13 May 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

11.0°C > 14.0°C: Early cloud followed by some good breaks before mainly cloudy again. Moderate / fresh WSW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:17 BST

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 04:40 – 05:50 // 06:50 – 09:35

(110th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The Great Crested Grebes don't show much inclination to start breeding. Perhaps they will surprise us.
- A Willow Warbler was singing at the W end early. I did not hear it later. An unusual date for one to turn up. Perhaps a failed early breeding bird trying again somewhere new.
- Most of the local Starlings seem to have fledged young and taken them away somewhere.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Stock Doves: pair
- 10 Wood Pigeons
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls again: (near) adults
- 19 Jackdaw

Hirundines etc. noted:
- c.30 Swifts
- c.6 Sand Martins
- c.7 Barn Swallows
- c.12 House Martins

All these were powering around in a large mixed group and numbers are best-effort. Some birds were likely moving on and being replaced by new arrivals.

Swifts have, belatedly, arrived in good numbers. It was estimated that as many as 3000 were hawking insects over Belvide Reservoir yesterday afternoon.

Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler
- 16 (14) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Sedge Warbler
- 7 (7) Reed Warblers
- 18 (17) Blackcaps
- 2 (2) Garden Warblers
- 2 (2) Common Whitethroats

Counts from the lake area:
- 4 + 2 (1 brood) Canada Geese: goslings still surviving with their parents; another pair arrived and were chased off
- 2 Mute Swans: pen seen still on nest
- 2 (1♂) Mallard
- 2 Moorhens
- 21 + 14 (5 broods) Coots
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Grey Heron

On / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:

Again nothing noted

I need some moths!

Noted later

In mainly cloudy conditions:

Butterflies:
- none

Moths
- Sulphur Tubic (Esperia sulphurella)
- Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana)
- Common Roller (Ancylis badiana)
- as yet unidentified Epiblema or Bell moth-type

Bees / wasps etc.
- *ichneumon sp.

Hoverflies:
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- Common Twist-tail (Sphaerophoria scripta) [also known as Long Hoverfly]

Dragon- / damsel- flies:
- none

Other things:
- Greenbottle Lucilia sp.
- Scorpion Fly (Panorpa sp.)
- plus the usual many other flies of many species
- 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)
- *Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus)
- *Nettle Weevil (Phyllobius pomaceus)
- *Red-and-Black Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata)
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
- Crab spider Misumena vatia
- Tetragnatha sp. stretch spider
- *flowers of Ground-ivy (Glechoma hederacea)

This is a new moth for me and moth species #18 for me here this year. It is a Sulphur Tubic (Esperia sulphurella). Many micro moths are very attractive but can be hard to find and harder to identify!

One of more than a dozen Common Nettle-tap moths (Anthophila fabriciana) I noted this morning.

I have shown this pretty moth before. Here on a grass stems gives a better idea of the small size of Common Roller (Ancylis badiana).

Sadly I got just one 'safety shot' of this moth before it flew I know not where. I would like to have had a better view of the wing-edge markings. I am fairly certain it is one of the Epiblema or Bell moths but which one I cannot say. None of the illustrations in my literature nor any photos on the web show such obvious black and white barring across the folded wings.

Clearly an ichneumon. But which? Looking at the Natural History Museum Guide to the 'top 20' species identifiable from photos it would initially seem to fall in to the "mainly black-bodied species with orange legs" category. Except that the hind legs aren't orange. Failed at the first hurdle. Ichneumon sp. it stays.

A very distinctively shaped bug. It is a Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus). My first this year of what is likely to be a very common bug throughout the summer.

Do you get the feeling you are being watched? A Nettle Weevil (Phyllobius pomaceus) keeps an eye on me.

I failed to get a decent photo of a Red-and-Black Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata) the other day. This is better.

And they do have legs though they usually 'explode' with their back legs when disturbed.

Perhaps on a sunny day I might be able to do better. These are flowers of Ground-ivy (Glechoma hederacea), a scourge of gardeners. It is almost impossible to eradicate I am told.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 05:55 – 06:45

(107th visit of the year)

Two new birds for my 2022 site list:
- at least four Swifts overhead.
- at least two House Martins joining in.
These take my 2022 species total to 67

Bird notes:
- *Another brood of eight Canada Goose goslings.
- The group of Greylag Geese goslings down to just two.
- The 2019 and the two 2021 Mute Swans were all together and none of them was showing any interest in chasing geese.
- No Mallard ducklings seen.
- *Just as I decided that there were now three pairs of Tufted Duck an energetic group of ten (nine drakes) appeared, continually diving or flying about. Had they just arrived when I first saw them?
- A juvenile Wood Pigeon seen. There seems to be some disagreement on the web as to when a juvenile stops being called a squab. Some suggest when it fledges.
- Other juvenile Coots heard begging but not located.
- A pair of Bullfinches noted at each end of the water.
- Begging juvenile Greenfinches seen.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: adults, together
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 1 Starling again

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 4 Swifts
- 1 Barn Swallow
- 2 House Martins

Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 3 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (3) Blackcaps
The warblers were quiet this morning

Noted on / around the water:
- *35 + 9 (2 broods) Canada Geese
- 2 + 2 (1 brood) Greylag Geese
- *3 Mute Swans
- 23 (18♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- *16 (12♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens yet again
- 22 + 4 (1 brood) Coots again
- 2 Great Crested Grebes still

Noted on / around the street lamp poles
- *1 unknown fly or midge sp.
- *1 plumed midge, possibly Chironomus plumosus
- *1 Hawthorn Shieldbug (Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale)
- *1 Common European Earwig (Forficula auricularia)

Elsewhere:

Nothing noted

The latest brood of Canada Goose goslings are being shepherded safely away from approaching dog-walkers. I am pleased to say the dogs were well under control. I only saw one other gosling from earlier broods.

All three Mute Swans happily together. The 2021 birds flanking what I assume to be the 2019 bird: it has no ring so I cannot be 100% certain especially as one swan has been missing for the previous three mornings.

A group of ten Tufted Duck suddenly appeared, all chasing around and diving. I have caught the nine drakes on the surface: the duck was perhaps wisely keeping out of the way.

If you look really really hard there are all ten here. I could not possibly say which was the duck.

Another 'two-fer'. Top left is a male plumed midge, possibly Chironomus plumosus. I seem to be seeing so many different sizes of midges at the moment that I am no longer confident to identify any of them to species level. The bottom right is easier – a Hawthorn Shieldbug (Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale).

At the time I thought this might be a St Mark's or Hawthorn Fly (Bibio marci) or perhaps another fly in the same Bibio genus. I cannot find any fly (or midge) of this general shape that shows an orange base to the wings. More research needed.

With its back arched, perhaps in threat, is a male Common European Earwig (Forficula auricularia). Males have the very curved pincers.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

- single Moorhens beside each pool.
- 1 Chiffchaff singing beside the lower pool again.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

- a few plumed and other midges
- *1 Tetragnatha sp. stretch spider again

"Me and my shadow". A Tetragnatha sp. stretch 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

2009

Priorslee Lake

Wheatear

(John Isherwood)

2006

Priorslee Lake

2 Ruddy Ducks

(Ed Wilson)