Tuesday 29th July

Cooler, but still slightly warmer than average, and windier than of late, 15 - 19C 15 - 20mph W wind heavy showers at lunchtime

19th July - 10th August is the Big Butterfly Count

26th July - 3rd August is National Whale and Dolphin Watch.
See http://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/nwdw-2014-watch-list/ click on 27. Cheshire/Lancashire for details of Blackpool watches

Stanley Park - 3 adult + 1 juv great crested grebes 

Marton Mere LNR - Barn owl, 60 goldfinches, 50 swallows 

North Shore - 8 Sandwich terns, 110 common scoters 

New South Promenade - Grey seal, fulmar

Monday 28th July

Another warmer than average day 13 - 21C. hazy sunshine and a light onshore breeze

 19th July - 10th August is the Big Butterfly Count

26th July - 3rd August is National Whale and Dolphin Watch.
See http://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/nwdw-2014-watch-list/ click on 27. Cheshire/Lancashire for details of Blackpool watches

North Blackpool Pond Trail Kincraig Lake - Reed warbler, great spotted woodpecker, 3 teal, 2 adult + 2 immature great crested grebes 

Warbreck Hill - Kestrel 

New South Promenade -  2 Bottlenose dolphins (distant traveing SSW)

Gynn - Grey seal

Central Beach - Many moon jellyfish 

North Shore - 3 Flounders 

Solaris Centre - Weasel (were did that come from?)

Weekend 26 - 27th July

Cooling a little over the weekend with showers on Sunday 13-26C

19th July - 10th August is the Big Butterfly Count

26th July - 3rd August is National Whale and Dolphin Watch.
See http://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/nwdw-2014-watch-list/ click on 27. Cheshire/Lancashire for details of Blackpool watches

Sunday 27th July

North Shore - Grey seal, 2 sea bass, flounder

Marton Mere LNR - Marsh harrier, barn owl

Saturday 26th July

North Blackpool Pond Trail Kincraig Lake - 5 Teal

North Shore - Grey seal, 110 common scoters

Starr Gate - 120 House sparrows 50 Sandwich terns, 320 common scoters, 40 Manx shearwaters, 15 common terns, whimbrel, black tailed godwit

Gynn - 2 grey seals, 10 avocets (S)

Friday 25th July

Hot and sunny again, warmer than average for July 14 - 29C - hottest Blackpool day since early July 2009, light offshore breeze

19th July - 10th August is the Big Butterfly Count

26th July - 3rd August is National Whale and Dolphin Watch.
See http://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/nwdw-2014-watch-list/ click on 27. Cheshire/Lancashire for details of Blackpool watches

New South Promenade - 4 Grey seals, common tern, shelduck

North Shore - 2 Grey seals

Town Centre - Grey wagtail

Carleton Crematorium - 3 Jays, goldcrest, 2 sparrowhawks

North Blackpool Pond Trail Kincraig Lake - 5 Teal, great spotted woodpecker, Mediterranean gull, sparrowhawk, chiffchaff

Thursday 24th July

Hot and sunny again 14 - 28C light but increading offshore breeze

19th July - 10th August is the Big Butterfly Count

26th July - 3rd August is National Whale and Dolphin Watch.
See http://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/nwdw-2014-watch-list/ click on 27. Cheshire/Lancashire for details of Blackpool watches

Solaris Centre - Butterflies: Common blue, meadow brown, large white, small white; 2 leaf cutter bees (of unknown species)ladies bedstraw (new in sandy grassland here as a result of less frequent mowing) apparently it deters fleas and was the original colouring for Double Gloucester cheese

New South Promenade - Salmon (large 3-4ft leapt out of the water), redshank (1st one back on our stretch of the beach), juv Mediterranean gull, 2 gannets, house martin (1st here this year!), 10-spot ladybird, peacock butterfly, common blue butterfly, meadow brown butterfly

Lawson's wetland - Buzzard

Marton - 11 Swifts, holly blue butterfly

Heron's Reach - Purple loosestrife (excellent display at rear of zoo)

Heron's Reach golf course - Little grebe (calling), female Gadwall + 4 well grown juvs

North Shore - 3 Manx shearwaters, shelduck, 5 Sandwich terns 

Warbreck Hill - 2 Pipistrelle bats 

Stanley Park Lake - Purple loosestrife (excellent display on the floating wildflower rafts)

Wednesday 23rd July

Hot and sunny, 14 - 28C is well above average for July,  light offshore breeze

19th July - 10th August is the Big Butterfly Count

Marton - Pipistrelle bat 

Warbreck Hill - Peregrine, pipistrelle bat

Bispham Cliffs - 2 (Possibly 3) bottlenose dolphins, 2 grey seals, 3 shelducks  (S), 100+ dunlins (S), 3 Ssandwich terns, 3 Manx shearwaters, 5 gannets

New South Promenade - 50+ Dunlin (S), 2 gannets (becalmed on sea), 2 common terns, 4 great crested grebe

Tuesday 22nd July

Warm and sunny, 11 - 24 C, light on shore breeze

19th July - 10th August is the Big Butterfly Count

Marton Mere LNR - Stoat, 200+ swallows, 10+ house martins, barn owl

Marton - Sparrowhawk. Butterflies: 3 holly blues, red admiral, 2 peacocks, large white, small white, 12 speckled woods 

Town Centre - Grey wagtail

Bispham Cliffs - 28 Manx shearwaters, 5 gannets, 10 Sandwich terns

North Blackpool Pond Trail Kincraig Lake - 8 Teal, 80 mallards, 2 adult + 2 juv (1 well grown, 1 2nd brood) great crested grebes; Big Butterfly Count - Small skipper, 2 large wghites, holly blue, common blue, 10+ speckled woods, meadow brown

Monday 21st July

Warm and sunny 15 - 20C, light westerly wind

New South Promenade - Grey seal, 2 common terms, 2 sandwich terns

Solaris Centre - Big Butterfly Count - Large white, meadow brown

Warbreck Hill - Migrant Hawker dragonfly

Tuesday 15th - Sunday 20th July

Warm weather this week with generally light winds

July 19th - August 10th is the Big Butterfly Count - very easy to join in and there are smartphone apps to help you record your butterfly sightings

July 26th - August 3rd is the Sea Watch Foundation's National Whale & Dolphin Watch for details of all the watches in Blackpool click on Cheshire/Lancashire

Sunday 20th July

Central Promenade - Old lady moth 

Marton Mere LNR - Barn owl, common sandpiper, butterflies: 2 commas, 4 gatekeepers, 3 small tortoiseshells, 15+ peacocks

Solaris Centre - Peacock butterfly

New South Promenade - 5-bearded rockling

Saturday 19th July

North Shore - 3 Grey seals, 5 whimbrels, Mediterranean gull

North Blackpool Pond Trail Kincraig Lake - Mandarin, adult + 3 juv great crested grebes

Warbreck Hill - Moths: Lime speck pug, broad bordered yellow underwing, Phyllonorycter geniculella

Lime speck pug

Phyllonorycter geniculella - less than 5mm long

Friday 18th July

New South Promenade - Pelican Foot shell (5th record for Fylde coast on National Biodiversity Network)

Pelican's Foot shell

Solaris Centre - Butterflies: common blue, red admiral

Thursday 17th July

Town Centre - Sparrowhawk

Stanley Park - Pochard, 160 coot

Warbreck Hill - Common darter dragonfly

Wednesday 16th July

Town Centre - Grey wagtail 1

North Shore - 4 Manx shearwaters

Starr Gate - 12 Manx shearwaters, 38 dunlins

Marton Mere LNR - Grasshopper warbler, little egret, lesser whitethroat, grey wagtail, brown hawker dragonfly

Tuesday 15th July

Cherry Tree allotments - Grasshopper warbler

Marton Mere LNR - Barn owl, curlew

Monday 14th July and the weekend round-up

Cooler today 12 - 17C, overcast with some light  rain and 20mph SW wind

Monday 14th July

New South Promenade - 3 Manx shearwaters

Sunday 13th July

North Blackpool Pond Trail Kincraig Lake - Mandarin, 93 mallards, adult + 3 juv great crested grebes

North Shore - 60 Manx shearwaters

Bispham Cliffs - Sea bass

Stanley Park - 2 adult + 3 juv great crested grebes

Marton Mere LNR - Barn owl

Marton - 2 Pipistrelle bats

Warbreck Hill - Saprrowhawk

Saturday 12th July

Starr Gate - 375 Common scoters

Mereside - 15 House martins

North Shore - 3 Harbour porpoises

South Shore - 20+ Bottenose dolphins, 4+ harbour porpoises, 7+ grey seals, 10 gannets, 10 common terns

Warbreck Hill - Comma butterfly, common footman, Eucosma cana, Oegoconia sp moths (latter two appear to be new for Blackpool)

North Blackpool Pond Trail Holyoake Avenue - Good show of ribbed melilot and red clover

North Park Drive/East Park Drive - Good show of Autumn Hawkbit

Friday 11th July

Sunny cool overnight, 9 - 19C light WNW breeze

Norbreck - Grey seal

North Pier - 6+ Bottlenose dolphins, 125 common scoters

Starr Gate - 9+ Bottlenose dolphins (same as above) 25 gannets, 13 Manx shearwaters, 5 common terns, 200+ common scoters

Thursday 10th July

Sunny, mild 13 - 19C, light NW wind

North Shore - 5+ Bottlenose dolphins

Solaris Centre - Butterflies: Small tortoiseshell. large white, small white, meadow brown; leaf cutter bee, solitary bee possibly Colletes davieanus (if ID is confirmed would be new for Blackpool)

Bispham cliffs - several Sea Bass

Lawson's Field - Barn owl

Heron's Reach - Dragonflies: Emperor, broad bodied chaser 

Marton Mere LNR - Common gull, pochard, Cetti's warbler, adult + 2 juv great crested newts 

Stanley Park - 2 adult + 3 juv great crested newts, pochard 

New South Promenade - 2 very brief views of an unidentified cetacean, possibly one of above, grey seal, 2 common gulls (first returnees from breeding grounds), 4 common terns, 60 common scoters, 10 gannets

Starr Gate - 6 Bottlenose dolphins (almost certainly same group as those at North Shore), 2 grey seals, 9 Manx shearwaters, 12 gannets, 200+ common scoters, 15 common terns

Wednesday 9th July

Sunny, about average temperatures 14 - 18C, brisk NW 20mph wind

North Shore - 4 Little terns (N), a good number for our coast

Heron's Reach - Gatekeeper butterfly

New South Promenade - 3 Little terns & 12 Sandwich terns roostiing on beach

Tuesday 8th July

Overcast mild 14 - 17C, light wind

Warbreck HIll/Gynn - Hedgehog (dead on road)

North Shore - 6 Bottlenose dolphins, harbour porpoise, 6 Manx shearwaters, 10 gannets, 400 common scoters 

Solaris Centre - Whitethroat (very scarce passage migrant here)

New South Promenade - 3 Grey seals, 10+ Sandwich terns, 2 swifts (very scarce here this summer)

Grey seal

Monday 7th July

Mild sunny spells 13 - 17C, hazy light cloud, 10 mph W wind

Staining Nook - Butterflies: Gatekeeper, red admiral, meadow brown, speckled wood 

New South Promenade - Grey seal

Solaris Centre - 2 Meadow browns, small tortoiseshell, 2 large whites

Sunday 6th July

Sunny but cool for July 6 - 18C, light W wind

5/6th final night of National Moth Night

Warbreck Hill - moths: scalloped oak, single dotted wave, 5 heart & darts, buff ermine, 2 dotted clays, 3 common grass veneers, riband wave

Regency Gardens - kestrel

Anchorsholme - moths: Magpie, dot moth, heart & dart, dark arches, 2 bright line brown eyes, large yellow underwing, garden carpet, common wainscot, 2 buff ermines,

To learn more about these moths copy their names into the search box here  http://www.ukmoths.org.uk/

Devonshire Road Rock Gardens - 3+ white letterhairstreaks (one of only a handful of sites for this rare  butterfly in Lancashire north of the R. Ribble), 10+ meadow browns, 5+ large skippers, 2 small skippers, brown hawker dragonfly, many tree bees, blackcap

Zoo - Goldcrest

Salisbury Woodland - Goldcrest

Stanley Park - Goldcrest, 2 adult + 3 juv great crested grebes, 2 pochards

Marton Mere LNR - Cetti's warbler, 10+ house martins, 55 coots, 2 ad + 2 great crested grebes, barn owl, buzzard

Heron's Reach golf course - Goldcrest

 

Friday 4th July

Cloudy with rain, mild 15 - 18C, wind S 20 mph

3rd - 5th July is National Moth Night

Warbreck Hill - hedgehog (dead on road) 

Thursday 3rd July

Mild, overcast 15 - 18C light dtrizzle, gentle SW breeze

3rd - 5th July is National Moth Night

Warbreck Hill - Common tern (over)

Devonshire Road Rock Gardens - Whitethroat, red admiral, 10+ meadow browns, 5+ small skippers, riband wave, many straw dots, several meadow grasshoppers, 7-spot ladybird (ladybirds of all species seem very scarce this year)

Watson Road Park - 15+ Swifts

Tuesday 1st & Wednesday 2nd July

Warm and sunny but cool at nigth 8 - 22C, light wind

Wednesday 2nd July

Solaris Centre - Leafcutter bees

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Tuesday 1st July

North Shore - 4 Manx shearwaters

Marton Mere LNR - 4 adult + 1 juv Great crested grebes, 2 pochards, shoveler