13.0°C > 17.0°C: Broken cloud at several levels. Bright but little direct sunshine. Moderate easterly breeze. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 06:07 BST
* = a species photographed today
! = a first sighting of the species this year
$ = a new species for me in this area
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 04:50– 06:30 // 07:35 – 09:45
(191st visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- more in the way of overflying geese today.
- ten Tufted Duck counted at the West end c.07:45. Six of these seen to take flight (to where?). At c.09:10 there were six on the water.
- no sign of yesterday's Little Grebe.
- three concurrent arrivals of groups of both Black-headed Gull and Lesser Black-backed Gulls after 05:35.
- only two Lesser Black-back Gulls dropped in later with another two seen overflying.
- was that a Swift that dashed across the North side trees at 05:40 or was it a bat? Nothing seen later (at least one Swift is still around their breeding site in Newport).
- a passage of Barn Swallows with at least 61 seen in six groups, all heading south-east.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 50 Canada Geese: 44 flew East in four groups; later six flew West in three singles / groups.
- 17 Greylag Geese: all West in four groups.
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 76 Wood Pigeons
- 54 Jackdaws
- 102 Rooks
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 36 (?♂) Mallard
- 10 (4♂) Tufted Duck: see notes
- 2 Moorhens only again
- 53 Coot
- 17 Great Crested Grebes (adults and juveniles)
- c.80 Black-headed Gulls
- c.230 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 was it a Swift?: see notes
- 61 Barn Swallows
- 4 House Martins
Warblers noted:
fewer noted today
- 8 *Chiffchaffs
- 3 Blackcaps: one in quiet song
Also noted:
Butterflies:
- 1 *Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
Moths:
none
Bees, wasps etc.:
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris
Hoverflies:
- *Dead-head Hoverfly Myathropa florea [Common Batman Fly]
- *Hornet Hoverfly Volucella zonaria [Hornet Plumehorn]
Damsel / Dragon-flies:
none
True flies:
- greenbottle Lucilia sp. Mostly small individuals and possibly from a different genus
- moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
- Flesh fly Sarcophaga sp.
a few other flies seen.
Bugs:
none
Beetles:
none
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
none
On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:
Moths:
- 2 Common Grass-moth Agriphila tristella [was Common Grass-veneer]
- 2 Chevron Grass-moth Agriphila geniculea [was Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer]
- 1 *Square-spot Rustic Xestia xanthographa
- 1 *unidentified micromoth
Flies:
- 1 *possible Meiosimyza rorida in the family Lauxaniidae
Bees, wasps etc.:
- many Common Wasps Vespula vulgaris at their nest and adjacent poles
- 1 *ichneumon wasp, probably from the Braconid group
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 2 *male Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius [Bridge Orbweaver]
An unexpectedly colourful dawn considering the extensive cloud.
Trying to hide: a Chiffchaff.
It popped out to look at me. Note the black legs and pale lower mandible that separate this from the visually similar Willow Warbler. This bird was also doing the frequent dipping of its tail that also characterises this species.
A Speckled Wood butterfly Pararge aegeria. I cannot recall seeing such a dark individual previously.
A Dead-head Hoverfly
Myathropa florea. From this angle that markings on the thorax show why it is sometimes given the name Common Batman Fly. So why is it called "dead-head"? Good question. This individual, along with several Common Wasps
Vespula vulgaris, appeared to be feeding on the Ivy even though the flowers look tightly closed as yet.
A Hornet Hoverfly Volucella zonaria also on the Ivy.
I have not been able to get an identity – even at the family-level – for this micromoth alongside some dead-looking algae.
This morning's Square-spot Rustic moth
Xestia xanthographa peering down at me from its lofty position on a street lamp pole.
This ichneumon wasp is probably from the
Braconid group. It has relatively long antennae and spurs on its legs. Not further identifiable from photos.
This small all-red fly is possibly Meiosimyza rorida in the family Lauxaniidae
One of two Bridge Orb-web Spiders
Larinioides sclopetarius seen on different street lamp poles. This one clearly a male with "boxing glove" palps.
The other one, also a male. A paler-looking individual.
(Ed Wilson)
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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
Moths:
none
Flies:
- 2 midges
- 1 ! *Dull Four-spined Legionnaire Chorisops tibialis
- 1 male Banded Mosquito Culiseta annulata
- 1 *small fly probably an Opomyza species
- 17 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
Arthropods:
- 1 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 3 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
Obsidentify was 100% sure this is a Dull Four-spined Legionnaire
Chorisops tibialis. It seems to check out with NatureSpot photos.
This small fly with dark wing-tips is probably one of the
Opomyza species. As so often further identification is not possible from photos. The larvae of this group feed on cereals and the flies are sometimes called cereal flies. The larvae also feed on grasses.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 06:35 – 07:30
(187th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- still ten Mute Swans.
- a Little Grebes was seen again at the top-end.
- four adult and two immature Great Crested Grebe seen! The pair by the island have four juveniles.
- two Cormorants arrived and after several aborted attempts to perch in trees decided to sit on the beach by the island. Another viewed these goings-on and decided to fly on.
- no Little Egret seen.
- after remarking that I would not note the Ring-necked Parakeet every day it has, predictably, not been seen or heard since – over a week now.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Cormorant
Noted on / around the water:
- 6 Canada Geese again
- no Greylag Geese
- 10 Mute Swans
- 26 (?♂) Mallard
- 9 Moorhens
- 35 Coot
- 1 *Little Grebe
- 5 + 4 (1 brood) *Great Crested Grebe: see notes
- 18 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
- no Little Egret
Warblers noted (no song):
- 1 Chiffchaff
Noted around the area:
Moths:
- 1 *Ermine moth
Yponomeuta sp.- 2 Common Grass-moth
Agriphila tristella [was Common Grass-veneer]
- 1 Chevron Grass-moth
Agriphila geniculea [was Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer]
- 1 *Flame Carpet
Xanthorhoe designataA Little Grebe is still here.
The resident pair of Great Crested Grebes has four juveniles. Three in the water and another just visible on the parent's back.
You have to look carefully: there are four other Great Crested Grebes in this photo. Two apparently full adults and an immature with stripes on its face (third from the left). These apparently new arrivals. The left-most bird is the bird I have seen on and off for a few weeks. It does not have full adult head plumes.
Not a good photo of a moth a long way up a street lamp pole. It is clearly an Ermine moth but I am reluctant to go further than Yponomeuta sp with this worn specimen. Apart from the normally recognisable Bird-cherry Ermine
Y. evonymella the other species are very difficult to separate visually.
A Flame Carpet moth
Xanthorhoe designata. This specimen seems smaller and less colourful than usual. Perhaps the result of the dry weather when it has been feeding as a caterpillar? Moth species #
47 for me around The Flash this year,
(Ed Wilson)
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2011
Nedge Hill
4 Yellow Wagtails
(John Isherwood)
