6 Aug 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  04:20 – 06:05 // 07:05 – 09:10
The Flash:  06:10 – 07:00

13.0°C > 17.0°C:  Cloudy start with showery rain. Cleared c.05:20. More light showers c.08:00 – none of which was forecast. Moderate S wind. Very good visibility. Definite feel of Autumn.

Sunrise: 05:36 BST

Priorslee Lake:  04:20 – 06:05 // 07:05 – 09:10

(193rd visit of the year)

Highlight was a presumed Little Egret present when I returned from The Flash. I managed a couple of record shots from across the water but it had gone before I could get in position for a better view. This was a shame as there were some strange features to this bird. The bill length clearly pointed to Little Egret. Yet the bill was not all dark and the legs were quite pale. Both of which suggest Cattle Egret – which would have been my first-ever at the lake. I do not feel 100% confident to count it as either species, though I favour Little Egret on bill size and shape.

Other bird notes from today
- The cob Mute Swan made several attempts to get his brood interested in at least stretching their wings. They failed to take the hint and follow his example.
- Two Little Grebes along the N side. Too distant to positively age. My poor photo from Saturday (3rd) suggests that bird was a fledged juvenile. Talking to one of the fishermen on Sunday he told me he had seen adults and juveniles around his ‘peg’ the previous day.
- Only two adult Great Crested Grebes seen (at any one time – more individuals?). Meanwhile two of the well-grown juveniles were seen trying out display techniques. These seemed to be the two siblings – oh er missus!
- A Kestrel seen hovering to the ENE over fields at 05:50. Only my third sighting this year, the last being on 23 March.
- One of the first House Martins noted at c.05:25 was a calling juvenile. Later when at least 25 birds were overhead I could only hear normal flight calls.

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 16 Greylag Geese (1 group outbound)
- 48 Canada Geese (47 (7 groups) outbound; 1 bird inbound)
- 5 Black-headed Gulls
- c.39 Feral / Racing Pigeons (3 groups)
- 2 Stock Doves
- 125 Wood Pigeons
- no Jackdaws or Rooks

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 9 Barn Swallow
- c.25 House Martins

Warblers noted (singing birds):
Not too much should be read in to some lower warbler totals. The showers left vegetation soaking which affected where we both went.
- 9 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (0) Willow Warblers
- 5 (0) Blackcaps
- 1 (0) Common Whitethroat
- 2 (0) Sedge Warblers again
- 4 (0) Reed Warblers

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 2 Greylag Geese (throughout)
- 1 Canada Goose (throughout)
- 16 (12♂) Mallard
- 1 Cormorant again
- 1 presumed Little Egret briefly
- 2 Grey Herons again
- 2 Little Grebes
- 2 + 4 (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Moorhen
- 39 adult and juvenile Coots: only one small juveniles from the newest brood
- 21 Black-headed Gulls: no juveniles

On the lamp poles pre-dawn
The late showers sent all the moths to cover no doubt
- 1 Earwig sp. (likely Forficula auricularia)
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum harvestman
and
An addition from yesterday with a confirmed identification of
- 1 Red-letter Flat-body moth (Agonopterix ocellana)

The following logged later:
- Butterflies (in species order : no totals) [as yesterday]
- Green-veined White (Pieris napi)
- Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
- Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus)
- Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)
- Peacock (Aglais io)
- Moths (in species order):
- a very few unidentified grass moths.
- No Damselflies etc:
- Hoverflies (in alphabetic order of scientific name):
- Marmalade hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Tapered Drone-fly (Eristalis pertinax)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
And other things:
- several Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
- 2 Wasps (Vespa sp.)
- 1 ichneumon, possibly Ichneumon extensorius
- many hundreds of flies, perhaps ‘cluster flies’ Pollenia rudis
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus harvestman
- 3 more Leiobunum rotundum harvestmen

This is, I am 99% sure, a (distant) Little Egret. The bill looks rather long for the confusion species, the similar-sized Cattle Egret. A Little Egret should show black legs and an all dark bill – this appears not to. The loose breeding-plumage on the breast would probably still have some yellow tones if it were a Cattle Egret.

Here we can better judge the length bill which I think rules out Cattle Egret. Birds are a constant puzzle.

Two Buzzards flew out of the Ricoh copse and circled away. There is a nest in the area – perhaps they both went off hunting to feed the hungry juvenile that was calling earlier. Here is one of the birds ....

... and in a different light. 

And here is the other. Neither can be a fledged juvenile as these have barring on the breast.

A fine specimen of a ‘white’. But which. It sure does not look a Green-veined White. It is clearly a fresh specimen with the yellow dusted scales yet wear off. There is no sign of the prominent veins, green or otherwise.

Here is the upper wing where we can examine the extent of the black on the wing tip. This is typical Green-veined White as is the rather blurred outline to the lower black spot on what is clearly a female (only females show four spots – two on each side). The veins look rather more obvious too. So Green-veined White it is.

Two Tapered Drone-flies (Eristalis pertinax) on Ragwort.

I am not sure whether these are true ‘cluster flies’ Pollenia rudis. But they ought to be! There were very many groups sitting around sunning themselves after a shower. They were rather tricky to photograph as they were sensitive to the camera’s focus beam and shot off. I had to cover the beam to get them to remain. They get their vernacular name from typical over wintering behaviour: they typically gather in huge numbers in crevices inside houses.

And here is a rather out-of-focus fly alongside an ichneumon. That looks like a male Ichneumon extensorius (females have a white tip to the tail)

Another mystery. This looks like, and almost certainly is, a wasp. The marks are unlike a typical Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris). While the width of the black bands is somewhat variable in that species I can find no illustrations where the rear part of the thorax is solid black. Nor can I explain the rufous tone on the upper left body unless it is the sun shining through the brown wings. No other wasp species seems to match this.

This was also shows atypical markings for Common Wasp. At least this one has the normal yellow pattern at the rear of the thorax. To make a positive ID we would need to see the face .....!

Its ‘compare and contrast’ time. This harvestman is Dicranopalpus ramosus with the very long second pair of legs and forked pedipalps.

This is species has legs that are still long but more equal in length. It is a female of the very common Leiobunum rotundum.

Sort that lot out then! Two female and lucky male – with the plain rufous body – Leiobunum rotundums (rotunda? – I wish I did classics at school!). This species likes to gather in groups and presumably know how to untie their legs.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  06:10 – 07:00

(186th visit of the year)

Notes from here:
- 15 Greylag and 46 Canada Geese arrived together from the E at 06:50
- Just three ducklings from the very recent brood. These were tucked up in a well-vegetated area and perhaps others remained hidden.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 15 Feral Pigeons (4 groups)
- 9 Wood Pigeons

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 House Martin

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 3 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (0) Willow Warblers
- 2 (0) Blackcaps

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans
- 2 > 17 Greylag Geese
- 21 > 67 Canada Geese
- 29 (13+♂) + 3? (1 brood) Mallard
- 16 (9♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 3 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 19 adult and well-grown juvenile Coots
- 6 Black-headed Gulls: no juveniles

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

- 1 Blackcap calling from gardens near the upper pool.

(Ed Wilson)

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

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2012
Priorslee Lake
Green Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Nedge Hill
1 (imm/fem) Common Redstart
(John Isherwood)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Dunlin
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Common Tern
(Merv)