21 Aug 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

16.0°C: Low cloud and spells of rain, sometimes heavy. Light, mainly SE breeze. Moderate visibility at best.

Sunrise: 06:01 BST

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 04:40 – 06:25 // 07:25 – 08:50

(182nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The fourth Mute Swan cygnet seemed to the bird on the concrete ramp with the two adults while the other three cygnets were together feeding elsewhere. Later the cob chased this cygnet in to the reeds again.
- Fledged Sparrowhawk(s) heard and seen in trees on the N side of the football field – a different location from the last few years. One female and two males seen, though ages not determined. A female was probably the unidentified bird that flew over me pre-dawn a few days ago. It amazes me how the Black-headed Gulls on the football field can see these birds in the early light when they do not flinch when the Wood Pigeons come barrelling in.

Overhead:
- 165 Canada Geese: all outbound in 18 duos/groups: others heard
- 84 Greylag Geese: all outbound in 6 groups
- 137 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Herring Gull
- 16 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Sparrowhawks
- no Jackdaws or Rooks again

Hirundines etc., noted:
- House Martins heard only

Warblers
Not noted – did not walk around in the heavy rain: what a wimp!

Count from the lake area:
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 13 (?♂) Mallard#
- 1 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 + 4 (3 broods) Moorhens
- 53 Coots: adults and immatures
- *7 + 5 (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- *176 Black-headed Gulls: most juveniles now in first-winter plumage
- 20 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: eight adults and 12 juveniles; apparently no immatures
- *2 Cormorants: arrived together
- *1 Grey Heron

Welcome feedback
From Nigel the Shropshire Spider Man:

- The spider I thought looked like a Garden Spider (Arameus diadematus) but was lacking the diagnostic white abdominal cross was a Garden Spider lacking the diagnostic white abdominal cross!
- The five-legged spider was also a Garden Spider. It was a male probably having suffered at the jaws of a female with which it had been attempting to mate.
- The exciting foxy-looking spider was a Metellina sp. – probably M. segmentata

On / around the street lamps pre-dawn:

Moths:
Affected by overnight rain
- *1 Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer (Agriphila geniculea)
- 1 Pale Straw Pearl (Udea lutealis)
- *1 Blood-vein (Timandra comae)

and
- 1 Mayfly sp.
- 1 Common Green Capsid (bug) (Lygocoris pabulinus)
- 1 Common or European Earwig (Forficula dentata)
- 1 Common Candy-striped Spider (Enoplognatha ovata) f. remidita (with red stripes)
- *1 Clubiona sp. spider
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- 7 Dicranopalpus sp. harvestmen
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum harvestman

In the sailing club shelter pre-dawn:

Spiders:
- Common Candy-striped Spider (Enoplognatha ovata) f. lineata (without red stripes)
- Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- Walnut Orb Weaver (Nuctenea umbratica)

Only things seen later in poor weather:

Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

Mammals:
- 4 Pipistrelle-type bats

Almost none of today's photos is sharp, thanks to the very dull conditions. Apologies. An erstwhile juvenile Black-headed Gull now in first-winter plumage. All the gingery-brown markings on the nape and back have been moulted out. The brown in the folded wings; the black tail band; the dull pink-orange bill and legs all separate this first-winter bird from an adult winter bird.

The Grey Heron on its buoy.

"This is MY buoy Don't even think about it!". A Cormorant is put in its place.

Not much detail against the dull and leaden sky. The two Cormorants arrive together.

One of the adults of the third pair of Great Crested Grebes tossing a fish to reposition it for...

feeding it to one of its off-spring. Apologies for the quality of these shots in the poor weather.

I flushed this moth in to view while it was still dark. Just enough to recognise it as an Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer (Agriphila geniculea).

My first Blood-vein moth (Timandra comae) this year. Can easily be separated from several not-dissimilar moths as at rest the main cross-line (the vein) of this species goes from wing-tip to wing-tip. The camera flash has blown-out the blood-red colour of the vein.

With prey is a Clubonia sp. spider.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

- The Chiffchaff calling beside the lower pool again

and on the lamps:
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum harvestman

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

- *1 Large Yellow Underwing moth (Noctua pronuba)
- *1 Snout moth (Hypena proboscidalis)
- 1 Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea) [probably this species though there are similar...]: same place for the last three mornings

This is a Large Yellow Underwing moth (Noctua pronuba). I saw one here on 27 August last year and that was my first for at least eight years. This species well illustrates the precipitous decline of moths (and insects generally). I recall talking to the Cheshire Moth Recorder who told me that 20 years ago he could record several hundred of this species every night resting in his moth trap but now recorded them in single figures at best.

My clearest view of a Snout moth (Hypena proboscidalis) so far this year. This is one of the darker, smaller second brood individuals.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:30 – 07:20

(167th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- When I flushed a small group of Tufted Duck feeding close to the shore they skittered away clearly showing that most were in wing-moult and would have been unable to fly.

Birds noted flying over here:
None

Hirundines etc., noted:
None

Warblers noted:
- 9 Chiffchaffs: three heard in song
- 2 Blackcaps

On /around the water:
- 13 Canada Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 38 (?♂) Mallard
- 42 + 4 (1 brood) Tufted Duck
- 5 + 3 (2 broods) Moorhens
- Coots not counted
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Black-headed Gulls: neither juveniles

On various lamp poles:
- 1 Common Grass-veneer moth (Agriphila tristella)
- *1 Riband Wave moth (Idaea aversata): of the form remutata with the sold cross band
- 1 Garden Carpet moth (Xanthorhoe fluctuata): same as yesterday

Also
- 1 Grey Squirrel once again

A Riband Wave moth (Idaea aversata). This specimen is of the form remutata with a solid area between the two cross-lines. I think this is my first so-marked specimen this year.

(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

2012
Nedge Hill
2 Redstart
7 Ravens
(John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
Shag
3 Kingfishers
(Ed Wilson)