22 May 20

Priorslee Lake: 10:25 – 12:10
The Flash: 09:20 – 10:15

15.0°C > 18.0°C: Patchy cloud. Fresh and often strong and gusty SW wind. Very good visibility.

[Sunrise: 05:01 BST]

Avoided the wet start. Then with the car in for fettling it was a full visit to The Flash and then a look-around the lake.

Priorslee Lake:

(89th visit of the year)

No formal report. Birds had mainly stopped singing. The wind was encouraging birds on the water to take shelter. So just some notes

Firstly a convincing report of a non-singing Cuckoo seen alongside Teece Drive yesterday morning. The second year I have missed this species here.

Bird notes:

Hirundines etc logged:
- >20 Swifts
- >10 Barn Swallows
- >30 House Martins

On the lake area:
- 2 adult Mute Swans: at nest. Cygnets not seen
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall: seen early only
- 3 (2♂) Mallard
- no Tufted Ducks
- >4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: three (near) adults, one second year, briefly

Insects / other things etc:

Damselflies:
- Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
- Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans)

Hoverflies:
- Leucozona lucorum
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)

Other things:
- Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina)
- Red-and-Black Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata)
- The snipe fly Rhagio scolopaceus
- Oedemera nobilis (False Oil Beetle, Thick-legged Flower Beetle or Swollen-thighed Beetle)
- The soldier beetle Cantharis nigricans

New flowers for the year here
- Early Marsh-orchid (Dactylorhiza incarnata)

Other things:
- Mirror Carp (Cyprinus carpio carpio) thrashing around spawning

Exactly how many Lesser Black-backed Gulls there were today is hard to say. They battled the wind and left to the west. Was it the same that reappeared a few minutes later. One adult passes by. Seems to have a rather sad expression.

A Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina). I am not quite sure why the ‘tail’ is white on this specimen. Normally it is brown. This shot shows the reddish 4th and 5th segments of the antennae.

I see these daily at the moment. This canoodling pair needed to be recorded for posterity. Red-and-Black Froghoppers (Cercopis vulnerata).

This is the snipe fly Rhagio scolopaceus. There were many of these around today with at least fifteen on the lamp poles at the west end.

A common beetle at this time is Oedemera nobilis. Various vernacular names – False Oil Beetle, Thick-legged Flower Beetle or Swollen-thighed Beetle. Only males have the swollen thighs. They like feeding on umbellifers.

An more isolated view of the same individual.

Not confined to umbellifers – here on a dandelion.

And even buttercups.

This is the soldier beetle Cantharis nigricans. Originally misidentified as C. decipiens

It is that time of year when I get confused about the orchids flowering around the lake. My vote is for this being an Early Marsh-orchid (Dactylorhiza incarnata).

The Mirror Carp (Cyprinus carpio carpio) were spawning and thrashing about.

Again.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:

(76th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Another one of the cygnets missing. Happens.
- Just three Canada Geese goslings seen: the fourth, smallest one, missing.
- An abundance of Mallard ducklings. Groups of 3, 6, 7 and 10

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 1 Wood Pigeon
- 6 Jackdaws

Hirundines etc logged:
- 4 Swifts
- 10 House Martins

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 2 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (3) Blackcaps again
- 1 (1) Reed Warbler still

Counts from the water:
- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 54 + 3 (1 broods) Canada Geese: 20 of these arrived
- 20 (11♂) + 26 (4 broods) Mallard
- 13 (7♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Moorhens yet again
- 16 + 15 (5 broods) Coots
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: second year

Otherwise of note:
- 1 Speckled Wood butterfly (Pararge aegeria)
- A flesh fly – probably Sarcophaga variegata
- 1 Violet Black-legged Robber Fly (Dioctria atricapilla)
- 1 Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)

The Mute Swan family. Just seven cygnets now.

The duck Mallard with her 10 ducklings – yes there are 10.

See!

Another group of ducklings – seven.

These seven were quite wayward and loosely with their parents.

And another group with mum – six.

And yet another group – three. These rather distant I’m afraid.

The 2018-born Mute Swan is still present. Here it is alongside a very worn second-year Lesser Black-backed Gull.

This fly looked ‘odd’ so I checked.

From this angle we see it a Robber Fly complete with what looks like a midge as prey. The yellow halteres are just visible identifying this as a Violet Black-legged Robber Fly (Dioctria atricapilla).

A rather splendid-looking fly even if it is one of the flesh flies – probably Sarcophaga variegata.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

Noteworthy
- 1 adult and 1 juvenile Moorhen on the lower pool
- 1 adult and 1 juvenile Moorhen on the upper pool

(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. Just email them to priorsleelake@hotmail.com

We look forward to hearing from you.😊

(Martin Adlam and Ed Wilson)

And if you are stuck at home and can't get to the coast, then why not have a look to see what's about on the Isle of Portland  Here.

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

2019
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Local area
Today's Sightings Here

2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Little Ringed Plover
Garden Warbler
Reed Warbler
Stock Dove
2 Lapwing
(John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Ruddy Duck
(Ed Wilson)