Med day

Calm overnight and into the morning, a light breeze then shifted from an easterly to NW by evening. Warm and dry with sunny spells

Middleton Nature Reserve early morning 

Swift 1 

Mediterranean gulls 9 over heading to the shore - Pete

Ringing included the first migrant Goldcrest of autumn

South shore

I went to check the gulls on Red Nab towards high water (Malcolm)

Whimbrel 1 at the saltmarsh 

Whimbrel 

Osprey 1 tried fishing between the outfalls, I didn't see it dive before it drifted south.

Distant Osprey

Mediterranean gull at least 40 including 3 juveniles. There was quite a high proportion of immature birds.

15 Meds chose to rest on the mud out from Red Nab

The one on the right has a metal ring above the knee on its right leg,
but it seemed determined not to show its coloured ring

Eventually it did, revealing itself to be a new bird for the area.
Details awaited

This one is part of the same scheme. We have seen it before, but this is
the first sighting this year. Ringed in France 2022, recent history awaited

Three other ringed birds read, but all seen previously this year

One of the juveniles

Little Egret 4

Little Egret

One of two Small Copper by the saltmarsh 

Shaun checked this afternoon:

Mediterranean gulls 67 - highest count this year! Initially there wasn't many, but as the tide ebbed more arrived. None attempted to feed on the beach by the wooden jetty, although 8 were resting on the sea out from the harbour. These were additional to the final count on Red Nab of 56 adult type plus 3 juvenile

Rock Pipit 5 between Red Nab and the lighthouse 

Shag 3 juvenile resting on the wooden jetty

I just had time for a very quick look this afternoon (Malcolm). And managed to spot this white ringed Lesser Black-Backed gull on No.2 outflow. 

Part of a Spanish ringing scheme - details awaited

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

A quick look this morning saw only butterflies, but the dragonflies were showing in a second check this afternoon.

Black Darter

Common Darter

Speckled Wood

Green-Veined White

Comma and a Red Admiral 

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