20 Jul 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

18.0°C > 22.0°C: Mostly clear skies. Light 'N' breeze. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:10 BST

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 04:15 – 05:40 // 06:45 – 09:20

(152nd visit of the year)

Rather predictably one of the barbecue trays seen yesterday has been thrown in to the water.

Bird notes:
Very quiet throughout.
- A single Swift found by accident: I was checking an overflying airliner at 05:15 through the binoculars and the tiny spec of a single high-flying Swifts was visible!
- The pair of Great Crested Grebes had at least one juvenile on each of their backs – I cannot recall ever seeing both parents with young previously. There may be an additional bird in the SE reeds: it is now too overgrown to see from the dam-top. At least some of the time a presumed partner was in reasonably close attendance.
- The 'new' Sedge Warbler was again singing vigorously. Three more were seen near the original nest area with one of them sporadically singing.

Overhead:
- 29 Racing Pigeons: together
- 42 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 3 Jackdaws
- 8 Rooks again
- 10 Starlings: three groups

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 1 Swift: see notes
- 4 House Martins

Warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds):
- 7 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (2) Sedge Warblers
- 4 (2) Reed Warblers
- 8 (5) Blackcaps
- no Garden Warblers
- *3 (1) Common Whitethroats

Count from the lake area
- 2 + 5 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 11 (10♂) + 2 (1 brood) Mallard
- 1 Moorhen only
- 47 + 16 (8 broods) Coots
- *6 + 2? (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- >20 Black-headed Gulls: ? juveniles
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls; both adults, separately and briefly
- 1 Grey Heron

On / around the street lamps pre-dawn:

Moths:
- 1 Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- 3 White Plumes (Pterophorus pentadactyla)
- *4 Round-winged Muslins (Thumatha senex)

and
- *1 ichneumon sp.
- *1 Common or European Earwig (Forficula dentata)

In the sailing club shelter pre-dawn:

Spiders:
- *1 Walnut Orb Web (Nuctenea umbratica)

Other things seen later:

Note: I tries to concentrate on finding new things rather than chase the familiar. Not too successful!

Butterflies:
- Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris)
- Large White (Pieris brassicae)
- Small White (Pieris rapae)
- Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus)
- Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)
- Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus)
- Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)

Moths:
- Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- Pale Straw Pearl (Udea lutealis)
- Shaded Broad-bar (Scotopteryx chenopodiata)
- *Latticed Heath (Chiasmia clathrata)

Bees / Wasps:
 Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- *Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum)
- *Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum)
- *Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)

Hoverflies:
- Bumblebee Cheilosia (Cheilosia illustrata)
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
- Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- Common Twist-tail (Sphaerophoria scripta) [was Long Hoverfly]
- Syrphus sp. (S. ribesii / S. vitripennis)
- Pellucid Fly (Volucella pellucens) [Pied Plumehorn]

Dragon/Damsel-flies
- Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
- Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans)

Other flies:
- *Tachinid fly, probably Eriothrix rufomaculata

Bugs:
- Common Green Capsid (Lygocoris pabulinus)

Beetles:
- 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata): adult
- Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)
- Spotted Longhorn beetle (Rutpela maculata)

Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

Mammals:
- Grey Squirrel yet again

Newly noted flowers for the year:
- *Wild Angelica (Angelica sylvestris)

It is difficult to get the sunrise reflected in the water at this time of year as it is so far north of east. So over the trees and houses it must be.

A pair of Great Crested Grebes each with at least one juvenile on their back. I cannot ever recall seeing both parents carrying young simultaneously and have always assumed the same parent gets to do the carrying.

This male Common Whitethroat has been silent for some weeks but has started singing again in the last few days.

Another view of a Round-winged Muslin moth (Thumatha senex) – seven this year so far. Last year this was a new species for me.

An attractive moth that flushes out of long grass at this time of year. It is a Latticed Heath (Chiasmia clathrata).

And here from below.

With yellow collar, yellow midriff and white tail this is a Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum). A tiny pollen beetle seems undaunted.

A Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum).

Would you believe a Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)? This otherwise all-black form indicates this is a queen. Many insects are feeding on the nectar from Knapweed at the moment.

With the addition of a pale yellow collar this is a male Red-tailed Bumblebee.

I cannot identify this ichneumon sp. Neil has given me a link to a Natural History Museum guide to this group. That is necessarily restricted to a few of the more common members of this large group and I cannot find a match for this one which seems to have particularly thick antennae. I am wondering whether shadow from the flash photo is the culprit. I went back to the photo of a black and yellow ichneumon that I took on Sunday (18th) and used the guide to re-identify it as most likely one of the fifty or so Ichneumon suspiciosus-like species. These cannot be separated from photos.

This quite alarming-looking 'punk' fly only provided this ventral view before it flew off. It is almost certainly a Tachinid fly and while the photo galleries on the web do not show ventral views it looks to be a close match to Eriothrix rufomaculata. So there!

Always a favourite of mine – a Spotted Longhorn beetle (Rutpela maculata). again on Knapweed.

 I probably don't need to say that this is a Common or European Earwig (Forficula dentata).

This spider in the sailing club shelter is a Walnut Orb Web (Nuctenea umbratica). Thanks to Nigel for confirming my ID.

My first Wild Angelica (Angelica sylvestris) of the year though it has clearly been flowering for some days. Identify by the tight, rounded umbels and the large sheaths from which the umbels emerge. Not closely related to the angelica used in cooking.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

- 1 Chiffchaff in song by the lower pool.

(Ed Wilson)

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On the roof of the Priorslee Avenue tunnel

Nothing seen again

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 05:45 – 06:40

(137th visit of the year)

Some feedback: I was told at least one Terrapin has been seen this year in one of its usual locations though not alongside Derwent Drive/

Bird notes:
- Of the Canada Geese total at least 13 flew in and at least 14 (the same?) later flew out.
- As at the lake bird song is now much diminished

Birds noted flying over here:
- 8 Feral Pigeons: one group
- 1 Jackdaw

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 3 House Martins

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

On /around the water:
- 115 Canada Geese
- 44 Greylag Geese again
- the Greylag x Canada Goose not noted
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 15 (?♂) Mallard
- 33 (?♂) Tufted Duck: no ducklings seen
- 4 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 13 juvenile Coots (7 broods)
- 2 Black-headed Gull

On various lamp poles
- 1 Garden Grass-veneer moth (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- 1 Common Grey moth (Scoparia ambigualis)
- *1 Early Thorn moth (Selenia dentaria)
- *1 possible caddis fly

Plus elsewhere
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)

This is an Early Thorn moth (Selenia dentaria). Remarkably the one I recorded here last year was also on 20th July. All thorn moths rest with their wings closed (or, in a few species, partially closed) and held vertically more reminiscent of butterflies.

Not at all sure about this. The wing is shaped rather more like a caddis fly than a moth but either way the long antennae held back along the body do not immediately lead to an identification. Perhaps it is the plain form of the Grouse Wing caddis fly (Mystacides longicornis) holding its antennae strangely. I have never noted the plain form previously; and only once seen one holding its antennae other than to the front – that was vertically.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day
2020
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Report Here

2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
1 Wheatear
(Ed Wilson)