16 Aug 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

16.0°C > 19.0°C: Barely broken early low cloud dispersed somewhat with a few brighter periods under medium-high cloud. Low clouds returned after 09:00. Light NW breeze. Good visibility but moderate to start with.

Sunrise: 05:53 BST

* = a photo from today

Priorslee Lake: 04:35 – 06:20 // 07:30 – 09:25

(176th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Very few Black-headed Gulls today and half of those that came in from the West (as usual) passed straight over.
- A Little Grebe seen briefly along the North side was new today.
- Most unusually no Jackdaws or Rooks were seen flying over on their roost dispersal flights.
- I guess all the breeding Reed Warblers have now gone off on their long journey deep in to Africa. We might just get the odd passage bird.
- At least 14 Pied Wagtails seen heading North in small groups from a roost site, perhaps in Stafford Park.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 45 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Collared Dove
- 10 Black-headed Gulls
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- no Jackdaws or Rooks
- 14+ Pied Wagtails

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 Barn Swallows
- 1 House Martin

Warblers noted (no singing birds):
- 4 Chiffchaffs
- 4 Blackcaps again

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 12 (?♂) Mallard
- 6 Moorhens
- 79 Coots
- 1 Little Grebe
- 11 + 10 (five broods) Great Crested Grebes
- *1 Common Sandpiper
- 10 Black-headed Gulls only
- 48 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

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

Moths:
- *1 Brown House Moth (Hofmannophila pseudospretella)
- 4 Common Grass-veneers (Agriphila tristella)
- *2 Flame Carpets (Xanthorhoe designata)

and:
- 1 Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperia carnea)
- 1 springtail
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum/blackwalli harvestman: probably the same male still too high up for me to check which species

Noted later:

New for the year
- *gall created by the Thistle Gall Fly (Urophora cardui)
- *fruits of Lords & Ladies or Cuckoo Pint (Arum maculatum)

Repeat sightings:

Butterflies:
- *Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)

Moths:
- Straw Grass-veneer (Agriphila straminella)
- Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella)
- *Small Purple & Gold (Pyrausta aurata)

Bees, wasps etc.:
- *Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum)
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)

Hoverflies:
- *Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- *Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
- Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)

Other flies:
- *scorpion fly Panorpa sp.
- Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria)

Bugs
- *Dock Bug instar (Coreus marginatus)

Mammals
- Pipistrelle-type bat

I did not expect to see this as it was cloudy when I arrived. A brief gap and the ever waning Sturgeon Moon popped out.

The same gap in the clouds gave a salmon-pink tinge to the sunrise.

A bit later when the sun was illuminating the higher-level clouds.

Today's Common Sandpiper. Turned slightly away from me the bill is somewhat foreshortened.

I thought it too dull for butterflies to be on the wing but this Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) confounded me. I could not reposition to get the twig out of the way without flushing the butterfly in to the far distance.

This moth flew on to one of the street lamp poles, stopped long-enough for me to get the camera on it but it was too close for my zoom to focus. It flew away before I could make any adjustments. It is a Brown House Moth (Hofmannophila pseudospretella).

This illustrates the advantage of a camera with a swivelling screen. I did not need to lie on the ground to get this shot of a Small Purple & Gold moth (Pyrausta aurata) feeding on the underside of a flower of Water Mint (Mentha aquatica).

A Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) sticks its tongue deep in to Wild Angelica flowers (Angelica sylvestris). Note the long antenna that separate bees from hoverflies.

A Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus) feeding at flowers of Imperforate St John's-wort (Hypericum maculatum). Had the flowers been on Common (or Perforate) St. John's-wort (Hypericum perforatum) then the leaves would have lines of pale dots, appearing perforated.

This drone fly has pale front legs so it must be a Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax). As the eyes meet it is a male so its body should look 'tapered'. Perhaps its is the angle that makes it look quite stocky.

Another chance to see a Flame Carpet moth (Xanthorhoe designata). One yesterday and two today.

Thanks to the internet I now know that this gall is caused by the Thistle Gall Fly (Urophora cardui). The fly lays its eggs on Creeping Thistle (Cirsium arvense). After hatching, the larvae burrow into the stem of the plant, causing this gall (swelling) to form.

A scorpion fly Panorpa sp. in all its glory. Until yesterday I had not seen for many weeks. There must have been a new brood hatching recently.

This is an instar of a Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus). It is a very lucky insect. I had collected a handful of blackberries to eat and just as I was about to gulp them down this ran out between them and across my knuckles where it posed. I nearly ate some added protein.

Not easy to access without twigs in the way. Here are two fruit spikes of Lords & Ladies or Cuckoo Pint (Arum maculatum). The rear one has so far only two of its poisonous berries turning red as they ripen.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:25 – 07:25

(172nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- A drake Gadwall again. No sign of any ducks with it or elsewhere.
- Yet another very late brood of Coots giving me an even higher total.
- A surprise: all four juvenile Great Crested Grebes were present with their parents. They were diving occasionally today so I guess that is how I overlooked them recently.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Herring Gull
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 2 Jackdaws: singles again

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 39 Canada Geese: nine of these flew off
- 6 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- *1 (1♂) Gadwall
- 29 (?♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 33 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 10 Moorhens
- 78 Coots
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Black-headed Gulls only
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Kingfisher

Noted on / around the street lamp poles:
- 1 Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella)
- *1 unidentified spider

Tucked away in a dark recess was this drake Gadwall. No sign of any ducks with it as there was on Saturday when they all flew off.

I found this spider lurking at the top of one of the street lamp poles. Species unknown.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

Noted:
- A Blackcap calling again beside the lower pool.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- 1 Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata)
- *1 Red Underwing (Catocala nupta)

and
- 3 owl midges Psychodidae sp.
- 1 White-legged Snake Millipede (Tachypodoiulus niger)

A Red Underwing moth (Catocala nupta) on the roof of the tunnel. No chance of seeing any red on the hindwings when the forewings are held tightly closed like this.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day can be found via the yearly links in the right-hand column.