Shenstone Birder

4th to 5th June - Moth Trapping (Captains Pool)

On the evening of Saturday 4th June 2011, I set the Moth trap up under a Mature Oak near the edge of Captains pool. Thank you to TS for letting me set the trap up on his waterside bit of land. The following morning the species trapped were recorded.

The results of the trapping was as follows:

Small Magpie -1
Green Carpet - 1
Heart & Dart - 3
Mottled Beauty - 1
Large Yellow Underwing -1
Birds Wing -1
Brown Rustic -1
Marbled Minor agg. - 2
Ingrailed Clay - 1
Bee Moth - 2
Middle-barred Minor -1
Mottled Rustic -1
Dusky Brocade -1

I would also like to say thanks to fellow wildlife blogger Dean (http://deansdailydiary.blogspot.com/) who helped identify some of the species that I was unsure of.

Anyway here are a few photos of some of the moths. Note to self - next time get some leaves, twigs etc to hand to photograph the moths on to give a more natural feel. Ah well..I'm still learning!

Small Magpie:

Green Carpet:

Heart & Dart:

Mottled Beauty:

Birds Wing:

Bee Moth:

Ingrailed Clay:

Brown Rustic:

Friday 3rd June 2011 - Shenstone

Started my visit sat down at the side of Captains Pool with a mug of Tony's tea in hand....well you have to be cheeky in this game. Within a few minutes of being there a Sand Martin was over the pool followed shortly afterwards by a Swallow. One of the (2nd pair) of Great Crested Grebes was out on the water with 4 chicks on her back.

Not long after talking to TS about how we don't tend to get Demoiselles on the patch we had a ♂ Beautiful Demoiselle land on a branch overhanging the water. To both our knowledge this was a patch first and a great way to start the day. Also present were a number of Common Blue Damselfies, a Speckled Wood butterfly and a Purple and Gold Moth (Pyrausta aurata).

I then headed from Captains to Butts Lane to continue my butterfly and insect recording. Although it was sunny today it was quite windy and far fewer butterflies were on the wing. Other than the seemingly ever present Green-veined Whites, I recorded my first Meadow Brown of the year and 7 Large Skippers. 6 Cinabar Moths and a rather stunning Mother Shipton were also seen. I also saw a male Broad bodied Chaser at the drainage pond and a Hover Fly (Syrphus vitripennis) on a Cow Parsley at the junction with Barrs Lane. At this rate I'm going to have to start an insect gallery and patch invertebrate list!

My final stop was on the south side of the patch at Witch Lane. The only bird of note here was another Sand Martin that was over the field near the old grainstore. Its really interesting that I saw 2 Sand Martins today as they are fairly scarce on the patch, don't breed there to my knowledge and only usually get seen during migration periods. I wonder if there is a breeding colony in one of the sand banks at the nearby Hartlebury brick pits or maybe at one of the local fisheries...either way it was nice to see them.

Beautiful Demoiselle:

Mother Shipton:

Hover Fly (Syrphus vitripennis)

Meadow Brown:

Shenstone News

Here is a round up of noteworthy sightings from fellow local birders around the patch over the past few days:

Sunday 29th May 2011:
There were 3 House Martins were over Captains pool and a pair of Tufted Ducks were also present (TS)

Monday 30th May 2011:
A Common Tern was at Captains Pool (TS)

Wednesday 1st June 2011:
A Little Owl was present along Witch Lane at approx. 9:30 on the evening (TMH). A Speckled Yellow Moth was seen near Captains Pool (TS)

Friday 3rd June 2011:
A Hobby was seen over Witch Lane this evening (TMH)

Wed 1st June 2011 - Shenstone

Today, I decided to return to the patch. With things being quiet on the bird front, that is unless you count the large numbers of juvenile Starlings that are around, I decided to visit early afternoon and concentrate on the insects around Butts Lane/Barrs Lane.

I walked the circuit taking the footpath from Barrs Lane across the field to the vicarage and then back along the Butts Lane set-a-side. The footpath along the field was fairly unproductive but 4 Skylarks were flushed. A Common Whitethroat was singing opposite the vicarage and another was seen opposite Eastfields Farm with a mouthful of insects, which is a good indicator that there is young being fed.

The majority of butterflies and day flying moths were in the area of the set-a-side. There had definitely been an emergence of Large Skipper as, in this area, I recorded 12. Cinabar Moths were also very much evident with a count of 8. I also saw 4 Brown Argus, 1 ♂ Common Blue, 1 Small Copper, 1 Small Tortoiseshell, 1 Peacock, Small White and a few Green-viened Whites.

Also of interest was a ♂ Broad-bodied Chaser dragonfly at the drainage pond and a Hoverfly (Volucella inflata). Red Soldier Beetle, Garden Chafer and Thick-legged Flower Beetle were all present in smaller numbers.

Large Skippers:

Brown Argus (worn):

Hoverfly (Volucella inflata):

Green-Veined Whites:

Tues 31st May 2011 - Blackstone & Ribbesford

Today I had yet another away day from Shenstone and decided to go for a walk along the River Severn at Blackstone and Ribbesford near Bewdley. It is known locally as a place where you can see Club-tailed Dragonfly, although i didn't manage to see one. It is also worked as a local patch by a young local birder Craig (Midlands Birder) who has found some good birds there including Smew and Whooper Swan. If you get chance check out Craig's blog at http://www.midlandsbirder.blogspot.com/

Anyway on to my walk. As already mentioned, I didn't connect with Club-tailed Dragonfly but I did see good numbers of Banded Demoiselle and a few White-legged Damselflies. Not many butterflies were seen but I did see 1 Small Copper, 1 Small Tortoiseshell, 1 Small White and a couple of Green-veined Whites. Also of interest was a Green Legged Sawfly, quite a few Green Nettle Weevils and a 7-Spot Ladybird.

The highlight in terms of birds was seeing the sheer number of Sand Martins feeding over the river. Also, a juvenile and an adult Grey Wagtail were along the river underneath the bridge. A Sedge Warbler could be heard singing from further down river and numerous Blackcaps, Garden Warblers and Chiffchaffs were singing. I only heard a single Common Whitethroat though which is a contrast to Shenstone where they are by far the most common warbler.

7-Spot Ladybird - Ribbesford: