17 Jul 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  04:10 – 05:40 // 06:45 – 09:35
The Flash:  05:45 – 06:40

15.0°C > 21.0°C:  Area of medium cloud to NE cleared away and clear for a while. Layer of medium / high cloud later. Light and variable mainly SW breeze. Good visibility. Rather hazy again

Sunrise: 05:06 BST

Priorslee Lake:  04:10 – 05:40 // 06:45 – 09:35

(177th visit of the year)

Highlight today was coming face-to-face with a Badger trundling along the N side at 04:25. My first record of this species here and my first non road-kill sighting in Shropshire for many a year. It soon got wind of me and scampered off.

Bird notes from today
- A Tufted Duck flew E at 05:05.
- Little Grebe in the middle of the water and still unable to age it. Does not look like a summer-plumaged adult. Certainly not a juvenile from this year.
- Young Buzzard(s) heard begging for food again and adult seen carrying unidentified prey.
- Unable to reliably separate some of the juvenile Coots so from now on all lumped in one total. Somewhere between 25 and 30 birds seem likely to successfully fledge.
- The Common Tern by 07:00: disappeared by 07:40: back again 08:05.
- Seven Lesser Black-backed Gulls dropped at various times. Up to four present early. All but one full adults. None stayed long, but longer than the usual ‘gas and go’.
- A Tawny Owl objected to my flash photos of the moths on the lamps and gave me a hoot.
- No Swifts early and none seen later.
- 18 Pied Wagtails on the football field at 06:55.

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 2 Greylag Geese (outbound)
- 1 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Black-headed Gull
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 26 Wood Pigeons
- 8 Jackdaws only
- 9 Rooks only
- 4 Starlings
- 1 Linnet again

Hirundines etc. noted:
- no Swifts
- 2 Barn Swallows
- 12 House Martins again

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 9 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 8 (3) Blackcaps
- 1 (0) Garden Warbler again
- no (Common) Whitethroats
- 11 (3) Reed Warblers

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans as ever
- 18 (?♂) Mallard
- 1 Little Grebe
- 6 + 3 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 1 + 4 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 60 adult and juvenile Coots, exactly
- 1 Common Tern again
- 28+ Black-headed Gulls
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

On the lamp poles pre-dawn, the following moths:
- 1 Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- 1 Little Grey (Dipleurina lacustrata)
- 2 presumed Common Grey moths (Scoparia ambigualis)
- 1 Small Fan-footed Wave (Idaea biselata)
- 1 Riband Wave (Idaea aversata)
Seen later:
- 1 Badger
- 1 Grey Squirrel
- 1 pipistrelle-type bat
The following insects logged on a rather frustrating morning. I was having difficulty persuading the camera to focus. And my normal ‘transect’ through the grass has become so overgrown I was losing my route and flushing things I could not then access to photograph.
- Butterflies (in species order):
        - 4 Essex Skippers (Thymelicus lineola)
- 3 Small Skippers (Thymelicus sylvestris)
        - 4 Large Skippers (Ochlodes sylvanus)
        - 6 Green-veined Whites (Pieris napi)
        - 2 Speckled Woods (Pararge aegeria)
- 8 Ringlets (Aphantopus hyperantus)
- 2 Gatekeepers (Pyronia tithonus): new for year
- 1 Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)
- Moths (in species order):
- at least 4 Garden Grass-veneers (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- 1 Common Marble (Celypha lacunana)
- 1 Pale Straw Pearl (Udea lutealis)
- 1 Small Fan-footed Wave (Idaea biselata)
- 8 Shaded Broad-bar (Scotopteryx chenopodiata)
- Damselflies etc. (alphabetic order of vernacular name):
- 1 Brown Hawker
- a few Blue-tailed Damselflies
- very many Common Blue Damselflies
- 1 immature male Red-eyed Damselfly
- The usual hoverfly suspects plus
        - 1 Cheilosia illustrata again
And other things:
- 1 second instar nymph of a Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina)
- many Hogweed Bonking-beetles (Rhagonycha fulva)
- 7 Harlequin Ladybirds (Harmonia axyridis): all of the form succinea. Several were rather more orange than usual.
- 4 Harlequin Ladybird pupae
- four 7 Spot Ladybirds (Coccinella 7-punctata)
- one 24 Spot Ladybird (Subcoccinella vigintiquattuorpunctata)
- >10 Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
- 3 Wasp sp.
- 1 smart Nemorilla floralis fly
- Mallow (Malva sp.) flowers on the dam seem to be a garden escape

This Reed Warbler was collecting food for its brood. Not shown in any other photos I have taken recently is the rounded tail.

I have never known a year with so many ‘grey’ moths and when they insist on staying high up lamp poles they are very difficult to get enough clarity to separate them. This well-marked specimen on the right ticks all the boxes for Little Grey (Dipleurina lacustrata). The very plain moth on the left does not seem to tick any boxes. It may be a rather late specimen of Timothy Tortrix (Zelotherses paleana) but I will let it go.

I can never remember which is which of these grass moths and always have to look them up. This is a Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella) with the angled mark near the gold-tipped wing edge.

This is an Antipodean example of Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella) [joke]. The wing markings have almost worn off on this specimen.

They manage to point all ways.

It makes a change to see this species in natural light and not feet up a lamp pole. It is a Small Fan-footed Wave (Idaea biselata).

This is a Pale Straw Pearl moth (Udea lutealis). My previous effort was an angled shot of a half-hidden specimen. Here we see the wing pattern clearly. Note the characteristic way the antennae are held over the body at rest.

By far the best specimen of Shaded Broad-bar (Scotopteryx chenopodiata) I have managed to photograph this year.

It is easy to see how it got its name when the markings are as fresh as here.

This skipper has all the features to be an Essex Skipper (Thymelicus lineola). The most conclusive feature is the black-tipped antennae. Supportive features are: the ‘leaking’ of the dark trailing edge of the forewing along its edge; and the sleight highlight to the veins in the wings.

And another!

And here a male with the scent mark in the forewing. Here the mark is short and straight whereas on Small Skipper it is longer and slightly curved.

My what a long tongue you have! We see the antenna tips are not black so this is a Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris).

For comparison here is a Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus). The wing-edge is not cleanly marked and the antennae are pointed. Size is of little use to separate these three species, despite their names.

A very fresh specimen of a Green-veined White – the yellow scales soon wear off making the veins more apparent. They are never ‘green’ though appear so from the combination of remaining yellow scales contrasting and the black veins.

Yet another fresh butterfly specimen and my first Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus) this year. When this fresh the species is quite distinctive. When faded it can be confused with a worn Meadow Brown. Separate by the twin white dots in the black circle in the forewing – always present. Only looking at this photo did I realise there is a single white dot in a smaller black circle in the hind wing.

A different specimen.

And another cracking fresh butterfly, this time a Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae). The neat blue-edging is usually soon worn away. The scientific name relates to the food plant of the caterpillar – nettles.

This was a ‘chance’ photo of what I thought was a nicely posed damselfly. I nearly deleted it because part of the body was hidden and then noticed the red cast in the eye. Is the eye really red or taking on a hue from its surroundings? After much searching in the literature it seems this is a young male Red-eyed Damselfly (Erythromma najas). It is turning in to a bumper year for me with this species.

A common-enough hoverfly even if I have seen rather few over the last few weeks. There were many about today. It is a Common Drone-fly (Eristalis tenax). The markings can vary considerable. This species flies almost all year, hibernating in the coldest, cloudiest weather.

I said a variable species. When I saw this I thought the two thin pale-looking lines across the body would lead to something exciting. Sadly not. The Ragwort is attractive!

A ‘plan’ view of a Pellucid Fly (Volucella pellucens). The white ‘middle’ is diagnostic. 

And the side-elevation’. Note the yellow face, something I had not noted previously.

Whatever you feel about flies you have to admit this is a very smart-looking insect. No vernacular name. Call it Nemorilla floralis.

This is a second instar nymph of a Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina). As this species progresses through two other instar phases towards becoming an adult the extent of the black marking reduces.

This Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) is rather more orange-toned than usual. It is of the form succinea as were all those I saw today.

A flower found on the dam. This is a Mallow (Malva sp.). It does not match any ‘wild’ species in my literature and I suspect it is a garden escape. Looks good though.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  05:45 – 06:40

(170th visit of the year)

Notes from here:
- We seem to be one cygnet missing. The pen was asleep on the island. The cob was at the top end close to, but not with, last year’s remaining juvenile. Meanwhile the cygnets were calling along the E side, mixing with the geese.
- Extra difficulty counting the Tufted Ducks today. They were spread out, continually diving and some were chasing around.
and
- 2 Common Grey moths (Scoparia ambigualis) on lamp poles

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Black-headed Gull
- 2 Feral Pigeons
- 1 Jackdaw

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 Swift over: 12 in distance
- 3 House Martins

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 1 (1) Chiffchaff
- 1 (0) Blackcap

Counts from the water:
- 3 + 3 Mute Swans
- 55 Greylag Geese
- 136 Canada Geese
- 22 (>6♂) Mallard
- 26 (21?♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 2 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes still
- 3 + 2 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 15 + 8 (3? broods) Coots
- 6 Black-headed Gulls again

One of the adult Great Crested Grebes with one of the juveniles.

The other adult with the other juvenile. I always wonder whether any one juvenile stays with the same adult and if so whether boys stay with Dad or Mum. As I know of no way to sex even the adults it is rather a rhetorical thought.

In the gloom of squirrel alley was this very spotty Robin. Just a hint of red on the top / side of the breast.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

- Moorhen(s) heard from the lower pool.
- Moorhen seen around, and others heard from, the upper pool.
- 1 Chiffchaff calling at the lower pool.
- 1 Blackcap calling at the upper pool once more.
- [The almost regular party of Bullfinches were at the bottom end of The Flash.]
and moths on lamp poles:
- 1 Grey Tortrix Agg. moth (Cnephasia sp.) present again.
- 1 Common Grey moth (Scoparia ambigualis)
- 1 Dun-bar moth (Cosmia trapezina)
with
- 1 Tipula pagana crane-fly on the roof of the Priorslee Avenue tunnel

Another moth very much enlarged from high up a lamp pole. At least it is a distinctive moth with no confusion species. The shape of the centre-wing barring is spot-on for Dun-bar (Cosmia trapezina).

This crane-fly was on the roof of the Priorslee Avenue tunnel. Not too many crane-fly species habitually rest with the wings closed. This seems to be Tipula pagana, though it is a bit early in the year for this to be common.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day..........

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Report Here