18 Jul 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

13.0°C > 18.0°C: Clear but hazy. Low cloud to the North later did not encroach this far. Light and variable breeze. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:08 BST

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

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 04:45– 05:55 // 07:05 – 09:30

(163rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- initially eight Canada Geese: eventually nineteen. The lone adult Greylag joined by another.
- no Mallard duckling noted. Fewer adults.
- a new brood of three Coots appeared.
- all the Great Crested Grebes behaved themselves and appeared: six adults and five juveniles.
- a tight group of 19 presumed Racing Pigeons flew fast East across the football field c.05:35. None of the local Feral Pigeons seemed interested in joining them. Seems an early time for Racing Pigeons to be about.
- a Willow Warbler was seen along the South side: making an early start on its long journey back to sub-Saharan Africa.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 19 Racing(?) Pigeons
- 84 Wood Pigeons
- 158 Jackdaws
- 69 Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- 19 Canada Geese: see notes
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 32 (?♂) Mallard
- 6 Moorhens
- 49 Coots: three of these a new party of juveniles
- 6 + 5 (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes: see notes
- 14 Black-headed Gulls
- 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron: heard c.05:20 only

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 6 Swifts again
- 1 Barn Swallow
- 2 House Martins

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 1 (0) Willow Warbler
- 5 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (1) Reed Warblers
- 4 (1) Blackcaps

Also noted:
The vegetation is very dry and flowers are fading fast. Other than butterflies it was a struggle.

Butterflies:
- *2 Green-veined White Pieris napi
- 2 unidentified "whites" Pieris sp.
- *2 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
- 19 Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
- 39 (!!) Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus
- 7 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta
- 3 Painted Lady Vanessa cardui
- *2 Peacock Aglais io
- *1 Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas

Moths:
- *8 Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [was Straw Grass-veneer]
many other *unidentified grass moths flying away to hide.
- *1 Mint Moth Pyrausta aurata [was Small Purple & Gold]

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Honey Bee Apis mellifera
- Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius
- Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- *Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

Hoverflies:
very few!
- Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
- Pellucid Fly Volucella pellucens [Pied Plumehorn; Great Pied Hoverfly]

Damsel / Dragon-flies:
- Emperor Dragonfly Anax imperator [Blue Emperor]
- Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum [Common Bluet]
- *Black-tailed Skimmer Orthetrum cancellatum
at least one other species of dragonfly seen in flight only

True flies:
even fewer today including...
- greenbottle Lucilia sp.
- *! cranefly Nephrotoma flavipalpis
- *marsh fly Tetanocera ferruginea
a few unidentified flies

Bugs:
none

Beetles:
none

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 possible Garden Spider Araneus diadematus [Garden Cross Spider]
- *1 possible Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius [Bridge Orbweaver]

On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:
A blank morning again

I may have had my doubts about several of the "white" butterflies today but not this Green-veined White Pieris napi

Is this Speckled Wood butterfly Pararge aegeria destined to fly around in circles? Of course as a feisty species that is often seen in sparring duos or groups they frequently fly in circles anyway.

And some other butterflies have also seen better days. A very ragged Peacock butterfly Aglais io.

A Small Copper butterfly Lycaena phlaeas from the underside.

Hooray! A Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella actually posing for a photo and not disappearing in the long grass.

This grass moth is also posing but is so worn I cannot tell what species it is.

Worth another look: a Mint Moth Pyrausta aurata, formerly known as Small Purple & Gold.

Common Wasps Vespula vulgaris have been scarce so far this year. Long may it stay that way? Not really as they are an important predator of very many pest species.

A posing Black-tailed Skimmer Orthetrum cancellatum.

A smart cranefly. It is one of the several species in the "Tiger Cranefly group" though that specific appellation is given to a different species. This, a Nephrotoma flavipalpis, has no vernacular name. The ovipositor identifies it as a female.

The marsh fly Tetanocera ferruginea seems to be especially common at the moment.

One of two spiders that were on the sluice control box inside the boxing ring on the dam. This looks to be a Garden Spider Araneus diadematus.

Very close-by was this possible Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius dealing with a large fly, apparently a Cluster Fly Pollenia sp. I am more confident about this spider's ID though I have not previously seen this species away from the West end.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- 1 Brown House-moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella
- 1 Single-dotted Wave Idaea dimidiata
- *2 unidentified pug moths
- *1 ! Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba

Flies:
- 3 midges only
- 1 mayfly, possibly Pond Olive Cloeon dipterum
- 1 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]

Arthropods:
- 2 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger

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

One of two pug moths I noted on the ceiling of the tunnel. Neither Obsidentify nor Google Lens gave a positive ID and I remain unhappy with any of their suggestions.

I was equally unconvinced about any of their suggestions for this one.

My first Large Yellow Underwing moth Noctua pronuba of the year. An abundant species which I rarely see – one a year in the tunnel seems to be the going rate. It is one of the large group of Noctuid moths that seem to come to light early in the night and have presumably hidden away well before dawn.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:00 – 07:00

(161st visit of the year)

New bird species:
A belated addition to my 2026 bird list at this site when a single Barn Swallow flew South. Species #71.

Bird notes
I did not see either yesterday's moulting drake Common Teal or hear any Ring-necked Parakeet.

Other bird notes:
- 18 Mute Swans remain.
- the decline in geese numbers continues.
- only ten of the 31 Coots were on the edge of the island. A new brood of three juveniles boosted the otherwise low number. Where have they all gone?
- three adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrived together from the West and immediately started noisily dive-bombing the Grey Heron that had been minding its own business atop a tree on the island.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
None

Noted on / around the water:
- 62 Canada Geese
- 59 Greylag Geese
- 18 Mute Swans
- 19 (?♂) Mallard
- 19 (?♂) Tufted Duck only
- 3 Moorhens
- 31 Coots
- no Great Crested Grebe
- 3 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adults, arrived together
- 1 Grey Heron

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 Barn Swallow
- 2 House Martins

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 1 (1) Chiffchaff again

Noted around the area:

Moths:
- 2 Bird-cherry Ermine Yponomeuta evonymella
- *1 ! Pale-streak Grass-moth Agriphila selasella [was Pale-streak Grass-veneer]
- *1 ! Black Arches Lymantria monacha
- *1 Swallow Prominent Pheosia tremula
- 8 caterpillars of Cinnabar Tyria jacobaeae

Bugs:
- NB: yesterday's mirid bug Phytocoris tiliae has been confirmed as such by the Shropshire recorder.

Beetles:
- *1 ! Orange Ladybird Halyzia sedecimguttata

Another variation on the grass moth theme. My first Pale-streak Grass-moth Agriphila selasella of the year on one of the street lamp poles alongside the Wesley Brook leading away from The Flash.

A smart moth: a Black Arches Lymantria monacha. I found this at shoulder-height on a street lamp pole at the top end resting in full sun. I used my shadow to get a better contrast. I had taken a "safety shot" in case it flew off. This is a worn individual with no scales remaining on top of its head. A species I record every year: only one or two though.

"Come in #9 your time is up"! A Swallow Prominent moth Pheosia tremula found on one of the shaded street lamp poles at the top end where I usually find a few each year. Presumably a second generation individual. The Field Guide notes April – June for the first generation and August for the second.

New for the year was this Orange Ladybird Halyzia sedecimguttata, also on one of the street lamp poles alongside the Wesley Brook.

(Ed Wilson)