Three Shag and an Osprey matinée

Calm first thing, then a freshening west breeze. Ending up quite warm with sunny spells increasing.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Ringing report by Alan:

This morning the catch was just 21 birds with a good spread of species including Chiffchaff, Common Whitethroat, Reed Warbler, Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Cetti's Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat.  

A flock of approximately 70 Goldfinch were flying around the reserve during the morning but not a single one managed to end up in my nets.  

Two Grey Wagtails heard flying over, hopefully we shall soon start catching some of these for the colour ringing project (see sidebar for scheme details)

Janet checked this afternoon 

No Cormorants on the main pond, but the regular Heron was there

Common Darter

Migrant Hawker
Two Brown Hawkers managed to avoid being photographed 

Meadow Brown

Speckled Wood

Green-Veined White

Heysham skear (Malcolm) 08:00 - 09:15

I walked in the rising tide along the northern edge of the skear.

Eider 45 including several males coming out of eclipse 

Female and immature Eider and a Cormorant 

Some of the male Eider

Great Crested Grebe 8

Great Crested Grebes

Little Egret 12

Some of the Little Egrets on the south side, and a ship disappearing into
the mist. Not quite a Turner seascape, but not bad!

Shag 3 juveniles, all three ending up on Conger Rock.

Three juvenile Shag and a Cormorant (top) - It's worth checking Conger Rock
tomorrow around 09:00. It's easily visible from the shore. It's the large rock on 
the south side, much bigger than any of the other rocks.

Gulls 100 mainly Herring

Oystercatcher 200, most had already left the skear, there were 500 more on the shore to the south

Curlew 70

Redshank 65

Turnstone 30

Ringed Plover 15

Swallow 1 east

South shore (Malcolm) 15:15 - 16:45

A check along the foreshore saw nothing.

Then a pleasant walk along the sea wall.

Rock Pipit 3 - 2 on Red Nab and 1 near the lighthouse 

Lighthouse Rock Pipit

Shag - just one juvenile seen roosting with the Cormorants on the wooden jetty. Almost certainly one of this morning's birds.

Juvenile Shag amidst panting Cormorants (it wasn't that hot!)

A surprisingly fresh Six-spot Burnet in the scrub near the lighthouse 

Osprey 1 - fishing between the outfalls, it was very difficult viewing as the light was behind it, but fortunately I managed some shots of its successful dive.

It had grabbed quite a large Bass, and had to grapple with it.

The Osprey was pulled under a few times, but eventually emerged with its prize.

A decent sized Bass, it will be significantly heavier than the Osprey

It flew off with it to the north, but not without difficulty

There were lots of butterflies in the Nature Park:

Red Admiral 12

Peacock 1

Large White 3

Small White 4

Meadow Brown 3

Speckled Wood 5

Three Red Admiral and a Small Tortoiseshell 

Peacock

Green day

A cooler day with a light west wind. It remained dry after a light morning shower.

Green Parakeets sp 2 flying around Heysham Head - ref Facebook 

Heysham Nature Reserve (Mark Jones)

As I got out of my car there was a green woodpecker on the path going up past the visitor centre, it flew off towards the dog walking path.

Green Woodpecker 

As I reached the top of the hill a fox darted out in front of me momentarily and there was a very vocal kingfisher flying round the power station lodge. I saw the woodpecker fly back into the reserve and nearly stepped on it a few minutes later as it was feeding hidden in short grass, it got up and ‘Yaffled’ off.

Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)

Janet's "pet" Cormorant was trying to have a snooze

It was the only one present today

Swallow

Juvenile Goldfinch

Small White

The injured Mute Swan is still present and further attempts to rescue it on hold for fear of causing more stress.

South shore (Malcolm)

Two visits today - 09:00 - 11:30 I checked the shore out from Ocean Edge.

The only small waders were 2 Ringed Plovers that flew past the foreshore and 80 Redshank roosting on Red Nab.

There were some Grey Plover and a few Knot much further south beyond the recording area. No disturbance from dog walkers today, so they stayed where they were. Presumably, for the time being at least, there is more food there.

Curlew 275 minimum - there were already 150 resting on the beach and least another 125 arrived in several flocks from the north side

Oystercatcher just 20 feeding along the water line, but many more on Red Nab

Black-Headed Gulls 200 on the shore plus at least 50 on Red Nab

Mediterranean gulls 11 - 9 adults plus 1 each 2nd calendar year and juvenile 

Adult Mediterranean gulls

Juvenile Mediterranean gull

Canada Goose 1 with a non functioning wing. It was resting at the bottom of the sea wall on Red Nab

The lower middle gull is the 2nd calendar year Mediterranean gull 

Although its wing was clearly non functional, there was no obvious damage 

It wasn't safe where it was as dogs often go down the sloping wall here.
I persuaded it to take to the water, and it drifted off with the tide.

Wren 1 along the foreshore, there hasn't been one here all summer

Rock Pipit 2 along the foreshore, 4 on Red Nab possibly including the foreshore 2

Rock Pipit

Wheatear 1 on Red Nab

A rufous Wheatear on a, once again, rufous rock (see yesterday's post)

15:00 - 16:30

Linnet 5 on Red Nab plus 2 near the waterfall 

Rock Pipit 1 additional near the waterfall 

Curlew - every black speck on the mud is a tiny snail that the small waders eat.

Mediterranean gull - just 5 turned up at the feeding beach by the wooden jetty, and one of those quickly left.

Mediterranean gull standing in thick soft mud where there should be
Sandmason worm tubes.

Another green ringed juvenile Herring gull on No.1 outfall
Part of the NW England gull project, see sidebar for a link to the scheme.
Some have been ringed from nests on the Power Stations, but I don't think this
is one of them - details awaited

Shag 1 juvenile resting on the wooden jetty.

Juvenile Shag in the centre. Surrounded by Cormorants.
Shortly after this shot it flew north to its feeding grounds 

Garden warblers top a decent ringing session

The NE breeze switched to NW mid morning and freshened. Some sunshine, but much cooler than of late.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

An early morning ringing session at Middleton NR by JR and PM saw decent numbers of warblers trickling through but no vis mig at all.  The moth trap was highlighted by another Pyrausta purpuralis in a small catch after a quite cool night 

Ringing details Jean:

46 birds caught. Lots of juv warblers moving through.

Whitethroat 6

Lesser Whitethroat 2

Willow Warbler 7

Chiffchaff 5

Sedge Warbler 3

Reed Warbler 2

Blackcap 6

Garden Warbler 2

Goldfinch 8

Great Tit 3

Blue Tit 1

Robin 1

Heard a Raven to the east. 

There were 6 Swallows to the west mid morning 

Janet checked the main pond. One of the adult Mute Swans has a broken wing, it looks to be the male. Woodwolf were trying to capture it to take to their wildlife sanctuary. Whatever attacked it is unlikely to be wildlife. Always sad to see an injured creature, particularly so when it was likely avoidable.

Juvenile Cormorant 

Migrant Hawker 

South shore (Janet)

Just a check of Red Nab, although not so red at the moment

Much of the rock at Red Nab has a coating of salt, for the time being.

One of three Wheatears

In the Nature Park

Small Tortoiseshell 

Very worn Common Blue

Tree Sparrow 2 - briefly visited my garden feeder 09:45 - Malcolm

Heysham Head (Mark Jones)

Juvenile Shag fishing out from the little sandy cove near the back of St Patrick’s church around lunchtime.

Juvenile Shag

Heysham skear (Malcolm) 14:00 - 15:30

Eider 1 male

Great Crested grebe 4

Shag 2 juveniles 

This one was resting 

It was becoming animated, and looking like it was going to take flight. It did, but not after showing that it is has been feeding ok. Today, it obliged with their unmistakable dive not long after landing.

The first bird was still fishing when this one flew from the south.
It continued further north towards the Stone Jetty 

No Little Egrets seen today, but one Grey Heron flew in to feed.

Heron

Gulls 150 on the skear, more further out on and over the channels. Most were Herring gulls.

Just one previously read ringed bird seen. N:01E ringed in the Ribble estuary 2019

Just one Mediterranean gull

Oystercatcher 450

Curlew 30

Turnstone 40

Redshank 180 - this probably doesn't represent a sudden increase, it's just that I also checked the south side of the skear today where most were feeding.

Redshank having a shake down