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:

Green Legged Sawfly (Tenthredo mesomelas):

Small Tortoiseshell - Ribbesford

White-Legged Damselfly (♂)  - Ribbesford:

Banded Demoiselle (♂) - Blackstone: