31 May 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

14.0°C > 17.0°C: Fine. Mostly cloud with a few sunny intervals. Almost calm start with light / moderate south-westerly breeze developing. Excellent visibility.

Sunrise: 04:53 BST again

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

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 04:45 – 06:00 // 07:10 – 09:05

(127th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- at least 11 Canada Geese present at various times, to the annoyance of the cob Mute Swan who briefly recruited the pen to help chase them.
- the seven Greylag Geese goslings present and correct. Another adult flew in and later departed.
- the usual trio of almost independent Mallard ducklings seen. What seemed to be a different trio of independent ducklings together with an older duo.
- a pair of Tufted Duck here with none at The Flash.
- no juvenile Coots seen.
- a fly-over Lesser Black-backed Gull was the only gull seen here
- only the new of the Common Whitethroats was noted singing. At the original site one was heard alarm-calling suggesting juveniles nearby.
- no Garden Warbler heard today/

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 27 Canada Geese: 16 flew East in three groups; 11 flew North in two groups.
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 2 Wood Pigeons only
- 4 Jackdaws

Counts from the lake area:
- 11 Canada Geese: see notes
- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Greylag Geese: see notes
- 2 Mute Swans
- 15 (10♂) + 8 (3 broods) Mallard: see notes
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck again
- 4 Moorhens
- 23 Coots
- 6 Great Crested Grebes again
- no Grey Heron

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 6 Swifts arrived c.05:05. Birds visible most of the time in small numbers
- 1 Barn Swallow
- 2 House Martins briefly over the Castle Farm Way end.

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 16 (12) Chiffchaffs
- 9 (9) Reed Warblers
- 16 (15) Blackcaps
- 2 (1) Common Whitethroats: see notes
- no Garden Warbler

Also noted:

Butterflies:
- 1 Painted Lady Vanessa cardui

Moths:
- 1 Yellow-barred Longhorn Nemophora degeerella
- 1 Common Marble Celypha lacunana

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Tree Bumblebee Bombus hypnorum
- Early Bumblebee Bombus pratorum
fewer bumblebees around
- sawfly of the Tenthredo arcuata / brevicornis / notha / schaefferi complex

Hoverflies:
- Buttercup Blacklet Cheilosia albitarsus
- Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
- Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
- Syrphus sp. S. ribesii / S. vitripennis / S. torvus

Damsel / Dragon-flies:
none: no sun = no damselflies

Other flies:
- long-legged fly Argyra diaphana
- $ long-legged fly Argyra leucocephala [5 mm]
- Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus: very many: two females noted again
- long-legged fly Dolichopus ungulatus or similar
- $ possible lance fly Lonchoptera bifurcata or similar
- greenbottle Lucilia sp.
- Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria
- $ possible stretched-foot fly Tanypeza longimana
- otherwise many unidentified fly species

Grasshoppers, crickets:
none

Bugs:
none

Beetles:
- click beetle Athous haemorrhoidalis
- Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis: larvae (these cannot be ascribed to the adult form)
- Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis var. succinea
- False Blister Beetle Oedemera lurida or O. virescens

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- presumed money spider Erigone sp.
- Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

New flowers for the year:
- $ Water-cress agg. Nasturtium officinale agg. [Water-cress N. officinale; Narrow-fruited Water-cress N. microphyllum and hybrids]

On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:

Another blank day: why do I bother!

Deathly quiet on Castle Farm Way at 05:05 with a touch of colour in the dawn. Mostly cloudy later.

I think here are two broods of independent Mallard ducklings. The two almost full-grown escorting a trio. Another trio of well-grown ducklings was seen still with their mother at the other end of the lake.

Not good light at 05:10 as a Great Crested Grebe scoffs a large breakfast!

In a brief sunny interlude this Painted Lady butterfly Vanessa cardui posed well.

A smart Yellow-barred Longhorn moth Nemophora degeerella

A Common Marble moth Celypha lacunana. Very common and easily disturbed during the day but usually flies in to the middle-distance or dives on to the underside of a leaf.

Enough of the markings show through the folded wings to enable this Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus to be identified.

A male (the eyes meet) Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax at rest.

This small red-eyed fly seems to be the long-legged fly Argyra diaphana.

As far as I can determine this 5mm long fly is also a long-legged fly, this time Argyra leucocephala. A new species for me.

A female Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus: very different from the all-black, slim-bodied males.

This is the long-legged fly Dolichopus ungulatus (or similar).

I am going with the suggestion made by both Obsidentify and Google Lens that this is the lance fly Lonchoptera bifurcata (or similar). According to NatureSpot that illustrates only two species in this family "lance fly" because it has long, narrow wings. Hmm.

Another joint Obsidentify and Google Lens agreement that this is a stretched-foot fly Tanypeza longimana. Nothing in this genus appears in NatureSpot.

This is the click beetle Athous haemorrhoidalis.

Down at the water's-edge in front of the dam I noted this "Water-cress" Nasturtium officinale agg. Three forms, Water-cress N. officinale; Narrow-fruited Water-cress N. microphyllum and hybrids, are not separable until the seed pods can be examined. Strangely and despite its abundance here I have not recorded it here previously.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- 1 Marbled Minor agg. Oligia strigilis agg.

Flies:
- 1 Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus: male
- 17 midges of several species
- 2 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]

A moth from the Marbled Minor aggregate Oligia strigilis agg. There are three species involved and males (only) can be separated by examining the genitalia

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:05 – 07:05

(124th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the Canada Goose gosling seen again.
- no Greylag Geese.
- a Canada x Greylag Goose present: many weeks since I noted any hybrids.
- one of the visiting Mute Swans not seen - the first year bird.
- only four juvenile Coots found from three broods.

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 72 + 1 (1 brood) Canada Geese: of these a pair departed
- 1 Canada x Greylag Goose
- 6 Mute Swans: assuming the pen is on the hidden nest?
- 18 (16♂) Mallard
- 7 Moorhens
- 33+ 4 (3 broods) Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 Swifts
- 2 House Martins: together, briefly, over the East side

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 4 (4) Chiffchaffs again
- 3 (3) Blackcaps again

Noted around the area:
A milder morning with the wind only beginning to pick up:

Moths:
- 1 Pale Tussock Calliteara pudibunda

Hoverflies:
- Spotted Meliscaeva Meliscaeva auricollis [Spotted Thintail]

Damsel-/dragon-flies:
- Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans [Common Bluetail]

Other flies:
- Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus: all males
- $ probable fungus gnat Macrocera sp.
- moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
- 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata
- Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis var. succinea

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

The closer goose is a hybrid, mostly Canada but the pale bill and eye-ring suggest a Greylag influence. It is one of the least crosses I can recall over the years - they come and they go. It seems from my records that this is the first hybrid I have seen here this year. The Winter period usually has delivered a few. Moult time - about to start - is another time hybrids tend to appear.

Trying to blend in with an algae-covered sign attached to a street lamp pole was this Pale Tussock moth Calliteara pudibunda.

A sleeping beauty. This is a Spotted Meliscaeva hoverfly Meliscaeva auricollis. In most specimens there is a thin black line down the centre of the abdomen "joining the dots".

The only damselfly I noted today was this Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans. My first at The Flash this year.

A truly odd fly. Both Obsidentify and Google Lens think a fungus gnat Macrocera sp. Note the long antennae and the spurs on the legs. The banded abdomen does not match any species in the NatureSpot gallery.

Another view. Those long antennae are thicker than I expected.

A moth fly Psychodidae sp. in daylight.

(Ed Wilson)

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Many thanks to Laura Peyton for the wonderful photos below.

A Chiffchaff at Priorslee Balancing Lake

A male Bullfinch at The Flash

And also at The Flash a juvenile Blue Tit being fed by one of its parents.

(Laura Peyton)

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2007
Wrekin
3 Tree Pipit
2 Wood Warbler
1 Pied Flycatcher
2 Spotted Flycatcher
(Martin Adlam)

30 May 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

9.0°C > 18.0°C: Fine. Areas of mostly thin high cloud took the edge off the sun at times. Very light wind. Excellent visibility.

Sunrise: 04:53 BST

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

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 04:50 – 06:05 // 07:10 – 09:45

(126th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the Common Peafowl (Peacock) was heard again c.05:00. Also "foreign" was a cockerel heard crowing c.07:15 either from the Ricoh grounds or nearby properties.
- the seven Greylag Geese goslings present and correct. Their parents were the only other geese present until seven Canada Geese arrived from the North at c.09:35.
- just the trio of almost independent Mallard ducklings seen. Other hiding in the reeds?
- a pair of Tufted Duck here with none at The Flash.
- three juvenile Coots seen from a new-to-me brood.
- back to six Great Crested Grebes. However two birds were sitting alongside reeds and might have had a partner inside on a nest?
- a trio of Lesser Black-backed Gulls (two adults and very bleached and faded (near?) adult) were on the football field c.05:45.
- a Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen flying East over the Teece Drive gate c.09:20.
- a family party of Blackcaps was seen in the Ricoh hedge
- both Common Whitethroats noted singing again.
- a Garden Warbler was singing alongside the M54 today. The same bird?
- two Mistle Thrush flew out of the Ricoh grounds c.09:15. No song heard.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 4 Canada Geese: four flew East as two pairs
- 15 Greylag Geese: all West as a single and seven pairs, loosely together
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Stock Doves: together
- 6 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Grey Heron
- 6 Jackdaws

Counts from the lake area:
- 7 Canada Geese: see notes
- 2 + 7 (1 brood) Greylag Geese
- 2 Mute Swans: the pen came off the nest, briefly
- 16 (12♂) + 3 (1 brood) Mallard: see notes
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck: see notes
- 2 Moorhens
- 21 + 3 (1 brood) Coots
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Grey Heron: departed

Hirundines etc. noted:
- c.10 Swifts arrived c.05:10. Birds visible most of the time in variable numbers
- 2 Barn Swallows: a pair feeding at the West end

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 13 (11) Chiffchaffs
- 8 (8) Reed Warblers
- 18 (15) Blackcaps
- 2 (2) Common Whitethroats again
- 1 (1) Garden Warbler still

Also noted:

Butterflies:
- 4 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
- 1 Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina: my first May record of this species
- 5 Painted Lady Vanessa cardui

Moths:
- 1 Diamond-backed Moth Plutella xylostella: my only other record here was 04 June 2016
- 1 Mint Moth Pyrausta aurata [was Small Purple & Gold]
- 1 Brindled Tortrix Ptycholoma lecheana [Leche's Twist Moth]
- 2 Silver-ground Carpet Xanthorhoe montanata
- 1 Cinnabar Tyria jacobaeae

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Tree Bumblebee Bombus hypnorum
- Early Bumblebee Bombus pratorum
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
many bumblebees not specifically identified
- Red Mason Bee Osmia bicornis
- ichneumon sp., perhaps a male Ichneumon xanthorius

Hoverflies:
- Buttercup Blacklet Cheilosia albitarsus
- Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
- Tuberculate Stripe-back Parhelophilus frutetorum
- Syrphus sp. S. ribesii / S. vitripennis / S. torvus
- Compost Hoverfly Syritta pipiens [Common Compost Fly; Thick-legged Hoverfly]
- Bumblebee Plume-horned Hoverfly Volucella bombylans var. plumata [Bumblebee Plumehorn]

Damsel / Dragon-flies:
- Azure Damselfly Coenagrion puella [Azure Bluet]
- Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum [Common Bluet]
- Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans [Common Bluetail]
very many of the 100s of damselflies were not specifically identified

Other flies:
- Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus: many fewer: two females noted
- greenbottle Lucilia sp.
- Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria
- otherwise many unidentified fly species

Grasshoppers, crickets:
none

Bugs:
none

Beetles:
- Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis : larvae only
- False Blister Beetle Oedemera lurida or O. virescens
- Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis [False Oil Beetle or Thick-legged Flower Beetle]

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

New flowers for the year:
- Pineappleweed or Wild Chamomile Matricaria discoidea

On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:
Staying almost everything free!

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 3 Long-jawed Orb-web Spiders Tetragnatha sp. all on the same pole

The sunrise this morning through the high cloud.

The tone of the back indicates this is a Lesser Black-backed Gull. Areas in the wing are very faded and / or bleached. When I saw it standing on the football field I thought it was a Herring Gull. From the bill colour this has to be an adult or perhaps a fourth year bird. Very unusual.

Peering out between the vegetation is a juvenile Blackcap – note the gape line.

And more visible here. I think that is vegetation around the bill-tip and not insect food.

After spending ages trying to get a clearer shot it, or another in the brood, decided to break cover and sit on the fence around the sailing club's yachts. Juveniles of both sexes have brown caps like the female. Perhaps to stop aggression from males, though I have never read that as an explanation.

A Speckled Wood butterfly Pararge aegeria. A particularly dark individual.

A Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina butterfly: my first May record of this species

It was sitting in full sun and it was difficult to photograph this Diamond-backed Moth Plutella xylostella: and show the characteristic markings on the abdomen. This species is a fairly common resident and frequently occurs as a migrant, sometimes in huge numbers along the South Coast. It may be "common" but my only other record here was 04 June 2016.

I usually see a few of these day-flying Mint Moths Pyrausta aurata along the South scrubby area where there is plenty of Water Mint Mentha aquatica

This moth is a Brindled Tortrix Ptycholoma lecheana which used to be known as Leche's Twist Moth (why?). I see one or two of this species most years.

A slightly better photo of a Silver-ground Carpet moth Xanthorhoe montanata. It would help if I did not see them around dawn in shaded areas.

I seemed to have seen many more of these Red Mason Bees Osmia bicornis this year.

Not my best but a photo of a spectacular-looking ichneumon wasp, probably a male Ichneumon xanthorius

A female Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax. Not easy to separate females of this species from female Tapered Dronefly E. pertinax. The leg colour clinches the ID here.

And another female captured in flight. On fine days in woodland rides there can be dozens of males hovering to mark their territory, combining to make a droning sound which gives the species their name.

This hoverfly is a Tuberculate Stripe-back Parhelophilus frutetorum. All the species in this genus are similarity orange-toned – and hard to separate! It seems to be trying scratch its back (or clean its wings?)

One of the Syrphus species of hoverfly. Perm one of S. ribesii / S. vitripennis / S. torvus.

Not at the best of an angle this is my first Compost Hoverfly Syritta pipiens of the year. The easiest identification feature of the swollen hind femur is just about visible.

It may look like a bumblebee but it isn't: the antennae are too short. It is a Bumblebee Plume-horned Hoverfly Volucella bombylans. This species has two forms: this the form plumata with a white tail. And the nominate form, bombylans, with a rufous tail. This individual seems to have body damage.

Here is a female Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus: with a very different abdomen – more robust and with a bold pattern. As with many flies her eyes are further apart than those of the male.

This wolf spider Pardosa sp. is probably a female dragging its egg-sac full of spider-eggs.

On the basis of the large pedipalps these are two male Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp. on a street lamp pole pre-dawn. It is possible they are in dispute over a third (a female?) on the extreme right. It occurs to me to wonder whether the species in this group can be further distinguished by habitat. Are those that inhabit lamp poles different from those that sit in webs in vegetation?

This is Pineappleweed also known as Wild Chamomile Matricaria discoidea.

Plane of the day. A Boring 747 Series 400 Jumbo of Kalitta Air, based in Ypsilanti, not far from Detroit in Michigan. This 1997-built freighter operated with Korean Air Cargo for just over 20 years before being bought by Kalitta. Not easy to see is confirmation that it was built as a dedicated freighter: it has a shorter upper deck as there is no passenger space, only crew rest areas.

And, courtesy of FlightRadar24 here is the routeing from Anchorage, Alaska to Fairford in Gloucester. The CMB flight code indicates it is a US Military hire, no doubt bringing supplies to support the US Air Force bombers detached to Fairford as part of Operation Epic Fury against Iran.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- 1 Common Swift Korscheltellus lupulina [was Hepialus lupulinus]: probably the same as yesterday but moved from the ceiling to the wall.

Flies:
- 14 midges of several species
- 2 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:10 – 07:05

(123rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the Canada Goose gosling reappeared.
- a lone Greylag Goose in the middle of the water.
- no Tufted Duck.
- eight juvenile Coots seen from five broods one which was a new-to-me brood of two.
- still a single Great Crested Grebes.
- an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull visited briefly

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Jackdaw

Noted on / around the water:
- 65 + 1 (1 brood) Canada Geese: of these 15 departed in two groups
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 7 Mute Swans: assuming the pen is on the hidden nest?
- 13 (12♂) Mallard only
- no Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 31+ 8 (5 broods) Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 4 Swifts
- 2 House Martins: singles briefly in different locations

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 4 (4) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (3) Blackcaps

Noted around the area:
Much cooler and little around

Flies:
- Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus: all males

Beetles:
- Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis var. succinea

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

(Ed Wilson)

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2013
Long Lane, Wellington
13 Ringed Plover
2 Dunlin
(JW Reeves)