26 May 20

Priorslee Lake: 04:28 – 05:55 // 07:00 – 09:05
The Flash: 06:00 – 06:55

13.0°C > 15.0°C: Clear to far east; very light rain from medium-high cloud for a while; cleared somewhat and finally lower cloud. Very light W breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 04:57 BST

Priorslee Lake:

(93rd visit of the year)

Construction work has recommenced on the housing site.

The council’s contractors were meeting their obligation in mowing the football field grass despite it hardly having grown in the interim dry spell. Rather like a dust bowl.

As I was leaving a van inscribed ‘Ground Control’ was arriving. Perhaps to deal with the Giant Hogweed?

Bird notes:
- The drake Gadwall was around all the time. No sign of the duck.
- A pair of Tufted Duck early. Two pairs for a while. One pair departed.
- The Great Crested Grebes still mainly together as pairs. Two pairs were actually fighting – usually they just lie along the surface and make threatening calls.
- Normally Jackdaws are obviously ‘paired’ no matter how large the groups are that pass over early. At the moment they are in loose groups of, mainly, four or five birds, likely family groups.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- Canada Geese: heard only
- 2 Cormorants: duo
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gull: one first year; otherwise ages not determined
- 1 Stock Dove once more
- 15 Wood Pigeons
- 27 Jackdaws
- 6 Rooks

Birds noted on the ‘football’ field [Magpies excluded]:
- 3 Starlings
Although I do not normally log the Wood Pigeons today’s total of 54 on the grass was noteworthy

Birds noted on the academy playing field [Wood Pigeons and Magpies excluded here too]:
- 1 Jackdaw
The sad-looking Feral Pigeon was perched on the academy roof again.

Count of hirundines etc logged:
- >25 Swifts
- 1 Barn Swallow again
- 3 House Martins

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 10 (8) Chiffchaffs
- 11 (10) Blackcaps
- 4 (4) Garden Warblers again
- 6 (4) Common Whitethroats
- 13 (11) Reed Warblers
- birds, unusually, singing along the S side and in the SE area.

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall
- 10 (9♂) Mallard
- 4 (2♂) Tufted Duck (see notes)
- 1 Grey Heron: departed 04:40
- 6 Great Crested Grebes again
- 3 Moorhens
- 21 + 6 (4 broods) Coots
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: both (near) adults

On / around the street lights:
- 3 Common Stretch-spiders (Tetragnatha extensa)

Insects / other things etc noted later:

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

Moths
- Plain Gold moths (Micropterix calthella)
- Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana)
- Silver-ground Carpet (Xanthorhoe montanata)
- Cinnabar (Tyria jacobaeae); moth species #16 here this year.
one of the few moths identifiable in flight
**several grass moths were flushed but could not be re-found to ID.

Bees
None, but
- Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)

Hoverflies
None

Other things:
- Harlequin Ladybirds (Harmonia axyridis): only the form succinea noted
- Soldier beetle Cantharis nigricans
- The leaf beetle Donacia simplex
- Another leaf beetle Galerucella sagittariae
- A Rhogogaster sawfly
- presumed Garden Spider (Arameus diadematus)
- Common Stretch-spiders (Tetragnatha extensa)
- An unidentified spider carrying eggs
- 3 Grey Squirrels

Additional plant species recorded for the year at this site:
- Wall Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster horizontalis)

It was slightly raining when I took this sunrise photo. Only clear to the very far east.

The family party of Mute Swans. I do wish they’d stay away from the sluice area. The cygnets are much smaller than the eight at The Flash that are only four days older.

I think there are three Great Crested Grebes here. They weren’t just threatening but two pairs were actively fighting.

And making a big splash whilst about it.

Once peace was restored this pair celebrated with some posing.

Did someone say ‘perky’. A good epithet for a Wren.

Of course it would not stay silent.

“who me? Who made all that noise?”

More yummy! I stayed well away from the nest-site but still this Common Whitethroat came to show me what it had caught.

Off toward the nest.

My last attempt to photograph Plain Gold moths (Micropterix calthella) was none to successful as they were all running around inside the buttercup flower. They really are a tiny moth. There are plenty of buttercups around but these moths are only found in one small location.

And here is just one as ‘monarch of the glen’.

This is a better picture of the small Common Nettle-tap moth (Anthophila fabriciana).

At first glance this insect appears dark with just a hint of green. But ...

...at the right angle it is mainly green, obscured by dark wings. This is a sawfly and looks to be one of the Rhogogaster group. I cannot match it to species level.

A much better photo of the soldier beetle Cantharis nigricans .Last week’s specimen ran away before I could get a decent photo

These small, happy beetles on a grass stem seem to be the leaf-beetles Galerucella sagittariae.

A not-so-small beetle, also a leaf beetle and likely Donacia simplex. There were dozens of these feeding. The interweb notes this species can be found “... on the edges of pools and canals ... on emergent and marginal vegetation. It is particularly associated with Bur-reed”. I think it is a grass flower being used here.

Lots of things can be found in buttercup flowers. A tiny all-white ‘thing’. Also, because of the banded body, what looks like a species of non-biting midge.

This dock leaf has been well and truly attacked by something leaving these bright leaf mines. Something else I’ve failed with.

Not patterned in quite the same way as most stretch spiders I see on lamp poles pre-dawn. This one is having an early breakfast.

Ventral view of what I think is a Garden Spider (Arameus diadematus). I cannot find any views like this on the web to check.

A rather strange-shaped spider I thought. Not really: it is carrying an egg sac. Lots of photos of spiders on the interweb. As usual none of them is marked like the ones I see.

These seems to be some naming confusion with this species – it is Wall Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster horizontalis). Not too many horizontal walls. These growing on the ground at the north end of the dam.

The flowers are rather reminiscent of bramble flowers. The leaves are quite different.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:

(80th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- As I hoped the Canada Geese with goslings were hiding yesterday. Strange that there are three adults with the three goslings yet these look as if they are from the same brood.
- Some of the adult Coots still brooding an unknown additional number of juveniles. Very near the sluice there is a nest you can peer in to. I could hear what sounded like juveniles calling and both adults were off the nest – could I see any young?
- Big number of Swifts.
- Today’s Great Spotted Woodpecker bounded right over the lake calling loudly as it did so.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 2 Feral Pigeon
- 2 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
- 3 Jackdaws

Hirundines etc logged:
- >30 Swifts
- 2 House Martins

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

Counts from the water:
- 3 + 8 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 33 + 3 (1 brood) Canada Geese
- 24 (18♂) + 6 (1 brood) Mallard
- 7 (4♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Great Crested Grebes: one on nest still
- 3 Moorhens
- 18 + >7 (4 broods) Coots
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: (near) adult again

Also noted:
- Birch Shieldbug (Elasmostethus interstinctus)
- Stretch spider sp.

These six Mallard ducklings almost look small-enough to be a very new brood.

This shield bug gave problems photographing it. When ‘flashed’, as here, the flash reflected off the body and obscured the markings. Without flash in the gloom of squirrel alley I could not get a sharp image. The curved antennae and the relative lack of ‘power shoulders’ identify it as a Birch Shieldbug (Elasmostethus interstinctus).

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

Noteworthy
- adult Moorhens seen at both pools again
- Great Spotted Woodpecker flying in to use garden feeders.
- 1 Blackcap singing at the lower pool.
- Chaffinch singing – unusual just here.
- Bullfinches also using garden feeders.

(Ed Wilson)

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

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2009
Priorslee Lake
Oystercatcher
Common Sandpiper
2 Common Terns
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
Common Tern
(Ed Wilson)