23 Aug 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

14.0°C > 16.0°C: Another clear start after overnight rain that faded away as cloud spread over. Light SW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:06 BST

* = a photo today.

Priorslee Lake: 04:43 – 06:45 // 07:55 – 09:25

(171st visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- Seven inbound Canada Geese skimmed the water as they did so, deciding not to settle after all.
- A maximum of c.50 Black-headed Gulls were at the lake at any one time. I logged >160 on the academy playing field When they flushed from here a significant number perched on the academy roof. I cannot recall seeing any on this roof previously though they often perch on the Ricoh factory roof.
- A lone Swift seen at 06:00 but not thereafter.
- After yesterday's small passage of Jackdaws and Rooks none today.
- A party of five Barn Swallows flew high S c.09:10. Likely departing birds.

Birds noted flying over / near here:

- 2 Greylag Geese (lone bird outbound; single in with Canadas inbound)
- 28 Canada Geese (13 outbound in two groups; 15 inbound in three groups)
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 5 large gulls – too dark to specifically identify
- 1 Stock Dove again
- 35 Wood Pigeons
- no Jackdaws or Rooks

Hirundines etc. logged:

- 1 Swift
- 5 Barn Swallows
- >20 House Martins

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- 12 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Willow Warbler
- 5 (0) Blackcaps
- 4 (0) Reed Warblers

Counts from the lake area:

- *2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 12 (?♂) Mallard
- 1 Cormorant again: arrived
- 3 Grey Herons: all departed
- Little Grebe heard again
- 17 + 6 (4 broods) Great Crested Grebes: the fifth brood not seen
- 4 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 67 adult and juvenile Coots
- >160 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Kingfisher

Gulls on the academy playing field c.06:30:

- >160 Black-headed Gulls

On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:

Moths:

- 1 Pale-streak Grass-veneer (Agriphila selasella)
- 3 Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella)
- 1 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa): different lamp from yesterday

Other things:

- *1 Red-legged Shieldbug (Pentatoma rufipes)
- 2 Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris)s
- 2 Orb-web spiders, presumed Larinioides sclopetarius

Insects / other things etc. noted later:

Another cloudy day

The full list of things noted:

- Small White (Pieris rapae)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum harvestman on the Teece Drive fence
- 4 Grey Squirrels again
- 1 Brown Rat
- 6 Pipistrelle-type bats

Additional flowering plant species recorded for the year at this site:

None

Another morning with the clear start giving way to cloud. A bit of a sunrise before the cloud was all the way across.

The two adult Mute Swans with two of their five cygnets against the sunrise.

Another different shield-bug-type this morning after two species yesterday. This is a Red-legged Shieldbug (Pentatoma rufipes). Seems to have been unusually obvious this year.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:50 – 07:50

(156th visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- Only Greylag Geese arrived while I was present. From their flight path I doubt whether they would have been visible from the lake.
- Many more birds out on the water – Mallard, Tufted Duck and Coots – all giving good counts.
- One of the adult Coots that had the most recent brood of two juveniles was seen refurbishing its nest – hopeful?

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:

- 4 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Jackdaw

Hirundines etc. logged:

- 11 House Martins

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- 7 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Willow Warbler
- 2 (0) Blackcaps again

Counts from the water:

- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 51 Greylag Geese: all arrived
- 15 Canada Geese
- 32 (21♂) Mallard
- 40 (15?♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 5 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 63 adult and juvenile Coots
- 1 Black-headed Gull

On various lamp poles:

Moths:

- *1 Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer (Agriphila geniculea)

Otherwise

- 1 Leiobunum rotundum harvestman

Also

- Mystacides longicornis (caddis flies)
- 1 Grey Squirrel again

I looked long and hard at this at the time and now at the photo. Are the marks as a result of wear or do they indicate a different species. Checking then the darker marks fit very well for Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer (Agriphila geniculea). The rather shorter palps also suggest it is not one of the other grass moths that I have been seeing recently. My 2020 moth species count at The Flash reaches a healthy 33.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

Of note

- A Willow Warbler singing at the lower pool

Otherwise: a moth on a lamp pole:

- *1 Pale-streak Grass-veneer (Agriphila selasella)

A very worn-looking grass moth – note the bare head and tatty wing-tip. Darker under what remains of the pale streak suggests Pale-streak Grass-veneer (Agriphila selasella).

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day..........
2019
Priorslee Lake
Today's Report Here

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Report Here

2016
Local Area
Today's Sightings Here

2013
Nedge Hill
1 Redstart
(John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
3 Common Terns
(Ed Wilson)