to be better when the tide is out, but a thunderstorm was threatening, so I went early 13:45 - 15:15.

Canada geese to SE

Red Admirals were coming in off the sea at a rate of one a minute. Most were passing down the north side, still in total I saw 28. 

Most continued straight through, but some stopped for a rest on the wall

This was the only one that settled with its wings open, it was sheltered 
from the wind near the waterfall

Painted Lady 4

Small White 1

Darter sp seen coming in off but too distant to be able to identify.

Cinnabar moth caterpillar near the lighthouse scrub

Six-Spot Burnet 50+ in and around the scrub near the lighthouse 

Six-spot Burnet ensuring the next generation 

There were literally thousands of small orange flies. They were all along the sea wall and covering the scrub near the lighthouse.

Turned out to be Turnip Sawflies

The insect eating birds were making the most of things

Not sure what this Rock Pipit has, possibly a Dragonfly?

A barely fledged Pied Wagtail enjoying its early days.
Although it doesn't look very happy!

This Pied Wagtail was on Red Nab

This Hawk moth was resting on the floor of the sea wall.
I was afraid that an approaching party with dogs may accidentally trample it.
So I reached to move it to the top of the wall, as I did.......

........it showed itself to be an Eyed Hawk moth.
I placed it safely on top of the wall.

As it turned out the threatened thunderstorm didn't materialise. I wonder how I would have fared if I had gone out later in the tide? Not to worry, it was a very pleasant walk.

.......and then there were none!

A warm sunny day with a light variable breeze.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Report by Alan:

At last a windless morning allowed setting of mist nets at Middleton, after most of yesterday spent on ride maintenance.  There has been little opportunity over the last few weeks for ringing.

The majority of the catch were Reed Warblers, but no young trapped yet.

 

Reed Warbler 5 + 2 retraps

Chiffchaff  1 + 3 retaps

Singles of each of Robin, Song Thrush, Jay, Willow Warbler, Wren and Cetti's Warbler. 

A couple of shots by Janet from yesterday 

Lesser Whitethroat 

Drinker moth caterpillar 

Heysham Head

Janet confirmed Rock Pipits feeding young - pictures to follow when Janet's internet is restored

Imperial Rd (Malcolm)

Two checks again today, but no sign of any Stonechats. Hopefully it's just me being useless. Not that there aren't any predators around.......

This Buzzard is targeting small prey, it has a small rodent here

It took it to this small copse between the substation and the bypass

Then immediately returned to hunting 

Not sure what it has in these two shots, possibly a young Weasel.
But whatever, another small prey

Female Kestrel. She has a metal ring, not ringed in the recording area
as the only two Kestrels ringed here (1996 and 2015) were both males. 

Wood Pigeon several as always

Stock Dove 2 

Stock Doves

One of two recently fledged Carrion Crows

You can still see the remnant of its gape.

Song Thrush after slugs again

Swallows 6

Reed Buntings seen and heard

Common Whitethroat seen and heard

Cetti's warbler 2 singing

Chiffchaff 2 singing

Sedge warbler seen

Male Linnet

Heysham skear (Malcolm) 15:00 - 16:00

Eider 13

12 Eider in this group plus a solitary female

Red-Breasted Merganser 3 a male plus a pair. 

Great Crested Grebe 1

Little Egret 4

Oystercatcher 150

Curlew 4

Gulls - probably 500, but today's breeze was no good for shrimping, so most were just resting.....

........some on the the rocks

..........and many on the sea (the Eider are in this shot too)

I managed to read two ringed Herring gulls and, amazingly, neither seen
here before. Details awaited