16 Jun 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

14.0°C > 20.0°C: Mainly fine and sunny. A light / moderate south-westerly breeze sprang up after a calm start. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 04:46 BST: still.

* = a species photographed today
! = a first sighting of the species this year
$ = a new species for me in this area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 04:50– 05:55 // 07:00 – 09:45

(142nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the seven Greylag Geese goslings with two extra adults again.
- perhaps the Mute Swans might yet surprise us: the pen was nowhere to be seen. On the nest?
- twelve juvenile Coots seen from four broods, two of these new to me.
- I suspect there may be four pairs of Great Crested Grebes: they will not keep still! The second pair to have young were showing at least two juveniles today. One of a third pair was holding the back feathers as if it too might have small juveniles riding on its back.
- an adult Black-headed Gull visited briefly.
- no Lesser Black-backed Gulls were seen on the football field.
- an unusual sight was three Grey Herons flying over together (with another(?) a few minutes later).
- a begging juvenile Common Buzzard was calling from the Ricoh copse.
- there was more song from the warblers on this fine and warm morning. Changes noted:
no Cetti's Warbler heard.
a Garden Warbler was again singing in the south-west area.
no Lesser Whitethroat heard.
in addition to both West end and original south-west Common Whitethroats singing another was heard alarm calling.
- a Chaffinch was singing along the North side: the first I have heard here for 10 days when a bird was frequently singing from the south-east area.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Canada Goose flew South
- 2 Greylag Geese flew East together
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- *4 Grey Herons
- 2 Stock Doves together
- 23 Wood Pigeons
- 16 Jackdaws again
- 3 Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- 4 + 7 (1 brood) Greylag Geese
- 1 Mute Swan: see notes
- 26 (?♂) Mallard: I did not ascribe birds to sex
- 4 Moorhens
- 32 + 12 (4 broods) Coots
- *8 + >2? (? broods) Great Crested Grebes: see notes
- 1 Black-headed Gull
- 1 Grey Heron: departed

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 3 Swifts

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- no Cetti's Warbler
- *13 (12) Chiffchaffs
- 10 (9) Reed Warblers
- 11 (10) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Garden Warbler
- no Lesser Whitethroat
- 3 (2) Common Whitethroats

Also noted:

Butterflies:
- *5 Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus
- *2 Comma Polygonia c-album

Moths:
- 1 Common Marble Celypha lacunana
- 2 Garden Grass-moth Chrysoteuchia culmella [was Garden Grass-veneer]
- *1 Silver Y Autographa gamma
NB: yesterday's moth challenge has been confirmed by the recorder (thanks Mike) as a Yellow-spot Yarrow Moth Dichrorampha petiverella A new species for me.

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Honey Bee Apis mellifera
- Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
many bumblebees but few species
- !German Wasp Vespula germanica
- *$ Three-banded Mason Wasp Ancistrocerus trifasciatus
- *!unidentified ichneumon wasp
- *!digger wasp, possibly a Pemphredon sp.

Hoverflies:
- Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
- *!Stripe-faced Dronefly Eristalis nemorum [Stripe-faced Drone Fly]
- Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
- *Migrant Field Syrph Eupeodes corollae [Migrant Hoverfly; Migrant Aphideater]
- *Syrphus sp. S. ribesii / S. vitripennis / S. torvus
- *Hornet Hoverfly Volucella zonaria [Hornet Plumehorn]
very many Migrant Field Syrphs and Syrphus sp.: treble figures I suspect

Damsel / Dragon-flies:
many hundred: most damselflies not checked
- Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum [Common Bluet]
- Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans [Common Bluetail]
- *!Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum

Other flies:
- Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus: once again all males
- greenbottle Lucilia sp.
- !*Thick-headed Fly Sicus ferrugineus [Ferruginous Beegrabber]
plus a few unidentified flies
also an unidentified horse fly that paid the price for biting me!

Bugs:
- *mirid bug Deraeocoris flavilinea

Beetles:
- *longhorn beetle Grammoptera ruficornis
- larvae of Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis: many
- Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis var. succinea
- pollen beetle Meligethes sp.
- Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis [False Oil Beetle or Thick-legged Flower Beetle]
- False Blister Beetle Oedemera lurida or O. virescens
- 14 Spot Ladybird Propylea quattuordecimpunctata
- *!Spotted Longhorn Beetle Rutpela maculata [formerly Strangalia maculata]

On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:
Yet another blank!

For a change it turned out better than this early view.

There were at least two juvenile "humbugs" on this adult Great Crested Grebe's back a moment before I pressed the shutter (whatever that means on modern electronic cameras).

Unusual: a trio of Grey Herons fly over.

There were Reed Warblers jumping about in the bushes. When I looked at the photo I realised this is not one of them! The head shape is all wrong. It is a juvenile Chiffchaff – the gape line is still just about present. This one certainly does not have black legs, perhaps because it is a juvenile though even a few adult don't either.

Jays are not easy birds to approach. I stayed still until it forgot I was there and managed this uninspiring shot.

A Ringlet butterfly Aphantopus hyperantus. The ringlets show on the underside of the wing. The thin cream border to the dark wings is an easy way to identify this species.

A Comma butterfly Polygonia c-album showing how it got its name.

Typically staying buried in the grass is this Silver Y moth Autographa gamma. A day-flying species and when active often seen nectaring. Most, but not all, are migrants from Europe (they don't come on boats)

A new species for me: a Three-banded Mason Wasp Ancistrocerus trifasciatus. Seems a good name!

An unidentified ichneumon wasp.

A digger wasp, possibly a Pemphredon sp.

This is a female Stripe-faced Dronefly Eristalis nemorum. This species is smaller than the common droneflies.

Not to be feared: a harmless Hornet Hoverfly Volucella zonaria that feeds on pollen. Unlike bees and wasps hoverflies have insignificant antennae.

I don't often see any insects at the flowers of what I believe to be Southern Marsh Orchids Dactylorhiza praetermissa. Here a Migrant Field Syrph Eupeodes corollae about to land on the right with a male Syrphus sp. already tucking in on the left.

A female or immature male Common Darter dragonfly Sympetrum striolatum.

Adult males are red.

This strange-looking fly is the Thick-headed Fly Sicus ferrugineus also known as the Ferruginous Beegrabber. Note how it hold the tip of the abdomen folded back underneath.

This is a mirid bug Deraeocoris flavilinea

The longhorn beetle Grammoptera ruficornis

Here is a Spotted Longhorn Beetle Rutpela maculata. It was not co-operative but nevertheless unmistakeable.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- *1 !Olive Pearl Udea olivalis
- 1 Treble Brown Spot Idaea trigeminata
- *1 possible Minor Oligia sp.

Flies:
- 26 midges of several species
- 2 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
- 1 cranefly Nephrotoma sp.

Beetles:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni

On the ceiling in the tunnel I found this Olive Pearl moth Udea olivalis. It doesn't look much like it here but it is classified as a micro-moth – a loose definition. It is ten years all but one day since I last recorded this species in the area.

Also on the ceiling was this moth which I have yet to ID. Google Lens' suggestion was of a species that does not fly at this time of year. Obsidentify suggested a Minor Oligia sp. This is a difficult group to ID from photos anyway. My feeling was that it was too large for that group. I have no better suggestion.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:00 – 06:55

(139th visit of the year)

The footbridges are now very firmly closed with proper signage (that omits any Permit number). As a result accurate(?) totals are harder to achieve especially this morning when I had to peer in to a low sun.

Bird notes:
- the Canada Goose gosling is still present.
- only eight Mute Swans were noted. None of them seemed to be the erstwhile residents.
- only the duck Mallard has kept all eight small ducklings for a whole day: unusual.
- a small arrival of Tufted Duck.
- four broods of juvenile Coots seen.
- no second Great Crested Grebe noted perhaps because of my restricted access.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Jackdaws

Noted on / around the water:
- 178 + 1 Canada Geese
- 82 Greylag Geese: of these a quartet arrived
- 10 Mute Swans
- !14 only + 8 (1 brood) Mallard
- 7 (6♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 40 + 7 (4 broods) Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 2 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (2) Blackcaps

Noted around the area:

Moths:
- 3 Garden Grass-moth Chrysoteuchia culmella [was Garden Grass-veneer]
- 1 Treble Brown Spot Idaea trigeminata

Bees, wasps etc.:
- !unidentified bumblebee Bombus sp.
- Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris
- unidentified ichneumon wasp

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

All eight Mallard ducklings have survived a whole 24 hours! Mum was just out of view to the right.

With a typical surprise expression here is a Garden Grass-moth Chrysoteuchia culmella.

What is this bumblebee? I have no idea. One app suggested a Tree Bumblebee Bombus hypnorum but that has a white tail. A Red-tailed Bumblebee B. lapidarius has an all-dark abdomen with no coloured bands. An Early Bumblebee B. pratorum has lemon-yellow bands. So....

Yes: but what is the Permit No. that gives the authority to close the path?

(Ed Wilson)

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2008
Priorslee Lake
Spotted Redshank
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Ruddy Duck
(Ed Wilson)

15 Jun 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

11.0°C > 12.0°C: Mostly cloudy after a brighter start. A shower c.07:00. A cool moderate /fresh easterly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 04:46 BST: as early as it gets?

* = a species photographed today
! = a first sighting of the species this year
$ = a new species for me in this area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 04:50– 05:40 // 06:45 – 09:50

(141st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- all seven Greylag Geese goslings still here, with two extra adults today.
- the Mute Swans together throughout and never near the nest site.
- just four juvenile Coots seen from three broods.
- *two pairs of Great Crested Grebes each have at least one juvenile.
- three adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls were on the football field at 05:20.
- despite much less song from the warblers a few changes noted:
at least one Cetti's Warbler was heard calling at the West end c.05:10.
the Lesser Whitethroat was singing at 05:05, not only from its usual spot in the densest part of the Ricoh hedge but also "across the West end path" near the sailing club compound.
both West end and original south-west Common Whitethroats were singing with both seen doing brief song-flights.
- three adult Starlings were collecting food from the football field c.05:20.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese flew West together
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Stock Dove
- 2 Wood Pigeons only
- 16 Jackdaws
- 4 Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- 4 + 7 (1 brood) Greylag Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 30 (?♂) Mallard: I did not ascribe birds to sex
- no Tufted Duck
- no Moorhens
- 31 + 4 (3 broods) Coots
- *5 + 2? (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes: see notes
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: see notes
- 1 Grey Heron

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 10 Barn Swallows

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 1 (0) Cetti's Warbler
- 7 (7) Chiffchaffs
- 6 (6) Reed Warblers
- 9 (7) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Lesser Whitethroat
- 2 (2) Common Whitethroats

Also noted:
Another morning with a cool fresh wind, today blowing on to much of the vegetation

Butterflies:
a "brown" – either a Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus or a Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina – was blown away before I could ID it.

Moths:
- 1 Common Nettle-tap Anthophila fabriciana
- *1 $ either Yellow-spot Yarrow Moth Dichrorampha petiverella or White-spot Yarrow Moth D. sequana.
- *1 !Garden Straw Agapeta hamana [was Common Yellow Conch; Hook-marked Straw-moth]

Bees, wasps etc.:
- *Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius
- *Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris

Hoverflies:
not many species but a good number braving the elements
- Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
- Migrant Field Syrph Eupeodes corollae [Migrant Hoverfly; Migrant Aphideater]
- *Common Spotted Field Syrph Eupeodes luniger [Lunuled Aphideater]
- *Syrphus sp. S. ribesii / S. vitripennis / S. torvus

Damsel / Dragon-flies:
- *Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum [Common Bluet]: just one!

Other flies:
- Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus: once again all males
- long-legged fly Dolichopus ungulatus or similar
- *long-legged fly Dolichopus wahlbergi
- *dagger fly Empis livida
- greenbottle Lucilia sp.
- *semaphore fly Poecilobothrus nobilitatus
plus a few unidentified flies

Bugs:
- !mirid bug nymph, perhaps Common Green Capsid Lygocoris pabulinus

Beetles:
- *!Soldier beetle Cantharis flavilabris
- larvae of Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis: very many
- pollen beetle Meligethes sp.

On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius [Bridge Orbweaver]

The early view. As I was driving here there was a spectacular orange sunrise to the East and an intense semi-circular double rainbow to the West. Both had faded before I parked up. It took over an hour for the rain to arrive.

One of the pair of Great Crested Grebes arrives with breakfast.

It had a long swim before the morsel was eagerly accepted by a juvenile. I have only noted a single juvenile here over the past two days.

Here is the second pair of Great Crested Grebes to be seen with young. Moments before I raised the camera a small juvenile had been in the water between the two adults. It had climbed on a parent's back before I could get a shot. How many other juveniles might there be?

Over the West end there was the uncommon site of at least ten Barn Swallows together all hawking the insects blown off the trees. This one without tail-streamers is, I assume, a juvenile. With no evident colour on the throat it could easily be mistaken for a Sand Martin. The body is too robust and it was calling.

This may or may not be the same juvenile. The spots in the spread tail means it could not be anything other than a Barn Swallow.

One for the Shropshire recorder to help me with. This moth is either a Yellow-spot Yarrow Moth Dichrorampha petiverella or a White-spot Yarrow Moth D. sequana. The "spot" is the shape of that of the former species and the colour of the latter species. Confused I am. Either result will give me a new species of moth

Easier to identify is this Garden Straw moth Agapeta hamana. It would have been good of it to hang around for a photo from a better angle.

The easiest bumblebee to recognise: a Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius

A Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris taking it easy.

This is a Common Spotted Field Syrph Eupeodes luniger where the yellow abdomen marks do not wrap around the sides as they do with the Migrant Field Syrph E. corollae.

A Syrphus hoverfly. It is, of course, a male. Are there any females?!

Close up and personal with another male Syrphus.

In the breezy and overcast conditions with wet vegetation I noted but one damselfly – this Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum lurking deep in the grass.

With the adornment on the middle legs this is a male long-legged fly Dolichopus wahlbergi.

An evil-looking dagger fly Empis livida

"What lovely green eyes you have". A semaphore fly Poecilobothrus nobilitatus.

On a wildly waving grass stem was my first soldier beetle Cantharis flavilabris this year.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- 1 Treble Brown Spot Idaea trigeminata

Flies:
- 17 midges of several species
- 2 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
- 2 other species of fly

Beetles:
- 1 unidentified click beetle: a strange location for a beetle

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 running crab spider of the Philodromus group
- *1 Daddy-long-legs Spider Pholcus phalangioides, also known as Long-bodied Cellar Spider
- *2 Long-jawed Orb-web Spiders Tetragnatha sp.

A running crab spider of the Philodromus group. It closely matches a photo of one example of P. aureolus on the NatureSpot gallery. The rubric urges caution: "confirmation of this species requires examination at high magnification in good lighting, typically examination of the genitalia."

I believe this to be a Daddy-long-legs Spider Pholcus phalangioides, also known as Long-bodied Cellar Spider.

This is one of the Long-jawed Orb-web Spiders Tetragnatha sp. This example has an unusually broad abdomen.

And another, differently shaped and differently marked.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 05:45 – 06:40

(138th visit of the year)

The footbridges were open this morning. No doubt once the council is back to work the bridges will be more securely closed.

Bird notes:
- the Canada Goose gosling is still present.
- the geese were not well spaced out this morning and the totals are slightly suspect.
- the pen Mute Swan was not seen.
- *a duck Mallard was seen with a brood of eight small ducklings. As at the Balancing Lake while some of the drakes undertake their post-breeding moult and are not always easy to distinguish from ducks I have suspended the separation of the species in my totals.
- the drake Tufted Duck noted again.
- only two broods of juvenile Coots seen. Begging calls heard from under overhanging vegetation from a third brood.
- a second Great Crested Grebe noted again and no interaction seen.
- a family party of at least three Blackcaps was noted. I was unable to confirm the age / sex of any of them!

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 2 Stock Doves: together
- 1 Jackdaw

Noted on / around the water:
- 140 + 1 Canada Geese
- 71 Greylag Geese
- 10 Mute Swans
- *26 + 8 (1 brood) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Tufted Duck still
- 7 Moorhens
- 35 + >5 (3 broods) Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 House Martin

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 1 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 6 (3) Blackcaps: see notes

Noted around the area:

Moths:
- *1 !Clouded Silver Lomographa temerata

Beetles:
- Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis var. succinea
also:
- *$ possible larvae of a Caenis mayfly

Proud mother Mallard with her brood of eight small ducklings. As usual it required a photo confirm the number of the darting and weaving juveniles. I have seen very few broods of ducklings here this year.

I know, I know. A rubbish photo of a Clouded Silver moth Lomographa temerata a long way up a street lamp pole in squirrel alley.

I found two of these tiny creatures on a hand-rail of a footbridge. The three tails suggest it is a Caenis species of mayfly. The apparent absence of wings suggests it is the larval stage. I cannot find any illustration to confirm that.

The nest box where I photographed Blue Tits. It looks as if Grey Squirrels have been trying(?) to get access. This will be a big problem with all the nest boxes.

(Ed Wilson)

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2010
Priorslee Lake
5+ Willow Tits in the trees alongside the M54 slip-road
(J W Reeves)

2006
Priorslee Lake
Just 2 Mute Swan cygnets remaining, possible Mink in the area
(Martin Adlam)