8.0°C > 13.0°C >: A "couldn't make up its mind" morning. Started clear: then low cloud; next some sunny spells; then cloudy again. Brisk feeling NW wind. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 04:45 BST yet again
* = a photo today
Priorslee Lake: 04:45 – 05:40 // 06:45 – 09:20
(142nd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Five single Swifts flew West early. Later when cloudy and breezy at least 10 with Swallows and House Martins feeding in the lee of the North side trees.
- The Cetti's Warbler again somewhat subdued and also noted along the South side.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese
- 1 Stock Dove
- 8 Wood Pigeons
- 3 Black-headed Gulls: adults, together
- 1 Herring Gull: adult
- 1 Cormorant
- 22 Jackdaws
- 10 Rooks
Hirundines etc. noted:
- c.15 Swifts: see notes
- 4 Barn Swallows
- 4 House Martins
Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 8 (8) Chiffchaffs only
- 1 (0) Sedge Warbler
- 13 (10) Reed Warblers
- 17 (12) Blackcaps
- 2 (2) Garden Warblers again
- 1 (1) Common Whitethroat
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 6 (6♂) Mallard: no ducklings seen: also a pair on a roof in Pitchford Drive
- 2 (?♂) Tufted Duck: seen flying off
- 3 Moorhens
- 35 + 21 juvenile Coots
- 9 Great Crested Grebes again
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: all (near) adults, briefly and separately
- 1 Grey Heron: departed
- 1 Kingfisher
A report from one of the fisherman of a tern sp. seen yesterday. most likely a Common Tern.
Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- Owl Midge Psychodidae sp.
- *a reddish-looking fly sp. possibly a species of Opomyzidae.
Noted later:
In mainly cloudy conditions with very wet vegetation.
New sightings for the year:
Butterflies:
- *Comma (Polygonia c-album): caterpillar / pupae
Amphibian escape:
- [Terrapin sp. (presumed Yellow-bellied Slider): noted by one of the fishermen on several days recently]
Flowers:
Only three of the 'five a day'
- Broad-leaved Willowherb (Epilobium montanum); previous record confirmed by PlantNet app.
- *Water Mint (Mentha aquatica): leaves only so far
- *Meadow Buttercup (Ranunculus acris)
#4 gave me 'Field Thistle' which is a North American species. I have changed the Flora database on the app from Worldwide to Western Europe!
#5 was a revisit of *Downy [or Woolly] Buttercup (Ranunculus lanuginosus) as it only gave me a 66% rating on the last attempt.
Repeat sightings:
Butterflies:
- Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus)
- *Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus)
My first opportunity this year to photograph a Ringlet butterfly (Aphantopus hyperantus) - the last one flew straight passed me. From above the markings that give this species its name are almost invisible...
This caterpillar of a Comma butterfly (Polygonia c-album) looks to be preparing to turn in to a chrysalis.
About the only species of Cheilosia hoverfly that is easy to identify is this Bumblebee Cheilosia (Cheilosia illustrata). All the others are mainly black and slim. Indeed I am not entirely sure why it is in the same genus, but what do I know about genetics?
A pair of Common Blue Damselflies (Enallagma cyathigerum) in what is called "a mating wheel". The male grabs the female behind the head with his claspers and when she is ready she arches her abdomen and the sex organs are connected.
This male Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans) was, unusually, resting on a lamp pole providing an opportunity to get a photo that shows the two-tone stigma in the wing. I believe this is the only species of UK damselfly that has this feature.
With some darkening on the wing-tips this may well be one of the dozen or so UK species of Opomyzidae flies. But then again with flies....
Referring back to yesterday's photo from The Flash "was it a moth or was it a caddis fly?" this is a real caddis fly – a Grouse Wing caddis fly (Mystacides longicornis). It has, unlike the insect in yesterday's photo, banded antennae. It does not help in solving yesterday's mystery though.
Another picture of what I believe to be a Yellow Swarming Fly (Thaumatomyia notata). I have included this for scale – the dark marks on the background are the top part of the stencilled number '2', part of the reference number of the lamp pole. These flies are small.
A different perspective on a female Swollen-thighed (Flower) Beetle (Oedemera nobilis) showing the colour of the abdomen, hidden when seen from above by the elytra (wing cases).
I did say I made a mess of yesterday's photo of this Round-leaved Cranesbill (Geranium rotundifolum). Today's is not much better, the plant suffering from trampling because it is growing along the top of the dam.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 05:45 – 06:40
(138th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- I assume that the Greylag Geese are slightly later to moult their flight feathers and some at least can still fly. Numbers continue to vary. Either that or there were a lot hiding inside the island today.
- *The same group of four well-grown Mallard ducklings were along the edge of the island.
- An adult Coots was seen aggressively chasing off what I believed to be one of its own off-spring. Perhaps the adult pair have a second brood, the other parent brooding the young due to the cool conditions?
- A Nuthatch was heard calling at the top West end and then along the East side. [Later one was heard alongside the upper pool between here and the Balancing Lake]. How many birds involved?
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Jackdaw
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 6 Swifts again
- 3 House Martins
Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 3 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (4) Blackcaps once again
Noted on / around the water:
- 219 + 8 (2 broods) Canada Geese
- 30 Greylag Geese
- 7 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 19 (16♂) + 4 (1 brood) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 4 (3♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 + 3 (3 broods) Moorhens
- 18 + 5 (2 broods) Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes still
On / around the street lamp poles or elsewhere:
(Ed Wilson)
Between the lake and The Flash:
- An adult and three juvenile Moorhens seen at the lower pool.
- 1 Chiffchaff singing alongside the lower pool.
(Ed Wilson)
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
- 1 Single-dotted Wave moth (Idaea dimidiata): different position on the roof
- Broad-leaved Willowherb (Epilobium montanum); previous record confirmed by PlantNet app.
- *Water Mint (Mentha aquatica): leaves only so far
- *Meadow Buttercup (Ranunculus acris)
#4 gave me 'Field Thistle' which is a North American species. I have changed the Flora database on the app from Worldwide to Western Europe!
#5 was a revisit of *Downy [or Woolly] Buttercup (Ranunculus lanuginosus) as it only gave me a 66% rating on the last attempt.
Repeat sightings:
Butterflies:
- Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus)
- *Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus)
Moths:
- Timothy Tortrix (Zelotherses paleana)
- Common Marble (Celypha lacunana)
- Timothy Tortrix (Zelotherses paleana)
- Common Marble (Celypha lacunana)
Bees, wasps etc.:
- Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Hoverflies:
- *Bumblebee Cheilosia (Cheilosia illustrata)
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
- *Common Spotted Field Syrph (Eupeodes luniger)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- Syrphus sp. (S. ribesii / S. vitripennis)
- *Bumblebee Cheilosia (Cheilosia illustrata)
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
- *Common Spotted Field Syrph (Eupeodes luniger)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- Syrphus sp. (S. ribesii / S. vitripennis)
Damselflies:
- *Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
- *Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans)
- *Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
- *Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans)
Other flies:
- Black Snipefly (Chrysopilus cristatus)
- Greenbottle Lucilia sp.
- *Grouse Wing caddis fly (Mystacides longicornis)
- *Yellow Swarming Fly (Thaumatomyia notata)
- Black Snipefly (Chrysopilus cristatus)
- Greenbottle Lucilia sp.
- *Grouse Wing caddis fly (Mystacides longicornis)
- *Yellow Swarming Fly (Thaumatomyia notata)
Beetles:
- *Swollen-thighed (Flower) Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)
- Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis)
- *Swollen-thighed (Flower) Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)
- Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis)
Bugs:
- Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus)
- Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus)
Slugs / snails:
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis) as ever
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis) as ever
Spiders:
- spider with egg sac
- spider with egg sac
Mammals:
- Grey Squirrel
- Grey Squirrel
Flowers:
- *Round-leaved Cranesbill (Geranium rotundifolum) [I made a mess of yesterday's photo]
- *Round-leaved Cranesbill (Geranium rotundifolum) [I made a mess of yesterday's photo]
A dramatic sunrise for a short while.
Then cloud rolled in and equally briefly the edges of those clouds were illuminated.
... and are clearer on the underwing. But not from this angle!
A smart hoverfly – a Common Spotted Field Syrph (Eupeodes luniger).
Only the leaves visible so far. This is Water Mint (Mentha aquatica).
A buttercup with these leaves is a Meadow Buttercup (Ranunculus acris).
Whereas a buttercup with these leaves is a Downy [or Woolly] Buttercup (Ranunculus lanuginosus)
(Ed Wilson)
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(138th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- I assume that the Greylag Geese are slightly later to moult their flight feathers and some at least can still fly. Numbers continue to vary. Either that or there were a lot hiding inside the island today.
- *The same group of four well-grown Mallard ducklings were along the edge of the island.
- An adult Coots was seen aggressively chasing off what I believed to be one of its own off-spring. Perhaps the adult pair have a second brood, the other parent brooding the young due to the cool conditions?
- A Nuthatch was heard calling at the top West end and then along the East side. [Later one was heard alongside the upper pool between here and the Balancing Lake]. How many birds involved?
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Jackdaw
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 6 Swifts again
- 3 House Martins
Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 3 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (4) Blackcaps once again
Noted on / around the water:
- 219 + 8 (2 broods) Canada Geese
- 30 Greylag Geese
- 7 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 19 (16♂) + 4 (1 brood) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 4 (3♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 + 3 (3 broods) Moorhens
- 18 + 5 (2 broods) Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes still
On / around the street lamp poles or elsewhere:
Nothing noted
A strong early cross-light and birds far away on the island was not a recipe for a great photo. What we see here are a pair of Mallard, the duck #2 from the left (picked out by the orange at the side of her bill); and the drake on the right. The other four are well-developed Mallard ducklings.
(Ed Wilson)
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- An adult and three juvenile Moorhens seen at the lower pool.
- 1 Chiffchaff singing alongside the lower pool.
(Ed Wilson)
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- 1 Single-dotted Wave moth (Idaea dimidiata): different position on the roof
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day can be found via the yearly links in the right-hand column.
Sightings from previous years without links are below
2008
Telford Town Centre
A singing Sedge Warbler by the entrance to the Blue Willow car park.
(Ed Wilson)