4 Sep 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

13.0°C > 19.0°C: Mostly clear skies with just a few early lifted mist patched. Light and variable breeze mainly from an easterly direction. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:25 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: 05:25 – 06:35 // 07:35 – 09:45

(180th visit of the year)

When I departed Council contractors were clearing the edges of the very overgrown footpath along the West end.

Other bird notes:
- Two adult Great Crested Grebes were together in the south-west bat early. Later they had separated.
- Of the 103 fly-over Lesser Black-backed Gulls 78 of them flew low West (flushed from fields to the East). None of them showed any inclination to stop off on the water.
- I wrote yesterday: "At the moment there is no roost dispersal of Jackdaws and Rooks over the lake" Today a group of 16 Jackdaws flew over doing just that at 06:00. I wonder what else I can conjure up? I have not seen any Dodos recently.
- Just two House Martins made a quick visit for a drink.
- Fewer warblers today. Clear skies at night enable these birds to migrate, navigating by the stars.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 59 Canada Geese: 57 outbound in five groups; duo inbound
- Greylag Geese: heard only outbound
- 1 Stock Dove
- 75 Wood Pigeons
- 4 Herring Gulls
- 103 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 44 unidentified large gulls
- 17 Jackdaws

Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets): a bumper morning!
- 1 (0) Willow Warbler
- 14 (4) Chiffchaffs
- 7 (0) Reed Warblers
- 5 (0) Blackcaps

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 2 House Martins

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 4 (3♂) Mallard
- 6 Moorhens
- 103 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 119 Black-headed Gulls on the football field c.06:20. Up to 18 on the lake later presumed some of these birds
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

On or around the street lamp poles at dawn:

Moths:
- +*1 Flame Carpet (Xanthorhoe designata): seen at The Flash and between the lake and The Flash this year but not here.
- +*1 Canary-shouldered Thorn (Ennomos alniaria)
- *1 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa)
- *1 noctuid covered in dew
- *1 wrapped up in web

Other things
- *5 Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum/blackwalli harvestman

And at this time
- at least five of the larger direct flying species of bat.

Around the sailing club HQ or in the sailing club shelter

Nothing unusual  apart from: 
- 1 Grouse Wing caddis fly (Mystacides longicornis)

Noted later:

Butterflies:
- Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
- *Comma (Polygonia c-album)

Moths:
- +*The Sallow (Cirrhia icteritia)

Bees / wasps etc.:
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- *Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)

Hoverflies:
- *Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- *Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
- Common Spotted Field Syrph (Eupeodes luniger)
- *Humming Syrphus (Syrphus ribesii)
- Syrphus sp. (S. ribesii / S. vitripennis)

Dragon-/damsel-flies:
- Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
- two species of hawker (on size) seen in flight only

Other flies:
- greenbottles
- Common Crane-fly (Tipula oleracea)

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni); adults
- ++*Black-clouded Longhorn Beetle agg. (Leiopus nebulosus agg.) [Mesosa nebulosa?]

Bugs:
- Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus)
- *Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina): instar

Also
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

The continuing waning of the blue super moon.

Street-lights still on as the sunrise illuminates lifted mist.

Lights out with the two adult and two cygnets sleeping Mute Swans just visible.

An arty shot of the cob Mute Swan against the sunrise.

A wider view showing the distant mist.

Nasty. The algal bloom on the lake near the sluice. A good reason not to let your dog in to the water - you shouldn't anyway as it disturbs the wildlife.

Who is this peering out at me?

This shows a slight gape line indicating it is a juvenile...

...Blackcap. The shadow somewhat enhances the brown cap of this juvenile.

Not perfect but I am pleased with this flying Long-tailed Tit.

A Flame Carpet moth (Xanthorhoe designata): seen at The Flash and between the lake and The Flash this year but not previously here.

Naughty: a Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius) wrapping up a moth. I cannot positively identify the moth but I suspect it might be another of these...

...Canary-shouldered Thorn moths (Ennomos alniaria). My first of the year of a common species I see most years.

Not a well-marked individual of a Square-spot Rustic moth (Xestia xanthographa). This individual was, most unusually, on one of the street lamp poles around the football field and I was forced to take the photo in to the light.

Not helpful! A dew-covered Noctuid moth. Beyond that...

A moth species known as The Sallow (Cirrhia icteritia). There are a number of 'sallow' moth species, all yellow-toned and all Autumn-flying.

A smart Comma butterfly (Polygonia c-album).

Spider 1 Wasp 0. A Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris) fully wrapped up. Spiders must be very adept at avoiding the sting.

 I have not seen any Marmalade Hoverflies (Episyrphus balteatus) for a few days.

A male Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax). No ideas on the small fly photo-bombing the shot.

This is a Humming Syrphus (Syrphus ribesii). Most unusual: I have managed to photograph a female and get a clear view of the hind tarsus. It is all-yellow and that rules out it being the other member of the species pair: Glass-winged Syrphus (Syrphus vitripennis).

I would not like to say which of the two Syrphus species this is.

A bit of a puzzle here. It is a longhorn beetle and checking images on eakringbirds and NatureSpot web sites it appears to be a Black-clouded Longhorn Beetle agg. (Leiopus nebulosus agg.) The 'agg.' is because it is now known that there are two cryptic species involved only separable by genitalia examination. Meanwhile Obsidentify gives Mesosa nebulosa as the identity. It does indeed look very similar. Reference to Wikipedia does not give the identities as synonyms despite the similarity of the second part of the scientific binomial (the species name) which differ only in sex, which is taken from the sex of the genus. Another insect I found on the sluice control box on the dam top.

A late instar of a Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina).

Plane of the day. It is a Van's RV-8 owned by a flying group based in Gloucester. Van's aircraft are supplied as kits for private individuals to assemble. There have been 11 models to date with over 7500 flying. The company is based in Aurora, Oregon and was founded by Richard "Van" VanGrunsven.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:40 – 07:30

(166th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The Coots were mostly spread out across the water making for an easier, more accurate and larger count.
- With two of the Great Crested Grebes close to me today I was able to see that one of the birds I had been reporting as an adult was in fact an almost full-grown juvenile. It seems likely to be fledged so whether it is from an earlier brood born here (if so where has it been while growing up?) or a visitor from elsewhere is unclear.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

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

Hirundines etc., noted:

None

Noted on / around the water: better visibility than yesterday, but still dull.
- 2 Canada Geese
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 15 (10♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 37 (>6♂) Tufted Duck
- 9 Moorhens
- 70 Coots
- *4 + 2 (1 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 17 Black-headed Gulls: nine of these juveniles/first-winters
- *3 Cormorants: one of these arrived
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Kingfisher

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

Moths:
- none

Other things
- 2 Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris) huddled together
- 1 unidentified small ichneumon
- 2 Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus harvestman

Elsewhere around The Flash:

Nothing of note

Two Great Crested Grebes: the nearer one is clearly an adult. The other I suspect I have also logged as an adult in the last few days. They were closer here and...

 ...here we see the marks on the cheek indicating it is a well-grown juvenile.

The adult winter Black-headed Gull has something in its bill and is being chased by a first-winter bird – the black tail tip indicates the age.

 Did I say "scruffy". A moulting adult Cormorant. The yellow marks are where the low sun is catching the plumage.

(Ed Wilson)

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

Moths:
- *1 Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella)

Other things:
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni): larva

"Not another photo of a Common Grass-veneer moth (Agriphila tristella)" I hear you say. Well yes: but note this individual is sitting with its wings held slightly open and the markings on the wings.

(Ed Wilson)

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Noted in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- *1 Orange Swift (Triodia sylvina)

Other things
- 1 cranefly Tipula lateralis
- 29 White-legged Snake Millipedes (Tachypodoiulus niger)
- 1 Common Rough Woodlouse (Porcellio scaber)
- many unidentified spiders

A Orange Swift moth (Triodia sylvina): my first in the area since 07 August 2018.

(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
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson/ John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
2 Hobby's chasing Swallows and martins
1 Common Redstart
2 Meadow Pipits - first autumn birds
(Ed Wilson/John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Teal
14 Cormorants
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
Hobby chasing Swallows
1 Wheatear
2 Raven
(John Isherwood)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Little Egret
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
Kingfisher
2 Swifts
1 Meadow Pipit - first autumn bird
(Ed Wilson)