9.0°C > 14.0°C: Clear start. Gradually clouded after 08:00. Moderate westerly breeze, strengthening. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 04:53 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 – 06:05 // 07:10 – 09:50
(144th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- *two Oystercatchers were on the south-west grass at 05:10, flying off West when they saw me. Less than five minutes later two (the same two?) flew from the East to the south-west grass. These flew off West at 05:35.
- in the clear breezy start there were c.20 Swift hawking insects over the East end. Rather fewer later.
- *a Common Tern was sitting on a buoy by 08:00. It was not seen to fly.
- none of the warbler trio of Cetti's Warbler, Garden Warbler or Common Whitethroat was seen or heard.
Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 2 Stock Doves: singles
- 60 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 25 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 22 Jackdaws
- 4 Rooks
Hirundines etc. noted:
- *c.20 Swifts
- 2 Barn Swallows
- 2 House Martins
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 17 (8) Chiffchaffs
- 6 (5) Reed Warblers
- 13 (11) Blackcaps
'nominal' warbler:
- no Goldcrests
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 5 (5♂) Mallard
- 3 + 2 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 22 + 9 (4 broods) Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- *2 Oystercatchers
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: on the football field c.05:50
- *1 Common Tern
- 1 Grey Heron: arrived
Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:
Moths:
- 1 *!Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla
Noted later:
- 1 *!Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla
Noted later:
Butterflies:
- *Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus
- *Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
- *!Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta
- *Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus
- *Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
- *!Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta
Moths:
- Common Marble Celypha lacunana
- *!Small Fan-footed Wave Idaea biselata
- Common Marble Celypha lacunana
- *!Small Fan-footed Wave Idaea biselata
Bees, wasps etc.:
- *Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- *!!possible Willughby's Leafcutter Bee Megachile willughbiella
- *Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- *!!possible Willughby's Leafcutter Bee Megachile willughbiella
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.
- *Buttercup Blacklet Cheilosia albitarsus [Late Buttercup Cheilosia]
- *Bumblebee Blacklet Cheilosia illustrata [Bumblebee Blacklet]
- *Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- *Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
- *Dead-head Hoverfly Myathropa florea [Common Batman Fly]
- *Syrphus sp. S. ribesii / S. vitripennis
- *Pellucid Fly Volucella pellucens [Pied Plumehorn]
- *Buttercup Blacklet Cheilosia albitarsus [Late Buttercup Cheilosia]
- *Bumblebee Blacklet Cheilosia illustrata [Bumblebee Blacklet]
- *Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- *Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
- *Dead-head Hoverfly Myathropa florea [Common Batman Fly]
- *Syrphus sp. S. ribesii / S. vitripennis
- *Pellucid Fly Volucella pellucens [Pied Plumehorn]
Damsel-/dragon-flies:
- *Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum
- *Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum
Other flies:
- Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus : males and a single female
- Little Snipe Fly Chrysopilus asiliformis
- *cranefly Nephrotoma quadrifaria
- *!!large-headed fly from Pipunculidae genus
- *Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria
- *!!Tachinid fly, possibly Gastrolepta anthracina
- some other unidentified flies
- Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus : males and a single female
- Little Snipe Fly Chrysopilus asiliformis
- *cranefly Nephrotoma quadrifaria
- *!!large-headed fly from Pipunculidae genus
- *Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria
- *!!Tachinid fly, possibly Gastrolepta anthracina
- some other unidentified flies
Bugs etc.:
- *Red Bug Deraeocoris ruber: nymph
- *Red Bug Deraeocoris ruber: nymph
Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni : larva only
- *Wasp Beetle Clytus arietis
- *possible Brassy Willow Beetle Phratora vitellinae
- Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva [Hogweed Bonking-beetle]
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni : larva only
- *Wasp Beetle Clytus arietis
- *possible Brassy Willow Beetle Phratora vitellinae
- 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
These two Oystercatchers present on the south-west grass at dawn flew off West.
About five minutes later these two, I presume the same, flew in from the East and...
...then about fifteen minutes later flew off West (again?).
A Swift twisting its neck to peer down at me.
A battered-looking Ringlet butterfly Aphantopus hyperantus
A much smarter Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
The recent cool conditions have meant very few butterflies have been on the wing and this is my first Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta of the year.
Sitting in a rather awkward position on a street lamp pole around dawn is my first Common Plume moth Emmelina monodactyla of the year. A common species I record most years.
If you thought that moth photo was poor try this. A moth hiding amongst dense grass stems is my first Small Fan-footed Wave Idaea biselata of the year.
Dozing in the morning sun at around 06:00 was this Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris.
There were not too many small flies to distract me this morning so here are a selection of the many hoverflies I noted. This is a Buttercup Blacklet Cheilosia albitarsus.
A Bumblebee Blacklet Cheilosia illustrata.
A Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax...
...and another...
...and yet another.
A Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax...
...and another.
Not as I initially thought another Tapered Dronefly but a Dead-head Hoverfly Myathropa florea. The usually distinctive markings on the thorax are not very evident on this specimen.
A Syrphus sp. S. ribesii / S. vitripennis.
Slurp! A Pellucid Fly Volucella pellucens drinking from a Common Hogweed Heracleum sphondylium.
In this view of a Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum the wing venation is well-shown. The marks on the abdomen indicate is a male and a very immature male with just a hint of blue beginning to show on the first abdominal segment.
And another immature male.
This cranefly Nephrotoma quadrifaria was also warming up in the early morning. It can be separated from similar 'tiger' craneflies by the combination of the black-and-white wing stigma and the shading along the veins below those stigmata.
I think this is a large-headed fly from the Pipunculidae genus.
A small and very hairy Tachinid fly, possibly Gastrolepta anthracina.
It is a few weeks since I have seen a Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria.
A nymph of what I believe to be a Red Bug Deraeocoris ruber.
A splendid Wasp Beetle Clytus arietis.
(Ed Wilson)
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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
Nothing of note
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 06:10 – 07:05
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 06:10 – 07:05
(147th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- some of the geese were already inside the island when I arrived, hence the lower number.
- once again I only noted two adult Mute Swans, one of them hiding beneath overhanging vegetation adjacent to one of the footbridges. I was told the cygnets had been seen on the water yesterday afternoon.
- I counted, as best I could, 55 Coots standing together along the East side of the island. A few others elsewhere with two noted still sitting on nests with possible late broods.
- an Oystercatcher was heard calling in flight while my view of the sky was obscured by trees.
- *a Kingfisher seen flying to the island revealed another already there. My first post-breeding season records.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Oystercatcher
- 1 Jackdaw
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 4 Swifts
- 4 House Martins
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 3 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 6 (4) Blackcaps
'nominal' warbler:
- no Goldcrests
Noted on / around the water:
- 197 Canada Geese
- 72 Greylag Geese
- no Canada x Greylag Goose
- 2 Mute Swan
- 26 Mallard: sexes not determined
- 22 (17♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 62 + 2 (2 broods) Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Grey Heron
- *2 Kingfishers
Elsewhere around The Flash:
Nothing noted
(Ed Wilson)
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Sightings from previous years
2012
Priorslee Lake
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)
2011
Priorslee Lake
A female Ruddy Duck. First site record since January 2009 - formerly semi resident in the district, with several breeding records from both the Lake and Flash.
(John Isherwood / Ed Wilson)
2010
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
Common Tern
Kingfisher
2 drake Ruddy Duck
(Ed Wilson)