13 May 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

11.0°C > 14.0°C: Mostly cloudy at low level early. A very few brighter intervals later. Moderate south-easterly breeze. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:16 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 // 07:15 – 09:35

(105th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the resident Canada Geese still have six goslings.
- the resident Greylag Geese now have only two goslings.
- two pairs of Tufted Duck present at 05:15 but apparently gone by 05:45. But were they just hiding as two pairs were present again at 08:00. One duck flew off West c.08:25.
- no Garden Warbler, Lesser Whitethroats or Common Whitethroat seen or heard.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 3 Canada Geese: a pair outbound; a single inbound
- 8 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Jackdaws

Hirundines etc. noted:
- c.15 Swifts
- 4 Barn Swallows
- 6, at least, House Martins

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 13 (12) Chiffchaffs
- 6 (6) Reed Warblers
- 16 (14) Blackcaps
'nominal' warbler:
- 3 (3) Goldcrests

Counts from the lake area:
Low numbers of some species likely due to the rather brisk wind blowing across the water.
- 4 + 6 (1 brood) Canada Geese: one additional pair flew in and stayed
- 2 + 2 (1 brood) Greylag Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 3 (2♂) Mallard
- 4 (2) Tufted Duck
- 1 Moorhen
- 16 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes

Seen on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:
- 1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis-type
- 1 springtail Tomocerus vulgaris-type

Noted later:

Moths:
- leaf mines possibly of Mottled Grey Tortrix Gypsonoma oppressana

Hoverflies:
- Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]

Other flies:
- Long-legged fly from the Dolichopodidae family: perhaps Argyra diaphana or similar
- Scorpion Fly Panorpa sp.
- owl midge Psychodidae sp.
- Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria
- Alder Fly Sialis lutaria

Bugs:
- Red-and-Black Froghopper Cercopis vulnerata

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
- leaf beetle Donacia sp., perhaps D. marginata
- Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis var. succinea

Molluscs:
- unidentified slug
- White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis

Spiders:
- Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

Flowers photographed:
- Charlock Sinapis arvensis

The sun about to loose its battle with the dawn low cloud.

We shall see. Council contractors were about to pollard these willow trees at about 20', or so I was told. All the necessary surveys and permissions had been obtained, or so I was told, notwithstanding it is bird nesting season.

I think this a leaf-mine made by the larva of a Mottled Grey Tortrix moth Gypsonoma oppressana. This identity is suggested from the appropriate section on the eakringbirds.com photogallery. I have asked the Shropshire recorder for his thoughts. Leaf mines are the speciality of very few people!

Not a great photo I am afraid. A small fly with red eyes and a shiny green body. My research among all the suggestions given my Obsidentify leads me to think it is one of the Long-legged flies from the Dolichopodidae family: perhaps Argyra diaphana or similar.

A Scorpion Fly Panorpa sp.

Last afternoon's rain seems to have re-invigorated the springtails. This is a Pogonognathellus longicornis-type.

While this is a Tomocerus vulgaris-type.

A well-marked owl midge Psychodidae sp.

This differently-marked specimen I found in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel.

A  splash of colour on a mostly dull morning: a Red-and-Black Froghopper Cercopis vulnerata.

A leaf beetle Donacia sp., perhaps D. marginata.

 Even slugs like buttercups! No idea as to species.

I gave Obsidentify this plant to identify: I am no botanist. The result: Charlock Sinapis arvensis. I had assumed it would be an escape from the fields to the East and likely to have been Oil-seed Rape Brassica napus but that species has greyer leaves that clasp the stem.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Flies:
- owl midge Psychodidae sp.
- plus the usual midges of several species

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:25 – 07:10

(107th visit of the year)

New Bird Species
Two new bird species for my year list from here:
- two House Martins were flying around overhead, presumably birds nesting in the estates.
- a Skylark flew over calling (not singing). A strange date because I usually only log this species passing over on Autumn migration. Most birds have been 'on territory' for many weeks now.
My bird species total for 2024 here is now #68.

Other bird notes:
- One pair of Mallard were asleep inside the island. It is possible they were the pair with the ducklings, likely obscured from my position.
- A Nuthatch can usually be heard calling loudly from somewhere near the Coop store. There does not seem to be a bird closer than this. The traditional nest hole near the academy was cleaned out by the Nuthatch early last year but apparently not used. A Great Tit was noted exploring it earlier this year. It seems no-one is using it this year with Ivy leaves growing over the entrance.

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

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 3 Swifts
- 2 House Martins

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 5 (4) Chiffchaffs
- 6 (6) Blackcaps
'nominal' warbler:
- 1 (1) Goldcrest

Noted on / around the water:
- 18 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 7 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans: see notes
- 18 (14♂) Mallard
- 6 Moorhens
- 22 + 11 (4 broods) Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

cranefly:
- cranefly Tipula varipennis

fungus:
- Rust Fungus Puccinia urticata

flower:
- Columbine cultivar: Aquilegia sp.

Handily showing its wing markings to enable me to identify this cranefly as Tipula varipennis.

These are a Columbine cultivar: Aquilegia sp. Probably a garden escape.

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2009
Priorslee Lake
Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Ruddy Ducks
(Ed Wilson)