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pilning.bsky.social
Birds, botany, insects and stuff mainly but not always in Shropshire and often Venus Pool
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Lots of Jersey pics to catch up with. 15 May, Chrysotoxum vernale on our day trip to Sark was a highlight. Black bases to front and mid femora and straighter yellow bands than the similar festivum. Rare on the mainland in parts of S Hants & Dorset, there are a couple of Jersey records. #diptera

16 species of wader/shorebird are in worse trouble than we thought. There's a list at the end of this blog about recently red-listed Broad-billed Sandpipers: wadertales.wordpress.com/2024/12/08/b... #ornithology BB s/p papers by @bksandercock.bsky.social & Skitts Rae

Some insects from 1st full on Jersey last week with @wildflowersociety.bsky.social around St Ouen's Bay. Grass Eggar larva; the muscid Limnophora obsignata; Psilothrix viridicoerulea and Byrsinus flavicornis. 2nd and 4th caught by Stephen Plummer. #teammoth @dipteristsforum.bsky.social

Some amazing critters on Jersey during the week. This spider, found with Matt Jones along the coastal grassland and cliffs near Corbiere Phage looks like one found by Graeme Lyons in 2017, Heriaeus mellotteei. Can anyone confirm from this pic? @britishspiders.bsky.social #spiders

Lots of established introductions seen on Jersey on a week with @wildflowersociety.bsky.social of which Tassel Hyacinth, Muscari comosum was one of the best in my opinion. I saw just the leaves on a previous visit and had only seen it flowering around the Mediterranean. #wildflowerhour

An unmissable Jersey speciality is Loose-flowered (aka Jersey) Orchid, Orchis laxiflora, so another highlight was seeing masses of them at Saint Ouen's on our first full day. @wildflowersociety.bsky.social #wildflowerhour

The rather stunning form of Small-flowered Catchfly, Silene gallica var. quinquevulnera, at Gorey, Jersey, one of many highlights of a splendid week with @wildflowersociety.bsky.social #wildflowerhour #pinkfamily

2 sum plum Wood Sandpipers at VP this morning were a rare treat. Thanks Simon & 2 Daves. Also 3 male Shoveler, calling Little Grebe, 3 Gadwall etc. One Oystercatcher has sadly abandoned, possibly after lengthy dispute with intruder, it seems. The other still brooding. #shropshirebirding 🪶

Some more from Crose Mere - many hovers included female Eristalis intricaria, Rhingia campestris, Myathropa florea and the smartly marked cranefly Epiphragma ocellare with its RAF wing markings. #ukwildlife #diptera @dipteristsforum.bsky.social

Top day with the wildlife group yesterday at Crose Mere with many insects in the best bits of habitat. The other 'common' cleg Haematopota crassicornis (which I hardly ever find) was common and Red-eyed Damselfly nfy (and perhaps the site). #Diptera #ukwildlife #odonata @dipteristsforum.bsky.social

Mid pm visit to VP in sunshine produced 3 nfy butterflies: Red Admiral, Brown Argus and Common Blue plus Small Copper etc. Full grown Drinker larva was a treat, Teleiopsis diffinis my first for the site. #teammoth @bc-westmids.bsky.social

WFS walk at Prees Heath on a very warm day on Thursday, at which we saw all the expected spring annuals as well as a less expected bonus of a small Moonwort (Botrychium lunaria) plant. Sand Spurrey (Spergularia rubra) was looking especially fine too. v late for #wildflowerhour

Some good moths in the week but so hectic that I have not posted anything. Best was second Alder Kitten for the garden after the first last year (and my 3rd ever after one in May 1988 in the Wyre). #teammoth @bc-westmids.bsky.social

Fumaria purpurea (Purple Ramping-fumitory) at Venus Pool on yesterday's all day birdwatch. Thanks Sarah Whild and Tim Rich for confirming. Late again for #wildflowerhour

About 72 species (tbc) on all #westmidsalldayer at VP. Team effort as ever with nothing startling but Water Rail, Lesser Whitethroat, Cuckoo, Collared Dove (4, a very tricky speciesfor us!), 2 Yellow Wags, 4 Egyptian Goose, c20 House Martin, 12 Swallow, 20 Sand Martin, 15 Swift #shropshirebirding

VP x2, 0555 to open gate, Cuckoo nfy, 41 Stock Dove & 48 Rook on new bird crop, 3 LRP, fine Lapwing display, Reed W chorus etc. Later with G the 1st Lesser Whitethroat of the yr, 2 f Brimstones egg laying on Frangula, 2 Green Hairstreak, Anacamptis morio in flower. #shoprshirebirding

Low numbers overnight in the #Shrewsbury garden moth trap despite the warm day yesterday, but delighted by Red Chestnut nfg. 2 Brindled Beauty best of the rest. #teammoth @bc-westmids.bsky.social #ukwildlife

Atherix ibis (Yellow-legged Water-snipefly) from Hay on Wye this morning near the river. I have only seen these a couple of times before - a lovely fly! @dipteristsforum.bsky.social

Shepherd's-cress (Teesdalia nudicaulis) in flower on Prees Heath earlier this week on a WFS trip recce. Lots were in flower in a small area but most plants were very small. In Radnorshire today I saw a bit in fruit and none in flower. #wildflowerhour #cabbagefamily

Sticky Catchfly (Silene viscaria) photographed with a long lens in Radnorshire this week and looking rather fine. Seems quite early but heard of some out at another site a while ago, if I recall. #wildflowerhour

A couple of violets from this week - Marsh Violet (Viola palustris) near Welshpool with wildlife group and Heath Dog-violet (Viola canina) from Prees Heath, both at their best. #wildflowerhour

Giant Butterbur (Petasites japonicus) dominating a stretch of verge in Wall under Heywood, #Shropshire this week. Too late again for #wildflowerhour and definitely not a tiny plant.

Great find by @saloplarus.bsky.social of Shropshire's first Black Kite at Wood Lane. It hung around the tip there late morning, often chased by 2CY Red Kites and Corvids. #shropshirebirding #ukwildlife 🪶

Trip to look at the Pied Flys (6+), Redstarts (2 singing m) etc (Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming, Treecreeper, Grey Wag etc) with @janettem34.bsky.social late morning. Back over the Mynd, singing Whinchat, Curlew, Red Kite etc #Shropshirebirding 🪶

Moth trap last night in #Shrewsbury with light overnight rain and 8C at dawn produced 2 nfy: a subtly beautiful Powdered Quaker; and a Flame Carpet. Forgot Agonopterix alstroemeriana from 2 nights ago, rare here but no Conium in the immediate area that I know of. #teammoth @bc-westmids.bsky.social

VP with G this morning, light rain overnight. 4 Common Sand, 3 LRP, 5 Oystercatcher (2prs + intruder), Snipe, 5 Lapwing, 8 Gadwall, 2 Shelduck, 1 Sedge & 1 Reed Warbler, 4+ Willow W, 2+ Yellow Wag, 3CY Herring Gull, Sprawk, 3+ Swallow and best of all a f Wheatear in the arable. #Shropshirebirding 🪶

Missed #wildflowerhour due to working on plant records (the irony etc). Geum x intermedium, the hybrid of Water x Wood Avens was my unexpected plant of the week by the R Tern on the Staffs/Shropshire border (but in VC40) this week. Moschatel, Adoxa moschatellina was nearby.

Garden mothing this morning/last night - 3 nfy, namely Least Black Arches, 2 Shuttle-shaped Dart and a Garden Carpet. #teammoth @bc-westmids.bsky.social