19 Aug 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  04:30 – 06:30 // 07:30 – 09:15
The Flash:  06:35 – 07:25

12.0°C > 16.0°C:  Showery rain from broken cloud, clearing. Puffy clouds later. Light WSW wind. Very good visibility

Sunrise: 05:58 BST

Priorslee Lake:  04:30 – 06:30 // 07:30 – 09:15

(200th visit of the year)

Bird notes from today
- A very late brood of Coots noted - just a single red/bare-headed small juvenile noted.
- There were 33 Black-headed Gulls back on the ‘football’ field with 13 more on the academy spots ground and 12 at the lake.
- Four Swifts arrived at 06:20 but had gone by 07:30.
- 37 Pied Wagtails on the ‘football' field at 06:25.

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 77 Greylag Geese (all inbound (4 groups))
- 120 Canada Geese (22 (4 groups) outbound; 78 (8 groups) inbound)
- 7 Black-headed Gulls
- 15 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Feral / Racing Pigeons
- 3 Stock Doves
- 75 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Jackdaw
- no Rooks
- 3 Ravens

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 4 Swifts
- 22 House Martins

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 13 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 5 (0) Blackcaps
- 2 (0) Reed Warblers

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 5 (3♂) Mallard
- Tufted Duck heard only
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 + 1 (1 brood) Little Grebes
- 6 + >2 (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 2 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 72 Coots: also one of the two recent juveniles; and a single 'red-headed' juvenile from a very late brood
- 58 Black-headed Gulls: no juveniles

On the lamp poles pre-dawn:
- 5 Common Grass-veneer moths (Agriphila tristella)
- 1 Flounced Rustic moth (Luperina testacea): new for the year
- 1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus
- 1 harvestman Leiobunum rotundum

The following logged later:
- Butterflies
        - Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus)
        - Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
        - Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)
- Moths (in species order):
        - only unidentified grass moths
- Damselflies etc:
        - only Common Blue Damselfly
- Hoverflies (in alphabetic order of scientific name):
        - Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
        - Tapered Drone Fly (Eristalis pertinax)
        - Common Drone Fly (Eristalis tenax)
        - The Footballer (Helophilus pendulus)
        - Myathropa florea (so-called deadhead hoverfly)
        - Volucella zonaria (hornet mimic)
And other things:
- several wasps (Vespula sp.)
- 2 Grey Squirrels (1 a road casualty)
- 1 bat sp. over the SW grass in the rain

The moon just starting to wane. The surprising thing was that I took this photo in the rain. 

The sunrise - such as it was - also in the rain. Not sure I have ever seen a moon and the sunrise while it was actually raining.

At extreme range an adult Great Crested Grebe brings food for new juvenile(s) on the other parent's back.

I am not sure which species of grass moth this is - though in truth that applies to very many I see. This specimen seems to have a very bold pale streak in the wing. However the way the wings are almost rolled over each other means the diagnostic wing-tip pattern cannot be seen. Another rather unusual feature is that the eye - often a surprised-looking pale blue - appears to be dark.

This is my first Flounced Rustic moth (Luperina testacea) of the year. A very common moth that has many colour forms and a variety of patterns. The dark area where the centre of the wings meet is consistent in all forms.

2019 is a year that will be remembered as a Painted Lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui) invasion year. Many are now looking rather faded and battered. This one was rather smart and is perhaps a new arrival. It could just possibly be a new emergent individual, bred here from an earlier arrival.

Damselflies are long and thin! This is a Common Blue Damselfly - the shape of the black mark on the first segment is the best ID feature from this angle. This 'top down' view foreshortens the markings on the thorax and makes the width of the dark lines difficult to judge.

This is a rather better view of the hoverfly Volucella zonaria (hornet mimic). Note its lack of 'wasp waist' that a true hornet would show. Also a hornet would have very long antennae. This hoverfly has chestnut in 'tergite 2' - the area above the upper obvious black band.

Tucking in here is a Honey Bee (Apis mellifera). Only when I looked at the photo did I notice two other small insects joining it at the Black / Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra) just ahead of the bee's face. No idea what they might be.

I think this is a Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus). Rather handsome whatever it is!

Another view of the 'business end'.

The harvestman Leiobunum rotundum caught with cross-lighting providing interesting shadow effects. This a male - the female is less 'round' and has a patterned back.

Zoomed in on the same individual. The attachment of the legs looks most odd. Who designed that? Must work well though.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  06:35 – 07:25

(191st visit of the year)

Notes from here:
- It would be interesting to know whether it is the same Willow Warbler that has been singing here for over a week most days. I do not believe they bred here.
and
- 2 Common Grass-veneer moths (Agriphila tristella)
- 1 harvestman Leiobunum rotundum

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 3 Wood Pigeons

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 12 House Martins

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 5 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler again

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans
- no Greylag Geese
- 12 Canada Geese (7 of these departed)
- 30 (15♂) Mallard
- 19 (>9♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Moorhens
- 16 Coots only
- 2 Black-headed Gulls: one juvenile

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

- 1 Chiffchaff calling at the lower pool
- 1 Blackcap also calling at the lower pool
also
- 3 Common Grass-veneer moths (Agriphila tristella)
- 1 harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus
- 1 harvestman Leiobunum rotundum

(Ed Wilson)

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

2018
The Flash
Today's Report Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Report Here

2011
Priorslee Lake
4 Common Sandpiper
Female Ruddy Duck
(John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
A male Cockatiel
1 drake Ruddy Duck
(Ed Wilson)