9 Aug 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

14.0°C > 15.0°C: Low overcast and dull. Light, occasionally moderate NNE breeze. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:43 BST

* = a photo today.

Priorslee Lake: 04:21 – 06:30 // 07:35 – 08:45

(160th visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- Just as I was climbing in the car to leave a loose group of c.60 Greylag Geese flew inbound – unable to accurately count them.
- I suspect the 'missing' juvenile Great Crested Grebe was just lurking in the reeds this dull morning
- Many Coots likely also hiding away
- House Martins heard over 05:40 seemingly in the low cloud. Later just two birds overhead.
- None of the Reed Warblers was seen around the reed-beds – all in well-vegetated areas in the NE part.
- Not a 'peep' out of any of the Song Thrushes for first time since early-Spring. None seen either.

Birds noted flying over / near here:

- c.149 Greylag Geese (85 in twelve groups outbound; c.64 in three groups inbound – see notes)
- no Canada Geese
- 4 Black-headed Gulls
- 21 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls again
- 2 Feral Pigeons: singles
- 1 Stock Dove
- 33 Wood Pigeons only
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Hirundines etc. logged:

- 2 House Martins seen: more heard?

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- 13 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (1) Willow Warbler
- 2 (0) Blackcaps
- 4 (0) Reed Warblers yet again

Counts from the lake area:

- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 10 (?♂) Mallard only
- 2 Cormorant: yet again arrived separately
- 1 Grey Heron: departed
- Little Grebe heard yet again
- 14 + 3 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 6 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 31 adult and immature Coots only
- *56 Black-headed Gulls: at least four juveniles
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: three immatures; two (near) adults

Gulls on the football field c.06:10:

- 34 Black-headed Gulls: no juveniles. These all flew in from the W and seemed to be different from birds seen at the lake.

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

Moths:

- *1 Black Arches (Lymantria monacha): new for the year

Other things:

- 1 Common European Earwig (Forficula auricularia)
- 2 orb-web spiders, presumed Larinioides sclopetarius
- *2 other orb-web spiders, likely Nuctenea umbratica
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus-type (harvestman) again
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum-type (harvestman) again

Insects / other things etc. noted later:

Almost none the dull conditions

The full list of things noted:

Bees / wasps:
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)

Mammals
- 7 Pipistrelle-type bat
- 1 other different bat
- 1 Grey Squirrel

Other things of note:

Nothing

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

None

A few more juvenile Black-headed Gulls are beginning to appear. The are very differently marked from adults though they do share the white blaze on the outer area of the wing.

A different view.

Here three squabble over who is going to stand on the buoy. Note the neat black tail-band. 2019's juveniles will by now have moulted some of their faded tail feathers. They will show an increasing number of all-white adult-type feathers as the moult progresses.

The victor shows all the wing marks clearly.

If only all moths were like this. Clear and distinctive markings with no confusion species. It is a Black Arches (Lymantria monacha) and my first here for at least six years.

These spiders look to be different from the usual orb-web spiders I see on the lamp-poles in the dark. I think they are Nuctenea umbratica. The straw-coloured object is a thistle seed-head caught in a web and not a strange insect.

The social distancing is getting worse. How do they manage untangle all those legs? All are Leiobunum rotundum-type harvestmen.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  06:35 – 07:30 again

(146th visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- All three 'white' Mute Swans 'present and correct' with the cob resuming his chase of the 2018 cygnet.
- Seem to be three Coots still sitting on nests. Another seen gathering nesting material!

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:

- 1 Feral Pigeon

Hirundines etc. logged:

None

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- 6 (1) Chiffchaff
- 1 (1) Blackcap

Counts from the water:

- 3 + 7 Mute Swans (see notes)
- 5 Greylag Geese: of these one stayed; one departed; three arrived
- 15 Canada Geese
- 30 (?♂) Mallard
- 32 (>8♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 + 1 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 2 + 3 (3 broods) Moorhens again
- 33 adult and juvenile Coots
- 28 Black-headed Gulls: four juveniles
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Kingfisher again

On various lamp poles:

Moths:

- *1 Iron Prominent (Notodonta dromedarius): my 27th moth species here this year.

and

- 1 unidentified caddis fly
- 2 Dicranopalpus ramosus-type (harvestmen)
- *8 Leiobunum rotundum-type (harvestmen)

Resting on a Neighbourhood Watch sign

- *1 Riband Wave moth (Idaea aversata)

On the wall of the Priorslee Academy beside a security light

- another Riband Wave moth (Idaea aversata)

Otherwise

- 2 Grey Squirrels

The strange places it is possible to find moths. It is a Riband Wave (Idaea aversata)

 Another distinctive moth is this Iron Prominent (Notodonta dromedarius). My first Shropshire record of this common-enough species.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

Of Note

- Chiffchaff calling near the upper pool.

Otherwise

- 1 Grey Squirrel again

(Ed Wilson)

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

2019

Priorslee Lake

Today's Report Here

2018

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2015

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2014

Priorslee Lake

Report from today Here

2012

Priorslee Lake

Green Sandpiper

(Ed Wilson)

2011

Priorslee Lake

2 Lapwings

(Ed Wilson)

2009

Priorslee Lake

4 Little Egrets

(Ed Wilson)

2008

Priorslee Lake

Peregrine Falcon

(Ed Wilson)

2007

Priorslee Lake

Redshank

(Ed Wilson)