7 May 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

11.0°C > 15.0°C: Much low cloud early with light drizzle c.06:30. Cloud broke with some sunny spells after 09:00 before more cloud again. Very light north-easterly wind. Moderate visibility and rather murky at times.

Sunrise: 05:26 BST

* = a species photographed today
! = a new species for me here this year

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:00 – 06:15 // 07:15 – 10:00

(99th visit of the year)

New Bird Species
*!Highlight today was my fourth ever record of a Common Scoter here. A duck was present between 07:30 and 08:15 at least. Bird species #91 this year here for me.

Other bird notes:
- *the resident Canada Geese still have six goslings.
- the resident Greylag Geese still have five goslings.
- another Sedge Warbler noted.
- no Garden Warbler seen or heard.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 2 Feral Pigeons: together
- 6 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Collared Dove
- 2 Herring Gulls

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 13 (12) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Sedge Warbler
- 11 (10) Reed Warblers
- 18 (15) Blackcaps
- 2 (2) Common Whitethroats
'nominal' warbler:
- 1 (1) Goldcrest

Counts from the lake area:
- *4 + 6 (1 brood) Canada Geese: one additional pair flew in
- 2 + 5 (1 brood) Greylag Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 9 (7♂) Mallard
- !*1 (0♂) Common Scoter
- 4 Moorhens
- 28 + 1 (1 brood) Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- *2 Common Sandpipers: departed together

Seen on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:

Other flies:
- several unidentified flies

Beetle:
- *1 unidentified weevil sp.

Spiders:
- 1 Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp.
- *1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius
- 1 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]

Noted later:

Butterflies:
- !Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria

Moths:
- !*Plain Gold Micropterix calthella
- Common Nettle-tap Anthophila fabriciana

Bees, wasps etc.
- *Chocolate Mining Bee Andrena scotia
- probable Flavous Nomad Bee Nomada flava
- !*male ichneumon sp., likely either Pimpla rufipes or Apechthis compunctor

Hoverflies:
- Spring Epistrophe Epistrophe elegans [Spring Smoothtail]
- !*Common Spotted Field Syrph Eupeodes luniger
- *Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus pendulus [Tiger Marsh Fly]
- *Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
- !*Large Narcissus Fly Merodon equestris [Narcissus Bulb Fly]
- *Grey-spotted Boxer Platycheirus albimanus [Grey-spotted Sedgesitter or White-footed Hoverfly]

Other flies:
- !*Scorpion Fly Panorpa sp., perhaps P. germanica
- !*dagger fly Empis trigramma
- Common Crane-fly Tipula oleracea
- !*caddisfly, almost certainly Phryganea grandis
- *caddisfly Tinodes waeneri

Bugs:
- Red-and-Black Froghopper Cercopis vulnerata

Beetles:
- *Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni: very many
- !*possible Brachypterus glaber on nettles
- *Raspberry Beetle Byturus tomentosus
- !*possible Tumbling flower beetle from the family Mordellidae
- !*Nettle Weevil Phyllobius pomaceus

Molluscs:
- Kentish Snail Monacha cantiana
- !*Strawberry Snail Trochulus striolatus

Spiders:
- *money spider Erigone sp.
- *Nursery Web Spider Pisaura mirabilis
- *Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

Plants / Flowers new for the year
- !*Spindle-tree Euonymus europaea
- !*Goat's-beard or Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon Tragopogon sp. probably T. pratensis minor
- !*Germander Speedwell Veronica chamaedrys
- *Common or Stinging Nettle Urtica dioica

A family scene. An adult Canada Goose providing warmth and shelter for the brood.

Find of the day. A duck Common Scoter: they are dark grey with pale on the face. Drakes are all-black with a bulge at the base of the bill. Although essentially a sea-duck they are known to pass over the UK, sometimes in large numbers, during Spring migration, stopping off at reservoirs and lakes. Single birds are rather unusual.

Where has the sand gone? A Common Sandpiper looks around in bemusement.

An idea of scale here: at the top a pair of Mallard fly off. Bottom right is the flying Common Sandpiper.

At the time I thought the noisy Cetti's Warbler had jumped up on this branch so I took what I thought was its photo. Only a Dunnock.

Many insects are making use of the Buttercups. Here are five Plain Gold moths Micropterix calthella . A very small moth species.

And here one moth is isolated to show its features: the gold wings and most noticeably the yellow tuft on the head.

Two for the price of one. On the right a Chocolate Mining Bee Andrena scotia. On the left a Grey-spotted Boxer hoverfly Platycheirus albimanus, showing its 'albi' 'manus' – white legs.

An ichneumon. It has no ovipositor so it is a male. From the NatureSpot web site this is likely to be either Pimpla rufipes or Apechthis compunctor. The females can be separated by ovipositor shape: the males need microscopic examination to separate.

One where I disagree with Obsidentify. I think this is a Common Spotted Field Syrph hoverfly Eupeodes luniger. The app thought a Migrant Field Syrph E. corollae but it seems to me that the yellow marks do not wrap around the side of the abdomen as they would on this species.

 A very smart hoverfly: a Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus pendulus.

A Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare enjoying Buttercup nectar.

The Grey-spotted Boxer Platycheirus albimanus in similar pose has a slighter build.

My first Large Narcissus Fly Merodon equestris of the year. The larvae of this hoverfly like nothing better than munching your narcissus bulbs.

My first Scorpion Fly Panorpa sp. of the year. Obsidentify identified it as P. germanica. I understood that it was difficult to separate the two species that occur in the UK without genitalia examination.

My first dagger fly of the year. This is Empis trigramma. Note the 'dagger' mouth-parts used to suck the life-blood out of its victims. It cannot pierce human skin.

On the boxing ring I found this caddisfly, almost certainly Phryganea grandis, the largest species of caddisfly in the UK. This is a female: the male lacks strong patterning on the wings and is slightly smaller.

As yesterday, also on the boxing ring another caddisfly: this time Tinodes waeneri.

One of many unidentified flies from this morning.

I took this photo of one of the very many Alder Leaf Beetles Agelastica alni to show that they seem impervious to the stings of Common or Stinging Nettle Urtica dioica . Also to show the insignificant flowers of nettles. But there are at least three very much smaller beetles to be seen. A Google search suggests they may be Brachypterus glaber.

A quintet of Raspberry Beetles Byturus tomentosus enjoying a buttercup.

One of several beetles and the like that I will need the help of the Shropshire recorder to identify. This weevil was on a street lamp pole pre-dawn.

This may, or may not, be a Tumbling flower beetle from the family Mordellidae.

A beetle, well weevil, I can identify: the very common Nettle Weevil Phyllobius pomaceus.

What I believe to be a Strawberry Snail Trochulus striolatus from the wrinkles in the shell. Obsidentify suggested a Hairy Snail T. hispidus: I see no sign of hairs (though they do wear off) and there are too many wrinkles.

Also on the boxing ring was a money spider Erigone sp.

One of three species of spider I found on the street lamp poles pre-dawn was this Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius.

This Nursery Web Spider Pisaura mirabilis sprinted after the Tiger Hoverfly but was not quick-enough.

A Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp. I have no idea what it has in its mouth. Perhaps it has just wrapped up prey for later?

Another Long-jawed Orb-web Spider with a different abdomen pattern.

Another plant with insignificant flowers is Spindle-tree Euonymus europaea.

I always like to double-check the suggestions from Obsidentify. It told me this was a Dandelion. It isn't because of the long bracts extending beyond the flower. It is a Goat's-beard or Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon Tragopogon sp. probably T. pratensis minor.

I have not noted Germander Speedwell Veronica chamaedrys here before though it is in my records from The Flash.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

- at least 14 midges of several unidentified species: otherwise nothing of note

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:20 – 07:10

(101st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The resident adults were again together with no cygnets noted. Both adults were holding their wings arched and it is just possible cygnets were riding on their backs. Usually at least one of the cygnets is more determined to be independent and would be in the water. I assume the other four are last year's cygnets, all now returned. I am sure if any of them was a stranger the resident cob would be after it.
- a Willow Warbler was again noted singing on the West side of the water. The east-side songster was singing there as well.

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

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

Noted on / around the water:
- *18 Canada Geese
- 3 Greylag Geese
- 6 Mute Swans
- 11 (10♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 20 + 3 (1 brood) Coots: a different and quite well-grown brood
- 1 Great Crested Grebe

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Spiders:
- Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp.

Flowers:
- !*Welsh Poppy Papaver cambricum

The breeding season is just about complete for the geese and this one is starting its wing moult.

This Welsh Poppy Papaver cambricum was growing between the academy and the Wesley Brook so seems an unlikely garden escape.

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2013
Nedge Hill
Yellow Wagtail
3 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

2012
Wrekin
2 Wood Warblers
4 Pied Flycatchers
(Mike Stokes)

2011
Nedge Hill
2 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

2008
Priorslee Lake
18 Mute Swans
(Martin Adlam)

2006
Priorslee Lake
Pair of Ruddy Ducks
(Ed Wilson)