13.0°C > 15.0°C: Some patches of cloud. Moderate / fresh north-westerly breeze. Excellent visibility.
Sunrise: 05:13 BST
* = a species photographed today
! = a new species for me here this year
!! = a new species for me in Shropshire
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 04:45 – 06:00 // 07:05 – 09:30
* = a species photographed today
! = a new species for me here this year
!! = a new species for me in Shropshire
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 04:45 – 06:00 // 07:05 – 09:30
(158th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- all four Mute Swans remain.
- at 05:45 there were 34 Black-headed Gulls on the academy roof along with 32 more on the football field where there were also nine Lesser Black-backed Gulls and one Herring Gull. At this point something spooked them and they all flew off. By 05:55 a few Black-headed Gulls had started to return(?) with seven of the first 11 being juveniles – suggesting a much more successful breeding season. Last year this species suffered badly from avian influenza.
- five adult Great Crested Grebes were noted: also the juvenile.
Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 7 Canada Geese: single and quartet outbound; single inbound
- 9 Greylag Geese: single outbound; eight flew South to the East together
- 146 Wood Pigeons
- 11 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 13 Jackdaws
- 3 Rooks
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 Swift
- 2 House Martins
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 5 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 8 (3) Reed Warblers
- *6 (3) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Common Whitethroat
'nominal' warbler:
- no Goldcrests
Counts from the lake area:
- 15 Canada Geese: arrived with...
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 4 Mute Swans
- 17 (?♂) Mallard
- 4 + 4 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 23 + 6 (3 broods) Coots
- 5 + 1 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 28 Black-headed Gulls at the lake briefly before 66 were seen on the roof of the academy and on the football field at 05:45
- no Herring Gulls on the lake: one immature on the football field at 05:45
- no Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the lake: nine on the football field at 05:45
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Kingfisher
Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:
Only:
- *1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis-type
Noted later:
- *1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis-type
Noted later:
Butterflies:
- *Green-veined White Pieris napi
- Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
- *Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus
- *Green-veined White Pieris napi
- Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
- *Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus
Moths:
- Garden Grass-moth Chrysoteuchia culmella [was Garden Grass-veneer]
- *Shaded Broad-bar Scotopteryx chenopodiata
- Garden Grass-moth Chrysoteuchia culmella [was Garden Grass-veneer]
- *Shaded Broad-bar Scotopteryx chenopodiata
Bees, wasps etc.:
- Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
- 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.
- *Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- *Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
- *Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
- *Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- *Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
- *Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
Damsel-/dragon-flies:
- Southern Hawker Aeshna cyanea
- Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum
- Southern Hawker Aeshna cyanea
- Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum
Other flies:
- Grouse Wing caddis fly Mystacides longicornis
otherwise only unidentified flies noted
- Grouse Wing caddis fly Mystacides longicornis
otherwise only unidentified flies noted
Bugs etc.:
- none
- none
Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni: larvae
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni: larvae
Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis
- White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis
Spiders etc.:
- none
- none
New flowers noted:
None
The (slightly edited) sunrise according my big Sony camera.
A (slightly less edited) sunrise according to my ancient Samsung smart phone. The phone's camera seems to handle the contrast between the bright sky and the shaded vegetation better. It also has an even wider angle of view - the Sony photo was at 24mm equivalent (for those who know about these things).
A Blackcap in hiding. There does not seem to be any gape-line so this is likely an adult female rather than a juvenile.
Of course you remember that Gatekeeper butterflies Pyronia tithonus have two white spots in the black wing dot. Er? This one doesn't!
From above the veins of Green-veined White butterflies Pieris napi are not all obvious. Separation from other 'white' butterflies can be made on the shape of the black wing-tip mark. With a black dot only in each forewing this is a male.
From underneath the veins are very obvious. But 'green-veined' requires some imagination.
A faded Shaded Broad-bar moth Scotopteryx chenopodiata.
The abdomen shape of male Tapered Droneflies Eristalis pertinax is diagnostic.
Here is a Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax, separable at this angle by having mainly dark front legs. This was the only insect I noted in the c.100 flowers of Greater Bindweed Convolvulus sylvaticus.
A Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare. It certainly lives up to the "long-winged" part of its alternative moniker Long-winged Duskyface. The "Duskyface" part is less obvious.
This used to be a cranefly before it became breakfast. One of the 'tiger craneflies'. I cannot identify which on this view.
(Ed Wilson)
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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
Moths:
- *1 Single-dotted Wave Idaea dimidiata
- *1 Single-dotted Wave Idaea dimidiata
Nothing else noted
The best specimen of a Single-dotted Wave moth Idaea dimidiata I have found so far this year. And no: I don't know why it is "single-dotted".
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 06:05 – 07:00
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 06:05 – 07:00
(161st visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- I noted the duck Gadwall again. I suspect she is always around somewhere: not easy to find with all the Mallard in eclipse (non-breeding) plumage.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
None
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 6 Swifts
- 3 House Martins
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 4 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Blackcap
'nominal' warbler:
- no Goldcrests
Noted on / around the water:
- 179 Canada Geese
- 24 Greylag Geese
- 1 Canada x Greylag Goose
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 1 (0♂) Gadwall
- 14 (?♂) Mallard
- 23 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 + 6 (4 broods) Moorhens: two of the broods new
- 56 + 2 (2 broods) Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
Noted elsewhere around The Flash:
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 6 Swifts
- 3 House Martins
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 4 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Blackcap
'nominal' warbler:
- no Goldcrests
Noted on / around the water:
- 179 Canada Geese
- 24 Greylag Geese
- 1 Canada x Greylag Goose
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 1 (0♂) Gadwall
- 14 (?♂) Mallard
- 23 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 + 6 (4 broods) Moorhens: two of the broods new
- 56 + 2 (2 broods) Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
Noted elsewhere around The Flash:
Moths:
- *1 !White-banded Grass-moth Crambus pascuella [Inlaid Grass-veneer]
- *1 Engrailed Ectropis crepuscularia
- *1 !White-banded Grass-moth Crambus pascuella [Inlaid Grass-veneer]
- *1 Engrailed Ectropis crepuscularia
Not so fresh-looking was this Engrailed moth Ectropis crepuscularia
(Ed Wilson)