10 Aug 18

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake: 05:15 – 06:40 // 07:35 – 09:10
The Flash: 06:45 – 07:30

9°C > 15°C: Areas of cloud but some good clear spells. Light S breeze. Very good visibility

Sunrise: 05:42 BST

Priorslee Lake: 05:15 – 06:40 // 07:35 – 09:10

(92nd visit of the year)

Bird notes from today:
- the outbound geese were on different flight-paths today, well to the N of the lake and likely did not come near on their return
- strange set of hirundine etc. records. A House Martin was heard calling overhead at 05:25 when insects were likely to be few and far between. A lone and late Swift flew S at 05:30. Another House Martin flew fast E at 05:35. And then, on a rather unusual date, a Sand Martin was over the water at 05:55. Then back to normal: c.16 House Martins were either over the estate or the lake after 06:30

Today’s bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 36 Greylag Geese [36 (1 group) outbound]
- 95 Canada Geese [95 (10 groups) outbound]
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 5 Feral Pigeons
- 42 Wood Pigeons
- 5 Jackdaws
- 1 Linnet

Hirundines etc. seen today
- 1 Swift
- 1 Sand Martin
- 2 Barn Swallows
- >16 House Martins

Warblers noted: song now over
- 10 Chiffchaffs
- 1 Willow Warbler
- 7 Blackcaps again
- 2 Common Whitethroats again
- 6 Reed Warblers

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 3 (1) Mute Swans as usual
- 10 (7♂) + 5 (2 broods) Mallard
- 4 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 7 + 13 (7? broods) Moorhens
- 88 (near) adults + 12 (5 new-ish broods) Coots
- 7 Black-headed Gulls

And other notes
insects, at least partly identified
- no butterflies seen
- moths seen on the lamps
- 9 Agriphila tristella (Common Grass-veneer)
- 1 probable Wormwood Pug
- damselflies / dragonflies
- one mating pair of dragonflies as a silhouette in flight
- hoverflies
- 1 or more Eristalis tenax (Common Drone-fly)
- 1 Episyrphus balteatus (Marmalade hoverfly)
- 2 Melanostoma scalare (Chequered Hoverfly)
- 1 Myathropa florea (Dead-head Hoverfly)
- flies etc.
>20 Mystacides longicornis (caddis flies)
- many wasps again
- beetles and bugs noted
- 1 Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus) – my first
- spiders noted
- 2 Leiobunum rotundum (harvestmen) on the lamps
- garden spider web noted – first of season?
- plants
Smooth Hawksbeard (Crepis capillaris) was new for me here.

A rather brooding sunrise.

With the cob Mute Swan off to join his family.

Now is that chest streaked (a juvenile)? Or barred (an adult)? Looks ‘blotchy’! More streaked than barred so we will go with an adult Common Buzzard.

Rather handsome.

But not to be messed with!

A juvenile Wood Pigeon. How do we know it is a juvenile? It lacks white in the neck. Can still be separated from its closest species, the Stock Dove, by the white along the bend in the wind – though on a perched bird as here we see here the plumage colour is quite distinct.

What I think is a juvenile Chiffchaff. Note from this angle there is no obvious supercilium. There is also no obvious tail.

At a different angle we see the weak supercilium and the darkish eye-stripe. But still no tail.

But then it has no tail – the wings project beyond the body!

“Its no good you hiding like that: I can still see you”

That’s better. Sexing Goldfinches is supposed to be possible from the shape of the trailing edge of the red but I have never managed it.

Won’t work for juveniles of course who lack the red, often as late as early November. The bold yellow wing patch is shared with the adults.

I found this bundle of moss lying in the path. Although somewhat damaged it was ‘cup-shaped’ and likely a nest. Looks cosy.

Probably the best look to date of the common grass moth Agriphila tristella (Common Grass-veneer), ‘flashed’ pre-dawn.

Pug moths are a difficult group at the best of times and 20’ up a lamp at an inconvenient angle is not ‘the best of times’. The mottled front edge to the wing and the prominent central black spot both point to Wormwood Pug. That species shows a black band across the front of the abdomen – not visible here but that may be the angle of view.

This is an Eristalis tenax (Common Drone-fly). Best separated from Eristalis pertinax (Tapered Drone-fly) by the all-dark legs. Only the male pertinax are ‘tapered’. This is a male – the eyes meet – so the body shape would be obvious.

A wasp of course. We cannot see the face pattern but the pattern on the back suggests Common Wasp (Vespula (or Paravespula) vulgaris). Wasps have a bad name but are really the gardeners’ best friend in that they eat and kill very many pests. They will not normally sting you unless they feel threatened. As they are inquisitive they often come close – don’t wave your arms about, let them look around and they will leave. Anyway the sting, unless you are one of the few unfortunates who are allergic to the toxin, is a sharp pain all over in a minute or so. Most biting things itch for days.

Many hoverflies are wasp mimics. One of the best is this Myathropa florea (Dead-head Hoverfly).

This a Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus), obviously related to shield-bugs. Apparently a new species for me.

The working end. The species feeds mainly on docks and related plants – hence its name.

This plant struck me as having too well-branched stems to be Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris). Checking the literature it seems to be Smooth Hawksbeard (Crepis capillaris).

The leaves are rather a mess in this photo and partially obscured by willowherb fluff, but support the identification.

Autumn already with the Garden Spider orb web showing.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:45 – 07:30

(75th visit of the year)

Notes from today
- three old groups of Mallard ducklings again: the new brood not seen
- a flotilla of Tufted Ducks was seen separate from any others from which I am fairly certain there are 6 surviving almost full-grown juveniles. A notable breeding success
- one of the Tufted Ducks was with a duck Mallard and her three well-grown ducklings and joined in the chase to see off a Moorhen that came too close

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

Hirundines etc. seen today
None

Warblers noted
None

The counts from the water
- 2 + 3 Mute Swans as usual
- 35 Greylag Geese (34 of these flew in)
- 18 Canada Geese (8 of these flew in)
- 11 (7♂) + 9 (3 broods) Mallard
- 15 (?♂) + 6 (1 brood) Tufted Ducks
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes as usual
- 4 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 16 + 12 (6 broods) Coots
- 35 (4 juveniles) Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

In front of the cob Mute Swan we see a proud-looking duck Tufted Duck centrally placed between her brood of six more of less full-grown offspring. And proud she might well be: the first successful breeding here for a number of years.

Meanwhile here is another Tufted Duck getting cosy with one of the well-grown Mallard ducklings. It seems to think it is a Mallard and is quite happy dabbling. Tufted Ducks dive for aquatic plants rather than fish so are quite used to vegetation.

Nothing of interest between the lake and The Flash

(Ed Wilson)

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

2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2012
Priorslee Lake
6 Little Egrets
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Egret
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
Location
Redstart
(John Isherwood)

2005
Priorslee Lake
5 Arctic Terns
(Ed Wilson)