12.0°C > 16.0°C: Areas of medium / high cloud taking the edge off the sun. Almost calm. Good visibility: rather hazy later.
Sunrise: 05:21 BST
* = a species photographed today
! = a new species for me here this year
!! = a new species for me in Shropshire
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:00 – 06:20 // 07:25 – 09:45
(102nd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- the resident Canada Geese still have six goslings.
- the resident Greylag Geese now only have three goslings.
- a pair of Stock Doves was on the football field c.06:10. Yesterday I heard birds calling – well you can't call it a song - from three different locations.
- I believe there were two Lesser Whitethroats singing today. One was close to the Teece Drive gate singing quietly at c.05:10 only. Another was singing lustily from the small copse next to the water along the South side at 05:20 and again from 07:40 for at least 10 minutes.
- The Common Whitethroat was heard giving a scolding call just once. Otherwise it was neither seen nor heard
Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 4 Canada Geese: two pairs inbound
- 1 Greylag Goose: outbound
- 2 Cormorants: together
- *2 Grey Herons: together
- 4 Wood Pigeons
- 4 Jackdaw
Hirundines etc. noted:
None yet again. Where are they all?
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 16 (15) Chiffchaffs
- 9 (9) Reed Warblers
- 16 (15) Blackcaps
- 2 (2) Lesser Whitethroat
- 1 (0) Common Whitethroat
'nominal' warbler:
- 3 (3) Goldcrests
Counts from the lake area:
- 4 + 6 (1 brood) Canada Geese: one additional pair throughout
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Greylag Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 4 (3♂) Mallard: also 1 (1♂) on the lower pool
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck: arrived and departed
- 3 Moorhens: also *2 + 5 (2? broods) on the lower pool
- 26 + 1 (1 brood) Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
Seen on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 16 (15) Chiffchaffs
- 9 (9) Reed Warblers
- 16 (15) Blackcaps
- 2 (2) Lesser Whitethroat
- 1 (0) Common Whitethroat
'nominal' warbler:
- 3 (3) Goldcrests
Counts from the lake area:
- 4 + 6 (1 brood) Canada Geese: one additional pair throughout
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Greylag Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 4 (3♂) Mallard: also 1 (1♂) on the lower pool
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck: arrived and departed
- 3 Moorhens: also *2 + 5 (2? broods) on the lower pool
- 26 + 1 (1 brood) Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
Seen on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:
Beetles:
- 1 !*Kidney-spot Ladybird Chilocorus renipustulatus
- 1 !!*possible longhorn beetle Grammoptera ruficornis
Noted later:
- 1 !*Kidney-spot Ladybird Chilocorus renipustulatus
- 1 !!*possible longhorn beetle Grammoptera ruficornis
Noted later:
Moths:
- *Plain Gold Micropterix calthella
- *Plain Gold Micropterix calthella
Bees, wasps etc.
- Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris
- *ichneumon sp.
- Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris
- *ichneumon sp.
Hoverflies:
- !*Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
- Blotch-winged Hoverfly Leucozona lucorum [Blotch-winged Whitebelt]
- *Short Melanostoma Melanostoma mellinum [Variable Duskyface]
- Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
- Grey-spotted Boxer Platycheirus albimanus [Grey-spotted Sedgesitter or White-footed Hoverfly]
- Syrphus sp. S. ribesii / S. vitripennis
- !*Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
- Blotch-winged Hoverfly Leucozona lucorum [Blotch-winged Whitebelt]
- *Short Melanostoma Melanostoma mellinum [Variable Duskyface]
- Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
- Grey-spotted Boxer Platycheirus albimanus [Grey-spotted Sedgesitter or White-footed Hoverfly]
- Syrphus sp. S. ribesii / S. vitripennis
Dragon-/damsel-flies:
- !*Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans
- !*Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans
Other flies:
- *Dark-edged Bee-fly Bombilius major
- *dagger fly Empis tessellata
- dagger fly Empis trigramma
- !!*Thick-headed Fly Myopa testacea
- Scorpion Fly Panorpa sp.
- *Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria
- Alder Fly Sialis lutaria
- !*cranefly Tipula luna
- *cranefly Tipula lunata
- Common Crane-fly Tipula oleracea
- *Dark-edged Bee-fly Bombilius major
- *dagger fly Empis tessellata
- dagger fly Empis trigramma
- !!*Thick-headed Fly Myopa testacea
- Scorpion Fly Panorpa sp.
- *Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria
- Alder Fly Sialis lutaria
- !*cranefly Tipula luna
- *cranefly Tipula lunata
- Common Crane-fly Tipula oleracea
Bugs:
- Red-and-Black Froghopper Cercopis vulnerata
- Red-and-Black Froghopper Cercopis vulnerata
Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
- Raspberry Beetle Byturus tomentosus
- *False blister beetle Oedemera lurida or O. virescens
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
- Raspberry Beetle Byturus tomentosus
- *False blister beetle Oedemera lurida or O. virescens
Molluscs:
- Kentish Snail Monacha cantiana
- Kentish Snail Monacha cantiana
Spiders:
- money spider Erigone sp.
- !*wolf spider Pardosa sp.
- *Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- money spider Erigone sp.
- !*wolf spider Pardosa sp.
- *Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
Flowers:
- !*Yellow Flag Iris pseudacorus
- !*Black Medick Medicago lupulina
- !Smooth Sow-thistle or Milk Thistle Sonchus oleraceus
- !!*Brooklime (Speedwell) Veronica beccabunga
- !*Yellow Flag Iris pseudacorus
- !*Black Medick Medicago lupulina
- !Smooth Sow-thistle or Milk Thistle Sonchus oleraceus
- !!*Brooklime (Speedwell) Veronica beccabunga
At last: a decent sunrise.
So we better have another view.
Two Grey Herons flying over together.
Pre-dawn a Blue Tit searched for spiders and flies on the fence around the multi-use play area.
A Plain Gold moth Micropterix calthella showing the yellow scales on its head. These soon wear off.
An unknown small ichneumon.
A very distinctive hoverfly. It is a Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus.
A Short Melanostoma hoverfly Melanostoma mellinum. In this view identification is relatively straightforward in that it is the only species in the group whose abdomen widens in the middle.
My first Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans this year.
A hovering Dark-edged Bee-fly Bombilius major using it long proboscis to reach pollen deep in the flowers of Ramsons Allium ursinum.
A dagger fly Empis trigramma.
Not my best view of this Thick-headed Fly Myopa testacea. In this group the abdomen is tucked-under.
A Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria.
A large cranefly. It is Tipula luna
While this cranefly with an orange thorax is Tipula lunata.
Not easy to see with my LED torch giving some nasty reflections in the dew on the street lamp pole. It is a Kidney-spot Ladybird Chilocorus renipustulatus.
This beetle was also on a street lamp pole pre-dawn. It may be the longhorn beetle Grammoptera ruficornis.
An exciting-looking spider. It is one of the wolf spiders Pardosa sp.
A Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp. with breakfast.
New flowers for the year: here is a Yellow Flag Iris pseudacorus.
This is Black Medick Medicago lupulina growing in some quantity along the dam-top.
A new species for me, identified by Obsidentify as Brooklime (Speedwell) Veronica beccabunga.
(Ed Wilson)
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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
Flies:
- many midges of several species
- many midges of several species
Spiders:
- Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 06:25 – 07:20
- Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 06:25 – 07:20
(103rd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- I can confirm that there are five immature Mute Swans. The resident adults were seen with just three cygnets. I suppose it is possible that other cygnets were staying in the nest?
- yesterday's brood of Mallard ducklings not seen.
- Tufted Duck seem to come and go. Could they be spending time on the island? Could they indeed be breeding there? Time will tell perhaps.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
Bird notes:
- I can confirm that there are five immature Mute Swans. The resident adults were seen with just three cygnets. I suppose it is possible that other cygnets were staying in the nest?
- yesterday's brood of Mallard ducklings not seen.
- Tufted Duck seem to come and go. Could they be spending time on the island? Could they indeed be breeding there? Time will tell perhaps.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
None
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 7 (7) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (1) Blackcaps
'nominal' warbler:
- 2 (2) Goldcrests
Noted on / around the water:
- 13 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose
- *7 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 13 (10♂) Mallard
- 5 (3♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 23 + 9 (4 broods) Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
Noted elsewhere around The Flash:
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 7 (7) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (1) Blackcaps
'nominal' warbler:
- 2 (2) Goldcrests
Noted on / around the water:
- 13 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose
- *7 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 13 (10♂) Mallard
- 5 (3♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 23 + 9 (4 broods) Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
Noted elsewhere around The Flash:
Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni: very many
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni: very many
The pen Mute Swan with her small brood of three cygnets.
Say "ah!"
I bet her baby Blackbirds can't wait for their delicious breakfast.
(Ed Wilson)
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Sightings from previous years
2013
Priorslee Lake
Great White Egret
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Ruddy Ducks
(Ed Wilson)