8 Apr 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

8.0°C > 15.0°C: Almost cloudless. Light and variable breeze. Good visibility in haze.

Sunrise: 06:28 BST

* = a species photographed today
$ = a new species for me in this area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:30 – 07:00 // 08:10 – 10:00

(83rd visit of the year)

New bird species:
It is that time of the year: another addition to the bird year list from here: a Sedge Warbler was heard to sing very briefly along the South side. My earliest date by two days – 10 April last year. Species #76 here this year for me.

Other bird notes:
- *most unusual at this date was a brownhead Goosander seen only at 08:20.
- three Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrived at 06:05 and were joined by two more c.06:10. These all departed. Two arrived c.08:45 with an adult Black-headed Gull. The Black-head soon departed while the Lesser Black-backs (all of them adults) stayed a while.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 9 Canada Geese: three pairs and a single flew East; one pair flew South
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
- 1 Cormorant
- 16 Wood Pigeons
- 26 Jackdaws
- no Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- 3 Canada Geese: a pair departed and a single arrived
- 4 Greylag Geese: two pairs arrived separately
- 2 Mute Swans
- 11 (9♂) Mallard
- *9 (7♂) Tufted Duck
- *1 (0♂) Goosander, briefly?
- 8 Moorhens
- 29 Coots
- 7 Great Crested Grebes again
- 1 Black-headed Gull: adult, briefly
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: adults
- 2 Grey Heron: one chased away
- 1 Great (White) Egret: arrived 05:52

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 6 (6) Willow Warblers
- 17 (15) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Sedge Warbler
- 13 (11) Blackcaps: seemed to be everywhere

On the West end street lamp poles pre-dawn:

Moths:
none: disappointing on a mild night. Too clear?

Lacewings etc.:
- *1 Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea

Flies:
- 2 plumed midge

Beetles:
- *1 flea beetle, probably Altica sp.

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 money spider Erigone sp.
- *1 Nursery Web Spider Pisaura mirabilis
- 1 Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

Of note around the area later:

Butterflies:
- 3 Peacock Aglais io
- *2 Comma Polygonia c-album

Moths:
- *1 possible Light Orange Underwing Archiearis notha.

Bees, wasps etc.
- *Ashy Mining Bee Andrena cineria
- *Orange-tailed Mining Bee Andrena haemorrhoa aka Early Mining Bee
- *other mining Bee Andrena sp.
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- probable other bumblebee species seen in flight only

Hoverflies:
- Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
- *Syrphus sp. S. ribesii / S. vitripennis

Flies:
- Dark-edged Bee-fly Bombilius major
- also unidentified flies.

Beetles:
- 1 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata

Hazy start with colour limited to the distance.

The brownhead Goosander paddles between four drake ad two duck Tufted Duck.

A Common Buzzard overhead Teece Drive.

Splendid.

A Comma butterfly Polygonia c-album

Here on the under-wing there is the white "comma" mark that gives the species its common name.

This moth is a puzzle and a new species for me. It is likely a Light Orange Underwing Archiearis notha. It is a scarce species and there is a very similar and more common species Orange Underwing A. parthenias. As far as I can tell because this has pectinate antennae it must be a Light Orange Underwing. I will get it checked by the Shropshire recorder.

An Ashy Mining Bee Andrena cineria. This seems to be a female (larger than males) and easily mistaken for a bumblebee – though there aren't any white species!

I think this is an Orange-tailed Mining Bee Andrena haemorrhoa. The "orange-tail" is miniscule on this species.

Another mining Bee Andrena sp. I am not sure about.

My first Syrphus hoverfly, either S. ribesii or S. vitripennis. Only females are separable from photos with a clear view of the tibia on the hind leg. This is a male so don't bother.

A Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea

A flea beetle, probably Altica sp., the first I have photographed that did not seem all-black. The background is part of the identification label for the street lamp.

A presumed money spider Erigone sp. though it looks a bit large.

A Nursery Web Spider Pisaura mirabilis

Plane of the day. It is a Reims Cessna F406 Caravan II operating for RVL Aviation who are based at East Midlands Airport. Strangely there was never an equivalent aircraft marketed by the Cessna, the US parent company.

The FlightRadar24 data shows it flying from Birmingham to Birmingham. It was. It was en route to start survey work (photography?) and later flew up and down over the Welsh Border until it returned for fuel.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Flies
- 3 unidentified midges
- 1 cranefly

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 07:05 – 08:05

(81st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- no sign of yesterday's Little Grebe
- a Grey Wagtail was heard in flight: not sure whether it was flying over or had been around and was leaving.
- no Siskin noted again.

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 21 Canada Geese: more(?) inside the island
- 13 Greylag Geese: they come, they go
- 2 Mute Swans: the pen was only on the nest part of the time
- 21 (19♂) Mallard
- 10 (8♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens
- 24 Coots again
- 2 Great Crested Grebes

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 5 (5) Willow Warblers
- 4 (4) Chiffchaffs only
- *6 (5) Blackcaps

Of note around the area:

Alder flies and 4-winged allies:
- *1 Alder Fly Sialis lutaria

Flies:
- *many midges

Beetles:
- 2 Alder Leaf Beetles Agelastica alni

Most of the warblers were being difficult today flying away as soon as I pointed the camera at them. This male Blackcap was too busy singing to bother.

I sneaked up on this one as well.

This is my first Alder Fly Sialis lutaria of the year. They look superficially like a dark caddis fly with prominent veins in the wings. In fact they are unrelated as Alder Flies have two pairs of wings whereas caddis flies are part of the "true flies" than have one pair of wings and the hind-wings reduced to small halteres.

A different-looking midge. Short and squat with both a black dot and a darker area (cloud) in each wing. Still cannot identify it.

(Ed Wilson)

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

Also from The Flash today were these two wonderful photos of a Willow Warbler and...........

............a Siskin photographed by Laura Peyton. Thank you Laura.

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2014
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
3 Cormorants
2 Grey Herons
2 Greylag Geese
11 Tufted Duck
4 Blackcaps
4 Chiffchaffs
284 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
2 Great Crested Grebes
30 Tufted Ducks
2 Blackcap
2 Chiffchaffs
1 Willow Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

The Wrekin
Buzzard
Stock Dove
Willow Warbler
Siskin
Redpoll
Common Redstart
Pied Flycatcher
Crossbill
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
5 Chiffchaffs
2 Little Grebes
5 Great Crested Grebes
1 Heron
7 Tufted Ducks
1 Great Black-backed Gull
28 Redwings
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
2 Great Crested Grebes
1 Canada x ? hybrid goose
1 Pochard
59 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
6 Great Crested Grebes
14 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Middle Pool
Oystercatcher
2 Great Crested Grebe
2 Cormorant
7 Tufted Ducks
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Nedge Hill
7 Lapwings
2 Skylarks
5 Chiffchaffs
2 Blackcap
1 Willow Warbler
1 Wheatear
2 Jays
(Martin and Ian Grant)

2011
Nedge Hill
5 Wheatear
4 Common Redstart
Ring Ouzel
(John Isherwood)

The Wrekin
2 Tree Pipits
1 Pied Flycatcher
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Nedge Hill
Male Common Redstart
Little Owl
(Pete Nickless)

2007
Priorslee Lake
1 Pintail x Mallard
4 Tufted Duck
2 Meadow Pipit
5 Blackcap
7 Chiffchaff
3 Reed Bunting
(Martin Adlam)

Nedge Hill
Ring Ouzel
8 Fieldfare
(Martin Grant)

2006
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Crested Grebes
1 Heron
3 Cormorants
6 Tufted Ducks
2 Ruddy Ducks
5 Stock Doves
105 Wood Pigeons
4 Great Spotted Woodpeckers
9 Sand Martin.
14 Swallow
4 Meadow Pipits
20 Wrens
21 Robins
23 Blackbirds
1 Blackcap
8 Chiffchaffs
4 Willow Warblers
16 Magpies
1 Jay
15 Greenfinches
2 Siskins
6 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson, Martin Adlam)