14 Aug 21

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

15.0°C > 18.0°C: Broken medium-high cloud broke somewhat at times later. Light W wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:50 BST

Priorslee Lake: 04:30 – 06:05 // 07:05 – 09:55

(175th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Apart from almost 200 Canada Geese outbound and then later seen inbound it was a rather quiet morning.
- At least four of the Mallard were noted to be ducks.

Overhead:
- c.390 Canada Geese: 198 outbound in 22 groups; c.190 inbound in one large group and two more 

Later.
- 33 Greylag Geese: 32 outbound in five groups; one in the large inbound group of Canada Geese
- 1 (♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 10 Racing Pigeons: together
- 72 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Herring Gull
- 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Jackdaws
- 3 Rooks
- 3 Linnets: together

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 3? House Martins: one flew from SE 05:55; two over Teece Drive 09:30

Warblers noted:
- 11 Chiffchaffs again
- 5 Reed Warblers
- 3 Blackcaps

Count from the lake area:
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 10 (?♂) Mallard
- 2 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhen
- 53 Coots: adults and immatures
- 7 + 5 (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes again
- 126 Black-headed Gulls: three juveniles
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: (near) adult
- 2 Cormorant: both arrived
- 1 Grey Heron again

On / around the street lamps pre-dawn:

Moths:
- 3 Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella)
- 1 Mother of Pearl (Pleuroptya ruralis)

And
- 3 Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris)
- 1 green lacewings sp.
- 1 Plumed midge (Chironomus plumosus)
- 3 Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- 2 Dicranopalpus sp. harvestmen.
- 2 Leiobunum rotundum harvestmen

In the sailing club shelter pre-dawn:
Just the usual array of spiders

Things seen later:

Butterflies:
- Large White (Pieris brassicae)
- Green-veined White (Pieris napi)
- Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
- Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)
- Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus)
- Peacock (Aglais io)
- Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus)

Moths:
- Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner (Cameraria ohridella)
- Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana)
- Straw Grass-veneer (Agriphila straminella)
- Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella)
- Pale Straw Pearl (Udea lutealis)

Bees / Wasps etc.:
- Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum)
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- ichneumon sp.

Hoverflies:
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Plain-faced Dronefly (Eristalis arbustorum)
- Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
- Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
- Bronze Sap Hoverfly (Ferdinandea cuprea) [Common Copperback Hoverfly]
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- Common Twist-tail (Sphaerophoria scripta) [was Long Hoverfly]
- Lesser Hornet Hoverfly (Volucella inanis) [Wasp Plumehorn]
- Pellucid Fly (Volucella pellucens) [Pied Plumehorn]

Damselflies:
- Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)

Other flies:
- Sawfly sp.
- Scorpion Fly (Panorpa sp.)

Bugs:
- At least three species of plant bug

Beetles:
- 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)

Spiders:
- Stretch spiders (Tetragnatha sp.)

Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

Mammals:
- 11 Pipistrelle-type bats
- 2 Grey Squirrels

This flotilla of Mallard is interesting in that the back four are not adult drakes: they all have dark bills. Ten days ago all the Mallard here were drakes.

Speckled Wood butterflies (Pararge aegeria) are very territorial and can often be seen in tumbling, twirling flight. This one seems to have come off badly and can presumably only fly around in circles!

A day with a glimpse of the sun brought this Peacock butterfly (Aglais io) in to the open. This is my first since late March when the sightings were probably of post-hibernation specimens. This is my first 2021-born specimen.

Top right a Common Nettle-tap moth (Anthophila fabriciana). My previous record was on 22nd July and I assumed that was it for the year. The Field Guide tells me otherwise, it being multi-brooded and flying through to November. Noted as feeding on Ragwort – as here – as well as on nettles. Only when looking at the photo did I notice the small weevil centre-left. It looks unusual in that the elytra (wing-cases) are smooth: this may be the resolution of the photo and certainly does not help me identify it.

Did someone say hoverfly? Here is a male Common Twist-tail (Sphaerophoria scripta) doing just that. Only the male is this 'long' and as far as I recall I have never seen a female.

A small ichneumon but no helpful features for identification.

I have shown this insect with long drooping antennae recently. I have done some more research on the internet and now suspect it is one of the spider wasps. Most species have red on the abdomen. This appears not to have, though it is none too easy to see for certain. Anyway some species have all-dark forms. It closely matches the commonest of the group, Priocnemus perturbator: that is all I will say.

This is probably a Yellow-sided Clover Sawfly (Tenthredo notha), though there are several, less common similar sawflies. Note the pollen on, particularly, its head and thorax.

A fly I did not expect to see again this year – one of the Scorpion Flies (Panorpa sp.). It is a female, lacking the male's scorpion-like genitalia. It was mid-June when these were a daily occurrence.

I think this in an instar of a bug, cleaning an antenna. As such there are no real guides on the web to help identify it.

This bug is easier – it is a Red Bug (Deraeocoris ruber).

Whereas this colourful bug is not at all easy. Must get a close-up lens to get more clarity on these small insects.

Another "answers on a postcard please". I am not even sure whether this a beetle – it has that shape; or a bug – there are no obvious wings so perhaps an instar? Whatever: I cannot track down anything like this.

Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

- 1 Chiffchaff calling by the lower pool yet again

Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

- 1 Single-dotted Wave moth (Idaea dimidiata)
- 1 Red Underwing moth (Catocala nupta) again

Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:10 – 07:00

(160th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- One Mallard duckling seems to be surviving after all.
- One Tufted Duck is persistently feeding with one of the groups of Mallard. Possibly the bird that was loosely with a pair throughout the breeding season?

Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Feral Pigeons: again; together
- 7 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Jackdaw

Hirundines etc., noted:

None

Warblers noted:
- 1 Willow Warbler
- 6 Chiffchaffs: no song
- 1 Blackcap again

On /around the water:
- 7 Canada Geese
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 53 (?♂) + 1 (1 brood) Mallard
- 44 (?♂) + 4 (1 brood) Tufted Duck
- 4 + 3 (3 broods) Moorhens
- 8 juvenile Coots (5 broods)
- 2 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 21 Black-headed Gulls: one juvenile

On various lamp poles:
- 1 Little Grey moth (Eudonia lacustrata)
- 1 Swallow Prominent moth (Pheosia tremula)
- 1 Red Underwing moth (Catocala nupta)
- 1 Grouse Wing caddis fly (Mystacides longicornis)
- 1 Plumed midge sp.
- 1 Red-legged Shieldbug (Pentatoma rufipes)
- 6 Dicranopalpus sp. harvestmen.
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum harvestman

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day can be found via the yearly links in the right-hand column.

Sightings from previous years without links are below

2013

Priorslee Lake

1 Common Sandpiper

(Ed Wilson)

2007

Priorslee Lake

Common Sandpiper 

Wheatear

(Ed Wilson)