29 Jun 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash: 

12.0°C > 13.0°C: Cloudy at medium level; a few brighter bits; also a few spits of rain. Fresh and gusty WSW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 04:49 BST again

Priorslee Lake: 04:07 – 06:10 // 07:05 – 09:32

(124th visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- A pair of Great Crested Grebes seemed to be inspecting the reeds at the S end of the dam as a potential nest site – about time something started happening other than endless displaying or sleeping.

- The Sand Martin was a surprise. A most unusual date for this species to be seen here. It is normally a passage bird and then seen much more often in Spring than post-breeding.

- So where were all the Rooks? And many of the Jackdaws? In the dull and breezy conditions birds were late starting (or did they just have that Monday morning feeling?). Some of the Jackdaws were seen low to W, partially obscured from my vantage point. That does not explain why numbers were quite so low.

- A new juvenile Pied Wagtail still being fed along the dam-face. It was coping very well with the strong wind.

Birds noted flying over / near here:

- 25 Cormorants (groups of 14, two and nine)

- 1 Grey Heron

- 19 Wood Pigeons

- 114 Jackdaws

- 10 Rooks only

- 3 Starlings

- 1 Greenfinch

Hirundines etc. logged:

- 3 Swifts

- 1 Sand Martin

- 2 House Martins

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

Not much song on a cloudy windy morning.

- 8 (7) Chiffchaffs

- 10 (8) Blackcaps

- 2 (2) Garden Warblers again

- 1 (1) Common Whitethroat

- 6 (6) Reed Warblers

Counts from the lake area:

- 2 + 5 Mute Swans

- 15 (?♂) Mallard again

- 1 Grey Heron

- 7 Great Crested Grebes

- 1 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhens

- ?? + 12 (6 broods) Coots: adults not counted

- 1 Black-headed Gull: adult arrived

- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult: 'gas and go'

NB: * means there is a photo today.

On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:

- *1 Single-dotted Wave moth (Idaea dimidiata)

Nothing on the wall of the academy beside the security light

Insects / other things etc. noted later:

A surprising number given the dull and windy conditions.

Butterflies:

- Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus)

Moths:

- Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)

Bees / wasps:

- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)

- Common Wasp (Vespula (Paravespula) vulgaris)

- *Ichneumon, probably a female Amblyteles armatorius

Damsel-/Dragon-flies:

None

Hoverflies:

- *Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)

- Migrant Hoverfly (Eupeodes corollae)

- Pellucid (Hover)Fly (Volucella pellucens)

Bats

- 2 Pipistrelle-type bats

Other things:

- *Froghopper Aphrophora pectoralis

- *Unidentified nymph of a Mirid bug

- *Mirid bug possibly Deraeocoris ruber

- Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis): only larvae and pupae noted again

- 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata): adult, *larvae and *possible pupa

- *Cranefly Nephrotoma flavipalpis

- *Black Snipe fly (Chrysopilus cristatus)

- *'Long-legged fly' of genus Dolichopus – either D. plumipes or D. wahlbergi

- *Semaphore fly (Poecilobothrus nobilitatus)

- Stretch-spider (Tetragnatha sp.)

- *Garden Snail (Cornu aspersum)

Additional flowering plant species recorded for the year at this site:

None

This is a Single-dotted Wave moth (Idaea dimidiata). My earliest date for this near-annual species. Moth species #44 here this year.

This looks like a nymph of a Mirid bug. Very few nymphs are shown on the web so I cannot be more specific. Lurking in the head of a Knapweed.

This froghopper, taken between wildly waving grass, is a good match for Aphrophora pectoralis. I used the key in the latest issue of British Wildlife.

Here we are looking at the stamen in the centre of the flower of Hedge (or Larger) Bindweed (Calystegia sepium). Three different species of bug are feasting. The outer two look like the Mirid bug Deraeocoris ruber or similar.

This is what I normally expect to see feasting inside bindweed flowers – Marmalade Hoverflies (Episyrphus balteatus) seem to love the nectar or pollen (or both).

Yet another insect that has stumped me. I think a bug (and not a fly, though it is not easy to tell). Any ideas?

This cranefly is sitting with wings closed, obscuring the body-pattern. The markings on the thorax and the stigma in the wing point to it being Nephrotoma flavipalpis.

A sharper image of a male 'long-legged fly' of genus Dolichopus – either D. plumipes or D. wahlbergi. As previously noted the tuft on the middle legs is supposedly attractive for the females. Note how the eyes can appear red and green at the same time. Presumably the angle of the light determines this.

This is, I think, a female. Without the leg tuft it is hard to be sure it is not some other species entirely. However there were dozens and dozens of the males around despite the overcast conditions so there had to be females somewhere.

Here is a female about to be impressed – or not.

A male Semaphore fly (Poecilobothrus nobilitatus) with the white tips to the wings used to display to females, often as groups of males typically dance together (not around handbags though). Note the green eyes.

And here is a female.

Many ichneumon wasps are exciting insects to photograph as they run around waving their long antennae. This is probably a female Amblyteles armatorius - the males have a yellow tip to the abdomen. There are a number of similar less common black-and-yellow ichneumons. (What I did not notice at the time was the male Black Snipe fly (Chrysopilus cristatus) lurking at the right)

This a ladybird pupa, but which species? There are very few photos of pupae on the web. I suspect a 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata).

This is certainly the larva of a 7 Spot Ladybird.

One to puzzle over. I wondered whether the brown area was a spider sp. attacking the fly but if it is a spider it is a strange shape. And what is the pupa doing in the middle?

Rather differently patterned from many this is a Garden Snail (Cornu aspersum). The best clue is that it only has three spirals. Most snails – indeed many Garden Snails - have more.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:15 – 06:55

(110th visit of the year)

Notes:

- The 2018 immature Mute Swan hiding again?

- Two groups (of four and three) Mallard ducklings were 'medium-sized' and therefore different from the ten ducklings seen yesterday.

- A report of the Fire Brigade being called out over the weekend to retrieve ducklings that had fallen / been swept in to a drain!

- Adult Mallard reappeared from wherever many were hiding yesterday.

- The Common Sandpiper was only my second record here this year and might just be my first ever post-breeding record here.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:

None

Hirundines etc. logged:

- House Martin(s) heard only

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- 4 (4) Chiffchaffs again

- no Blackcaps

Counts from the water:

- 2+ 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans

- 70 Greylag Geese

- 63 + 2 (1 brood) Canada Geese

- 24 (17♂) + 7 (2 broods) Mallard (see notes)

- 9 (8♂) Tufted Duck

- 2 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes again

- 2 + 2 (1 brood) Moorhens

- 14 + >15 (7? broods) Coots

- 1 Common Sandpiper

- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: all adults; one flew off

Nothing else of note:

I nearly trod on this bold juvenile Robin. It then almost stood on my foot. Here it is at my feet.

A longer view. Seemed to be unfazed by the camera flash.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

Of note

- 1 Inlaid Grass-veneer moth (Crambus pascuella) on a lamp pole: presumed same as yesterday – same pole but different position.

(Ed Wilson)

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

2019

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

(Ed Wilson)

2018

Priorslee Lake

Today's sightings Here

2017

Priorslee Lake

Today's sightings Here

2015

Priorslee Lake

Today's sighting Here

2013

Priorslee Lake

15 Cormorants

(Ed Wilson)

2011

Priorslee Lake

Common Sandpiper

(Ed Wilson)

2010

Priorslee Lake

Juvenile Yellow Wagtail

(Ed Wilson)

2009

Priorslee Lake

Siskin

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

2 drake Ruddy Ducks

(Ed Wilson)