11.0°C > 13.0°C: Early low cloud and light drizzle. Cleared briefly around 07:00 but soon clouded again, remaining somewhat brighter to the East. Moderate / fresh north-westerly. Good visibility.
Sunrise: 04:52 BST
+ = a species photographed today
! = a new species for me here this year
!! = a new species for me in Shropshire
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:05 – 06:00 // 07:10 – 09:15
+ = a species photographed today
! = a new species for me here this year
!! = a new species for me in Shropshire
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:05 – 06:00 // 07:10 – 09:15
(143rd visit of the year)
Bird notes
*Highlight today was a record of three Oystercatchers on the south-west grass. I noted two at 07:35. There were three by 08:45, though the third may have been present earlier.
Lowlight was failing to hear the usually very noisy Cetti's Warbler. I have seen nothing that might have suggested he has a mate this year. He may have given up and moved on. There has been one bird here since late 2021. I suspected a pair last year though I never saw any young. Neither the Garden Warbler nor the Common Whitethroat were heard singing so perhaps it was just the miserable weather.
Other bird notes:
- at the cold and damp start there was, unusually, just a single Swift overhead. Later there were six: still a low number in the conditions when they would normally be hunting insects en masse.
- a Common Kestrel was hovering over the fields to the East of Castle Farm Way at 05:35.
Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 72 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Herring Gull
- 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Common Kestrel
- 5 Jackdaws
- 1 Greenfinch
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 6 Swifts
- 4 Barn Swallows
- 5 House Martins
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 19 (12) Chiffchaffs
- 6 (3) Reed Warblers
- 13 (9) Blackcaps
'nominal' warbler:
- 1 (1) Goldcrest
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 6 (6♂)
- 3 + 2 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 23 + 7 (4 broods) Coots: one of these a new brood
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- *3 Oystercatchers
- 1 Herring Gull
Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:
Harvestman:
- *1 !female harvestman Leiobunum rotundum
Noted later:
- *1 !female harvestman Leiobunum rotundum
Noted later:
Butterflies:
- none
- none
Moths:
- Common Marble Celypha lacunana
- Common Marble Celypha lacunana
Bees, wasps etc.:
- *ichneumon sp.
- *ichneumon sp.
Hoverflies:
The first name is that used by Stephen Falk. The name in square brackets is that given by Obsidentify or other sources if different. Scientific names are normally common. The species are presented in alphabetic order of those scientific names.
- *Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
- *Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
- *Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
- *Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
Damsel-/dragon-flies:
- none
- none
Other flies:
- *!Long-horned Black Legionnaire Beris geniculata
- Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus
- *long-legged fly, perhaps Dolichopus trivialis
- even more unidentified flies and *midges
- *!Long-horned Black Legionnaire Beris geniculata
- Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus
- *long-legged fly, perhaps Dolichopus trivialis
- even more unidentified flies and *midges
Bugs etc.:
- none
- none
Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni : adult and *larva
- *!Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva [Hogweed Bonking-beetle]
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni : adult and *larva
- *!Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva [Hogweed Bonking-beetle]
Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis
- White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis
Spiders:
- none
- none
New flowers noted
- none
- none
And to prove there were three. Unusually for a typically noisy species I heard none of them call.
One of a family party of Barn Swallows hunting insects here.
Probably one of the juveniles as it has no tail-streamers.
A worn-looking adult. It will replace the brown wing feathers with smart new blue-tinged feathers in time for it to set off to over-winter perhaps as far away as South Africa.
Hoverfly species #2 is a male Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare.
I am sure I have shown this fly previously. Further research suggests it is most likely a Long-horned Black Legionnaire Beris geniculata.
Another probably seen before. The pale legs suggest this long-legged fly may be Dolichopus trivialis.
An insect that came to visit me! A midge: a male because of the plumed antennae so I was not in danger of being bitten. Only females bite / sting to get the blood they need for egg development.
(Ed Wilson)
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
Moths:
- *1 Tawny Grey Eudonia lacustrata
- *1 Tawny Grey Eudonia lacustrata
Spiders:
- *1 just perhaps a six-eyed spider Harpactea hombergi
- *1 just perhaps a six-eyed spider Harpactea hombergi
This spiders looks distinctive-enough but the best I can offer is the just a six-eyed spider Harpactea hombergi. Most spiders have eight eyes.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 06:05 – 07:05
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 06:05 – 07:05
(146th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- the geese were well-arranged for easy counting this morning and today's counts are probably the most accurate of the past week or so. As far as I can tell none of the geese is able to fly at the moment. Some variability is likely as birds hide inside the island after they have eaten breakfast.
- again just two (near) adult Mute Swans seen both in the area of the island though not together. None was seen at the top end and no cygnets noted.
- the light-level was too low to get a proper count of the Coots on the edge of the island. I am sure there were more.
- a Common Buzzard was flushed from trees in squirrel alley
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Jackdaw
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 6 House Martins
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 5 (4) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (4) Blackcaps
'nominal' warbler:
- 1 (1) Goldcrest
Noted on / around the water:
- 245 Canada Geese
- 71 Greylag Geese
- 1 Canada x Greylag Goose
- 2 Mute Swan
- 35 Mallard: no ducklings seen
- 16 (14♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 44 + 3 (2 broods) Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
Noted elsewhere around The Flash:
Plant:
- *Mugwort Artemisia vulgaris
- *Mugwort Artemisia vulgaris
(Ed Wilson)
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Sightings from previous years
2013
Priorslee Lake
Hobby
(Ed Wilson)
2012
Priorslee Lake
3 Redshank
Hobby
(Ed Wilson)
2010
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)