13.0°C > 19.0°C: Clear apart from a period of low cloud c.08:00. A light southerly breeze. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 05:08 BST
* = a species photographed today
! = a new species for me here this year
!! = a new species for me in Shropshire
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:00 – 06:10 // 07:15 – 09:45
(156th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- the additional pair of Mute Swans are still present. Mostly the pairs keep well apart. Just occasionally one pair would deliberately(?) stray in to the other's territory. I could not determine which pair were the aggressors.
- at 05:50 there were 22 Black-headed Gulls (no juveniles) on the football field.
- at 05:30 there were five Great Crested Grebes at the West end. None of these had a juvenile with them. They may well have been another pair still inside the south-east area. I saw the pair with a juvenile there much later. At that later time I could only see three other adults! As usual this species is frustrating.
- unusually a group of seven Carrion Crows flew south-east over the dam area at c.08:15 using the same flight-line as the roost-departing Rooks and Jackdaws.
Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 1 Canada Goose: outbound
- 1 Greylag Goose: outbound
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 153 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Herring Gull
- 21 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 7 Carrion Crows: see notes
- 9 Jackdaws
- 19 Rooks
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 4 Swifts
- 2 Barn Swallows
- 2 House Martins
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
NB: song is very intermittent now
- 10 (5) Chiffchaffs
- 6 (4) Reed Warblers
- 3 (1) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Common Whitethroat
'nominal' warbler:
- no Goldcrests
Counts from the lake area:
- 5 Canada Geese: arrived and departed together
- 4 Mute Swans
- 14 (?♂) Mallard
- 4 + 4 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 23 + 5 (5 broods) Coots
- *5 (7?) + 1 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes: see notes
- 3 Black-headed Gulls: also 22 on the football field at 05:50
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:
Moths:
- *!1 Ghost Moth Hepialus humuli: a female of the humuli form
- 1 Poplar Hawk-moth Laothoe populi: same place as yesterday
Noted later:
- *!1 Ghost Moth Hepialus humuli: a female of the humuli form
- 1 Poplar Hawk-moth Laothoe populi: same place as yesterday
Noted later:
Butterflies:
- Green-veined White Pieris napi
- Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus
- Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
- Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus
- Green-veined White Pieris napi
- Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus
- Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
- Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus
Moths:
- Pale Straw Pearl Udea lutealis
- Pale Straw Pearl Udea lutealis
Bees, wasps etc.:
- *unidentified Andrena mining bee.
- Honey Bee Apis mellifera
- Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum
- *Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
- *unidentified Andrena mining bee.
- Honey Bee Apis mellifera
- Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum
- *Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
Hoverflies:
The first name is that used by Stephen Falk. The name in square brackets is that given by Obsidentify or other sources if different. Scientific names are normally common. The species are presented in alphabetic order of those scientific names.
- Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
- *Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
- Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
- *Common Twist-tail Sphaerophoria scripta [Long Hoverfly; Common Globetail]
- Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
- *Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
- Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
- *Common Twist-tail Sphaerophoria scripta [Long Hoverfly; Common Globetail]
Damsel-/dragon-flies:
- *Brown Hawker Aeshna grandis
- Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum
- *Brown Hawker Aeshna grandis
- Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum
Other flies:
- only unidentified flies noted
- only unidentified flies noted
Bugs etc.:
- none
- none
Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetles Agelastica alni: adult
- Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva
- Alder Leaf Beetles Agelastica alni: adult
- Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva
Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis
- White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis
Spiders etc.:
- *possible Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius
- wolf spider Pardosa sp.
- *Nursery Web Spider Pisaura mirabilis
- *unknown tiny spider
- *possible Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius
- wolf spider Pardosa sp.
- *Nursery Web Spider Pisaura mirabilis
- *unknown tiny spider
New flowers noted:
None
One of the Great Crested Grebes went for a fly-about. They look sleek in flight.
...but rather ungainly as they attempt to splash down. The legs with their strangely lobed feet are set so far back that they are of little use in the splash-down, the birds doing a belly-flop.
One of the local Common Buzzard flies by. Looks smart...
..until you see the other wing!
Who needs wings? A Dunnock decides to behave like a frog!
This is a Ghost Moth Hepialus humuli. All males and some females are white with black markings and give the species its vernacular name. This is a female of the humuli form.
A mystery bee. I know it is a mining bee of the Andrena genus but which? Obsidentify was little help as I showed it several photos I took and it came up with different answers. It may be an Ashy Mining Bee A. cineraria though the usual flight period for this species has passed. It has a heavy load in its pollen-sac.
Another view. And no: it does not have a tawny 'tail': that is a mark on the leaf.
A Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum.
A male Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax with its long tongue buried in Common Hogweed Heracleum sphondylium.
Another one. The angle of the light is showing marks on the thorax that hint a the Dead-head Hoverfly Myathropa florea. a feature I have never noted previously.
I have not seen many Common Twist-tail hoverflies Sphaerophoria scripta this year. The alternative name "Long Hoverfly" seems more appropriate.
A side elevation view of a different individual.
A Brown Hawker dragonfly Aeshna grandis . This is a male with blue spots along the side of his abdomen. One of the few dragonflies I can identify as it flies by with the brown body and golden wings.
A close-up of the working parts.
Yet another spider on the boxing ring. To my eyes it looks like a very small Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius. All spiders start off tiny as they emerge from their egg and grow by casting their exoskeleton periodically.
An even smaller spider here crawling across a small part of one of my fingers. The abdomen markings look similar but it has a pale line down its thorax. No identification.
A Nursery Web Spider Pisaura mirabilis. It is several weeks since I found one of these.
And today I found two. This, is another one, all legs, was desperately moving away when it felt I was too close.
(Ed Wilson)
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
(Ed Wilson)
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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
Moths:
- 2 Single-dotted Wave Idaea dimidiata
- 2 Single-dotted Wave Idaea dimidiata
Other things
- *1 cranefly, probably Nephrotoma quadrifaria
- *1 Common Shiny Woodlouse Oniscus asellus
- 2 White-legged Snake Millipedes Tachypodoiulus niger
- *1 cranefly, probably Nephrotoma quadrifaria
- *1 Common Shiny Woodlouse Oniscus asellus
- 2 White-legged Snake Millipedes Tachypodoiulus niger
A Common Shiny Woodlouse Oniscus asellus. Seems an appropriate name.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 06:15 – 07:10
(159th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- many of the geese testing their wings and some have clearly flown already.
- I should note that we seem to have lost the long-staying all-white feral duck with the curled tail-feather indicating it had Mallard genes. 08 April seems to be my last sighting,
- steady decline in the number of Coots. I read that there are now at least 970 Coots at the nearby Belvide Reservoir so perhaps they have gone there to moult? [there are >125 Mute Swans there at the moment where typically only one or two pairs breed].
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
Bird notes:
- many of the geese testing their wings and some have clearly flown already.
- I should note that we seem to have lost the long-staying all-white feral duck with the curled tail-feather indicating it had Mallard genes. 08 April seems to be my last sighting,
- steady decline in the number of Coots. I read that there are now at least 970 Coots at the nearby Belvide Reservoir so perhaps they have gone there to moult? [there are >125 Mute Swans there at the moment where typically only one or two pairs breed].
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
None
Hirundines etc. noted:
Hirundines etc. noted:
None
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 6 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Blackcap
'nominal' warbler:
- no Goldcrests
Noted on / around the water:
- *166 Canada Geese
- 54 Greylag Geese
- no Canada x Greylag Goose
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 5 (?♂) Mallard: I assume they were hiding inside the island?
- *17 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 37 + 5 (5 broods) Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
Noted elsewhere around The Flash:
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 6 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Blackcap
'nominal' warbler:
- no Goldcrests
Noted on / around the water:
- *166 Canada Geese
- 54 Greylag Geese
- no Canada x Greylag Goose
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 5 (?♂) Mallard: I assume they were hiding inside the island?
- *17 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 37 + 5 (5 broods) Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
Noted elsewhere around The Flash:
Moths:
- *1 Garden Grass-moth Chrysoteuchia culmella [was Garden Grass-veneer]
- *2 Tawny Grey Eudonia lacustrata [was Little Grey]
- *1 Garden Grass-moth Chrysoteuchia culmella [was Garden Grass-veneer]
- *2 Tawny Grey Eudonia lacustrata [was Little Grey]
Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni: adult
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni: adult
Some of the Canada Geese are sufficiently confident of their new flight feathers to take to the air.
A surprised-looking duck Tufted Duck flies by.
The angled cross-line toward the wing-tip identifies this grass moth as a Garden Grass-moth Chrysoteuchia culmella. The gold wing-tip of this species soon wears off.
(Ed Wilson)