Priorslee Lake and The Flash
12.0°C > 16.0°C: Broken medium-level cloud. Light W wind. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 05:25 BST
NB: * = a photo today.
Priorslee Lake: 04:13 – 06:10 // 07:15 – 09:32
(149th visit of the year)
I observe that the council have decided not to save money and not to protect wildlife. Verges have been mown within an in inch of their lives cutting down many wild flowers.
A rapid take-up of Boris' exhortation for us all to lose weight. Some 20 people turned up (in c.20 cars of course) to have socially distanced exercise on the football field. Whether they needed loud music and an MC at 06:00 is open to question. I am sure the residents were impressed.
Bird notes:
- My largest count of Black-headed Gulls around the lake was 44 with no juveniles. I counted 83 on the academy playing field earlier
- Two Swifts over the Ricoh area from 05:20 for quite some time. None later.
- No Rooks and a paltry number of Jackdaws. I presume these have headed elsewhere to feed on fields cut for silage - the Rooks will be able to get their pointed bills deep in the ground for their favourite food - leatherjackets (the larvae of craneflies)
- 1 Reed Bunting still singing. It was the only thing singing at 04:25 with the first (of eight) Song Thrushes not starting until 04:30.
Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 91 Greylag Geese (52 in five groups outbound; 39 in three groups inbound)
- 105 Canada Geese (49 in nine groups outbound; 56 in three groups inbound)
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- c.25 Racing Pigeons (one group)
- 2 Stock Doves (singles)
- 103 Wood Pigeons
- 4 Jackdaws
- no Rooks
Hirundines etc. logged:
- 2 Swifts
- 4 House Martins
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 13 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Willow Warbler
- 6 (0) Blackcaps
- *2 (0) Common Whitethroats
- 6 (0) Reed Warblers again
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 1 Greylag Goose: departed
- 21 (?♂) Mallard
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron: departed
- 1 Little Grebe: probably a different bird heard
- 12 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Moorhens
- 54 adult and juvenile Coots
- >44 Black-headed Gulls: no juveniles
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: near adult?
On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:
- *1 Red Twin-spot Carpet moth (Xanthorhoe spadicearia)
- *1 Lime-speck Pug moth (Eupithecia centaureata)
Both moths new for me this year: #70 & #71
- *1 Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- 4 mainly unidentified spiders – at least three different species; one perhaps Larinioides sericatus
- 2 Leiobunum rotundum (harvestmen)
On the wall of the academy beside a security light:
- 1 Riband Wave moth (Idaea aversata)
Insects / other things etc. noted later:
New species for the year:
None
The full list of things noted:
Butterflies:
- Small White (Pieris rapae)
- Green-veined White (Pieris napi)
- *Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)
- Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus)
- Peacock (Aglais io)
- Comma (Polygonia c-album)
- *Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus)
Moths:
- Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella)
Bees / wasps:
- Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- *Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
Damsel-/Dragon-flies:
- *Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
- Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans)
Hoverflies:
The Hogweed that is usually crowded with hoverflies had no insects on it at all – run out of nectar?
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
Mammals
- 1 Grey Squirrel again
- 3 Pipistrelle-type bats
Other things:
-7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)
- Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis): pupa only
- Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)
Additional flowering plant species recorded for the year at this site:
- *Tall Melilot (Melilotus altissima): a new species for me
Not exactly a sunrise scene. Some welcome colour to the dawn nevertheless.
Good to see the Great Crested Grebe is supplying both meat and veg. for its offspring!
The progress of the moult of Black-headed Gulls. The black hood is rapidly receding from the base of the bill across the head. The inner primaries are still regrowing.
So who is this peering out between the ripening haws? Well the almost unbroken eye-ring and the rather stout pale pink bill provide some clues.
A lot easier now we can see the brown on the wing feathers to identify it as a Common Whitethroat. Note the bill looks dark when viewed from above. The throat lacks that blazing white 'gash' of a breeding condition male. This is likely a juvenile.
Here we see the black centres to the brown primary feathers.
And here it is looking the other way for good measure.
A pristine Meadow Brown butterfly (Maniola jurtina). Just one white spot in the black circle on the upper wing. Having a good feed with its long tongue.
While this most certainly not a pristine Meadow Brown. Been in a few battles methinks.
A nice contrast between the male Common Blue butterfly (Polyommatus icarus) and the Knapweed flower.
New moth species #1 for the day and #70 here this year. A Red Twin-spot Carpet moth (Xanthorhoe spadicearia). The two 'dots' near the wing-tip give the 'twin-spot' part of the name. Not sure what the other small creature is.
New moth species #2 for the day and #71 here this year. A Lime-speck Pug moth (Eupithecia centaureata). One of the most distinctive of this often difficult group.
I managed to catch this Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) just right to show the features. On Knapweed.
One of a number of Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris) I have seen recently in spider webs. I always wonder what the eventual outcome might be. Can a spider tackle a wasp? Can the wasp be cut free?
A female Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum). Look carefully and you can see the remains of a fly sticking out of its mouth. They may look benign but all damsel- and dragonflies are fierce predators capable of tackling large prey.
Today's mystery fly. The way the tail is tucked back under the abdomen is reminiscent of the thick-headed flies. However this is far too hairy for that group. There are not too many flies that are nectar feeders.
I noted a large clump of this tall pea-family flower growing at the edge of the dam. If I have seen it before I have never specifically identified it. It is Tall Melilot (Melilotus altissima).
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 06:15 – 07:10
(135th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Only 13 Black-headed Gulls noted. Maybe because a Magpie was pulling at the tail and the wing of one gull that was struggling ineffectually. Perhaps injured? If not probably soon would be.
- The Blackcap with the aberrant song still singing away.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull again
Hirundines etc. logged:
- 1 Swift
- 2 House Martins
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 4 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Blackcap
Counts from the water:
- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans (see notes)
- 1 Greylag Geese
- 18 Canada Geese
- 38 (?♂) Mallard
- 17 (6?♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 4 + 2 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 35 adult and juvenile Coots
- 13 Black-headed Gulls: no juvenile
On different lamp poles:
- 2 Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris)
- 1 Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperia carnea)
Also
- *two different fungus in squirrel alley: one almost certainly Sulphur Tuft (Hypholoma fasciculare); the other perhaps Brick Tuft (Hypholoma lateritium).
- 1 Grey Squirrel
I also promised to try again for the fungus I noted in squirrel alley. This is not that fungus – it is another!
This is the fungus I noted yesterday. My best suggestion is Brick Tuft (Hypholoma lateritium). Both species are poisonous.
(Ed Wilson)
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Between the lake and The Flash:
Of note:
- *1 Mottled Beauty moth (Alcis repandata) on a lamp pole
A Mottled Beauty moth (Alcis repandata) resting on one of the lamp poles.
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day..........