Out of Shropshire

Wednesday 13th March, Aqualate Mere

Plucking up our courage we crossed the border into Staffordshire to visit Aqualate Mere National Nature Reserve.

This is a large site. Realising our limitations we had restricted our request for access to the eastern end stretching from the car park to the bird hide on the eastern edge of the mere.

In this area the habitat is mainly wet pasture, which after the incessant rain we have had recently was very wet, ditches and, on the drier higher ground, woodland. Follow this link to enable you to download a leaflet about the site: Aqualate Mere NNR

This is one of the drier areas we visited.

But the majority of the pasture looked more like this.

During the day we found a fly that had we been in Shropshire would have been a new record. It may well be unrecorded previously in Staffordshire. The fly is Elachiptera austriaca.

Photograph: Nigel Jones

Another scarce fly, a sepsid, Themira nigricornis, was also found during the day.

Photograph: Nigel Jones

However, the day was dominated by beetles, most of which we could not identify. But there were some that we could or get close to.

I have jumped ahead of myself; back to the start!

Leaving the car park we came to an area of scruffy grassland which proved to be the home of several species including:

A 24-spot ladybird (on the left) and a 16-spot ladybird (on the right);

Photograph: David Williams

A weevil, probably Sitona lineatus;

Photograph: John Martin

A staphylinid beetle, most likely to be Reichenbachia juncorum [I have now been advised that this is more likely to be Rybaxis longicornis] ;

Photograph: John Martin

Another weevil which we believe is Nedyus quadrimaculatus;

Photograph: John Martin

And the beetle Phosphuga atrata (previously named Silpha atrata).

Moving into the area shown in the first photograph we came upon a gorse bush. I was challenged to find a Gorse shieldbug, something I admit I am not very good at, frustratingly. However on this occasion I was successful!

Our rate of progress increased as we realised that time was passing us by and how far it was to the bird hide where we intended to rest whilst eating lunch.

On the way we found another beetle that we could nearly identify deciding it was either Poecilus cupreus or versicolor [I have now been informed that this is most likely to be versicolor].

Photograph: John Martin

Passing a ditch, we decided to see if we could find a Water ladybird and, hey presto, we did.

Photograph: John Martin

We also found the inconspicuous ladybird, Coccidula rufa, known as a Red Marsh ladybird. Here it is side by side with a Water ladybird.

Photograph: David Williams

Yet another beetle that we think we have identified but need the security blanket of an expert to confirm, Oulema obscura, was located [this identification has been confirmed].

Photograph: John Martin

And, at last, we came across another beetle that we could identify, Psammoecus bipunctatus.

Photograph: David Williams

Eventually we reached the bird hide where we ate our lunch overlooking the mere.

Paying close attention to us were a group of Mute swans, a mixture of adults with gleaming white plumage, and juveniles transitioning between their dowdy junior plumage and the white of adulthood. 

Here is one of the juveniles.

Photograph: David Williams

The generally calming view from the hide was enlivened by a huge bird feeder on the right-hand side. Here numerous quarrelsome tits flew in and out, snatching food. Every now and then the general melee was joined by a Reed bunting.

Photograph: David Williams

Lunch over, we left the hide and carried on doing what we had done before.

We found another species of inconspicuous ladybird, Scymnus haemorrhoidalis, known as the Red-rumped ladybird.

Photograph: David Williams

Here it is placed alongside a Red marsh ladybird.

Photograph: David Williams

We now turned our attention, briefly, to the woodland whose ground flora was dominated by sprouting bluebells. 

A suction sample of the vegetation collected another weevil which has been identified, tentatively, as Strophosoma capitum.

Photograph: John Martin

And resting on a bramble leaf at our feet as we examined the suction sample was a Cream-spot ladybird.

Photograph: John Martin

Time to go home.

My thanks Natural England for allowing us to do what we enjoy doing. My gratitude to the photographers for sending me their images to illuminate the report.