30 Aug 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

11.0°C > 15.0°C: Noticeably cooler than of late. Clear start with just wisps of high cloud. An area of medium-level cloud to the south-east spread had across by c.08:10 but tended to melt away by 09:00 leaving slightly more thin high cloud. Light NNE breeze. Excellent visibility.

Sunrise: 06:17 BST

* = a photo from today

Priorslee Lake: 04:50 – 08:40

(186th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- A check on the mobile family groups of Great Crested Grebes suggested that there are two families with three juveniles; three families with two juveniles and one family with a single juvenile. I did not see any 'spare' adults today.
- Hard to know how many Barn Swallows I saw. A group of four appeared over the water at 06:05 and apparently moved on. A few minutes later a group of five was noted and also apparently moved on. Then a group of six did the same, followed by groups of seven and then six before they all moved away. Were these all one group adding and shedding individuals? Or different groups? Two were seen much later over the Ricoh grounds and were likely local breeders (from the village?)
- After yesterday's blank day I saw my highest count of both Jackdaws and Rooks for some while.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 25 Canada Geese: 19 outbound in two groups; six inbound together
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 1 Stock Dove
- 102 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 52 Jackdaws
- 42 Rooks

Hirundines etc. noted:
- >9 Barn Swallows: see notes
- 1 House Martin

Warblers noted (no song recorded unless specifically noted):
- 1 Cetti's Warbler: several bursts of song again
- 7 Chiffchaffs: one singing strongly, albeit briefly
- 1 Reed Warbler
- 4 Blackcaps

Counts from the lake area:
- 3 Canada Geese: arrived together
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 8 (?♂) Mallard again
- 10 Moorhens again
- 85 Coots
- *12 + 13? (6 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 15 Black-headed Gulls
- 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron once again
- 1 Kingfisher

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

Moths:
- 4 Common Grass-veneers (Agriphila tristella)
- *1 Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix (Pandemis corylana)

and:
- *1 Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris) caught in web
- several small flies of different species
- 1 Yellow Swarming Fly (Thaumatomyia notata) [they don't seem to do much 'swarming'!]
- *1 Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus)
- *1 Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- 2 Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus harvestmen

An update on yesterday's moth sitting at a strange angle. The Shropshire recorder has identified it as a Rush Veneer (Nomophila noctuella). This is often an abundant species, primarily as a migrant and thus more common in southern counties. It is surprising that it is my first ever in Shropshire.

Noted later

Too cool for many insects to be flying

Bees etc.:
- *Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum)
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- *German Wasp (Vespula germanica)

Hoverflies:
- *Broad-banded Epistrophe (Epistrophe grossulariae)

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)

Mammals:
- pipistrelle-type bat

Early doors: a clear (and cool) start to the day.

There was enough high cloud to the North to give a bit of colour later.

Especially at sun-up.

In this family of Great Crested Grebes the juvenile (on the left with facial stripes) is almost as large as its parent.

Unlike this family. The parent was trying to prevent all three juveniles from climbing aboard – they are a bit big for that.

This is my first Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix moth (Pandemis corylana) for some years. I do not have the dates of previous sightings but they were before 2014.

My first Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum) for a while. It was going at high speed in to a flower of Field Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis).

And here it is leaving and now covered in pollen.

Another chance to see.... a Broad-banded Epistrophe (Epistrophe grossulariae). This hoverfly can best be distinguished by the parallel black and yellow bands. There is a similar species with orange rather than black antennae so good luck separating them! Another insect that was investigating Field Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis).

I have not got anywhere near identifying this small fly with its prominent red eyes and, relatively, long wings with a dark shading at the tip. Different.

A better of view of what I believe to be a Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus). It did not run away from the torch light today.

This Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius) had unusually descended from the very top of the street lamp pole because....

... a Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris) was caught in its web. Note that the yellow line on the side of the wasp's thorax is parallel sided.

Compare with this wasp gnawing away at the wooden fence between Teece Drive and the Wesley Brook. The yellow markings are slightly triangular and that makes it a German Wasp (Vespula germanica). These two species of wasp cannot be separated by their abdomen pattern. The facial markings differ but....!

Plane of the day #1. This announces itself as belonging to Delta Air Lines.

Courtesy of the Flight Radar 24 (FR24) app. here is all you need to know about the flight.

Plane of the day #2. A freighter of Ethiopian Airlines.

And again information from FR24. To clarify the departure point was Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport also known as Roger Milliken Field and is near Greer, South Carolina. Roger Milliken (who he?) was an American textile heir, industrialist, businessman, and political activist who  died in 2010. I have no idea what the aircraft might be hauling. Liege is possibly mainly a fuel stop.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 08:45 – 09:45

(182nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Probably more Canada Geese than I counted as some earlier arrivals had likely disappeared inside the island before I could see them.
- I only noted five adult Mute Swans. I suspect the sixth hides inside the island in those days I do not see it.
- Apart from all the geese there were lower numbers of Mallard, Tufted Duck and Coot. Not sure why so. Some Mallard and Coots I did see were inside the island and not easy to find.
- Three juvenile Great Crested Grebes were back with the only parent I noted.
- I am sure the fishermen were none too pleased to see seven Cormorants.
- The Common Buzzard noted overhead was in addition to the bird heard calling from squirrel alley and which then flew off.
- Two Barn Swallows flew through together

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 2 Barn Swallows
- 4 Jackdaws

Warblers noted:
- 1 Blackcap

Noted on / around the water:
- *>115 Canada Geese
- 1 Canada x Greylag Goose: arrived with other geese
- 5 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall again
- 13 (?♂) Mallard only
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 13 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 13 Moorhens again
- 45 Coots only
- 1 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 13 Black-headed Gulls
- *7 Cormorants
- no Grey Herons

Noted on / around the street lamp poles or elsewhere:
- 1 Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella)
- *1 Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer (Agriphila geniculea)
- *1 Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata) (was Dysstroma truncata)

Noted later

A few insects around at this later time

- *Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
- *Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)

There seems to be some traffic congestion as the Canada Geese return!

These three sorted themselves out anyway.

There are four Cormorants in this view. The bird on the right is a juvenile looking very brown. The adult to its left has another bird standing facing the other way almost directly behind it – you can just see its wing tips. Another adult-looking bird dries it wings after feeding here to the annoyance of the fishermen. There were another three this morning. It is strange there are none visiting the Balancing Lake at the moment. Perhaps the Canadian Pond Weed hampers them.

Being here later in the morning means there are a few insects about. Here is a Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria).

This species is very aggressive towards any other individual that enters its territory but is seems to endure a careful close approach by people.

Why are they always so high up the street lamp poles when they are supposed to be grass moths? This is a none-too-clear view of an Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer (Agriphila geniculea).

Another moth here this morning was this Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata). A very variable species with a long flight period.

A Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax). Because the eyes do not meet this is a female so we have to check it is not a Tapered Dronefly (E. pertinax). Only male Tapered Droneflies have a tapered abdomen. Checking the leg markings confirms it as a Common Dronefly. It shows a facial stripe so why is not a Stripe-faced Dronefly (E. nemorum)? That species is noticeably smaller and more delicate than this individual.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

- *1 Snout moth (Hypena proboscidalis)
- 1 Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperia carnea)
- *1 owl midge Psychodidae sp.
- 9 other midges of various sizes
- 8 White-legged Snake Millipedes (Tachypodoiulus niger)

This Snout moth has the appropriate scientific name of Hypena proboscidalis. This is probably one of the darker second brood specimens though the two broods overlap somewhat during August. The food-plant of the caterpillars is nettles – no shortage of those in the area.

This owl midge Psychodidae sp. is one with obviously hairy wings.

(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

Priorslee Lake

Black Tern

(Arthur Harper)

2010

Priorslee Lake

Yellow Wagtail

Kingfisher

(Ed Wilson)