Yellow seems to be the colour the young ones are wearing this year.

A varied day, it managed to stay dry, with the odd sunny spell, till lunchtime then light showers. Very heavy thundery showers mid afternoon. It then became quite sunny in the evening. A fresh south wind all day, very blustery during the thunderstorms.

South shore (Malcolm)

A morning check at low water 09:00 - 10:30

Peregrine Falcon 1 - as I reached the saltmarsh it had just caught a passerine, probably a Starling, 

Peregrine with a small catch

It took it to the shore 

It didn't seem overly impressed with such meagre catch. Perhaps not a clip for those of a more sensitive nature.

Unsurprisingly, there were only 2 Linnet around the saltmarsh plus 3 more at Red Nab

Rock Pipits 2 on Red Nab

Shelduck 1

Little Egret 4

Mediterranean gulls 63 minimum

There were 20 on Red Nab, but they quickly took flight. Whether something spooked them or it was just time to feed I don't know. Fortunately, I did spot a new yellow ringed juvenile before they moved on.

Yellow ringed juvenile Mediterranean gull - part of a German scheme.
Details for this one awaited, but we have now received the history of the
red ringed bird seen on Monday - ringed at Bugyi, Hungary 20/06/24
Monday's sighting was its first

This is the beach where the Mediterranean gulls like to feed, but most
of it is covered in soft mud at the moment. All the Mediterranean gulls
today were on the thin spit at the waterline, detail below.

I confirmed that 56 of the white specks at the top of this shot were Mediterranean
gulls, likely some of the others were as well. There were 7 additional juveniles
feeding at the seaward end of No.1 outfall and resting between the outfalls.
Unfortunately, tomorrow's tide is lower and probably won't expose this
spit. The gulls moved off as soon as the tide covered it.

I returned to Red Nab as the tide was reaching it at 12:30. Unfortunately, the rain had started and most of the gulls were hunkered down behind the rocks. I did manage yet another yellow ringed juvenile.

The fourth yellow ringed juvenile this year, from three different schemes.
This is the second ringed at Norfolk. Ringed 25/06/25 last seen there 7/07/25

This nice shot by Janet at Heysham Moss Nature Reserve yesterday.
The water level is low and the Common Darters were concentrated.
Two pairs and a male here

First Sanderlings of autumn

Light showers in the morning then dry with sunny spells. The freshening SW wind was quite strong by evening.

South shore (Malcolm)

Just a quick look from the saltmarsh to Red Nab towards high water.

Linnet 30 at the saltmarsh 

Linnet

Rock Pipit 2 on Red Nab

Mediterranean gulls 30 at least on Red Nab

But they were drifting off all the time

Only one juvenile seen, no sign of the yellow ringed birds.
Just two previously seen ringed adults 

The juvenile Martin mere Black-Headed gull is still around

Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)

Migrant Hawker

Common Darters - no sign of yesterday's Ruddy Darter

One of three Painted Lady

Small Tortoiseshell 

Silver Y

Heysham skear (Malcolm) 17:00 - 18:30

I went out as the tide was exposing the skear

Shag at least 2 juveniles 

This one was flying south as I walked out

There were at least two feeding, but difficult to spot in the choppy sea.

Juvenile shag, the strong low light making it look lighter than it is.

This one seemed to have finished fishing and set off south. Unfortunately it was lost in the sun just after the end of this clip, so I don't know if it landed again.

Eider 1 male

Great Crested grebe 6

Quite a lot going on here, including the Eider and five of the grebes.
But you will need to open the shot to have much chance of seeing them.

Gulls, mainly Herring 300

Oystercatcher 500

Curlew 50

Redshank 120 - not so many around at first then a flock of 100 arrived

Turnstone 60

Sanderling 2 in non breeding plumage few right past me but were quickly lost in the sun. I tried to relocate, but I didn't even know if they landed or continued south.

Juvenile Turnstone

Redshank

Curlew and Turnstone 

Ruddy returns!

A warm dry day a SE breeze shifting to west in the evening.

South Shore (Malcolm)

Quite a productive day resulting in nine ringed Mediterranean gulls and a Cormorant being read. 

This morning I just checked the gulls on and around Red Nab.

Mediterranean gulls 40+

I located 7 ringed Meds. All previously read except for two yellow ringed juveniles.

Juvenile Mediterranean gull - yellow 2104
Ringed as a nestling at Scolt Head Norfolk 25/06/25. It was still there 09/07/25

Juvenile Mediterranean gull - yellow 2283
Both arrived on the same day and both in a similar sequence, you'd imagine that
they were from the same scheme. But they are not, the Norfolk scheme only has
rings to 2199.Where this one came from is still a mystery. A generous reward
is offered to anyone identifying the scheme.
No money involved of course, just a generous thank you.

A check this evening saw only c30 Mediterranean gulls. No sign of the ringed juveniles. Two additional ringed birds were seen, one new one.

A second calendar year Mediterranean gull - red HW56
Part of a Hungarian scheme - details awaited

Rock Pipit 3 on Red Nab, this one was taking a bath in the freshwater runoff, even remembering to wash behind its ears.

Plenty of Cormorants and a Heron on the wooden jetty.
No sign of any Shags at this time

A particularly pale juvenile Cormorant 

This Cormorant has an orange ring - 341
Ringed Hale Duck Decoy, Cheshire, on 16th June 2024.Seen twice at Seaforth in
August 2024 and on the canal near Garstang September 2024

Grey Seal at the seaward end of No.1 outfall

In the Nature Park

Red Admiral 5

Small Tortoiseshell 5

Large White 2

Small White 3

Speckled Wood 5

Common Blue 1 worn male

Migrant Hawker 2

Hummingbird Hawkmoth  1 zipped past, no chance of a shot

Poplar Hawkmoth 1 dead along the track

Poplar Hawkmoth

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Janet checked this afternoon 

Banded Demoiselle 1 flew from the lower car park at the main pond towards the wooden steps.

Ruddy Darter 1 male  - near the pond on the south side of the reserve

First Ruddy Darter record since 2007!

Male Common Darter

Common Blue

Small Tortoiseshell 

One of two Painted Ladies, also on the south side of the Reserve

The injured Swan is still feeding ok

Teal 3

Barn Owl 1 this evening - Pete

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