Another quiet day

The wind was back to SE more due south later. Mainly overcast and showers, but occasional sun.

Only my stuff so far (MD)

South shore

Wigeon c100

Linnet 24

Common Snipe 13

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Gadwall 9

Teal 3

Little grebe 2

Shoveller 1 male

This male Shoveller is either coming out of eclipse very quickly,
 or it's a different bird.

By popular demand (actually 3 polite requests)

Here are the directions to locate the Heysham Labyrinth:

The labyrinth is a maze like engraving on the Heysham Head sandstone. It's about the same size as a dinner plate. It's almost identical in size and style to one in Tintagel Cornwall, which is either Bronze or Iron age. For more information check on line.

It's on a horizontal ledge in the middle of Heysham Head cliffs. This picture shows the general location.

This is relatively easy access and is not cut off by tides.

Note the rock fall to the right of the arrow.

This is the area looking in the direction of the arrow

Note the distinctive graffiti on the cliff wall

This is looking down onto the ledge. The "T" at the bottom of the picture is easily found (it's the start of TDRI). But at about 8 o' clock inside the yellow circle there is a more difficult TH or TM. This cuts into the labyrinth. The yellow circle actually describes what's left of the labyrinth.

Impossible to see anything from this angle.

Janet checked it out today and in a period of brief sunshine, and a low angle took this, really very good, shot

In the absence of a low sun, try a low angle shot taken with a flash.

Speculation about this engraving ranges from bronze age to 20th century. In my opinion, the amount of deterioration over the last 25 years,  I can't believe it to be more than a few hundred years old. But I have been known to be wrong. Either way, it is part of Heysham's heritage that won't  be around for ever.

More Meds feeding and impressive arachnids

Refreshingly cooler today, the east breeze continued but much more cloud cover today

South shore 

First check 4 hours before high water

Wheatear 1 female/immature on Ocean Edge foreshore (not the same as yesterday's bird)

Rock Pipits 3 on Red Nab

Mediterranean gulls 17 ( 14 adult plus 3 x 3rd calendar year). These were feeding on the beach between the wooden jetty and No.1 outflow.

One of the adults and the three 3rd calendar year Mediterranean gulls 
You can see that the sand mason worm tubes are a bit more prominent today.
The top bird is the 3cy with white darvic ring. Unfortunately the wet mud kept
splashing the ring making reading difficult, but at least some characters were read.

It was only 08:45 and still cool, a check of the scrub area located only one butterfly, a Peacock.

Willow Warbler 1 - there was one here yesterday too.

Second check 3 hours after high water

This was both to see if the Meds returned to the beach but mainly to see if the insects were coming in off the sea again.

At 14:45 the breeze was more to the NE, but this is fine to bring any migrating insects ashore. But very little was coming in off. Just a single Small White and a Small Tortoiseshell seen coming in.

A walk along the scrub located just 6 Small White and 2 Small Tortoiseshell, and most of those were at the waterfall end, i.e. about to move on. It looks like what little movement that there had been was just ending. It's normally better when the tide is further out than it was at this time, but better conditions are only advantageous if there are insects to come in. 

There were similar numbers to yesterday of Common Blue and Meadow Brown, but no Gatekeeper. 

While I was in the area a further 5 Small Tortoiseshell came in off, but no more Small White.

Whimbrel 2

Mediterranean gull only 1 unringed 3rd calendar year turned up as the ebbing tide exposed the beach. The technique they use to feed at this stage of the tide, is paddling. They catch the sand mason worms that are still feeding in the shallow water. It's a wonder that there weren't more Meds as this one seemed to be catching plenty. It takes three worms in this short clip.

I'm sure more Meds would have arrived later, but they would have been beyond my ring reading range, so I didn't stay.

This was a bit unusual, this Redshank had caught a relatively large crab, and didn't have the sense to fly off with its catch. It was chased all over the beach with it, this is just the first 30 seconds.

It was chased by Redshank and Oystercatcher alike, but managed to keep hold of its prize. It took a full two minutes to reduce the crab to a size that it could swallow. It forced it down, then continued feeding as if it hadn't eaten for ages! (MD)

If you are arachnophobe, perhaps you had better read no further.

Janet spied this large spider the other day, hunting for the insects below the curve of the Power Station sea defences. I have been advised that this is a Giant House Spider (not a wolf spider as I originally suggested, in this case Giant is part of the name not just an adjective for a normal House spider (MD))

But this is just a tiddler compared to what lurks in Heysham Nature Reserve! Report and pictures by Kevin:

I've recently noticed some large sheets webs in the long grass and gorse at the northern end of the plateau in Heysham nature reserve.  Tickling with a grass stem produced a surprisingly large spider which made me jump! It seems it's the Labyrinth spider. It's a Southern species and we're really at the Northern edge of its range. A bit of digging reveals that it seems to be a bit of a Heysham speciality

Labyrinth spider

This shot shows their very substantial webs. Apparently, their favourite food is grasshoppers, so the webs need to be strong.

Labyrinth spider webs. If you lightly brush one with a piece of grass,
you should tempt the spider out. But don't over do it, we don't want them turning ugly!

Black Redstart lingers

Another day of low cloud and a light SE breeze.

The female type Black Redstart was relocated on the tip of Heysham Head near the Labyrinth - David Kaye 

If you don't know where the where the Labyrinth is, it explained in the post 14/11/20

 https://heyshamobservatory.blogspot.com/search?q=Labyrinth+ 

I had a walk along the shoreline from Half Moon Bay to Heysham Head (Malcolm).

I didn't see the Redstart, but they can be very elusive.

Lapwing 13 along rocks at Half Moon Bay

There were no snipe flushed by the rising tide out from the Heliport wall. Perhaps last night's firework party cleared them for a while.

Rock Pipits 5 at least. 2 on Half Moon Bay beach and a minimum of 3 below Heysham Head cliffs.

Meadow Pipit 1 below the cliffs

Goldfinch 15 in one flock came from the north and settled on Heysham Head

Blackbird 3 south

Pale-bellied Brent goose 4 flew south past the head. They came low from the direction of the skear corner. They may have been feeding there.

Not a great shot of the Brent, but you can see the skear behind.

Brent geese passing Heysham Head before disappearing into the mist

One of two Little Egret

On the way back I checked Red Nab to see if the Brent were feeding there. They weren't.

Wigeon 100+

Shelduck 53

The sun was supposed to make a guest appearance today, but it never happened. The "light" makes visibility restricted, but also makes for some interesting effects. These two were resting on the foreshore.

Curlew

Turnstone 

Wheatear 1 late bird was on the foreshore when Kevin Eaves checked later in the afternoon 

The closure of the sea wall for maintenance during the day is now scheduled to be completed by 24th November.

A nice view of the Nature Park, no Chiffchaff seen or heard today.
But there were ten feeding Blackbirds.......

.......and a Song Thrush

 

Two RVD, one already in, one incoming

Another hot (26.5) day despite the showers. A light SE wind

This Rose-ringed Parakeet was in Ian Muirhead’s Heysham garden today.  
It is an escapee as it has a cage bird ring. Still nice to see. Thanks Ian

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Janet checked early on.

This racing Pigeon was feeling the heat! It had a pit stop at the main pond for a drink

Common Bluetail Damselflies 

Ringlets were everywhere 

Shaded broad-bar

Then a second check this afternoon between showers

First Small Skipper confirmed this year

A wet Labyrinth Spider's lair

I checked the main pond mid morning (Malcolm)

Red-veined Darter 1 male in the same location as yesterday.

Red-veined Darter male

One of five male Black-Tailed Skimmers

South shore - late morning 

Kevin was first along the sea wall. It was still warm with a SE breeze, but overcast and rain was imminent.

16 butterflies flying east on my walk out to the end of the arm. Most, if not all, Red Admirals but some may have been Small Tortoiseshells. 

I was 20 minutes behind Kevin (Malcolm). It is clear that the insect migration is in waves, as I saw no butterflies till I was almost at the end of the wall, then a rush of 11 Red Admirals and 5 Small White.

It just started raining so I sheltered behind the lighthouse a while. The Red Admirals were coming in off at the rate of one a minute.

Earlier Kevin had a glimpse of a large dragonfly past the lighthouse, but no chance of being confident of the species.

I saw a male Red-veined Darter come in off, and managed to locate it, or possibly another, amongst the scrub between the lighthouse and the waterfall.

Male Red-veined Darter

By this time it was raining quite heavily and the butterflies coming in were tending to hang around the scrub near the lighthouse.

Painted Lady 4

Red Admiral 10

Meadow Brown 1

Small White 4

Rock Pipits 5 (2+1 on Red Nab and 1 each lighthouse and waterfall 

This is the waterfall Rock-Pipit with a bill full of food.
The lighting looks odd as it was between vertical fence slats 

Mediterranean gulls 4 - 2 adult and 2 third calendar year 

Two adult Meds

3rd cy Med between 2 adults

All four in this shot.
They were on the mud between the outfalls 

I didn't see any Meds go to the shore between No.1 outfall and the wooden
jetty. There were a few Black- Headed gulls there. You can see that the 
Sandmason worm tubes are just showing 

Curlew 28 - 27 north plus this one after the Sandmason worms.

Curlew

For no obvious reason, No.2 outfall was deserted.....

......while all the gulls fed on No.1 outfall

Imperial Rd (Malcolm)

I checked twice but couldn't see any Stonechats. All the other regulars were present, including.

The ringed Kestrel 

Buzzard with a Frog or a Toad

A young Roe Deer fawn popped its head above the meadow grass

Large Skipper

One of two Stock Doves

Sedge warbler 

Something to watch out for - Small red eyed damselflies have reached at least Stanley park lake Blackpool, possibilities on weed in middle of ponds at Middleton Nature Reserve 

Still little change

Early morning showers followed by light showers during the say. A light SW wind.

South shore 

Janet checked mid morning,

Mediterranean gulls on Red Nab, from left to far right
Two adult a second summer and a first summer

This Lesser Black-Backed gull wasn't finding a shore crab easy pickings

Rock Pipit near the lighthouse. We have seen this effect before.
Last time it was a known female, and suspected it was caused by her
sitting on nest with her back touching the roof in the hole.

Grey Mullet below the sloping sea wall

I checked early afternoon (Malcolm)

Mediterranean gulls 18 - 10 adult, 4 first summer and 4 second summer. 

The gulls on the beach near the wooden jetty were catching a few Sandmason worms, but only in shallow water, not on the beach itself.

The Black-Headed gull has a Sandmason worm

Second summer Mediterranean gull with a Sandmason worm

Heysham Nature Reserve (Mark Jones)

Ringlet the most abundant butterfly here too

Impressive looking Labyrinth Spider