13 Jul 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

16.0°C > 17.0°C: Mostly cloudy with some breaks, especially later. Moderate NW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:01 BST

* = a photo from today

Priorslee Lake: 04:40 – 05:45 // 06:55 – 09:05

(160th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- I presume the same three Canada and one Greylag geese that arrived yesterday were the ones here today. The cob Mute Swan left them alone.
- Yet another low count of Coots and this despite there being two new broods totalling five juveniles.
- A pair of Great Crested Grebe may have young.
- A Garden Warbler was calling along the South side where I saw one collecting food – but that was many weeks ago and I had neither seen nor heard anything since.
- A Blackbird was giving a very half-hearted song. No song heard from any others.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 4 Greylag Geese: single and duo outbound; single inbound
- 8 Feral Pigeons: single and septet
- 1 Stock Dove
- 63 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Collared Doves, together
- 1 Herring Gull
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 71 Jackdaws
- 28 Rooks
- 2 Greenfinches

Hirundines etc. noted, most unusually:

None

Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- *5 (4) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Sedge Warbler
- 5 (5) Reed Warblers
- 1 (0) Garden Warbler
- 6 (3) Blackcaps

Counts from the lake area:
- 3 Canada Geese: from yesterday?
- 1 Greylag Goose: from yesterday?
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 19 (?♂) Mallard
- 1 Moorhen only
- 48 adult and juvenile Coots
- *8 + ? (a possible brood) Great Crested Grebes
- *10 Black-headed Gulls: all adults again
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull: both adults
- 1 Kingfisher: possibly a second

Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:

Moths:
- *1 Small Fan-footed Wave (Idaea biselata)
- *1 Early Thorn (Selenia dentaria): second generation
- 1 Round-winged Muslin (Thumatha senex): dead in web.

and:
- 2 stretch spider Tetragnatha sp.
- *1 unidentified orb-web spider
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- 2 female Leiobunum rotundum harvestman
- 2 Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus harvestmen

Noted later:

It remained cloudy throughout while I was looking for insects.

New for this year:

Moths
- Privet Tortrix (Clepsis consimilana)
- *Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella)
- *Pale Straw Pearl (Udea lutealis)
- *unknown larvae

Plants:
- *Common Poppy (Papaver rhoeas)

Repeat sightings:

Butterflies:
- Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus)

Moths:
- Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- *Early Thorn (Selenia dentaria)

Bees, wasps etc.:
- *Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)

Hoverflies:
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)

Dragon/Damselflies
- Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans)

Other flies:
- Black Snipefly (Chrysopilus cristatus)

Beetles:
- Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)
- [no unidentified pollen beetles]

Bugs:
- 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)
- *24 Spot Ladybird (Subcoccinella vigintiquattuorpunctata)
- *Common Froghopper (Philaenus spumarius)

Snails / Slugs etc.
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

This Great Crested Grebe may well be sheltering young inside the fluffed up feathers on its back. It was one of two birds very close together that showed no inclination to do any display ritual.

An adult Black-headed Gull beginning to moult in to winter plumage. The dark hood is fading from the front and some of the inner primaries are missing.

From underneath just five old primaries show: it should have ten. I suspect that the two shorter feathers inboard of the obvious inner primary are two beginning to regrow.

I have tried to turn this warbler in to something unusual but I have concluded it is just a 'funny Chiffchaff' lacking the normal supercilium (eyebrow). That feature can often be rather faint but I do recall ever having seen a bird without even a hint of one. Unhelpfully it did not call much less sing. I have another less sharp photo that shows black legs.

Very early today this Common Buzzard was sitting on a roof in Pitchford Drive. The local Magpies were quite upset: the buzzard was having none of it and ignored them. It was also ignoring the begging calls of a juvenile buzzard in the near-by Ricoh copse.

This looks somewhat like a grass moth but isn't. It, probably wisely, refused to turn its back towards me. However there is enough of the wing marking visible to identify it as a Pale Straw Pearl moth (Udea lutealis). I should see plenty more of these. This brings my moth species total for the lake in 2022 to 65.

Another Garden Grass-veneer moth (Chrysoteuchia culmella). This specimen shows only a faint angled cross line near the wing-tip but the longitudinal lines are exceptionally clear showing how they split.

Contrast with this, my first Common Grass-veneer moth (Agriphila tristella) of the year. There is no cross-line near the wing tip and the wide middle stripe with a clear edge divides into four ‘fingers’. This will likely soon become the dominant grass moth. What joy!

This is a Small Fan-footed Wave moth (Idaea biselata). Not all specimens have a 'filled-in' sub-terminal area. When they do, as here, they can be confused with Treble Brown Spot (I. trigeminata) though that species always has a dark leading-edge to the wing.

On a lamp pole pre-dawn this Early Thorn moth (Selenia dentaria) had the decency to stay until it was light. 'Early' Thorn because this species is double-brooded and I saw examples of the first brood in March. Note the comb-like antenna. When the hairs are on one side only this is called a pectinate antenna.

I found this caterpillar / larva feeding on an Alder leaf and wondered about Alder Leaf Saw-fly. Checking the web that is white so back to the drawing board where I drew a blank.

A Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum) tucks in to Meadow Vetchling (Lathyrus pratensis).

A tiny ladybird with long name: it is a 24 Spot Ladybird (Subcoccinella vigintiquattuorpunctata). Not new for the year as I saw one on the rather unlikely date of 27 January.

A Common Froghopper (Philaenus spumarius). As previously noted this species is very variable in colour and marking. I have not seen too many dark ones like this.

I am not sure about this spider. It looks somewhat like the Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius) that I see most days though the legs seem longer and the abdomen markings less intense. Whatever it is then the long palps indicate it is a male.

Do I have to say this is a Common Poppy (Papaver rhoeas)? Another flower in the disturbed verge of Castle Farm Way. From all the seed pods visible seems I have overlooked these flowers, bright as they are.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 05:50 – 06:50

(156th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The geese have now started to find their wings and counting was made more difficult by birds flying around.
- I could only find three adult Mute Swans other than the resident pen and her four cygnets. Later she left the cygnets and was seen chasing one of these three. Afterwards I could only find two other adults though I did not see any leave.
- The pair of Great Crested Grebes have at least one juvenile which was seen on an adult's back.
- A screaming party of twelve Swifts were high overhead. Are they thinking of leaving already? The end of the month is the usual departure for many of the birds that nest in the UK. Departure is usually shortly after the first 'flying ant' day which allows them to stock up with food. In Newport, at least, the first 'flying ant' day of the year was last Sunday (10th), unusually early.
- A juvenile Black-headed Gull was present.

Birds noted flying over here:

None

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 12 Swifts screaming high overhead

Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 2 (1) Chiffchaffs again
- 3 (2) Blackcaps

Noted on / around the water:
- 190 Canada Geese
- 1 Canada x Greylag Goose
- 59 Greylag Geese: three of these departed
- 4 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans: see notes
- 17 (?♂) Mallard: a bit better
- 1 all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 20 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 + 7 juvenile Moorhens
- ? + >15 juvenile Coots
- *2 + 1? (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- *5 Black-headed Gulls: one of these a juvenile
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
- 1 Grey Heron: departed

Noted on / around the street lamp poles
- 1 Early Thorn moth (Selenia dentaria)
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum harvestman

Just peeping out behind the adult Great Crested Grebe's neck is a juvenile. There are almost certainly others hiding between the parent's fluffed-up feathers.

A juvenile Black-headed Gull. In fresh plumage they are very ginger-toned, that quickly fading to the brown that it will wear until it moults next year. They do look strange at this age.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

- No Moorhens seen or heard at either pool.

Also these moths:
- *1 Cinerous Neb (Bryotropha terrella)
- *1 Inlaid Grass-veneer (Crambus pascuella)
- 1 Common Grey (Scoparia ambigualis)

I found this small moth resting on a leaf and it was reluctant to fly, allowing a close-up view. It is a Cinerous Neb (Bryotropha terrella)

 I also found this different grass moth on a lamp pole. It is an Inlaid Grass-veneer moth (Crambus pascuella). Both thee moths are my first in the area this year.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

- 1 Garden Grass-veneer moth (Chrysoteuchia culmella) again
- *1 Marbled Minor-type (Oligia sp.)

A troublesome moth in a troublesome position. I have noted previously that moths on the roof of the tunnel are too close for my camera zoom but too small on other settings. So it is not a good photo to start with. Then it is one of the Marbled Minor (Oligia sp.) group of three species that cannot be separated reliably without dissection. There were some reddish tones which suggests Rufous Minor (O. versicolor) but it will have to stay a Marbled Minor-type. Previously unnoticed and unidentified small spider and small gnat are a bonus?

(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

2014

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2007

Priorslee Lake

Hobby

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

3 drake Ruddy Ducks

(Ed Wilson)