10.0°C > 13.0°C: Much fresher – even cool. Area of cloud to E and then later large area of high cloud taking the edge off the sun though much blue sky to W throughout. Light W breeze. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 04:50 BST
* = a photo today
Am about to take a couple of days break. Service resumes early next week.
Priorslee Lake: 04:15 – 05:40 // 06:35 – 09:40
(112th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Five Canada Geese flew off W before 04:30 leaving the residents and their three goslings in charge.
- No juvenile Coots seen. I thought I heard begging calls but could see nothing outside the reeds.
- Initially nine Great Crested Grebes. Two pairs were having a real battle with the odd bird. Two other pairs at that time. Later I could only find six again.
Overhead:
- 9 Canada Geese: duo and septet outbound
- 3 Feral Pigeons
- 12 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: (near) adults
- 1 Cormorant yet again
- 14 Jackdaws
- 5 Rooks
Hirundines etc., noted:
- 3 Swifts
- 3 Barn Swallows
- 1 House Martin
Warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds):
- 15 (12) Chiffchaffs again
- 14 (11) Reed Warblers
- 15 (14) Blackcaps
- 5 (4) Garden Warblers
- *3 (2) Common Whitethroats again
Count from the lake area
- 7 + 3 (1 brood) Canada Geese: quintet flew off early
- 2 + 5 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 5 (5♂) Mallard
- 22 Moorhens
- 22 Coots
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: one (near) adult; three immatures, briefly together
- *9 Great Crested Grebes
On / around the street lamps pre-dawn:
Nothing
Noted later: A fair haul considering the weak sunshine and rather chilly conditions – only three damselflies noted.
Butterflies / Moths:
- *unidentified caterpillar
- Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana)
- *Common Roller (Ancylis badiana)
Bees / Wasps.
- *Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum)
Hoverflies:
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- *Migrant Hoverfly (Eupeodes corollae)
- Blotch-winged Hoverfly (Leucozona lucorum)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
Persistent cloud to the E prevented a decent sunrise. The cloud remained throughout and there was also an area of high cloud that took the edge off the sun as it rose.
Early in my visit (c.05:00) five of the Great Crested Grebes were doing battle – two pairs seeing off a lone individual apparently. Here is a short video of part of the chase. Quality not too good as the light-level still rather low. They did seem trying to drown the lone bird.
Bill open giving its distinctive 'churr' warning call. The eye is shown more clearly here and confirms it is a female – a male's eye would be orange-looking.
I cannot at the moment identify this caterpillar. It is similar to that of the Large White butterfly though this caterpillar shows 'spikes' which none of the 'white butterflies' do. The dark line down the centre of the back does not match any of the green or yellow caterpillars I can find illustrated on the web. Illustrated here on nettles.
A very smart micro-moth and relatively easy to identify. It is my second Common Roller (Ancylis badiana) of the year. The blade of grass gives some scale.
I may get the hang of bumblebees one day. This I hope is an Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum). Rather scruffy, lemon-yellow pile on the thorax, mid-riff band and white and buff tail.
A different specimen without an obvious mid-riff band and therefore likely a male, though there is some variation in the extent and positioning of the banding.
This seems to be a Migrant Hoverfly (Eupeodes corollae). Not much bigger than a Marmalade hoverfly it has quite wide yellow bands that are split in the middle. It also has two longitudinal pale stripes on the thorax. The 'white stuff' is probably bird droppings and I don't think connected to the presence of the hoverfly.
If I knew anything about 'flies' in general then this yellow-toned hairy fly might be easy to ID. It may be one of the Pollenia cluster-flies. There are more than twenty species to choose from. Then again ....
I think this may be the flea beetle Crepidodera aurata. They are called flea beetles both from their size and their ability to jump a long way when they feel threatened.
As yesterday a beetle that has climbed to the top of a dead stick and is wondering what to do. One of the so-called cardinal beetles this is Pyrochroa serraticornis. It has a red head. A closely-related species has a black head but is otherwise very similar. The angle is not good to see its 'serraticornis' - serrated antennae.
I can't remember whether I have already shown a photo of this Smooth Sow-thistle or Milk Thistle (Sonchus oleraceus). Although the leaves are spiky the spikes are soft. I showed a Prickly Sow-thistle (Sonchus asper) on 28th May.
A snail complete with my dirty finger-nails as usual. I found an identification key to land snails on the web: as usual it was full of terminology I don't fully understand. I thought it might be Aegopinella nitidula but reference to photos names that as Smooth Glass Snail and the accompanying photos show specimens all with fewer whorls. Hard!
(Ed Wilson)
Noted later: A fair haul considering the weak sunshine and rather chilly conditions – only three damselflies noted.
Butterflies / Moths:
- *unidentified caterpillar
- Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana)
- *Common Roller (Ancylis badiana)
Bees / Wasps.
- *Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum)
Hoverflies:
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- *Migrant Hoverfly (Eupeodes corollae)
- Blotch-winged Hoverfly (Leucozona lucorum)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
Damselflies:
- Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans)
Other Flies
- Scorpion Fly (Panorpa sp.)
- Black Snipe Fly (Chrysopilus cristatus)
Bugs:
- Red-and-Black Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata)
Beetles:
- 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)
- Nettle Weevil (Phyllobius pomaceus)
- *Possible flea beetle Lepidoptera aurata
- *Cardinal beetle Pyrochroa serraticornis
- Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans)
Other Flies
- Scorpion Fly (Panorpa sp.)
- Black Snipe Fly (Chrysopilus cristatus)
Bugs:
- Red-and-Black Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata)
Beetles:
- 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)
- Nettle Weevil (Phyllobius pomaceus)
- *Possible flea beetle Lepidoptera aurata
- *Cardinal beetle Pyrochroa serraticornis
Snails:
- *Just perhaps Smooth Glass Snail (Aegopinella nitidula)
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
Spiders:
- Stretch spider sp (Tetragnatha sp.)
Flowers new for the year:
- *Smooth Sow-thistle or Milk Thistle (Sonchus oleraceus)
- *Just perhaps Smooth Glass Snail (Aegopinella nitidula)
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
Spiders:
- Stretch spider sp (Tetragnatha sp.)
Flowers new for the year:
- *Smooth Sow-thistle or Milk Thistle (Sonchus oleraceus)
A female Common Whitethroat.
One more shot and I took the hint that I was too close to her nest and left.
From a slightly different angle. The mid-riff band suggests this is a queen as does the size.
And yet another specimen. I seem to have an affinity with these scruffy individuals. I wonder why?
(Ed Wilson)
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Between the lake and The Flash:
- Juvenile Moorhen heard at the upper pool.
- One adult seen and juvenile Moorhens heard at the lower pool
- A Chiffchaff singing again in the area, though now just above the upper pool.
(Ed Wilson)
- Juvenile Moorhen heard at the upper pool.
- One adult seen and juvenile Moorhens heard at the lower pool
- A Chiffchaff singing again in the area, though now just above the upper pool.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 05:45 – 06:30
(97th visit of the year)
Another very quiet this morning
Bird notes:
- Two Sparrowhawks flew past me together. They were against the light and not easy to see: however they looked to be the same size i.e. the same sex. Adult and juvenile? Immediately afterwards a male Sparrowhawk was dashing through the trees by The Priorslee.
- An unusual date for a Black-headed Gull. Once they leave in early April I did not expect to see any until first returning failed / non-breeding first-year birds around the longest day.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Black-headed Gull: adult
- 2 Sparrowhawks
Hirundines etc., noted:
- 10 Swifts
- 2 House Martins
Warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds):
- 2 (2) Chiffchaffs again
- 2 (2) Blackcaps
On /around the water:
- 55 Canada Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 25 (20♂) Mallard
- 10 (7♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 1 juvenile (1 brood) Coot only
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
(Ed Wilson)
(97th visit of the year)
Another very quiet this morning
Bird notes:
- Two Sparrowhawks flew past me together. They were against the light and not easy to see: however they looked to be the same size i.e. the same sex. Adult and juvenile? Immediately afterwards a male Sparrowhawk was dashing through the trees by The Priorslee.
- An unusual date for a Black-headed Gull. Once they leave in early April I did not expect to see any until first returning failed / non-breeding first-year birds around the longest day.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Black-headed Gull: adult
- 2 Sparrowhawks
Hirundines etc., noted:
- 10 Swifts
- 2 House Martins
Warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds):
- 2 (2) Chiffchaffs again
- 2 (2) Blackcaps
On /around the water:
- 55 Canada Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 25 (20♂) Mallard
- 10 (7♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 1 juvenile (1 brood) Coot only
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day