9.0°C > 15.0°C: A few early clouds cleared for a while with fair-weather clouds bubbling up later. Light mainly easterly breeze. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 04:57 BST
* = a species photographed today
! = a new species for me here this year
!! = a new species for me in Shropshire
I have been unable to get as many photos organised as usual. I spent five hours this afternoon with a team from Severn-Trent helping them plan the woodland management to be done over-winter. I was invited as the "local expert" and was able to make sure they were aware of areas where specialist habitats needed to be preserved. All work will be done with ecologists on site.
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:00 – 06:05 // 07:05 – 09:35
* = a species photographed today
! = a new species for me here this year
!! = a new species for me in Shropshire
I have been unable to get as many photos organised as usual. I spent five hours this afternoon with a team from Severn-Trent helping them plan the woodland management to be done over-winter. I was invited as the "local expert" and was able to make sure they were aware of areas where specialist habitats needed to be preserved. All work will be done with ecologists on site.
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:00 – 06:05 // 07:05 – 09:35
(148th visit of the year)
Best today was the two Little Egrets that flew off East from the dam area at c.05:30.
Bird notes:
- a new brood of just two Mallard ducklings, too small to be any of those seen last week.
- no gulls on the football field c.06:00 and, strangely, no Wood Pigeons either. There are usually at least 20.
- one of the six Black-headed Gulls on the lake briefly was my first ginger-toned juvenile of the year.
- my first post-breeding sighting of a Kingfisher here
- after yesterday's big total of Rooks seen to the East I noted just seven today.
- a / the Cetti's Warbler sang just once in the south-west area at 05:45. Has he found and mate and is being kept busy feeding her and / or off-spring?
- a Common Whitethroat was heard giving quiet alarm notes at 05:40 suggesting that this unusually quiet bird might have another brood. That said it, or another, was heard singing near the Teece Drive gate c.09:00, a location I have not heard any previously this year.
Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 3 Stock Dove: single and pair
- 145 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 27 Jackdaws
- 7 Rooks
Hirundines etc. noted:
- c.25 Swifts at 05:15. Mostly gone by 05:30 and all gone by 07:30
- 1+ House Martin heard high over the estate area c.06:00. Nothing seen
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 16 (13) Chiffchaffs
- *9 (8) Reed Warblers
- 5 (4) Blackcaps
- 2 (1) Common Whitethroat
'nominal' warbler:
- 1 (1) Goldcrest
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 11 (?♂) + 2 (1 brood) Mallard
- 5 + 3 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 26 + 9 (5 broods) Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 6 Black-headed Gull
- 1 Grey Heron: departed
- 2 Little Egrets: departed together
- 1 Kingfisher
Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:
Nothing at all
Noted later:
Noted later:
Butterflies:
- Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus
- Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
- *!Comma Polygonia c-album
- Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus
- Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
- *!Comma Polygonia c-album
Moths:
- Common Marble Celypha lacunana
- *!Mother of Pearl Patania ruralis [was Pleuroptya ruralis]
- Common Marble Celypha lacunana
- *!Mother of Pearl Patania ruralis [was Pleuroptya ruralis]
Bees, wasps etc.:
- *Honey Bee Apis mellifera
- *!Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum
- *Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- *!ichneumon wasp, Ichneumon suspiciosus or similar
- *Honey Bee Apis mellifera
- *!Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum
- *Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- *!ichneumon wasp, Ichneumon suspiciosus or similar
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.
- Bumblebee Blacklet Cheilosia illustrata [Bumblebee Blacklet]
- Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
- *Stripe-faced Dronefly Eristalis nemorum [Stripe-faced Drone Fly]
- Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
- Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus pendulus
- Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
- Bumblebee Blacklet Cheilosia illustrata [Bumblebee Blacklet]
- Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
- *Stripe-faced Dronefly Eristalis nemorum [Stripe-faced Drone Fly]
- Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
- Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus pendulus
- Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
Damsel-/dragon-flies:
- *Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum
- *Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum
Other flies:
- greenbottle Lucilia sp.
- Grouse Wing caddis fly Mystacides longicornis
- other unidentified flies
- greenbottle Lucilia sp.
- Grouse Wing caddis fly Mystacides longicornis
- other unidentified flies
Bugs etc.:
- none
- none
Beetles:
- *2 Spot Ladybird Adalia bipunctata
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni : adult
- *7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata
- Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis
- *2 Spot Ladybird Adalia bipunctata
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni : adult
- *7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata
- Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis
Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis
- White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis
Spiders:
- *White Crab Spider Misumena vatia [Flower Spider]
- *White Crab Spider Misumena vatia [Flower Spider]
New flowers noted:
- none
- none
The sunrise (more or less)
Looking West as the first rays of the sun kiss the tops of the trees.
Almost flat calm early.
A Reed Warbler with food in its bill: one fewer damselfly.
The same Reed Warbler having eaten the damselfly. Time for a song.
Definitely singing time.
Reed Warblers have orange inside the mouth. The very, very similar Marsh Warbler has pink inside to the mouth. Luckily their songs are very different.
Inspiration needed.
Butterflies remain scarce and there were none on the Butterfly-bush Buddleja davidii again but I did find my first Comma Polygonia c-album of the year.
With the light behind it and shining through its wings this is my first Mother of Pearl moth Patania ruralis of the year. The upper-wing does indeed look just like Mother of Pearl when it catches the light.
A Honey Bee Apis mellifera takes off with a full load of pollen.
Surprisingly my first Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum of the year proving that bumblebees can fly. Only a small amount of pollen in this one's pollen sac.
Staying well buried in vegetation was this ichneumon wasp. It is a male Ichneumon suspiciosus or one of several very similar species not separable from photos.
A very freshly emerged Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum. No markings as yet to enable the sex to be determined, just the stripes on the thorax. Behind it is an exuvia from which it probably emerged.
"I can see you". A 2 Spot Ladybird Adalia bipunctata hiding in the cracks on the boxing ring.
Meanwhile a 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata sits in a White Clover Trifolium repens flower.
A White Crab Spider Misumena vatia waits for a victim.
(Ed Wilson)
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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
- 2 White-legged Snake Millipedes Tachypodoiulus niger
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 06:10 – 07:00
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 06:10 – 07:00
(151st visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Mallard ducklings not seen.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 6 Jackdaws
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 Swifts
- 1 House Martin
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 2 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (3) Blackcaps
'nominal' warbler:
- 1 (1) Goldcrest
Noted on / around the water:
- 231 Canada Geese
- 53 Greylag Geese
- 1 Canada x Greylag Goose
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 24 Mallard: sexes not determined
- 20 Tufted Duck: sexes not determined
- 6 + 2 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 59 + 3 (3 broods) Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Black-headed Gull: departed
Noted elsewhere around The Flash:
Moths:
- *1 !Small Grey Eudonia mercurella
- *1 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata
- *1 !Small Grey Eudonia mercurella
- *1 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata
Spider:
- 1 possible Walnut Orb Weaver Nuctenea umbratica
- 1 possible Walnut Orb Weaver Nuctenea umbratica
Two moths this morning on street lamp poles: this is a Small Grey Eudonia mercurella
(Ed Wilson)
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Sightings from previous years
2007
Priorslee Lake
A pair of Siskins close to the lake
(Martin Adlam)