2 Jun 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

12.0°C > 19.0°C: Fine with a few wispy clouds. Light E breeze. Somewhat hazy again: good visibility.

Sunrise: 04:52 BST again

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 04:10 – 05:40 // 06:40 – 09:25

(110th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- There were at least three additional adult Canada Geese from time to time. The residents tried to shift them but they did not want to move too far from their goslings. The cob Mute Swan had more effect.
- The two juvenile Coots were from what I think is brood #7. Later there only seemed to be one.
- I made a special effort to try and find all the Reed Warblers as every day birds sing from somewhere unexpected. 12 songsters and at least four other birds seen.

Overhead:
- 3 Feral Pigeons
- 8 Wood Pigeons
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: all (near) adults
- 1 Cormorant
- 16 Jackdaws
- 7 Rooks

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 2 House Martins again

Warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds):
- 14 (14) Chiffchaffs
- 16 (12) Reed Warblers
- 16 (16) Blackcaps
- *5 (4) Garden Warblers
- 4 (3) Common Whitethroats

Count from the lake area
- *5 + 3 (1 brood) Canada Geese
- 2 + 5 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 3 (3♂) Mallard
- 3 Moorhens
- 21 + 2 (1 brood) Coots
- 6 Great Crested Grebes again
-

On / around the street lamps pre-dawn:
Nothing

The red insect with long antennae that I photographed yesterday is a species of Ichneumon. The way it was sitting made the 'wasp-waist' hard to see. It might be Netelia infractor, a largely nocturnal species sometimes found in moth traps and a predator on many moth species. As usual there are 'other similar species'. Thanks to Martin Adlam for pointing me in the right direction.

Noted later:

Two updates from yesterday
- The head-on view of what I thought might be a Dagger fly is in fact an unusual view of a Scorpion Fly (Panorpa sp.). The three UK species need not only the usual genitalia examination with a hand-lens but also the knowledge to know what to look for. Another winner from Martin.
- The Shropshire Spider Recorder has identified my unknown spider as a female Running Crab Spider Philodromus sp. – either P. cespitum or P. aureoles. Microscope needed!

So today:

Butterflies:
- where are they all?

Moths:
- Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana) again

Bees / Wasps.
- *Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum)
- *Ichneumon wasp sp.

Hoverflies:
- Cheilosia sp.
- *Common Spotted Field Syrph (Eupeodes luniger)
-  Blotch-winged Hoverfly (Leucozona lucorum)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- Narcissus Bulb Fly (Merodon equestris)
- *Dead-head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)
- *probable Xanthogramma pedissequum

Damselflies:
- *Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
- *Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans)

Other Flies
- *Two different Tipula crane-flies, one of which Tipula fascipennis
- Scorpion Fly (Panorpa sp.)
- Black Snipe Fly (Chrysopilus cristatus)
- plumed midge sp.

Bugs:
- Red-and-Black Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata)

Beetles:
- 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)

Snails:
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

Spiders:
- Stretch spider sp (Tetragnatha sp.)

Flowers new for the year:
- Goat's-beard (Tragopogon pratensis)
- Common or Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)
- Common Spotted-orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii)
- Cut-leaved Crane's-bill (Geranium dissectum)

For those of you not awake at 04:30 this is what you missed. The best time of the day.

Almost calm water first thing. I ask again: "where does the wind go at night?!

 Different vantage point

This distant Ash tree stands proud along Woodhouse Lane and at this time of year can be ideal foreground for the sunrise. It is at long last coming in to leaf - I feared that it had succumbed to Ash dieback disease.

The three remaining Canada Geese goslings seem to be doing fine. The legs seem disproportionately large – but then so do puppy dogs.

This Garden Warbler almost jumped out at me and was rather too close. A robust warbler with a stout bill. Most unlike the bird on the north shore, still singing away continually. That bird stays well hidden and if it thinks I have spotted it flies to the other end of its territory.

"Do you want my photo then?" A Long-tailed Tit poses the question.

"Which is my best side: this?"

"Or this?"

The one I got wrong the other day. This (I hope Neil!) is a Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum). It has a white tail, a rather scruffy pile on the thorax and no other bands across the abdomen.

I am going to have to leave this as ichneumon sp. These run around on the vegetation waving their antennae around – banded antennae on this species.

The yellow marks on the tergites do not seen to reach the edge of the abdomen (especially the middle one) and this is therefore a Common Spotted Field Syrph hoverfly (Eupeodes luniger).

My first Dead-head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea) of the year. The horizontal pale mark across the thorax identifies. I think it requires some imagination for this feature to look like a 'dead head'.

This hoverfly was new for me last year. It is likely Xanthogramma pedissequum though, as ever, there are less common species that are hard to separate. They all have the dark cloud in the wings, held wide apart at rest. I see it has been given the name "Superb Ant-hill Hoverfly" on Stephen Falk's astonishing insect photo-stream on Flickr.

A nice pose from a fully developed male Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum).

An almost fully developed male Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans) - still a bit greenish. My guide for dragon- and damselflies is from Tom Lowe's excellent pictures to be found Here. 

The business end of this formidable predator willing to tackle quite large flies

The other cranefly got away from me. This looks to be a male Tipula fascipennis.

In the same family as those pesky 'hawk things' but this is distinctive with the bracts much longer than the black-spotted yellow flower. It is Goat's-beard (Tragopogon pratensis) also known as Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon as the flowers close in the afternoon.

Flowers - I kid you not. These belong to Common or Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica).

My first orchid species here this year about to open. Cannot determine the species from the flower as yet but the leaves have spots so it is a Common Spotted-orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii).

I think this small flower is from Cut-leaved Crane's-bill (Geranium dissectum) - the leaves seem to match.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

- Single adult Moorhen heard at the upper pool.
- Both adult and juvenile Moorhens heard at the lower pool
The Yellow Irises are growing apace and making it almost impossible to see but a small area of, particularly, the upper pool

Also noted:
- The same moth on the same street lamp
This moth has now been identified (via Martin Adlam) as a Sycamore (Acronicta aceris). This species of moth does not normally fly until mid-June. It is my first in Shropshire.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 05:45 – 06:35

(95th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The Swifts have now arrived in force – 18 counted over and to the N of the water.
- Also a single House Martin seen over the houses to the E. Another new species for my year-list here - #70.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Stock Doves
- 1 Cormorant again

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 18 Swifts
- 1 House Martin

Warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds):
- 5 (5) Chiffchaffs
- 5 (4) Blackcaps

On /around the water:
- 47 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose: departed and presumed same returned two minutes later
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 24 (19♂) Mallard
- 9 (6♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 2 juvenile (2 broods) Coots again
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day
2020
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2019
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2006
Priorslee Lake
Cuckoo