22 Aug 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

14.0°C > 15.0°C: Mostly clear start but clouded at low level again by 06:20. A very few brighter bits c.08:30. Light, mainly SW breeze. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:03 BST

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 04:40 – 06:20 // 07:25 – 09:05

(183rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Bumper arrival of Black-headed Gulls – 267 counted arriving.
- A Chaffinch heard calling at the E end was my first record of this species here since one was heard in song for the last time on 9th July

Overhead:
- 82 Canada Geese: all outbound in 12 duos/groups: others heard
- 16 Greylag Geese: outbound in two groups: others heard
- 1 Stock Dove
- 109 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Collared Dove
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 2 Sparrowhawks
- no Jackdaws
- 3 Rooks

Hirundines etc., noted:
- House Martins heard only again

Warblers noted:
- 9 Chiffchaffs: one of these noted in song
- 1 Reed Warbler
- 3 Blackcaps
- 2 Common Whitethroats

Count from the lake area:
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans: the fourth cygnet not located
- 12 (?♂) Mallard#
- 1 (1♂) Tufted Duck again
- 2 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 51 Coots: adults and immatures
- 8 + 5 (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 267 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron

On / around the street lamps pre-dawn:

Moths
Again affected by overnight rain
- *1 Dark-triangle Button sp. (Acleris laterana/comariana)
- 1 Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella)
- 1 Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer (Agriphila geniculea)
- *1 Flame Carpet (Xanthorhoe designata)
- *1 Swallow Prominent (Pheosia tremula)
- *1 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa)

and
- 1 Red-legged Shieldbug (Pentatoma rufipes)
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- 1 Walnut Orb Weaver (Nuctenea umbratica)
- 2 Dicranopalpus sp. harvestmen
- 3 Leiobunum rotundum harvestmen

In the sailing club shelter pre-dawn:

Spiders:
- caddis fly sp.
- Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- *Noble False Widow spiders (Steatoda nobilis)
- Dicranopalpus sp. harvestmen
- Leiobunum rotundum harvestmen

Only things seen later in poor weather:

Bees / wasps:
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)

Hoverflies:
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)

Dragonflies:
- Brown Hawker (Aeshna grandis)

Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

Mammals:
- Pipistrelle-type bats not noted

A pitfall for beginners. This juvenile Starling in not too difficult to identify as it has started to get some adult spotting. Before that happens the grey juveniles can be a puzzle.

A species that was new for me here in 2020 and now here is my third specimen of a Dark-triangle Button-type moth (Acleris laterana/comariana) in a week. This moth was immediately adjacent to the lit LED array on the street lamp and I could not get more contrast in to the photo.

Another species having a bumper year is Flame Carpet moth (Xanthorhoe designata). This is also my third sighting of the year. My only previous sighting was in 2017.

Not 'just another Lesser Swallow Prominent moth (Pheosia gnoma)'. Upon double-checking (never assume) I find this is a Swallow Prominent moth (Pheosia tremula) because the white streak at the inner edge of the forewing is just that – a streak; and it extends half-way along the wing. On the Lesser Swallow Prominent this mark is a shorter white wedge. There is a small difference in the average size of these species but they cannot be separated by size as there is some overlap. This is my first-ever at the lake and may be my first ever in Shropshire. I now need to recheck all my recent records from The Flash and make sure I got their identities correct. I still have a couple of moths that have not been specifically identified but this represents moth species #102 at the lake this year.

For some reason I find rather few Noctuid moths at the lamps – the Noctuid group nearly all rest with this general shape. Anyway this is my second Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa).

Like almost all caddis flies I see this will remain unidentified. However it illustrates the separation of a caddis fly from a moth. Caddis flies show veins in the wings which moths do not. In addition caddis flies almost all rest with wings held tent-wise and with long antennae held forward and usually drooping. Relatively few moths exhibit any of these traits and almost none all three.

I suggest you don't get reincarnated as a male Noble False Widow (Steatoda nobilis). He is the very much smaller of the two spiders in this view and seems to be coming off badly in his attempt to woo the female. She will soon be a real widow by the looks of things. Thanks to Nigel for confirming my suspicions about the gruesome scene.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

- The Chiffchaff calling beside the lower pool still
- A Blackcap calling by the upper pool

And on the lamps:
- 1 Dicranopalpus sp. harvestman

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

- 1 Cinerous Neb (Bryotropha terrella)
- 1 Double-striped Pug (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata)

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:25 – 07:20

(168th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Parties of 10, nine and four duos of Feral Pigeons. None of these seemed to be any of the local birds. There was also one flushed from the Derwent Drive roadway: I did not see it in time to see whether it was a ringed Racing Pigeon.
- An extra adult Great Crested Grebe was present.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 27 Feral Pigeons (see notes)
- 1 Wood Pigeon
- 1 Rook

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 10 House Martins: in a tight group headed W

Warblers noted:
- 7 Chiffchaffs: one heard in song
- 1 Blackcap

On /around the water:
- 13 Canada Geese again
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 48 (?♂) Mallard
- 40 + 4 (1 brood) Tufted Duck
- 4 + 2 (2 broods) Moorhens
- Coots not counted
- 3 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 5 Black-headed Gulls: neither juveniles
- 1 Grey Heron

On various lamp poles:
- 2 Elbow-striped Grass-veneer moths (Agriphila geniculea)

(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

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Report Here

2016
Local Area
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2012
Priorslee Lake
Peregrine Falcon
Yellow Wagtail
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
3 Sandwich Terns
Common Tern
Kingfisher 
Tree Pipit
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
Common Tern
Raven
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)