25 Aug 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  04:55 – 06:40 // 07:45 – 09:30
The Flash:  06:45 – 07:40

15.0°C > 20.0°C:  Mainly clear with a few areas of medium cloud again.. Light SE wind. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:07 BST

Priorslee Lake:  04:55 – 06:40 // 07:45 – 09:30

(206th visit of the year)

Best today was a Whimbrel that flew over calling at 06:30. Not my first here this year – seen on Spring passage on 26 April. Autumn records are less common – indeed I suspect it is my first such record here.

Also of special note was the Common Kestrel hovering over fields to the E, then NE c.06:00. Only my third sighting this year here of this declining species.

A trio of notables this morning: a Hobby flew W at 09:20 carrying prey – not able to ID but once again the local Barn Swallows seemed upset.

Other bird notes from today:
- The new Great Crested Grebe brood in the NW area was not located this morning and neither was one of the adults. I hope just hiding in the reeds.
- Four of the six juvenile Great Crested Grebes were chasing around and perhaps trying to fly – one of them made several circuits. This is somewhat confusing for so far as I am aware only three locally bred birds have reached this stage. At least three juveniles must have been able to fly to get here?
- A probable lost Racing Pigeon was noted sitting on the academy roof. I could not see whether it was ringed.
- There seemed to be a small passage of Barn Swallows heading south. One group of six birds appeared over the water with at least five House Martins. Whether these were local birds or migrants ‘tagging along’ was hard to judge.
- No Pied Wagtails at all today

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 205 Greylag Geese (94 outbound in 4 groups; 111 inbound also in 4 groups)
- 64 Canada Geese (44 outbound in 5 groups; 20 inbound in 1 group)
- 1 Common Kestrel
- 1 Hobby
- 1 Whimbrel
- 2 Black-headed Gulls again
- 23 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: 12 of these juveniles (1st winters?)
- 4 Feral / Racing Pigeons
- 1 Stock Dove
- 86 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Jackdaws
- 4 Rooks
- 5 Starlings

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 22 Barn Swallows
- c.35 House Martins

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 11 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (0) Blackcaps

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 9 (5♂) Mallard
- 1 Grey Heron
- no Little Grebes
- 5 + 9 (>2 broods) Great Crested Grebes (see notes)
- 4 + 3 (3 broods) Moorhens
- 78 Coots: no late-brood juveniles
- 21 Black-headed Gulls: no juveniles / first-winters

On the lamp poles pre-dawn:
- 1 Single-dotted Wave moth (Idaea dimidiata): an amazing run of records for this species
- 1 Square-spot Rustic moth (Xestia xanthographa)
- 1 Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperia carnea)
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum harvestman
- 1 Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus)
- 1 wasp sp.

The following logged later:
- Butterflies
        - Green-veined White (Pieris napi)
- Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
- Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
- Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)
- No moths.
- Damselflies etc.
        - Common Blue Damselfly
        - rather smaller than usual hawker sp.
- Hoverflies (in alphabetic order of scientific name):
- Broad-banded Epistrophe (Epistrophe grossulariae): **a new species for me
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Common / Tapered Drone Fly (Eristalis sp.)
- Stripe-faced Drone fly (Eristalis nemorum (previously E. interruptus)) : **my first in 2019
- Migrant Hoverfly (Eupeodes corollae)
- Syrphus sp.
And other things:
- Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum)
- White-tailed Bumble Bee (Bombus lucorum)
- 2 Giant Puffballs (Calvatia gigantea)
- 1 Grey Squirrel
A footnote about the delicate fungus photographed on 21 August. I think this may have been a Coprinus plicatilis, sometimes called The Little Japanese Umbrella (probably not a very PC name these days)

Red sky in the morning is supposed to be a warning of wind and / or rain. Not a still day with 30°C heat.

As the sunrise progressed the colour spread across the sky. 

And set fire to the bushes.

Here are four of the six well-grown juvenile Great Crested Grebes. The differing intensity of head-streaking suggests these come from different broods. Indeed as far as I am aware only three juveniles born here from two broods have reached this stage of maturity.

I have not seen them do this before – all trying their wings out. Only one of these took-off, the others paddling along. It is always surprising how much white there is when these fly.

On this fly-by we can make out the strange lobed feet for propelling the birds underwater. Combined with the feet being set very far back it makes it almost impossible for this species to walk on land. They sort of crawl in and out of their nests.

Compare and contrast. Adult Wood Pigeon on the right: juvenile on the left. The juvenile lacks the white neck patch and is somewhat paler overall. Note that the white showing along the bend in the wing is only seen in Wood Pigeons and becomes the white patch in flight. A Stock Dove would be smaller, darker overall with a shorter tail and dark blotches in the folded wing. (Not quite a sharp as I would like but it was 06:30 and I would probably not find them together later)

Here is a Square-spot Rustic moth (Xestia xanthographa).

I suspect this rather squat-looking hoverfly whose black bands go ‘right to the edge’ is Broad-banded Epistrophe (Epistrophe grossulariae) – a new species for me.

Here it is again – the right-hand hoverfly with a Syrphus sp. alongside it. A hairy fly sharing the nectar from the Common Hogweed.

The various drone flies are rather in markings. This one struck me as smaller and more neatly marked and seems to be Eristalis nemorum (previously E. interruptus). Sometimes called Stripe-faced Drone fly though we cannot see that here.

This is my second Migrant Hoverfly (Eupeodes corollae) this year. It is well-named: this insect has indeed flown from Continental Europe.

This is one of the Syrphus hoverflies – either S. ribesii or S. vitripennis. Only females can be reliably separated and then only if the upper part of the hind femur (leg) can be clearly seen. Handsome insects.

I photographed this bumblebee because it seemed a lot smaller that a Common Carder Bumblebee (Bombus pascuorum) – the most common species with the gingery thorax at this time of year. I think I can see a white tip to the abdomen which means it is a Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum). That species does not normally fly after the end of July.

This is a Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus). Not all sure about the stray legs – last night’s dinner?

Who would win out of the spider and the wasp?

I think this is the fungus I photographed on 21 August. After some more research I suspect it is Coprinus plicatilis, sometimes called The Little Japanese Umbrella.

A newly emerged fungus: these are (rather small) Giant Puffballs (Calvatia gigantea). 

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  06:45 – 07:40

(197th visit of the year)

Highlight here today was a Common Snipe seen in flight to the N and found by accident when trying to locate the calling House Martins. My first log of this species here for a very long while. It must be at least 15 years since a group of up to 10 birds could often be found resting during winter days on the then somewhat larger island. Species #78 for me here in 2019.

Other notes from here:
- I have no idea why the Tufted Duck numbers are so variable. Today’s low count may have been due to the presence of several fishermen. However those that were present seemed to take no notice of the fishermen.
also
also
- 1 Flame Carpet moth (Xanthorhoe designata) on a lamp pole
- 1 Canary-shouldered Thorn moth (Ennomos alniaria) on another lamp pole; moth species #20 here this year
- 1 Square-spot Rustic moth (Xestia xanthographa) on a third lamp pole: moth species #21
- 1 Grey Squirrel

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 2 Cormorants
- 1 Common Snipe
- 1 Herring Gull
- 1 Stock Dove
- 12 Wood Pigeons
- 4 Jackdaws

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 4 House Martins

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 5 (2) Chiffchaffs

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans
- 5 Canada Geese
- 32 (17♂) Mallard
- 16 (6♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Moorhens
- 17 Coots again
- 7 Black-headed Gulls: arrived
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: arrived – did not stay long
- 1 Kingfisher

Rather a long way up a lamp pole and hence rather losing quality when enlarged was this Flame Carpet moth (Xanthorhoe designata). This species is double-brooded and I photographed one of the first brood here at the end of May.

This moth is a Canary-shouldered Thorn moth (Ennomos alniaria). Some specimens are much yellowier and hairy on the shoulders. I see this moth most years. All ‘thorn’ moths habitually rest with wings partly open.

Another Square-spot Rustic moth (Xestia xanthographa), also a long way up a lamp pole. Must have been a ‘hatch’ of this species. This one has a small friend.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

- 1 Blackcap calling around the lower pool
and
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus harvestman on a lamp pole

(Ed Wilson)

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

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Report Here

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2011
Nedge Hill
4 Yellow Wagtails
(John Isherwood)