20 Aug 24

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

15.0°C: Scattered cloud at dawn. Cloud soon increased with sharp showers at c.07:45 and c.09:15. Moderate south-westerly wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:01 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 – 06:25 // 07:25 – 09:25

(179th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- many more Coots today. No idea why. It is puzzling that here the Coots begin to leave their communal roost in the reeds c.05:45 whereas at The Flash, other than the birds still with dependent juveniles around their nest sites, all the other Coots are still huddled together until 07:00 at least.
- of the 88 Lesser Black-backed Gulls noted flying over 82 of them flew vaguely South around dawn. An additional 14 with them stopped off for a bathe and drink.
- surprise of the morning was a single song from a Cetti's Warbler from the North side reeds c.07:55. Has he been here all along? Or is this another one? It may seem fanciful but to my ears the tone and cadence of this bird seemed different. That could just be because it is now outside the breeding season and the song is different. I last recorded this species here, singing, on 12 July.
- I should clarify that yesterday when I noted that Reed Warblers were still feeding young that these were fledged juveniles following their parents around no doubt being told "hurry up: we need to get off to West Africa".
- I saw no Pied Wagtails on either the football field or the academy's own playing field. There were however five on the academy roof.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 61 Canada Geese: 28 outbound in five groups; 33 inbound in three groups
- 42 Greylag Geese: 25 outbound in two groups; 17 inbound in three groups
- 1 Stock Dove
- 113 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 88 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: see notes
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 92 Jackdaws
- 58 Rooks
- *1 Raven
- 1 Starling
- 1 Linnet

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 7 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 6 (0) Reed Warblers
- 3 (0) Blackcaps
'nominal' warbler:
- 3 (0) Goldcrests

Counts from the lake area:
- 30 Canada Geese: three stopped off briefly outbound; the other 27 arrived inbound in eight groups
- 2 Mute Swans
- 12 (?♂) Mallard
- 6 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 82 adult and juvenile Coots
- 4 + 1 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 15 Black-headed Gulls on the lake c.05:45: 12, probably of these, on the football field c.06:05
- 4 Herring Gulls
- 23 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: see notes
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:

Moths:
- 1 Common Grass-moth Agriphila tristella [was Common Grass-veneer]

Beetles:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni larva

Other things:
- *1 Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- *1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius
- 1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus
- *1 male harvestman Leiobunum rotundum/blackwalli

Noted later:
Wet vegetation, cloudy conditions and incipient rain again kept insects hiding away.

Butterflies:
- none

Moths:
- 1 Common Grass-moth Agriphila tristella [was Common Grass-veneer]

Bees, wasps etc.:
- unidentified small wasp

Hoverflies:

- none

Damsel-/dragon-flies:
- none

Other flies:
- *only unidentified flies noted

Bugs etc.:
- none

Beetles:
- none

Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- none

New flowers:
- *fruiting Lords & Ladies [Cuckoo Pint] Arum maculatum

Mammals:
- pipistrelle-type bat c.05:30: my first since April

Another morning when the sunrise was "as good as it got". Just a hint of colour in a few of the well-scattered clouds.

A grab shot as this Raven "cronked" over. There is no mistaking the massive bill even when it is not calling. Ravens will often turn upside down while flying, apparently just for the fun of it.

Not much other than a few flies, almost all unidentified. Here is a stout-looking species with apparently distinctive wing-shape and hairy abdomen. I cannot trace anything.

A small fly sitting on a blade of grass. It has a hairy thorax otherwise...

I have never seen any explanation for the white inner edge to the eyes of many species of fly as shown on this unidentified individual.

This fly may be the root-maggot fly Eustalomyia festiv. There is a photo of several on the eakringbirds web site; nothing in NatureSpot.

An unusual view of a Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea lurking around the back of a street lamp pole pre-dawn. From this angle the length of this species' antennae can be appreciated. Lacewings are part of a family called Neuroptera and are not true flies which have only one pair of wings. Lacewing larvae are voracious eaters of aphids.

 Most mornings I can find one or more of these Bridge Orb-web Spiders Larinioides sclopetarius on a street lamp pole, usually toward the top, and only pre-dawn.

The body shape identifies this as a male harvestman Leiobunum rotundum/blackwalli. To separate the males of these species requires examination of the ocular ring (around the eye). This is not visible here and the harvestman ran away before I could get a 'head-on' photograph.

Do not even think of eating these fruits. They are poisonous! The plant is Lords & Ladies Arum maculatum, also known as Cuckoo Pint. Both names refer to the plant's appearance when it flowers in late April.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- *2 Brown House-moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella
- *1 Yellow Shell Camptogramma bilineata
- *1 Red Underwing Catocala nupta: same as yesterday

Flies:
- 1 cranefly Tipula lateralis: also *one deceased

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

One of two Brown House-moths Hofmannophila pseudospretella on the wall of the tunnel.

This may, or may not, be the other one – they were chasing around and hard to keep track of.

This is a Yellow Shell moth Camptogramma bilineata. I do not see this species every year and have never seen it in the tunnel before, here on the ceiling.

The same pose in the same place as yesterday for the Red Underwing moth Catocala nupta.

"The case of the missing body"! All the other parts of a cranefly Tipula lateralis are present. A spider is the guilty party I assume.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:30 – 07:20

(182nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- I made an attempt at sexing the Tufted Duck. Of the 39 birds I reckon at least 20 were drakes; seven are definitely ducks; with 12 indeterminate from the view I had.
- 26 House Martins were high overhead moving ahead of the incoming shower.
- a / the singing Willow Warbler was in more or less the same location as yesterday and all the earlier bird(s).

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 26 House Martins

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 11 Canada Geese: four of these departed
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 22 (?♂) Mallard
- 39 (>20♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 + 2 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 72 + 7 (4 broods) Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 35 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Moths:
- none

Spiders, harvestmen etc.
- *1 Garden (Cross) Spider Arameus diadematus

Only one find on the street lamp poles here today: this rather scrunched-up Garden (Cross) Spider Arameus diadematus.

(Ed Wilson)

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Sightings from previous years

2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
1 Wheatear
(Ed Wilson)