9 Jul 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

18.0°C > 24.0°C: Clear skies. A very light and variable breeze. Good visibility with haze.

Sunrise: 04:57 BST

* = a species photographed today
! = a first sighting of the species this year
$ = a new species for me in this area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 04:50– 06:00 // 07:10 – 09:35

(157th visit of the year)

It is becoming very quiet. For the first time since Winter I heard no bird song or calls as I parked up in Teece Drive.

Bird notes:
- all eleven Greylag Geese (presumably the four adults and seven full-grown goslings though it is impossible to tell) were together on the south-west grass at least some of the time.
- no Mallard ducklings seen. The highest number of adults so far this year noted.
- the warbler update:
a Common Whitethroat alarm called once beside the West end path.
otherwise quiet.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 5 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 71 Wood Pigeons
- 10 Jackdaws
- no Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- 11 Greylag Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 41 (?♂) Mallard
- 4 Moorhens again
- 51 Coots
- 5 + 4 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes yet again
- 7 Black-headed Gulls: no juveniles noted
- 14 Lesser Black-backed Gull: of these nine adults were on the football field 05:35

Hirundines etc. noted:
- no Swifts: [a fisherman reported >25 c.21:00 last night]
- 2 Barn Swallows

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 5 (5) Chiffchaffs
- 8 (4) Reed Warblers
- 8 (6) Blackcaps
- 1 (0) Common Whitethroat

Also noted:
Once again many insects, other than butterflies, seemed to be hiding from the heat.

Butterflies:
The Butterfly-bush Buddleja davidii was popular with the larger species today.
- *2 Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris
- 4 Small Skipper-type Thymelicus lineola / sylvestris
- 1 Large White Pieris brassicae
- 16 Green-veined White Pieris napi
- 9 "whites" I did not bother to chase to ID
- 5 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
- 3 Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus
- 31+ Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
- 29+ Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus
- 9 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta
- 11 Peacock Aglais io
- *3 Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus

Moths:
- 7 Garden Grass-moth Chrysoteuchia culmella: many more "grass moths" got away.
- *1 ! Pale Straw Pearl Udea lutealis
- 1 Shaded Broad-bar Scotopteryx chenopodiata
- 1 Silver Y Autographa gamma

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Honey Bee Apis mellifera
- Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius
- Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- *$ ichneumon from the Cosmoconus group

Hoverflies:
- Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
- *Humming Syrphus Syrphus ribesii [Common Flower Fly]
- Syrphus sp. S. ribesii / S. vitripennis / S. torvus

Damsel / Dragon-flies:
- Brown Hawker Aeshna grandis
- Emperor Dragonfly Anax imperator [Blue Emperor]
- Azure Damselfly Coenagrion puella [Azure Bluet]
- Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum [Common Bluet]
- Black-tailed Skimmer Orthetrum cancellatum
- Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum
many other dragonflies seen in flight and not identified

True flies:
very few including...
- greenbottle Lucilia sp.
- Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria
other unidentified flies

Bugs:
none

Beetles:
- Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis [False Oil Beetle or Thick-legged Flower Beetle]
- Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva

On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 harvestman from the species pair Dicranopalpus ramosus / D. caudatus

One of only two Small Skipper butterflies Thymelicus sylvestris that stayed long-enough for me to photograph and specifically identify.

"Another chance to see" a Holly Blue butterfly Celastrina argiolus.

My first Pale Straw Pearl moth Udea lutealis of the year. A tricky species to find as when they flush from their unseen location deep in the grass they typically dive for cover on the underside of leaves. The wing-pattern is distinctive.

Typical of an ichneumon wasp this was running around at high speed. The red on the abdomen and the yellow on the legs identify it as being from the Cosmoconus group. To further identify the species would require a better photo and / or a detailed examination. Not a group of parasitic wasps I have noted previously.

For a change a female Syrphus hoverfly showing its hind leg. The yellow femur identifying it as a Humming Syrphus Syrphus ribesii which Obsidentify calls Common Flower Fly. It probably is but try proving it!

A close-up of a male Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum eating breakfast though I cannot identify what it has caught.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- *1 ! Common Masoner Blastobasis adustella [was Dingy Dowd]
- *2 Brown House-moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella
- 1 Small Dusty Wave Idaea seriata
- 2 Single-dotted Wave Idaea dimidiata
- *1 Slender Pug Eupithecia tenuiata
- *1 Double-striped Pug Gymnoscelis rufifasciata

Flies:
- 4 midges of several species
- 4 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]: one a day but never in the same place on the wall
- *1 cranefly Tipula lateralis
- 1 cranefly Tipula sp.

Arthropods:
- 1 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]

A new moth for the year: a Common Masoner Blastobasis adustella formerly often called Dingy Dowd until the vernacular names of micro-moth were standardised. I find one or two in the tunnel most years.

Another moth that seems to like the tunnel is Brown House-moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella. There were two on the wall this morning.

Two of those confusing pug-moths this morning. This is a Slender Pug Eupithecia tenuiata.

And this is a Double-striped Pug Gymnoscelis rufifasciata.

This is the cranefly Tipula lateralis. A common species seen from March to November, peaking in the Autumn.

A Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata also known as the Silver-sided Sector Spider. When I visit the tunnel while it is still dark I sometimes see double-figures of this species lurking at the top of the wall. It is unusual to find one out after dawn.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:05 – 07:05

(154th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Some of the geese are now flying again. I saw a group of c.8 leave together. They were too far away to be certain which species. Both species were calling at the time.
- today "only" 16 Mute Swans.
- just one duck Mallard noted with two ducklings.
- no Great Crested Grebe found.
- a Ring-necked Parakeet was heard calling again just as I was arriving. I did not see it and two more short calls were heard, apparently from the island. Nothing seen.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- ? Ring-necked Parakeet: see notes
- 2 Jackdaws

Noted on / around the water:
- 153 Canada Geese
- 99 Greylag Geese
- 16 Mute Swans
- 24 (?♂) + 2 (1 brood) Mallard
- 24 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 62 Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebe
- 1 Black-headed Gull: dropped in briefly

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 3 Swifts

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 1 (1) Chiffchaff
- 2 (1) Blackcaps

Noted around the area:

Butterflies:
- 4 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta basking in a sunny area at the base of squirrel alley
- 1 Peacock Aglais io

Moths:
- *7 Garden Grass-moth Chrysoteuchia culmella [was Garden Grass-veneer]
- *1 Tawny Grey Eudonia lacustrata [was Little Grey]
- 1 Riband Wave Idaea aversata form remutata

Hoverflies:
- 1 Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus

True flies:
- 1 greenbottle Lucilia sp.

Beetles:
- 1 Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis var. succinea
- no Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva : someone had bent over all the umbels on the Common Hogweed Heracleum sphondylium they had been feeding on.

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 harvestman from the species pair Dicranopalpus ramosus / D. caudatus

Just to prove that not all Garden Grass-moth Chrysoteuchia culmella spend all their time pointing downwards on grass stems.

Another of those pesky "grey" moths. This seems to be a Tawny Grey Eudonia lacustrata. This species was called Little Grey which confuses me as most of the "greys" look about the same size. Perhaps that is why they changed the vernacular name.

A harvestman that used to be easy to identify until it was realised that there was a species pair Dicranopalpus ramosus / D. caudatus involved. Separation of the two species has yet to be worked out. Strangely my first individuals of the second half of the year turned up this morning both here and at the Balancing Lake.

 "Plane" of the day! There have been very few mornings suitable for balloon flights so far this year. Unexpectedly this was not one of the "Virgin Balloons". It is a Cameron Z-120 (the 120 is the cubic capacity of the envelope in MCFs (thousands of cubic feet) [or 3400 m³ if you prefer]). It can take three or four passengers. Oddly the registered owner lives in Middlesex. It will not have flown from there this morning!

(Ed Wilson)

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2012
Priorslee Lake
Grasshopper Warbler reeling
(Ed Wilson)

8 Jul 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

17.0°C > 23.0°C: Almost cloudless. A very light westerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 04:56 BST

* = a species photographed today
! = a first sighting of the species this year
$ = a new species for me in this area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 04:45– 06:00 // 07:10 – 09:55

(156th visit of the year)

Note:
A postscript to my discussions with Severn Trent yesterday. The bridge part-way along the North side path (not the Wesley Brook bridge) needs to be replaced soon. Work will be done some time after the holiday season.

Bird notes:
- I managed to see all eleven Greylag Geese (presumably the four adults and seven full-grown goslings though it is impossible to tell). Apart from one on the south-west grass throughout the others "appeared" and then "vanished".
- a single Mallard duckling was noted with its mother: a more well-advanced duckling than yesterday's newbie.
- *the same adult and juvenile Great Crested Grebes as yesterday were noted.
- the warbler update:
a Common Whitethroat sang once as I passed down the West end path.
otherwise quiet.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Greylag Goose: flew West
- 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 92 Wood Pigeons
- 14 Jackdaws
- 3 Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- 11 Greylag Geese: see notes
- 2 Mute Swans
- 34 (?♂) + 1 (1 brood) Mallard again
- 4 Moorhens
- 46 Coots
- *5 + 4 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes again: see notes
- 7 Black-headed Gulls: of these one a juvenile
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- no Grey Heron

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 Swift: very high overhead c.05:10
- 3 Barn Swallows: singles flew through c.05:15
- 1+ House Martins: bird(s) heard c.05:30

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 6 (5) Chiffchaffs
- 12 (8) Reed Warblers
- 7 (7) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Common Whitethroat

Also noted:
Many insects, other than butterflies, seemed to be hiding from the heat.

Butterflies:
- 1 Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola
- *5 Small Skipper-type Thymelicus sylvestris
- 6 Green-veined White Pieris napi
- 6 "whites" I did not bother to chase to ID
- 3 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
- 4 Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus
- *27+ Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
- 31+ Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus
- 2 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta
- 3 Peacock Aglais io
- *1 Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus

Moths:
- 10 Garden Grass-moth Chrysoteuchia culmella: many more "grass moths" got away.

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Honey Bee Apis mellifera
- Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- *ichneumon wasp Amblyteles armatorius

Hoverflies:
- Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
- Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- Common Twist-tail Sphaerophoria scripta [Long Hoverfly; Common Globetail]
- Bumblebee Plume-horned Hoverfly Volucella bombylans [Bumblebee Plumehorn]

Damsel / Dragon-flies:
- *Emperor Dragonfly Anax imperator [Blue Emperor]
- Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum [Common Bluet]
- Black-tailed Skimmer Orthetrum cancellatum
one or two other species of dragonfly seen in flight only

True flies:
a few including...
- dagger fly Empis livida
- greenbottle Lucilia sp.
- Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria
other unidentified flies

Bugs:
- * ! Common Nettle Bug Liocoris tripustulatus

Beetles:
- Rough-haired Lagria Beetle Lagria hirta
- Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva
- Spotted Longhorn Beetle Rutpela maculata [formerly Strangalia maculata]

On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:

Moths:
- * 1 Ruby Tiger Phragmatobia fuliginosa

The sunrise with a few wisps of cloud visible: about all there was all morning.

Happy family. A trio of humbug Great Crested Grebe juveniles with one of their parents.

Not one of my best! The oldest of the three broods of Great Crested Grebes I have seen here this year comprises just the one surviving almost full-grown juvenile. It will be many weeks before it stops pestering its parent to be fed.

A male Small Skipper butterfly Thymelicus sylvestris helpfully showing all the ID features. The antennae tips are not jet black. The scent mark in the forewing is longer than that on Essex Skipper T. lineola and slightly curved. It is also not parallel with the wing edge. It is best to photograph them to allow close inspection.

A worn Meadow Brown butterfly Maniola jurtina.

Another Holly Blue butterfly Celastrina argiolus. The upper-wing differs between the sexes. The species rarely perches with the wings held open and so it is usually impossible to sex most sightings.

An instantly recognisable moth with no confusion species: it is a Ruby Tiger Phragmatobia fuliginosa. I saw one back in May so this is likely from a second generation this year.

An ichneumon wasp Amblyteles armatorius.

Not a patch on yesterday's photo of a male Emperor Dragonfly Anax imperator. Difficult when they are in flight.

This is a Common Nettle Bug Liocoris tripustulatus. My first this year though as the name implies it is a common species.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- 2 Small Fan-footed Wave Idaea biselata
- *1 ! Small Dusty Wave Idaea seriata
- *1 Single-dotted Wave Idaea dimidiata
- 1 Riband Wave Idaea aversata form remutata
- *1 Common Pug Eupithecia vulgata

Flies:
- 6 midges of several species
- 3 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]: one a day but never in the same place on the wall
- 1 cranefly Nephrotoma guestfalica
- 1 cranefly Tipula sp.

Arthropods:
- 3 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 possible Noble or False Widow Spider Steatoda nobilis

After a blank day yesterday there were six moths in the tunnel today. This was one of two Small Fan-footed Waves Idaea biselata.

My first Small Dusty Wave moth Idaea seriata of the year.

My second Single-dotted Wave Idaea dimidiata this year.

At a difficult angle on the far side of the ceiling I found this Common Pug moth Eupithecia vulgata.

This is a possible Noble or False Widow Spider Steatoda nobilis. Genitalia examination is needed to separate this from similar species, all with very variable markings. This is a male.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:05 – 07:05

(153rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- I am sure there must have been more Canada Geese somewhere. I have seen no evidence that they have regrown their flight feathers as yet. The geese were less stratified today with mixed groups all over the water.
- I could find "only" 17 Mute Swans!
- two duck Mallards were noted each with two ducklings. One brood very new: the other part-grown. Both were keeping close to the reeds and hard to see.
- more Tufted Duck have arrived.
- a Great Crested Grebe was lurking in the reeds at the top end.
- a Ring-necked Parakeet flew over calling (as they do) at 06:10: my second here this year.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Ring-necked Parakeet
- 1 Jackdaw yet again

Noted on / around the water:
- 136 Canada Geese only: see notes
- 100 Greylag Geese exactly
- 17 Mute Swans
- 20 (?♂) + 4 (2 broods) Mallard
- 23 (?♂) Tufted Duck again
- 7 Moorhens
- 62 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- no Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 House Martins very briefly

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 2 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (2) Blackcaps

Noted around the area:

Butterflies:
- 1 Green-veined White Pieris napi
- *5 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta basking in a sunny area at the base of squirrel alley

Moths:
- *1 Common Nettle-tap Anthophila fabriciana
- *9 Garden Grass-moth Chrysoteuchia culmella [was Garden Grass-veneer]
- *1 White-banded Grass-moth Crambus pascuella [was Inlaid Grass-veneer]

Bees, wasps etc.:
- 1 Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

True flies:
- 1 greenbottle Lucilia sp.

Beetles:
- 11 Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva

One of five Red Admiral butterflies Vanessa atalanta that were basking (and fighting) in a sunny area at the base of squirrel alley. I can't do much about my camera's apparent inability to render the red colour properly. I have tried to correct it using a photo-editor: that only makes the leaves a strange colour instead.

A Common Nettle-tap moth Anthophila fabriciana. So far this year far from "common" and only about my fifth in the area. Last year I noted dozens. Many insects have boom or bust years.

A "grass moth" primer (though there are many other species to find). A well-marked Garden Grass-moth Chrysoteuchia culmella at a typical angle on a street lamp pole.

And this is a White-banded Grass-moth Crambus pascuella. This species seems less dedicated to resting head-down.

(Ed Wilson)

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2007
Priorslee Lake
A pair of Siskins close to the lake
(Martin Adlam)

7 Jul 26

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

16.0°C > 20.0°C: Extensive high cloud blotting the sun out much of the time. Was clearing as I concluded the log. A moderate north-westerly breeze. Excellent visibility.

Sunrise: 04:55 BST

* = a species photographed today
! = a first sighting of the species this year
$ = a new species for me in this area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 04:45– 06:00 // 07:10 – 10:00

(155th visit of the year)

Note:
After finishing my usual walks around here I spent the next four hours at the invitation of the Severn Trent ecological and site management teams to discuss their management plans. The next action will be to cut much (but not all) the grass areas at the of this month. Another cut will be done in late September, weather permitting. The medium-term aim is to increase plant diversity in these areas while preserving the bird breeding areas and some of the scrubby areas favoured by many insects. I did not make any records during this time: there were many more butterflies around: no new species were noted.

Bird notes:
- still not sure what to say about the Greylag Geese. On my first circuit a loud hooting from a Kinaxia truck on Castle Farm Way was needed to move one (or more) of the geese from the roadway. At that time a lone adult was on the south-west grass. Later it was joined by another and these were the only two I confirmed.
- *just a single brand new Mallard duckling was noted with its mother.
- still Great Crested Grebe confusion. The third pair to hatch young were again seen with their three young. The single juvenile seen with an adult was the almost full-sized but still stripe-headed survivor from the first pair to hatch young. Only five adults were confirmed.
- two Common Sandpipers were noted in the south-west area.
- *a begging juvenile Black-headed Gull was being ignored by three adults. They all flew off together
- the warbler update:
two parties of juvenile Reed Warblers noted, one with a parent collecting food..

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 106 Wood Pigeons
- 40 Jackdaws
- 5 Rooks

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Greylag Geese: see notes
- 2 Mute Swans
- 34 (?♂) + *1 (1 brood) Mallard
- 6 Moorhens: one of these a juvenile
- 47 Coots again
- 5 + 4 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes: see notes
- 4 Black-headed Gulls: *one juvenile
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Grey Heron: departed early

Hirundines etc. noted:
- c.15 Swifts: the first two arrivals at c.05:15 with numbers building
- 2 Barn Swallows
- 1+ House Martins: bird(s) heard at 04:50 with one seen high over Teece Drive

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 5 (5) Chiffchaffs
- *11 (6) Reed Warblers
- 10 (9) Blackcaps

Also noted: these ignore any sightings after 10:00.

Butterflies:
A good mix of species though numbers slightly reduced due to lack of sun.
- *1 Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola
- 3 Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris
- 2 Green-veined White Pieris napi
- 1 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
- 3 Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus
- *12+ Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
- *13+ Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus: I managed to find a female to photograph
- 3 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta
- 1 Peacock Aglais io
- 1 Comma Polygonia c-album
- *1 ! Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus

Moths:
- 1 Common Marble Celypha lacunana
- 11 Garden Grass-moth Chrysoteuchia culmella: at least 10 "grass moths" got away.
- *1 Shaded Broad-bar Scotopteryx chenopodiata

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Honey Bee Apis mellifera
- Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius
- Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris

Hoverflies:
- *Broad-banded Epistrophe Epistrophe grossulariae [Black-horned Smoothtail]
- Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
- *Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
- Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
- Migrant Field Syrph Eupeodes corollae [Migrant Hoverfly; Migrant Aphideater]
- Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
- Common Twist-tail Sphaerophoria scripta [Long Hoverfly; Common Globetail]
- Syrphus sp. S. ribesii / S. vitripennis / S. torvus

Damsel / Dragon-flies:
- ! Brown Hawker Aeshna grandis
- *Emperor Dragonfly Anax imperator [Blue Emperor]
- *Azure Damselfly Coenagrion puella [Azure Bluet]
- Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum [Common Bluet]
- *Black-tailed Skimmer Orthetrum cancellatum
A dragonfly was hawking over the West end path by 04:55!
one or two other species of dragonfly seen in flight only

True flies:
A few including...
- long-legged fly Dolichopus ungulatus or similar
- dagger fly Empis livida
- greenbottle Lucilia sp.
- *Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria
other unidentified flies

Bugs:
- *Hawthorn Shieldbug Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale

Beetles:
- Rough-haired Lagria Beetle Lagria hirta
- Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

Plants:
- I ate my first wild Blackberry of the year: still a bit tart. I used to reckon on the last few days in July before I could do this.

On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:

Moths: (hooray!)
- *1 dead female Ghost Moth Hepialus humuli trussed up in a web.
- *1 Black Arches Lymantria monacha

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius [Bridge Orbweaver]

I knew I did not have time to catch the red-sky's reflection in the lake before it faded so here it is across the football field.

When I appeared at a gap in the reeds the duck Mallard took off leaving her low new duckling calling and calling. After a few minutes she returned – as shown here.

"Feed me, feed me". A recently-fledged Black-headed Gull demands to be fed. It was unlucky and flew off with the adults when they departed.

Two families of Reed Warblers were jumping about in the reeds. I managed just one shot of this adult, mouth open and giving its chirring alarm-call. For a warbler this species has a long bill.

Yet another Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola. A male this time with a short and straight scent gland in the forewing that runs parallel to the wing edge. On male Small Skippers T. sylvestris the scent gland is longer, slightly bowed and at a slight angle to the wing edge. It is not easy to see the black-tip to the antennae that also identifies this species so it is useful to have the confirmatory marking.

A Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina with one white dot in the wing's black circle.

A male Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus. This species because there are two white dots in the wing's black circle. Smaller and brighter-toned than Meadow Brown. A male because the forewing has a dark area in its centre.

 I managed to find a female to photograph today. No dark in the centre of the forewing.

This is rather worrying: the sparse dotting on the underside of the wing of this "blue" butterfly means it is a Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus. Have I been misidentifying the "blues" recently? I am not sure. Holly Blue is known to fly high up in bushes etc. whereas as the Common Blue Polyommatus icarus usually stays "below shoulder-height" which is where I have seen them all – this included!

A female Ghost Moth Hepialus humuli being trussed up by a Bridge Orb-web Spider Larinioides sclopetarius. Male Ghost Moths are white and fly at dusk and dawn. I mostly see females.

A very smart-looking moth: a Black Arches Lymantria monacha. I see this species most years.

Shaded Broad-bar moths Scotopteryx chenopodiata always seem to be hiding deep in the grass. This was, as usual, head-down. I inverted the photo for easier viewing.

The wide and straight yellow bands on this hoverfly identify it as a Broad-banded Epistrophe Epistrophe grossulariae.

From this angle the Obsidentify name Black-horned Smoothtail makes sense

This Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax does not look very "tapered" from this angle even though it is a male. The pale areas on the front legs confirm the ID.

A flash of blue and apple green is usually what you see when a male Emperor Dragonfly Anax imperator dashes by. I found this splendid creature perched. This species is our largest dragonfly.

A male Azure Damselfly Coenagrion puella showing the "U"-shaped black mark on the top visible body segment and the wide blue stripes on the thorax.

A posing Black-tailed Skimmer Orthetrum cancellatum.

It is several weeks since I last saw a Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria

A Hawthorn Shieldbug Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale. The scientific name of this species proves that some scientists have a sense of humour.

A Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp. and a male by the size of the pedipalps.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
none

Flies:
- 12 midges of several species
- 3 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]: one a day but never in the same place on the wall
- 3 cranefly Tipula sp.

Arthropods:
- 9 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:05 – 07:05

(152nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- almost all the Canada Geese were in a single tight group: try counting the heads!
- 18 Mute Swans!! Gulp. Where did they all come from. Home for waifs and strays. noted.
- only one of the 63 Coots noted was a dependent juvenile. Two (hopeful?) adults still sitting on nests.
- no Great Crested Grebe found.
- two Grey Herons happily together on the side of the island.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Jackdaw again

Noted on / around the water:
- 193 Canada Geese
- 118 Greylag Geese
- 18 Mute Swans
- 24 (?♂) Mallard again
- 15 (?♂) Tufted Duck again
- 5 Moorhens
- 63 Coots
- no Great Crested Grebe
- 1 Black-headed Gull: departed
- 2 Grey Herons

Hirundines etc. noted:
None. Where have they gone?

Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 1 (1) Chiffchaff only again
- 2 (1) Blackcaps

Noted around the area:

Moths:
- *1 Bird-cherry Ermine Yponomeuta evonymella
- 6 Garden Grass-moth Chrysoteuchia culmella [was Garden Grass-veneer]

Bees, wasps etc.:
- *1 unidentified ichneumon

Hoverflies:
- 1 Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus

Damsel / Dragon-flies:
- 1 Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans [Common Bluetail]

True flies:
- 1 greenbottle Lucilia sp.

Beetles:
- *1 Rough-haired Lagria Beetle Lagria hirta
- 19 Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- *1 money spider type
- *1 female harvestman Leiobunum rotundum

On a different street lamp pole to either example seen the previous two days is this Bird-cherry Ermine moth Yponomeuta evonymella.

 I cannot get an identity for this ichneumon.

A Rough-haired Lagria Beetle Lagria hirta just opening its wing-cases as it is about to depart.

 A tiny money spider type. The background is a small part of a street lamp identification sticker.

A female harvestman Leiobunum rotundum. Females of the species pair L. blackwalli / rotundum are easy to separate. They did not have the circular body of the males and the dark mark on back differs markedly. On rotundum it is, as here, parallel-sided almost the whole length of the body. On blackwalli it is shorter, widens posteriorly and then abruptly stops.

(Ed Wilson)

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2011
Priorslee Lake
Lesser Whitethroat
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
2 Common Sandpipers
3 Common Terns
Kingfisher
50+ Swifts
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
1 drake Ruddy Duck
(Martin Adlam)