1 Jul 19

Priorslee Lake, The Flash, Trench Lock Pool and Trench Middle Pool

Priorslee Lake:  04:10 – 05:40 // 06:35 – 06:40 // 08:25 – 10:05
The Flash:  05:45 – 06:30
Trench Lock Pool:  06:50 – 07:00 // 07:45 – 08:15
Trench Middle Pool:  07:05 – 07:40

13.0°C > 17.0°C:  Clear start; then cloudy for a while; sun after 09:00 did not last.

Sunrise: 04:49 BST. Brisk feeling light / moderate WSW wind. Very good visibility

Another earlier than usual visit to Trench with split visits to the lake.

Priorslee Lake:  04:10 – 05:40 // 06:35 – 06:40 // 08:25 – 10:05

(164th visit of the year)

Bird notes from today
- Little Grebe(s) heard calling from MW area again: still cannot see these birds
- Both pairs of Great Crested Grebes, each with their two juveniles, present. A third pair in the SW area together. No sign of either bird that seemed to be interested in nesting along the N side.
- On a rather chill-feeling morning the first Swifts arrived at 04:24 with numbers quickly building and at least 50 birds by 05:10.

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 3 Stock Doves
- 11 Wood Pigeons
- 48 Jackdaws
- 77 Rooks

Hirundines etc. noted:
- >50 Swifts
- 1 Barn Swallow
- 6 House Martins

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 6 (4) Chiffchaffs
- 13 (10) Blackcaps
- no Garden Warblers again
- 2 (1) (Common) Whitethroats
- 1 (1) Sedge Warbler
- 6 (5) Reed Warblers again

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 17 (16♂) Mallard
- 1 Grey Heron
- Little Grebe heard
- 6 + 4 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 2 + 3 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 23 + 31 (? broods) Coots

Nothing on the lamp poles pre-dawn.

Seen later:
- 1 noctule-type bat

In the brief sunny spell the following insects logged
- Butterflies (in species order):
- 6 Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus)
- 13 Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus)
- 1 Comma (Polygonia c-album): my 11th butterfly species here this year
There is a dearth of ‘white’ butterflies so far this year
- Moths (in species order):
- 3 Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnets (Zygaena lonicerae): 33rd moth species here this year
- 1 Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana)
- 2 Garden Grass-veneers (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- Damselflies etc. (alphabetic order of vernacular name):
- Azure Damselfly
- Blue-tailed Damselfly
- Common Blue Damselfly
also
- 1 unidentified dragonfly sp. in flight
- Hoverflies (alphabetic order of scientific name):
- 1 Chrysotoxum verralli
- >10 Marmalade hoverflies (Episyrphus balteatus)
- >2 Common Drone-flies (Eristalis tenax)
- >5 Syrphus sp. hoverflies
- 1 Bumblebee Hoverfly (Volucella bombylans)
- 2 Pellucid Flies (Volucella pellucens)
And other things:
- 1 Tiger Cranefly (Nephrotoma flavescens)
- at least three 7 Spot Ladybirds (Coccinella 7-punctata)
- 1 larva and 1 pupa of Harlequin Ladybirds (Harmonia axyridis)
- 1 soldier beetle, probably Cantharis lateralis
- 1 Spotted Longhorn beetle (Rutpela maculata formerly Strangalia maculata)
- many Black Snipe flies (Chrysopilus cristatus)
- 1 Red-and-Black Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata)

I was at the wrong end when the cloud rolled across and gave a brief red sky. This was all that was left ...

I have logged this as a Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus). It does not have the neat black wing edge of Small Skipper. However it lacks most of the darker markings normally found in Large Skipper.

Perhaps a more typical Large Skipper. Here showing the typical skipper habit of resting with the forewings partly raised allowing the underwing to show more clearly. Unusual markings on the underwing too.

A Comma butterfly (Polygonia c-album). The mark that gives this species its vernacular name is on the underside of the wing and hardly likely to be visible on a dull day when the insect is warming itself. My 11th butterfly species here this year.

A Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet (Zygaena lonicerae). The ‘normal’ Five-spot Burnet moth is very uncommon and unlikely to occur here, these species only being separable by examination of the hind wing. Like all burnet moths this is a day-flying species here feeding on what seems to be Tufted Vetch (Vicia cracca). It is species I have not seen here since 2014 and is my 33rd moth species here this year.

This small moth is a Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana). Most years since I learned where to look – nettles! – I have seen plenty of specimens. 10 in a day is not uncommon. This is only my third individual this year.

A rather better view of a Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella) showing the angled mark at the rear of the wing. I still find the eyes on all grass moths amazing.

At this range the camera would not focus on the face and the wing-tip at the same time. So here is a clearer shot of the wing-tip. We see a rather frayed edge which is a shame as on fresh specimens this is gold coloured and reflects the light.

This hoverfly appears to be Chrysotoxum verralli: a new species for me. Like all members of its genus it has long (for a hoverfly antenna) which point forward. This is noted as a scarce hoverfly with a south-easterly distribution. Global warming?

A 7 Spot Ladybirds (Coccinella 7-punctata) – makes a change from all the Harlequins. That is my fat thumb nail it is crawling across.

I am fairly certain this is the soldier beetle Cantharis lateralis (no vernacular name at species level).

An excellent-looking insect – a Spotted Longhorn beetle (Rutpela maculata formerly Strangalia maculata). I see one or two most years.

Not new but a surprise. It is a Red-and-Black Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata). Since there has been masses of cuckoo-spit for several weeks I assumed these had done their job and would have died off. Apparently not, though I only found this single specimen.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash:  05:45 – 06:30

(157th visit of the year)

Notes from here:
- Yet another late brood of seven Mallard ducklings. Also seen recent broods now consisting of two and three ducklings respectively. All the previous ducklings are no longer reliably separable from adults.
- The pair of Great Crested Grebes have at least three juveniles. Until they allow them all on the water it is not possible to be 100% certain how many.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash.
None

Hirundines etc. noted.
None

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 3 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (4) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Garden Warbler again

Counts from the water:
- 3 + 4 Mute Swans still
- 50 Greylag Geese exactly
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose as usual
- 141 Canada Geese
- 29 (14♂) + 12 (3 broods) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron once again
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 5 Moorhens
- 19 + 12 (4 broods) Coots

After yesterday’s foray on to the N end grass it was time to introduce the cygnets to the Derwent Drive grass. The cygnets do not look too impressed.

Here they area again, parents F52 with C59 and the 4 cygnets hatched out of 6 earlier in the year. Photo courtesy of Ann Dewhurst

The pair of Great Crested Grebes came closer to me today. All the young were tucked up on the closer adult’s back.

Then, as in the last few days, a juvenile head popped out to look at the real world ....

... but here we can see there are two heads on the adult’s back. And ....

.... in this shot looking closely there are three heads – something I could only determine from the photo.

The very latest brood of seven Mallard ducklings – new for me today.

The previous brood now down to three ducklings (there were four) [and the brood of three older ducklings now down to two]

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Between the lake and The Flash:

- Single adult Moorhens seen alongside both pools
- 1 (1) Blackcap at the lower pool

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Trench Lock Pool:  06:50 – 07:00 // 07:45 – 08:15

(32nd visit of the year)

Notes from here:
- An ‘extra’ Canada Goose gosling compared with last week and today they all looked likely to have come from the same brood with no obvious smaller bird. Odd.
- A single adult Great Crested Grebe was still taking no notice of the surviving juvenile. The juvenile nevertheless seems to be growing normally and was flapping its stubby wings at times. Another two Great Crested Grebes noted with one of them sitting on a nest and the other on guard.
- At least one of the juvenile Coots was from a brood not seen last week. Apparently only two juveniles survive from the earliest three broods – it seems improbable they are no longer recognisable as juveniles or, even more unlikely, have flown off.

Birds noted flying over / near here [other than local Wood Pigeons and Jackdaws].
None

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 Swifts

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 1 (1) Blackcap

Counts from the water:
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 5 + 8 (1? broods) Canada Geese
- 17 (16♂) Mallard
- 1 (1) Feral Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 3 + 1 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Moorhens
- 19 + 3 (2 broods) Coots
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, briefly
- 1 Herring Gull, briefly

Here are the Mute Swans with their four cygnets. 

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Trench Middle Pool:  07:05 – 07:40

(32nd visit of the year)

A Kingfisher heard and then seen in flight was my 49th bird species for my 2019 list here.

Other notes from here:
- Goose counts ‘best efforts’ as all the geese ran around in big groups at my feet hoping to get fed.
- The all-white goose present amongst Greylags again.
- Again only one adult Great Crested Grebe seen.
- A Grey Wagtail here once more.

Birds noted flying over / near here.
None

Hirundines etc. noted.
None

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 1 (0) Blackcap

Counts from the water:
- 2 Mute Swans again
- 124 + 17 (4? broods) Greylag Geese
- 1 all-white ‘Greylag’-type goose
- 105 + 10 (3? broods) Canada Geese
- 25 (22♂) Mallard
- 1 + 1 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes again
- 5 + 3 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 19 + 16 (? broods) Coots
- 1 Kingfisher

Possibly my worst-ever photo (but I will keep trying). A dashing Kingfisher in cloudy conditions in the sheltered area that is Middle Pool was never going to be easy!

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2013
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
Drake Ruddy Duck
(Ed Wilson)