27 Sep 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

11.0°C: Puffy clouds with blue sky patches and also showers around. Fresh (in both senses) W wind. Very good visibility.

[Sunrise: 07:03 BST]

* = a photo today

The early deluge of rain suggested my usual early visit would not be rewarding.

Priorslee Lake: 11:20 – 12:05

(213th visit of the year)

Viewing from the dam-top only

Bird notes:
- now all the juvenile Great Crested Grebes seem to have gone. I had the telescope out today and was therefore better able to confirm the ages of the birds though as they were all awake it was quite easy anyway.

Overhead:
- [Wood Pigeons not counted]
- 18 Jackdaws: unusual at this time of day
- 10 Starlings: together

Count from the lake area:
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 15 (9♂) Mallard
- 1 Moorhen: hiding away
- 76 Coots
- 7 Great Crested Grebes: all adults
- c.100 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 17 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

No walk around as the very wet vegetation was unlikely to have yielded much

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 10:30 – 11:15

(193rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Rather fewer Mallard. I surmise that having been fed they had disappeared inside the island for a snooze.
- Just four of the Tufted Ducks were obviously starting to moult in to drake plumage. The Mallard have long finished moulting and were seen getting on with life – mating observed.
- The 'spare' adult Great Crested Grebe noted again, lurking by the S side of the island.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Jackdaw

Warblers noted:
- 2 Chiffchaffs: no song

On /around the water:
- 42 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 27 (18♂) Mallard
- 17 (4+♂) Tufted Duck
- 9 Moorhens
- 24 Coots
- 3 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 33 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser |Black-backed Gull
- 1 Grey Heron

On the same lamp pole as yesterday:
- 1 Dicranopalpus sp. harvestman: had not been washed off.
- *1 Planthopper. Most likely Agallia consobrina.

Elsewhere: still waiting for the Ivy blossom to appear.
- 1 Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- 4 Common Carder Bees (Bombus pascuorum)
- 3 Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris)
- *1 Common Drone Fly (Eristalis tenax)
- *1 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)
- *1 Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis)

A male Common Drone Fly (Eristalis tenax). The body is clearly not tapered-enough to be a male Tapered Drone Fly (Eristalis pertinax) but it would have been less obvious which species it was from the body shape had it been a female. Then the colour of the front legs would have told us – all dark on Common Drone Fly; with extensive yellow on Tapered Drone Fly.

A classic 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)

This is the most common form of Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) with 'lots of spots' (usually 17) on a slightly more orange-toned back (the elytra, covering the wings). The extensive white face is another clue. Strangely after what seemed to be larger than usual numbers of both larvae and pupae of this species I have seen fewer adults this year. This species seems to have had little effect on the 7 Spot population but I have not seen any 2 Spot Ladybirds (Adalia bipunctata) in the area since 2018.

I had no real idea about this tiny creature that was some 15 feet up a lamp pole. The photo was not great. I thought perhaps a midge. I am indebted to Martin Adlam for the suggestion that it could be a bug. I sent the photo to the Shropshire Bug Recorder and he confirmed it as a planthopper and most likely Agallia consobrina. The photo does not have enough detail to positively ID it. Quite why it was where it was ...! Thanks to all

(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

2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Teal
3 Wigeon
1 Kingfisher
(John Isherwood)

2011
Priorslee Lake
13 Meadow Pipits
3 Redpoll
Siskin
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Juvenile Common Scoter
3 Little Grebes
Drake Pintail x Mallard
(Ed Wilson/Andy Latham)