7 Jun 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

9.0°C > 13.0°C: A clear start. Some high cloud c.07:30. Increasing medium-level cloud after 08:30 with a very light rain shower c.09:30. Moderate south-westerly breeze. Very good visibility.

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: 04:55 – 06:15 // 07:20 – 09:45

(122nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- a Hobby seen again high to the East at 05:15 scattering the Swifts.
- a Common Kestrel was hovering over the south-west area at 05:05. Not seen again.
- two Common Buzzards were being 'helped' away by Carrion Crows c.09:10.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 5 Canada Geese: a pair outbound; a trio inbound
- 14 Wood Pigeons only
- 1 Hobby
- *1 Common Kestrel
- 2 Common Buzzards
- 5 Jackdaws

Hirundines etc. noted: see notes
- >50 Swifts
- 2 Barn Swallows
- *4 House Martin

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

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 5 (4♂) Mallard
- 3 Moorhens
- 31 + 8 (5 broods) Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe

Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:

Moths:
- *!!1 White-speckled Bagworm Narycia duplicella

Flies:
- 1 plumed midge

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

Noted later:

Butterflies:
- none

Moths:
- *Timothy Tortrix Zelotherses paleana

Bees, wasps etc.:
- *Early Bumblebee Bombus pratorum
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- *sawfly of the Tenthredo arcuata / brevicornis / notha / schaefferi complex
- *!very small ichneumon sp.

Hoverflies:
- Buttercup Blacklet Cheilosia albitarsus [Late Buttercup Cheilosia]
- Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
- Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
- *Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus pendulus
- Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
- *!Common Pipiza Pipiza noctiluca
- Bumblebee Plume-horned Hoverfly Volucella bombylans

Damsel-/dragon-flies:
- Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum
- Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans

Other flies:
- Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus: males only noted
- *dance fly Hybos sp. likely H. culiciformis
- *Grouse Wing caddis fly Mystacides longicornis : 100s
- *Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria
- *cranefly Tipula fascipennis
**many unidentified flies

Bugs etc.:
- none

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
- Raspberry Beetle Byturus tomentosus
- Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis var. spectabilis
- *Common Malachite Beetle Malachius bipustulatus
- False Blister Beetle: Oedemera lurida or O. virescens
- Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis

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

Spiders:
- *White Crab Spider Misumena vatia [White Flower Spider]

New flowers noted

None

A clear and calm start.

Don't expect too much detail of a photo of a hovering Kestrel at 05:15 and against the light.

No Swifts today. Here are some House Martin photos.

Perhaps the best of the bunch.

Note the blue-black back compared with duller wings.

I am sure the young Song Thrushes will be delighted to get their breakfast.

A well-marked micro moth, a new species for me. It is a White-speckled Bagworm Narycia duplicella . From the West Midlands Moths web site it seems this is an unusual species. The larvae liven in silken cases covered in small of detritus feed on lichen. Many species in this group have wingless females and one has no known males - they reproduce by pathogenesis. This species have both fully-winged males and females and sexes look identical.

A Timothy Tortrix moth Zelotherses paleana . Named after Timothy Grass, one its larval food-plants. Most recognisable by the pale yellow 'shoulders'.

An Early Bumblebee Bombus pratorum. The pale areas are unusually pale making the rest of it looking darker than usual.

Another sawfly of the Tenthredo arcuata / brevicornis / notha / schaefferi complex.

A very small ichneumon, notable for its long antennae. There are about 2500 species in the UK, most poorly known.

Seems we are likely to have more Tiger Hoverflies Helophilus pendulus next year.

This hoverfly is a Common Pipiza Pipiza noctiluca: my first of this year.

A dance fly Hybos sp. likely H. culiciformis.

One of hundreds of Grouse Wing caddis flies Mystacides longicornis I noted this morning.

Dozens of them were flying in clouds near the dam. The best I could do to show this.

 We have to have a photo of a Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria.

"I am watching you"

The cranefly Tipula fascipennis.

So what is this? A tiny green midge (on one of my finger nails).

A Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis var. spectabilis.

A Common Malachite Beetle Malachius bipustulatus.

For a change I am confident this is a Hairy Snail Trochulus hispidus: it is hairy!

Lying in wait in the Common Hogweed Heracleum sphondylium is a White Crab Spider Misumena vatia.

To close: an array of unidentified small flies: number one.

Number two.

Number three.

 Number four.

 Number five.

Number six.

Number seven.

And to large one.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Once again only midges of several species

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 06:20 – 07:15

(125th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- just a trio of Canada Goose goslings. I was told of discussion on Facebook yesterday of the fourth bird being seen badly injured with the idea that Cuan Wildlife Rescue might be called out.

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

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

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 141 + 3 (1 brood) Canada Geese
- 6 Greylag Geese
- 9 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 19 (14♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) feral Mallard
- 5 Moorhens
- 20+ 4 (3 broods) Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
*** I forgot to record that yesterday a Grey Heron 'appeared' on the island while I was busy looking elsewhere.

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Flies:
- *2 owl midges Psychodidae sp.

Beetles:
- many Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni

New flowers:
- *!Biting Stonecrop Sedum acre

This Goldfinch seems to be trying to get a good signal (groan).

One of the two owl midges Psychodidae sp.

And the other one. If they are different species (and who knows?) there are only 97 more to photograph.

This plant is Biting Stonecrop Sedum acre. It is common on the edge of the wall alongside Derwent Drive. I do not see this plant at the Balancing Lake.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sightings from previous years

2009
Priorslee Lake
15 House Martins
15 Swifts
2 Chiffchaffs
Willow Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
1 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)