13.0°C > 18.0°C: Early broken cloud soon gave way to clear skies for a while with puffy clouds intruding after 07:30. Light south-westerly breeze. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 05:20 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 – 06:10 // 07:20 – 09:55
(161st visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- all four Mute Swans remain.
- a tight party 22 apparent Feral Pigeons flew West at 05:55. While these were on the usual trajectory it seems remarkably early for such a group. Also just a few minutes later five more were on the same line, though these then circled and seem likely to have been local birds.
- I have no idea why there were many more Coots on the water this morning.
Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 59 Canada Geese: outbound in nine groups
- 25 Greylag Geese: 13 outbound in two groups; 12 inbound together
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- c.22 Racing Pigeons: see notes
- 181 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Herring Gull
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants: together
- 1 Grey Heron
- 84 Jackdaws
- 5 Rooks
- 2 Greenfinches
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 3 House Martins
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 12 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 10 (2) Reed Warblers
- 4 (0) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Common Whitethroat
'nominal' warbler:
- 1 (1) Goldcrest
Counts from the lake area:
- 8 Canada Geese: arrived as a sextet and duo
- 6 Greylag Geese: arrived together; two of these departed
- 4 Mute Swans
- 15 (?♂) Mallard
- 9 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 39 adult and juvenile Coots
- 6 + 1 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 21 Black-headed Gulls at most on the lake. 108 (4 juveniles) were on the football field at 05:55
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull on the lake, briefly: none on the football field
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:
Moths:
- *1 Blue-bordered Carpet Plemyria rubiginata
- *!1 Black Arches Lymantria monacha
- *1 Blue-bordered Carpet Plemyria rubiginata
- *!1 Black Arches Lymantria monacha
Spiders etc.:
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius
- 1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
Noted later:
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius
- 1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
Noted later:
Butterflies:
- - *!Large White Pieris brassicae
- Green-veined White Pieris napi
- Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus
- Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
- *Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus
- Comma Polygonia c-album
- - *!Large White Pieris brassicae
- Green-veined White Pieris napi
- Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus
- Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
- *Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus
- Comma Polygonia c-album
Moths:
- Garden Grass-moth Chrysoteuchia culmella [was Garden Grass-veneer]
- Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [was Straw Grass-veneer]
- *Pale Straw Pearl Udea lutealis
- Shaded Broad-bar Scotopteryx chenopodiata
- Garden Grass-moth Chrysoteuchia culmella [was Garden Grass-veneer]
- Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [was Straw Grass-veneer]
- *Pale Straw Pearl Udea lutealis
- Shaded Broad-bar Scotopteryx chenopodiata
Bees, wasps etc.:
- *Honey Bee Apis mellifera
- Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum
- Common / German Wasp Vespula sp.
- *ichneumon, likely a Diplazon species
- *unknown ichneumon
- *unknown sawfly
- *Honey Bee Apis mellifera
- Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum
- Common / German Wasp Vespula sp.
- *ichneumon, likely a Diplazon species
- *unknown ichneumon
- *unknown sawfly
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.
- *Plain-faced Dronefly Eristalis arbustorum
- *Stripe-faced Dronefly Eristalis nemorum [Stripe-faced Drone Fly]
- Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- *Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
- Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
- *Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus pendulus
- *!!Orange-belted Plumehorn Volucella inflata
- *Pellucid Fly Volucella pellucens [Pied Plumehorn]
- *Plain-faced Dronefly Eristalis arbustorum
- *Stripe-faced Dronefly Eristalis nemorum [Stripe-faced Drone Fly]
- Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- *Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
- Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
- *Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus pendulus
- *!!Orange-belted Plumehorn Volucella inflata
- *Pellucid Fly Volucella pellucens [Pied Plumehorn]
Damsel-/dragon-flies:
- Southern Hawker Aeshna cyanea
- Brown Hawker Aeshna grandis
- *Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum
- Southern Hawker Aeshna cyanea
- Brown Hawker Aeshna grandis
- *Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum
Other flies:
- Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus
**otherwise only unidentified flies noted
- Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus
**otherwise only unidentified flies noted
Bugs etc.:
- Common Froghopper Philaenus spumarius
- Common Froghopper Philaenus spumarius
Beetles:
- none
- none
Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis
- White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis
Scruffy Blue Tit after hard breeding season.
My first Large White butterfly Pieris brassicae this year.
Mating Gatekeeper butterflies Pyronia tithonus.
Pale Straw Pearl moth Udea lutealis.
Blue-bordered Carpet moth Plemyria rubiginata.
Black Arches moth Lymantria monacha. One of the best.
Honey Bee Apis mellifera.
Ichneumon, likely a Diplazon species.
Another ichneumon sp.
Sawfly sp.
Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax.
Plain-faced Dronefly Eristalis arbustorum.
Stripe-faced Dronefly Eristalis nemorum [Stripe-faced Drone Fly].
Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus pendulus.
Pellucid Fly Volucella pellucens [Pied Plumehorn].
Like a Pellucid Fly but actually my first-ever Orange-belted Plumehorn Volucella inflata
Male Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum.
Mating pair of Common Blue Damselflies Enallagma cyathigerum
Long-legged fly sp.
Fly sp. with bright red eyes.
Another fly sp.
Midge sp. from an unusual angle.
(Ed Wilson)
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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
Moths:
- 1 Single-dotted Wave Idaea dimidiata
- 1 Single-dotted Wave Idaea dimidiata
Other things:
- 6 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 06:15 – 07:15
- 6 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 06:15 – 07:15
(164th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- the most recent brood of Coots seems to have been lost already and the parents were frantically building another nest!
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
None
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 House Martins
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 6 (0) Chiffchaffs
- no Blackcaps
'nominal' warbler:
- no Goldcrests
Noted on / around the water:
- 52 Canada Geese
- 17 Greylag Geese
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 22 (?♂) Mallard
- 27 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 + 4 (3 broods) Moorhens
- 55 + 2 (2 broods) Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted elsewhere around The Flash:
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 House Martins
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 6 (0) Chiffchaffs
- no Blackcaps
'nominal' warbler:
- no Goldcrests
Noted on / around the water:
- 52 Canada Geese
- 17 Greylag Geese
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 22 (?♂) Mallard
- 27 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 + 4 (3 broods) Moorhens
- 55 + 2 (2 broods) Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted elsewhere around The Flash:
Moths:
- *1 Mother of Pearl Patania ruralis
- 1 !Black Arches Lymantria monacha
- *1 Mother of Pearl Patania ruralis
- 1 !Black Arches Lymantria monacha
Beetles:
- 3 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni: larvae
- 3 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni: larvae
Mother of Pearl moth Patania ruralis
(Ed Wilson)
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Sightings from previous years
2013
Priorslee Lake
Willow Tit
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)