22 Jul 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

16.0°C > 18.0°C: A few early breaks: then a spell of low cloud and drizzle: finally a few more breaks appearing. Light westerly breeze. Very good visibility except in drizzle.

Sunrise: 05:14 BST

* = a species photographed today
$ = my first sighting of the species for this year
$$ = my first ever recorded sighting of the species in the area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:00 – 06:25 // 07:30 – 09:55

(178th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- some Canada Geese when I arrived: they flew off before I had any visibility of the water. Eventually 49. The new Mute Swans seem unconcerned about the geese, unlike the predecessors who chased them away.
- as yesterday eight Greylag Geese eventually, seven of which arrived.
- no obvious Mallard ducklings.
- all seven juvenile Great Crested Grebes from the four broods present and correct.
- a Blackbird was heard singing again.
- a Common Whitethroat heard alarm-calling.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 4 Canada Geese: a trio outbound; a single inbound
- 5 Greylag Geese: outbound together
- 81 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 6 Lesser Black-baked Gulls
- 47 Jackdaws
- 41 Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- 49 Canada Geese: see notes
- 8 Greylag Geese: see notes
- 2 Mute Swans
- 23 (?♂) Mallard: see notes
- 11 Moorhens
- 118 Coots
- ? + 7 (4 broods) Great Crested Grebes: again
- 12 Black-headed Gulls: one juvenile
- 1 Grey Heron: arrived

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 Swift: have these mostly departed earlier than their usual end-July date? The flying ants that they gorge on were several weeks earlier than usual this year.

Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 1 (0) Cetti's Warblers
- 7 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (1) Reed Warblers
- 1 (0) Blackcap only
- 1 (0) Common Whitethroat

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

Moths:
none

Bees, wasps etc.:
*1 unidentified ichneumon

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
2 harvestmen Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus

Noted later:
Not much seen in cloudy conditions.

Butterflies:
none

Moths
*>4 Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner Cameraria ohridella
*6 Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [was Straw Grass-veneer]
>10 unidentified grass moths, possibly all the same species

Bees, wasps etc.:
Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris
*Turnip Sawfly Athalia rosae

Hoverflies:
Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
*Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]

Dragon-/Damsel-flies:
unidentified dragonfly sp. seen hawking insects at 05:15

Caddis etc. flies:
none

Other flies:
*female Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus
otherwise only unidentified fly species

Bugs etc.:
*$$ Black Kneed Capsid Blepharidopterus angulatus
*$$ Parent Bug Elasmucha grisea

Psocids:
*$$ barklouse Graphopsocus cruciatus

Beetles:
none

Amphibians:
*Common Toad Bufo bufo

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
*probable Furrow Orbweaver Larinioides cornutus
*Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus

Fungus:
*$ Fairy Ring Champignon Marasmius oreades

New flowers for the year:
*$ Wild Angelica Angelica sylvestris
*$ Black Medick Medicago lupulina : probably not 'new', merely overlooked.

I made another visit to a Horse-chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum tree to see whether there were still any Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner moths Cameraria ohridella about. Here is one of at least four that were flying around.

While trying to see if and where any of the moths would land several other creatures flew in. This is a mirid bug known as a Black Kneed Capsid Blepharidopterus angulatus. A new species for me.

Then a very small insect arrived: a barklouse Graphopsocus cruciatus. I am not sure I have knowingly seen any barklice. They are noted by NatureSpot as "common". It does not give a size for this species. Generally they are about 3mm (just over 0.1").

In the dull weather many of the Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella were more amenable to having their photo taken. The main feature of this species is that the white streak along the wing breaks in to "fingers". On this species the white streak does not have a dark outline. When fresh, as here, it shares with other grass moths the pale (often glinting gold) sub-terminal band on its wing with a row of black dots inboard. These marks soon abrade.

The only thing of interest on the street lamp poles around dawn was this unidentified ichneumon.

A Turnip Sawfly Athalia rosae

For a change a male Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare showing that the yellow marks (chequers) on his abdomen are square...

 ...perhaps showing even better here.

And a female showing her triangular-shaped yellow marks.

This is odd. A female Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus. It is almost three weeks since I saw my last individuals of this species and they were mainly males which, as the species name implies, are essentially all-black.

It may look like a shieldbug but it is a closely-related species called a Parent Bug Elasmucha grisea. The first I have recorded.

More Common Toads Bufo bufo along Teece Drive. One oft-quoted way of telling frogs and toads apart is that toads crawl, as here....

...and frogs hop as this one was doing. Except the warty skin tells us this is another toad!

What a tangle of legs. The spider is probably a Furrow Orbweaver Larinioides cornutus and I assume there is a cranefly in there somewhere.

Another tangle of legs and in this instance wings as well. This Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp. jumped out from behind the leaf and grabbed a passing midge. Sadly the sharpest part of the photo is just the two rows of four eyes of the spider.

A few fruits of Fairy Ring Champignon Marasmius oreades. There were indeed more in a vague ring, mostly hidden in grass and other vegetation.

The very tight umbels identify this as Wild Angelica Angelica sylvestris. This particular plant is stunted because it is growing in the poor soil on top of the dam.

Black Medick Medicago lupulina has inconspicuous yellow flowers: not 'new', merely overlooked. Note the seed cases showing. It was also found growing on top of the dam.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths: [29 species here before today; 1 addition]
*1 Brown House-moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella
*1 $ Brindled Poplar Tortrix Epinotia nisella [was Grey Poplar Bell]
1 Single-dotted Wave Idaea dimidiata

Flies:
9 moth flies Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
12 midges of various species.

Beetles:
1 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata

Arthropods:
2 White-legged Snake Millipedes Tachypodoiulus niger : again

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
1 Orb-web spider Metellina sp.
1 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]

I noted this Brown House-moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella and...

...at the time assumed this was another. Only when I edited the photo and increased the exposure did I realise it wasn't. It is my first Brindled Poplar Tortrix moth Epinotia nisella of the year. The names of micro-moths seem to have been standardised (mostly changed!) after many years of debate. This used to be known as Grey Poplar Bell.

An Orb-web spider of the Metellina group. I do not know which species.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:30 – 07:25

(174th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- just a single Mallard duckling noted.
- I suspect some Coots were sheltering from the drizzle inside the island. Hence the lower than usual number logged. The light was poor to see them anyway.
- *I can confirm that the pair of Great Crested Grebes by the island have three small juveniles. One of the two birds at the top end still sitting on a nest platform.

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 24 Canada Geese
- 16 Greylag Geese
- 6 Mute Swans
- 17 + 1 (1 brood) Mallard
- 9 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 74 + 5 (5 dependent broods) Coots
- *4 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Black-headed Gulls: adults
- 1 Grey Heron

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 3 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Blackcap only

Noted around the area:

Butterflies:
none

Moths [on street lamp poles and in the grass] [60 species here before today: no additions]
1 Swallow Prominent Pheosia tremula
*1 Straw Dot Rivula sericealis

Otherwise just

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus

New flowers for the year:

None

In poor light and at long range this edited photo confirms the Great Crested Grebes near the island have three young. I wonder where the nest was? And looking at the size of the juveniles already happily swimming then they must have hatched unseen by me some days ago.

I often note moths on the vegetation below one of the street lamps alongside the Wesley Brook. Today it was this Straw Dot Rivula sericealis.

(Ed Wilson)

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2011
Priorslee Lake
1 Kingfisher
Female Ruddy Duck
(John Isherwood)

2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
A drake Ruddy Duck
(Ed Wilson)

21 Jul 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

12.0°C > 17.0°C: A few sunny intervals though much cloud from lifted local mist patches. Almost calm. Mostly very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:13 BST

* = a species photographed today
$ = my first sighting of the species for this year
$$ = my first ever recorded sighting of the species in the area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:00 – 06:15 // 07:30 – 09:55

(177th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- six Canada Geese when I arrived: eventually 51. These six Canada Geese were with five Black-headed Gulls and two adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls gorging on waste food that had been thrown out of a vehicle parked in the Castle Farm Way lay-by. One of the Canada Geese was seen to consume a paper(?) wrapper. They all seemed oblivious to the passing traffic just a few feet away.
- also a single Canada Goose and then a group of 14 arrived very early leaving almost immediately. I have assumed that these returned later to be part of the 51.
- eight Greylag Geese eventually, seven of which arrived.
- two broods of eight very well-grown and seven small Mallard ducklings.
- all seven juvenile Great Crested Grebes from the four broods present and correct.
- a Common Sandpiper present throughout. This species has, so far, been scarce on Autumn passage.
- I did not see either Grey Heron arrive: one was being chased away when I first saw any.
- the Cetti's Warblers again eluded me. I could hear and see them jumping around in the vegetation but how many were involved?
- no Blackbirds heard singing today.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 5 Canada Geese: a quintet inbound
- 101 Wood Pigeons
- 5 Lesser Black-baked Gulls again
- 133 Jackdaws
- 69 Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- 51 Canada Geese: see notes
- 8 Greylag Geese: see notes
- 2 Mute Swans
- 21 (?♂) + 15 (2 broods) Mallard: see notes
- *12 + 4 (2 dependant broods) Moorhens
- 114 Coots
- ? + 7 (4 broods) Great Crested Grebes: again
- *1 Common Sandpiper
- 31 Black-headed Gulls: no juveniles
- 2 Lesser Black-baked Gulls
- 1 Cormorant: (near?) adult; arrived
- 2 Grey Herons: neither seen arriving; one chased away

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 2 (0) Cetti's Warblers
- 11 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (1) Reed Warblers
- 4 (1) Blackcaps

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

Moths:
*1 Small Phoenix Ecliptopera silaceata

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

Noted later:
I noted just one butterfly, one hoverfly and a few grass moths until c.10 minutes before I departed when the sun came out and there were suddenly insects galore.

Butterflies:
Large White Pieris brassicae
Green-veined White Pieris napi
Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus

Moths
*3 Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [was Straw Grass-veneer]
>20 unidentified grass moths, possibly all the same species

Bees, wasps etc.:
*$$ Furrow Bee Lasioglossum sp. perhaps Sharp-collared Furrow Bee L. malachurum
Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris
*mason wasp Ancistrocerus sp.

Hoverflies:
Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
*Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus pendulus [Tiger Marsh Fly; Sun Fly]
Common Twist-tail Sphaerophoria scripta [Long Hoverfly; Common Globetail]
*Pellucid Fly Volucella pellucens [Pied Plumehorn; Great Pied Hoverfly]
*Wasp Plumehorn Volucella inanis [was Lesser Hornet Hoverfly]

Dragon-/Damsel-flies:
none

Caddis etc. flies:
none

Other flies:
*Greenbottle Lucilia sp.
*$ Awkward Clusterfly Pollenia rudis
otherwise only unidentified fly species

Bugs etc.:
*lacehopper Cixius nervosus
*Dock Bug Coreus marginatus
mirid bug Plagiognathus arbustorum [Leaf Bug; Common Nettle Flower Bug]

Beetles:
7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata
Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva

Amphibians:
*Common Toad Bufo bufo

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
none

Fungus:
*$ probable Common Jellyspot Dacrymyces stillatus

New flowers for the year:

None

Moorhens usually keep their juveniles under cover until they are more or less independent so it was unusual to see a parent with three in tow.

At this point the sun came out and I was shooting against very bright light. A lone Common Sandpiper. After the first post-breeding arrival of a single on 30 June and a group of five on 03 July the Autumn passage has been very poor with today's being the next I have noted.

A moth not sitting at the best of angles with its folded wings away from me. There is just enough to see this is a Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella.

A better angle but this one is worn.

And a decent photo at last. At least 20 grass moths, likely all this species, flew away in to cover. By the way that is not a tree trunk it is clinging to, merely a small twig.

Under the overhang at the top of the tallest street lamp I noted this Small Phoenix moth Ecliptopera silaceata. This must be a second generation as my previous sightings of this species were all in May.

Google Lens gave the best suggestion for this as a Furrow Bee Lasioglossum sp. perhaps Sharp-collared Furrow Bee L. malachurum. Steven Falk's mammoth Field Guide suggests this species does not quite reach this far north. Using his ID key to this group of bees would require detailed examination of a specimen with a hand lens.

Taking advice from NatureSpot about the difficulty in identifying this group it will remain in the log as a "mason wasp Ancistrocerus sp."

I have tried hard but this does seem to be a "regular" Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus pendulus even though to my eyes it looks more tapered than usual and seems to have an extra band of yellow. Also known as the Tiger Marsh Fly, Sun Fly or The Footballer.

I have not seen one of these hoverflies for a few weeks. It is a Pellucid Fly Volucella pellucens which you may find elsewhere named Pied Plumehorn or Great Pied Hoverfly.

Despite its appearance like all hoverflies this Wasp Plumehorn Volucella inanis is quite harmless, happily feeding on nectar. Some species are more aggressive and love eating aphids. None stings or bites.

Even if I can't make a specific identification Greenbottles Lucilia sp. are worth a photo from time to time.

Trying to hide on the Teece Drive fence alongside one of the nails holding it together I found what is called an Awkward Clusterfly Pollenia rudis characterised by the short golden hairs on its thorax. I am not sure why it is "awkward". Perhaps because it is a cluster fly that is on its own?

I have placed this in my log as an honorary bug. It is a delicate lacehopper Cixius nervosus that I found on the wall of the Telford Sailing Club HQ.

A Dock Bug Coreus marginatus party. This species seems to have been scarce this year.

One of two Common Toads Bufo bufo making their way along Teece Drive. The kerbing between the roadway and the Wesley Brook has an overhang which precludes the toads (and frogs) from climbing up and over. I tried to help but they move with surprising agility and don't want to be picked up.

Destroying the Teece Drive fence is this fungus I believe to be Common Jellyspot Dacrymyces stillatus.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths: [28 species here before today; one addition]
*1 $ Common Carpet Epirrhoe alternata

Flies:
*1 undetermined cranefly
7 moth flies Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
14 midges of various species.

Arthropods:
2 White-legged Snake Millipedes Tachypodoiulus niger

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
none

My first Common Carpet moth Epirrhoe alternata of the year. Not especially "common" as far as I am concerned. Its left wing looks a bit odd as the camera flash has cast a shadow on to the ceiling behind.

Cautionary tale. After editing the photo I asked Obsidentify what this cranefly was. It said "90% Tipula rufina". That did not seem right so I rotated and straightened the photo to the view you see here whence it now thought it was a Nephrotoma quadrifaria. It isn't that either. But I don't know what it is.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:20 – 07:25

(173rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- two single Mallard ducklings each with a parent were noted.
- two very young juvenile Coot were noted in the middle of the water without any obvious parent looking after them..
- *a surprise from the ever-difficult Great Crested Grebes. A pair by the island were with at least two, possibly three, small juveniles. One of the two birds at the top end still sitting on a nest platform.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Jackdaws again

Noted on / around the water:
- 38 Canada Geese
- 22 Greylag Geese
- 6 Mute Swans
- 20 + 2 (2 broods) Mallard
- 19 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens again
- 96 + 10 (5 dependent broods) Coots
- *4 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Black-headed Gull: adult
- *1 Grey Heron

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 House Martins

Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 1 (0) Chiffchaff only
- 3 (2) Blackcaps

Noted around the area:

Butterflies:
none

Moths [on street lamp poles and in the grass] [59 species here before today: one addition]
*1 Riband Wave Idaea aversata nominate form
1 Swallow Prominent Pheosia tremula
*1 Black Arches Lymantria monacha
*1 $ Dun-bar Cosmia trapezina

Bees, wasps etc.:
Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris

Hoverflies:
none

Dragon-/Damsel-flies:
none

Caddis etc. flies:
*possible Pond Olive mayfly Cloeon dipterum
*possible Grouse Wing caddis fly Mystacides longicornis

Other flies:
a few different midges and flies

Bugs:
*mirid bug Lygus sp.

Beetles:
none

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
2 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus

New flowers for the year:

None

Taken on full zoom with the photo edited and cropped you may be able to make out three juvenile (humbug) Great Crested Grebes on a parent's back – certainly two are clearly(?) visible.

Very harsh light but I was intrigued to see a Grey Heron lying down. Have I ever seen one do that? More Coots are emerging from inside the island with two independent juveniles in front of the heron.

Only the second Riband Wave moth Idaea aversata of the nominate form I have seen this year with the filled-in area that gives the species its name. Apparently this form proliferates in southern Britain.

Not another! Yes: another Black Arches moth Lymantria monacha. My best year ever for seeing this species.

A difficult light angle on my first Dun-bar moth Cosmia trapezina this year.

Possibly a Pond Olive mayfly Cloeon dipterum: a male with the turbinate eyes. I could not get Obsidentify or Google Lens to believe this was a mayfly.

Yesterday's rain and overnight dew have combined to hide any pattern on the wings of what might, or might not, be a Grouse Wing caddis fly Mystacides longicornis.

Either deceased or lying doggo is a mirid bug Lygus sp. My hand has some ink marks from my wayward logging.

(Ed Wilson)