15.0°C > 18.0°C: Low overcast. Spell of drizzle after 07:45. Beginning to lift as I was leaving. Moderate south-westerly wind. Moderate visibility, poor in drizzle
Sunrise: 05:18 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 – 06:15 // 07:00 – 09:25
* = a species photographed today
! = a new species for me here this year
!! = a new species for me in Shropshire
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:00 – 06:15 // 07:00 – 09:25
(160th visit of the year)
Severn Trent contractors have mown an area of the long grass as part of a regime to try and improve the plant species diversity by allowing light to reach the ground. Another cut is planned in a few weeks. The mowings are to be gathered in to heaps. It is apparently too expensive to pay the contractors to take the grass-cuttings away.
Bird Notes
New Bird Species
Best today was a Linnet flying East at c.07:10. Surprisingly this is the first I have recorded here this year and bring my 2024 site bird list to 98.
Other bird notes:
- I still cannot work out which pair of Mute Swans is doing the chasing.
- A well-grown Mallard duckling seen. I probably overlooked it yesterday and would have done so today had it not scrambled ashore showing its stubby wings as it kept its balance.
Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 42 Canada Geese: outbound in six groups
- 1 Greylag Goose: outbound
- 164 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
- 4 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook
- 1 Linnet
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 4 Swifts
- 2 House Martins
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- *12 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 8 (3) Reed Warblers
- 4 (1) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Common Whitethroat
'nominal' warbler:
- no Goldcrests
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese: arrived...
- 1 Greylag Goose: arrived
- 4 Mute Swans
- 14 (?♂) + 1 (1 brood) Mallard
- 7 Moorhens: adults and juveniles
- 28 Coots: adults and juveniles
- 6 + 1 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 14 Black-headed Gulls at the lake briefly: 156 (2 juveniles) were on the football field at 06:00
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the lake: also three on the football field at 06:00
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Kingfisher
Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:
Best today was a Linnet flying East at c.07:10. Surprisingly this is the first I have recorded here this year and bring my 2024 site bird list to 98.
Other bird notes:
- I still cannot work out which pair of Mute Swans is doing the chasing.
- A well-grown Mallard duckling seen. I probably overlooked it yesterday and would have done so today had it not scrambled ashore showing its stubby wings as it kept its balance.
Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 42 Canada Geese: outbound in six groups
- 1 Greylag Goose: outbound
- 164 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
- 4 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook
- 1 Linnet
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 4 Swifts
- 2 House Martins
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- *12 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 8 (3) Reed Warblers
- 4 (1) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Common Whitethroat
'nominal' warbler:
- no Goldcrests
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese: arrived...
- 1 Greylag Goose: arrived
- 4 Mute Swans
- 14 (?♂) + 1 (1 brood) Mallard
- 7 Moorhens: adults and juveniles
- 28 Coots: adults and juveniles
- 6 + 1 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 14 Black-headed Gulls at the lake briefly: 156 (2 juveniles) were on the football field at 06:00
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the lake: also three on the football field at 06:00
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Kingfisher
Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:
Spiders etc.:
- *Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius
- *several Noble False Widow Steatoda nobilis
- *other unidentified spiders
- *Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius
- *several Noble False Widow Steatoda nobilis
- *other unidentified spiders
Other things
- *1 Common European Earwig Forficula dentata: dead?
Noted later:
The only insects of note were two different female horseflies that were biting me. Neither identified as both deceased. I have only ever logged one horsefly here previously. That was a male.
- *1 Common European Earwig Forficula dentata: dead?
Noted later:
The only insects of note were two different female horseflies that were biting me. Neither identified as both deceased. I have only ever logged one horsefly here previously. That was a male.
Butterflies:
- none
- none
Moths:
- *Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner Cameraria ohridella
- *Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner Cameraria ohridella
Bees, wasps etc.:
- Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum
- Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum
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.
- *Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
- *Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
Damsel-/dragon-flies:
- none
- none
Other flies:
- *Little Snipe Fly Chrysopilus asiliformis
- *otherwise only unidentified flies noted
- *Little Snipe Fly Chrysopilus asiliformis
- *otherwise only unidentified flies noted
Bugs etc.:
- none
- none
Beetles:
- none
- none
Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis
- White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis
Spiders etc.:
- none
- none
New flowers noted:
- none
- none
As best I could shooting against the leaden sky. One of a party of Long-tailed Tits.
Not any better I am afraid.
Same with this Chiffchaff!
To illustrate the size of Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner moths Cameraria ohridella one is dead-centre of the photo amongst the remnants of severely chewed Horse-chestnut leaf.
The tiny moth kindly stayed put and allowed me to take this close-up photo. An attractive moth behaving slightly less manically in the dull weather – usually several are flying around and around and never seem to land in view.
The only hoverfly I noted was this Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare here sitting on one petal of a Greater Bindweed flowers Convolvulus sylvaticus.
The green eyes and dark wing cloud identify this small fly as a Little Snipe Fly Chrysopilus asiliformis.
Strangely all the flies I noted were small flies seeming at risk of annihilation by rain drops. An unidentified fly sits on a grass stem surrounded by water droplets.
A collection of spiders lurking at the top of a street lamp at dawn. I do not have a solid identity for any of them. The species with its web (egg sac?) was suggested as a salt-water spider crab by Obsidentify. The lower right spider with a white band around the edge of the abdomen is likely a Noble False Widow Steatoda nobilis.
(Ed Wilson)
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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
Moths:
- *!1 Dingy Dowd Blastobasis adustella
- *!1 Dingy Dowd Blastobasis adustella
Other things:
- 4 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
- 4 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
This is a Dingy Dowd moth Blastobasis adustella, a species I see most years. The pale shoulders and inverted pale 'V' mark are the best identification marks.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 06:20 – 06:55
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 06:20 – 06:55
(163rd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- most of the geese have found and are using their new wings.
- probably an incomplete count of the Coots: the birds standing on the edge of the island were had to discern in the poor light.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
None
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 3 House Martins
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 6 (1) Chiffchaffs
- no Blackcaps
'nominal' warbler:
- no Goldcrests
Noted on / around the water:
- 45 Canada Geese
- 14 Greylag Geese
- no Canada x Greylag Goose
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 19 (?♂) Mallard
- 26 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 + 6 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 40 + 6 (4 broods) Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes: perhaps a fourth
- 1 Black-headed Gull
Noted elsewhere around The Flash:
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 3 House Martins
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 6 (1) Chiffchaffs
- no Blackcaps
'nominal' warbler:
- no Goldcrests
Noted on / around the water:
- 45 Canada Geese
- 14 Greylag Geese
- no Canada x Greylag Goose
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 19 (?♂) Mallard
- 26 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 + 6 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 40 + 6 (4 broods) Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes: perhaps a fourth
- 1 Black-headed Gull
Noted elsewhere around The Flash:
Moths:
- *Swallow Prominent Pheosia tremula: presumed same as yesterday
- *Swallow Prominent Pheosia tremula: presumed same as yesterday
Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni: larva
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni: larva
Spiders etc.:
- 2 harvestmen Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
- 2 harvestmen Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
(Ed Wilson)
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Sightings from previous years
2007
Priorslee Lake
Oystercatcher
300+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls
3 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
1 Reed Warbler
3 Blackcaps
4 Chiffchaffs
4 Sand Martins
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
3 Great Crested Grebes
3 Herons
3 Greylag Geese
17 Tufted Ducks
1 Kestrel
6 Stock Doves
303 Wood Pigeons
12 Swifts
1 Kingfisher
4 Sand Martins
7 Swallows
6 House Martins
2 Grey Wagtails
8 Reed Warblers
2 Lesser Whitethroats
1 Common Whitethroat
1 Garden Warbler
9 Blackcaps
6 Chiffchaffs
2 Willow Warblers
3 Willow Tits
1 Jay
248 Jackdaws
485 Rooks
205 Greenfinches
3 Bullfinches
8 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)