4 Jun 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

13.0°C > 16.0°C: Once again early broken cloud soon filled in and lowered. Light rain started as I was leaving. Light south-westerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 04:50 BST

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

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 04:55 – 06:20 // 07:35 – 09:35

(119th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- probably by largest-ever count of Canada Geese here. There were 56 when I arrived. These flew off West (to The Flash?) at 05:30. A group of eight flew in at 07:55 and stayed for about 10 minutes. Then nine arrived at 09:05.
- the local Mute Swans seem to have lost their remaining cygnet. It is just possible it spent the entire time on a parent's back: I thing not.
- a quartet of Mute Swans flew East at 06:20. I was not in a position to see whether they touched down on the lake. They are a bit of a puzzle: I rather assumed they would be birds from The Flash but only two of those there yesterday were missing today.
- *yet again a Common Whitethroat was again heard alarm-calling at the West end at 5:10 with what seemed to be a juvenile bird seen moving around the vegetation.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 3 Greylag Geese: a trio outbound
- 4 Mute Swans
- 17 Wood Pigeons [yesterday's figure should have been 19 and not 9 as mistyped]
- 1 Jackdaw
That's all

Hirundines etc. noted: see notes
- 3 Swifts
- 2 Barn Swallows
- 1 House Martin

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 13 (12) Chiffchaffs
- 9 (9) Reed Warblers
- 14 (13) Blackcaps [yesterday's total should have read 11 (11) and not 11 (14) as mistyped. A bad day!]
- *1 (0) Common Whitethroat
'nominal' warbler:
- 1 (1) Goldcrest

Counts from the lake area:
- *73 Canada Geese: see notes
- 1 Greylag Goose: flew off 05:10
- 2 + 0? (1 brood) Mute Swans: see notes
- 3 (2♂) Mallard
- 3 Moorhens
- 30 + 9 (6 broods) Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: briefly at 05:10

Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:

Flies:
- 1 *!!Large Rose Sawfly Arge pagana

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

Noted later:
****** again despite the dull weather I managed to find a few things.

Moths:
- *Common Marble Celypha lacunana

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Early Bumblebee Bombus pratorum
- *ichneumon sp.

Hoverflies:
- Buttercup Blacklet Cheilosia albitarsus [Late Buttercup Cheilosia]
- *Blotch-winged Hoverfly Leucozona lucorum [Blotch-winged Whitebelt]
- Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
- !*Spotted Meliscaeva Meliscaeva auricollis [Spotted Thintail]

Damsel-/dragon-flies:
- *Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum

Other flies:
- !!*dance fly, perhaps of genus Bicellaria
- !*root-maggot fly, probably Botanophila fugax
- Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus: only males noted
- !!*long-legged fly perhaps Chrysotus blepharosceles
- !*long-legged fly of genus Dolichopus
- *dance fly Hybos culiciformis
- Scorpion Fly Panorpa sp.
- other unidentified species

Bugs etc.:
- none

Beetles:
- *2 Spot Ladybird Adalia bipunctata
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
- False Blister Beetle: Oedemera lurida or O. virescens
- Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis
- *scarab beetle, possibly Brown Chafer Beetle Serica brunnea

Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis

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

New flowers:
- *Cut-leaved Crane's-bill Geranium dissectum
- *Druce's Crane's-bill Geranium endressii x versicolor = G. x oxonianum

The view soon after dawn was better looking West.

Count them: the 56 Canada Geese that were present when I arrived. There was one Greylag Goose as well but it flew off as soon as it saw me.

The four Mute Swans that flew East. The top bird is a first year bird with brown in the wings. Number two looks to be trying to prove it is not a 'mute' swan. This photo was taking as they flew across the football field. I cannot say whether they attempted to settle on the water.

The Common Whitethroat I noted c.05:10. The dark eye and lack of rufous tones both suggest this is a juvenile.

A slightly better photo of a Common Marble moth Celypha lacunana.

On a street lamp pole just after dawn was this Large Rose Sawfly Arge pagana. A new species for me, recognised by the orange abdomen and, especially, the orange base to the hind legs.

An ichneumon species on a 'bad antennae' day. There are numerous species with a white central area in their antennae so I cannot be more specific.

A Blotch-winged Hoverfly Leucozona lucorum.

My first Spotted Meliscaeva hoverfly Meliscaeva auricollis of the year. The curved hind margin of the yellow marks is diagnostic.

A not-very-blue male Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum. It means it is an immature. A female, not all of which become blue, would show a mainly black abdomen.

A collection of small flies I found this morning. Using Obsidentify and then the NatureSpot web site I have provisionally identified some of them. This is a dance fly, perhaps of genus Bicellaria.

A root-maggot fly, probably Botanophila fugax.

A long-legged fly perhaps Chrysotus blepharosceles.

Another long-legged fly, this one of genus Dolichopus. The eyes look green here. They could look red or mauve from other angles.

 The head of this fly seems to be all-eyes. It is the dance fly Hybos culiciformis.

A 2 Spot Ladybird Adalia bipunctata munching its way through aphids, as they do.

Here is the same ladybird on one of my dirty finger nails.

 A male Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis.

This beetle, seen in the palm of my hand, seemed to be dead. I cannot get a positive identification. I think a scarab beetle, possibly a Brown Chafer Beetle Serica brunnea.

A Cut-leaved Crane's-bill Geranium dissectum.

A very different Geranium species. It is probably a garden escape. It is Druce's Crane's-bill Geranium endressii x versicolor. This common cross between these two species is also presented as G. x oxonianum.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- 1 *Common Pug Eupithecia vulgata
- 1 *Flame Carpet Xanthorhoe designata

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

Pug moths seem to like resting in the tunnel. This is another Common Pug Eupithecia vulgata.

Is this the same Flame Carpet moth Xanthorhoe designata as yesterday? If so it has moved slightly. It looks somewhat brighter and slightly more 'flame' than yesterday.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:25 – 07:30

(122nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- no Canada Goose goslings noted. Some geese were heard from inside the island and not counted. Perhaps the goslings were with them.
- the resident Mute Swans and their cygnets were on the island throughout. It was not easy to see them: however I could only see two cygnets.
- many of the Mallard were flying around and difficult to keep track of. I suspect my bumper number includes some duplication.
- the feral Mallard-types not seen.
also
- I was told that the Yellow-bellied Slider terrapin Trachemys scripta scripta had been seen trying to attack a juvenile Coot with a parent pecking at the terrapin's shell. I read on the internet that terrapins are "naturally omnivorous, eating a variety of insects, fish and plant matter. In captivity therefore, animal matter should make up 70-80% of the diet, with the remaining 20-30% being green leafy vegetables or aquatic plants". I had assumed they were vegetarians.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 3 Jackdaws

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

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 100 Canada Geese: exactly
- 12 Greylag Geese
- 10 + 2? (1 brood) Mute Swans: see notes
- *28 (21♂) Mallard
- 7 (4♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 19+ 6 (5 broods) Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Moths:
- *Plain Gold Micropterix calthella

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni

Spiders:
- *unidentified spider, perhaps a Steatoda sp.

Flower:
- *Hemp-agrimony Eupatorium cannabinum

It must be a noisy house with all these Mallard stamping on the roof. There were another two birds on the tiles.

Today's Mallard conundrum. The bill-pattern of these two indicate they are ducks. It seems strange for two ducks to be together without any drakes trying to muscle in. Note that the wings appear short. Are they post-breeding birds starting to moult? Seems early. Could they be juveniles still growing their wing-feathers? If so where have they been for the last few weeks?

A Plain Gold moth Micropterix calthella. My first ever here. This is a fresh individual with yellow scales still showing on its crown.

Perhaps a spider? Perhaps a Steatoda sp.

Just about to open is the flower of a Hemp-agrimony Eupatorium cannabinum. Despite its names this plant is nothing to do with Hemp Cannabis sativa, but shares the leaf-shape. Whoever gave it its scientific name may have had his tongue in his cheek.

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2012
Holmer Lake
Black Swan
(Marilyn Morton)