27 May 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

7.0°C > 14.0°C: Almost cloudless with a few puffy clouds appearing as I was about to depart. Light S wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 04:57 BST

* = a photo today (Unfortunately Blogger.com wont allow images to upload at the moment)

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

(104th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Only one juvenile Coot from brood #1 was seen; two other juveniles from a brood I have not noted previously though they are several days old – brood #9.
- A very strange date to see two (near?) adult Mute Swans fly over.
- A lone Swift at 05:05. No more until 07:15 and then eventually six birds.
- Eight Lesser Black-backed Gulls appeared overhead a 04:25 having come from the Ricoh area – perhaps they roosted there? Today they did not call as they departed, four of them stopping briefly to drink at the lake. Five more flew over later.
- Many more Rooks than recently. These are flying back and forth sometimes carrying food, I assume to their nest-sites. Several small groups may have been family parties.
- Juvenile Chiffchaffs noted.
- The Sedge Warbler is still here – he gave one very short burst of song. Perhaps busy nesting?
- House Sparrows again seen along the N side. Also in the hedge next to the academy.
- A lone Linnet appeared briefly in the brambles behind the sailing club shelter.

Overhead:
- 3 Canada Geese: duo outbound; single inbound
- 2 Mute Swans: (near) adults
- 2 Stock Doves: together
- 14 Wood Pigeons
- 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: seven (near) adults and two first years
- 6 Cormorants: single, duo and trio
- 66 Jackdaws
- 35 Rooks

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 7 Swifts
Clear skies = no hirundines over the lake

Warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds):
- * 14 (11) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Sedge Warbler
- 13 (11) Reed Warblers
- 11 (10) Blackcaps
- 5 (3) Garden Warblers
- * 6 (3) Common Whitethroats

Count from the lake area
- 2 + 5 (1 brood) Canada Geese
- 2 + 5 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 6 (5♂) Mallard
- 4 Moorhens
- 24 + 3 (2 broods) Coots
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: (near) adults
- 4 Great Crested Grebes

On / around the street lamps pre-dawn:
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides cornutus)
One day I will be rewarded for my very early start by some moths!

Noted later:

Butterflies:
- * Green-veined White (Pieris napi)
- * Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus)

Moths:
- Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana)

Bees / Wasps.
- Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)

Hoverflies:
- Plain-faced Dronefly (Eristalis arbustorum)
- Common Spotted Field Syrph (Eupeodes luniger)
- Blotch-winged Hoverfly (Leucozona lucorum)
- * Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)

Dragon/damsel-flies
- * Red-eyed Damselfly (Erythromma najas)

Other Flies
- Alder Fly (Sialis lutaria)
- Scorpion Fly (Panorpa sp.)
- * possible Tenthredo temula sawfly
- * two more unidentified flies!

Bugs:
- Red-and-Black Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata)

Beetles:
- * Swollen-thighed beetle (Oedemera nobilis)
-7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)
- * an unidentified beetle sp,

Snails:
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

Spiders:
- * A Cucumber Green Orb Spider probably Araniella cucurbitina; just possibly A. opisthographa
- * either Phylonetta sysiphia or perhaps more likely P. impressa

It's youngster feeding time. A Chiffchaff with wiggly things.

A male Common Whitethroat brings the goodies.

Perhaps someone can ID the caterpillars?

"Dad: we told Mum we wanted a change from green caterpillars". The black on the head of this male Reed Bunting is fading somewhat.

A Green-veined White butterfly (Pieris napi) with its tongue in the flowers of Cow Parsley. The underside of the wing on this fresh specimen shows how it got its vernacular name. The pale yellow-green scales on the underwing soon wear off.

Not so easy this way up. From above separation of 'whites' (Small, Large and Green-veined) is most reliably done from the extent and shape of the black around the wing-tip. I can never remember which is which!

A female Holly Blue butterfly (Celastrina argiolus). Only females have the black margin to the wings.

This species of hoverfly was abundant this morning. This was the only specimen that allowed me to see through the folded wings and ID it as a Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare) from the yellow marks on the abdomen. For some reason the other very common small hoverfly – the Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus) - has been totally absent so far as it has been in my garden.

I am about two weeks late seeing my first damselfly this year. I had not expected the first to be this least common of those I see regularly. It is a female Red-eyed Damselfly (Erythromma najas).

I have drawn a blank with this fly on a buttercup. It resembles a dagger fly without a significant dagger. Stumped.

Another fly that looks as if it ought to be easy. Ought. One for more research I fear.

Another puzzle. This fly flew in, perched briefly with its wings open allowing the abdomen marks to be seen and then closed its wings. Luckily the abdomen could be seen through the closed wings. I assumed at the time it was a species of nomad bee. I now realise it has no 'wasp waist' so that rules out the bees and also ichneumon wasps. I suspect it is a sawfly and the closest I can get to an ID might be Tenthredo temula.

Well this is odd: where is the rest of this beetle? When I took the photo I assumed that it was a strange-shaped beetle but I know see there are legs missing as well as thorax and head. It has rather chunky-looking femurs and what seems to be a long antenna folded back down the left side of its body. Not enough to get an ID though.

Did I mention chunky-looking femur? The male of this Swollen-thighed beetle (Oedemera nobilis) is well-named. Strangely I almost never see females that lack the swelling but they must be around as this species is plentiful every year. Other names for this insect are False Oil Beetle and Thick-legged Flower Beetle.

A spider that is most likely Araniella cucurbitina. As ever there is a confusion species A. opisthographa though that is far less common. Both are sometimes called Cucumber Green Orb Spider.

The Shropshire Spider Recorder has helped me with this. Another one that cannot be specifically identified being either Phylonetta sysiphia or perhaps more likely P. impressa. He tells me the former is sometimes called the mothering spider or similar because she actually feeds her spiderlings from her mouth much in the same ways as birds do

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

- A drake Mallard on the lower pool
- Just one adult Moorhen seen at the upper pool.
- Also just one adult Moorhen on the lower pool nest
- No warblers seen or heard again.
- An adult and fledged juvenile Starling on a roof of a house backing on to the path.

Horrible light and the birds flew off before I could reposition. On top of the rook is a male adult Starling – blue base to its bill. Below it is its unspotted off-spring - they can be very confusing to ID being plain brown. However until they start getting some adult features they are normally with adults which helps.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:00 – 06:44

(90th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Four pairs and three additional drake Tufted Duck including the drake with the pair of Mallard.
- The very well-grown juvenile Coot by the bridge. Another well-grown juvenile with a pair of adults by the island.
- The two Great Crested Grebes seen displaying.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gull: (near) adults
- 1 Jackdaw again

Hirundines etc. noted:
Still none

Warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds):
- 2 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Blackcap

On /around the water:
- 42 Canada Geese
- 3 Greylag Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 21 (15♂) Mallard
- 11 (7♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhens again
- 2 juvenile Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day
2020
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2019
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2009
Priorslee Lake
3 Little Egrets
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
Little Ringed Plover
(John Isherwood)