25 Jun 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

15.0°C > 21.0°C: Early broken cloud melted away after 07:00 leaving it mainly sunny. Light northerly breeze. Very good visibility though somewhat hazy.

Sunrise: 04:48 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 – 06:05 // 07:20 – 09:40

(137th visit of the year)

Bird notes:

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 16 Wood Pigeons
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 16 Jackdaws
- 4 Rooks

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 6 Swifts
- 1 Barn Swallow
- 3 House Martins

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 18 (11) Chiffchaffs
- 7 (7) Reed Warblers
- 1 (1) Common Whitethroat
- 11 (9) Blackcaps
'nominal' warbler:
- 1 (1) Goldcrest

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 2 (2♂) Mallard
- 4 + 3 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 22 + 12 (6 broods) Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:

Moths:
- *!1 Blue-bordered Carpet Plemyria rubiginata
- *!1 Riband Wave Idaea aversata f. remutata

Spiders:
- *1 Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp.
- *1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

Noted later:
In the warm sun many of the insects were rather 'hyper' and did not stay around to be identified. Never satisfied some people!

Butterflies:
- Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
- Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus : many

Moths:
- Common Marble Celypha lacunana

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Honey Bee Apis mellifera
- *Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- *sawfly sp., probably Athalia circularis

Hoverflies:

The first name is that used by Stephen Falk. The name in square brackets is that given by Obsidentify or other sources. The scientific names are normally common. The species are presented in alphabetic order of those scientific names.
- *Bumblebee Blacklet Cheilosia illustrata [Bumblebee Blacklet]
- Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
- *!Stripe-faced Dronefly Eristalis nemorum [Stripe-faced Drone Fly]
- Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
- *!Marsh Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus hybridus
- Large Narcissus Fly Merodon equestris [Narcissus Bulb Fly]
- Bumblebee Plume-horned Hoverfly Volucella bombylans
- *Pellucid Fly Volucella pellucens [Pied Plumehorn]

Damsel-/dragon-flies:
- Azure Damselfly Coenagrion puella
- *Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum
- Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans

Other flies:
- Grouse Wing caddis fly Mystacides longicornis
- Greenbottle Lucilia sp.
****very few unidentified flies

Bugs etc.:
- none

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
- False Blister Beetle Oedemera lurida or O. virescens
- *Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis

Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis

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

New flowers noted
- *Bistort Polygonum bistorta
- *Feverfew Tanacetum parthenium

An attractive moth. It is a Blue-bordered Carpet Plemyria rubiginata. The 'blue' is dark navy and only readily visible on very newly-emerged specimens.

My first Riband Wave moth Idaea aversata of the year. It is of the form remutata which lacks the solid colour between the outer two cross-lines that gives the species its vernacular name.

The only bumblebee I saw this morning: a Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris.

This sawfly was running around the vegetation (as they do) and difficult to obtain a clean photo. It is one of the Athalia species probably A. circularis.

A Bumblebee Blacklet hoverfly Cheilosia illustrata.

This hoverfly is clearly one of the drone-fly group. The white bands between the abdomen segments (the tergites) identify it as a Stripe-faced Dronefly Eristalis nemorum

A slight puzzle here. Obsidentify gave me Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus pendulus . I am not convinced as there are two few stripes on the thorax and do not seem 'clean' enough. I am more inclined to think it is a Marsh Tiger Hoverfly H. hybridus though the abdomen marks are not quite right for that species.

 A Pellucid Fly hoverfly Volucella pellucens with a rush of blood to its head. I assume that the blood circulation of flies is different from humans.

The same species behaving like a hoverfly.

A female Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum. Its lack of colour may be because it is an immature though some females never acquire the usual blue colour.

A male Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis. This species is just about at the end of its flight-season.

A Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp. on a street lamp pole pre sun-up.

A very small spider: a Zebra Spider Salticus scenicus.

Just opening is my first 'flower' of Bistort Polygonum bistorta . This plant will be abundant near the lake along south-side of the lake in the next few weeks.

This is Feverfew Tanacetum parthenium. It used to be suggested as a cure for migraine: it never worked for my father who suffered for many years.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Flies:
- 2 craneflies Tipula rufina
- *1 unidentified cranefly, probably a Nephrotoma sp.

Arthropod:
- 1 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger

I think this must be one of the Nephrotoma species of cranefly due to its small size. I cannot find a photo on the web that shows the combination of prominent wing spot, a line of diamond-shaped marks down the abdomen and two lines on the thorax.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:10 – 07:15

(140th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Only one Mute Swans noted, lurking at top end. I was assured the family were present last evening so I guess they were unseen inside this island.
- For the first time in many weeks I did not notice any Blackbirds singing.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Jackdaws

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 House Martin

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 221 Canada Geese: goslings not identified
- 43 Greylag Geese
- 1 Canada x Greylag Goose
- 1 Mute Swan: see notes
- 21 Mallard: sexes not determined
- 5 (4♂) Tufted Duck
- *6 + 2 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 18 + 6 (4 broods) Coots: does not include Sunday's new brood which was only heard calling from under the parent.
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Moths:
- *1 Tawny Grey Eudonia lacustrata [was Little Grey]

Bees, wasps etc.:
- *ichneumon sp.

Hoverflies:
- Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus

Beetles:
- no Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni

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

Flowers:
- *Wild Privet Ligustrum vulgare

This juvenile Moorhens is more or less full-grown and has some adult dark feathers on its back. Will be some months before the bill gets the red shield. What long toes. Enables them to climb well.

I guess the Robins have finished breeding and they can be 'friendly' again.

The 'grey' moths are a nightmare to separate. I think this is a Tawny Grey Eudonia lacustrata . My confusion was compounded as I discovered the county moth web sites have changed the vernacular names of some micro-moths. Historically micro-moths were always referred to by their scientific names. A few years ago an attempt was made to give them all vernacular names. Now a new set has been introduced! This used to be known as Little Grey.

An ichneumon that was running around the leaves – as they do. Beyond noting that as it has an ovipositor it is a female I can add nothing.

This is Wild Privet Ligustrum vulgare. I must admit to not knowing there was a 'wild' privet, as opposed to escaped garden cultivars.

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2013
Priorslee Lake
Willow Tits
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
Probable Grasshopper Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

Priorslee Flash
Peregrine Falcon
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
The water level was the highest I have seen it for many years and the rows of marker buoys just off the south bank had all disappeared under the water. The full effect of Wesley Brook downstream has been devastating for Shifnal, with so much water in the reservoir it was no surprise to hear that many premises alongside the brook were under 2 to 3 feet of water for the second time this month.
(Martin Adlam)

2006
Priorslee Lake
Ruddy Duck
(Ed Wilson)