12 May 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

4.0°C > 10.0°C: Clear and frosty again. A few puffy clouds developing. Lighter W breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:16 BST

Priorslee Lake: Early

(79th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The pen Mute Swan was looking more restless than recently. She remained sitting on the nest whenever I checked.
- The drake Gadwall was present early only. Likely the bird seen at The Flash. Apparently did not return.
- Mallard back in some number again. Where were they yesterday?
- Stock Dove heard calling from trees by the Teece Drive gate. The tree this species nested in of yore fell down about five years ago so where it will go remains to be seen.
- Rather fewer hirundines and Swifts. Probably due to lighter winds. The Swifts were sometimes in screaming parties – always a welcome sign of summer.
- Lighter winds and warmer temperatures probably the reason for more warbler song. Noticeably more intermittent though and harder to keep track.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 2 Greylag Geese (circled from & to E)
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 1 Stock Dove
- 1 Wood Pigeon only
- 3 Jackdaws
- 5 Rooks

No birds noted on the academy playing field:

26 Starlings on the ‘football’ field

Count of hirundines etc logged:
- c.10 Swifts
- >15 Sand Martins
- >20 Barn Swallows
- >20 House Martins

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 14 (13) Chiffchaffs
- 24 (21) Blackcaps
- 4 (3) Garden Warbler
- 3 (3) Common Whitethroats
- 7 (7) Reed Warblers still

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 1 Canada Goose, briefly
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall: departed
- 10 (9♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- [no Grey Heron]
- 4 Great Crested Grebes still
- 6 Moorhens
- 13 Coots
- 1 Common Sandpiper still
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: (near) adult, briefly.

Nothing on / around the street lights: too cold!

Insects etc. noted later:
Butterflies
- Green-veined White (Pieris napi)

Hoverflies
- probable Dasysyrphus venustus: a new species for me but see comment on photo
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Tapered Drone-fly (Eristalis pertinax)
- Dead-head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea): my first 2020 record here.

Bees / wasps
- Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- possible spider-hunting wasp Agenioideus cinctellus

Damselflies
- Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans): my earliest date for this species here

Other things
- Red-and-Black Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata)
very many of these
- Alder Fly (Sialis lutaria)
- Scorpion Fly (Panorpa communis)
- German Scorpionfly (Panorpa germanica)
- Tipula sp. crane fly: pair see coupled in flight

No additional plant species recorded for the year at this site:

The Canada Goose makes a good decision to leave, slight aided by the cob Mute Swans aggressive appearance.

All the hirundines went up in the air for some reason and I was able to capture this House Martin overhead. Much tubbier than Sand Martin and also lacks the breast band. Lacks the long tail streamers and red throat of Barn Swallow.

Tits are usually too active to capture well. This Great Tit paused long-enough. The bright early sun has washed the colours out a bit – should be more blue.

This Green-veined White butterfly (Pieris napi) seemed to have become torpid during the frosty night and was still sitting motionless in the shade when I noticed it. The veins are not really green – when very fresh there are yellow scales along the black outline of the veins giving the illusion of dark green.

It was untroubled by (unaware of?) my presence and allowed a close approach.

This hoverfly is probably Dasysyrphus venustus (no vernacular name). I am advised that recent research has produced three newly described species previously recorded as D. venustus. At present how to separate them is unclear – if possible in the field. So best described as D. venustus agg.

The small Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus) helpfully often sits with its wings open allowing the marks on the abdomen to be seen clearly. There are rather few small hoverflies that show a striped thorax.

A rather splendid Tapered Drone-fly (Eristalis pertinax).

A female here – her body is less ‘tapered’ than the male. The yellow on the rear tarsus confirms.

The so-called Dead-head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea). The marks on the thorax are supposed to resemble a death’s head. It seems to me to need some imagination ...

Here the thorax is not clearly visible and the best confirmatory feature is the yellow hair along the side of the body.

With the rather scruffy ginger thorax I would have passed this off a s Common Carder Bee – not with a black body and white tail it isn’t. It is a Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum)

A Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris).

These small wasps run around leaves waving their long antennae. With an all-black body and red legs I suspect this is the spider-hunting wasp Agenioideus cinctellus but ....

My earliest ever date for Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans)

A scorpion fly. The wing markings are somewhat variable. This more closely resembles Scorpion Fly (Panorpa communis).

The marks on this specimen more closely resemble a typical of a German Scorpionfly (Panorpa germanica)

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:

(66th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The drake Gadwall appeared very briefly. I heard it arrive but did not see it go. I assume the bird from the lake as that had gone by the time I returned there. Where is it now?
- No Mallard ducklings again.
- I doubt there ever was a second Great Crested Grebe nest site. The heap of sticks where a bird was noted alongside a few days ago is now occupied by Coots.
- Only one broods of Coots noted. The other known site with hatched juveniles is, as noted, well obscured by overhanging trees. They were likely there somewhere.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: two (near) adults; one first year, together
- 2 Jackdaws

Hirundines etc logged:
- 2 Swifts
- 2 Barn Swallows
- 2 House Martins

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 4 (4) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (3) Blackcaps

Counts from the water:
- 3 + 9 (1 brood) Mute Swans again
- 2 Greylag Geese: departed
- 9 Canada Geese: two of these arrived
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall: briefly
- 18 (15♂) + 0 (no broods) Mallard
- 4 (2♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Great Crested Grebes still
- 3 Moorhens again
- 16 + 1 (1 brood) Coots

Also noted
- 1 Common European Earwig (Forficula auricularia) on a lamp post.
- 1 Grey Squirrel

Proud parents with eight of their offspring. Always a challenge to get them all in the open.

We try ... the last one just peering out behind the adult.

The Nuthatch at its nest again. I have no idea what it was doing ....

Certainly was working with a will ....

 ... all around the entrance ...

... from all angles.

Trim Trim my first attempt at taking a video with the camera showing just how industrious it was. Hand held on full zoom – sea-sickness pills recommended!

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

Noteworthy
- 1 adult Moorhen on the lower pool
- 1 adult and 2 juveniles Moorhens on the upper pool
- 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker calling by the lower pool
- 2 Song Thrushes singing: one by the lower pool; one above the upper pool
- 1 Chiffchaff singing above the upper pool
- 1 Blackcap singing above the upper pool
- 1 Starling on roof of house very upset with Magpie on the same roof – a nest site.

One of the two Moorhen chicks seen at the upper pool. My what big feet you have. How do they fit in an egg?

And here is the other one – can’t see this one’s feet. Infinitely less ugly that Coot chicks.

Renewed bouts of singing from Song Thrushes today. Has one brood fledged and they are singing to renew the bond for another brood?

A portrait shot!

(Ed Wilson)

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If you are on your daily exercise and keeping a safe distance from others, we would love to see any photos or sightings you have, from Priorslee Lake and The Flash, by emailing them to us at priorsleelake@hotmail.com

We look forward to hearing from you.😊

(Martin Adlam and Ed Wilson)

Note:
Here are a few Garden Sightings from Ed Wilson Here on our Readers Corner from the past few days

And

A few of Martin Adlam's Sightings from the Isle of Portland Here.

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

2019
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here