10 May 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

11.0°C > 15.0°C: Early short spell of rain gave way to a mainly high overcast. A clearance from the W took until 09:00 to reach. Soon after shower clouds developed. Moderate SW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:22 BST

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 04:50 – 05:55 // 06:55 – 09:45

(108th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The singing and flight-displaying Sedge Warbler behind the sailing club shelter seems to have gone, leaving the Common Whitethroat to make its own dancing display flights. A Sedge Warbler is sporadically singing from deep in the scrub at the E end of the S side.
- Three of the nine Reed Warblers were singing from bushes away from the reeds. One of them has been in the same bush for at least a week so it must be happy.
- Two singing Garden Warblers located today. One at the W end was positioned between two very loud and insistent Song Thrushes and close to a singing Blackcap and a challenge to distinguish. The other was along the S side, well the E of where I saw the bird last week and singing very sporadically.
- *My first juvenile Pied Wagtail of the year seen on the dam-face.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 13 Canada Geese: pair and a nonet outbound; a pair inbound
- 1 Greylag Goose: outbound
- 7 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Herring Gulls: immatures again; separately
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: immature
- 3 Jackdaws again
- 3 Rooks

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 8 Swifts
- 2 Sand Martins: briefly
- 6 Barn Swallows: pausing en route

I read that there was a small movement of arriving Swifts through the Dee Estuary yesterday: very late.

Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 17 (15) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Sedge Warbler
- 9 (9) Reed Warblers
- 21 (18) Blackcaps
- *2 (2) Garden Warblers
- *1 (1) Common Whitethroat

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 (1 brood) Canada Geese: goslings survived another day
- 2 Mute Swans: pen presumed still on nest – the reeds have grown up and hidden her from view.
- 4 (4♂) Mallard
- 5 Moorhens
- 16 + 4 (1 brood) Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes

Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- 1 Tetragnatha sp. stretch spider

Noted later:

Butterflies:
- Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines)
- Large White (Pieris brassicae)
- Green-veined White (Pieris napi)

Moths
- none

Bees / wasps etc.
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- *Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)

Hoverflies:
- *Stripe-backed Fleckwing (Dasysyrphus albostriatus)
- *Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
- Common Spotted Field Syrph (Eupeodes luniger)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- *White-footed Hoverfly (Platycheirus albimanus)

Dragon- / damsel- flies:
- *Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
- *Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans)
- *Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula)

Other things:
- *cranefly sp. Tipula luna
- Greenbottle Lucilia sp.
- Scorpion Fly (Panorpa sp.)
- *Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria)
- plus the usual many many other flies of many species
- *leaf beetle, likely Crepidodera aurata.
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
- *Garden Snail (Cornu aspersum aka Helix aspersa)
- *Crab spider Misumena vatia
- Tetragnatha sp. stretch spider

 I was standing around checking whether the Sedge Warbler by the sailing club shelter would appear when this male Common Whitethroat preformed its short dancing display flight and then almost disappeared. The usual twig in the way but note the grey head and the rufous edging to the dark primary feathers.

One of my "won't win prizes" shots. A grey bird in poor light against a grey sky. Just to prove there was a Garden Warbler present.

A recently fledged juvenile Pied Wagtail still with yellow in the gape-line. It was rushing around the dam-face after its parents.

I only noted this one juvenile. They show an almost creamy tone to the face at this age.

Still waiting for the non-appearing Sedge Warbler this female Reed Bunting popped up and is mostly not hidden by branches.

This is a Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris). The yellow line along the side of the thorax is parallel sided on this species. On a German Wasp it is slightly triangular in shape. Wasps are very hairy if you get close.

This hoverfly is a Stripe-backed Fleckwing (Dasysyrphus albostriatus). Recognise by the sloping down yellow marks and the two pale lines down the thorax.

I have not seen too many of these Marmalade Hoverflies (Episyrphus balteatus) so far this year. They are usually very common.

A genus of hoverfly that is somewhat confusing but I am fairly certain this is a White-footed Hoverfly (Platycheirus albimanus).

 I managed to find one at rest today: a male Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans).

Another. This is an immature male with a metallic-looking black abdomen and green-toned stripes (the anti-humeral stripes) on the thorax.

At the time I assumed this was a female Blue-tailed Damselfly but I then recalled that these have blue at the end of their abdomen just as do the males. Also the broad stripes on the thorax are wrong. In fact it is a female Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum).

And to complete today's set here is a male Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula). Unlike most damselflies it often sits at rest with its wings slightly open.

I think this is the cranefly Tipula luna. It is a female with the ovipositor at the tip of the abdomen. It seems to have some sort of red mite infestation.

A not very pleasant-looking (or sounding) fly is this Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria). The species undertakes an important role in recycling nutrients.

This tiny leaf beetle is likely Crepidodera aurata. One of a group known as flea beetles because of their ability to jump when approached. This one seemed quite relaxed and only wandered off along the leaf stem.

A Garden Snail (Cornu aspersum aka Helix aspersa) heading towards Simon's garden.

I found what is probably the same crab spider Misumena vatia on the same Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) plant. I persuaded it on to my hand for a better view. It seems less brightly yellow and more green-toned than when I last saw it.

I wonder why they are called crab spiders?!

I am sure the mowing machine will be along soon. Meanwhile... lots of Dandelion (Taraxacum agg.) clocks (seed heads). A new 1000 page field handbook to this strange group of plants has just been published. It describes all 239 known species from the UK. Almost all are apomictic meaning that they reproduce asexually and all the offspring are exact clones of the parent plant. It is said only four people in the UK know how to identify all 239. I shall not be buying the book and attempting to become number five.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:00 – 06:50

(105th visit of the year)

Still quiet.

Bird notes:
- Two new (to me) broods of Canada Geese goslings. The single gosling that has present for several days and is growing fast: a brood of three apparently very new birds; and *another single, perhaps a few days old.
- No Greylag Geese goslings seen. One pair present throughout; one pair flew in; another pair flew over; and a lone bird was alongside the island, perhaps guarding a mate with goslings inside the island.
- I only saw the two 2021 immature Mute Swans, always together. The 2019 bird could have been 'the other side of the island'.
- A pair of Tufted Duck new in.
- Just one brood of Coots located.
- The Grey Heron flew very low over and looked to be heading for a garden pond in the estate. Nice Koi Carp for breakfast?

Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Greylag Geese: pair
- 1 Grey Heron

Hirundines etc. noted:
None

Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 5 (5) Chiffchaffs
- 8 (7) Blackcaps

Noted on / around the water:
- 39 + 5 (3 broods) Canada Geese
- 5 Greylag Geese
- 2 Mute Swans: see notes
- 18 (15♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens
- 24 + 3 (1 brood) Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes again

On / around the street lamp poles or elsewhere:
Nothing noted

The apparently new single Canada Goose gosling. A bit like a puppy dog its feet look too large.


(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

- 1 Moorhen at the lower pool.
- 1 Chiffchaff singing around the upper pool.
- 1 Blackcap singing between the upper pool and the academy.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

- many plumed and other midges again
- unidentified plant bug
- 1 Clubiona species of spider

(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
Great White Egret
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Ruddy Ducks
(Ed Wilson)