21 Jun 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

8.0°C > 13.0°C: Clear start with cloud to N & E encroaching by 06:30. Some lower cloud also after 08:00. Light N breeze picking up from NE later. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 04:45 BST still

* = a picture today.

Priorslee Lake: 04:15 – 05:30 // 06:30 – 09:15

(125th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- No Canada Geese remain. I surmise that the cob Mute Swan killed the sole remaining gosling and the parents had no reason to stay and be hassled. A sad end to the first-ever nesting attempt by this species here.
- Three Swifts arrived 04:42 with five by 04:45. Maximum of 12 seen later.
- So where did all the Coots come from suddenly? There were many juvenile parties on the water this morning and therefore both the adults were now also on show but that does not seem to explain all of the increase. I did not count the adult Coots at The Flash today but I did note there seemed rather fewer than usual in the middle of the water there. At least one of the eight broods located was a new brood to me.
- I suspect at least one other Great Crested Grebe was present. There was much sparring and chasing between five birds early on. I only ever could see six at any one time.
- No gulls this morning. The first returning Black-headed Gulls should be here any day now.
- So why are Cormorants no longer flying over?
- There was a second Garden Warbler singing along the N side this morning, some 50 yards W of the long-term songster here. Whether this is a new arrival (failed breeder elsewhere) or one of the other birds I have noted around the lake moving around is hard to say. One of the mostly regular songsters at the W end was not heard this morning, but song is now typically rather intermittent.

Overhead:
- 11 Greylag Geese: quartet outbound; septet inbound
- 7 Wood Pigeons
- 3 Common Buzzards
- 3 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks

Hirundines etc., noted:
- >12 Swifts
- 1 Barn Swallow
- 3 House Martins

Warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds):
- 12 (12) Chiffchaffs
- 12 (9) Reed Warblers
- 12 (9) Blackcaps as well
- 4 (4) Garden Warblers again, but see notes
- 6 (3) Common Whitethroats

Count from the lake area
- no Canada Geese
- 2 + 5 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 5 (5♂) Mallard
- 2 Moorhens again
- 39 + 16 (8 broods) Coots
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Grey Heron: departed 05:00

On / around the street lamps pre-dawn:
- *1 Common Wave moth (Cabera exanthemata)

Noted later:
Considering the dull conditions and the breeze blowing on the vegetation a surprisingly good haul.

Moths:
- Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana)

Bees / Wasps:
- *Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum)
- *Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum)

Hoverflies:
- *Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- *Common Spotted Field Syrph (Eupeodes luniger)
- Tiger Hoverfly (Helophilus pendulus)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)

Damselflies:
- *Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
- Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans)

Other Flies:
- Black Snipe fly (Chrysopilus cristatus)

Beetles:
- *Oedemera lurida
- Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)
- Nettle Weevil (Phyllobius pomaceus)

Spiders:
- *Possible Philodromus sp. crab spider

Newly noted flowering plants
- *Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris)

What you missed at 04:30. On second thoughts you probably made the right choice.

I am pretty sure that this moth is a Common Wave (Cabera exanthemata) - a male with the feathered antennae, all the better for detecting pheromones from a female. There is a very similar species – Common White Wave (C. pusaria) which I have yet to record here. I last saw Common Wave on 2nd June 2015. This is my moth species #29 here this year.

I love bumblebees but I find them hard even with all the photos on the web. This morning in the cool weather they were resting and I was able to get close for some detailed shots. This seems to be a Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum) with the red and orange tail and two other bands.

A Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum). Not all individuals show the red midriff band. Until last year I would have ascribed any bumblebee with a ginger thorax to Common Carder Bee (B. pascuorum). Tree Bumblebee is a newcomer to the UK (Wiltshire 2001) and does not appear in all the literature. Thanks to the web we have up-to-date information on this now very common and widespread species.

Here is one, a male I think, without the red midriff band.

And another

And since Common Carder Bees do not have white tails this has to be yet another Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum)

A less common form of the Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus) where the horizontal marks are joined at the sides of the abdomen to form black rectangular marks. I have seen very few individuals like this.

This hoverfly is a Common Spotted Field Syrph (Eupeodes luniger).

On the 'boxing ring' on the dam was this freshly emerged and therefore colourless damselfly. The width of the pale stripe along the thorax indicates this is a Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum) and it looks to be a male though the markings are not well developed.

This seems to be the beetle Oedemera lurida. At first glance I suspected a female Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis) but even she has a thicker hind femur. I was also attracted by orange on the exposed side of the body. What would insects be doing without buttercups?

This looks like one of the Crab Spider Philodromus sp. I will try and get a specific ID but many spiders require a microscope to ID them.

Just opening are the yellow flowers of the much maligned Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris). It does not kill horses if they eat it – if they ate a field full they might get unwell. An important flower for insects and the leaves are exploited by the black and yellow hooped caterpillars of the Cinnabar moth (Tyria jacobaeae).

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

- Juvenile Moorhens heard at both pools but none visible.
- No warblers on singing duty by the lower pool.

Also
- *Two pug moths on the roof of the Priorslee Avenue tunnel – they do seem to like it there! Provisionally identified as Common Pugs (Eupithecia vulgata).

Common Pug (Eupithecia vulgata) #1

Common Pug (Eupithecia vulgata) #2. Not so easy to photo this one. Why do they like the tunnel?

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 05:35 – 06:25

(108th visit of the year)

Best today was the Little Egret that flew N over the water at 05:45. A catch-up for me here this year – one of the residents showed me a photo of one on the island here on 22 March. Species #74 for me here this year.

Bird notes:
- Increase in drake Tufted Duck numbers. Could this be the start of the post-breeding build-up?
- Neither independent juvenile Coot located. The nest by the bridge is now home to three second-brood juveniles. The other juvenile seen this morning was with one adult alongside the island, apparently a new brood, still with a red head.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Little Egret
- 1 Jackdaw again

Hirundines etc., noted:
None again

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

On /around the water:
- 130 Canada Geese exactly
- 23 Greylag Geese
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose again
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan still
- 23 (18♂) Mallard
- 14 (12♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 + 3 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 4 juvenile Coots (2 broods) - different four (see notes)
- 2 Great Crested Grebes: still mainly asleep

Also noted
- *Clouded Border moth (Lomaspilis marginata) on a lamp pole. Last recorded by me here on 7th July 2014. Moth species #6 for me here this year.

I nearly overlooked this Clouded Border moth (Lomaspilis marginata) lurking at the very top of a lamp pole. Last recorded by me here on 7th July 2014. Moth species #6 for me here this year.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day
2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2013
Priorslee Lake
Possible Black-necked Grebe seen by locals yesterday evening.
(Ed Wilson)