20 Aug 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

15.0°C > 19.0°C: Started with the typical Telford 'hat of low cloud' mostly clearing from the NE by 06:45. Some puffy clouds developing after 09:00. Light, mainly SW breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:59 BST

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 04:35 – 06:30 // 07:35 – 09:25

(180th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- I managed to see all eight adult Great Crested Grebes simultaneously.

Overhead:
- 84 Canada Geese: all outbound in 11 duos/groups
- *113 Greylag Geese: all outbound in 11 groups
- 3 Feral Pigeons: all-white birds, together
- 2 Stock Doves: together
- 98 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Collared Dove
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- 30 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Sparrowhawks
- no Jackdaws or Rooks

Hirundines etc., noted:
- >3 House Martins: two seen 07:40 with three in same area (one juvenile at least) 09:20

Warblers noted:
- 10 Chiffchaffs: two of these noted in song
- 3 Reed Warblers
- 4 Blackcaps

Count from the lake area:
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 10 (?♂) Mallard#
- 1 (1♂) Tufted Duck: departed
- 2 + 4 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 54 Coots: adults and immatures
- *8 + 5 (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 122 Black-headed Gulls: three juvenile, though they are rapidly moulting and difficult to separate
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: adult with juvenile; briefly
- 1 Cormorant: arrived again
- 1 Grey Heron: departed again

On / around the street lamps pre-dawn:

Moths:
- 1 Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella)
- 1 Pale Straw Pearl (Udea lutealis)
- 1 Mother of Pearl (Pleuroptya ruralis)
- 1 Small Phoenix (Ecliptopera silaceata)
- *1 possible Currant Pug (Eupithecia assimilata)

and
- 1 Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris): dead in web
- *1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- 1 Walnut Orb Weaver spider (Nuctenea umbratica)
- 4 Dicranopalpus sp. harvestmen again
- 3 Leiobunum rotundum harvestmen

In the sailing club shelter pre-dawn:

Spiders:
- *1 Daddy Long-legs Spider (Pholcus phalangioides)
- the usual Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)

Things seen later:

A surprisingly small log for mainly sunny conditions:

Butterflies:
- Large White (Pieris brassicae)
- Small White (Pieris rapae)
- *Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)
- Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

Moths:
- Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana)
- Straw Dot (Rivula sericealis)

Bees / Wasps etc.:
- *Ashy Mining Bee (Andrena cineria)
- 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-faced Dronefly (Eristalis nemorum) [previously E. interruptus]
- Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
- *Syrphus sp. (S. ribesii / S. vitripennis)

Other flies identified:
- Scorpion Fly (Panorpa sp.)

Dragonflies:
- Hawker sp.

Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

Mammals:
- 7 Pipistrelle-type bats: did not check all areas again
- 1 Grey Squirrel

Almost looks like Slimbridge with skeins of geese against the sunrise.... These are all Greylag Geese, not that there is any way of telling this from the photo.

The third family of Great Crested Grebes – well: at least three-quarters of them. Out in the open for a change. The other adult was off fishing.

The pale mark in the forewings identify this as a female Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina). I am not sure that I ever seen one feeding on buddleia before.

Mother of Pearl moths (Pleuroptya ruralis) soon lose their lustre.

This pug moth is probably the same as the one I recorded yesterday as a possible Triple-spotted Pug moth (Eupithecia trisignaria). It has adjusted its position slightly but it is on the same lamp pole. I sent yesterday's photo to the Shropshire micro-moth recorder and he opined it was more likely a Currant Pug (Eupithecia assimilata). In this photo the trailing edge of the forewing shows a few white dots and that supports his identification. Photo IDs are not always easy as the camera flash and / or my LED torch upsets the colour balance.

The long antennae mean this is a bee. The head shape suggests an Andrena mining bee. The robust abdomen with its rounded end suggests it is a female.

This view shows the wings are rather battered. I think this is an Ashy Mining Bee (A. cineria).

I think you could describe Syrphus hoverflies (S. ribesii / S. vitripennis) as 'buttercup coloured'.

Unlike the one I photographed on Tuesday this springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis has both its antennae.

I found this Daddy Long-legs Spider (Pholcus phalangioides) in the sailing club shelter. Also known as the Long-legged Cellar Spider there is an urban myth that this species has the most potent venom of any spider. In reality the fangs are too small and weak to cause man any problem. It is always a challenge to get the camera to focus on the spider rather than its shadow. Failed again!

I also found this wrapped in a spider's web several feet from any surface and with a small spider actually on what appears to be a grub of some sort. What and how it got where it was is a bit of a mystery. And how such a small spider can deal with it is also unclear.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

- Just one Chiffchaff calling beside the lower pool

and on the lamps:
- *1 Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer (Agriphila geniculea)
- 1 Dicranopalpus sp. harvestman.

This handily placed grass moth at eye-level provided an opportunity for an unusually detailed photo. This shows that it is an Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer (Agriphila geniculea) - the line toward the tip of the wing is clearly 'elbow-striped'. As a result I have re-examined the photos I took yesterday at the lake of a very similar moth which I identified as Barred Grass-veneer moth (A. inquinatella). I stand by that identity.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

- 1 Single-dotted Wave moth (Idaea dimidiata)
- *1 Common / Lesser Common Rustic agg. (Mesapamea secalis / didyma)
- *1 noctuid_2 moth
- 1 Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea) [probably this species though there are similar...]

I think this very dark moth is one of the Common / Lesser Common Rustic agg. (Mesapamea secalis / didyma) group, only separable as adults from examining the genitalia. There is just a hint of white where the kidney mark is located on the forewings of this group of moths.

At least eight years since I have seen this moth: it is an Old Lady (Mormo maura). The name refers to the shawl-like pattern in the wings. Yes well: I suppose you have to call them something!

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:35 – 07:30

(166th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Not sure whether I found the Tufted Duck with her ducklings or not: they were not obvious.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 9 Wood Pigeons

Hirundines etc., noted:
- c.18 House Martins: juvenile seen being fed

Warblers noted:
- 9 Chiffchaffs: no song heard
- 1 Blackcap again

On /around the water:
- 53 Canada Geese: 43 of these arrived as part of a large arrival of geese
- *133 Greylag Geese: all arrived with the Canada Geese: the white-headed bird amongst them
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 36 (?♂) Mallard
- 38 Tufted Duck
- 3 + 2 (2 broods) Moorhens
- juvenile Coots no longer easily identifiable
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes again
- 7 Black-headed Gulls: no juveniles
- 1 Grey Heron again

On various lamp poles:
- *1 Cinerous Neb moth (Bryotropha terrella)
- 1 Garden Carpet moth (Xanthorhoe fluctuata)
- [the Scalloped Hook-tip moth (Falcaria lacertinaria) was not located]
- 1 Dicranopalpus sp. harvestman.

Also
- 1 Hawker dragonfly sp.
- 1 Grey Squirrel again
- Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria): this has been in flower for at least 10 days but I forgot to mention it!

A group of Greylag Geese coming home

Well they were a long way away as they touched down. I've highlighted the bird with extensive white on its head. This view shows something I failed to notice when they arrived yesterday – it lacks the pale grey forewing of a Greylag Goose.

Here is our friendly Robin again. It is looking a bit more grown-up with more red(?) in the breast but still has speckling on the head and neck.

Looking quizzical at something. Me?

Not a very inspiring moth, made even less so by the frass or whatever behind it. The Norfolk Moth site gives this macro moth the name Cinerous Neb (Bryotropha terrella), though why it is 'Cinerous' and not 'Cinereous' I cannot say. Whatever: it means ash-coloured.

(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

2009

Priorslee Lake

1 Common Sandpiper

(Ed Wilson)

2007

Priorslee Lake

1 Wheatear

(Ed Wilson