12 Aug 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

10.0°C > 17.0°C: Chilly clear start with just a few clouds later. Light SSW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:46 BST

***Today's photos will be added tomorrow: apologies

Priorslee Lake:  04:30 – 06:05 // 07:05 – 09:40

(173rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The third pair of Great Crested Grebes have at least two juveniles, still on one parent's back.
- No Song Thrushes or Reed Buntings sang.

Overhead:
- 67 Canada Geese: 64 outbound in ten groups; single and duo inbound.
- 68 Greylag Geese: 15 outbound in two groups; 53 inbound in three groups
- 2 Feral Pigeons: together
- 1 Stock Dove
- 54 Wood Pigeons
- 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- no Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 8 House Martins

Warblers noted:
- 1 Willow Warbler
- 16 Chiffchaffs
- 3 Reed Warbler
- 5 Blackcaps
- 2 Common Whitethroats

Count from the lake area:
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 11 (?♂) Mallard
- 1 (♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 + 4 (3 broods) Moorhen
- 55 Coots: adults and immatures
- 6 + 5? (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 144 Black-headed Gulls again: four juveniles
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: 1 (near) adult; 1 first summer; 2 juveniles
- 4 Cormorants: two arrived separately with a duo arriving later
- 1 Grey Heron

On / around the street lamps pre-dawn:

Moths:
- 1 ermine moth sp., just perhaps Willow Ermine (Yponomeuta rorrella)
- 3 Common Grass-veneers (Agriphila tristella)
- 1 Small Fan-footed Wave (Idaea biselata)
- 1 Small Golden-rod Plume (Hellinsia osteadactylus)

and
- 1 Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- 2 mayfly sp.
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- 5 Dicranopalpus sp. harvestmen.
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum harvestman

In the sailing club shelter pre-dawn:

- 1 possible Garden Pebble moth (Evergestis forficalis)
and the usual array of spiders, mainly Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)

Things seen later:

Butterflies:
- Small White (Pieris rapae)
- Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
- Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus)
- Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta): my first of the year here

Moths:
- Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner (Cameraria ohridella)
- Straw Grass-veneer (Agriphila straminella)
- Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella)

Bees / Wasps etc.:
- Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum)
- Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)

Hoverflies:
- Stripe-backed Dasysyrphus (Dasysyrphus albostriatus)
- Plain-faced Dronefly (Eristalis arbustorum)
- Stripe-faced Dronefly (Eristalis nemorum)
- Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
- Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
- Common Spotted Field Syrph (Eupeodes luniger)
- Tiger Hoverfly (Helophilus pendulus)
- Common Twist-tail (Sphaerophoria scripta) [was Long Hoverfly]
- Lesser Hornet Hoverfly (Volucella inanis) [Wasp Plumehorn]
- Hornet Hoverfly (Volucella zonaria) [Hornet Plumehorn]

Damselfly:
- Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)

Bugs:
- Two species of plant bug.
- 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)
- Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis)

Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

Spiders:
- Misumena vatia (crab spider)

Mammals:
- I did not check for Pipistrelle-type bats
- 1 Grey Squirrel

This shows the upper-wing pattern of juvenile Black-headed Gulls. It has already started the moult to first-winter plumage with a set of pale grey secondary coverts.

The only chance I got to get close to the third pair of Great Crested Grebes was this against the light shot'. Shows that there are (at least) two striped-headed juveniles on this adult's back. Its partner was fishing so was not sharing the carrying duty.

 I think there might be room for another juvenile. We shall see.

One of the four Cormorants arriving. The white belly means this is an immature. Note the large tail that acts as a rudder when the bird is underwater.

This Willow Warbler only briefly popped in to view. Note the rather long and well-defined supercilium (eye-brow) and the pale orangey legs. This species always moves much more deliberately through vegetation than the rather flighty Chiffchaff which is always on the move, fluttering about and above all constantly dipping its tail.

A juvenile Goldfinch. As previously noted it will likely be October before its acquires the red face of the adults.

At last! A Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)! The camera never seems to makes them as deep red as they are in real life.

Find of the day was this tiny moth - a Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner (Cameraria ohridella). Dozens of them were flitting about a Horse-chestnut tree looking just like gnats. They rarely settled and when they did tended to scuttle about the leaves.

One for the Shropshire Recorder to help me with. The ermine moth group is difficult and many cannot reliably ascribed to ant particular species. On the basis of the grey areas in the wing (which could just be wear) and the straight line of black dots with only a single extra line between them and the wing edge suggests Willow Ermine (Yponomeuta rorrella). The Field Guide suggests this local moth does not occur this far north in the West Midlands. However this species is a known irruptive migrant so can occur more or less anywhere.

Another to be confirmed. I think this is a worn Garden Pebble moth (Evergestis forficalis). It was caught in a web in the sailing club shelter.

A Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum) leaving a Field Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis) flower covered in pollen to take to its next flower. Many insects are better pollinators than Honey Bees which paste the pollen in their pollen sacs for use in the hive rather than depositing in the next flower they visit.

I always have to check these with a photo. It is a Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) with the merest hint of buff above the white tail. Other separation from Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum) is that the mid-riff band is wider and both it and the collar are more orange.

The other side. It is not always easy to get the 'tail' in the photo.

This hoverfly is a Stripe-backed Dasysyrphus (Dasysyrphus albostriatus). The yellow marks are angled down, there are two stripes on the thorax and the yellow scutellum (between the thorax and the abdomen) is sullied grey.

Not dissimilar this Common Spotted Field Syrph (Eupeodes luniger) lacks the stripes on the thorax, has a pale scutellum and yellow marks more moustache-like.

Any hoverfly that looks like a drone-fly sp. and is noticeably hairy is likely to be a Furry Dronefly (Eristalis intricarius), as this is. It is a very variable species and unlike all the other member of the genus has a contrasting scutellum.

I had to double-check this: the marking are right for the Tiger Hoverfly (Helophilus pendulus) but is looked exceptionally orange both in real life and in the photo. There is no alternative – just an unusually coloured specimen it seems.

Now this is a Hornet Hoverfly (Volucella zonaria) [Hornet Plumehorn] with the orange colour of a hornet but completely harmless, happily feeding on Knapweed nectar. Our largest hoverfly.

It also has more extensive colour in the leading part of the wings.

A male Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum). Despite it being a rather late date for this species this individual is not yet a full adult: the middle segments are not fully blue yet.

I am still confused by these 'Martian' mayflies. There were two today which rather suggests fungus and / or parasite is not the reason. Here is one.

And the head in close-up.

Now the other. All taken by torch light pre-dawn. They are not present in daylight.

Two unidentified plant bugs enjoying the Knapweed.

A different (I think) plant bug.

This almost white spider is the crab spider Misumena vatia. It can change colour from white to pale green or yellow to match the flower it is resting on. It waits for unsuspecting prey not to notice it and pounces. It is very small – it is sitting on one flower in one umbel of Wild Angelica (Angelica sylvestris).

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

- 1 Chiffchaff calling by the lower pool

Nothing else of note

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

- 2 Single-dotted Wave moths (Idaea dimidiata)

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:10 – 07:00

(158th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Just one duck Mallards with a single duckling.
- I could see one juvenile Great Crested Grebe on a parent's back: too distant to be certain there was not more.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 4 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Sparrowhawk

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 4 House Martins

Warblers noted:
- 2 Willow Warblers: neither singing again
- 7 Chiffchaffs: no song heard

On /around the water:
- 14 Canada Geese
- no Greylag Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 53 (?♂) + 1 (1 brood) Mallard
- 46 (?♂) + 4 (1 brood) Tufted Duck
- 3 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 10 juvenile Coots (6 broods)
- 2 + 1? (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 12 Black-headed Gulls: no juveniles

On various lamp poles:
- 1 Red Underwing moth (Catocala nupta)
- 1 Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- 1 unidentified caddis fly
- 4 Dicranopalpus sp. harvestmen.
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum harvestman

Also:
- 1 Grey Squirrel again – still eating the Hazel nuts

A juvenile Robin beginning to get a few red feathers in its breast.

So long as the breast is not red it will not get attacked by other Robins. They are very territorial and will see off any interloper. This juvenile will have to find his own space.

Another Red Underwing moth (Catocala nupta) in exactly the same position as this year's previous individual. On the joint at the very top of a lamp pole, though at completely the other end of the water.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day can be found via the yearly links in the right-hand column.

Sightings from previous years without links are below

2013

Priorslee Lake

2 Common Sandpipers

(Ed Wilson)

2011

Priorslee Lake

Ruddy Duck

1 Common Sandpiper

>50 Linnets

(Ed Wilson)

2007

Priorslee Lake

Little Egret

(Ed Wilson)