Priorslee Lake and The Flash:
9.0°C 14.0°C: A promising sunrise gave way to more low cloud which threatened to break, but didn't. Light mainly S/SE wind. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 04:45 BST:
Priorslee Lake: 04:10 – 05:35 // 06:30 – 09:31
(116th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- The itinerant Gadwall return.
- The Great Crested Grebes appeared in force again. I suspect that for the past fortnight or so there have always been 12 present but often some are hiding.
- As I was walking back down Teece Drive from The Flash a presumed Common Tern flew over my head towards the lake. By the time I could see the water it was nowhere to be seen and I have assumed it flew straight through.
- Perhaps more Swifts. Although 14 was my highest count single birds seemed to be flying in from the E to join the group over the trees without the number increasing. Birds leaving as well?
- Bumper Rook count (compared with recent days) likely solely due to better weather and visibility.
- The Sedge Warbler only gave one short burst of song – today from the W end; yesterday it was along the S side.
Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 6 Cormorants: party of five and single
- 1 presumed Common Tern (see notes)
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: (near) adults
- 11 Wood Pigeons
- 16 Jackdaws
- 43 Rooks
Hirundines etc. logged:
- 15 Swifts
- 5 House Martins
There seem to be no Barn Swallows around at the moment
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 13 (10) Chiffchaffs
- 16 (12) Blackcaps
- 4 (2) Garden Warblers
- 6 (5) Common Whitethroats
- 1 (1) Sedge Warbler
- 13 (7) Reed Warblers
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 10 (9♂) Mallard
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 11 Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Moorhens
- 32 + 11 (7 broods) Coots
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: adult, briefly
NB: a prefix * means there is a photo today.
On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:
- *1 Barred Straw moth (Gandaritis pyraliata)
- *1 Mottled Beauty moth (Alcis repandata)
- *1 Plumed midge sp. with unusually long legs.
Insects / other things etc. noted later:
Butterflies:
- Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)
- *caterpillars of Peacock (Aglais io)
Moths:
- Garden Grass-veneers (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- Common Marble (Celypha lacunana)
Bees / wasps:
- Buff-tailed Bumblebees (Bombus terrestris)
- Common Wasps (Vespula (Paravespula) vulgaris)
- *ichneumon sp., perhaps Diplazon laetatorius
Damselflies:
- Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
Hoverflies
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Common Drone-fly (Eristalis tenax)
- The Footballer (Helophilus pendulus)
Bats
- 1 Noctule-type bat
Other things:
- *Mirid Bug Leptopterna dolobrata
- *Common Froghopper (Philaenus spumarius)
- *Red-and-Black Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata)
- *Dagger fly (Empis livida)
- Caddis flies (Mystacides longicornis)
- Black Snipe flies (Chrysopilus cristatus)
- *7 Spot Ladybirds (Coccinella 7-punctata)
- Harlequin Ladybirds (Harmonia axyridis): forms spectabilis and succinea noted; also larvae
- Swollen-thighed Beetles (Oedemera nobilis)
- *White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
Additional plant species recorded in flower for the year at this site:
None
After all the low cloud and rain in the last few days this clear sunrise was most welcome.
Here looking west from the dam-top with The Wrekin in the distance to the right.
On the bottom left a Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus). Oh! You want to know what the black things are. Caterpillars of Peacock butterfly (Aglais io) chomping their way through their favourite food - stinging nettles.
And here is one in isolation. And all the black specks? What is politely called 'frass'.
This is a Barred Straw moth (Gandaritis pyraliata): my first here for at least six years. This moth has a unique way of holding its wings at rest – the wings widely open and partially raised. This individual had decided to hold its wings full raised making it more of a challenge to identify.
This is a Mottled Beauty moth (Alcis repandata). There are several similar species. Luckily the marking on this one are fresh making identification easier. I recorded this species on 11 July last year.
This plumed midge on a lamp pole pre-dawn caught my attention because of its very long front legs. Never noticed one like this previously. I can find no illustrations of such a long-legged species.
A side-elevation of a Mirid bug.
And the plan view of the same. Seems to be Leptopterna dolobrata, a common inhabitant of long grass.
My first adult Common Froghopper (Philaenus spumarius) of the year. This is the insect that emerges from the 'cuckoo spit' - hence 'spumarius'. Adults come in a bewildering array of colour forms with a variety of markings. It is the shape that IDs them.
They never look like this though. Our old friend Red-and-Black Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata) which has been absent for over a week.
On the left a 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata) - the easy bit! On the right ... it looks like an ichneumon wasp and the hind leg seems to have a white band which would make it Diplazon laetatorius. The wasp was just leaving so it is not quite clear-enough to be certain.
Not too clear I am afraid but what happens when a Dagger Fly (Empis livida) catches a midge for a meal.
Despite this being another poor photo I thought this insect was interesting-enough to show. It was very active and this was the only time I caught it on camera as it bounced around between leaves. Strikingly striped body and very long legs the front pair at least seem to have a swollen of furry bit towards the foot. I am completely mystified as to what it is – apart from a fly!
Would you believe White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)?
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 05:40 – 06:25
(102nd visit of the year)
Notes:
- Slightly lower count of geese, most likely due to birds being hidden inside the island. Most of the Canada Geese, at least, cannot fly at the moment so the numbers should be the same each day.
- The Canada Goose goslings were happily in the water and the cob Mute Swan was elsewhere and seemed disinterested.
- A group of six Mallard looked like well-grown ducklings and were logged as such. They would be difficult to separate at any range and in future I will include them in the adult totals.
- The Tufted Duck do it again: significant change in number for no apparent reason.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
None
Hirundines etc. logged:
- 2 House Martins
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 3 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (3) Blackcap again
- still Reed Warbler noted
Counts from the water:
- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 39 Greylag Geese
- no Greylag x Canada Geese
- 103 + 2 (1 brood) Canada Geese
- 22 (15♂) + 6 (1 brood) Mallard
- 15 (12♂) Tufted Duck again
- 2 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 5 Moorhens
- 11 + 11 (4 broods) Coots
Otherwise of note:
- 1 Garden Grass-veneer moth (Chrysoteuchia culmella) on a lamp pole
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum harvestman on the same and usual lamp pole
(Ed Wilson)
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Between the lake and The Flash:
Of note:
- 1 Riband Wave moth (Idaea aversata) on a lamp pole: this one with the central band.
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day..........