25 Aug 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

15.0°C: Another overcast and dull summer's morning. Light 'N' wind. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:08 BST

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 04:40 – 06:25 // 07:20 – 09:00

(185th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The adult Mute Swans were asleep together. The three cygnets must have been hunkered down on the nest site and only appeared later. I could not locate the fourth cygnet though the cob was watching the N side reeds closely as if intent on keeping it hidden.
- A Song Thrush sang a few desultory notes after several weeks without song.

Overhead:
- 109 Canada Geese: 107 outbound in 11 groups; duo inbound
- 22 Greylag Geese: two groups outbound
- 2 Stock Doves: together
- 159 Wood Pigeons
- 22 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- no Jackdaws or Rooks

Hirundines etc., noted:

None

Warblers noted:
- 8 Chiffchaffs: one noted in song
- 1 Reed Warbler
- 2 Blackcaps
- 1 Lesser Whitethroat

Count from the lake area:
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 10 (?♂) Mallard#
- 1 (1♂) Tufted Duck remains
- 4 Moorhens: adults and immatures
- 67 Coots: adults and immatures
- 9 + 5 (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes again
- 181 Black-headed Gulls
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls; five (near) adults; 1 juvenile
- 1 Cormorant: arrived again
- 2 Grey Herons: one chased the other away

On / around the street lamps pre-dawn:

Moths
- *1 Flame Carpet (Xanthorhoe designata)
- 1 unidentified carpet-type moth: sitting with wings closed!
- *1 Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta)
- 1 Straw Dot (Rivula sericealis)

And
- 1 Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- 1 Plumed midge (Chironomus plumosus)
- 1 Scorpion Fly (Panorpa sp.): not seen one of these at the lights before
- *2 probable Common Green Lacewings (Chrysoperla carnea)
- 2 Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- 1 Dicranopalpus sp. harvestman
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum harvestman

In the sailing club shelter pre-dawn:

Spiders etc.:
- Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- Noble False Widow (Steatoda nobilis)

Other things
- caddis fly sps. not identified

Only things seen later in yet more dull and chilly conditions:

Bees / wasps:
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)

Hoverflies:
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)

Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

Mammals:
- 10 Pipistrelle-type bats in full walk around
- 2 Grey Squirrels

A much better view of only my second-ever Flame Shoulder moth (Ochropleura plecta) at the lake. The first was perched on a ledge right at the top of a lamp surround and only the very distinctive markings allowed it to be identified at all.

This Flame Carpet moth (Xanthorhoe designata) has lost most of its reddish colouration. It can be separated from other carpet moths that also have wide central bands by the two projections from the outer edge of the band.

One of the species of scorpion fly (Panorpa sp.). This is a female, lacking the males 'scorpion-looking' genitalia and therefore cannot be specifically identified. The pattern of spots on the wings is an unreliable guide. This one was at one of the street-lights apparently with prey. I read that they feed on dead insects, often stolen from spider's webs - possibly as here. I have seen plenty of these in daytime: apparently they mate at night. Like many spiders the female is not above killing a male suitor.

This is probably a Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea) though there are similar species.

This looks like one of the Eratigena sp. spiders which includes the Common House Spider. As this was ten feet up a lamp pole alongside the footpath at the W end of the lake it is presumably a different member of the genus.

This may be a smaller (female?) of the same group, also on a lamp pole.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

- A Chiffchaff still calling beside the lower pool

Also noted:
- 1 Dicranopalpus sp. harvestman on a lamp pole

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

- 1 probable Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea)
- 2 caddis fly sp.
- 1 Common Rough Woodlouse (Porcellio scaber)

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:30 – 07:15

(170th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- There was a group of five Tufted Duck that could well have been the duck with her brood. There seemed to be no way to identify them as they looked just like her – if that is what they were.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 8 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Common Buzzard

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 1 Barn Swallow flew E calling loudly

Warblers noted:
- 7 Chiffchaffs: one heard in song

On /around the water:
- 96 Canada Geese: 88 of these flew off in four groups; one returned immediately
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 53 (?♂) Mallard
- 37 Tufted Duck: probably includes the four erstwhile ducklings
- 9 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 36 adult and juvenile Coots
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes still
- 5 Black-headed Gulls: no juveniles
- 2 Grey Herons

On various lamp poles:
- *1 Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer moth (Agriphila geniculea)
- *1 Riband Wave moth (Idaea aversata)
- 1 Dicranopalpus sp. harvestman

This is an Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer moth (Agriphila geniculea). From this angle it is difficult to see the 'elbow' in the outer cross-line. The similar Barred Grass-veneer (Agriphila inquinatella) has a weaker outer cross-line which separates around the longitudinal streaks whereas this has a continuous dark line. Also Barred Grass-veneer usually rests 'head-up' whereas this is 'tail up'.

Today's Riband Wave moth (Idaea aversata) was one of the form remutata without the filled in dark area (the ribbon or 'riband') between the cross-lines.

I noticed this flower some weeks ago but forgot to mention it until last Friday. I have given up waiting for a sunny day – I used flash here on the Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) so its a bit garish!

And a closer view. Some of the flowers are now past their best.

(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

2011
Nedge Hill
4 Yellow Wagtails
(John Isherwood)