A lovely day to chill out and sit on the sea wall at Heysham and check out a decent gull roost up to high tide.
I panned through the c.200 gulls half a dozen times, the best count that came up was 16 Mediterranean Gull, many - but not all - hunkered down in the distance on Red Nab and identified only by the magnificent full black hood, and just one seen as a sub-adult bird with small black primary markings. But some showed their unmistakable all-white flight-feathers, large black hood, and scarlet bill, including the green ringed bird, probably the one ringed ANLT in Germany as a nestling 9 years ago in June 2012 and a visitor to Heysham every year since 2017....Beautiful creatures.
At Heysham NR, birds heard, 2 Chiffchaff and a Blackcap. Butterflies noted, 18 Ringlet, 14 Small Skipper, 8 Meadow Brown, 4 Large White, and 2 Gatekeeper. The large and conspicuous male Emperor Dragonfly patrolled the pool which it had to itself.
The Burnets appeared to be joined at the hip.
If I keep at it, one day I'll find a moth with a bit of class!
