Priorslee Lake:
Map
Morning Update
Also today a pair of
Whitethroat were feeding young.
(Martin Grant)
Morning Report: 4:18am - 9:28am
Telford sunrise: 4:47am
6.0
°C > 13.0
°C. Mainly clear, some clouds at times. Moderate W wind, freshening somewhat and feeling cool; very good visibility.
(76th visit of the year)
Notes
- I give up with adult
Great Crested Grebes: I counted 9 this morning. Are they really fluctuating or do they hide? And if so where?
- single juvenile
Coots from brood #3: 2 juveniles from each of broods #4 and #6.
And
- now usual array of strange
bugs and things.
Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- 13
Greylag Geese (2 parties)
- 9
Canada Geese (3 singles; 2 groups)
- 13
Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1
Collared Dove
- 130
Jackdaws
- 125
Rooks
- 1
Starling
Count of hirundines etc
- 9
Swifts
- 3
Swallows
- 4
House Martins
Count of singing warblers
- 7
Chiffchaffs once again
- 1
Willow Warbler
- 13
Blackcaps
- 1
Common Whitethroat again
- 7
Reed Warblers
The counts from the lake area
- 2
Mute Swans
- 7 (5♂)
Mallard again
- 9 + 2 (1 brood)
Great Crested Grebes
- 3
Moorhens
- 34 + 5 (3 broods)
Coots
Oh look! A hairy caterpillar, favourite of Cuckoos who seem unaffected by the irritation that the hairs cause most potential predators. The means that it is probably the caterpillar of a butterfly of the Vanessid group – Red Admiral, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell etc. But which? Good question.
Another mystery bug! Well not a complete mystery in that it is clearly a lacewing sp. and probably of the genus
Chrysopa. It looks like
Chrysopa perla apart from not being “heavily marked with black”!
We had only seen Nettle Weevil (
Phyllobius pomaceus) on the top surface of nettles previously and I had wondered if that was how they avoided the irritating hairs – though the question arises of how they get there. Here we see how – and they must be impervious to the hairs.
This I thought was a White-legged Damselfly. I was puzzled by the mostly dark top to all the body segments and particularly the lack of a ‘blue tail’. However not so: it is an immature – always tricky – Azure Damselfly based on the position of the stripes on the thorax. So not a new species for but my first of the year. Thanks to Jim Almond and others for the feedback - always welcome.
And this is not a female White-legged Damselfly as I initially thought, the different arrangements of the stripes on the thorax pointing to an immature Common Blue Damselfly.
Another mystery: I was thinking hoverfly sp. but hoverflies normally rest with wings held partly open. Re-examination of my books suggests it is a Soldier Fly and most likely
Chloromyia formosa.
An alarming view of a Scorpion Fly (Panorpa communis) with prey.
Another teasing – “what on earth?”. There should be sufficient clues to be able to identify the rear view of a preening and still scruffy (juvenile) Long-tailed Tit.
That’s better?
This is a Mirid Bug and probably Amblytylus nasutus.
Aah! nice warm sun. Mrs. Blackbird will worry about sorting the feathers out later!
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day in 2009, 2012 and 2014
2014
Priorslee Lake - Map
Report Here
(Ed Wilson)
2012
Holmer Lake - Map
Black Swan
(Martin Ryder)
2009
Priorslee Lake - Map
Common Terns
(Ed Wilson)
