14 Jun 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

10.0°C > 14.0°C: An unexpected early shower c.05:30: an expected shower c.09:15. Otherwise mostly cloudy with a few breaks but minimal sun. Moderate southerly breeze after a mostly calm start. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 04:46 BST

* = a photo in today's blog.
! = a new species for me here this year
!! = a new species for me in Shropshire

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:00 – 06:20 // 07:25 – 09:55

(129th visit of the year)

New Bird Species
Highlight today was my first Peregrine of the year here, sadly a long, long way away as it flew East well to the North of the area. 2024 bird species #94 for me here.

Other bird notes:
- during the early shower I noted four Tufted Ducks (three drakes) flying West. They seemed to carry on but soon after a pair was noted on the water. I had not seen any previously.
- a quintet of adult Black-headed Gulls flew West at 05:30. My first post-breeding sighting of this species.
- two Chiffchaffs were seen together at 06:10 gleaning insects as they worked their way along the fence surrounding the football field.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 16 Canada Geese: a sextet outbound; two quarters inbound
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 2 Stock Doves: singles
- 12 Wood Pigeons
- 5 Black-headed Gulls: together
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Peregrine
- 10 Jackdaws
- 3 Rooks

Hirundines etc. noted:
- *>30 Swifts
- 4 Barn Swallows
- 4 House Martins

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 13 (11) Chiffchaffs
- 8 (8) Reed Warblers
- 13 (13) Blackcaps
'nominal' warbler:
- 1 (1) Goldcrest

Counts from the lake area:
- 1 Greylag Goose: arrived
- 2 Mute Swans
- 7 (6♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhens
- 29 + 6 (5 broods) Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:

Nothing at all

Noted later:

Butterflies:
- none

Moths:
- Common Marble Celypha lacunana
- Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella

Bees, wasps etc.:
- no bees!
- *!!ichneumon likely Dyspetes luteomarginatus

Hoverflies:
- *Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus pendulus

Damsel-/dragon-flies:
- Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum: just one!

Other flies:
- Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus: again males only noted: just a few in the dull conditions
- *!fly possibly a Chrysotus sp.
- *long-legged fly Dolichopus ungulatus
- *!fly Fania sp., probably F. lustrator
- *dance fly Hybos culiciformis
- *greenbottle Lucilia sp.
- *!!Luxaniid fly Minettia longipennis
- Grouse Wing caddis fly Mystacides longicornis
- semaphore fly Poecilobothrus nobilitatus
- Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria
- *cranefly Tipula lateralis
- other midges and flies, species unknown

Bugs etc.:
- none

Beetles:
- *Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
- *!!flea beetle Crepidodera sp., perhaps C. fulvicornis
- False Blister Beetle Oedemera lurida or O. virescens
- *!Brassy Willow Beetle Phratora vitellinae

Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis
- *Hairy Snail Trochulus hispidus

Amphibians:
- *>5 Common Frog Rana temporaria

Spiders:
- none

New flowers noted
- none

Well that wasn't forecast for 05:15.

Proof that there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Note the feint outer rainbow.

One of the fishermen showed me a circular rainbow complete with reflection in the still water which he took on his phone. My camera does not have a wide-enough angle to have captured that. I'll see what my phone can do next time. Will there be a next time for a rainbow in still conditions at dawn?

Just two more Swifts. Here is one.

And the other. There were fewer today and with lighter winds they were not so concentrated over the water.

This ichneumon is likely Dyspetes luteomarginatus. Obsidentify was 100% sure. Naturespot notes it as "uncommon". So...

This was the only hoverfly I noted. A Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus pendulus.

 Some flies are very small. Here are two....

... one enlarged as much as I can. It seems to be possibly a Chrysotus species. There are (ready for it) "several similar species".

 These long-legged flies Dolichopus ungulatus are abundant at the moment.

Note how a change to the angle of light changes the apparent colour of the eyes and the thorax.

From this angle both the red and green tones are shown.

This is likely a fly from the genus Fania, probably F. lustrator

A dance fly Hybos culiciformis with a thickened hind femur.

A greenbottle Lucilia sp. There are several species not separable from photos.

This small fly is the Luxaniid fly Minettia longipennis can be identified by the brown base to its long wings that are, unusually, held above the abdomen.

The pale line down the abdomen is the best way to identify this cranefly as Tipula lateralis. It has longer antennae than many craneflies.

Another generation of Alder Leaf Beetles Agelastica alni on the way.

Not only are beetles mating. Two unknown flies enjoy the mating game.

Just visible are the thickened hind femur indicating this is a flea beetle almost certainly one of Crepidodera species, perhaps C. fulvicornis. This beetle may be greenish, purplish or brown partially depending on the angle of light.

A Brassy Willow Beetle Phratora vitellinae.

Obsidentify was certain this is a Hairy Snail Trochulus hispidus. Unlike the one I photographed a few days ago I cannot see any hairs though I know they wear away quickly. I have no better suggestion.

One of many small Common Frogs Rana temporaria that were moving along and across the north-side path.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- none

Flies:
- 1 owl midge Psychodidae sp.

Arthropods:
- *1 Common Rough Woodlouse Porcellio scaber

A Common Rough Woodlouse Porcellio scaber was the most interesting inhabitant today.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:20 – 07:20

(131st visit of the year)

Bird notes:

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

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 Swift
- 2 House Martins

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 5 (5) Chiffchaffs
- no Blackcaps
'nominal' warbler:
- no Goldcrests

Noted on / around the water:
- 185 Canada Geese: no goslings seen
- 7 Greylag Geese
- 1 Canada x Greylag Goose
- 8 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 27 Mallard: sexes not determined
- 6 (4♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Moorhen
- 24 + 4 (2 broods) Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Moths:
- 1 Common Pug Eupithecia vulgata
- *!!1 Pebble Hook-tip Drepana falcataria

Flies:
- 2 owl midges Psychodidae sp.
- more unknown flies.

Beetles:
- many Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni

Spiders / harvestmen etc.:
- *1 harvestman Odiellus spinosus

The best I could do with this moth well over 15 feet up a street lamp pole and with a tree branch preventing a straight-on view. It is my first-ever Pebble Hook-tip Drepana falcataria in Shropshire. It is a common moth wherever birch and, less so, alders occur.

One of the first harvestmen to appear each year is Odiellus spinosus. This is a male. Both sexes have the dark mark on the abdomen terminate abruptly though the females only have a narrow band.

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2013
Priorslee Lake
Richardson's-type Canada Goose
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
Sedge Warbler possibly breeding
Skylark nesting in Celestica grounds
(John Isherwood)