7 Jun 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

8.0°C > 13.0°C: A clear start very soon becoming foggy. Finally lifted and sunny intervals after 08:15. Very light S breeze. Poor to very poor visibility, becoming good.

Sunrise: 04:48 BST

* = a photo today

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

(132nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- 10 Swifts were noted flying off West at 04:50 as the fog rolled in from the East. A single was over at 07:55 and then two at 09:00
- While looking at the scrub behind the sailing club shelter in the vain hope that the Cetti's Warbler might pop out again I was surprised to see a Willow Warbler moving through. It was very yellow and I assume it was a juvenile.
- The Cetti's Warbler again ventured all the way along the South side before returning to the West end.
- The recent vociferous Sedge Warbler may not have gone. I could hear one singing away as I checked the street lamps for moths. By the time I had finished that it has stopped singing and I never heard or saw it again.

Birds noted flying over here:
Very little in the fog
- no geese
- 4 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Collared Dove
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: age?
- 6 Jackdaws

Hirundines etc. noted:
- c.13 Swifts
- 1 Barn Swallow
- 2 House Martins

Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler
- 9 (8) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Sedge Warblers
- 7 (7) Reed Warblers
- 15 (11) Blackcaps
- 3 (3) Garden Warblers again
- 1 (0) Common Whitethroat again

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 7 (5♂) Mallard
- 1 Moorhen only again
- 37 + 15 (6 broods) Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Grey Heron: arrived

Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- *1 Light Emerald moth (Campaea margaritaria): **new for the year and moth species #37 here in 2022

Noted later:

Moths:
- Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana)
- *Common Marble (Celypha lacunana)
- Silver-ground Carpet (Xanthorhoe montanata)
- *Burnet Companion (Euclidia glyphica)
- Straw Dot (Rivula sericealis)

Bees, wasps, etc.
- Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- *Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- *several different unidentified species of ichneumon wasps
- *Broad-striped Rhogogaster sawfly (Rhogogaster scalaris)
- *green Rhogogaster sawfly perhaps R. viridis
- *Small Yellow-girdled Tenthredo aka Yellow-banded Sawfly (Tenthredo temula.)

Damselflies:

Many 100s again mostly not closely examined
- Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
- Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans)
- Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella)
- also exuvia were seen climbing the 'boxing ring' on the dam prior to emergence.

Hoverflies:
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
- Common Spotted Field Syrph (Eupeodes luniger)
- *Common Twist-tail (Sphaerophoria scripta) [was Long Hoverfly]
- Syrphus sp. (S. ribesii / S. vitripennis)
- Superb Ant-hill Hoverfly (Xanthogramma pedissequum)

Other flies:
- Black Snipefly (Chrysopilus cristatus)
- Scorpion Fly (Panorpa sp.)
- *banded golden-bodied fly, initially thought to be a hoverfly

Beetles etc.:
- *Swollen-thighed (Flower) Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)
- Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis): both spectabilis and succinea variants

Bugs:
- green bug, possibly Calocoris alpestris
- Common Froghopper (Philaenus spumarius)
- *Dock Aphid (Aphis rumicis)

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

Spiders:
- *unidentified small spider

Mammals:
- Grey Squirrel

New flowers for the year noted:
- *Common Mallow (Malva sylvestris)
- *Hedge Woundwort (Stachys sylvatica)
- *Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris)
- *Shepherd's-purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris)
- *Spear Thistle (Cirsium vulgare)

It is not always easy to separate juvenile Grey Wagtails (as here) from juvenile Pied Wagtails. The best clue – the yellow wash in the vent – is rather hidden here. The face pattern is stronger and the back somewhat darker grey.

While failing to get another photo of the Grey Wagtail this female House Sparrow turned up on the dam and seems to have collected emergent damselflies. I am not sure where these are nesting: they have been appearing all around the lake and are often seen in flight for some distance. Perhaps they are flying from the housing estate.

An upgrade to my Common Marble moth (Celypha lacunana) photo from last week.

A Light Emerald moth (Campaea margaritaria) found on a lamp pole first thing.

Rather better than my last effort: a Burnet Companion moth (Euclidia glyphica).

A Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) illustrating the pitfall of identifying it as a White-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lucorum). Although this shows a white tail there is a buff band between that and the black abdomen so it is a Buff-tail. Sometimes the buff can be very hard to detect.

 A Broad-striped Rhogogaster sawfly (Rhogogaster scalaris) dives in.

No wonder they get covered in pollen.

One of the green Rhogogaster species of sawfly, probably R. viridis.

This splendid-looking creature is a Small Yellow-girdled Tenthredo or Yellow-banded Sawfly depending on your reference. Either way its scientific name is Tenthredo temula.

An ichneumon wasp but I have no idea as to the species involved.

A Common Twist-tail (Sphaerophoria scripta) also known as a Long Hoverfly though only the males – as here – are obviously 'long'.

I thought this was a hoverfly when it was in flight. Once it landed I am not so sure. I know of no hoverfly that looks like this. Smart though.

A male Swollen-thighed (Flower) Beetle (Oedemera nobilis). I searched for ages – there seemed to be hundreds of males.

And here a female! No swollen femur but the same characteristic pose with the elytra (wing-cases) held slightly open.

I initially thought "a male and female together". Looking more closely I am sure the size difference is too great and the 'female' is not sitting with the elytra apart. So probably it is a different species of beetle. Back the reference books.

A cluster of aphids on a dock (Rumex) plant. There is a good chance that they are Dock Aphids (Aphis rumicis).

A spider I found lurking in a buttercup. The markings at the top of the abdomen suggest on of the Larinioides species though I usually see these in lamp poles or in the sailing clubs shelter so I am not sure.

I was struck by the way the water droplets were arranged around the edges of the leaves.

I am not very good with flowers so shout if I have any of these incorrect. Common Mallow (Malva sylvestris). In spite of regular mowing by Severn Trent contractors and being trampled by customers at Paul's burger van these flowers always struggle through.

Just opening is Hedge Woundwort (Stachys sylvatica).

 Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris)

Shepherd's-purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) with a few seed cases illustrating the origin of the name. Small shepherd or one without much money.

Aptly named: Spear Thistle (Cirsium vulgare)

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 05:45 – 06:30

(128th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- All nine Canada Goose goslings seen.
- Not sure how many cygnets there were. Certainly two with one of these climbing on the back of the pen where there could have been others. The 2019 bird was in close attendance this morning. Perhaps it is interested after all and explains where it was on those days I could only find the two 2021 birds – on the island with the pen at the hidden nest.
- A pair of Mallard and two tiny ducklings were beside the island. Yet another brood I think.
- A Chaffinch is still singing away here though song has stopped at the lake. This bird has only recently appeared here.

Birds noted flying over here:

None

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 Swift
- House Martin heard only, lost in fog

Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 3 (2) Chiffchaffs only
- 2 (1) Blackcaps only

Noted on / around the water:
- 152 + 9 (3 broods) Canada Geese
- 15 Greylag Geese
- 4 + >2 (1 brood) Mute Swans: see notes
- 23 (17♂) + 2 (1 brood) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 9 (6♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 + 2 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 21 + 8 (3 broods) Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe

Noted on / around the street lamp poles:
- 2 owl midges Psychodidae sp.

Noted elsewhere:
- *1 Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)

Sleeping it off and covered in pollen is a Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum). The flower is a Dog Rose (Rosa canina agg.)

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

- An adult Moorhen heard and one juvenile seen at the lower pool.
- An adult Moorhen seen and juveniles heard at the upper pool.
- No Chiffchaff again.
- 1 Blackcap still singing between the two pools.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

- The Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) chrysalis remains.
- 2 Common Pug moths (Eupithecia vulgata) on the roof

(Ed Wilson)

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Note:

On Friday 27 May 22, Ed Wilson visited Anglesey. His photos are on Readers Corner Here.

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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

15 House Martins

15 Swifts

2 Chiffchaffs

Willow Warbler

(Ed Wilson)

The Flash

1 Tufted Duck 

(Ed Wilson)