11 Sep 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

17.0°C > 19.0°C: Early broken cloud then clear fro a while. Clouded 08:45 with rain shower. Light southerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:37 BST

+ = my first sighting of this species at this site this year.
++ = new species for me at this site.
* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:20 – 08:50

(187th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Both adult Great Crested Grebes were seen today, usually close together. I could only find one yesterday.
- A Grey Heron flew over the football field c.06:30. It seemed to have emerged from the Ricoh grounds rather than from the lake.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 22 Canada Geese: outbound in four groups
- 30 Greylag Geese: inbound in two groups
- 1 Stock Dove
- 111 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Collared Dove
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 42 large gulls early: none visited the lake
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Jackdaw
- 54 Rooks
- 5 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Greenfinch

Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 14 (6) Chiffchaffs
- 5 (0) Blackcaps

Hirundines etc., noted:
- >16 House Martins: 11 at least high over 06:40: 16 high over 08:45 – same birds involved?

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 7 (2♂) Mallard
- 5 Moorhens
- 92 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 146 Black-headed Gulls on the football field c.06:40, including *the very recently fledged juvenile. At least 38 at the lake later.
- 1 Kingfisher at 06:10

On or around the street lamp poles at dawn:

Moths:
- *1 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa)

Other things:
- *2 Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris)
- 1 ichneumon sp.
- *1 possible species of flat wasp of the Bethylidae family
- 1 plumed midge (Microtendipes pedellus)
- 2 other green-bodied midges
- many unidentified flies
- *1 Tegenaria species of spider

At this time:
- 2 pipistrelle-type bats
- 3 larger direct-flying bats

Around the sailing club HQ or in the sailing club shelter:

Nothing unusual

Noted later: most things hiding from the rain

Butterflies:
- Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)

Moths:
- none

Bees / wasps etc.:
- Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- ichneumon sp.

Hoverflies:
- *Common Copperback (Ferdinandea cuprea) [Bronze Sap Hoverfly]
- *Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- *Common Twist-tail (Sphaerophoria scripta)

Dragon-/damsel-flies:
- none

Other flies:
- Grouse Wing caddis fly (Mystacides longicornis)
- cranefly Tipula confusa
- *cranefly Tipula paludosa
- many other craneflies not identified
- *several unidentified flies

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni); adults

Bugs:
- *Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus): instar
- *Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis): larva
- *Allygus planthopper sp., either A. mixtus or A. modestus.

Spiders / Harvestmen:
- none

Also
- *White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

No colour in the dawn. The clouds melted away for a while....

...as seen here looking West later. The lake remains rather devoid of birds as it has been much of the year.

Is this any better than yesterday's photo of the juvenile Black-headed Gull (at the back). It is hard to believe it is the same species as the two adult winter birds with it.

 I found this Square-spot Rustic moth (Xestia xanthographa), my tenth of the year.

Another marauding Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris) patrolling the pre-dawn street lamp poles. The photo captures how hairy this insect really is.

Rather similar to an ichneumon Obsidentify suggested this might be one of the flat wasps in the Bethylidae family. I cannot find too much information about this group, certainly nothing that might help to specifically identify it.

My third Common Copperback hoverfly (Ferdinandea cuprea) this year. The grey stripes on the thorax, and the shiny body (here covered by wings each with two clouded areas) identify this species.

A female Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare) shows its rather triangular abdomen markings as it flies in to feed on pollen of the Field Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis). Males of this species, that I rarely seem to see, have rectangular yellow areas more akin to the species' name.

The Common Twist-tail hoverfly (Sphaerophoria scripta) is a delicate-looking insect.

One of today's unidentified flies. This one on a pre-dawn street lamp pole.

This fly is on Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra).

Another unidentified fly.

An instar of a Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus). The wings are still growing and the chequerboard border to the abdomen is still to develop. The shape is unique.

The larva of a Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis).

This is an Allygus planthopper sp., either A. mixtus or A. modestus. Keith, the Shropshire recorder, tells me a clearer view of the top of the head would be needed to specifically identify it. Sadly it flew away!

More death and destruction. The cranefly Tipula paludosa flew in to a spider's web...

...and was wrapped up in less than 30 seconds. I did not get a clear-enough view of the spider to confirm its identity.

A Tegenaria species of spider on one of the street lamp poles. Obsidentify cannot go further, probably because the spider appears to have something in its jaws making it strangely-shaped.

Not something I have seen before: a White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis) feeding inside the flower of a Field Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis).


(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 08:55 – 10:05

(173rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The four Mallard ducklings were seen again.
- The second of the last brood of two Great Crested Grebes appeared again today. Where does it hide? The other is still begging its parent noisily much of the time.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

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

Hirundines etc., noted:

None

Noted on / around the water:
- >*130 Canada Geese
- >6 Greylag Goose
many geese had returned before I arrived and were already inside the island
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 38 (26♂) + *4 (1 brood) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 55 (>18♂) Tufted Duck
- 10 Moorhens
- 71 Coots
- 5 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 27 Black-headed Gulls
- *3 Cormorants: flew off together
- *2 Grey Herons

If anyone is taking notes then I missed
- 1 (0♂) Shoveler
off yesterday's table, though it was noted on the text.

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

Moths:
- none

Other things
- 1 female midge sp.
- 1 harvestman Oligolophus tridens

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Bees / wasps etc.:
- Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)

Fly:
- *galls of Dasineura urticae on Common or Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica).

Spiders:
- Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus)

Flower:
- *possible Brown Knapweed (Centaurea jacea)

Fungus:
- *possible Blushing Rosette (Abortiporus beinnis)

"Water off a duck's back". Well in this case a Canada Goose. Here it picks up water...

...with the water simply water just rolling over its back and not wetting the feathers.

Try again.

Same result!

Three of the four Mallard ducklings...

...and the fourth. They all look rather 'fuzzy' though adult feathers are growing on still stubby wings and along the flanks.

A first winter Black-headed Gulls passing.

All the Cormorants left together – in different directions. This one is a near adult with just a few white flecks in the belly.

One of two Grey Herons. This one seemed unfazed by my presence...

 ...and allowed close-approach. I always think herons look cross-eyed.

The raised 'green lumps' are galls of the fly Dasineura urticae on Common or Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica). The flies are rarely seen.

 The Flash getting in on the act as host to an unidentified fly. This one shows is sense of balance.

Obsidentify told me this rather ragged looking flower was Brown Knapweed (Centaurea jacea). My flora suggests that this is unlikely. It was a 'southern' species but anyway freely hybridises with Common Knapweed (C. nigra).

Another Obsidentify identification. This may be Blushing Rosette (Abortiporus beinnis). Photos on the internet suggest it might well be though it is a very variable species. It appears to be growing the trunk of a tree cut level to the ground many years ago.

(Ed Wilson)

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Noted in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- none

Other things:
- 26 White-legged Snake Millipedes (Tachypodoiulus niger)
- 14 Common Rough Woodlouse (Porcellio scaber)
- the usual array of mostly unidentified spiders

(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

2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Snipe
Wheatear
3 Raven
(John Isherwood/Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
1 Hobby
1 Sedge Warbler
3 Swift
2 Teal
1 Meadow Pipit
(John Isherwood)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Black Tern
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)