15.0°C > 19.0°C: Overcast with signs that it was about to break as I was leaving. Moderate easterly breeze. Good visibility.
Sunrise: 05:05 BST
* = a species photographed today
! = a first sighting of the species this year
$ = a new species for me in this area
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 04:50– 06:00 // 07:05 – 09:55
(160th visit of the year)
New bird species:
*An addition to my 2026 bird list for here. A very worn adult Common Gull was sitting on one of the buoys until I took a photo of it after which it flew off! Species #90.
Bird notes:
- again initially six Canada Geese with four joining them later. The lone adult Greylag remains.
- a part-grown Mallard duckling noted again. A bumper number of adults.
- one of the twelve Black-headed Gulls was a first year bird moulting in to adult winter plumage. This is not a plumage state I see very often..
- the trio of juvenile Great Crested Grebes still with their parents. The single similar-aged juvenile was also with its parents. I did not see the full-sized but still stripe-headed independent immature bird.
- no Swifts were overhead early. At least eight after 08:30.
- [yesterday's narrative of five Sand Martins overhead Teece Drive c.05:50 should have referred to House Martins – as shown in the table. Doh!].
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 118 Wood Pigeons
- 21 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks
Counts from the lake area:
- 10 Canada Geese: of these four arrived
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 2 Mute Swans
- 43 (?♂) + 1 (1 brood) Mallard
- 4 Moorhens
- 48 Coots
- 6 + 4 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes: see notes
- 12 Black-headed Gulls: no juveniles noted
- *1 ! Common Gull
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
Hirundines etc. noted:
- >8 Swifts
- 2 House Martins
Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 4 (2) Chiffchaffs again
- 3 (2) Reed Warblers
- 3 (2) Blackcaps
Also noted:
It was a struggle to find anything (except grass moths flying away) in the cloudy conditions.
Butterflies:
- 1 Green-veined White Pieris napi
- 1 Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus
- 2 Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
- 11 Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus: gulp!
- 1 Painted Lady Vanessa cardui
- 1 Peacock Aglais io
- 1 Green-veined White Pieris napi
- 1 Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus
- 2 Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
- 11 Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus: gulp!
- 1 Painted Lady Vanessa cardui
- 1 Peacock Aglais io
Moths:
- *1 Garden Grass-moth Chrysoteuchia culmella [was Garden Grass-veneer]
- *1 Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [was Straw Grass-veneer]
many others flying away to hide.
- *1 Garden Grass-moth Chrysoteuchia culmella [was Garden Grass-veneer]
- *1 Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [was Straw Grass-veneer]
many others flying away to hide.
Bees, wasps etc.:
- Honey Bee Apis mellifera
- Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- Honey Bee Apis mellifera
- Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
Hoverflies:
- Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
- *Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- *Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
- *Common Twist-tail Sphaerophoria scripta [Long Hoverfly; Common Globetail]
- Syrphus sp. S. ribesii / S. vitripennis / S. torvus
- *Pellucid Fly Volucella pellucens [Pied Plumehorn; Great Pied Hoverfly]
- Hornet Hoverfly Volucella zonaria [Hornet Plumehorn]
- Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
- *Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- *Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
- *Common Twist-tail Sphaerophoria scripta [Long Hoverfly; Common Globetail]
- Syrphus sp. S. ribesii / S. vitripennis / S. torvus
- *Pellucid Fly Volucella pellucens [Pied Plumehorn; Great Pied Hoverfly]
- Hornet Hoverfly Volucella zonaria [Hornet Plumehorn]
Damsel / Dragon-flies:
- Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum [Common Bluet]: one female
- Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans [Common Bluetail]: one male
- Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum [Common Bluet]: one female
- Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans [Common Bluetail]: one male
True flies:
more today including...
- *Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus
- long-legged fly Dolichopus ungulatus or similar
- dagger fly Empis livida
- *$ Tachinid fly Gastrolepta anthracina
- greenbottle Lucilia sp.
- *Awkward Clusterfly Pollenia rudis
- *Flesh fly Sarcophaga sp., possibly S. carnaria
- *marsh fly Tetanocera ferruginea
a few other unidentified flies
more today including...
- *Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus
- long-legged fly Dolichopus ungulatus or similar
- dagger fly Empis livida
- *$ Tachinid fly Gastrolepta anthracina
- greenbottle Lucilia sp.
- *Awkward Clusterfly Pollenia rudis
- *Flesh fly Sarcophaga sp., possibly S. carnaria
- *marsh fly Tetanocera ferruginea
a few other unidentified flies
Bugs:
none
none
Beetles:
none
none
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
none
On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:
none
On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:
Nothing!
A bird species new for the year – a Common Gull. Distinctly "uncommon" in this part of Shropshire. I usually only see one or two most years. Identify by the rounded head, all-white during the breeding season, the dark eye and the weak-looking bill. On this bird many of the wing feathers look faded and abraded. The mantle (back) tone is slightly darker than Black-headed or Herring Gull but nowhere near the darker tone of Lesser Black-backed Gull.
One of the few grass moths I was able to track down after they exploded from the grass under my feet. The angled cross-line toward the wing tip identifies it as a Garden Grass-moth Chrysoteuchia culmella. This species is approaching the end of its flight period.
With no cross-line and more extensive white along the folded wing this is a Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella.
A Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax. The photo is not quite sharp but I have included it as it shows the tongue at full stretch which it seems to be cleaning with its foreleg.
A Common Twist-tail hoverfly Sphaerophoria scripta. The alternative name of Long Hoverfly seems more apposite. I use the names on Steven Falk's Flickr gallery as the primary name.
A new(ly identified?) fly species for me. It is the Tachinid fly Gastrolepta anthracina. Another occasion when the person naming the species has had a sense of humour: "anthracite" anyone? It then has to be amended to match the gender of the genus Gastrolepta to conform to the rules of scientific nomenclature.
The, er, golden hairs on the thorax of this fly identify it as a Pollenia species. It is most likely an Awkward Clusterfly P. rudis.
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
A small cranefly with mottled wings held over the back at rest identifies it as the cranefly Tipula confusa.
Common Dronefly E. tenax is a more robust species.
I know it was in yesterday's blog but it is an attractive hoverfly: a Pellucid Fly Volucella pellucens.
It is nearly two weeks since I last saw a Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus. This is a male.
Close-up and personal with a Flesh fly Sarcophaga sp., possibly S. carnaria
I believe this to be the marsh fly Tetanocera ferruginea.
This is the same species: a differing perspective on a different individual.
(Ed Wilson)
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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
Moths:
- *1 Small Dusty Wave Idaea seriata
- *1 Small Dusty Wave Idaea seriata
Flies:
- 3 midges of several species
- 2 mayfly, possibly Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum again
- 5 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]: one a day but never in the same place on the wall
- *1 ! cranefly Tipula confusa
- 3 midges of several species
- 2 mayfly, possibly Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum again
- 5 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]: one a day but never in the same place on the wall
- *1 ! cranefly Tipula confusa
Arthropods:
- 1 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
- 1 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
- *1 other unidentified spider
- 2 harvestman Phalangium opilio
- 1 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
- *1 other unidentified spider
- 2 harvestman Phalangium opilio
This Small Dusty Wave moth Idaea seriata was on the wall of the tunnel.
Obsidentify assures me this is a Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata or, as the app calls it, a Silver-sided Sector Spider. I am not sure: it looks too big to me but I cannot offer an alternative ID.
The Flash: 06:05 – 07:00
(158th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- back to 18 Mute Swans!
- a few Canada and Greylag Geese were trying their new wings and making short flights with a very few departing.
- just one Great Crested Grebe found.
- a tight group of at least 25 presumed Racing Pigeons flew East at high speed. It was most unlikely that these were any of the local Feral Pigeons though the direction and date is puzzling for Racing Pigeons. Normally these fly "north" with training flights on Thursdays and races on Saturdays.
- one of the Black-headed Gulls was on the island with one wing raised in the air, apparently caught on fishing line.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Cormorant
- >25 Racing Pigeons: see notes
Noted on / around the water:
- 144 Canada Geese
- 95 Greylag Geese
- 18 Mute Swans
- *22 (?♂) Mallard
- 32 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens only
- 51 Coots only: of these five were dependent juveniles
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- no Grey Heron
Hirundines etc. noted:
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 06:05 – 07:00
(158th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- back to 18 Mute Swans!
- a few Canada and Greylag Geese were trying their new wings and making short flights with a very few departing.
- just one Great Crested Grebe found.
- a tight group of at least 25 presumed Racing Pigeons flew East at high speed. It was most unlikely that these were any of the local Feral Pigeons though the direction and date is puzzling for Racing Pigeons. Normally these fly "north" with training flights on Thursdays and races on Saturdays.
- one of the Black-headed Gulls was on the island with one wing raised in the air, apparently caught on fishing line.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Cormorant
- >25 Racing Pigeons: see notes
Noted on / around the water:
- 144 Canada Geese
- 95 Greylag Geese
- 18 Mute Swans
- *22 (?♂) Mallard
- 32 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens only
- 51 Coots only: of these five were dependent juveniles
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- no Grey Heron
Hirundines etc. noted:
None
Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- no Chiffchaffs again
- 1 (1) Blackcap again
Noted around the area:
Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- no Chiffchaffs again
- 1 (1) Blackcap again
Noted around the area:
Moths:
- *2 Single-dotted Wave Idaea dimidiata
- *2 Single-dotted Wave Idaea dimidiata
Flies:
- 1 unidentified Muscid fly.
- 1 unidentified Muscid fly.
Nothing else in the cloudy conditions.
As soon as I appeared these three Mallard appeared and walked up to me apparently be demanding to be fed. They were out of luck. I suspect the bird on the right is the mother of the other two, one to become a drake (the nearer bird with the all greenish bill) and the other to become a duck (a darker bill with the orange-brown edges).
Nasty: the immature Black-headed Gull looks to have snagged its wing on fishing line which has somehow become wrapped around the wing.
Among many strange markings on a street lamp pole at the top end I found this Single-dotted Wave moth Idaea dimidiata. There was another on a street lamp pole near the academy.
(Ed Wilson)
(Ed Wilson)