Priorslee Lake and The Flash
14.0°C: Mainly very low cloud and moderate visibility. Cloud briefly lifted to reveal clearance to E. Also descended to give poor visibility at other times. Very light E wind.
Sunrise: 04:45 BST still.
Priorslee Lake: 04:09 – 05:45 // 06:40 – 08:52
(111th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- An immature Mute Swan put in a brief appearance. Made unwelcome.
- I cannot explain the increase in adult Coot numbers. There were many together in the middle of the water – a post-breeding gathering. Whether these were from nests aroumd the lake that have 'given up' or whether some have moved in is difficult to say. There were no territorial wars noted.
- Just two single Swifts. No hirundines over the water. Five House Martins seen over the estate during a brighter spell.
Birds noted flying over / near here:
In the conditions things had to be close, large or noisy – preferably all three!
- 2 Greylag Geese: outbound
- 11 Cormorants: one group.
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: (near) adults
- 3 unidentified large gulls
- 1 Feral Pigeon again
- 5 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Collared Dove
- 16 Jackdaws
- 22 Rooks
Count of hirundines etc. logged:
- 2 Swifts
- 5 House Martins
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 11 (10) Chiffchaffs
- 18 (15) Blackcaps
- 3 (1) Garden Warblers
- 7 (5) Common Whitethroats
- 10 (8) Reed Warblers
Counts from the lake area:
- 3 + 5 Mute Swans: the third (near) adult, briefly
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall still
- 12 (10♂) Mallard
- 8 Great Crested Grebes
- 4 Moorhens
- 33 + 7 (4 broods) Coots
On / around the street lights pre-sunrise:
NB: a prefix * means there is a photo today.
- 1 *female Buff Ermine moth (Spilosoma lutea)
some authorities give the scientific name as Spilosoma luteum. Luteum is Latin for 'yellow body', the plural of which is lutea. So....?
- 1 *Treble Brown Spot moth (Idaea trigeminata): a new moth species for me
Insects / other things etc. noted later:
Butterflies:
None
Moths:
- Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- Silver-ground Carpet moth (Xanthorhoe montanata)
- *Snout (Hypena proboscidalis)
Bees / wasps:
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Damselflies:
None
Hoverflies
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Other things:
- *Scorpion Fly (Panorpa sp.)
- Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) form succinea; and larvae
- *Walnut Orb Weaver (Nuctenea umbratica)
And
- 3 Noctule-type bats
Perhaps I cannot see clearly in the early light(?) but the large Noctule-type bats seem to only appear after c.04:25: they leave c.04:40. A quick breakfast?
- 1 Grey Squirrel
Additional plant species recorded in flower for the year at this site:
- *Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris)
- *Convolvulus sp. probably Field Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis)
- *Rosebay Willowherb or Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium)
- *Water Forget-me-not (Myositis palustris)
- *Garden escape? Geranium sp.
A (near?) adult Lesser Black-backed Gull passes over. From this angle the missing inner primaries (and outer secondaries) are obvious as it undertakes its annual moult.
'Yummy' yet again. A Garden Warbler with food for its brood, a brood now scattered around the hedgerows. I am again rather puzzled by how brown the crown of this bird looks.
I wondered why this Wren was giving a very subdued song. Hard to sing with your mouth full. Another bird with a ragged tail – all that hard work feeding nesting and feeding. Soon be time to moult and get new ones. Just below the cheek is a swelling caused by a tick.
I am not sure whether the scruffy head on this Dunnock is due to moulting or whether it has a disease. The wing coverts have neat white tips that suggest these have very recently been moulted.
This is a male Buff Ermine moth (Spilosoma lutea). The female is white. Similar too last week's White Ermine: on that species in addition to the line of spots across the wing tips there are many more, almost randomly placed. black dots in each wing.
This moth is a Treble Brown Spot (Idaea trigeminata): a new moth species for me. Not entirely well-named. Each wing has three brown areas. The outer one is connected to the middle one by a thin line. And the middle and inner areas are often, as here, fused, though sightly offset.
Joining several small insects sheltering under a nettle leaf was this Snout moth (Hypena proboscidalis). The proboscis that gives the species its vernacular and scientific names is not easy to see sticking out the front of its head.
This is a female Scorpion Fly without the scorpion-tail that is the genitalia on males. There are three species in the UK and the females cannot be separated from photos – and males separated only with difficulty. So Panorpa sp.
I always struggle to ID spiders. So many look similar and mine usually don't look quite like any of them. I think this is a Walnut Orb Weaver (Nuctenea umbratica). 'Walnut' from the body colour.
Only two days ago I noted a Common Ragwort plant (Jacobaea vulgaris) on the dam-top which was just coming in to bud. A few yards away I found this plant already in flower.
Not a stunning photo but I am sure most of us know Convolvulus when we see it. This probably Field Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis).
Previously seen flowering the Woodhouse Lane area this is the first Rosebay Willowherb or Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium) I have noted around the lake. As previously the colour is rather more mauve and less pink than in real life. I took shots with several different camera settings without much obvious change in colour.
On the basis that I would have got very wet had I got any closer to these flowers I suspect they are Water Forget-me-not (Myositis palustris) though I was unable to access the leaves to fully confirm the identity.
I found this flower growing alongside the E end lay-by. I suspect a garden escape. It looks like one of the Geranium family of Crane's-bills but I cannot match it any wildflower.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 05:50 – 06:35
(97th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- The pen Mute Swan seems to be doing a good job with the cygnets all on her own. The cob steadfastly remains on guard elsewhere, ready to drown the Canada Goose goslings if they enter the water. The cygnets are significantly larger than those at the main lake, though they are about seven days older.
- A different brood of four Mallard ducklings: these birds at least a week old and neither of the broods seen yesterday.
- There are still two juvenile Great Crested Grebes and they were very active on the water with their parents.
- How the Lesser Black-backed Gull found its way in while it was so misty is a puzzle.
- A Willow Warbler briefly sang at the bottom of squirrel alley. Very unexpected and a bit of a puzzle. Seems too early for birds to be moving.
- The Reed Warbler singing very briefly.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 2 Feral Pigeons
Hirundines etc. logged:
- House Martins heard only – lost in mist
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 5 (5) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler
- 1 (1) Blackcap
- 1 (1) Reed Warbler
Counts from the water:
- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 49 Greylag Geese
- 4 Greylag x Canada Goose still
- 148 + 2 (1 brood) Canada Geese
- 22 (16♂) + 4 (1 broods) Mallard
- 9 (5♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Moorhens
- 13 + 8 (3 broods) Coots
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: scruffy adult(?) arrived
Other things of note:
- 1 Small Tortoiseshell butterfly
- 1 Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) larvae and also one pupa
Almost like a Chinese painting. The pen Mute Swan with some of the brood visible. On the island is the 2018 cygnet, largely keeping out of the way and being ignored.
One parent and juvenile Great Crested Grebe
And the other parent and other juvenile. Not the most appealing-looking when young.
All four together.
I found this hanging from a lamp in squirrel alley. I initially though it would be a species of 'thorn' moth, all of which rest with wings closed vertically over their back. However it has clubbed antenna so it is a butterfly. Not easy to identify. It is a Small Tortoiseshell.
(Ed Wilson)
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Between the lake and The Flash:
Nothing of note
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day..........
2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2010
Priorslee Lake
5+ Willow Tits in the trees alongside the M54 slip-road
(J W Reeves)
2006
Priorslee Lake
Just 2 Mute Swan cygnets remaining, possible Mink in the area
(Martin Adlam)