9 Aug 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

9.0°C > 17.0°C: Mainly clear until an area of cloud after c.08:45. Light and variable breezes with mist over the water early. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:42 BST

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

All the local Swifts seem to have departed. There were a few remaining around Newport on Sunday but these too seem to have left. We may get a few passage birds over the next few weeks. The end of July is this species usual leaving date.

Gull numbers remain well below normal. Perhaps the impact of the widespread avian flu? I hope those that do visit don't bring it with them.

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:23 – 06:15 // 07:20 – 10:04

(159th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- One that got away. I thought I heard a brief nasal call reminding me of Willow Tit – a species that bred here until 2017 when the last remaining male sang all summer without attracting a mate. Subsequently I noted one on 18 July 2020. I heard and saw nothing more today so I will have to 'pend' this record.
- Single House Martin(s) seen overhead on at least three occasions.
- A Cetti's Warbler was calling at the West end at c.05:30. I did not see or hear it subsequently.

Counts of birds noted flying over here:
- >138 Canada Geese: just three outbound; at least 135 inbound though more passed unseen while I was inside the wooded area.
- 19 Greylag Geese: 17 outbound in three groups; a duo inbound
- 64 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Herring Gull: immature
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult
- 9 Jackdaws
- 3 Starlings
- 1 Pied Wagtail

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

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 3 Barn Swallows
- 1+ House Martin(s)

Counts from the lake area:
- 10 Canada Geese: stopped off briefly while inbound
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 6 (?♂) Mallard
- 3 Moorhen
- 84 Coots
- 4 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 27 Black-headed Gulls on the football field c.06:05: no juveniles noted. 21 (of these?) earlier at the lake.

Nothing on or around the street lamp poles around dawn:

Noted later:

Butterflies:
- Large White (Pieris brassicae)
- Small White (Pieris rapae)
- *Green-veined White (Pieris napi)
- Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)
- *Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus)
- Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
- Peacock (Aglais io)
How come I still have to see a Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) this year?

Moths:
- Common Roller (Ancylis badiana)
- *Satin Grass-veneer (Crambus perlella): very many
- *Straw Grass-veneer (Agriphila straminella)
- *Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella)
- *Pale Straw Pearl (Udea lutealis)

Bees / wasps etc.:
- Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- *Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
- *Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)

Hoverflies:
- *Plain-faced Dronefly (Eristalis arbustorum)
- Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
- ++*possible Blotch-winged Dronefly (Eristalis rupium)
- Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- *Dead-head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea) [aka Batman Hoverfly]
*Common Twist-tail (Sphaerophoria scripta) [was Long Hoverfly]
- Syrphus sp. (S. ribesii / S. vitripennis)

Dragon-/damsel-flies:
- +*Southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea)
- *Emperor Dragonfly (Anax imperator)
- Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)

Other flies:
- ++*the marsh fly Coremacera marginata
- *Grouse Wing caddis fly (Mystacides longicornis): dead?
- *a miscellany of strange flies

Beetles:
- 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)
- *14 Spot Ladybird (Propylea quattuordecimpunctata)
- *Spotted Longhorn beetle (Rutpela maculata)

Bugs:
- *Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina): instar
- *Common Froghopper (Philaenus spumarius)

Also
- *White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
- *two unidentified spider sps.

Some early mist over the water and remnant vapour trails in an otherwise clear sky.

This Blue Tit is still showing signs of its juvenile plumage on its back as well as the pale yellow tones around the head.

 And off it flies.

And a Robin in moult. It is unclear whether this is a juvenile acquiring adult plumage or an adult renewing its feathers after a hard breeding season. There is perhaps just a trace of a gape line suggesting the former.

Green-veined White butterflies (Pieris napi) are easy to recognise from the underside. 'Green-veined' is a misnomer, though when very fresh the yellow dusting between the black lines can give that impression.

 The under-side of a pristine Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus).

And the top-side of a different not quite so pristine Gatekeeper.

A better photo of a Satin Grass-veneer moth (Crambus perlella). There were very many this morning.

The pale area along the wing of this grass-moth is not well-defined and splits in to 'fingers'. It is thus a Straw Grass-veneer (Agriphila straminella).

The very bold pale area along the wing identifies this grass moth as a Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella).

A Pale Straw Pearl moth (Udea lutealis).

A worn Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) with the red on the tail rather sparse.

And this Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum) looks a bit dishevelled and faded.

Pardon my foot! A male Plain-faced Dronefly (Eristalis arbustorum) steps on a 14 Spot Ladybird (Propylea quattuordecimpunctata).

And here is a female Plain-faced Dronefly.

This female hoverfly may or may not be my first Blotch-winged Dronefly (Eristalis rupium). It certainly has the look of a drone-fly and this is the only all-dark species. However it is noted by Steven Falk as a "smallish" species which, even though this image is enlarged, does not seem right. Also perhaps the shading in the wing is not extensive-enough. I will get it checked.

A pristine Dead-head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea).

To my eyes this is the hoverfly species that most closely resembles a wasp.

It is some while since I saw one of these Common Twist-tail hoverflies (Sphaerophoria scripta).

I managed to track down two 'hawker-type' dragonflies this morning before they saw me. This is a Southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea).

And a splendid Emperor Dragonfly (Anax imperator).

A close-up of the operational parts!

A new species for me. This is a marsh fly with the scientific name Coremacera marginata.

One of the many miscellany of strange flies this morning. No idea what this hairy species is called.

At least I can call this a 'greenbottle'. That helps little as there are many glossy green files within several families.

Another unknown hairy fly.

Almost a punk fly!

And another unknown fly.

The last one for the day.

This Grouse Wing caddis fly (Mystacides longicornis) appears to be rooted to the spot. Only when I enlarged the photo did I see the small spider probably responsible for its demise.

A Spotted Longhorn beetle (Rutpela maculata).

This instar Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina) is showing more mottling than the examples I photographed earlier in the week.

A Common Froghopper (Philaenus spumarius). It is pointing to the right – the eye is just visible to confirm that.

 I report White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis) just about every day. About time I photographed one.

When I edited the photo of the marsh fly Coremacera marginata I also noted this small spider lurking in the vegetation.

Plane of the day. Another cargo Boeing 747 Jumbo jet, here operated by Aderbaijan-based Silk Way West Airlines. This airframe was built in 2006 as a freighter for Malaysian Airlines (Boeing customer code H6). They operated it for 10 years. After two years in store it was bought by Silk Way West Airlines who initially placed it on the 'flag of convenience' Bermuda register as VP-BCR. It was transferred to the Azerbaijan register last year.

Here, as usual, is the FlightRadar24 data for the flight.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:20 – 07:15

(148th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- No sign of yesterday's brood of three Mallard ducklings.
- *Distant views of at least two juveniles with a pair of Great Crested Grebes.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 9 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Blackcap

Hirundines etc., noted:

None

Noted on / around the water
- 3 Canada Geese
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 24 (?♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck.
- 20 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 11 Moorhens
- 46 Coots
- *4 + 2? (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Cormorant
- 2 Grey Herons

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

Moths:

None

Other things:
- *2 Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus harvestman

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- Syrphus sp. (S. ribesii / S. vitripennis)

 Record shot only of at least two stripe-headed juvenile Great Crested Grebes with their parents.

One of two Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris) apparently asleep on street lamp poles. Why would they not sleep in the nest?

(Ed Wilson)

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

Moths:
- *1 Willow Beauty (Peribatodes rhomboidaria)

A smart Willow Beauty moth (Peribatodes rhomboidaria) best separated from similar species by the two convergent lines across the centre of the forewing.

(Ed Wilson)

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Noted in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths on the ceiling:
- 2 Single-dotted Waves (Idaea dimidiata)
- 1 Riband Wave (Idaea aversata)
- +*1 Currant Pug (Eupithecia assmilata)
plus several unidentified midges.

This Currant Pug (Eupithecia assmilata) is a new species for the year. One of four moths resting on the ceiling of the tunnel.

(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
Green Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Priorslee Lake
2 Lapwings
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
4 Little Egrets
(Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Peregrine Falcon
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
Redshank
(Ed Wilson)