26 Jul 21

Priorslee Lake, Woodhouse Lane and The Flash

14.0°C > 20.0°C: Persistent areas of medium-level cloud prevented more than a few sunny intervals. Almost calm. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:19 BST

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 04:15 – 05:45 // 06:45 – 09:40

(158th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- After I had disappeared in to the long grass on an insect hunt I could hear calls of Canada Geese coming from the lake.
- Five Swifts located very high to the S. These will soon be off to Africa. Still >20 over Newport later today.
- The second pair of Great Crested Grebes still too far away to confirm any juveniles.
- No Blackbirds sang this morning.
- I am still hearing and seeing Linnet(s) fly-overs on what seem like local flights but cannot work out where they might be nesting.
- I flushed a Yellowhammer that was feeding on willow-herb on the dam-face. It flew off over Castle Farm Way. Have I ever had a Yellowhammer within the lake boundary previously? I have had the occasional fly-over; and singing birds in the Woodhouse Lane area are not infrequently heard during quiet moments.
- Reed Bunting song diminishing. From a maximum of six during June for the last week I have heard just three singing. This morning just two in song though another pair was seen near a nest.

Overhead:
- >2 Canada Geese: outbound; more heard
- >5 Greylag Geese; four outbound; one circling; more heard
- 5 Feral Pigeons: one group
- 1 Stock Dove
- 57 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls again
- 1 Jackdaw again
- no Rooks

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 5 Swifts

Warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds):
- 6 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Sedge Warblers again
- 3 (1) Reed Warblers
- 5 (2) Blackcaps
- 2 (1) Common Whitethroats

Count from the lake area
- ? Canada Geese arrived: heard only
- 2 + 5 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 8 (8♂) Mallard
- 3 Moorhens
- 42 + 13 (7 broods) Coots
- Little Grebe heard only again
- 6 + >2? (2? broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Common Sandpiper again
- 31 Black-headed Gulls: 2 juveniles
- 1 Grey Heron: arrived late

On / around the street lamps pre-dawn:

Moths:
- 1 Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- *1 Marsh Grey (Eudonia pallida)
- 4 White Plumes (Pterophorus pentadactyla)
- 2 Small Fan-footed Waves (Idaea biselata)
- 1 Common Footman (Eilema lurideola)

and
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- *1 spider sp. - to be advised

In the sailing club shelter pre-dawn:

Spiders:
- 4 Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- 1 Walnut Orb Web (Nuctenea umbratica)
- 1 Noble False Widow (Steatoda nobilis)

Other things seen later:

Butterflies:
- Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris)
- Large White (Pieris brassicae)
- Small White (Pieris rapae)
- Green-veined White (Pieris napi)
- Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus)
- Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)
- Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus)
- Peacock (Aglais io)
- Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)

Moths:
- many unidentified grass moths
- *Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix (Pandemis cerasana)
- Common Marble (Celypha lacunana): a rather late specimen
- Mother of Pearl (Pleuroptya ruralis)
- Shaded Broad-bar (Scotopteryx chenopodiata)

Bees / Wasps:
- *Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum)
- Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
- *Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)

Damselflies:
- Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
- Hawker sp. in flight only again

Hoverflies:
- Bumblebee Cheilosia (Cheilosia illustrata)
- *Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- Syrphus sp. (S. ribesii / S. vitripennis)
- *Common Twist-tail (Sphaerophoria scripta) [was Long Hoverfly]

Other flies:
- Grouse Wing (Mystacides longicornis) [caddis fly]
- *Phaonia sp. fly

Bugs:
- Common Froghopper (Philaenus spumarius)

Beetles:
- Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)
- Spotted Longhorn beetle (Rutpela maculata)

Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

Mammals:
- Pipistrelle-type bat

This is a new moth for me. Its shape reminded me of one of the 'grey' moths – Common Grey et al. - and it just might be a very worn example of one such. However the arrangement of the two elongated dark marks ahead of a single spot in each forewing exactly fits Marsh Grey (Eudonia pallida).

Not at the best of angles for identification is this Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix moth (Pandemis cerasana). As I suspected when I tried for a better angle it flew off and disappeared in the long grass. Here it is resting among Common Nettle 'flowers'.

I am fairly sure this is a Common Footman moth (Eilema lurideola). There are a number of footman species, some differentiated by the colour of the wings. Here my torch is providing an unnatural light and the colour of the wings is hard to determine. At the time, to my eyes, it looked good for a Common Footman.

I know we have seen this species before but I like them – a Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum). On Knapweed.

Come on share the pollen. A Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) barges in.

Two Marmalade Hoverflies (Episyrphus balteatus) vie over the right to get nectar from a rather faded Common Poppy (Papaver rhoeas). If you look carefully there is a third mostly hidden behind the top stamens.

A male Common Twist-tail (Sphaerophoria scripta) [was Long Hoverfly]. As previously noted only males are 'long'. I never seem to see females. Well camouflaged against the Common Ragwort.

This amazing-looking fly had done several close-passes by my ears so I felt duty-bound to take its photograph. I am sure it is one of the Phaonia species but which I cannot determine. Note the pads at the end of the legs. A splendid hairy beast.

Spider 1 Wasp 0. All tied up with nowhere to go and still alive when I took this shot.

Another spider enjoying a meal. I think one of the Clubonia group. The Shropshire Spider recorder is on holiday at the moment and I'll update the ID later.

(Ed Wilson)

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In Woodhouse Lane: 07:50 – 08:20

Another short visit mainly to check out what turned out to be Common Hemp-nettle.

The following birds were noted:
- 1 (0) Skylark
- 1 (1) Chiffchaff
- 1 (0) Blackcap
- 2 (0) Common Whitethroat
- 1 (1) Yellowhammer

Flowering plants newly noted for the year:
- *Common Hemp-nettle (Calliopsis tetrahit)
- *Greater Burdock (Arctium lappa)

The confusing plant is at last identified to my satisfaction. It is Common Hemp-nettle (Galeopsis tetrahit). My Flora shows this species with purple flowers: the NatureSpot web site notes "Flowers pinkish purple with darker markings, rarely yellowish or whitish". Several accompanying photos show white examples like mine.

And in close-up.

This seems to be Greater Burdock (Arctium lappa). Not easy to separate from Lesser Burdock (A. minus), the main features persuading me are the length of the stems supporting the flowers and the lack of red tones to those stems. The NatureSpot web site notes it is on the rare plants register.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

- Juvenile Moorhens heard from the overgrown lower pool. I would judge a second (at least) brood – they sounded very young.
- 1 Blackcap calling by the lower pool.
- *1 Song Thrush smashing a snail

Also on lamp poles:
- 1 Common Grey moth (Scoparia ambigualis)
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus agg. [harvestman] again

Not at all sharp in the poor light under trees but here is a Song Thrush doing what all those bird books tell you they do but, in my experience at least, you rarely witness. That is smashing a snail shell.

And here with the result in the tip of its bill.

(Ed Wilson)

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On the roof of the Priorslee Avenue tunnel

- 1 Small Dusty Wave (Idaea seriata)
- 1 Single-dotted Wave (Idaea dimidiata)
- 1 Stretch spider (Tetragnatha sp.)
- *2 other spiders to be identified
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum harvestman

I cannot explain why this species of moth is called Single-dotted Wave (Idaea dimidiata). There seem to be lots of dots! My Field Guide does not elucidate.

This spider was difficult to reach in the top corner of the tunnel – another awaiting the recorder's return to help me with an ID.

Yet another spider to be confirmed. Similar to the Noble False Widow (Steatoda nobilis) though this seems to have an even more circular abdomen and lacks any obvious markings.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 05:50 – 06:40

(143rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Sudden increase in Mallard numbers.
- Small increase in Tufted Duck numbers. One bird flew off. Duck with four ducklings still present and keeping well away from all the others.
- Unusually the group of five Ravens flew over without once calling.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 4 Feral Pigeons: two duos
- 7 Wood Pigeons
- 5 Ravens: together

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 2 House Martins

Warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds):
- 3 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Blackcap

On /around the water:
- 93 Canada Geese
- 26 Greylag Geese
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 39 (?♂) Mallard
- 38 (?♂) + 4 (1 brood) Tufted Duck
- 4 + 2 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 13 juvenile Coots (7 broods)
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 8 Black-headed Gulls: no juveniles
- 1 Grey Heron: departed

On various lamp poles:
- 1 Common Grey moth (Scoparia ambigualis)
- 1 Small Fan-footed Wave moth (Idaea biselata)
- 1 Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- 1 Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- 1 Common European Earwig (Forficula auricularia)
- *2 Dicranopalpus ramosus agg. [harvestmen]

A close-up of one of the Dicranopalpus ramosus agg. harvestmen. On this species the legs look all bunched up as they stick out sideways and appear to have sockets to allow them to be unplugged.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day
2020
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2019
Priorslee Lake
Today's Report Here

2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Report Here

2013
Priorslee Lake
Willow Tit
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)