18 Jul 18

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake: 05:25 – 06:25 // 07:20 – 09:25
The Flash: 06:30 – 07:15

14°C > 18°C: Mostly cloudy with the odd light rain shower. Light SSW breeze. Very good visibility
Sunrise: 05:07 BST

Priorslee Lake: 05:25 – 06:25 // 07:20 – 09:25

(88th visit of the year)

Bird notes from today:
- a sub-adult Mute Swan was in the reeds near where the current pair nested. Despite the residents visiting the area the stranger was allowed to stay
- yet another brood of newly hatched juvenile Coots
- the Lapwing was seen again today (as was the same(?) Common Sandpiper)
- at least some of the Common Swifts were around more or less all the while
- one of the calling (‘scolding’ actually) Reed Warblers was along the S side where I have not seen / heard them for many weeks

Today’s bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 1 Canada Goose
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 88 Wood Pigeons
- 3 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook

Hirundines etc. seen today
- 10 Common Swifts
- 1 Barn Swallow
- 5 House Martins

Warblers noted: figure in brackets is singing birds
- 5 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 11 (7) Blackcaps
- no (Common) Whitethroats
- 8 (3) Reed Warblers

The counts from the lake area
- 3 + 3 (1) Mute Swans
- 22 (20♂) + 7 (1 brood) Mallard
- 2 Grey Herons
- 6 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes again
- 6 + 6 (4 broods) Moorhens
- 44 + 36 (? broods) Coots
- 1 Lapwing
- 1 Common Sandpiper still
- 9 (1 juvenile) Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

And: interesting insects, at least partly identified
NB: the cloudy weather again resulted in fewer insects
- butterflies seen
- 2 Green-veined Whites
- no moths on the lamps
- moths flushed from the vegetation
- many Agriphila straminella (Straw Grass-veneer)
- at least 1 Agriphila tristella (Common Grass-veneer) [grass moths]
- 1 Pleuroptya ruralis (Mother of Pearl)
- 2 Shaded Broad-bars
- no damselflies / dragonflies
- hoverflies
- many Episyrphus balteatus (Marmalade Hoverfly)
- >1 Syrphus ribesii
- several fly sps. etc. seen but none specifically identified
- several bee sps. not identified
- beetles and bugs
- a few Rhagonycha fulva (Hogweed Bonking-beetle / Common Red Soldier Beetle)
- a ground beetle sp., perhaps Paradromius linearis
- 2 apparently different myrid bugs
- no spiders or snails noted
- no new species of flowering plant

This Grey Heron seems rather optimistic: it is standing on one of the boat piers from where it seems unlikely it would be able to spear any fish it saw.

The Lapwing – with a juvenile Pied Wagtail for scale.

And on its own.

I mentioned a rather grey-looking juvenile Carrion Crow: here it is strutting its stuff.

We see the white blotches in the plumage.

And in flight the extensive white wing bar from above ...

... and from below.

A better photo of a Agriphila straminella (Straw Grass-veneer) grass moth.

They are confusing but I think the way the white streak forks towards the wing tip means this is a different grass moth – an Agriphila tristella (Common Grass-veneer).

Lurking here is this Pleuroptya ruralis (Mother of Pearl) moth. Not all cooperative if flew off and away as I repositioned for a better angle. So-named as when the light is right the wings glisten just like mother of pearl.

A better specimen of a Shaded Broad-bar moth.

This beetle holding its antenna and right angles seemed likely to be easy. But ..

... this different specimen seems to be the same species holding its antenna more conventionally. It could be the ground beetle Paradromius linearis.

One of a number of Mirid bugs I found today.

This is superficially similar but the colouration is not quite the same.

A number of flies have brown bases to the wings but I cannot recall seeing one with a thorax with this lined pattern before. Of course there are a few thousand fly species to choose from!

I suppose flies (and other insects) just keel over and die. This small fly seems to have done just that.

For scale here it is on my thumb nail!

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:30 – 07:15

(71st visit of the year)

Notes from today
- the pen Mute Swan was with just three cygnets so one has been lost. Meanwhile the cob was sprawled out on the island – is it alright?
- the original group of Mallard ducklings are likely included with the main count today
- Great Crested Grebes only partly visible under / behind the vegetation: likely all present

Birds noted flying over or flying near The Flash
- 2 Wood Pigeons

Hirundines etc. seen today
- 4 Common Swifts
- 2 House Martins

Warblers noted: (singing birds in brackets)
- 2 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Blackcap

The counts from the water
- 2 + 3 Mute Swans
- 92 Greylag Geese
- 116 Canada Geese
- 25 (16♂) + 8 (1 brood) Mallard
- 16 (?♂) + 8 (1 brood) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 1 + 1 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes: incomplete?
- 6 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 19 + 12 (6? broods) Coots
- 22 (no juveniles) Black-headed Gulls again

No wonder some of the ducklings disappear from here when there is this monster Mirror Carp to feed.
Of interest between the lake and The Flash
- two moths in the tunnel: another Grey Pug on one wall; and an Olive moth on the roof.

This Grey Pug was on the wall of the tunnel under Priorslee Avenue.

Whilst this moth was on the roof of the tunnel: it is an Olive – a new species for me and not at all a common moth.
(Ed Wilson)

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

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Report Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Report Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Report Here