27 May 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

11.0°C > 12.0°C: A few early breaks with some sun. Increasing cloud from the West with rain by 09:15. The usual calm start with a light to moderate south-westerly wind developing, though that fell away again at the onset of the rain. Very good visibility becoming moderate at the onset of the rain.

Sunrise: 04:57 BST

* = a species photographed today
$ = my first sighting of the species for this year

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:10 – 06:20 // 07:30 – 09:45

(131st visit of the year)

A very quiet morning with significantly less bird song. On my first circumnavigation I noted just three singing Blackcaps. A few others later.

Until I departed and despite the recent rain the Wesley Brook alongside Teece Drive remains dry.

Bird notes:
- the Canada and Greylag goslings all still present and correct.
- a visiting Mute Swan arrived at 05:40 but was soon chased away. It was too dark for positive confirmation of its identity but the blue Darvic ring on its left leg suggests it was probably the former pen '7JSS'.
- only the drake Gadwall seen.
- the duck Pochard still here.
- no change in the Great Crested Grebes juvenile situation. One in the water with its parents; and an undetermined number likely on the back of an adult from a different pair.
- no gulls at all – none overhead or visiting for a drink and wash.
- perhaps two singing Garden Warbler: #2 was singing early only. Intermediate song from the #1 position later may or may not have been the same bird.
- 22 Starlings counted on the football field.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 6 Wood Pigeons
- 5 Jackdaws
That's it!

Counts from the lake area:
- 5+ 1 (1 brood) Canada Geese
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Greylag Geese
- 2 Mute Swan: a visitor briefly; the other resident assumed to be on the nest: see notes
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall
- 5 (4♂) Mallard
- 1 (0♂) Pochard
- no Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens
- 29 + 10 (6 broods) Coots
- 8 + >1 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes: see notes
- 1 Grey Heron: flew off West 05:15

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 10 Common Swifts
- 1 Barn Swallow
- 1 House Martin

Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- *1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 9 (8) Chiffchaffs
- *10 (8) Reed Warblers
- 7 (7) Blackcaps
- 1 or 2 (1 or 2) Garden Warbler: see notes

Noted on the West end street lamp poles around-dawn:

Spiders:
*2 Long-jawed Orb-web Spiders Tetragnatha sp.

Noted later:
Note: the rain did not help.

Butterflies:
none

Moths
*$ 1 Yellow-barred Longhorn Nemophora degeerella
*1 Common Nettle-tap Anthophila fabriciana
*1 Brindled Tortrix Ptycholoma lecheana [Leche's Twist Moth]
*3 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana
*5 Silver-ground Carpets Xanthorhoe montanata
*2 Straw Dot Rivula sericealis
**NB: yesterday's Dusky Marble Orthotaenia undulana has been confirmed by the Shropshire recorder

Bees, wasps etc.:
Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum

Hoverflies:
Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
Spotted Meliscaeva Meliscaeva auricollis [Spotted Thintail]

Dragon-/Damsel-flies:
Azure Damselfly Coenagrion puella [Azure Bluet]

Other flies:
*$ Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus
*dagger fly Empis stercorea
Grouse Wing caddis fly Mystacides longicornis
Scorpion Fly Panorpa communis
*cranefly Phylidorea ferruginea
*Downlooker Snipefly Rhagio scolopaceus
*long-legged fly Rhaphium appendiculatum or similar
Common Crane-fly Tipula oleracea
plus
usual other boring and / or strange flies

Bugs:
Mirid bug Calocoris alpestris
Red-and-Black Froghopper Cercopis vulnerata

Beetles:
Raspberry Beetle Byturus tomentosus
*7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata
Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis var. succinea
False Blister Beetle Oedemera lurida or O. virescens

Slugs, snails etc.:
*Brown-lipped Snail Cepaea nemoralis

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

New flowers for the year:
*Hedgerow Crane's-bill Geranium pyrenaicum or similar

As in previous days first thing was as good as it got.

And a different view for a change.

I was shooting through a small gap in the dense foliage while the Cetti's Warbler, most unusually, sat still for a few minutes.

I think I have been spotted!

Crown feathers raised probably in alarm.

For the first time this year a Reed Warbler decided to appear above the reeds.

Quick: before it disappears.

I may not be finding many moths at light as yet but are doing well on day-flying species. This is my first Yellow-barred Longhorn Nemophora degeerella of the year. This is moth species #29 for me here this year.

Another Common Nettle-tap moth Anthophila fabriciana, my 11th of the year (I only saw two last year).

My second-ever Brindled Tortrix moth Ptycholoma lecheana.

A surprised-looking Common Marble moth Celypha lacunana

One of five Silver-ground Carpet moths Xanthorhoe montanata I noted. This is a male with feathered antennae.

Another. Not easy to see the antennae this is the freshest and best-marked specimen I have seen this year.

Last moth of the morning: a Straw Dot Rivula sericealis

A very distinctive fly is this Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus, my first of the year. The wing cloud and stance with the wings partly open is diagnostic. Curiously the female looks very different.

 This is the dagger fly Empis stercorea recognised by the black line than runs down the thorax and...

 ...the abdomen. Thank you for flying off.

A slightly better photo of the distinctive cranefly Phylidorea ferruginea.

For a change a Downlooker Snipefly Rhagio scolopaceus that is behaving properly.

The prominent antennae on this small long-legged fly suggest it is Rhaphium appendiculatum or one of the similar species.

A 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata of course.

A smart Brown-lipped Snail Cepaea nemoralis.

At the top of one of the street lamp poles were these two Long-jawed Orb-web Spiders Tetragnatha sp.. Are they fighting or mating?

This is Hedgerow Crane's-bill Geranium pyrenaicum or similar. There are several confusion species. I need to revisit it to view the leaf structure to confirm.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Flies
1 unidentified cranefly
no owl midges Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly, Moth Fly or Owl Fly] again
18 other midges of various species.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:25 – 07:25

(128th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- only five adult Mute Swans. I surmise yesterday's sixth was the bird that visited the Balancing Lake earlier and was chased away from there.
- no sign of yesterday's Great Crested Grebes.
- the singing Reed Warbler for its fourth day.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Noted on / around the water:
- 55 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese: departed
- 5 + 1 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 20 (17♂) Mallard
- 3 Moorhens
- 20 + 1 (1 brood) Coots
- no Great Crested Grebes

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 4 Swifts

Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 4 (4) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Reed Warbler
- 4 (4) Blackcaps again

Noted around the area:

Moths
*$ 1 Yellow-barred Brindle Acasis viretata
**NB: both Pale Tussock moths have now departed

Bees, wasps etc.:
*1 Early Bumblebee Bombus pratorum

Hoverflies
*1 Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus

Other flies:
*$ female semaphore fly Poecilobothrus nobilitatus
also numerous different midges and flies

Beetles:
Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
*harvestman perhaps Opilio canestrinii

The weather soon deteriorated.

Why? 25 Magpies on one roof (and there were a few more "over the back" and on an adjacent roof). I know the Magpies have recently fledged young but it would be a large family! The only previous occasion I have such a gathering was when they were all shouting at what I assumed was a cat. Then they were all pointing in the same direction.

Yellow-barred Brindle moth Acasis viretata. As with many yellow- or green-toned moths the colour soon faded. My only previous record of this species here was on 30 July 2020.

A good shot (even if I do say so myself) of a Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus. Apparently turning right.

I think this is a female semaphore fly Poecilobothrus nobilitatus. Males are more distinctive with white tips to their wings. Females are more difficult to separate from other species.

Clearly a harvestman but which? The shape suggests Opilio canestrinii though I cannot find any illustrations showing two lines of pale dots on the abdomen on this (or any other) species.

(Ed Wilson)

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2009
Priorslee Lake
3 Little Egrets
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
Little Ringed Plover
(John Isherwood)