22 Sep 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

12.0°C > 15.0°C: Fog / mist coming and going – mainly coming. Very light winds. Poor / very poor visibility.

Sunrise: 06:55 BST

* = a species photographed today
! = a first sighting of the species this year
$ = a new species for me in this area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:45 – 09:00

(218th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- six Tufted Duck noted.
- neither sight nor sound of any Little Grebes.
- at least 350 and probably as many as 450 Black-headed Gulls were present before the mist really closed in after 06:40. Just six were on the football field at 07:05.
- about 50 Lesser Black-backed Gulls were present before that mist closed.
- a big arrival (re-arrival?) of gulls from the East around 08:00 with c.250 Black-headed, 88 Lesser Black-backs and four Herring Gulls were counted.
- no hirundines were seen.
- today nine Chiffchaffs: just one of these heard singing.
- no Blackcaps

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
**all numbers affected by the mist etc.
- 4 Wood Pigeons
- 137 Jackdaws
- 20 Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
**all numbers affected by the mist etc.
- 20 (12♂) Mallard
- 6 (0?♂) Tufted Duck: arrived
- 7 Moorhens
- Coot not counted
- Great Crested Grebes not counted
- c.450 Black-headed Gulls: see notes
- 4 Herring Gulls
- >120 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Kingfisher

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

Warblers noted:
- 9 Chiffchaffs: of these one in song
- no Blackcap

Also noted:
Very little.

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

Beetles:
- 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata

On the West end street lamp poles before dawn:

Moths:
none

True flies:
- 1 Hooded Dryomyza Dryomyza anilis

Springtails:
- 7 *springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis-type

Beetles:
- 1 presumed Cabbage-stem Flea Beetle Psylliodes chrysocephala

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 Stout Sac Spider Clubiona sp.
- 1 other spider, unidentified

My best photo to date of a springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis. There were seven to choose from today. The body is 6mm and the antennae about the same.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
none

True flies:
- 19 midges of at least three species
- 1 caddis fly Limnephilus lunatus
- 2 *moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
- 1 *fly Suillia sp., just perhaps S. flava

Arthropods:
- 1 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
- 3 Common Rough Woodlouse Porcellio scaber

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 *Noble or False Widow Spider Steatoda nobilis
- 7 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]

This is one of the moth flies Psychodidae sp. NatureSpot illustrates a species Psychoda sigma with "wings which are held parallel to each other rather than diverging" - as here. The problem is that it also notes that the wings of that species have "a pronounced black transverse shade" which this photo does not show

Also a problem with this fly - but then again aren't many of them? This looks to be a fly from the genus Suillia. NatureSpot has a link to a photographic key to this group. It is quite beyond me to look for the arrangement of the bristles on various parts of the body, not only because I am not a trained dipterist but also because the photo is not of sufficient quality to see them. The shading at the wing-tip is only matched by S. flava though the text notes it is a "scarce, largely northern and western species" so probably unlikely.

This is a Noble or False Widow Spider Steatoda nobilis

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 09:05 – 10:20

(213th visit of the year)

Still misty and the island difficult to see at times.

Bird notes:
- a duck Tufted Duck seen.
- 13 brownhead Goosander on the open water with at least another 12 inside the island.
- the daily change for the Great Crested Grebes: only one full adult and four dependent juveniles were noted. Two of the juveniles were together on the open water with no adult in sight. The other two were with an adult in the water near the nest site.
- the two Little Egrets remain.

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 6 Canada Geese
- 6 Mute Swans
- 32 (19♂) Mallard
- 1 (0♂) Tufted Duck
- 25 (0♂) Goosander
- 8 Moorhens
- 18 Coot
- 1 + 4 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebe
- 28 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants again
- 1 Grey Heron yet again
- 2 Little Egrets yet again

Warblers noted:

None

Noted around the area:

The sun was hot but had only just emerged so not much was active as yet.

Bees, wasps etc.:
- >6 Honey Bees Apis mellifera
- >6 Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

Hoverflies:
- 1 Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax

Other true flies:
- 1 small greenbottle sp.

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *presumed web of a Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]

Even more information about Willow Emerald Damselfly Chalcolestes viridis, as I photographed here last Thursday. I was reading Steve Nuttall's excellent daily blog from Belvide Reservoir [https://belvidebirding.blogspot.com/]. Whilst concentrating on the birds seen at this members-only reserve just 12 miles to the East of Priorslee he notes other sightings of particular interest. Last Saturday (19th) at least four Willow Emerald Damselflies were seen there.

It is Autumn. This is probably not, as suggested by Obsidentify, a Roe Deer! I strongly suspect it is the web of a Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata, the "missing sector" being in the 11 o'clock position (if anyone still remembers what a clock-face looks like now we have digital time read-outs everywhere)

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2008
Priorslee Lake
Water Rail
Common Redstart
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
The drake Mallard x Pintail has returned for the 5th year at least
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
Gadwall
Redwing
(Ed Wilson)

21 Sep 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

11.0°C > 16.0°C: Areas of medium / high cloud floating about. Some sun, especially later. Very light winds. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:53 BST

* = a species photographed today
! = a first sighting of the species this year
$ = a new species for me in this area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:40 – 09:15

(217th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- a trio of duck / immature Tufted Duck flew in.
- also a trio of *Little Grebes shot out of the reeds c.06:40, dived and were not seen again!
- only c.125 Black-headed Gulls were noted on the water. Many birds seen flying off East suggested that more birds were passing through. Just 21 on the football field c.07:00.
- the first sighting of Lesser Black-backed Gulls was a few flying over. Only a small number visited early and very few later. A single Herring Gull with the latter birds.
- a *Great (White) Egret flew East, then North at c.08:20/
- a Sky Lark was heard overhead c.09:05.
- 8 Barn Swallows were high overhead heading South at 07:30.
- two House Martin were overhead at 08:00 and then a trio at 09:00, both passing South.
- three hirundines VERY high up c.08:30 eluded identification, Any calls would have been drowned out by road noise.
- just 10 Chiffchaffs with three again heard singing.
- a single calling Blackcap noted.
- a Song Thrush was making a good attempt at singing alongside Teece Drive c.07:10. My first record of song in September.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 26 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 *Great (White) Egret
- 4 Feral Pigeons: a trio flew East and singleton West
- 4 Stock Doves: two singles and trio
- 18 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Skylark
- 256 Jackdaws
- 49 Rooks
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Counts from the lake area:
- 12 (7♂) Mallard
- 3 (0?♂) Tufted Duck: arrived
- 6 Moorhens again
- 48 *Coot
- 3 *Little Grebes
- 16 *Great Crested Grebes again
- c.150 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 22 *Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants: arrived singly again
- 1 Grey Heron

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 8 Barn Swallows
- 5 House Martins
- 3 unidentified hirundines

Warblers noted:
- 10 Chiffchaffs: of these three in song
- 1 Blackcap: no song

Also noted:
Not much again as the sun was just starting to emerge as I was leaving.

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

Flies:
- many "greenbottles" of two different genera
- cranefly Tipula confusa

On the West end street lamp poles before dawn:

Moths:
- 1 $ *Brown-spot Pinion Anchoscelis litura

Bees, wasps etc.:
- 1 Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris: just two

Four-winged flies etc.:
- 1 Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperla carnea

True flies:
- 1 male Spotted-winged Drosophila Drosophila suzukii
- 1 *Dryomyza anilis (apparently sometimes as Hooded Dryomyza)
- 1 *winged form of an unidentified aphid sp.

Springtails:
- 2 *springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis-type

Bugs:
- 1 *Common Froghopper Philaenus spumarius

Beetles:
- 4 presumed Cabbage-stem Flea Beetles Psylliodes chrysocephala

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
none!

Also at this time

Bats:
- 3 Noctule-type bats high over the water and North wood.

Another sunrise worth getting out of bed for.

I seem to record frequently "a clear start to the East with cloud overhead". If that produces sunrises like this then "bring it on".

And the longer view.

Record shot! On the left one of the three Little Grebes dives. In the middle a Coot. On the right a Little Grebe yet to disappear. Well it was 06:40 and hardly any light!

Feeding time for the juvenile Great Crested Grebes again...

...with an alert and ever-hopeful Black-headed Gull looking for spoils.

An immature / first-winter Lesser Black-backed Gull climbs away.

Another record shot. The Great (White) Egret flying North. The long bill and long legs identify it. I can probably convince myself the bill is yellow but it is hard to be sure at this range.

A new moth for me in Shropshire though Brown-spot Pinion Anchoscelis litura is a common species. Species #72 for my 2026 Balancing Lake moth list.

Another Dryomyza anilis fly. I noted yesterday that it does not have a vernacular name. Some sleuthing by Martin Adlam has produced the name Hooded Dryomyza. He also managed to dig up a name for yesterday's small red fly Tricholauxania praeusta: apparently Pale-marked Hairy-veined Lauxanid Fly. These names seem like grasping at straws. They strike me as no more or less memorable than the scientific names and I doubt either of them was used by county folk back in the day.

The winged form of an unidentified aphid sp.

One of two springtails of the Pogonognathellus longicornis-type that were on one of the street lamp poles pre-dawn.

Also on a street lamp poles pre-dawn was this Common Froghopper Philaenus spumarius. I looked at the photo and thought "I don't remember this species having hairy flanks".

It doesn't. They were the hairs on the mostly hidden legs.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
none

True flies:
- 10 midges
- 1 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
- 1 *caddis fly Limnephilus lunatus
- 2 different unidentified craneflies

Arthropods:
- 2 *White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
- 1 Common Rough Woodlouse Porcellio scaber

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 7 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- 1 *harvestman Opilio canestrinii

I found this caddis fly resting on the ceiling of the tunnel. Very many of this group are all-brown so it is good to see one well-marked and to be able to identify it as the caddis fly Limnephilus lunatus.

A two-fer. A White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger and a harvestman Opilio canestrinii. I assume I don't have to say which is which.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 09:20 – 10:35

(212th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- a duck (Common) Teal flushed off. Then a few minutes later it, or another(?) seen on the water.
- just 13 brownhead Goosander with 11 of these inside the island.
- the daily change for the Great Crested Grebes: two full adults, one immature and four dependent juveniles.
- the two Little Egrets remain.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Noted on / around the water:
- 32 Canada Geese
- no Greylag Geese
- 6 Mute Swans as usual
- 24 (15♂) Mallard
- 1 (2?) (0♂) *(Common) Teal
- no Tufted Duck
- 13 (0♂) Goosander
- 4 Moorhens
- 19 Coot
- 3 + 4 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebe
- 22 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 2 Little Egrets again

Warblers noted:
- 1 Chiffchaff in song

Noted around the area:

Hazy sun.

Butterflies:
- 1 *Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria

Moths:
none

Bees, wasps etc.:
- >10 *Honey Bees Apis mellifera
- 1 *Tree Bumblebee Bombus hypnorum
- >10 Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

Hoverflies:
- 2 *Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
- 2 *Lunuled Broadtail Eupeodes luniger [Common Spotted Field Syrph; Lunuled Aphideater]
- 1 *Humming Syrphus Syrphus ribesii [Common Flower Fly]

Damsel/dragonflies
- 1 *male Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum

Other true flies:
- 1 *$possible Tachinid fly Exorista rustica
- >5 small greenbottle sp.
numerous unidentified flies on the Ivy bank

Some additional information about Willow Emerald Damselfly Chalcolestes viridis that I photographed last Thursday. This species is indeed a recent colonist in our area. According to the web site "shropshiredragonflies" the first Shropshire record was on 31 July last year. There have been several sightings this year. My sighting of one on a street lamp pole at the bottom of squirrel alley was perhaps not so strange as I thought: this species lays eggs "directly into branches of willows and alders and similar that hang over slow flowing rivers". So near the Wesley Brook is perhaps not too surprising

Interesting story. A very distant duck (Common) Teal...

 ...that took off...

...and apparently departed.

A few minutes later, also very distant but clearly a Teal with the bright green speculum, was on the water. Did she return? Was there another hitherto unseen?

How could I resist this poseur?

A Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria. Just the one today so there was no fighting.

Feeding time for a Honey Bee Apis mellifera.

Tree Bumblebee Bombus hypnorum is usually noted as having a pure white tail as it seems here.

Clearly it depends on your angle of view!

A Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax. This species shows variable brown markings on its abdomen. This specimen shows very typical markings.

This one is unusually dark.

I read that Steve Falk – he who must be obeyed – now calls this species Lunuled Broadtail Eupeodes luniger. I previously used the name Common Spotted Field Syrph while Obsidentify calls it Lunuled Aphideater.

I was surprised to identify this as another of the same species. At the time it looked significantly more slender. Searching the web indicates there are no other species with this shaped yellow markings.

An almost identical view of a Syrphus hoverfly as I photographed yesterday. A female showing her mostly yellow hind-leg through the folded wing to enable me to identify it as a Humming Syrphus Syrphus ribesii.

An immature male Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum. Adult males are a brighter red and females light brown.

With the usual proviso that there are almost certainly "similar species" this looks to be the Tachinid fly Exorista rustica. A new / newly identified species for me.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2011
Priorslee Lake
Kingfisher
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Wigeon
Water Rail
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)

20 Sep 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

12.0°C > 16.0°C: An area of high clouded faded away to sun for a while. Then a few puffy clouds.. Moderate westerly wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:51 BST

* = a species photographed today
! = a first sighting of the species this year
$ = a new species for me in this area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:50 – 09:15

(214th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- no Mute Swan!
- another low count of Mallard: just nine. Where have they all gone? Perhaps the recent rains have filled ponds and ditches elsewhere and they don't need us any more.
- eight Tufted Duck again.
- a Little Grebe was calling in the north-west area after 06:40. Not seen
- over 250 Black-headed Gulls were present by 06:40. Many soon departed. Strangely none was on the football field c.07:00.
- another small arrival of Lesser Black-backed Gulls early with 52 noted. After 08:00 62 arrived from the east with just four Herring Gulls among them. I noted 61 flying by early on and there were at least this number of unidentified "large birds" – either gulls or Rooks – passing very far to the East.
- 12 Barn Swallows were noted at 07:25 with smaller number present thereafter.
- a lone House Martin was heard and then seen high over at 07:30. It was soon joined by others with eventually at least 10 together. An aerial food-pass was seen even though no juvenile calls were heard.
- 14 Chiffchaffs with three heard singing.
- two Blackcaps: one singing quietly and another calling.
- a lone Starling flew East over the football field at 07:00. A few minutes later two groups totalling 32 birds followed it.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 61+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls: see notes
- 16 Feral Pigeons: eight flew North together; then eight flew East together – different flocks, only one included an all-white bird.
- 8 Wood Pigeons only
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 289 Jackdaws
- 54 Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- no Mute Swans
- 9 (6♂?) Mallard: see notes
- 8 (2?♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 40 Coot only
- 1 Little Grebe
- 16 Great Crested Grebes
- >250 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Herring Gulls
- 1114 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants: arrived singly and two departed separately
- 1 Grey Heron: departed

Hirundines etc. noted:
- >12 Barn Swallows
- >10 House Martins

Warblers noted:
- 14 Chiffchaffs: of these three in song
- 2 Blackcaps: of these three in song

Also noted:

Not much.

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris: just two

Hoverflies:
- *Stripe-backed Fleckwing Dasysyrphus albostriatus [Stripe-backed Brusheye]
- *Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax

Flies:
- *"greenbottles" of two different genera
- a few other unidentified flies

On the West end street lamp poles before dawn:

Moths:
- 1 *Large Pale Masoner Blastobasis lacticolella [was London Dowd]

Bees, wasps etc.:
- 1 *ichneumon wasp probably Pimpla rufipes [Black Slip Wasp]

True flies:
- 1 *fly Dryomyza anilis
- 1 !* fly Tricholauxania praeusta

Springtails:
- 1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis-type

Beetles:
- 1 presumed Cabbage-stem Flea Beetle Psylliodes chrysocephala

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 2 harvestmen Paroligolophus agrestis

Another sunrise worth getting out of bed for.

New for the year was this Large Pale Masoner moth Blastobasis lacticolella. When I last saw one here six year ago it was called London Dowd. I have no idea why! Looking at the data given in the literature this is from a second brood. Moth species #71 here this year for me.

This is probably the ichneumon wasp Pimpla rufipes sometimes called the Black Slip Wasp. This is a male and all the photos on NatureSpot are of females with characteristically short ovipositors.

A smart hoverfly. The two stripes on the thorax and the down-sloping yellow markings identify it as a Stripe-backed Fleckwing Dasysyrphus albostriatus also known as a Stripe-backed Brusheye.

And a more-common species of hoverfly: a Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax.

One of two flies that I found on the street lamp poles pre-dawn. This is Dryomyza anilis [no vernacular name]

Apparently new for the year is the fly Tricholauxania praeusta [no vernacular name either]. Perhaps I have failed to identify it earlier. Perhaps I identified it as something else. Perhaps it is! Flies are difficult...

...so this probably should be logged as "greenbottle" and left at that.

Plane of the day. This is a Piper PA-28R-201T Turbo Arrow III – a souped-up Piper Cherokee with retractable undercarriage. It is owned by a company registered at Ford Heath, Shrewsbury but flies out of Hawarden Airport near Chester. It was making a day-trip to Wycombe Air Park which is alongside the M40 as it passes High Wycombe.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
none

True flies:
- 14 midges
- 1 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
- 1 *unidentified cranefly

Arthropods:
- 1 *White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
- 2 Common Rough Woodlouse Porcellio scaber

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 8 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]

This cranefly looks distinctive enough. My apps suggest a Tipula species though this group typically rests with wings held open. It remains unidentified.

After a change of species yesterday it was back to a regular White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger this morning.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 09:20 – 10:45

(211th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- just one Tufted Duck today: not a drake.
- at least 39 brownhead Goosander scattered across the water and later some others((?) inside the island.
- yet another change for the Great Crested Grebes: just the three full adults and four dependent juveniles.
- still two Little Egrets.
- two Skylarks were heard overhead: the first of the Autumn passage as this species moves to the coast.

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 20 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 6 Mute Swans
- 26 (13♂) Mallard only
- 1 (0♂) Tufted Duck
- 39? (0♂) Goosander
- 5 Moorhens
- 21 Coot
- 3 + 4 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebe
- 42 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: first-winter, briefly
- 4 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2 Little Egrets

Warblers noted:
- 1 Chiffchaff: no song

Noted around the area:

Occasionally sunny.

Butterflies:
- 5 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria

Moths:
none

Bees, wasps etc.:
- 2 Honey Bees Apis mellifera
- 1 *Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius
- 1 Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- >12 Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

Hoverflies:
- 1 *Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
- 1 Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- 1 *Humming Syrphus Syrphus ribesii [Common Flower Fly]

Other true flies:
- 1 *Muscid fly Phaonia errans
- 1 $ *Locust Blowfly Stomorhina lunata
numerous unidentified flies on the Ivy bank

Trying to hide among debris on the ground (why?) was this Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius.

A Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus

A Syrphus hoverfly species. It is a female and just enough visibility of the hind-leg through the folded wing to see the yellow femur which identifies it as a Humming Syrphus Syrphus ribesii which Obsidentify calls the Common Flower Fly.

This is most likely the Muscid fly Phaonia errans. The shape of the outer edge of the wing identifies as from the genus Phaonia. There are of course similar grey-looking flies in this genus.

Fly of the day(!) and a new species for me. It is a Locust Blowfly Stomorhina lunata identified by the combination of brown halteres and two brown areas on the side of the abdomen. Also of note is that the lower half of the eye is banded. Very unusual I would have thought. Something I have only seen in the UK on a male horsefly where the whole eyes were banded.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2011
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Scaup
(Richard Vernon)

The Flash
Scaup
(Stuart Edmunds)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Tawny Owl
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)