20 Sep 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

12.0°C > 16.0°C: An area of high clouded faded away to sun for a while. Then a few puffy clouds.. Moderate westerly wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:51 BST

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

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:50 – 09:15

(214th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- no Mute Swan!
- another low count of Mallard: just nine. Where have they all gone? Perhaps the recent rains have filled ponds and ditches elsewhere and they don't need us any more.
- eight Tufted Duck again.
- a Little Grebe was calling in the north-west area after 06:40. Not seen
- over 250 Black-headed Gulls were present by 06:40. Many soon departed. Strangely none was on the football field c.07:00.
- another small arrival of Lesser Black-backed Gulls early with 52 noted. After 08:00 62 arrived from the east with just four Herring Gulls among them. I noted 61 flying by early on and there were at least this number of unidentified "large birds" – either gulls or Rooks – passing very far to the East.
- 12 Barn Swallows were noted at 07:25 with smaller number present thereafter.
- a lone House Martin was heard and then seen high over at 07:30. It was soon joined by others with eventually at least 10 together. An aerial food-pass was seen even though no juvenile calls were heard.
- 14 Chiffchaffs with three heard singing.
- two Blackcaps: one singing quietly and another calling.
- a lone Starling flew East over the football field at 07:00. A few minutes later two groups totalling 32 birds followed it.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 61+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls: see notes
- 16 Feral Pigeons: eight flew North together; then eight flew East together – different flocks, only one included an all-white bird.
- 8 Wood Pigeons only
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 289 Jackdaws
- 54 Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- no Mute Swans
- 9 (6♂?) Mallard: see notes
- 8 (2?♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 40 Coot only
- 1 Little Grebe
- 16 Great Crested Grebes
- >250 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Herring Gulls
- 1114 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants: arrived singly and two departed separately
- 1 Grey Heron: departed

Hirundines etc. noted:
- >12 Barn Swallows
- >10 House Martins

Warblers noted:
- 14 Chiffchaffs: of these three in song
- 2 Blackcaps: of these three in song

Also noted:

Not much.

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris: just two

Hoverflies:
- *Stripe-backed Fleckwing Dasysyrphus albostriatus [Stripe-backed Brusheye]
- *Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax

Flies:
- *"greenbottles" of two different genera
- a few other unidentified flies

On the West end street lamp poles before dawn:

Moths:
- 1 *Large Pale Masoner Blastobasis lacticolella [was London Dowd]

Bees, wasps etc.:
- 1 *ichneumon wasp probably Pimpla rufipes [Black Slip Wasp]

True flies:
- 1 *fly Dryomyza anilis
- 1 !* fly Tricholauxania praeusta

Springtails:
- 1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis-type

Beetles:
- 1 presumed Cabbage-stem Flea Beetle Psylliodes chrysocephala

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 2 harvestmen Paroligolophus agrestis

Another sunrise worth getting out of bed for.

New for the year was this Large Pale Masoner moth Blastobasis lacticolella. When I last saw one here six year ago it was called London Dowd. I have no idea why! Looking at the data given in the literature this is from a second brood. Moth species #71 here this year for me.

This is probably the ichneumon wasp Pimpla rufipes sometimes called the Black Slip Wasp. This is a male and all the photos on NatureSpot are of females with characteristically short ovipositors.

A smart hoverfly. The two stripes on the thorax and the down-sloping yellow markings identify it as a Stripe-backed Fleckwing Dasysyrphus albostriatus also known as a Stripe-backed Brusheye.

And a more-common species of hoverfly: a Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax.

One of two flies that I found on the street lamp poles pre-dawn. This is Dryomyza anilis [no vernacular name]

Apparently new for the year is the fly Tricholauxania praeusta [no vernacular name either]. Perhaps I have failed to identify it earlier. Perhaps I identified it as something else. Perhaps it is! Flies are difficult...

...so this probably should be logged as "greenbottle" and left at that.

Plane of the day. This is a Piper PA-28R-201T Turbo Arrow III – a souped-up Piper Cherokee with retractable undercarriage. It is owned by a company registered at Ford Heath, Shrewsbury but flies out of Hawarden Airport near Chester. It was making a day-trip to Wycombe Air Park which is alongside the M40 as it passes High Wycombe.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
none

True flies:
- 14 midges
- 1 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
- 1 *unidentified cranefly

Arthropods:
- 1 *White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
- 2 Common Rough Woodlouse Porcellio scaber

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 8 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]

This cranefly looks distinctive enough. My apps suggest a Tipula species though this group typically rests with wings held open. It remains unidentified.

After a change of species yesterday it was back to a regular White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger this morning.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:20 – 10:45

(211th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- just one Tufted Duck today: not a drake.
- at least 39 brownhead Goosander scattered across the water and later some others((?) inside the island.
- yet another change for the Great Crested Grebes: just the three full adults and four dependent juveniles.
- still two Little Egrets.
- two Skylarks were heard overhead: the first of the Autumn passage as this species moves to the coast.

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 20 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 6 Mute Swans
- 26 (13♂) Mallard only
- 1 (0♂) Tufted Duck
- 39? (0♂) Goosander
- 5 Moorhens
- 21 Coot
- 3 + 4 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebe
- 42 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: first-winter, briefly
- 4 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2 Little Egrets

Warblers noted:
- 1 Chiffchaff: no song

Noted around the area:

Occasionally sunny.

Butterflies:
- 5 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria

Moths:
none

Bees, wasps etc.:
- 2 Honey Bees Apis mellifera
- 1 *Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius
- 1 Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- >12 Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

Hoverflies:
- 1 *Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
- 1 Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- 1 *Humming Syrphus Syrphus ribesii [Common Flower Fly]

Other true flies:
- 1 *Muscid fly Phaonia errans
- 1 $ *Locust Blowfly Stomorhina lunata
numerous unidentified flies on the Ivy bank

Trying to hide among debris on the ground (why?) was this Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius.

A Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus

A Syrphus hoverfly species. It is a female and just enough visibility of the hind-leg through the folded wing to see the yellow femur which identifies it as a Humming Syrphus Syrphus ribesii which Obsidentify calls the Common Flower Fly.

This is most likely the Muscid fly Phaonia errans. The shape of the outer edge of the wing identifies as from the genus Phaonia. There are of course similar grey-looking flies in this genus.

Fly of the day(!) and a new species for me. It is a Locust Blowfly Stomorhina lunata identified by the combination of brown halteres and two brown areas on the side of the abdomen. Also of note is that the lower half of the eye is banded. Very unusual I would have thought. Something I have only seen in the UK on a male horsefly where the whole eyes were banded.

(Ed Wilson)

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2011
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Scaup
(Richard Vernon)

The Flash
Scaup
(Stuart Edmunds)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Tawny Owl
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)

19 Sep 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

16.0°C > 17.0°C: Early cloud produced slight drizzle c.09:00 thereafter clearing with sunny spells developing. Often fresh south-westerly wind. Very good visibility, less so in drizzle and then excellent later.

Sunrise: 06:50 BST

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

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:50 – 09:10

(213th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- a single Mute Swan was by the dam at first light before flying off East c.07:00. So what happened to the pair that were so keen to take ownership yesterday?
- 11 Mallard flew off East c.05:35. Thereafter small numbers flying to and fro. Likely more individuals involved.
- eight Tufted Duck today.
- over 300 Black-headed Gulls were present by 06:55. Thereafter much flying about and it may be more were involved.
- again a small arrival of Lesser Black-backed Gulls early with 33 noted hiding a single Herring Gull. After 08:00 I logged 154 arriving from the north-east mostly with six Herring Gulls among them.
- the first three Barn Swallows were noted at 07:05 with up to 15 birds over the water thereafter.
- 18 House Martins were high over c.07:45 with smaller numbers seen thereafter.
- 13 Chiffchaffs with four tempted to sing.
- two calling Blackcaps noted.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 34 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 5 Feral Pigeons: flew West together
- 24 Racing Pigeons: flew West in two groups
- 18 Wood Pigeons
- 196 Jackdaws
- 21 Rooks only

Counts from the lake area:
- 1 Mute Swan: departed: see notes
- 11 (♂?) Mallard: see notes
- 8 (2?♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhens only
- 46 Coot
- 18 *Great Crested Grebes
- >300 *Black-headed Gulls
- 7 Herring Gulls again
- 187 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron: departed

Hirundines etc. noted:
- >15 Barn Swallows
- >18 House Martins

Warblers noted:
- 13 Chiffchaffs: of these four in song
- 2 Blackcaps: no song

Also noted:

Very little.

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris: all on the Ivy

True flies:
- *cranefly Tipula confusa

Beetles:
- 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata

On the West end street lamp poles before dawn:

Moths:
- 1 ! *Pallid Grey Eudonia pallida [was Marsh Grey]

Bees, wasps etc.:
- 1 Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

True flies:
- 2 midges of different species
- 1 *Muscid fly Phaonia subventa

Springtails:
- 1 springtail Orchesella cincta

Beetles:
- 3 presumed *Cabbage-stem Flea Beetle Psylliodes chrysocephala

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

One of the adult Black-headed Gulls retains much of its summer dark on the head. A few seem to stay this way all Winter such that in January it is difficult to say whether it is a hang-over from the previous year or an early moult for the new year.

Dive, dive, dive! A juvenile Great Crested Grebe is being harassed by a an adult winter-plumaged Black-headed Gull.

The reason was that the juvenile was chasing a parent with a fish.

And now juvenile has the fish...

...and knows how to swallow it. The parent looks on proudly.

A Pallid Grey moth Eudonia pallida formerly known as Marsh Grey. Not quite sure why they are called "grey": many of the photos on the West Midlands Moth web site are as brown as this.

Unusual on a street lamp pole pre dawn: a Muscid fly Phaonia subventa.

On the Teece Drive fence was this very well-marked cranefly Tipula confusa.

One of three presumed Cabbage-stem Flea Beetle Psylliodes chrysocephala. They are very small and hard to photograph.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

A better morning.

Moths:
none

Bees, wasps etc.:
- 1 $ *Spider hunting wasp from the Pompilidae family

True flies:
- 12 midges
- 1 *small fly perhaps Peplomyza litura
- no moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]

Arthropods:
- 1 $ *millipede Julus scandinavius
- 3 Common Rough Woodlouse Porcellio scaber

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 11 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
- 1 *possible Steatoda sp.

Here is a Spider hunting wasp from the Pompilidae family. I cannot add any more information.

This small fly is just perhaps Peplomyza litura, a fly I saw here about a month ago.

This millipede struck me as slightly browner in tone than the usual White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger. Investigation revealed that the hook on the tail makes it Julus scandinavius, a new species for me.

This spider has been bugging me for days. It has a hide-away under a peeling area of paint and scurried there as soon as it sees my light. I just managed to catch it this morning before it scampered away. It seems to be a Steatoda sp.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:15 – 10:45

(210th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- three Tufted Duck today, one clearly a drake.
- at least 25 brownhead Goosander. They were scattered all around including sitting inside the island.
- another change for the Great Crested Grebes: three full adults, *two immatures and four dependent juveniles.
- *two Little Egrets today.
- unusual these days was a Common Buzzard flushed by Magpies apparently from a back garden in Derwent Drive.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Noted on / around the water:
- 5 Canada Geese
- 6 Mute Swans as usual
- 24 (14?♂) Mallard only
- 3 (1?♂) Tufted Duck
- 25 (0♂) *Goosander
- 7 Moorhens
- 22 Coot
- 5+ 4 (1 brood) *Great Crested Grebe: see notes
- 32 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants again
- 2 *Grey Herons
- 2 *Little Egrets

Warblers noted:
- 1 Chiffchaff: no song

Noted around the area:

Now sunny though the insects had not had much time to respond.

Butterflies:
- 1 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
- 1 *Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta

Moths:
none

Bees, wasps etc.:
- 4 Honey Bees Apis mellifera
- 1 *Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- 6 Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris
- 1 *female ichneumon wasp

Hoverflies:
- 1 *Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax [Common Drone Fly]
- 1 *Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus pendulus [Tiger Marsh Fly; Sun Fly]
- 1 *Dead-head Hoverfly Myathropa florea [Common Batman Fly]
- 1 *Grey-spotted Boxer Platycheirus albimanus [Grey-spotted Sedgesitter or White-footed Hoverfly]

Damselflies, dragonflies etc.:
- 1 *female Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum

Other true flies:
- 1 Flesh fly Sarcophaga sp.
numerous unidentified flies on the Ivy bank

Beetles:
- 6 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis

Fungus:
- 2 *unidentified species

A brownhead Goosander. Look closely at the jagged edge inside the bill. This gives this group of ducks the generic name of sawbills. It helps them grip the slippery fish.

Not a good photo showing one of the immature Great Crested Grebes. This one with obvious head stripes that I do not recall seeing here previously.

This is the other immature. I am not 100% sure I have seen this one recently either. I do not recall seeing the white area between the eye and the top of the bill on other immatures here. This normally only obvious on dependent juveniles (it is pink-toned in their early days).

Another Grey Heron photo. It is not always apparent that there is a white patch at the front of the wing at the bend: and also another at the wing root.

A Little Egret taking advantage of the lack of walkers (almost) across the bridges.

Now two Little Egrets here.

A female ichneumon – a species with a very long ovipositor. This does not help me identify it.

A Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta taking advantage the Ivy.

A Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris showed up this morning.

The sun brought out a few hoverflies this morning. Here a male Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax.

And a Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus pendulus.

Just about identifiable from this angle is a Dead-head Hoverfly Myathropa florea.

And a Grey-spotted Boxer Platycheirus albimanus

The alternative names are a somewhat puzzling: "Grey-spotted Sedgesitter" when I have never seen one on sedges; and "White-footed Hoverfly£ when it does not seem to have white feet!

A female Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum looking fierce.

Unidentified fungus #1

Unidentified fungus #2

(Ed Wilson)

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2011
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Water Rail
129 Greenfinches leaving roost
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
Kingfisher
2 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
4 Black-tailed Godwit
(Martin Adlam)

18 Sep 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

12.0°C > 14.0°C: Clear to the East with high cloud soon spreading from the West, tending to fade away somewhat later. Moderate south-westerly breeze fell away almost calm. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:48 BST

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

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:45 – 09:20

(212th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- *"our" single Mute Swan was driven off by a pair of new arrivals.
- a (Common) Teal was seen circling over at c.06:50 and then leaving to the West. I assume it was on the water before that.
- still nine Tufted Duck.
- over 150 Black-headed Gulls were present by 06:35. Today as many departed to the East as headed for the football field where I counted 94 c.07:00.
- another small arrival of Lesser Black-backed Gulls early: 26 noted. After 08:00 I counted 116 arriving from the East mostly in two large groups. Nine Herring Gulls were among them. Strangely not a single gull was seen flying over.
- Cormorants were coming and going and then apparently returning. I think five individuals involved.
- three Barn Swallows flew high West at 07:20. Then after 07:50 there were eventually as many as 15 over the water. There could have been more individuals involved as numbers varied and some might have moved on and been replaced.
- I counted eight House Martins flying higher over the water than most of the swallows.
- just 15 Chiffchaffs with only two tempted to sing.
- a single calling Blackcap heard.
- probably more Rooks than I have logged. Passage was prolonged today with birds passing from 06:35 until after 08:20. Any that passed while I was around the football field would not have been recorded.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 18 Feral Pigeons: two groups flew high East
- 1 Stock Dove
- 25 Wood Pigeons
- 260 Jackdaws
- 99 Rooks: see notes

Counts from the lake area:
- 3 *Mute Swan: a pair arrived; a single departed: see notes
- 15 (♂?) Mallard
- 9 (2?♂) Tufted Duck again
- 7 Moorhens
- 51 Coot
- 16 Great Crested Grebes again
- >150 Black-headed Gulls
- 7 Herring Gulls
- 145 *Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 5? *Cormorants: see notes
- 1 Grey Heron

Hirundines etc. noted:
- >18 Barn Swallows
- >8 House Martins

Warblers noted:
- 17 Chiffchaffs: of these two in song
- 1 Blackcap: no song

Also noted:
Very little.

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris: the nest was active and others were on the Ivy

Fungus:
- *Twiglet species Tubaria sp.

On the West end street lamp poles before dawn:

Moths:
none

Bees, wasps etc.:
- 1 Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

True flies:
- 2 female plumed midge Chironomus plumosus
- 1 *wood gnat, perhaps Sylvicola fenestralis

Beetles:
- 1 *Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 *Common House Spider Eratigena atrica
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius [Bridge Orbweaver]

Another sunrise worth getting out of bed for.

High cloud spreading from the West ahead of rain. Mallard, Tufted Duck and Coot dot the water.

The rising sun lights up a dead contrail that has been blown out of shape by wind in the upper atmosphere.

A pair of newly-arrived Mute Swans soon get to work chasing off "our" erstwhile resident pen. Seven Lesser Black-backed Gulls of various ages in the foreground.

Here she – 7JUE – goes. After circling she flew off East. A few minutes later probably the same bird flew West – East.

A hopeful winter-plumaged Black-headed Gull. I am not sure what it would do with the fish if it managed to persuade the Cormorant to drop it.

The Cormorant trying to get the fish the right way around to...

...go down head-first.

This is a wood gnat and probably Sylvicola fenestralis which seems to be the only species in the genus with black spots on the wing tips as well as elsewhere in the wings.

A confused Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni. That is a street lamp pole not an alder leaf.

A Common House Spider Eratigena atrica. One of two species from different genera that share the same colloquial name. This sighting was another instance of something appearing on the street lamp poles on "my way back" from checking them in one direction. I wonder what my log would be if I were to walk up and down all night?

Obsidentify suggests these fungus are one of the Twiglet species Tubaria sp. I have no better ideas.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

A very poor showing.

Moths:
none

True flies:
- 17 midges
- 1 unidentified cranefly
- no moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]

Arthropods:
none

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 3 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:45

(209th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- just a single immature/female Tufted Duck.
- at least 28 brownhead Goosander. They were split in to four groups, with some often hiding under overhanging vegetation.
- at least three full adult, one immature and four dependent juvenile Great Crested Grebes today. As I arrived two birds were paling U-boats with only one showing long-enough to age it – an adult. Was the other bird recorded later or was it an additional bird?
- a *Little Egret was present again.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Noted on / around the water:
- 59 Canada Geese: of there two arrived and 10 departed
- 6 Mute Swans remain
- 37 (22?♂) Mallard
- 1 (0♂) Tufted Duck
- 28 (0♂) *Goosander
- 6 *Moorhens
- 28 Coot
- 4+ 4 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebe: see notes
- 19 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants
- 3 Grey Herons
- 1 *Little Egret

Warblers noted:

None

Noted around the area:
Cloudy so many fewer insects than yesterday

Butterflies:
none

Moths:
- 1 ! *Box-tree Moth Cydalima perspectalis

Bees, wasps etc.:
- 3 Honey Bees Apis mellifera
- 4 Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

Hoverflies:
- 1 *White-clubbed Glasswing Scaeva pyrastri [White-bowed Smoothwing; Pied Hoverfly]

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 harvestman from the species pair Dicranopalpus ramosus / D. caudatus

"So I said to him...". Gossiping Goosanders.

Moorhen plumage is subtle when seen well with greys and browns as well as the black that predominates.

Compare with a juvenile.

Zoomed in we see the bill is just beginning to show a hint of the red shield it will acquire over the next few months.

Oops. I accidentally flushed the Little Egret.

Here, justifiably, complaining.

A Box-tree Moth Cydalima perspectalis. Only my second in Shropshire and moth species #51 for me at The Flash this year. This species is native to SE Asia and was probably accidentally imported by the horticultural trade. It quickly spread across the country. The caterpillars wreak havoc with Box Buxus trees and shrubs in the UK where there are no natural predators.

Not my best but the hoverfly was a long way up a street lamp pole in squirrel alley. It is what Steven Falk names White-clubbed Glasswing Scaeva pyrastri; what Obsidentify calls White-bowed Smoothwing and everyone used to call Pied Hoverfly.

(Ed Wilson)

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2007
Priorslee Lake
Common Gull
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)