11.0°C > 18.0°C: Fine and clear. Calm start with light E breeze later. Somewhat hazy but good visibility.
Sunrise: 04:52 BST
* = a photo today
Priorslee Lake: 04:10 – 05:40 // 06:25 – 09:30
(109th visit of the year)
Best sighting today was a Badger well after dawn. As there are people who like to mistreat these wonderful animals I will provide no clue as to where I saw it.
Bird notes:
- A drake Tufted Duck flew off W at 04:35.
- Two of the juvenile Coots were the well-grown birds from brood #1. Just one from what I think is brood #7. I'm confused: I should have drawn a map!
- Six Great Crested Grebes seen on the water at 08:00. At 04:30 two birds were seen flying around and appeared to be leaving though my view was blocked to be certain. Several lengthy circuits of the water were made by other bird(s), singly.
- No Lesser Black-backed Gulls heard or seen early. Just one brief visitor and one fly-over later.
- House Sparrows are still popping up in all manner of unusual places. Today a male was in the Ricoh hedge. Whether any of these are nesting is hard to say..
Overhead:
- 4 Canada Geese: quartet inbound
- 3 Greylag Geese: single and duo inbound
- 14 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: (near) adult
- 19 Jackdaws
- 3 Rooks
Hirundines etc., noted:
- 2 House Martins: from the estate?
Warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds):
- 16 (13) Chiffchaffs
- 10 (7) Reed Warblers
- 13 (12) Blackcaps
- 4 (4) Garden Warblers
- 3 (2) Common Whitethroats
Count from the lake area
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Canada Geese
- 2 + 5 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 6 (5♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Tufted Duck: departed
- 1 Moorhen
- 23 + 3 (2 broods) Coots
- 6 Great Crested Grebes: see notes
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult, briefly
On / around the street lamps pre-dawn:
- *1 unidentified red fly.
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides cornutus) again
Noted later:
Before I start a correction from Sunday. What I showed as a Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum) is really a Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum). Thanks to Neil for spotting my mistake and telling me about it.
Moths:
- Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana)
Bees / Wasps.
- *probable Lathbury's Nomad Bee (Nomada lathburiana)
- Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum)
- *Ichneumon wasp, a female possibly Pimpla rufipes
Hoverflies:
- Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
- *Narcissus Bulb Fly (Merodon equestris)
- Syrphus sp.
Damselflies:
- *Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
- Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans)
- *Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula)
Other Flies
- Tipula crane-fly
- Scorpion Fly (Panorpa sp.)
- *Black Snipe Fly (Chrysopilus cristatus)
- *The snipe fly Rhagio scolopaceus
- plumed midge sp.
Bugs:
- Red-and-Black Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata)
Beetles:
- *Soldier beetle Cantharis nigricans
- 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)
- *The weevil Liophloeus tessulatus
- *Nettle Weevil (Phyllobius pomaceus)
Snails:
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
Spiders:
- *Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
- stretch spider (Tetragnatha sp.)
- *unidentified spider sp.
Mammals:
- 1 Badger
- 1 Grey Squirrel
This seems to be a nomad bee. There are not too many of 30-odd UK species that have five yellow bands and that leads to think it is most likely Lathbury's Nomad Bee (Nomada lathburiana).
Noted later:
Before I start a correction from Sunday. What I showed as a Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum) is really a Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum). Thanks to Neil for spotting my mistake and telling me about it.
Moths:
- Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana)
Bees / Wasps.
- *probable Lathbury's Nomad Bee (Nomada lathburiana)
- Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum)
- *Ichneumon wasp, a female possibly Pimpla rufipes
Hoverflies:
- Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
- *Narcissus Bulb Fly (Merodon equestris)
- Syrphus sp.
Damselflies:
- *Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
- Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans)
- *Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula)
Other Flies
- Tipula crane-fly
- Scorpion Fly (Panorpa sp.)
- *Black Snipe Fly (Chrysopilus cristatus)
- *The snipe fly Rhagio scolopaceus
- plumed midge sp.
Bugs:
- Red-and-Black Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata)
Beetles:
- *Soldier beetle Cantharis nigricans
- 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)
- *The weevil Liophloeus tessulatus
- *Nettle Weevil (Phyllobius pomaceus)
Snails:
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
Spiders:
- *Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
- stretch spider (Tetragnatha sp.)
- *unidentified spider sp.
Mammals:
- 1 Badger
- 1 Grey Squirrel
Not quite a clear view, but .. a female Reed Bunting.
A side-on view of a different specimen.
A different species of Snipe Fly. Here side on (it ought to be a stilt fly with legs like this).
Easier to ID from above – goes by the name of Rhagio scolopaceus.
A soldier beetle. I think Cantharis nigricans.
Another spider for the Shropshire Recorder to help me with.
I am completely foxed by this red 'fly' with amazingly long antennae. On a street lamp pre-dawn.
Another one that has me foxed. A head-on view and the apparent 'snout' suggests a dagger fly. However none of these has long antennae which is more typical of wasps and ichneumons. I have drawn a blank so far.
Between the lake and The Flash:
- One drake Mallards on the lower pool
- Single adult Moorhens seen at both pools.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- One drake Mallards on the lower pool
- Single adult Moorhens seen at both pools.
Also noted:
- 1 unidentified moth on a street lamp
- 1 Grey Squirrel
I have spent the best part of an hour failing to ID this quite large moth on one of the street lamps.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(94th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Having noted yesterday "I think that Swifts are not breeding in St Georges this year. I have diligently searched the skies for the last few visits without seeing any" they set out to prove me wrong and there were five overhead, briefly. A new species for my year-list here - #69
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Cormorant
Hirundines etc., noted:
- 5 Swifts
Warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds):
- 2 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (1) Blackcaps
On /around the water:
- 38 Canada Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 23 (18♂) Mallard again
- 10 (6♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens
- 2 juvenile Coots again
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
If you look closely at the base of the bill there is a trace of yellow indicating this is a juvenile House Sparrow. It was being bed by its mother but she flew off before I could get a shot.
Bird notes:
- Having noted yesterday "I think that Swifts are not breeding in St Georges this year. I have diligently searched the skies for the last few visits without seeing any" they set out to prove me wrong and there were five overhead, briefly. A new species for my year-list here - #69
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Cormorant
Hirundines etc., noted:
- 5 Swifts
Warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds):
- 2 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (1) Blackcaps
On /around the water:
- 38 Canada Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 23 (18♂) Mallard again
- 10 (6♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens
- 2 juvenile Coots again
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this day
2020