16 Aug 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

13.0°C > 15.0°C: Often clear but also cloudier spells. Light south-westerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:53 BST

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

* = a photo today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:05 – 06:15 // 07:20 – 08:30

(165th visit of the year)

An abbreviated visit with other places to go today.

Bird notes:
- One of the Great Crested Grebe juveniles was seen to fly strongly down the length of the lake seconds after failing to persuade an adult to feed it.
- A Cetti's Warbler made a single partial call from alongside the North side – a location where I have not seen or heard one for several moths.

Counts of birds noted flying over here:
- 187 Canada Geese: 146 outbound in 14 groups; 41 inbound in three groups.
- 19 Greylag Geese: outbound in three groups.
- 59 Wood Pigeons
Nowt else!

Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 10 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 7 (0) Reed Warblers
- 3 (0) Blackcaps

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 2 House Martins

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 9 (?♂) Mallard
- 4 Moorhens
- 88 Coots
- 2 + 2 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 93 Black-headed Gulls on the football field area c.06:10: no juveniles. Just one noted at the lake.
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: two adults; two juveniles
- 1 Grey Heron

On or around the street lamp poles at dawn:

Moths:
- 2 Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella)
- 2 other grass moths, too covered in dew to identify

Other things
- 1 Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- 1 midge sp.
- 1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis-type
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius)

Noted later during the abbreviated visit and before many insects were flying:

Butterflies:
- Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)
- Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus)
- Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

Moths:
- Pale Straw Pearl (Udea lutealis)

Bees / wasps etc.:
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)

Hoverflies:
- Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
- Dead-head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea) [aka Batman Hoverfly]
- Bumblebee Plume-horned Hoverfly (Volucella bombylans)

Dragon-/damsel-flies:
- Emperor Dragonfly (Anax imperator)
- Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)

Other flies:
- Grouse Wing caddis fly (Mystacides longicornis)

Beetles:
- none

Bugs:
- none

Also
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

Not much time for photography this morning. A Long-tailed Tit of course.

Seems it has an itch.

What a sweetie?

Another view.

Another bird requesting "no publicity". A Goldfinch.

The clean edges to the white middle stripe identifies this as a Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella).

Another specimen of the same species showing how that stripe divides in to 'fingers'. Some dew on this example. The markings on the other two grass moths were completely obscured.

I did not see any Bumblebee Plume-horned Hoverflies (Volucella bombylans) yesterday so this one was welcome.

I only ever see these Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius) at the top of the street lamp poles pre-dawn.

 (Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:20 – 07:15

(153rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The immature white Mute Swan was back in the water.
- Two Swifts flying around.
- There seemed to be a 'spare, fifth, adult Great Crested Grebe. As usual it was difficult to keep track of them.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 7 (0) Chiffchaffs

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 2 Swifts
- 9 House Martins

Noted on / around the water
- 4 Canada Geese
- 3 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 32 (?♂) Mallard
- 1 all-white feral duck
- 32 (>9♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens
- 59 Coots
- 5 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted on / beside the street lamp poles around the water etc.:

Moths:
- 1 Single-dotted Wave (Idaea dimidiata)

Other things
- 2 Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus harvestmen
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni): larvae

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:
- fungus, perhaps Peppery Milkcap (Lactarius piperatus)

 (Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash on / around street lamp poles:

Moths:
- 1 Small Grey (Eudonia mercurella): dead?
- 2 Single-dotted Waves (Idaea dimidiata)

This is difficult to see. I think it is a Small Grey moth (Eudonia mercurella) which seems to be infected by mould.

Each day I seem to find a better example of a Single-dotted Wave moth (Idaea dimidiata). This is sitting on one of the fence posts, the post also showing bits of lichen.

 (Ed Wilson)

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Noted in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- 1 Single-dotted Wave (Idaea dimidiata)

Other things
- 1 cranefly Tipula lateralis
- several midges including one plumed midge,
- 8 White-legged Snake Millipedes (Tachypodoiulus niger)

A clear image of a plumed midge, almost certainly a Chironomus plumosus, due to the banding shown on he abdomen.

 (Ed Wilson)