22 May 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

11.0°C > 14.0°C: Mostly cloudy at medium / high level. Chilly feeling moderate S wind. Excellent visibility.

Sunrise: 05:03 BST

Priorslee Lake: 04:40 – 05:55 // 06:55 – 09:15

(118th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- A Pheasant was heard calling many times apparently in or close to the housing development on the E side of Castle Farm Way. The first I have heard for over two weeks.
- Two single adult Black-headed Gulls flew SW c.07:10 a few minutes apart. It is unusual to see this species at this date here.
- 11 unidentified large gulls flew W to the N at 05:05. A few minutes later 19 Lesser Black-backed Gulls did the same only much close to enable positive ID.
- A Carrion Crow was noted lying dead on the ground. Looked unharmed but I was not about to investigate.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese: a pair outbound
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 6 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Black-headed Gulls: adults
- 21 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: 19 of these together
- 11 unidentified large gulls: together
- 1 Cormorant
- 12 Jackdaws
- 1 Common Buzzard

Hirundines etc. noted:
- c.25 Swifts
- 6 Barn Swallows
- 4 House Martins

Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 12 (10) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (1) Sedge Warblers
- 6 (6) Reed Warblers
- 14 (13) Blackcaps
- 3 (3) Garden Warblers

Counts from the lake area:
- 4 + 2 (1 brood) Canada Geese: a pair arrived and were chased away
- 2 Greylag Geese: a pair arrived and were also chased away
- 2 + 8 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 9 (7♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck: flew in but did not stay long
- 3 Moorhens
- 8 Coots only: too cool for them to venture out of the reeds with juveniles?
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult, briefly

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

Noted later:

Moths:
- Plain Gold (Micropterix calthella)

Bees, wasps, etc.
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)

Hoverflies:
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)

Damselflies:
- Red-eyed Damselfly (Erythromma najas)

Other flies:
- Alder Fly (Sialis lutaria)
- Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria)

Beetles etc.:
- soldier beetle, likely Cantharis nigricans
- Common Malachite Beetle (Malachius bipustulatus)
- Nettle Weevil (Phyllobius pomaceus)

Slugs / snails:
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

Spiders:
- Cucumber Green Orb Spider (possibly Araniella cucurbitina)
- Tetragnatha sp. stretch spider

New flowers for the year
- Common Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)

Much like yesterday the sky was clearest at dawn. Not much colour.

On the smart phone screen this looked stunningly clear. Not so good here is a Plain Gold moth (Micropterix calthella) in a buttercup.

Another very plain looking moth. There were several of these running around Alder leaves. It may be another Plain Gold though it lacks the yellow on the head. It is possible the yellow is actually pollen from their favourite buttercups and is not part of the moth's markings.

An early smart phone attempt: a Red-eyed Damselfly (Erythromma najas).

This is one of the soldier beetles and they can be tricky to specifically identify. The lack of significant orange on the legs suggests this is Cantharis nigricans.

 A Common Malachite Beetle (Malachius bipustulatus)

This is a Cucumber Green Orb Spider possibly Araniella cucurbitina. They spin a web across a leaf and hide upside down underneath until an unfortunate insect blunders in – as here. The cephalothorax, hidden here, is brown and there is a characteristic black mark at end of the abdomen.

Growing on the un-mown grass between Teece Drive and the Ricoh copse is this Common Comfrey (Symphytum officinale).

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:00 – 06:50

(115th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Yesterday's new brood of three Canada Geese goslings now just a single.
- For much of the time I thought there were no Mute Swans at all. Then all three appeared from inside the island and paddled around.
- Back to three Great Crested Grebe. The pair were hard to see, asleep and lurking under overhanging vegetation on the island.
- An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull present when I arrived, in addition to the now almost daily fly-over.
- A party of Long-tailed Tits included recently fledged young.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 3 Feral Pigeons: all-white and non-local birds

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 14 Swifts

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 42 + 8 (3 broods) Canada Geese
- Greylag Geese heard from inside island only
- 3 Mute Swans
- 15 (14♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 5 (3♂) Tufted Duck
- 9 + 2 (1 brood) Moorhens: adult brooding the young
- 20 + 5 (2 broods) Coots again
- 3 Great Crested Grebes

On / around the street lamp poles
Nothing noted

Noted elsewhere:
- 1 Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- 1 Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis)

A smart phone Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis)

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

- A pair of Mallard was sitting on the grass nearest the upper pool today
- Moorhens heard calling at the both pools.
- A Grey Heron flushed out of the upper pool
- 1 Chiffchaff singing beside the lower pool again
- 1 Blackcap singing beside the lower pool
also
- 1 Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum)

I told you I was pushing the camera! This was taken early in the day. The bumblebee has a more ginger 'pile' than a Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum) and has a white tail. So it is a Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum)

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

- very few midges

(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
2 Little Ringed Plover
Garden Warbler
Reed Warbler
Stock Dove
2 Lapwing
(John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Ruddy Duck
(Ed Wilson)