7 Jul 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

15.0°C > 16.0°C: Broken cloud; some clearer spells; also a very light shower. Light SSW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 04:55 BST

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 04:15 – 05:30 // 06:30 – 09:25

(139th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Both duck Mallards seen with broods of two and three respectively.
- The 13 Feral Pigeons were all very similar and rather pale blue morphs which seems odd for either Feral or Racing Pigeons. They also appeared in company with six Starlings as if flushed from somewhere to the E, though the Starlings peeled off and returned.
- Another new brood of two juvenile Coots; only one from yesterday's new brood of two was seen.
- At least four Common Sandpipers.
- One Great Crested Grebe seen sitting on a nest with its presumed partner keeping close guard.
- A bumper number of Rooks (for the time of year) including a loose group of 29 birds.
- The second, very noisy Sedge Warbler was still singing away. The presumed nesting bird had a brief mutter.
- A group of four House Sparrow seen in flight along the S side might suggest they have bred in the area. Birds have been seen and heard on and off for several weeks near here.

Overhead:
- 13 Feral Pigeons: one group
- 56 Wood Pigeons
- 9 Cormorants: two singles, two duos and a trio
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: ages not all determined
- 2 Jackdaws
- 39 Rooks
- 6 Starlings: together

Hirundines etc., noted:
- >10 Swifts
- 1 Barn Swallow
- 2 House Martins

Warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds):
- 11 (9) Chiffchaffs
- *2 (2) Sedge Warblers
- 7 (4) Reed Warblers
- 10 (7) Blackcaps
- 3 (3) Garden Warblers
- 5 (3) Common Whitethroats

Count from the lake area
- 2 + 5 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- *10 (9♂) + 5 (2 broods) Mallard
- 3 Moorhens
- 36 + 12 (7 broods) Coots
- 8 Great Crested Grebes
- 4 Common Sandpipers
- 1 Black-headed Gull: adult on the football field, briefly
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult, briefly
- 1 Grey Heron: departed

On / around the street lamps: NB: post-dawn:

Moths:
- 1 Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- *1 Small Fan-footed Wave (Idaea biselata); moth species #44 here this year
- *1 Blue-bordered Carpet (Plemyria rubiginata); moth species #45 here this year
- *1 Mottled Beauty (Alcis repandata)

Other things:
- 1 Black Snipefly (Chrysopilus cristatus): my first-ever on a lamp pole?
- 2 unidentified caddis fly again
- 1 unidentified mayfly sp. again
- 1 Stretch spider (Tetragnatha sp.)

In the sailing club shelter around dawn
- *2 Riband Wave moths (Idaea aversata) mating; moth species #46 here this year
- *1 Nephrotoma quadrifaria
- *1 spider sp.

Noted later:

Butterflies:
- *Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
- *Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)

Moths:
- Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana)
- Common Marble (Celypha lacunana)
- Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- Straw Grass-veneer (Agriphila straminella)
- *unidentified caterpillar

Bees:
- Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- *Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum)
- *Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum)

Hoverflies:
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
- Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
- Large Tiger Hoverfly (Helophilus trivittatus)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- *Pellucid Fly / Pied Plumehorn (Volucella pellucens)
- *possible Orange-belted Leafwalker (Xylota segnis)

Damselflies:
- Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
- *Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans)

Other Flies:
- Black Snipefly (Chrysopilus cristatus)
- Semaphore fly (Poecilobothrus nobilitatus)

Beetles:
- 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)
- Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) pupae
- *Common Red Soldier Beetle aka Hogweed Bonking-beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)
- *one other species to be identified

Bugs:
- *Common Froghopper (Philaenus spumarius)
- *one species to be identified

Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

Flowers new for the year:
- Hemp-agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum)

The 'other' group of Mallard ducklings with their mother. The group of three was also present today.

The recently arrived Sedge Warbler examines his new surroundings.

And announces his presence to anyone who is listening.

Loudly!

A rather better, if still worn, example of a Ringlet butterfly (Aphantopus hyperantus). Note the neat white wing edge which is clearly visible as this species flutters around in the grass.

I explained how to tell Meadow Brown butterflies (Maniola jurtina) by the single white dot in the black circle on the upper wing. This one of course is sitting with the upper wing hidden! (Apologies: it is not quite sharp. I will have words with the focus puller.)

Naughty me – I gently flushed it to a better location.

A Small Fan-footed Wave moth (Idaea biselata); moth species #44 here this year though I have seen a couple at The Flash.

A pair (I presume: you have to be so careful these days) of mating Riband Wave moths (Idaea aversata); moth species #46 here this year. Again I have seen one already this year (between the lake and The Flash). All of these have been of the form without the solid band between the two cross-lines in the wing. Found in the sailing club shelter.

The Blue-bordered Carpet moth (Plemyria rubiginata); moth species #45 here this year. I had one last year on 21st July which was my first in Shropshire. I think its companion is a caddis fly.

The Mottled Beauty moth (Alcis repandata) on a lamp pole – the same pole as I saw the previous example of this rather variably-marked species a few days ago.

A small black caterpillar – did I need to say that? My dirty nails – did I need to say that? Species not known to me.

This most certainly is a caddis fly. As I mentioned yesterday the difference between these and some of the micro moths can be challenging. Here the veins showing in the wings rule out moths whose wings are covered in scales. The forward pointing antennae are typically, though not always, drooping and the hind wing is also typically rounded – rarely so in moths.

A Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans) with a bent abdomen. This sometimes happens when the soft individual is emerging from the pupa and its drying out is blocked by vegetation or stones. It is likely a male as almost no females develop with a bright blue colour – most are reddish or greenish, occasionally violet.

 Marvel at how this Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum) can use its back leg to scratch its back.

Hanging on for dear life is a Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum). It is hanging on to the top of the wooden fence between Teece Drive and the Wesley Brook which was where I found....

... this male Pellucid Fly / Pied Plumehorn (Volucella pellucens). Close examination shows the hairy eyes of this species. There seems to be insufficient resolution to see the 'plume horns' - the name given to this species by Steven Falk.

One I need to check in more detail: it is one of the Xylota hoverflies. Orange-belted Leafwalker (X. segnis) is the most common but I cannot see the 'orange belt' here. I'll have to delve in to the other photos I took and see."

"Me and my shadow...." I think this cranefly is Nephrotoma quadrifaria from the almost zig-zag dark mark across the wing. It is a male. Also found in the sailing club shelter.

I am going to call these little creatures owl-midges. As previously noted they have other vernacular names. The 100 or so members of the Psychodidae family cannot be identified from photos. That is one half of a blade of grass in the photo – that is how dinky they are.

My first Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva) of the year amongst a crowd of small unidentified beetles. The soldier beetle has recently acquired the alternative popular name of Hogweed Bonking-beetle. It is indeed on Common Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium). No doubt awaiting a mate.

I am pushed for time today. This great-looking beetle will have to wait to be identified.

A Common Froghopper (Philaenus spumarius). As the scientific name hints this insect is responsible for the cuckoo-spit seen earlier in the year. There was rather little this year but I saw several of these froghoppers today. They are very variable in appearance.

And this smart-looking bug will have to wait to be identified as well.

A spider for the recorder to help me with. Another find in the sailing club shelter.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

- An adult Moorhen with a juvenile glimpsed in the lower pool.
- No warblers seen or heard.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 05:35 – 06:25

(124th visit of the year)

Well: wherever the geese were yesterday they were back today. Looking at them there is no way they could have flown anywhere – the flight feathers have yet to regrow.

Bird notes:
- Mallard numbers returned to 'normal'. For the first time for many weeks I noted none on any of the house roofs around the water. No ducklings seen.
- The juvenile Moorhens were from the usual brood.
- Coot juveniles:
- three juveniles were asleep in the nest alongside Derwent Drive
- one well-grown juvenile was by the island
- one reasonably small juvenile was at the top end – not seen this brood for some days when there were two
- two newly hatched juveniles by the southern-most bridge
- one or more juveniles heard calling from underneath the brooding adult by the northern-most bridge
- The first Black-headed Gull of the Autumn.

Birds noted flying over here:
None

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 4 Swifts

Warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds):
- 3 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (3) Blackcaps

On /around the water:
- 132 Canada Geese
- 43 Greylag Geese
- no Greylag x Canada Goose
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 26 (17♂) Mallard
- 25 (18♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 + 2 (1 brood) Moorhens
- >7 juvenile Coots (5 broods): see notes
- 1 Black-headed Gull: adult

Also noted, on different lamp posts:
- 1 Garden Grass-veneer moth (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- *1 possible Buff Long-horn moth (Nematopogon metaxella): to be researched

Also (not) noted:
I remembered to look for the St. John's Wort today but couldn't find it!

Yet another one I will have to come back to. The only caddis fly I am familiar with that has long antennae is Grouse Wing (Mystacides longicornis). That has a well-patterned wings. As this does not show any veins I am wondering whether it is one of the long-horn micro moths and perhaps Buff Long-horn (Nematopogon metaxella). Not a species I have seen before and I need to do some checking.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day
2020
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2019
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2011
Priorslee Lake
Lesser Whitethroat
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
2 Common Sandpipers
3 Common Terns
Kingfisher
50+ Swifts
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
1 drake Ruddy Duck
(Martin Adlam)