24 Jun 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

17.0°C > 21.0°C: Mostly clear early. More cloud after 06:45 even with a few spits. Light / moderate south-westerly breeze. Excellent visibility.

Sunrise: 04:47 BST

* = a species photographed today.

+ = my first sighting of this species at this site this year.
++ = new species for me at this site.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:00 – 06:20 // 07:30 – 09:50

(136th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Garden Warbler(s) singing in two different locations but at different times. Same bird?

Birds noted flying over here:
- 26 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Jackdaw
- 5 Rooks: together; family party?
- 1 Starling: none on the football field today

Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler
- 11 (10) Chiffchaffs
- 7 (7) Reed Warblers
- 11 (11) Blackcaps
- 2? (2?) Garden Warblers: see notes
- 2 (0) Common Whitethroats

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 1 Swift: early only
- 3 Barn Swallows
- House Martin heard only

Counts from the lake area: it remains very quiet
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 8 (6♂) Mallard
- 3 Moorhens
- 29 + 25 1(0? broods) Coots
- 9 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Grey Heron: departed

Noted on and around the street lamp poles around dawn:

Moths:
- 1 +Common Grey (Scoparia ambigualis)
- 1 Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella)
- 2 Round-winged Muslin (Thumatha senex)

Noted later:

Butterflies:
- +Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris)
- Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus)
- Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
- Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus)
- Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)

Moths:
- Timothy Tortrix (Zelotherses paleana)
- Common Marble (Celypha lacunana)
- Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella)
- ++Elder Pearl (Anania coronata)
- Silver-ground Carpet (Xanthorhoe montanata)
- Silver Y (Autographa gamma)
- the same micro-moth as yesterday with the Shropshire recorder for help.

Bees / wasps etc.:
- Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum)
- Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum)
- Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
- Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- Bramble Sawfly (Arge cyanocrocea)

Hoverflies:
- Bumblebee Blacklet (Cheilosia illustrata)
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
- Common Twist-tail (Sphaerophoria scripta)
- Humming Syrphus (Syrphus ribesii)
- Bumblebee Plume-horned Hoverfly (Volucella bombylans)

Dragon-/damsel-flies:
- Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
- Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans)

Other flies:
- Broad Centurian (Chloromyia formosa): a soldier fly
- Black Snipefly (Chrysopilus cristatus)
- semaphore fly Poecilobothrus nobilitatus
- *three unidentified fly species

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni): adults and larvae
- Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)

Bugs:
- 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata): larva and adults
- Common Green Capsid (bug) (Lygocoris pabulinus)

Also
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
- Sun Spurge (Euphorbia helioscopia)

My first Small Skipper butterfly (Thymelicus sylvestris) of this year. The Essex Skipper (Thymelicus lineola), despite its name, is a possible confusion species even here. Essex Skipper has completely black tips to the antennae whereas Small Skipper has the under-tip orange. This not easy to see. Males can be separated by the position of the scent mark on the forewing. Here the mark is more or less parallel with the wing-edge which points to it being a Small Skipper.

A different angle on the same individual.

 And a different individual.

I tried for a good view of the antennae tips. Too close for the camera to focus!

At first glance a smart Speckled Wood butterfly (Pararge aegeria). Look closely at the right forewing - a bit is missing. This species is very territorial and males can often be seen tumbling and turning as they vie for supremacy, As a result they end up with damaged wings.

Of the 'brown' butterflies yesterday I only saw Ringlets (Aphantopus hyperantus). Today there were also a few Meadow Browns (Maniola jurtina), as here. This one is at rest with the forewing retracted and hiding most of the orange tone and with white-centred black dot.

A better specimen of the same micro-moth as yesterday that is still with the Shropshire recorder for his help.

A new moth for me that I flushed from the vegetation. It settled on the underside of a leaf – not enough light for anything other than a flash photo that has rather blown the colour out. It is an Elder Pearl (Anania coronata).

I have not so far had much luck with photographing the Silver Y moths (Autographa gamma). They stay buried in the grass and when I try to persuade them to show better they fly in to the middle distance.

A really foxy-red Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum).

Sawflies are closely related to wasps. With its orange-toned belly this is a Bramble Sawfly (Arge cyanocrocea).

My vote for this hoverfly would be a Humming Syrphus (Syrphus ribesii) with its rather slim build.

Here it is feeding on nectar from a Common Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) [along with a few pollen beetles]. It is a male so the all-yellow hind leg seen from the rear is not diagnostic of this species.

Thanks to Martin Adlam for pointing me in the right direction to identify this soldier fly. It is a Broad Centurian (Chloromyia formosa).

One of three unidentified fly species here. Not easy to see this one atop a Knapweed (Centaurea nigra) flower where is it is vying for nectar with at least one small beetle.

A rather odd-looking fly. I suspected a thick-headed fly but I needed a side-on view. Seemed easy as it apparently has only one wing and a rather battered wing at that. Not so. It flew away strongly! I cannot find any thick-headed fly with two stripes on the thorax so I will have to pass.

Another unidentified and hairy fly. Is it rubbing its hands with glee?

I saw Common Green Capsid bugs (Lygocoris pabulinus) both here and at The Flash this morning.

This is Sun Spurge (Euphorbia helioscopia). My PlantNet app told me it was Madwomans' milk! Thank goodness for scientific names.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 06:25 – 07:25

(125th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Assuming the geese are mainly gathered here to moult while they are flightless then why is the number I log very variable? Are there really that many capable of hiding inside the island?

Birds noted flying over here:

None

Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 4 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Blackcap

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 1 House Martin

Noted on / around the water
- 178 Canada Geese
- 30 Greylag Geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 15 (12♂) Mallard
- no all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 4 (2♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 24 + 7 (4 broods) Coots: a different second brood noted for the first time.
- 1 Great Crested Grebe

Noted on / around the street lamp poles around the water:
- 1 ++White-shouldered House Moth (Endrosis sarcitrella)
- 1 Garden Grass-veneer moth (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- 1 +Flame Carpet moth (Xanthorhoe designata)

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:
- Common Marble moth (Celypha lacunana)
- Common Grass-veneer moth (Agriphila tristella)
- Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
- Black Snipefly (Chrysopilus cristatus)
- semaphore fly Poecilobothrus nobilitatus
- owl midge Psychodidae sp.
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni): adults and larvae
- Nettle Weevil (Phyllobius pomaceus)
- 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata): larva
- +Common Green Capsid (bug) (Lygocoris pabulinus)

Also
- 1 ++Fulvous Clothes Moth (Tinea semifulvella) between the lake and The Flash on a street lamp pole.

A White-shouldered House Moth (Endrosis sarcitrella). Not exclusively found in houses – quite clearly as it was on a street lamp pole. The larvae feed on a wide range of vegetable matter. My first sighting here.

This Flame Carpet moth (Xanthorhoe designata) was many feet up a lamp pole in squirrel alley and at a most unhelpful angle. Luckily there are no confusion species.

An owl midge Psychodidae sp. One of 99 UK species that cannot be separated from photos. If you look closely there is an even smaller 'thing' at the 5 o'clock position. No idea.

A Nettle Weevil (Phyllobius pomaceus). The green scales wear off and leave them looking rather anaemic like this.

And between the Lake and The Flash

Another new species of moth for me. This tiny individual is a Fulvous Clothes Moth (Tinea semifulvella). So hide all your fulvous clothes. As with the White-shouldered House Moth it is not exactly well-named with the larvae favouring birds' nests.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Sightings from previous years without links are below

2011
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper - First returning
(Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper - First returning
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 drake Ruddy Duck
1 Snipe
1 Common Sandpiper - First returning
At least 38 Swifts
(Ed Wilson)