30 Jul 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

15.0°C > 20.0°C: Much high cloud otherwise fine and clear. Light northerly breeze. Excellent visibility.

Sunrise: 05:26 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 – 06:10 // 07:10 – 09:50

(165th visit of the year)

The sailing club's new container was installed on the south-west grass this morning. It will apparently open to give access and shelter when the lake is in use. Otherwise it will be locked to deter vandalism.

Bird notes:
- all four Mute Swans remain. I checked the rings today as the resident pair chased the others around without any conclusion.
- a Common Sandpiper was flushed off the dam. This species has been scarce so far on post-breeding passage.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 64 Canada Geese: 26 outbound in six groups; 18 inbound in five groups
- 42 Greylag Geese: 37 outbound in five groups; a quintet inbound
- 4 Feral Pigeons: two duos
- 1 Stock Dove
- 286 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Herring Gull
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 63 Jackdaws
- 13 Rooks

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 Barn Swallow
- 6 House Martins: at least one a begging juvenile

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 7 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 8 (0) Reed Warblers
- 4 (0) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Common Whitethroat: still singing away!
'nominal' warbler:
- 2 (1) Goldcrests

Counts from the lake area:
- 18 Canada Geese visited at various times: none stayed
- 2 Greylag Geese visited at various times: neither stayed
- *4 Mute Swans
- 18 (?♂) Mallard
- 8 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 57 adult and juvenile Coots: Sunday's very new brood of three seen
- 5 + 1 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Common Sandpiper
- *17 Black-headed Gulls at most on the lake. none on the football field at 05:50
- 1 Herring Gull
- 16 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- *1 Grey Heron: departed
- 1 Kingfisher: briefly

Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:

Moths:
- *1 Ghost Moth Hepialus humuli: male of the form thulensis

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- *2 harvestmen Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus

Noted later:

Butterflies:
- Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus

Moths:
- Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [was Straw Grass-veneer]

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Honey Bee Apis mellifera
- Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum
- Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
- *!unidentified ichneumon perhaps of the sub-family Cryptinae

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.
- Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
- *Stripe-faced Dronefly Eristalis nemorum [Stripe-faced Drone Fly]
- Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
- Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus pendulus
- *Dead-head Hoverfly Myathropa florea [Common Batman Fly]
- *!Hornet Hoverfly Volucella zonaria [Hornet Plumehorn]

Damsel-/dragon-flies:
- Brown Hawker Aeshna grandis
- Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum

Other flies:
- *Thick-headed fly Conops quadrifasciatus [Four-banded Beegrabber]
- *Muscid fly of the Phaonia genus
- *flesh fly Sarcophaga sp.
**otherwise only unidentified flies noted

Bugs etc.:
- *Red Bug Deraeocoris ruber

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni larva

Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- none

Plants:
- !!Rough Chervil Chaerophyllum temulum

Sunrise. After this there was always more high cloud.

The blue Darvic ring number confirms that this is the resident cob Mute Swan on the warpath.

Both residents were chasing the interlopers. Nothing was decided and later the pairs remained at opposite ends of the water.

An adult Black-headed Gull in post-breeding wing moult. Note too the 'black head' is fading fast and will be gone before the end of August.

A Common Buzzard sitting on the roof of the academy. A Lesser Black-backed Gull took exception to its presence and dive-bombed it until the buzzard flew away.

The Grey Heron departs. They do look ungainly in flight. It seems to work for them.

A perky juvenile Wren – note the gape line.

With high cloud precluding any direct sun the only butterflies flying were Gatekeepers Pyronia tithonus.

I thought this Ghost Moth Hepialus humuli was a male of the form thulensis. Looking again I am not so sure. It looks more like a faded female. A male of this form should be whiter with dark markings.

An unidentified ichneumon perhaps of the sub-family Cryptinae.

Both my apps wanted to call this a Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax. I think the white bands between the tergites of the abdomen are too pronounced and it is more likely a Stripe-faced Dronefly E. nemorum. Without seeing its face I shall never know.

A Dead-head Hoverfly Myathropa florea.

My first Hornet Hoverfly Volucella zonaria this year. I took this one 'safety shot' and it was off before I could get a cleaner shot.

Another chance to see... a Thick-headed fly Conops quadrifasciatus also known as a Four-banded Beegrabber.

A Muscid fly of the Phaonia genus. Just how does that long tongue fit in its mouth?

 Today's flesh fly Sarcophaga sp. What evolutionary advantage is there looking like this?

A Red Bug Deraeocoris ruber. Seems an appropriate name.

From the other end.

Two harvestmen Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus on a street lamp pole pre-dawn. I cannot explain why they are a different colour.

A moon-shot that missed.

The data from Flight Radar 24 showing the routing of the Air France Airbus A350 900 series as going nowhere near the moon.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Flies:
- 1 female Banded Mosquito Culiseta annulata
- *1 male plumed midge, species not determined

Other things:
- 18 White-legged Snake Millipedes Tachypodoiulus niger

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- *1 female harvestman Leiobunum rotundum

It is a while since I have noted any of these male plumed midges, species not determined

A female harvestman Leiobunum rotundum missing three legs. The females of this genus are easy to separate as the pattern of dark on the saddle differs. To separate the males it is necessary to see whether the eyes have white or black rings around them. The feature also applies to the females: the pattern on the saddle is a lot easier!

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:15 – 07:05

(168th visit of the year)

Bird notes:

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 6 House Martins

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 29 Canada Geese
- 3 Greylag Geese
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 8 (?♂) Mallard
- 18 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- *6 + 3 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 43 + 4 (3 broods) Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 11 Black-headed Gull: two juveniles
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Moths:
- *1 Double-striped Pug Gymnoscelis rufifasciata
- *1 Riband Wave Idaea aversata f. remutata

Beetles:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni larva
- *1 unidentified beetle and probably not the water beetle Acilius sulcatus

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- 1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus

Two juvenile Moorhens in their nest.

Very high up a street lamp pole for a decent photo. I am almost certain this is a Double-striped Pug moth Gymnoscelis rufifasciata.

Another Riband Wave moth Idaea aversata of the form remutata. Someone has taken a chunk out of one wing.

A puzzle. Both Obsidentify and Google Lens suggested this was a species of water beetle. Fifteen feet up a street lamp pole I think not. What it is beyond it being a beetle, I have no idea.

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2006
Priorslee Lake
13 Swifts
(Ed Wilson)