Priorslee Lake: 04:10 – 05:55 // 06:50 – 08:45
The Flash: 06:00 – 06:45
19.0°C > 21.0°C: A few areas of medium / high cloud, increasing later. Light and variable wind. Very good visibility though somewhat hazy.
Sunrise: 05:18 BST
Priorslee Lake: 04:10 – 05:55 // 06:50 – 08:45
(184th visit of the year)
Bird notes from today
- Only seven large gulls passing very early, and these well to the E.
- 10 Swifts arrived at 05:00 and stayed for a short while. Thereafter two singles and the two birds flying S.
- Much smaller corvid passage. Why? I was in the same place at the same time and they were not.
- More begging juvenile House Martins.
- A single Pied Wagtail on the ‘football’ field. Where are the 50+ seen a few days ago?
Bird totals:
Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 20 Canada Geese (2 groups outbound)
- 6 Cormorants
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 7 unidentified large gulls
- 1 Stock Dove
- 53 Wood Pigeons
- 63 Jackdaws
- 51 Rooks
- 2 Starlings
Hirundines etc. noted:
- >10 Swifts
- 7 Barn Swallows
- >10 House Martins
Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 10 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (0) Blackcaps only
- 3 (0) (Common) Whitethroats
- 9 (3) Reed Warblers
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 11 Canada Geese (10 arrived in 2 groups did not stay; 1 throughout)
- 12 (10♂) Mallard
- 1 Cormorant
- 2 Grey Herons
- 6 + 3 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 1 + 4 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 42 adult and juvenile Coots: in addition the two small juveniles
- 21 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Kingfisher
Moths on the lamp poles pre-dawn:
"A good array of moths on the lamp poles pre-dawn * = new for the year):
- 1 Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- 1 *Straw Grass-veneer (Agriphila straminella)
- 2 Little Grey (Eudonia lacustrata)
- 1 Single-dotted Wave (Idaea dimidiata)
- 2 Brimstone Moths (Opisthograptis luteolata)
- 1 *Round-winged Muslin (Thumatha senex)
- 1 Dingy Footman (Eilema griseola)
- 1 *The Clay (Mythimna ferrago)
- 1 *Common Wainscot (Mythimna pallens)
Many other moths, mainly grass moths, flying around and refusing to settle."
The following logged later:
- Butterflies (in species order) (numbers not recorded):
- Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris)
- Green-veined White (Pieris napi)
- Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
- Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)
- Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus)
- Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
- Peacock (Aglais io)
- Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)
- Moths (in species order):
- >25 ‘grass moths’, mainly unidentified
- 2 Pale Straw Pearl (Udea lutealis)
- 1 Shaded Broad-bar (Scotopteryx chenopodiata) yet again
- Damselflies etc. (alphabetic order of vernacular name):
- Blue-tailed Damselflies
- Common Blue Damselflies
- No hoverfly species of note
And other things:
- more Hogweed Bonking beetles (Rhagonycha fulva)
The sunrise.
The clouds looking away from the sunrise produced a good effect as well.
This moth was much smaller in real life than it appears here. My initial thoughts were a Tortrix micro-moth. The pattern of dots exactly matches that of Round-winged Muslin (Thumatha senex). From this angle it does not look especially ‘round winged’ but that is surely what it is. A new species of moth for me in Shropshire and #51 for here in 2019
A particularly good view of a Garden Grass-veneer moth (Chrysoteuchia culmella) showing the ‘stripy’ effect. Amazingly it was at rest on one of the Belisha beacons in Teece Drive and stayed there throughout.
Does this not look like a grass moth? I thought so too and the markings on the wings suggested it was not one of the common species. In fact the markings match exactly a Pale Straw Pearl (Udea lutealis) when seen at right-angles. Instructive – I did wonder why it did not have a blue eye.
I took this photo of a Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) and unexpectedly found a Dingy Footman (Eilema griseola) lurking in the photo (as well as bits of an apparently dead spider).
And now for species #52. I spent a long while looking at descriptions of White-point moth (Mythimna albipuncta) and the very similar Clay moth (Mythimna ferrago). The former is a regular immigrant and recent weather would have encouraged that. The latter is very common. The strength and shape of the white mark is important. With advice from more experienced observers I now believe this is a Clay moth
This becomes species #53. A Common Wainscot (Mythimna pallens). The rather streaky effect gives the clue that it is a ‘wainscot’ moth: then we have to decide which. The yellow tones rule out the only other likely candidate of Smoky Wainscot (Mythimna impura).
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 06:00 – 06:45
(177th visit of the year)
Notes from here:
- The fourth cygnet was not with its siblings, favouring the big group of Greylag Geese. The parents seemed, as usual, uninterested in any of their brood.
- A new brood of a single Moorhen.
and
- A Grey Squirrel demolishing the Hazel nuts.
- 1 Pellucid Fly (Volucella pellucens) hovering above my head.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 11 Feral Pigeons (2 groups)
- 5 Wood Pigeons
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 8 Swift in very far distance
- 1 House Martin again
Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 1 (0) Chiffchaff
- 1 (0) Blackcap
Counts from the water:
- 3 + 4 Mute Swans again
- 36 Greylag Geese
- 38 Canada Geese
- 21 (>8♂) Mallard
- 16 (9♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 4 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 17 + 4 (2? broods) Coots
- 12 Black-headed Gulls: no juveniles
Now that the ducks have stopped roof-sitting the gulls have taken over – an adult Black-headed Gull of course. Much darker red bill and legs than on the bird I photographed yesterday. He, or one of the pigeons, has left a calling card.
(Ed Wilson)
Between the lake and The Flash:
- Great Spotted Woodpeckers at both pools
- single Chiffchaff calling around the upper pool
(Ed Wilson)
Later the moth righted itself and this is a better portrait of what is a splendid-looking moth.
A different specimen of Brimstone Moth at rest on the vegetation providing an underside view.
Is it past the watershed? Two flies trying to ensure continuity of the species.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 06:00 – 06:45
(177th visit of the year)
Notes from here:
- The fourth cygnet was not with its siblings, favouring the big group of Greylag Geese. The parents seemed, as usual, uninterested in any of their brood.
- A new brood of a single Moorhen.
and
- A Grey Squirrel demolishing the Hazel nuts.
- 1 Pellucid Fly (Volucella pellucens) hovering above my head.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 11 Feral Pigeons (2 groups)
- 5 Wood Pigeons
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 8 Swift in very far distance
- 1 House Martin again
Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 1 (0) Chiffchaff
- 1 (0) Blackcap
Counts from the water:
- 3 + 4 Mute Swans again
- 36 Greylag Geese
- 38 Canada Geese
- 21 (>8♂) Mallard
- 16 (9♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 4 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 17 + 4 (2? broods) Coots
- 12 Black-headed Gulls: no juveniles
Two Moorhens with their only new juvenile – a second brood at this date.
(Ed Wilson)
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Between the lake and The Flash:
- Great Spotted Woodpeckers at both pools
- single Chiffchaff calling around the upper pool
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day..........
2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Report Here
2013
Priorslee Lake
Willow Tit
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)
Priorslee Lake
Today's Report Here
2013
Priorslee Lake
Willow Tit
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)