28 Aug 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash:

12.0°C > 14.0°C: VERY low cloud with tops of trees shrouded. Began to lift and clear after 07:30. Later the sun threatened to shine, but didn't. Light SE breeze. Poor visibility early: later good.

Sunrise: 06:15 BST

* = a photo today.

Priorslee Lake: 04:51 – 06:45 // 07:50 – 09:45

(176th visit of the year)

A van arrived carrying the inscription "Reed Bed Control". As our reeds are still home to the Great Crested Grebes I enquired as to their task. Seems they were about to do the biannual spraying of the vegetation growing on the dam face. This is to prevent any structural damage and avoid a repetition of the Whaley Bridge dam collapse. Seems reasonable though I wish that a better solution was available to avoid putting noxious chemicals in to the environment.

Bird notes:

- Now apparently an additional 'spare' Great Crested Grebe present, though as noted yesterday with parents from the recent broods on the hunt for fish it is increasingly hard to keep track of them all.
- c.35 House Martins appeared briefly very high over the fields to the NNE at 08:45. I had previously neither seen nor heard any over the estate. About five minuted later about 15, I assume of the these, were high over the W end of the water. They too soon moved away and I then saw just two over the estate.

Birds noted flying over / near here:

- 47 Greylag Geese (43 outbound in two groups; four inbound as two duos)
- >42 Canada Geese (all outbound in three groups; one group almost lost in the low cloud; more birds heard only)
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 2 Stock Doves: singles
- 48 Wood Pigeons
- 12 Jackdaws

Hirundines etc. logged:

- >35 House Martins

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- 11 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (0) Blackcaps again

Counts from the lake area:

- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 13 (?♂) Mallard
- 2 Cormorants: arrived separately
- 1 Grey Heron throughout
- 18 + 7 (5 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 6 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 72 adult and juvenile Coots
- 56 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: both adults, separately and briefly
- 1 Kingfisher

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

- 209 Black-headed Gulls: one very obvious juvenile.

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

Moths:

- 4 Pale-streak Grass-veneers (Agriphila selasella)
- 1 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa)
- 1 Red Underwing (Catocala nupta): my moth species #91 here in 2020

Other things:

- 1 plumed midge (Chironomus plumosus)
- 2 Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris)
- 1 Orb-web spider, presumed Larinioides sclopetarius
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus harvestman yet again

Insects / other things etc. noted later:

The full list of things noted:

- Small White (Pieris rapae)
- Common Marble moth (Celypha lacunana)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- Common Drone-fly (Eristalis tenax)
- Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperia carnea)
- Scorpion Fly (Panorpa sp.)
- Mystacides longicornis (caddis)
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
- 13 Pipistrelle-type bats: a bumper number!
- 1 Grey Squirrel again

Almost all moth photos on this very misty, moisty morning. Here is a Common Marble moth (Celypha lacunana). This species was common-enough here in June. I cannot recall seeing any in 'Autumn' before but I read that this species is double-brooded and can occur from May until November.

Most definitely a different specimen of Square-spot Rustic moth (Xestia xanthographa), looking very fresh.

This rather large moth is a Red Underwing (Catocala nupta). My first here since 2014. For several years prior to that I found individuals resting on the wall of the Priorslee Avenue tunnel. My moth species this year (this is #91) is almost catching my bird species (standing at 98). There are of course many more moths species (>2500) than birds (c.600) recorded in the UK and many of both have specialised habitats not found here. I could boost the moth count if I ran a moth trap overnight, but that needs electricity or heavy batteries.... And time.

I like these – they are easy to ID: a White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis).

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 06:50 – 07:45

(161st visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- Because I could not double-check by reading the Mute Swan's rings I am not 100% sure... but it seemed to me the cob Mute Swan was associating quite happily with his 2018 daughter leaving the pen on her own. She in turn was doing very little to mind the cygnets that were wandering off in several groups at various points around the water. Quite unlike the family at the lake where they are all staying together as a group.
- At least 60 Greylag Geese departed low over my head as I arrived; another 17 departed later.
- Not sure whether the Grey Heron did arrive. It flew over and seemed to be descending to pitch-in. I did not see it afterwards,
- One Coot still sitting on a nest,

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:

None

Hirundines etc. logged:

- 2 House Martins

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- 3 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Blackcap

Counts from the water:

- 3 + 5 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- >77 Greylag Geese: all flew off
- 26 Canada Geese: 19 of these departed
- 35 (20?♂) Mallard
- 23 (7?♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Grey Heron: arrived?
- 3 Great Crested Grebes still
- 6 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 63 adult and juvenile Coots
- no Black-headed Gulls

On various lamp poles:

Moths

- 3 Pale-streak Grass-veneers (Agriphila selasella)
- 3 Elbow-stripe Grass-veneers (Agriphila geniculea)
- 1 Centre-barred Sallow (Atethmia centrago): same moth in exactly the same place as yesterday.

Other things

- another unidentified green midge
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus harvestman

Otherwise:

- 1 Garden Spider (Arameus diadematus)
- 1 Grey Squirrel again..

One day I will find a very close Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer moth (Agriphila geniculea). At least the elbow stripe is just about visible two-thirds of the way along the wing, as is the black mark half way along. Are they being perverse in always resting at the top of lamp poles?

A ventral view of a Garden Spider (Arameus diadematus) in its web.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Between the lake and The Flash:

Of Note

- 1 Pale-streak Grass-veneer (Agriphila selasella) on a lamp pole.
- 1 Large Yellow Underwing moth (Noctua pronuba): same moth in exactly the same place in the tunnel as yesterday.

After about four years of owning the camera I was using today I realised I could change the intensity of the flash. This may (or may not) be a clearer shot of the Large Yellow Underwing moth (Noctua pronuba) at a ceiling light in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

2019

Priorslee Lake

Today's Report Here

2018

Priorslee Lake

Today's Report Here

2013

Priorslee Lake

2 Teal

(Ed Wilson)

2010

Priorslee Lake

Turtle Dove

(Ed Wilson)

2007

Priorslee Lake

Pair Ruddy Duck

(Malcolm Thompson)