13 Jul 18

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake: 05:35 – 06:50 // 07:40 – 09:35
The Flash: 06:55 – 07:35

14°C > 19°C: Mostly cloudy at medium/high level. A few brighter spells. Some light rain in the distance. Light E wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:01 BST

Priorslee Lake: 05:35 – 06:50 // 07:40 – 09:35

(84th visit of the year)

A Lapwing arrived from the E at 06:25 and then spent some time on the heaped up Canadian Pondweed extracted from the lake and dumped in the SW area. An usual date for this species here. Talking to one of the locals what is presumably the same single bird has visited the same area on several days recently

An additional pair of Mute Swans was on the lake at 07:50 when I returned from The Flash. These are not the missing ‘original’ pair. The male (cob) of that pair broke a wrist joint and was taken in to care and it was not planned to return it to the lake as it would have been unable to defend itself properly. What was presumably the female (pen) and four cygnets were seen walking along Teece Drive about 10 days ago and have not been seen since. Without the cob it is likely they were forced off the water. They would have been at the mercy of foxes – and any dogs not under proper control

A supplement to Wednesday’s record of Cuckoo: it was my 88th species at the lake this year

Other bird notes from today:
- the older group of Mallard duckling seems to be a brood of 4 and not 3 as I recorded yesterday
- some Coot juveniles now very hard to separate from adults unless seen very well. They are mingling with adults and therefore the number of broods can no longer realistically determined
- no Swifts again: surely they have not gone already?
- >15 House Martins were high over the estate to the NW at 05:50 with some (of these) over the W end of the lake later

Today’s bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 22 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Jackdaw

Hirundines etc. seen today
- 2 Barn Swallows
- >15 House Martins

Warblers noted: figure in brackets is singing birds
- 3 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 9 (8) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Garden Warblers
- 2 (1) (Common) Whitethroats again
- 3 (2) Reed Warblers again

The counts from the lake area
- 4 + 3 (1) Mute Swans again (see highlight)
- 26 (23♂) + 11 (2 broods) Mallard
- 1 Little Grebe again
- 6 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes again
- 2 Moorhens
- 46 + 28 (? broods) Coots
- 1 Lapwing
- 6 ( 1 juvenile) Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Also
- a dead Common Toad (Bufo bufo), apparently trodden on near the Teece Drive gate

And interesting insects, at least partly identified
- butterflies seen
- 3 Green-veined Whites
- 2 Gatekeepers
- 1 Ringlet
- moths on the lamps
- 1 Yponomeuta evonymella (Bird-cherry Ermine): my first for at least 5 years
- moths flushed from the vegetation
- >5 as yet unidentified grass moth
- 3 Olive Pearl (Udea olivalis)
- >5 Shaded Broad-bar
- damselflies / dragonflies
- 1 apparent Emerald Damselfly (Lestes sponsa) – not had time to check photos
- hoverflies
- >50 Episyrphus balteatus (Marmalade Hoverfly)
- no flies etc. specifically identified today
- several bee sps. not identified
- beetles and bugs
- >50 Rhagonycha fulva (Hogweed Bonking-beetle / Common Red Soldier Beetle)
- another Common Green Shield Bug (Palomena prasina) instar
- small green bug – not had time to check photos
- no spiders noted

New species of flowering plants
- to be supplied

“Come on Mum, hurry and keep up”. Mallard of course.

A pretty little macro moth – the Bird-cherry Ermine (Yponomeuta evonymella). Several years since I have seen one, but its small size makes it easy to overlook.

Whereas this in most definitely not “pretty little macro moth”. It is one of the confusing grass moths that flutter from under your feed and dive in the vegetation. One as plain as this has to be Agriphila straminella (Straw Grass-veneer or Pearl Veneer).

A Shaded Broad-bar moth. These are easily disturbed from vegetation, especially very first thing.

Confession time: this moth is Udea lutealis (Pale Straw Pearl) and not Udea olivalis (Olive Pearl) as I have been recording in error.

This Episyrphus balteatus (Marmalade hoverfly) is hovering at a Bramble flower – gives an idea of scale as it is smaller than a single petal on the flower.

This one seems to have been out on the town and is rather red-eyed!

I was (and am) rather confused by the greenish tone to the side of the thorax of this damselfly and wondered whether it was a male Emerald Damselfly. It is not – that species rests with its wings open at 45 degrees. My best guess is this in a aberrant Common Blue Damselfly.

Not at all sure about this pale green beetle. From this angle the width of the body is hard to judge and that does not help identification. I cannot find anything on the web this pale green with long antenna.

This ‘green beetle’ is another instar of a Common Green Shield Bug (Palomena prasina).

These have been absent for a while – remind ourselves what a Black Snipe fly (Chrysopilus cristatus) looks like.

Clearly a crane fly. It seems to match Nephrotoma flavipalpis – a new species for me.

‘Just’ Common Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) – the larger outer petals confirm that. This plant is showing an usual pink colour cast (and no: I have no idea about the very small beetles).

This thistle sp. growing on the edge of the football field looked a bit oddly-shaped. I think the shape is because it has been mown as an early stage in its growth and recovered to this shape. Nevertheless it is interesting as the rather densely spiked leaves suggest this is a Welted Thistle (Carduus acanthoides) which I have probably overlooked in the past.

Learning thistles slowly: this seems to be Creeping Thistle (Cirsium arvense) with rather pale almost lilac heads. A pair of Hogweed Bonking-beetles for good measure!

I looked at these and thought: “they don’t look like Ribwort Plantain as the ‘flower stems’ are too long and anyway I haven’t seen Ribwort Plantain in weeks”. Indeed they are not: they are Greater Plantain (Plantago major) – bigger and with much larger leaves.

I found this plant on the bank of the Wesley Brook. It seems to be a Campanula sp. but does not quite match any wild version in my books. I suspect a garden escaped cultivar. A splash of colour though.

Sadly partly squashed here is the Common Toad (Bufo bufo).

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:55 – 07:35

(67th visit of the year)

Notes from today
- increase in number of Tufted Ducks, mostly continually diving and making counting, let alone sexing, hard
- no Great Grebe juveniles seen: suspect just hiding behind overhanging vegetation

Birds noted flying over or flying near The Flash
- 11 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Feral Pigeons
- 2 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Jackdaws

Hirundines etc. seen today
None

Warblers noted: (singing birds in brackets)
- 1 (0) Chiffchaff

The counts from the water
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 70 Greylag Geese
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose
- 108 Canada Geese
- 11 (9♂) + 13 (2 broods) Mallard
- 21 (?♂) + 9 (1 brood) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 18 + 11 (6? broods) Coots
- 15 (1 juvenile) Black-headed Gulls

The brood of nine Tufted Ducklings.

When I saw this Robin I assumed it was moulting out of spotty juvenile plumage but I am not so sure. The gape shows no suggestion of yellow and the wings seem to be fully adult plumage: I have always assumed that the red breast is the last to be acquired as that is the trigger for territorial disputes and the need for juveniles to be able to hold their own. This is, I conclude, either a moulting adult or possibly a diseased bird that is regrowing lost head-feathers.

Of interest between the lake and The Flash
- Moorhens heard calling from the upper pool only
- 2 Blackcaps: one calling alongside the lower pool was likely the bird calling at the bottom end of the upper pool later. Another was sing at the top end of the upper pool. First in this area for some weeks

(Ed Wilson)

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

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's report Here

2007
Priorslee Lake
Hobby
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
3 drake Ruddy Ducks
(Ed Wilson)