11.0°C > 15.0°C: As so often: a mix. Early broken high cloud. Later broken medium-level cloud with good sunny intervals developing. Much lighter westerly breeze. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 04:54 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 – 06:10 // 07:15 – 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 – 06:10 // 07:15 – 09:25
(145th visit of the year)
Council contractors strimming my bug hunting area alongside the West end path sent me away early.
Bird notes:
- a Pied Wagtail was seen feeding a newly-fledged juvenile on the south-west grass at 05:30.
- although there are no longer any Starlings using the football field there are still at least two late-breed family parties flying around the estate area.
Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 81 Wood Pigeons
- 6 Herring Gulls
- 29 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 32 Jackdaws
- 23 Rooks
Hirundines etc. noted:
- >30 Swifts
- 2 House Martins
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 16 (10) Chiffchaffs
- 12 (10) Reed Warblers
- 12 (9) Blackcaps
'nominal' warbler:
- no Goldcrests
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 9 (?♂) Mallard
- 3 + 2 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 24 + 7 (5 broods) Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Common Sandpiper
- 1 Black-headed Gull
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron: departed 05:30
Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:
Moths:
- *1 Small Fan-footed Wave Idaea biselata
- *1 !Short-cloaked Moth Nola cucullatella:
- *1 Small Fan-footed Wave Idaea biselata
- *1 !Short-cloaked Moth Nola cucullatella:
Hoverflies:
- Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
- Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
Beetles:
- *Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva
Noted later:
- *Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva
Noted later:
Butterflies:
- Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus
- Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus
Moths:
- *Common Marble Celypha lacunana
- *Common Marble Celypha lacunana
Bees, wasps etc.:
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- *braconid parasitic wasp of genus Meteorus
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- *braconid parasitic wasp of genus Meteorus
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]
- Pellucid Fly Volucella pellucens [Pied Plumehorn]
- Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
- Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
- 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
- Grouse Wing caddis fly Mystacides longicornis
- Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria
- *other unidentified flies
- Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus : males and a single female
- Grouse Wing caddis fly Mystacides longicornis
- Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria
- *other unidentified flies
Bugs etc.:
- *Mirid bug Campyloneura virgula
- *Mirid bug Campyloneura virgula
Beetles:
- *Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis var. succinea
- *Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva
- *Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis var. succinea
- *Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva
Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis
- White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis
Mammals:
- *(European) Mole Talpa europaea: deceased
- *(European) Mole Talpa europaea: deceased
Spiders:
- *Garden Spider Araneus diadematus
- *unknown long-legged spider
- *Garden Spider Araneus diadematus
- *unknown long-legged spider
New flowers noted
- *!Spear Thistle Cirsium vulgare
- *!Spear Thistle Cirsium vulgare
Not at the lake – I was not there to see the colourful sunrise. This as I left home.
I am getting better: my sharpest Common Marble moth Celypha lacunana to date.
A Short-cloaked Moth Nola cucullatella. Apart from one in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel on 8 July 2014 this, on a street lamp pole, is my only Shropshire record of this species.
This is a braconid parasitic wasp of genus Meteorus. Note the long ovipositor indicating it is a female.
This view shows the ovipositor more clearly.
A sharper image of one of the long-legged flies. Note that, unusually for flies, the modified hindwing forming halteres is visible beside where the hind-leg joins the abdomen.
A different species of long-legged fly.
A stubby-looking tiny fly. The colour seems to be interference patterns rather than base-colour.
Yet another unidentified fly.
And another. This one with a small head and thick thighs on all its legs, especially the hind legs.
I photographed one of these small, hairy flies that sits with wings held well apart yesterday. This is a much better photo.
Last unknown fly for the day. About time Obsidentify got to grips with this group of insects.
A tiny midge hanging upside down. No idea as to species.
Note the length of the antennae on this insect.
From this angle the antennae do not show but do help to identify it as most likely a Mirid bug Campyloneura virgula.
A Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis of the form succinea..
A Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva on a street lamp pole some way from any....
...Common Hogweed Heracleum sphondylium where they can live up to their recently given name of Hogweed Bonking-beetles.
Poor thing. A dead (European) Mole Talpa europaea. No idea about the cause of death. One fly has already started work on disposing of the body.
A tiny spider that seems to be a very young Garden Spider Araneus diadematus. All adult spiders grow throughout this part of the life-cycle, shedding their exoskeleton regularly. I am unsure what is alongside the spider: could it be the egg that the spider has just emerged from?
Another tiny spider. This long-legged spider is climbing through the hairs on the back of my hand, hairs that I have trouble seeing with my eyes. The palps on the spider indicate it is a male.
A morning when I decided to get to grips with identifying thistles. This is a Spear Thistle Cirsium vulgare.
Whereas this is a Marsh Thistle Cirsium palustre.
And a Creeping Thistle Cirsium arvense.
(Ed Wilson)
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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
Nothing of note
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 06:15 – 07:10
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 06:15 – 07:10
(148th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- the adult pen Mute Swan seen with her three cygnets briefly before they disappeared, presumably inside the island. The cob was visible most of the time chasing geese. The extra swan that lurks out of the way was not seen.
- some of the Tufted Duck were sitting on the island. More out of sight?
- fewer Coots noted today as the light-level was not so good as yesterday for separating those standing close together.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Jackdaw
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 Swifts
- 7 House Martins
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 3 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (3) Blackcaps
'nominal' warbler:
- 1 (1) Goldcrest
Noted on / around the water:
- 218 Canada Geese
- 68 Greylag Geese
- no Canada x Greylag Goose
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 32 Mallard: sexes not determined
- 10 (9♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 + 4 (4 broods) Moorhens
- 55 + 2 (2 broods) Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
Noted elsewhere around The Flash:
Moths:
- *!!Foxglove Pug Eupithecia pulchellata
- *!Barred Red Hylaea fasciaria
- *!!Foxglove Pug Eupithecia pulchellata
- *!Barred Red Hylaea fasciaria
Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni: adult
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni: adult
I cannot find any previous entries in my logs for Foxglove Pug moths Eupithecia pulchellata which this is.
This moth is a Barred Red Hylaea fasciaria. It is certainly barred: it is not very red.
(Ed Wilson)
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Sightings from previous years
2012
Priorslee Lake
Kingfisher
Grasshopper Warbler singing
(Ed Wilson)
2010
Priorslee Lake
2 Green Sandpipers seen flying from the lake towards Priorslee Flash: these were my first here for c.10 years
1 Common Sandpiper
House Sparrow unusual here
(Ed Wilson)
2005
Priorslee Lake
Possible Crossbills close-by
(Ed Wilson)