Moths:
- *1 Flame Carpet (Xanthorhoe designata)
- *1 Lime-speck Pug (Eupithecia centaureata)
- *1 Dun-bar (Cosmia trapezina)
***all these were additions to my 2022 moth list for the lake.

and:
- *1 Muscid fly
- *1 green midge/gnat?
- 1 ichneumon sp.
- *1 unidentified spider
- 2 Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum/blackwalli harvestman: probably the same male still too high up for me to check which species

Two corrections and an update from Friday, all thanks to Martin Adlam. I blame the heat!

- The photo I captioned as a Hornet Hoverfly (Volucella zonaria) was actually the smaller Lesser Hornet Hoverfly (Volucella inanis).
- Apparently the male dragonfly was not a Southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea) but a Common Hawker (Aeshna juncea).
- The 'is it a wasp or a mason bee?' conundrum has been resolved. It was a species of digger-wasp that Stephen Falk calls Ridge-backed Fly Fox (Ectemnius cephalotes). The NatureSpot web site notes it as common. Unlike most digger-wasps females dig in to soft wood and not sand where they make tunnels to lay their eggs and the prey items the larvae will feed upon.

Noted later today:

New for the year:
- *the sawfly Arge ochropus
- *the ichneumon Achaius oratorius

Repeat sightings:

Moths:
- Notch-wing Button (Acleris emargana)
- *Mother of Pearl (Patania ruralis) was (Pleuroptya ruralis)
- Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella)

Bees, wasps etc.:
- Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)

Hoverflies:
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- *Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
- *Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
- *Common Twist-tail (Sphaerophoria scripta) [was Long Hoverfly]
- *Lesser Hornet Hoverfly (Volucella inanis) [Wasp Plumehorn]

Other flies:
- scorpion fly Panorpa sp.
- *Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria)

Beetle
- *Rough-haired Lagria Beetle (Lagria hirta)

Mammals
- Pipistrelle-type bat

Plants
- *fruits of Spindle-tree (Euonymus europaea)
- *fruits of Guelder Rose (Viburnum opulus)

With a wisp of cloud drifting across its face here is the fast-waning Sturgeon Moon.

No colour but it makes a change from the clear skies. Eight Mallard in the foreground.

Both pairs of Great Crested Grebes along the north side had their juveniles in the water for a while. I was only able to capture this pair that have three juveniles.

It is not much easier to see there are three in this view.

A fine adult Lesser Black-backed Gull taking it easy. Note how the 'black' of the folded wings is lightly sullied brown with wear. These feathers will soon be replaced.

Better than my last effort is this Mother of Pearl moth (Patania ruralis). I have previously recorded this species as Pleuroptya ruralis but the taxonomists have been at it and reassigned it. The light conditions were not right to show the mother of pearl sheen visible on fresh specimens.

The next three moths are all 'firsts' at the lake this year. This is a Flame Carpet (Xanthorhoe designata).

A small moth at the top of a lamp pole so this is not my best photo. A very distinctively marked pug moth that rests with its wings at an unusual angle. One of the few pug moths I can instantly identify. It is a Lime-speck Pug (Eupithecia centaureata). I do not know how it acquired its vernacular name.

Another specimen of a Dun-bar moth (Cosmia trapezina) where the 'bar' between the two angled cross-lines is not filled in.

This appears to be the sawfly Arge ochropus. Not a species I have noted previously. It looks a bit 'odd' as it is recovering after I helped it out of a spider's web.

I think this is the ichneumon Achaius oratorius. Not quite visible here but....

...obvious in this slightly out of focus shot is the pale band on the antennae helping to confirm the identity. Another insect that seems to be new for me.

A Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax) helping out with pollination of the Knapweed. For some reason this species has apparently been vastly outnumbered by....

...Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax) this year. Here a female without the tapered body but showing the pale on the legs.

This is a female Common Twist-tail hoverfly (Sphaerophoria scripta). It used to be called Long Hoverfly but only the males are conspicuously 'long'. The females, as here, tend to have narrower and straighter yellow bands. On a Ragwort flower here.

To atone for showing the wrong photo on Friday this is another Lesser Hornet Hoverfly (Volucella inanis).

It's been awhile since I have noted a Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria) here.

With all those bristles this must be a Muscid fly. Species unknown.

The long front legs on this green insect suggest it might be a midge or gnat. I cannot trace anything on the web that matches.

An unidentified spider I found on street lamp pole pre-dawn.

It is several weeks since I saw my previous Rough-haired Lagria Beetle (Lagria hirta).

Beginning to turn colour are these fruits of a Spindle-tree (Euonymus europaea).

These are the first ripe fruits I have noted this year of Guelder Rose (Viburnum opulus). This shrub has a large number of other names: dog-berry; water elder; cramp bark; snowball tree; European cranberry bush being just a few,

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:

(171st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Another large count of Coots.
- There are three surviving juvenile Great Crested Grebes.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 2 Jackdaws: singles

Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 2 (0) Chiffchaffs still
- 1 (0) Blackcap still

Noted on / around the water:
- 24 Canada Geese
- 6 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 16 (?♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 40 (?♂) Tufted Duck again
- 13 adult / juvenile Moorhens
- *73 adult / juvenile Coots
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 24 Black-headed Gulls again: no juveniles
- *1 Herring Gull; immature, briefly
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull; adult, briefly
- 2 Grey Herons again

Noted on / around the street lamp poles:
- 2 Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus harvestman

A juvenile Coot battling through the extensive growth of weed.

This juvenile / first winter Herring Gull dropped in very briefly. Two adult winter-plumage Black-headed Gulls behind.

Autumn already? No doubt it is lack of water that is causing the leaves to fall. The poplar trees seem especially affected.

Both ends are affected.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

Noted:
- A Blackcap calling beside the lower pool and then presumably the same beside the upper pool a few moments later.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- *1 Tawny Speckled Pug (Eupithecia icterata)
- *1 Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata)

and
- 1 owl midge Psychodidae sp.

This is a Common Marbled Carpet moth (Chloroclysta truncata). On date this is likely from a second brood of this very common but very variable species.

Sharing the tunnel was another pug moth that is usually easy to identify. It is a Tawny Speckled Pug (Eupithecia icterata). The extent of the tawny colouring is very variable and may be absent when identification is tricky. I ma not sure who its friend is. Perhaps a springtail?

(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)

2012

Priorslee Lake

Location

1 Common Sandpiper

(Ed Wilson)

2007

Priorslee Lake

Little Egret

Common Sandpiper

Common Gull

Hobby

Wheatear

(Ed Wilson)

2005

Priorslee Lake

Yellow Wagtail

Kingfisher

(Ed Wilson)

Friends of Priorslee Lake Wildlife Site

Pages

FoPL Reports

Botanical Report

Species Records

15 Aug 22