18 Jun 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

14.0°C: Low cloud with occasional light dampness in the wind. Light / moderate NW wind. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 04:45 BST once again

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 04:45 – 05:40 // 06:50 – 09:25

(141st visit of the year)

Highlight today was a Curlew that flew NW overhead at 05:35. Luckily it called (just once) otherwise I would probably have missed it. Not new for this year as I recorded one on Spring passage on 5 March. Today's bird likely on post-breeding dispersal.

Other bird notes:
- What seemed likely to be a lost Racing Pigeon circled and circled the area before moving on.
- Again nine Great Crested Grebes. Eight of these spent much of the time sitting or sleeping in the middle of the water as four pairs. The ninth bird was in the NW area and sometimes quite vocal, possibly communicating with a partner on a nest in the reeds?
- The Cetti's Warbler was its usual noisy self most of the time after yesterday's lull.
- Both long-term singing Garden Warblers were at it this morning though song is becoming more sporadic and the song-phrases shorter.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Racing Pigeon
- 2 Wood Pigeons only
- 1 Curlew
- 2 Cormorants: together
- 13 Jackdaws again

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 4 Swifts again
- 1 Barn Swallow again
- 3 House Martins again
All these species remain in depressingly low numbers, especially the House Martins. A trio is the most I have seen near their breeding areas around the estate, very much reduced from previous years.

Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 12 (11) Chiffchaffs again
- 2 (0) Sedge Warblers
- 11 (10) Reed Warblers
- 17 (13) Blackcaps
- 2 (2) Garden Warblers
- 2 (1) Common Whitethroats still

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 9 (6♂) + 2 (1 brood) Mallard
- 2 Moorhens
- 29 + 25 juvenile Coots
- 9 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Herring Gull: adult, briefly
- *2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: (near) adults, briefly
- 1 Grey Heron: departed

On / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:

Nothing noted

Noted later:
Too cool and wet for most things.

New sightings for the year:

Moths:
- *Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)

Other flies:
- *dagger fly Empis livida
- *All-white lacewings sp. (not a 'true' fly)

Beetles:
- *pollen beetle, possibly Meligethes denticulatus

Flowers: the 'five a day'
- *Meadowsweet [or Mead Wort] (Filipendula ulmaria)
- Round-leaved Cranesbill (Geranium rotundifolum) [I made a mess of the photo of this: try again another day]
- *Black Medick (Medicago lupulina)
- *Clustered [or Green] Dock (Rumex conglomeratus)
- *Broad-leaved Dock (Rumex obtusifolius)

Repeat sightings:

Moths:

- *Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana)
- Common Marble (Celypha lacunana)

Damselflies:
- Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)

Other flies:
- semaphore fly Poecilobothrus nobilitatus

Slugs / snails:
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis) as ever

Spiders:
- Tetragnatha sp. stretch spider

Mammals:
- Grey Squirrels

Flowers:
- Southern Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza praetermissa)

Probably not a full adult Lesser Black-backed Gull as I thought at the time. Note there is some black on both mandibles. But note too how worn most of the wing-feathers look. Gulls are just about starting their annual wing moult and apparently not before time.

After plenty yesterday this was the only Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana) I saw today, resting.

My first grass moth of the year is this very fresh-looking Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella). I had been expecting to see these for some days. I am sure they will typically abundant and typically confusing over the next few weeks as more species emerge. Moth species #44 for me here in 2022.

This shows the dagger fly Empis livida with prey. Note the long 'dagger' - the mouth used to suck the living daylights out of its prey, here a gnat.

This seems to be one of the lacewing (Neuroptera) group of insects. I can trace no white lacewings on the internet though there is a sub-group of Dustywings or Waxwinged Lacewings (Coniopterygidae) that are white. None of those illustrated shows black dotting along the wing edges and anyway the venation on the wings in my photo is much more akin to that shown by the main lacewing group. Another mystery.

The only beetles I saw this morning were tiny pollen beetles in some of the buttercups. There is a photo on the internet that just might be this species which was suggested as being one of the Nitidulidae, possibly Meligethes denticulatus.

Just about to open is the white inflorescence that are the flowers of Meadowsweet [or Mead Wort] (Filipendula ulmaria). A few days earlier than my records for the last two years though it is difficult to judge when to call this species 'flowering'.

This plant with tiny yellow flowers is Black Medick (Medicago lupulina). It has been rather trampled on by growing along the top of the dam.

Docks are a group of plants I have tried to identify in the past with limited success. It was good to know that the PlantNet app. said this was a Broad-leaved Dock (Rumex obtusifolius) which is what I would have called it.

I would not have been able to identify this as Clustered [or Green] Dock (Rumex conglomeratus) without help.

Confirmation from the PlantNet app. that this is a Southern Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza praetermissa). I note that the botanical report prepared by members of the Shropshire Wildlife Trust (SWT) on 5 July 2007 has just one orchid species on their list - the Bee Orchid (Ophyrs apifera). While the vegetation has become more overgrown in the 15 years since their report I have only twice seen Bee Orchids both times alongside the North path before 2014 when I started my detailed computer records. SWT's full report can be seen Here.

Party time at the lake last night. Who is expected to clear this mess up? There was another overflowing plastic crate of garbage on the grass; plastic wrappers floating in the water; and behind the shelter various interesting garments that would not fit me. Why? Amazingly the Common Whitethroat nesting nearby seemed unperturbed and was singing away still.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 05:45 – 06:45

(137th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The Canada Geese with the goslings were in with the main group and I had difficulty separating them. At least six I thought. This group then moved away from the main party and, unlikely as it seems, apparently disappeared so I could not re-check. The oldest two goslings are now very well grown and may be hard to distinguish anyway.
- What seemed to be four well-grown Mallard ducklings were with an adult tucked up under overhanging vegetation and difficult to observe.
- One Great Crested Grebe was seen sitting alongside the island, presumably on a nest. The 'third' bird remains at the top end and I do wonder whether it has a partner also on a nest somewhere.

Birds noted flying over here:

None

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 6 Swifts [yesterday's single Swift 'zoomed' in for a drink and not 'boomed' as mis-typed]
- 2 House Martins

Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 4 (4) Chiffchaffs once again
- 4 (4) Blackcaps again

Noted on / around the water:
- 208 + 6? Canada Geese: see notes
- 65 Greylag Geese
- 7 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 21 (18♂) + 4 (1 brood) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 6 (4♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 + 2 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 17 + 6 (2 broods) Coots again
- 3 Great Crested Grebes again
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: an adult paused while on transit

Noted on / around the street lamp poles
- *1 possible Buff Long-horn moth (Nematopogon mexatella)
- 1 Clubiona sp. spider
- 1 Tetragnatha sp. stretch spider

Noted elsewhere:
- 2 Grey Squirrels

Another to pend. I am not certain what type of insect this is that I found a long way up a map pole. It is similar to a Grouse Wing caddis fly (Mystacides longicornis) though the shape is not quite right; the, often variable, markings on the wings differ from any that I can recall; and the antennae do not seem to be banded. I think it might be one of the Nematopogon group of long-horn moths with the Buff Long-horn (N. mexatella) perhaps the most likely on flight date. My caution is because this does not look 'buff' and neither photos on the web nor my field guide show darker markings: only unmarked wings.

This growth of floating weed, or perhaps algae, happens every year. Messy for the birds to plough through. It will disappear of its own volition, sinking to the bottom and providing food for the fish etc.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

- An adult Moorhen heard from the upper pool
- An adult and one juvenile Moorhen seen at the lower pool.
- 1 Chiffchaff again singing from its favourite dead tree alongside the lower pool.
- 1 Blackcap singing again, this time beside the upper pool.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

- *1 Single-dotted Wave moth (Idaea dimidiata)

"Oh! Goody" I thought: another of those confusing pug moths to identify. "Well at least it has some clear markings on the wings to help". Turns out t is not a pug moth at all but a Single-dotted Wave (Idaea dimidiata). I make this mistake every year. And no: I have no idea why it called 'Single-dotted' when it has three dots at least on each wing.

(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

2010 

Trench Lock Pool 

4 drake Pochard 

(Ed Wilson)