21 May 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

9.0°C > 14.0°C: Broken medium-level cloud with some sun, especially later. A few VERY light sprinkles. Very light north-easterly breeze. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:04 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 – 06:15 // 07:25 – 09:45

(110th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- all goslings and cygnets as yesterday.
- a pair of Tufted Duck seem happily ensconced in the north-east area (saying that they will probably leave today!)
- *five Stock Doves were together amongst c.10 Wood Pigeons on the football field c.06:05. Later one (of these?) was calling along the North side of the water. [another was heard at The Flash]
- a recently fledged family group of Blackcaps was heard.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 5 Canada Geese: a pair outbound; a single flew S; a pair inbound
- 10 Wood Pigeons
That's all

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 6 Swifts
- 2 Barn Swallows
- 2 House Martins

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

Counts from the lake area:
- 4+ 6 (1 brood) Canada Geese: an additional pair flew in
- 2 + 1 (1 brood) Greylag Geese
- 2 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 5 (5♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhens
- 23 + 9 (9 broods) Coots
- *4 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Grey Heron: departed

Seen on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:

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

Noted later:

Bees, wasps etc.:
- *Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
- *Early Bumblebee Bombus pratorum

Hoverflies:
- Buttercup Blacklet Cheilosia albitarsus [Late Buttercup Cheilosia]
- *Migrant Field Syrph Eupeodes corollae [Migrant Hoverfly or Migrant Aphideater]
- Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
- *Orange-belted Leafwalker Xylota segnis

Damsel-/dragon-flies:
- *Azure Damselfly Coenagrion puella
- *Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum
- *Red-eyed Damselfly Erythromma najas

Other flies:
- !*Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus
- dagger fly Empis tessellata
- !*Spotted Cranefly Nephrotoma appendiculata
- *Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria
- Alder Fly Sialis lutaria

Bugs:
- Red-and-Black Froghopper Cercopis vulnerata
- !*Mirid bug Calocoris alpestris

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
- soldier beetle Cantharis decipiens
- *soldier beetle Cantharis nigricans
- *Kidney-spot Ladybird Chilocorus renipustulatus
- 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata
- *Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis var. succinea
- *False blister Beetle: Oedemera lurida/virescens
- *Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis [False Oil Beetle or Thick-legged Flower Beetle]

Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis

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

Plants photographed:
- *Marsh Thistle Cirsium palustre
- *Ox-eye daisy Leucanthemum vulgare

 The early view was better looking West today.

Another big breakfast for a, sadly, rather distant Great Crested Grebe. It had to take a long pause before...

 ...it had another go at swallowing a Tench.

Another in the "not my best" series. My excuse is that it was just 06:10 and I was having to take the photo through a distant fence because approaching that fence would have spooked the Stock Dove. It is worth showing to illustrate the glossy neck patch.

A Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum tucks in to a Red Campion flower Silene dioica.

An Early Bumblebee Bombus pratorum. From this angle the midriff orange band can be seen: it is often hidden by the closed wings.

And another clear view.

 This is a Migrant Field Syrph Eupeodes corollae. Steven Falk calls it by this name. Many books and web sites call it Migrant Hoverfly. Obsidentify calls it Migrant Aphideater. This illustrates the importance of the scientific name.

This insect was running around at high speed on the leaf which suggested it was an ichneumon. However it has very short antennae so is neither bee, wasp or ichneumon. It is an Orange-belted Leafwalker Xylota segnis which do indeed walk around on leaves.

Just emerged is male Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum. No blue as yet.

This male is still maturing and not properly blue.

And a full adult. Note the mark on the second segment, often known as a 'thistle mark'.

This is an Azure Damselfly Coenagrion puella which has a 'U-shaped mark' on the second segment. There is another very similar species, the Variable Damselfly C. pulchellum that has a 'wine glass mark'. Good luck separating them with your naked eye.

This damselfly had also just struggled out of its larval case on the boxing ring and promptly fell on the ground. It looks rather battered as it has yet to pump blood in to all parts and dry out.

I let it crawl on my finger. The solid black top to the thorax identifies it as a Red-eyed Damselfly Erythromma najas.

My first Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus of the year. This species will become abundant and I will get a better photo I am sure. The big eyes and the black mark in the wing make it easy to identify.

A Spotted Cranefly Nephrotoma appendiculata identified by the combination of the stripes on the thorax and the broad abdomen with a wide dark longitudinal stripe.

This Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria is trying to camouflage itself on the wooden fence alongside Teece Drive.

This Mirid bug is likely Calocoris alpestris. There are several similar species.

A Kidney-spot Ladybird Chilocorus renipustulatus.

I doubt this Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis var. succinea has deliberately chosen to rest on an appropriately-coloured leaf. It is a rather unusually coloured specimen.

This seems to be a soldier beetle Cantharis nigricans. Beetles in this genus are not easy to separate: the 'black knee' on hind thigh suggests it is this species.

One of the many False blister Beetle: Oedemera lurida/virescens that were in the unidentified Hawkweeds along the dam-top. There were at least 50.

I wonder why this beetle is called a Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis? Only males have the swelling. This species is also known as False Oil Beetle or Thick-legged Flower Beetle.

A Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Metellina sp. I am not sure what it is eating.

Two for the price of one. Just opening is my first Marsh Thistle Cirsium palustre and feeding from it is another Early Bumblebee.

My first Ox-eye daisy Leucanthemum vulgare of the year. Just the one was noted so far.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Flies:
- just the usual midges of several species

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:20 – 07:20

(112th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- best today was a single Barn Swallow that flew through as I was about to leave. Bird species #68 for me here this year. Until a few years ago this species bred in buildings at a smallholding just across the A5 and was a frequent visitor to feed and drink. Nowadays it seems to be just the occasional bird passing through.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Cormorant

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 Swifts
- 1 Barn Swallow

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 13 Canada Geese
- 9 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 13 (9♂) Mallard
- 3 Moorhens
- 19 + 7 (5 broods) Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Moths:
- *Green Carpet Colostygia pectinataria
- *Common Marbled Carpet Chloroclysta truncata

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Early Bumblebee Bombus pratorum

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

Other flies:
- *cranefly Epiphragma ocellare

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni

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

Flowers:
- *Bittersweet Solanum dulcamara [Woody Nightshade]

Man gives birth to a Green Carpet moth Colostygia pectinataria? The moth is rather faded now – all moths with green tones fade quickly. The stick man is part of a "scoop the poop" sign.

Yet another variation of a Common Marbled Carpet moth Chloroclysta truncata.

After several at the Balancing Lake here is my first cranefly Epiphragma ocellare here. A female with the pointed abdomen used to insert the eggs in to the ground. Circular markings, as in the wings here, are unusual in nature.

A Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

My first Bittersweet Solanum dulcamara of the year. Also known as Woody Nightshade. All parts of the plant are poisonous though it won't kill you unless you eat a lot of it.

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2012
Priorslee Lake
Grasshopper Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Redshank
Common Tern
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
Cuckoo
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Ruddy Duck
(Ed Wilson)