31 Jul 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  04:15 – 06:05 // 06:55 – 08:45
The Flash:  06:10 – 06:50

16.0°C > 17.0°C:  Mostly cloudy with a brief clearer spell c.07:00. Moderate WSW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:26 BST

Priorslee Lake:  04:15 – 06:05 // 06:55 – 08:45

(187th visit of the year)

Bird notes from today
- One of the Grey Herons was briefly in the very narrow and enclosed part of the Wesley Brook alongside Teece Drive and opposite the academy.
- Just four of the adult Great Crested Grebes seem. Others probably hiding from the breezy conditions – as were many of the Moorhens and Coots no doubt.
- Both sexes of Tawny Owls heard calling before dawn.
- Very low number of corvids passing early again.
- One of the Willow Warblers gave a very brief burst of song.
- The grassy area in the SW held skulking Whitethroats and both Sedge and Reed Warblers. Both the Sedge Warblers I glimpsed seemed to be adults so I am not sure whether they had a second brood here. These could have been passing birds.
- Pied Wagtails were late arriving on the football field. Just 4 at 07:05. 11 by 08:40 with another four seen flying in.
- juvenile Goldfinches seen

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- >27 Canada Geese (5 groups seen: others heard: all outbound)
- 2 Cormorants
- 15 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull again
- 5 Feral Pigeons
- 99 Wood Pigeons
- no Jackdaws
- 3 Rooks only

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 3 Barn Swallows
- 2 House Martins

Warblers noted (singing birds):
Not much song now.
- 7 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (1) Willow Warblers
- 2 (0) Blackcaps
- 4 (0) Common Whitethroats
- 2 (0) Sedge Warblers
- 9 (0) Reed Warblers

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 3 Canada Geese (2 throughout; 1 departed)
- 12 (9♂) Mallard
- 2 Grey Herons
- 4 + 3 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Moorhens (2 adults; 1 juvenile)
- 31 adult and juvenile Coots only: also the 2 small juveniles from the newest brood
- 28 Black-headed Gulls

On the lamp poles pre-dawn [rather too breezy for moths]:
- 1 Common Footman (Eilema lurideola)

The following logged later:
- 1 pipistrelle-type bat
- Butterflies
- 1 Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus)
- Moths (in species order):
- 1 Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- 1 Olive Pearl (Udea olivalis)
- No damselflies etc: too dull
- Hoverflies:
- Chequered Hoverflies (Melanostoma scalare)
- Marmalade hoverflies (Episyrphus balteatus)
- an unidentified small hoverfly
And other things:
- several White-tailed Bumblebees (Bombus lucorum)
- 1 Common Carder Bumblebee (Bombus pascuorum)
- 1 wasp (Vespa sp.)
- 1 harvestman sp. - Dicranopalpus ramosus
- 1 Grey Squirrel again

Identification not quite straightforward. A juvenile Goldfinch against the light on a dull day. The best clues are the yellow just visible in the wing; the warm buff tones on the breast side; and the sharply pointed pale bill. The face will not go red until late October time.

Not quite at the best angle to show all the markings. Nevertheless this Pale Straw Pearl moth (Udea lutealis) cannot be confused with any other species.

Same lamp as previously with a different footman moth. A narrower-looking species when the wings are held closed. It is a Common Footman (Eilema lurideola). Just about visible is some yellow on the face which Dingy Footman lacks. Moth species #57 here this year.

Obviously a White-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lucorum). Well: yes but those bands should be yellow. I suppose they are ‘lemon yellow’ rather than pure white and nothing else fits. Instructive.

Now this is the colour I expect a White-tailed Bumblebee to be! We can rule out the other bee that has orange bands as that species, Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris), has, obviously, a buff rather than white tail.

I have great empathy with this typically scruffy-looking Common Carder Bumblebee (Bombus pascuorum). Only Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum) also has a ginger thorax but that species also has a white tail.

Go on – get stuck in!. “Males have longer antennae” it says. Without comparisons being shown I would have to guess that these look ‘long’ and it is likely a male.

One for the ‘pass’ bucket. I thought it was going to be a Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare) but it isn’t. While we cannot see ‘under the folded wing’ and get an unobstructed view of all the body markings it is clear that the body is basically black with three narrow yellow bands starting at the edge. We need to see how these bands expand (or not) across the body to be able to positively identify it.

This IS a Chequered Hoverfly and we can just about make out the pattern well-enough through the folded wing to confirm it is a typical female-type pattern with rather triangular yellow spots. That the eyes meet also tells us it is a female. Here at rest on (part of) a Convolvulus (bindweed) flower.

A reminder of that other common small hoverfly – the Marmalade hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus). This species often, helpfully, sits with wings open allowing all the body mark to be ascertained.

This harvestman was doing its best to be camouflaged against the detritus on the lamp. It is Dicranopalpus ramosus. This species originated in Morocco and was first noted in Bournemouth in 1957. It has now spread as far as Scotland. It is characterised by the very long second pair of legs.

Enlarged further the other characteristic is visible – “its pedipalps appear to be forked”. Why does the web say ‘appear’ to be? Is it an optical illusion? If we decompose the scientific name ‘dicrano’ comes from the Greek ‘two headed’: and ‘palpus’ obviously refers to the palps that spiders use to feel (and are dramatically enlarged in scorpions and the like). So they are forked!

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  06:10 – 06:50

(180th visit of the year)

Notes from here:
- The two remaining cygnets were with their parents for a change.
- Two small ducklings were noted scurrying along the E side of the island. Not obviously with any adult and too distant to ID. I presume Mallard: but could they be Tufted Duck? Time might tell.
and, moth on a lamp pole
- 1 Single-dotted Wave (Idaea dimidiata)

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 2 Feral Pigeons
- 13 Wood Pigeons

Hirundines etc. noted.
None

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 2 (1) Chiffchaffs

Counts from the water:
- 3 + 2 Mute Swans
- 21 Greylag Geese
- 62 Canada Geese
- 30 (>10♂) Mallard
- 22 (12♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Moorhen
- 12 + 2 (1 brood) Coots
- 14 Black-headed Gulls: no juveniles

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

- 1 Blackcap still calling at the lower pool

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day..........

2014
Local area
Today's News Here

2006
Priorslee Lake
13 Swifts
(Ed Wilson)