17 May 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

8.0°C > 11.0°C: Early broken cloud cleared somewhat before yet more lower level cloud arrived. Light NW breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:10 BST

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 04:10 – 05:55 // 06:45 – 09:50

(94th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The only two juvenile Coots were from the very first brood and are growing fast having lost all red on the head and now have white breasts. None of the other broods noted. I found fewer adults than usual – not sure why.
- One adult Little Grebe was seen on several occasions in the NW area often well away from the reeds from where the calls usually emanate
- The Sedge Warbler was as 'hyper' as ever on its sixth day. An unusually long stay except on the rare occasions this species has bred here.
- What sounded like juvenile Greenfinches in the Ricoh hedge but they were not seen. This species has been scarce here this year.
- On a recount I think there are seven Reed Bunting territories this year – more than I can recall from previous years.

Overhead:
- 2 Canada Geese: pair outbound
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 1 Stock Dove
- 7 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Herring Gulls: immatures
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: first year
- 6 Cormorants: a one, a two and a three
- 47 Jackdaws
- 7 Rooks

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 4 Swifts
- 2 Sand Martins
- 6 Barn Swallows
- 2 House Martins

Warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds):
- 12 (12) Chiffchaffs
- *1 (1) Sedge Warbler
- *12 (10) Reed Warblers
- 16 (14) Blackcaps
- 4 (4) Garden Warblers again
- *3 (3) Common Whitethroats

Count from the lake area
- *2 + 5 (1 brood) Canada Geese
- *2 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 6 (5♂) Mallard
- 2 Moorhens only
- 15 + 2 (1 brood) Coots
- 1 Little Grebe
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- no Grey Heron noted

On / around the street lamps pre-dawn:
- 1 Tipula vittata cranefly

Noted later:

Hoverflies:
- *The Footballer (Helophilus pendulus)
- *Blotch-winged Hoverfly (Leucozona lucorum)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- *as yet unidentified possible Platycheirus sp.

Other flies:
- *Empis sp. daggerfly, probably E. trigramma

Bugs
- 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)
- *16 Spot Ladybird (Tytthaspis sedecimpunctata)

Molluscs
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

Spiders
- *Stretch spider sp (Tetragnatha sp.)

Mammals
- 2 Grey Squirrels

Flowers
- *Wayfaring-tree (Viburnum lantana) coming in to flower

I could not persuade all five Canada Goose goslings to get close-enough for a group shot so we will have to make do with four. They seem to be doing well and staying out of the way of the swans. I was told that when the cob approached the goslings one of the Canada Geese, I assume the male, saw it off in no uncertain terms.

A proper family portrait of the parent Mute Swans with their seven cygnets.

 The cygnets have already learned how to paddle furiously and upended to feed themselves.

What can one say other than 'Ah'?

Good to see a Little Grebe out of the reeds even if it was at a distance. The chestnut neck and face acquired in breeding plumage is smart.

Always ... in front of our singing Sedge Warbler.

Well: our shouting Sedge Warbler.

Although it has a white throat it is not a Common Whitethroat. Its grumpy looks match its grumpy-sounding song. A Reed Warbler.

Easier to see when it turns its head.

Not so easy when it turns it back.

 Now this IS a Common Whitethroat. No good you hiding in the Alder tree – I can still see you.

One of the easier hoverflies to ID. It is The Footballer (Helophilus pendulus), though it seems to me more appropriate to call it The Rugby Player.

Another fairly easy species is Blotch-winged Hoverfly (Leucozona lucorum). I have only just found out that it has this vernacular name and I am not sure how widely used that is. 'Real' dipterists don't lower themselves by using vernacular names partly because they are not always unique and partly because all work in international communities uses scientific names only.

This hoverfly is not so easy. A small brassy-looking insect with the wings covering most of the markings. All we can see are two narrow yellow bands along the side of the body which seems to rule out White-footed Hoverfly (Platycheirus albimanus) that was new for me a few days ago. I'll get help!

This cranefly was sitting low down on one of the street lamp poles pre-dawn and allowed a 'top-down' view to illustrate the well-marked wings. It is Tipula vittata.

This is one of the Empis species of dagger or dance flies. They use their dagger-like mouthparts to attack often quite large insects as well as feeding on nectar, It is probably E. trigramma though several species are not easy to separate.

I have seen this small beetle before – on 7 June 2018. I am sure it is overlooked due to its small size. It is a 16 Spot Ladybird (Tytthaspis sedecimpunctata) - its name is bigger than it is! Here lurking inside a buttercup where I was looking in vain for tiny Plain Gold moths that also like buttercups.

A different 16 Spot Ladybird in a different buttercup.

A Stretch spider sp (Tetragnatha sp.). A small individual – all spiders grow larger throughout their lives, discarding the too-small exoskeleton regularly. It is here on a dew-spattered blade of grass.

And another hanging upside down in its web.

Seems the dandelions have had a good flowering season behind the dam! Plenty of seeds for next year.

Just coming in to flower is this Wayfaring-tree (Viburnum lantana). It will have black berries in the Autumn.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Between the lake and The Flash

- Two juvenile Moorhens were peering out from under an adult at the upper pool. I did not see the other adult.
- One adult Moorhen at the lower pool probably brooding juveniles. I did not see the other adult here either.
- 1 Chiffchaff again singing at the lower pool.

and
- A cranefly sp. on the wall of the Priorslee avenue tunnel.

Another cranefly from the group that sit with wings folded. The well-patterned wings suggest Tipula confusa. However that is an Autumn-flying species so I will have to pend this one.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 06:00 – 06:40

(81st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The Tufted Duck were all in pairs with each pair well separated from the others.
- Now just two juvenile Coots in the nest along the W side. A single juvenile peering out from under its parent in the nest by the bridge: probably more juveniles under the parent's 'skirt'. I did not count the adult Coots again.
- No sight or sound of the Reed Warbler.
- My first juvenile Dunnock of the year was seen.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Herring Gull: immature
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: not all ages determined

Hirundines etc. noted:
None

Warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds):
- 4 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 5 (4) Blackcaps

On /around the water:
- 23 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 3 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 22 (16♂) Mallard
- 10 (5♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhens only
- ?? + 3 (2 broods) Coots

Nothing else of note.

One of more than 100 broken off flower stems of Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) that someone had strewn along most of the path around the water. Don't, please. Leave the wildflowers where they are for the insects and people to enjoy.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this day
2020
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2019
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2012
Priorslee Lake
Yellow Wagtail
Grasshopper Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
Wheatear
1 Ruddy Duck
(Malcolm Thompson/Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
Cuckoo
2 Ruddy Ducks
(Ed Wilson)