A good early start

Very calm early on with just a hint of an east breeze. A light west breeze from mid morning. Sunshine all day.

Seawatch report by Pete:

Sea Heysham 0600-0815 (2 obs): 

316 inbound Arctic tern

19 ‘Comic’ Tern

absolute min of 210 Sandwich Tern

129 Common Scoter

6 Gannet

4 Guillemot

1 Red throated Diver 

2 adult Kittiwake embedded in an Arctic Tern flock

Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)

The Mute Swan family had moved to the "no swimming" pond, possibly influencing what happened next.

A gaggle of 8 Greylag geese were circling over the main pond and then landed,

One brave one to begin with

Then they all landed

No sign of the Mallard chicks today, possibly in hiding.
These two Mallard were "squabbling"!

One Shelduck over

Sparrowhawk

Azure Blue damselfly and an Alder Leaf beetle

North shore

Several (at least 7 of each) six-spot Burnet larvae and pupae along the sea wall today, especially towards the end. Looks like it's going to be a good year for them! - Kevin

I exercised my daughter's dog along the sea wall (Malcolm) I couldn't resist taking a clip of a six-spot Burnet larvae. Not exactly action packed but it has some therapeutic merit. The shadow is the dog passing by.

Rock Pipit 3 - one at Red Nab, one standing "guard" over the lighthouse nest hole while another was flying directly to it (too quickly to see if it was carrying food).

Rock Pipit above the lighthouse nest hole

Whimbrel 7 (3 + 4)

Three of the four Whimbrel resting on No1 outfall

There were a couple of Black-Headed gulls checking out the just
emerging Sandmason worm tubes

The Puffin Island Cormorant still electing to rest on No.2 outfall

More Arctic Terns

A dry day with long sunny spells. The NE breeze occasionally shifting to NW in the evening.

North sea wall

0530-0730: (PJM later PC)

Flocks of 9 , 16, 6 Arctic tern in

c30 Sandwich tern in/fishing

18 Common scoter out first thing 

I checked for an hour this evening (Malcolm)

2 Sandwich Tern in

1 male Eider in

4 Ringed Plover heading south

Ringed Plover

South shore 09:30 - 11:00 (Malcolm)

Shelduck 2

Little Egret 3

Linnet 4 around Ocean Edge plus 1 near the lighthouse 

Linnet in the foreshore edge

There has been a male Blackbird hanging around the edge of the saltmarsh 

for a while. I suspected a nestling attempt. Today this female had joined him,

unfortunately I didn't see her collecting food. But she was busy eyeing me up!

Meadow Pipit 1 by the saltmarsh.

Meadow Pipit

Rock Pipit just 2 seen. Red Nab and sea wall.

Red Nab Rock Pipit

Common Sandpiper 1 feeding just below the sloping sea wall.

Common Sandpiper 

The only other waders seen were 20 Oystercatcher 

The main reason for this morning's walk was to see if the green ringed 2nd calendar year Cormorant was resting on No.2 outfall again. It wasn't at first, but there were several others. Then a similar plumage bird arrived but with its ring leg hidden. 

2nd calendar year Cormorant at the very end of No.2 outfall

Even so I was confident that this was the ringed bird. The other Cormorants were steadily moving on and I thought that the ringed bird was likely to join them. So I scampered down the sea wall and scurried out across the soft mud........perhaps not the most accurate verbs, but the bottom line is that I got to the waterline just in time.

One of a Puffin Island, Wales scheme Cormorant. More details awaited

On a serious note, I have many year's experience of walking on the shore. The mud in this area can be treacherous. It was all soft, but I could see sections that were dangerous. It meant taking a longer route than ideal. 

Do not attempt to go out here, unless you have the appropriate experience.

Six-spot Burnet caterpillar on the sea wall
(Thanks to Kevin and Alison for the identification)

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Alison and Kevin checked the warblers. Eight species seen/heard.

Whitethroat
Lesser Whitethroat
Blackcap
Willow Warbler
Chiffchaff
Reed Warbler
Sedge Warbler
Cetti's Warbler

Some shots by Janet

One of two Small Heath - first of the year

Common Blue

Common Whitethroat 

Robin with a bill full of grubs

All the cygnets looking healthy

Large raptor, day three.......but just Buzzards today

A dry day with sunny spells. A cold NE breeze.

South shore (Malcolm) 08:20 - 09:30

Shelduck 2

Eider 5 - 2 pairs near the harbour mouth plus 1 female at the seaward end of No.2 outfall.

Eider near the harbour mouth

Little Egret 5 - 3 feeding plus 2 together north

One of the north bound birds along the shipping lane

Sandwich Tern 7 resting on the shipping lane buoys

The young cormorant with a green ring was on the rail at the seaward
end of No.2 outfall. Too distant to read, but if I had my wellies on I 
would have walked out to check it. I will tomorrow if it returns.

Whimbrel 1 - the only other waders were 6 Oystercatcher 

Whimbrel

Swallow 2 north

There were no Linnets around Ocean Edge, but 2 near the lighthouse 

Rock Pipits 3 - one each Red Nab, sea wall, and flying directly to nest hole near the lighthouse.

I didn't go as far as the waterfall as the dredger was spewing out diesel fumes.

Dredger near the waterfall, you can easily see the fumes.
The rabbits in the foreground already looked stupefied!

Imperial Rd (Malcolm)

Just a quick look on my way home.

Buzzard 2 - there was quite a dark bird being mobbed by Carrion Crows on the north side. Meanwhile this paler one was gaining height before leaving to the east.

Mallard 3 flying around

Swallow 5 north, some taking a short break to feed before continuing.

Warblers heard:

Cetti's warbler 2 - one near the pond near the roundabout and one beyond the pond near the gate on the south side

Blackcap 1

Willow warbler 1

Chiffchaff 1

Reed Warbler 1

Common Whitethroat 1

Just out of the recording area, indeed, just across the bypass from Imperial Rd, Heysham Moss Nature Reserve (Janet)

At least two singing Sedge Warblers 

No sign of any Buzzards on this side of the bypass 

Marsh Harrier quietly passes through

Another cool morning, despite some sunshine, warmer by this afternoon. A light west wind.

Heysham skear - 08:45 - 10:30 (low water 11:00) (Malcolm)

Eider 17

Red-breasted Merganser 3

Red-breasted Mergansers, the males still displaying 

Little Egret 4

Oystercatcher 1,000

Whimbrel 3

Gulls 900 mainly Herring gulls, but there are increasing numbers of Lesser Black-Backed gulls feeding on the seed mussels this year. They were definitely eating the seed mussels, watch the Lesser Black-Backed front centre and you can see it swallowing mussels.

Many of the Herring gulls are in adult plumage.

Marsh Harrier 1 female/immature 10:05. Just as well that I was heading back and facing the shore, or I would have missed it. Normally the gulls alert you to the presence of large raptors, but this one arrived in silence from the south, first seen over the Sunnyslopes. It flew towards the Stone jetty without spooking any birds, it was out of earshot before the gulls began "mobbing" it. Hardly a "mob", just one really, but it did lift all the gulls out from the Stone jetty.

Unfortunately, the light was behind it when it was at its nearest to me

Midland Hotel in the background 

Stone jetty in the background 

Last seen heading NW 

Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)

The Mute Swan family now complete with 8 cygnets
Lets hope serenity reigns for a while

Common Whitethroat 

Common Blue

Azure Blue damselfly

Osprey saves the day

Another dry but cooler day, particularly in the morning. A light west(ish) breeze.

Saltmarsh to Red Nab (Malcolm)

Just a short walk this morning.

Little Egret 2 east

Little Egret

Linnet 6

Pied Wagtail 1

There are normally a couple of Wood Pigeons around, but not often 
seen resting on the foreshore 

Rock Pipit 1 on Red Nab

Rock Pipit

Warblers heard singing in the Nature Park

Sedge Warbler - just behind Red Nab, not regular here.

Common Whitethroat 3

Lesser Whitethroat 1

Blackcap 2

Chiffchaff 3

We have now received the details of the ringed Herring gull seen yesterday.
Ringed 05/07/24 as a nestling at Bowland - Langden Head, Lancashire
Yesterday was its first sighting since it was ringed

Middleton Nature Reserve (Kevin Eaves)

Osprey 1 over to the east

Warblers heard:

Blackcap

Cetti's Warbler 

Chiffchaff 

Lesser Whitethroat

Whitethroat

Willow Warbler

Whitethroats were particularly numerous. I was never out of earshot of one!

Brown Silver-line moth in Janet's garden this morning 

More Mute, less violence

Another sunny day, although not quite as warm as yesterday (19°C). A light SE breeze early on freshened slightly as it shifted to the west.

Heysham skear - low water 09:10 (Malcolm)

A week ago I posted a shot of the seed mussels just starting to show (see post 24/04/25). I said then that by the next set of spring tides they are likely to be much more plentiful. I was thinking two weeks, but today they were already showing over most of the skear and those near the western edge of the middle skear were already large enough for the gulls to feed on, and so they were, c1,200 gulls, mainly immature Herring.

Today's seed mussels

The dark areas are covered in seed mussels, the pale strip is made up of
broken shells that do not allow a firm anchorage, but it too will soon be covered

This is a section on the pale strip, the darker patch in the middle is where
the seed mussels have managed a foothold, more will join them soon.

Apart from that there wasn't a lot to see.

Eider 12

Great Crested Grebe 1

Little Egret 2

Oystercatcher 1,500 and Whimbrel 5 were the only waders 

A section of the Honeycomb worm reefs that flank the northern 
side of the skear

Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)

Mute Swan pair plus 6 new cygnets and at least one unhatched egg.

The chick on the right is still wet 

Remarkably, the female Mallard has managed to keep her remaining 
three chicks safe

Little Grebe 

Grey Heron back to patrolling its patch

Great shots of a Grasshopper Warbler on the southern section of the Reserve

Common Blue butterflies.......

........and a Common Blue damselfly

South shore (Malcolm)

A very pleasant evening stroll from the saltmarsh to the harbour and back.

Shelduck 2 were sweeping up the small invertebrates from the recently expose mud.

It's a messy job, mud was flying everywhere 

Linnet 4 along foreshore and 2 near the lighthouse 

Wheatear 2. You can see the flies that this one is catching.

Rock Pipit 2 - one on Red Nab and one heard near the waterfall 

White Wagtail 1 along the sea wall

This 2nd calendar year Herring gull in the harbour has a green ring.
Ringing details awaited