Morning Dew

I don't think I really need to say anything, other than this was a beautiful Summers morning spent at Twitchers Corner between 5:05am and 7:50am.

Early morning at Cleveland Lakes Nature Reserve from Twitchers Gate

Sunrise over Cleveland Nature Reserve.

5:29am and the sun is just above the horizon.

At 5:53am a few light clouds block the suns rays.......

CWP Pit 74 and mist rises from the waters as several Mallard take off from the scrape.

A lone Mute Swan cuts the water and mist.

Tufted Duck keep just above the swirling mist......

......whilst higher still a Cormorant flies beyond the pit.

Around 6:30am and a few Common Tern arrive on the Reserve. This one has a very small "Jack" Pike. The long body and short tail a good clue to this species, either as a small fish like this or a whopping 40 pounder.

Here the male Common Tern comes into land with his prize.

A male Blackcap singing from the lane behind Twitchers Corner.

A Common Whitethroat. This has a ring on its right leg and I suspect it's the male that bred here this year, in the brambles just in front of the mound where we stick out scopes.

A Dunnock in full song.

When I arrived there was just 1 Lapwing on the scrape, imagine my surprise then, when between 7:20am and 7:30am, 26 took off and headed northwest over the pit!

One of two Common Buzzards along the lane.

The cool damp nights really do have an effect on the damselflies. This pair of Common Blue Damselflies are covered in dew.

But as the sun rises, they soon dry out.......

.....from high stems........

........and on nettle leaves.

And it wasn't just the damselflies enjoying the early morning sun, but also my first ever Black-tailed Skimmer. This is a female with beautiful yellow and black markings.

Here is a short video of her on a nettle.

The pupae of the Harlequin Ladybird.

Grypocoris stysi

I thought this looked like a Lemon Slug, Limax tenellus. However they are only found in ancient woodland. So not sure what this!
Birds Recorded: Great Crested Grebe, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Mute Swan, Canada Geese, Mallard, Tufted Duck, 2 Buzzard, Moorhen, Coot, 2 Oystercatcher, 26 Lapwing, Black-headed Gull, 3 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1 first summer Great Black-backed Gull, 5 Common Tern, 1 Stock Dove, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, 15+ Swift, 2 Skylark, Sand Martin, Swallow, Dunnock, 1 Nightingale, Robin, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Cetti's Warbler, Garden Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Treecreeper, Wren, Magpie, Rook, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, 1 juvenile Starling on the scrape, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, 1 Bullfinch and Reed Bunting.

Also:
Speckled Wood
Black-tailed Skimmer, Orthetrum cancellatum
Common Blue Damselfly
Blue-tailed Damselfly
Grypocoris stysi
Harlequin Ladybird pupae
Slug sp.