Priorslee Lake and The Flash:
18.0°C > 21.0°C: Clear but hazy start with medium-level cloud clearing away to the N. Then low cloud / mist from the W for a while before becoming mainly sunny. Calm / light SSE breeze. Good visibility, improving somewhat.
Sunrise: 05:39 BST
* = a photo today.
Priorslee Lake: 04:18 – 06:20 // 07:40 – 09:43
(158th visit of the year)
It seems deathly quiet when I arrive at silly o'clock. The first bird heard at the moment is a singing Robin, no doubt kept awake by the lights and activity in the Ricoh car park. Next this morning were the hungry juvenile Great Crested Grebes calling before any of the usually noisy Coots started up. A brief burst from a Song Thrush followed.
Other bird notes:
- The first Grey Heron was present when I arrived. The second arrived at 05:00. Only one remained by 08:00 and that had gone by 09:00.
- Of the 206 Wood Pigeons logged flying over just 30 were logged mainly outbound, before 06:20. then after 07:50 I logged 176 mainly inbound. Of these 82 were in a scattered group at c.08:45.
- Two Swifts were screaming over the football field after 09:00.
Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 54 Greylag Geese (46 in eight groups outbound; eight in two groups inbound)
- 7 Canada Geese (seven in two groups outbound; none inbound)
- 1 Cormorant again
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 10 Feral Pigeon (four singles / groups)
- 1 Stock Dove
- 206 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Collared Doves (duo)
- 4 Jackdaws
- 5 Rooks
Hirundines etc. logged:
- 2 Swifts: briefly
- 2 Barn Swallows
- >20 House Martins
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 10 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 8 (0) Blackcaps
- no Common Whitethroats
- 4 (0) Reed Warblers
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 15 (?♂) Mallard
- 2 Cormorant: arrived separately again
- 2 Grey Herons: one arrived; both departed
- Little Grebe heard only
- 14 + 4 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes still
- 3 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhens again
- 67 Coots
- *>12 Black-headed Gulls: no juveniles
- 1 Herring Gull: probably first summer (2019-born), briefly
Gulls on the football and academy playing field c.06:10:
- 9 Black-headed Gulls: one juvenile (all on the football field)
On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:
Moths:
- 1 Brown House Moth (Hofmannophila pseudospretella): moth species #81 here in 2020.
- 1 micro moth not yet identified
- 1 Common Footman (Eilema lurideola)
Other things:
- 1 Chironomus plumosus (plumed midge)
- 1 orb-web spider, presumed Larinioides sclopetarius
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus-type (harvestman)
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum-type (harvestman)
Insects / other things etc. noted later:
A rather poor haul considering the sun – too hot for some?
new for me today
- Red Mason Bee (Osmia bicornis)
The full list of things noted:
Butterflies:
- Large White (Pieris brassicae)
- Small White (Pieris rapae)
- Green-veined White (Pieris napi)
- Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
- Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)
- Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
- Peacock (Aglais io)
Moths:
- Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella)
Bees / wasps:
- Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- Red Mason Bee (Osmia bicornis)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
Damsel-/Dragon-flies:
- Brown Hawker (Aeshna grandis)
- Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
- Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans)
Hoverflies:
- a Cheilosia sp., possibly C. pagana (Parsley Cheilosia).
- Tapered Drone-fly (Eristalis pertinax)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- Dead-head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)
Mammals
- 10 Pipistrelle-type bats
- 1 Grey Squirrel
Otherwise noted:
- 3rd instar nymph of a Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina)
Additional flowering plant species recorded for the year at this site:
None
The moon is now beginning to wane and the craters are starting to become more visible with some of the surface cross-lit.
Before sun-up. Mainly clear, just some cloud clearing away to the N.
A juvenile Black-headed Gull on the football field grass. Much of the ginger colouration of newly fledged birds has faded, now more brown in tone.
Meanwhile it is almost surprising that this moulting adult can fly. Just the two outer primaries yet to be dropped and all the others regrowing. The tail is a mess as well.
Up to five Long-tailed Tit families were around at nest-building time. Since the young fledged they seem to have congregated in to one or two larger parties. Many days they are hard to find. Managed one photo this morning.
Perhaps my best specimen of a Common Footman moth (Eilema lurideola) to date.
Because this is a male Tapered Drone-fly (Eristalis pertinax) it looks tapered. Had it been a female the extent of yellow on the legs would have identified it.
This hairy-looking bee seems to be a Mason Bee.
And from this angle is can be identified (I hope!) as a Red Mason Bee (Osmia bicornis).
This is one of the many essentially black Cheilosia hoverflies. C. albitarsus (Late Buttercup Cheilosia) is, not surprisingly, noted for visiting buttercups but that species seems a lot bigger this individual. The only clues for its identification are the pale 'knees' which suggests C. pagana (Parsley Cheilosia). Experts agree that identification of most species in this genus is not possible from photographs. I will record it as a possible C. pagana.
This is a female Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare). Not only is it shorter and dumpier than the males that seem to be more abundant but the shape of the yellow marks on the abdomen are different. Their triangular shape is unique.
Not at all clear what this is from this angle.
By carefully twisting the leaf to get a better look it is revealed as a shieldbug nymph. By reference to photos on the Nature Spot web site this is a 3rd instar nymph of a Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina).
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 06:25 – 07:35
(144th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- The cob Mute Swan became entangled in fishing line and was hauled to the bank and captured in a fishing net. Outcome? I hope its leg was not damaged. Meanwhile the pen continued pursuit of the 2018 immature. Not sure where the cygnets were – somewhere inside the island?
- The Grey Heron hides itself away behind overhanging vegetation on the island and can be very hard to see.
- Unusual was a Racing Pigeon, complete with rings, feeding on the ground and not at all fazed by humans. More circumspect with dogs not on leads.
- Main highlight was a big mixed party of tits and warblers among the trees on the small hillock at the top end. I spent some while searching these. There were at least three Chiffchaffs (one singing) and two Willow Warblers with a party of Long-tailed Tits and a Nuthatch as well as Blue, Great and Coal Tits. Hard to keep track of them all and likely more warblers. In the other top corner there were at least two more Chiffchaffs and a singing Willow Warbler. Again more birds were possible.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 3 Wood Pigeons again
Hirundines etc. logged:
- 5 House Martins
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 8 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (1) Willow Warblers
- no Blackcaps
Counts from the water:
- 3 + 0 Mute Swans (see notes)
- 4 Greylag Geese
- 16 Canada Geese: including the bird with deformed wings
- 28 (?♂) Mallard
- 29 (8?♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 2 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes still
- 6 + 5 (4 broods) Moorhens
- 37 adult and juvenile Coots
- 23 Black-headed Gulls: one juvenile
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: (near) adult, arrived
On various lamp poles:
Moths
None again
and
- *3 Red-legged Shieldbugs (Pentatoma rufipes)
- >11 Leiobunum rotundum-type (harvestmen)
Otherwise
- 1 Grey Squirrel
Not unreasonably a Red-legged Shieldbug (Pentatoma rufipes). Care is needed as the Spiked Shieldbug (Picromerus bidens) also has red legs but even more pronounced 'power shoulders' (remember those?)
What on earth is on the side of this lamp pole?
But then you could well get the wrong number. This female has been in the wars and only has six legs.
(Ed Wilson)
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Between the lake and The Flash:
Of note
- 1 Common Grey (Scoparia ambigualis) on a lamp pole.
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day..........