1 Sep 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

12.0°C > 13.0°C: Low-medium-level overcast. Light N wind. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:20 BST

* = a photo today

A very quiet day with little of note/

Priorslee Lake: 04:45 – 06:30 // 07:35 – 09:25

(192nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- All four Mute Swan cygnets seen again. For a while all the cygnets were separately off doing their own thing. Later two joined the adults on the concrete ramp.
- Black-headed Gull numbers diminishing each day at the moment. We need a good gale to get things moving!
- I queried yesterday as to where all the Reed Buntings have gone. I could say the same thing about the Song Thrushes. There were eight singing males much of the breeding season and at least three nests produced at least one juvenile. None to be seen (or heard) for days.

Overhead:
- 32 Canada Geese: all outbound in eight small groups
- 1 Greylag Goose: outbound
- 5 Feral Pigeons: together
- 258 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Collared Doves: together
- 29 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- no Jackdaws or Rooks again

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 1 Barn Swallow circled the water at 08:30 only

Warblers noted:
- *9 Chiffchaffs again: still none in song here
- 4 Blackcaps

Count from the lake area:
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans again
- 3 (2♂) Mallard only
- 4 (2♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 65 Coots
- 10 + 5 (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 46 Black-headed Gulls only
- 5 Herring Gulls again, all briefly
- 20 Lesser Black-backed Gulls; all briefly
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron

On / around the street lamps pre-dawn:

With the wing blowing on to the lamps there was very little about

Moths:
- 1 Flame Carpet (Xanthorhoe designata)
- *1 Double-striped Pug (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata)

And
- *2 ichneumon sp.
- *1 Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
- 2 caddis fly sps., *one perhaps Limnephilus lunatus
- *1 mayfly sp., probably Pond Olive (Cloeon dipterum)
- *1 presumed Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea)
- *3 presumed female Plumed midge (Chironomus plumosus)
- *1 half-sized plumed midge sp.
- 2 Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- 4 other species of spider
- 2 Dicranopalpus sp. harvestman
- *1 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman sp.

In the sailing club shelter pre-dawn:

Spiders etc.:
- Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- Walnut Orb Weaver (Nuctenea umbratica)
- *Noble False Widow (Steatoda nobilis)

Other things:
- Grouse Wing caddis fly (Mystacides longicornis)

Seen Later:

Very little again:

Bees / Wasps etc.:
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)

Moths:
- Straw Dot (Rivula sericealis)

Spiders:
- Stretch spider (Tetragnatha sp.)

Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snails (Cepaea hortensis) as ever

Mammals:
- 2 Grey Squirrels
- 1 Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus)

Plants:
- unripe fruits of the Spindle-tree (Euonymus europaea)

Not seen too many of these Long-tailed Tits since I photographed a gang of juveniles back in early June.

This Chiffchaff was a poser.

Note the very indistinct eyebrow (supercilium) and the dark legs (pinker feet though).

"Are you looking at me?" For reasons I cannot explain this appears to suggest the bird has white outer tail-feathers. It doesn't (well, shouldn't) and it must be a trick of the light.

Roll-out the red carpet – I can identify a pug moth! This most certainly is a Double-striped Pug (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata) with characteristic rufous markings. The marking on the lamp is part of the figure six, one part of the lamp's identity. Pug moths are small.

One of two ichneumons on the lamps pre-dawn. I have no way of identifying them. It is a female with the ovipositor.

Here is the other one, also a female.

 I did not expect to find this Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax) apparently roosting on a lamp post pre-dawn.

This makes a change: a caddis fly with distinctive markings! It is perhaps Limnephilus lunatus though other members of this genus are also well-marked.

This mayfly sp. is probably a male Pond Olive (Cloeon dipterum) with the distinctive 'turban-like' additional eyes. As far as I can read this is the only species where the male has developed such a feature though one site suggests that separation of this species from the Lake Olive (Cloeon simile) mayfly is best done by wing venation.

Probably a Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea). Other green lacewings can be separated mainly by the pattern of the wing venation. I can find no clear illustrations to help me. This species is by far the most common.

This seems to be a female of the Plumed midge (Chironomus plumosus) that occurs all year round. Only the males have the plumed antennae.

This 'plumed midge' is about half the size of Chironomus plumosus and also has dark marks in the wings. Obviously a male. I cannot identify the species.

Not sure I have ever got such a good view of a Noble False Widow spider (Steatoda nobilis). Many years ago this invasive spider was going to kill us all according to the more sensational press stories. Seems not to have done so, though I am not sure I would pick one up.

One for Nigel the Shropshire spider-man.

From the pattern on the abdomen this is the harvestman Paroligolophus agrestis. The obviously thicker basal part of each leg confirms.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

- 1 Chiffchaff calling beside the upper pool

Noted on lamp poles:
- 1 Small Dusty Wave moth (Idaea seriata)
- 1 presumed Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea)

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

- 1 Single-dotted Wave moth (Idaea dimidiata)
- *1 presumed Common Marbled Carpet moth (Dysstroma truncata): its third day
- *1 Willow Beauty moth (Peribatodes rhomboidaria)
- *1 White-legged Snake Millipede (Tachypodoiulus niger)

Although this is its third day in exactly the same spot this is the first time I have managed a photo worth showing. Most likely a Common Marbled Carpet (Dysstroma truncata). It would be necessary to see the marking on the hindwing to be certain it was not the much less common Dark Marbled Carpet (D. citrata).

This is a Willow Beauty moth (Peribatodes rhomboidaria). They are rather variable in the intensity of the markings. This is a particularly plain-looking specimen.

Against the white(?) paint on the side of the tunnel the white legs of this White-legged Snake Millipede (Tachypodoiulus niger) do not stand out too well.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:35 – 07:30

(174th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The four Shoveler remain
- 42 of the Mallard were in a single loose group spinning around in the corner by the Derwent Drive parking area.
- Some of the Tufted Duck seem to be drifting away. I could not locate the duck with her four ducklings either yesterday or today. They may well have merged with the remaining birds.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 3 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Jackdaw

Hirundines etc., noted:

None

Warblers noted:
- 9 Chiffchaffs: two in song

On /around the water:
- 7 Canada Geese again
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 4 (2♂) Shoveler still
- 53 (?♂) Mallard
- 29 Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens again
- 38 Coots again
- 3 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- *54 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron

On various lamp poles:

Moths:
- *1 Small Grey (Eudonia mercurella)
- *1 Blood-vein (Timandra comae)
Nothing else noted

An unusual line-up of Black-headed Gulls: all eight are juveniles. All have now mostly moulted in to first winter plumage, showing brown in the wings and pale pink legs.

A short video of rather strange behaviour from Black-headed Gulls. I suppose they are gleaning insects from the tops of the trees? I noted gulls doing this at the lake a number of years ago when I was not able to photograph the activity. I did some research at the time and did not come up with any explanation.

The 'grey' moths are not easy to separate. I think the clean white wavy cross-line at the outer third of the wings and the rather indistinct cross-line at the inner third support this being a Small Grey (Eudonia mercurella).

As I have said before you wait for ages and several come along together. A Blood-vein moth (Timandra comae) and my first at The Flash.

(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
1 Hobby
1 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Tawny Owl
5 Swifts
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
Common Tern
2 Swifts
(Ed Wilson)