10.0°C > 14.0°C: Early broken high-level cloud gave way to more lower cloud. Although few sunny intervals it remained bright. Moderate westerly breeze. Excellent visibility.
Sunrise: 04:48 BST
* = a species photographed today
! = a first sighting of the species this year
$ = a new species for me in this area
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 04:55– 05:50 // 06:55 – 09:45
(132nd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
Worth highlighting was a singing Sedge Warbler in the West end reeds at c.05:10 (but not later). This species has occasionally turned up in June previously, long after the main passage has finished. Such birds are likely failed breeders looking for a new location for a second attempt. On at least one previous occasion such a later arrival successfully bred here.
Other bird notes:
- no Canada Geese seen from here again.
- once again the seven Greylag Geese goslings were present and correct with a third adult present throughout.
- no small Mallard ducklings seen. Probably four independent juveniles as two duos.
- a pair of Tufted Duck present throughout.
- no juvenile Coots seen and a low count of adults.
- the pair of Great Crested Grebes with at least one juvenile seen again.
- *two family groups of Blackcaps noted.
- the recent (South side) Common Whitethroat was not found. At the original south-west site a bird was singing early and then at least two bird seen in the same general area.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: together
- 6 Wood Pigeons again
- 8 Jackdaws
That's all
Other bird notes:
- no Canada Geese seen from here again.
- once again the seven Greylag Geese goslings were present and correct with a third adult present throughout.
- no small Mallard ducklings seen. Probably four independent juveniles as two duos.
- a pair of Tufted Duck present throughout.
- no juvenile Coots seen and a low count of adults.
- the pair of Great Crested Grebes with at least one juvenile seen again.
- *two family groups of Blackcaps noted.
- the recent (South side) Common Whitethroat was not found. At the original south-west site a bird was singing early and then at least two bird seen in the same general area.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: together
- 6 Wood Pigeons again
- 8 Jackdaws
That's all
Counts from the lake area:
- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Greylag Geese
- 2 Mute Swan: assuming the pen is still on the hidden nest
- *13 (9♂) + 4 (2? brood) Mallard: see notes
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Moorhens only again
- 22 Coots
- 6 + 1? (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes: see notes
- no Grey Herons
Hirundines etc. noted:
- *>25 Swifts
- 4 Barn Swallows
- 2 House Martins
Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 6 (6) Chiffchaffs only
- 1 (1) Sedge Warbler
- 9 (9) Reed Warblers
- *15 (9) Blackcaps
- 2 (1) Common Whitethroats
Also noted:
A few things braved the elements, mainly flies.
Butterflies:
- 1 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
- 1 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
Moths:
- 7 Yellow-barred Longhorn Nemophora degeerella
- 1 Green Oak Tortrix Tortrix viridiana
- 7 Yellow-barred Longhorn Nemophora degeerella
- 1 Green Oak Tortrix Tortrix viridiana
Bees, wasps etc.:
- Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum
- *Tree Bumblebee Bombus hypnorum
- Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius
- Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- *!Vestal Cuckoo Bee Bombus vestalis [Vestal Cuckoo Bumblebee]
at least one hundred bumblebees seen and many not specifically identified
where are all the Honey Bees Apis mellifera?
- *Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris
- Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum
- *Tree Bumblebee Bombus hypnorum
- Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius
- Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- *!Vestal Cuckoo Bee Bombus vestalis [Vestal Cuckoo Bumblebee]
at least one hundred bumblebees seen and many not specifically identified
where are all the Honey Bees Apis mellifera?
- *Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris
Hoverflies:
- Buttercup Blacklet Cheilosia albitarsus [Late Buttercup Cheilosia]
- *Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
- Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
- *Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus pendulus [Tiger Marsh Fly; Sun Fly]
- *Blotch-winged Hoverfly Leucozona lucorum [Blotch-winged Whitebelt]
- *!Common Twist-tail Sphaerophoria scripta [Long Hoverfly; Common Globetail]
- *!Hornet Hoverfly Volucella zonaria [Hornet Plumehorn]
- *!$? possible female Aspen Leafwalker Xylota tarda
- Buttercup Blacklet Cheilosia albitarsus [Late Buttercup Cheilosia]
- *Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
- Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
- *Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus pendulus [Tiger Marsh Fly; Sun Fly]
- *Blotch-winged Hoverfly Leucozona lucorum [Blotch-winged Whitebelt]
- *!Common Twist-tail Sphaerophoria scripta [Long Hoverfly; Common Globetail]
- *!Hornet Hoverfly Volucella zonaria [Hornet Plumehorn]
- *!$? possible female Aspen Leafwalker Xylota tarda
Damsel / Dragon-flies:
- *Azure Damselfly Coenagrion puella [Azure Bluet]
- Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum [Common Bluet]
- Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans [Common Bluetail]
- *Azure Damselfly Coenagrion puella [Azure Bluet]
- Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum [Common Bluet]
- Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans [Common Bluetail]
Other flies:
I did not spend much time looking at flies that I mostly cannot identify
- long-legged fly Dolichopus ungulatus or similar
- Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus: many males and only one female noted
- greenbottle Lucilia sp.
- Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria
I did not spend much time looking at flies that I mostly cannot identify
- long-legged fly Dolichopus ungulatus or similar
- Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus: many males and only one female noted
- greenbottle Lucilia sp.
- Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria
Bugs:
- *!nymph of a Mirid bug Deraeocoris flavilinea
- *!nymph of a Mirid bug Deraeocoris flavilinea
Beetles:
- larvae of Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis: very many
- *Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis var. succinea
- False Blister Beetle Oedemera lurida or O. virescens
- *Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis [False Oil Beetle or Thick-legged Flower Beetle]
- *Nettle Weevil Phyllobius pomaceus
- larvae of Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis: very many
- *Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis var. succinea
- False Blister Beetle Oedemera lurida or O. virescens
- *Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis [False Oil Beetle or Thick-legged Flower Beetle]
- *Nettle Weevil Phyllobius pomaceus
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
New flowers for the year:
- *Common Bird's-foot Trefoil Lotus corniculatus
- *Hedge Woundwort Stachys sylvatica
On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:
A complete blank.
I do wonder whether the street lights are operational. I do know that one failed many weeks ago.
The all-yellow/green bill of this Mallard means it is a drake. The flank plumage suggests a duck (female) and the wings look short. It is almost certainly a juvenile drake that will moult in to adult plumage by the end of August.
I managed a few photos of the many Swifts around the East end of the lake. Just visible is the white throat patch. The plumage is not as black as you imagine when you see them scything through the sky.
I will try for a better photo of a Green Oak Tortrix moth Tortrix viridiana . I had to use full zoom through a myriad of grass stems to isolate and partly-focus this.
These seem to be two Vestal Cuckoo Bees Bombus vestalis enjoying a Common Knapweed Centaurea nigra flower. At the time I thought Buff-tailed Bumblebees B. terrestris but there is no midriff band of colour and the white of the tail is too extensive.
I have not see many Common Wasps Vespula vulgaris so far this year. Here is one happily munching a wooden fence to make the pulp for its nest.
My first Common Twist-tail Sphaerophoria scripta of the year: a male which best fits the oft-used name of Long Hoverfly. Only the males are "long": the females have a much shorter abdomen but share the males' bright yellow scutellum and antennae.
A splendid hoverfly. It is a Hornet Hoverfly Volucella zonaria. It may resemble a European Hornet Vespa crabro but the short antennae say otherwise. The antennae are unusual for hoverflies and give it the alternative name of Hornet Plumehorn. It is just possible to see plumes toward the tip of the antennae.
I am not 100% sure about this hoverfly. It is possibly a female Aspen Leafwalker Xylota tarda which would be a new species for me. I really needed to have seen the abdomen pattern more clearly to confirm that it is not the less-likely of Obsidentify's two suggestion of Orange-belted Leaf Licker X. segnis (or Orange-belted Leafwalker) - a species I see annually.
A male Azure Damselfly Coenagrion puella and like the one yesterday at rest with the wings held partly open. Is this an identification feature for this species? I cannot see it in the literature.
I have recently read that Harlequin Ladybirds Harmonia axyridis of the form succinea without spots are tenerals (immatures), yet to acquire the spotting.
A female Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis identified by the way the elytra (wing cases) are held apart. Females do not have the swollen thighs. I only noticed females today.
The first time I have noticed Common Bird's-foot Trefoil Lotus corniculatus this year. Clearly though it has been flowering for some while.
(Ed Wilson)
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
(129th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Another large count of adult Canada Geese with the gosling and its parents among them. None of them was seen to fly though not all seem to have shed all their flight feathers as yet.
- thirteen Greylag Geese together.
- still eight visiting Mute Swans.
- a higher count of Mallard. Fewer were at the Balancing Lake today.
- just eight juvenile Coots found from three broods. The second brood could again not be counted as a parent was brooding them on the nest. All four well-grown juveniles from their first brood seen again. Yesterday's new brood of five down to three.
- again only one Great Crested Grebe.
- a Grey Heron was standing on the island.
- a lone Starlings flew over.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Starling
- 2 Jackdaws
Noted on / around the water:
- 148 + 1 (1 brood) Canada Geese
- 13 Greylag Geese
- 10 Mute Swans: assuming the pen is still on the hidden nest.
- 20 (15♂) Mallard
- 2 Moorhens only
- 39 + 8 (3 broods) Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe again
- 1 Grey Heron
Hirundines etc. noted:
- no Swifts
- 4 House Martins
Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 2 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Blackcap only
Noted around the area:
- *Common Bird's-foot Trefoil Lotus corniculatus
- *Hedge Woundwort Stachys sylvatica
On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:
A complete blank.
I do wonder whether the street lights are operational. I do know that one failed many weeks ago.
In fact when the light catches them they can appear silvery.
My best shot. One with its mouth open about to devour what is barely visible as a smudge in the photo.
A not-very-obliging juvenile Blackcap. I knew it was a juvenile and not a female by its begging calls.
With a bit of licence you can just about make out the start of a gape line, mostly hidden behind the branch. There is always a branch (or two).
That is not very nice of the Tree Bumblebee Bombus hypnorum!
Surprisingly this is also a Tree Bumblebee: the not uncommon dark form.
A Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus showing its abdomen markings.
A smart Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus pendulus also known as Tiger Marsh Fly or Sun Fly.
A Blotch-winged Hoverfly Leucozona lucorum also known as Blotch-winged Whitebelt.
This is the nymph of the Mirid bug Deraeocoris flavilinea.
This one is half-and-half.
Some go overboard on the spotting.
A worn-looking Nettle Weevil Phyllobius pomaceus.
Another first-of-the year: a spike of Hedge Woundwort Stachys sylvatica
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
Flies:
- 8 midges only of several species again
- 2 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
- 2 craneflies
- 8 midges only of several species again
- 2 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
- 2 craneflies
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 probable Snake-back Spider Segestria senoculata
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- *1 probable Snake-back Spider Segestria senoculata
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
The only thing of interest in the tunnel this morning was this spider. It seems to be a Snake-back Spider Segestria senoculata which as NatureSpot says "gets the English name from the row of dark coloured patches on the elongated abdomen said to resemble the markings on some poisonous snakes, such as the adder". Yes, well.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 05:55 – 06:50
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(129th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Another large count of adult Canada Geese with the gosling and its parents among them. None of them was seen to fly though not all seem to have shed all their flight feathers as yet.
- thirteen Greylag Geese together.
- still eight visiting Mute Swans.
- a higher count of Mallard. Fewer were at the Balancing Lake today.
- just eight juvenile Coots found from three broods. The second brood could again not be counted as a parent was brooding them on the nest. All four well-grown juveniles from their first brood seen again. Yesterday's new brood of five down to three.
- again only one Great Crested Grebe.
- a Grey Heron was standing on the island.
- a lone Starlings flew over.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Starling
- 2 Jackdaws
Noted on / around the water:
- 148 + 1 (1 brood) Canada Geese
- 13 Greylag Geese
- 10 Mute Swans: assuming the pen is still on the hidden nest.
- 20 (15♂) Mallard
- 2 Moorhens only
- 39 + 8 (3 broods) Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe again
- 1 Grey Heron
Hirundines etc. noted:
- no Swifts
- 4 House Martins
Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 2 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Blackcap only
Noted around the area:
Moths:
- 1 Yellow-barred Longhorn Nemophora degeerella
- 1 Yellow-barred Longhorn Nemophora degeerella
Bees, wasps etc.:
- *Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris : asleep on a street lamp pole
- *Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris : asleep on a street lamp pole
Flies:
- 2 Black Snipeflies Chrysopilus cristatus: all males
- 1 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
- 2 Black Snipeflies Chrysopilus cristatus: all males
- 1 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
Beetles:
- larva of Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis: just one
- larva of Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis: just one
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
A Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris asleep on a street lamp pole. Well you have to sleep somewhere.
A Long-jawed Orb-web Spider from the Tetragnatha group. To my eyes this individual has a tubbier body than usual. Perhaps a female carrying eggs?
(Ed Wilson)
2012
Wrekin
Several Pied Flycatchers
2 male Common Redstarts
2 Wood Warbler
3 male Tree Pipits
(Glenn Bishton)
2011
Priorslee Lake
2 Common Sandpiper
(John Isherwood)
Nedge Hill
1 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)
2007
Nedge Hill
2 Wheatears
(John Isherwood)
2006
Priorslee Lake
1 drake Ruddy Duck
(Ed Wilson)
- *1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2012
Wrekin
Several Pied Flycatchers
2 male Common Redstarts
2 Wood Warbler
3 male Tree Pipits
(Glenn Bishton)
2011
Priorslee Lake
2 Common Sandpiper
(John Isherwood)
Nedge Hill
1 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)
2007
Nedge Hill
2 Wheatears
(John Isherwood)
2006
Priorslee Lake
1 drake Ruddy Duck
(Ed Wilson)