28 May 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

12.0°C > 18.0°C: Broken cloud after overnight thunder clearing away to the north-east despite the light / moderate south-easterly wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 04:56 BST

* = a species photographed today
$ = a new species for me in this area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 04:55 – 06:05 // 07:00 – 09:35

(124th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the seven Greylag Geese goslings present and correct. At one point the pair of Canada Geese and three adult and the seven goslings were joined on the south-west grass by the cob Mute Swan. They all warily kept their distance but the swan showed no aggression toward any of them.
- *both adult Mute Swans actively chased two visiting Mute Swans that arrived from the West at c.08:10 and soon departed to the East.
- *a very new brood of nine Mallard ducklings seen: also the two almost full-grown birds.
- the trio (two drakes) of Tufted Duck remain.
- three juvenile Coots seen. More adults today.
- no gulls visited.
- only the south-side Common Whitethroat noted.
- one Garden Warbler was singing in the same general area as yesterday. It is impossible to see this bird properly as the only access points means looking in to the light.
- *no Mistle Thrush heard although one was looking for food on the dam-top c.08:10.
- I heard House Sparrow from the hedge on the East side of Castle Farm Way. I guess this means they have moved in to the new estate. It is many, many years since I recorded sparrows in the hedge and they were last Tree Sparrows I ever saw in the area.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 5 Greylag Geese: a single flew East; and a single and a trio flew West.
- 1 Herring Gull
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 5 Wood Pigeons
- 3 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook again

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese: a pair departed
- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Greylag Geese: the third adult throughout
- *4 Mute Swans: see notes
- *18 (14♂) + 11 (2 broods) Mallard: see notes
- 3 (2♂) Tufted Duck again
- 2 Moorhens again
- 21 + 4 (two broods) Coots
- 6 Great Crested Grebes again
- 1 Grey Heron

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 6 Swifts at c.05:30 for c.10 minutes
- 2 Barn Swallows: a pair feeding over the West end grass
- 1+ House Martin(s): heard high overhead c.04:55 when insufficient contrast in the sky to see..

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 13 (12) Chiffchaffs
- 7 (7) Reed Warblers only and all song very sporadic
- 19 (19) Blackcaps
- 1 (2) Common Whitethroat: see notes
- 1 (1) Garden Warbler

Also noted:

Highlights among the insects were
- *an unprecedented number of Painted Lady butterflies
- *a new hoverfly species for me: a Smudge-winged Pithead
- *only my second-ever Beautiful Demoiselle damselfly here (my previous record in the area was one by the lower pool between the here and The Flash in July 2021)

Butterflies:
- 2 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
- *>15 Painted Lady Vanessa cardui

Moths:
none

Bees, wasps etc.:
- *Chocolate Mining Bee Andrena scotica
- *Tree Bumblebee Bombus hypnorum
- *Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
- *Early Bumblebee Bombus pratorum
- *sawfly of the Tenthredo arcuata / brevicornis / notha / schaefferi complex

Hoverflies:
- Buttercup Blacklet Cheilosia albitarsus [Late Buttercup Cheilosia]
- *Parsley Blacklet Cheilosia pagana
- *Figwort Blacklet Cheilosia variabilis
- *Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
- *$ Smudge-winged Pithead Pipiza lugubris

Damsel / Dragon-flies:
- *Azure Damselfly Coenagrion puella [Azure Bluet]
- *Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum [Common Bluet]
- Large Red Damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula
- *Beautiful Demoiselle Calopteryx virgo
other damselflies were not specifically identified

Other flies:
- *Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus
- otherwise nothing exceptional noted: many unidentified fly species

Bugs:
- Dock Bug Coreus marginatus

Beetles:
- Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis var. succinea: just the one!
beetles were again strangely scarce this morning

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

Fungus:
- *1 fungus, perhaps of the genus Xerocomus, one of the Boletes family

On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:
staying almost everything free!

Flies:
- 1 unidentified red fly

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 unidentified spider(?)

One of the visiting Mute Swans decides to leave. No rings visible.

And the other doing a Roadrunner imitation. No rings either.

Ms. Mallard with nine small ducklings. The brood went this way and that always staying behind their mother. I took at least twenty photos and this is the only one to show there are nine ducklings.

Not something that happens every day. A Mistle Thrush walking toward me. It was not as if I were hiding. I was standing on the dam top.

It looks to be quizzing me here but I suspect it was the dog-walker that was approaching from behind me that stopped the thrush.

Ms. Reed Bunting on nest collecting duty. Meanwhile Mr. Reed Bunting was on singing duty. I'll say it for you: "typical".

I counted at least fifteen Painted Lady butterflies Vanessa cardui. An unprecedented number for me here. Many of them, like this one, flushed off the informal path along the South side where they were soaking up the sun's rays on the bare ground.

One of the few that seemed interested in feeding.

And from a different perspective!

A Chocolate Mining Bee Andrena scotica tucks in to a bramble flower.

Not a typical Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum. Normally the typically scruffy "pile" on the thorax would be ginger or brown. In all variations the black and white banding on the abdomen is consistent.

This bumblebee with a ginger "pile" is a Tree Bumblebee B. hypnorum. It has a white tail and an otherwise black abdomen and is never "banded".

To complete today's trio of species here is an Early Bumblebee Bombus pratorum with three areas of brown.

A sawfly of the Tenthredo arcuata / brevicornis / notha / schaefferi complex at ease in a buttercup.

On a buttercup but not a Buttercup Blacklet Cheilosia albitarsus. It is too slightly-built for that species and is a Parsley Blacklet C. pagana

Another of the confusing all-black Cheilosia hoverflies. It is the subtle difference in body shape that identifies this as a Figwort Blacklet C. variabilis. It seems Obsidentify finds it easier to recognise shape variation than I do.

A Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus tucking in to what might or might not be Common Hawkweed Hieracium lachenalii (formerly Hieracium vulgatum). I find these yellow flowers very confusing.

Not exactly beautiful but has to be my insect of the day. It is my first-ever Smudge-winged Pithead hoverfly Pipiza lugubris. All the Pipiza species do have some shading in their wings but none so strongly as this species. An "uncommon species" according to Steven Falk's account on his Flickr gallery. I double- treble-checked!

It is the marking on the first body segment that identifies this as a male Azure Damselfly Coenagrion puella.

Female "blue" damselflies can be tricky to identify when they are not blue. Most become blue as they age but some do not. I identify this as a Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum by the "pen-nib" marking on the pre-penultimate body segment (does anyone know what a pen-nib looks like these days?)

Almost "insect of the day" is this Beautiful Demoiselle Calopteryx virgo. Very smart and one of the few damselflies that can be identified from a moving car.

A fly that will be very common for many weeks. It is a male Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus with a slim tapering body and a cloud in the wing. The female is more robust and her abdomen is banded brown and fawn.

Obsidentify suggested this fungus is perhaps of the genus Xerocomus, one of the Boletes family.

A spider. Or is it? Google Lens suggested it was a discarded exoskeleton without offering any species. It may be correct though the front left leg seems to be attached to he strand of a web. The abdomen pattern looks to be very distinctive but I cannot find anything like it.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Flies:
- 36 midges of several species
- *1 female Banded Mosquito Culiseta annulata
- 1 unidentified cranefly
- 1 owl midge Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly, Moth Fly or Owl Fly]

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 (partial) running crab spider Philodromus sp.

A female Banded Mosquito Culiseta annulata. Although the banding on the abdomen that gives the species its name is not visible this species is the only mosquito with banded legs.

Another weird spider! It looks to be part of a running crab spider Philodromus sp. I have no idea what might have happened.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:10 – 06:55

(121st visit of the year)

New bird species:

At last. I can add Swift to my bird species list for here this year! Four birds seemed to race through while I was at the top end c.06:30. When I scanned around from the bottom end c.15 minutes later there were at least 12 birds flying around to the North. Bird species #69.

Other bird notes:
- still five visiting Mute Swans and the presumption of the resident pen on the nest.
- no Canada Goose gosling seen.
- still no Greylag Geese.
- ten juvenile Coots seen from four broods.
- three Great Crested Grebes seen. I heard a pair displaying and as I watched a third bird approached driving off one of the others and then displaying with the remaining bird. There is no obvious way to sex this species visually.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Noted on / around the water:
- 49 Canada Geese
- 7 Mute Swans: assuming the pen is on the hidden nest?
- *20 (17♂) Mallard
- 4 Moorhens
- 27+ 10 (4 broods) Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes: see notes

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 12 Swifts

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

Noted around the area:

Moths:
- *1 White-shouldered House Moth Endrosis sarcitrella. Moth species #13 for me here this year.

Bugs:
- *1 Birch Shieldbug Elasmostethus interstinctus

As the breeding season draws to a close drake Mallard begin to lose their finery.

A White-shouldered House Moth Endrosis sarcitrella. My first of the year.

A Birch Shieldbug Elasmostethus interstinctus too far up a street lamp pole for a decent photo.

(Ed Wilson)

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2012
Nedge Hill
2 Ravens mobbing Kestrel.
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Ringed Plover
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Red Kite
(Ed Wilson)

27 May 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

14.0°C > 18.0°C: Clear with a very few scattered small clouds after 08:00. Light / moderate easterly wind. Very good visibility but hazy at times.

Sunrise: 04:57 BST

* = a species photographed today
$ = a new species for me in this area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 04:50 – 06:10 // 07:15 – 09:40

(123rd visit of the year)

New bird species:
An addition to me 2026 bird list from here: a female (on size) Peregrine Falcon was seen cruising around to the North c.05:50. It never came close enough for a photo. My bird species #87 this year.

Other bird notes:
- the seven Greylag Geese goslings present and correct.
- five Mallard ducklings seen: two almost full-grown birds, easily confusable with ducks; and a trio of sizeable ducklings with their mother
- two drake Tufted Duck were accompanied by a duck today.
- again no juvenile Coots seen. Also the number of adults remains low.
- an adult Black-headed Gull visited briefly at 05:1-
- a lone adult Lesser Black-backed Gull was again on the football field c.05:45. Another visited the lake briefly c.08:35.
- for many weeks the football field has played host to a few gulls and the Starlings. Today there were at least 15 Wood Pigeons feeding there, a species not seen on the grass for many weeks.
- no Lesser Whitethroat heard.
- two Common Whitethroats singing: as yesterday one along the South side but today vocal throughout. *Another display flying over the traditional sire. I presume this means that it did stay and has raised brood #1 and is re-establishing the pair bond for brood #2.
- a Garden Warbler was singing in the tall trees to the South of and then in front of the sailing club HQ. Possibly another was in the south-east area: the combination of a close and very loud Song Thrush and Blackcap along with noise from the M54 prevented confirmation.
- the Mistle Thrush was again singing near the Teece Drive gate, today c.07:30.
- no Starlings were on the football field c.06:00. One was on a roof in Teece Drive c.07:15

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 18 Canada Geese: flew West together (and probably among those at The Flash later)
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Wood Pigeons again
- 1 Peregrine
- 4 Jackdaws
- *1 Rook

Counts from the lake area:
- 5 Canada Geese: a pair throughout; a trio arrived and departed
- *3 + 7 (1 brood) Greylag Geese: the third adult throughout
- 2 Mute Swans: the pen amused to be on the nest.
- 21 (17♂) + 5 (2 broods) Mallard
- 3 (2♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Moorhens
- 14 Coots: only
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Black-headed Gull again
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls again
- 1 Grey Heron again

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 4 Swifts: two at c.05:40 and two at 08:50
- 3 Barn Swallows: a single departed to the South: a pair feeding over the West end grass
- 1 House Martin: seen surprisingly over the new estate to the North. I would have doubted there was any suitable nest sites on the new-build housing.

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 10 (9) Chiffchaffs: many of my "regulars" silent
- 11 (10) Reed Warblers
- 17 (16) Blackcaps
- no Lesser Whitethroat
- *2 (2) Common Whitethroat: see notes
- 1 (1) Garden Warbler: perhaps a second: see notes

Also noted:

Butterflies:
- 2 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
- *1 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta
- 1 Painted Lady Vanessa cardui

Moths:
- *2 Silver-ground Carpet Xanthorhoe montanata
- *1 Silver Y Autographa gamma : moth species #24 for me here this year.

Bees, wasps etc.:
- *Orange-tailed Mining Bee Andrena haemorrhoa aka Early Mining Bee
- Tree Bumblebee Bombus hypnorum
- *Early Bumblebee Bombus pratorum
the bramble flowers were alive with bumblebees many not specifically identified
- European Hornet Vespa crabro : came for a quick drink in the Wesley Brook
- *sawfly Tenthredo mesomela

Hoverflies:
- Buttercup Blacklet Cheilosia albitarsus [Late Buttercup Cheilosia]
- *Bumblebee Blacklet Cheilosia illustrata
- Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- Migrant Field Syrph Eupeodes corollae [Migrant Hoverfly; Migrant Aphideater]
- *Blotch-winged Hoverfly Leucozona lucorum [Blotch-winged Whitebelt]
- *Brush-thighed Stripe-back Parhelophilus versicolor [Marsh Stripeback]

Damsel / Dragon-flies:
- Azure Damselfly Coenagrion puella [Azure Bluet]
- *Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum [Common Bluet]
- *Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans [Common Bluetail]
- *Large Red Damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula
many damselflies were not specifically identified: other species are unlikely

Other flies:
- *Flesh fly Sarcophaga sp., possibly S. carnaria
- *wood gnat, probably Sylvicola cinctus
- many other unidentified fly species

Bugs:
- none

Beetles:
- False Blister Beetle Oedemera lurida or O. virescens
beetles were strangely scarce this morning

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *Cucumber Green Orb Spider Araniella sp. either A. cucurbitina or A. opisthographa
- *running crab spider from the Philodromus group
- *Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

New flowers for the year:
- *Southern Marsh Orchid Dactylorhiza praetermissa

On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:
staying almost everything free!

Flies:
- 1 plumed midge

Another hazy start to the day though cooler than yesterday. The monsoon rain and hail that affected Shrewsbury yesterday afternoon did not come here.

Three of the seven Greylag Goose goslings. A few wing-feathers are starting to show. So far the cob Mute Swan has shown no interest in these or any Greylag Goose: only Canada Geese. Whether this will change if and when he has cygnets to look after remains to be seen.

The original Common Whitethroat put in an appearance.

A species I have not seen for several day: a Rook. It is disguising its characteristic cone-shaped bill by carrying food. There is no disguising the bare skin at the base of the bill. Other ways to separate from Carrion Crow are more subtle: it is slimmer, the tail longer and the wings often more noticeably "fingered". The call-note is more hoarse.

Can someone explain why when my camera is set to "sports mode" (which it usually is: to "freeze" things in flight) then I can only photograph fairly-Red Admiral butterflies Vanessa atalanta? The colour balance seems all wrong and trying correct with the photo-editor makes things worse.

One of two dreadful photos of moths today. The excuse for this photo of a Silver-ground Carpet Xanthorhoe montanata is that it was c.05:30 and the moth was in deep shade. You get the idea of this commonly seen moth that flushes from the undergrowth.

Buried deep in the long grass and threatening to fly off in to the middle distance if I disturbed it again was my first Silver Y moth Autographa gamma of the year and moth species #24 for me here. At least the silver Y is clear-enough.

An Orange-tailed Mining Bee Andrena haemorrhoa. The "orange tail" is never very extensive and quickly wears / fades.

Most bumblebees were flitting from bramble flower to bramble flower, stopping for seconds, if that. This Early Bumblebee Bombus pratorum posed long-enough to pose.

This is the sawfly Tenthredo mesomela

A Bumblebee Blacklet Cheilosia illustrata. The only member of this genus that is easily recognisable with the white and orange hairs to relieve the all-black of most members. Does not look much like a bumblebee to my eyes.

Smart: a Blotch-winged Hoverfly Leucozona lucorum or, as Obsidentify prefers, Blotch-winged Whitebelt.

My initial thought here was a Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus pendulus but it has only two stripes on the thorax. Obsidentify was 100% sure it is what Steven Falk records as Brush-thighed Stripe-back Parhelophilus versicolor (Marsh Stripeback in Obsidentify-speak). It is a new species for me but...

...with this view of the same insect Obsidentify would only say Parhelophilus sp. A check of Steven Falk's Flickr pages suggests Obsidentify was right first time.

Here with a "thistle" mark on the first body segment is a male Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum.

A not very sharp photo of a male Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans. The camera seemed to want to focus either on the head; on the tail; or, as here, on the wings with the other parts less clear.

A Large Red Damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula

The only fly I bothered with this morning was this splendid Flesh fly Sarcophaga sp., possibly S. carnaria.

Looking like a small cranefly this is a wood gnat, probably Sylvicola cinctus. Unusual for me to see a wood gnat other than on street lamp poles pre-dawn. A much clearer view and hence a probable specific identity. Genitalia examination is needed to confirm.

A Cucumber Green Orb Spider Araniella sp. either A. cucurbitina or A. opisthographa strangely walking on the hand-rail of the boxing ring on the dam. As previously noted this species spins a web across a leaf and lies upside down waiting for prey to blunder in. It is out of luck here.

Also on the boxing ring was this running crab spider from the Philodromus group. All members of this genus are very variable in markings and cannot be identified from photos.

No visible mean of support for this Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

Another orchid species today: a Southern Marsh Orchid Dactylorhiza praetermissa.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Flies:
- 47(!) midges of several species
- 2 unidentified Limonid cranefly
- 1 owl midge Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly, Moth Fly or Owl Fly]

There were (at least) 47 midges on the easily-accessed wall of the tunnel. The majority of them were of this species. It looks somewhat like Chironomus plumosus though to my eyes it seems too slim with wing/body ration wrong.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:15 – 07:10

(120th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- still five visiting Mute Swans and the presumption of the resident pen on the nest. Three of the visitors made a short flight – all of about 100'!
- a single and growing Canada Goose gosling seen.
- no Greylag Geese again.
- nine juvenile Coots seen from four broods, one of which I had not seen previously.
- at least three Great Crested Grebes seen. A lone bird keeping close to the erstwhile nest site with no suggestion that the site was occupied. Another pair(?) close-by took off together and flew to the top end. These may have been the two birds at the opposite end of the island that I failed to get to grips with.
- a small group of Treecreepers was working the trees near where I photographed a juvenile being fed about a week or go. What I presume was a bird from another family calling from trees around the lower car parks.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Noted on / around the water:
- 48 + 1 (1 brood) Canada Geese
- no Greylag Geese
- 7 Mute Swans: assuming the pen is on the hidden nest?
- 25 (22♂) Mallard
- 2 Moorhens only
- 27+ 9 (4 broods) Coots: see notes
- 3 Great Crested Grebes: see notes
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: adults, leaving as I arrived.

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

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

Noted around the area:

Butterflies:
- 1 Painted Lady Vanessa cardui

Moths:
- 1 Common Marble Celypha lacunana

"I want my mummy". Since goslings cannot fly they seem to have unusually substantial legs. Mum is a Canada Goose of course.

A surprise at 06:15 in the morning was this Painted Lady butterfly Vanessa cardui. With another seen flitting about at the Balancing Lake and a Silver Y moth there it suggests the recent warm weather from the South has led to a substantial influx of insects from the Continent.

(Ed Wilson)

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2009
Priorslee Lake
3 Little Egrets
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
Little Ringed Plover
(John Isherwood)