Friends of Priorslee Lake Wildlife Site: 23 May 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

10.0°C > 13.0°C: Scattered medium cloud below a high overcast. Cloud tending to increase, lower and thicken. A light to moderate north-westerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:02 BST

* = a photo of this species today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:00 – 06:20 // 07:15 – 09:40

(107th visit of the year)

A belated addition to my 2023 bird list here came from a Lesser Whitethroat singing away in the hedge between the West end footpath and the Ricoh grounds. I opine that this bird arrived while I was in the USA in late April. Males of this species typically take up territory and sing only until paired. The birds are then typically quiet and very elusive until the first brood has fledged when the male will sing again for a few days, probably to re-establish the pair bond. Species #90 this year for me.

Other bird notes:
- The Common Peafowl (Peacock) was calling from the Ricoh area c.05:20
- Just how many Great Crested Grebes were there? Certainly six on the water at 06:00 but by then I had seen one flying round and round gaining height at 05:25. It, or perhaps another, left much lower to the West at 05:30. Perhaps a third was seen flying off low to the West at 05:40. Then one was circling high over at 05:45. Were these all the same bird?
- This morning's Garden Warbler was again singing alongside the sailing club HQ. This bird sounds somewhat different to the bird that has been, but is no longer, singing along the South side. It includes a short phrase that, confusingly, sounds much like a Lesser Whitethroat, albeit amongst typical Garden Warbler song-notes. I made a point of finding it to check its identity. No photo though.
- There were no Starlings on the football field this morning. With the young having fledged the adults will be taking them away to the fields to feed – indeed a trio, including at least one juvenile, flew over the dam later.
- House Sparrows seem to have approved of the new houses behind the academy and are now well ensconced in the hedge between the side of the academy and the footpath alongside the football field.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese: outbound together
- 2 Greylag Geese: outbound together
- 2 Wood Pigeons only
- 1 Cormorant
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 Jackdaws
- 3 Starlings

Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 2 (2) Willow Warblers
- 11 (8) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Sedge Warbler
- 11 (10) Reed Warblers
- 9 (9) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Garden Warbler
- 1 (1) Lesser Whitethroat
- 2 (1) Common Whitethroats

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 2 Swifts
- *5 Barn Swallows
- 1 House Martin

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 2 (2♂) Mallard
- 3 Moorhens
- 22 + 12 (5 broods) Coots
- 6 Great Crested Grebes: see also notes
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult, briefly

On the street lamp poles around dawn: a disappointing year so far.

Nothing noted

Noted later: not too much in overcast conditions:
+ = my first sighting of this species this year
Butterflies:
- none

Moths:
- *Plain Gold (Micropterix calthella)

Bees / wasps etc.:
- *Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum)

Dragon-/damsel-flies:
- none

Hoverflies:
- Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
- Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)

Other flies:
- *Grouse Wing caddis fly (Mystacides longicornis)
- *Tiger Cranefly (Nephrotoma flavescens)
- *Scorpion Fly Panorpa sp.
- +*possible Phaonia gobertii Muscid Fly
- +*probable Phaonia subventa Muscid Fly
- Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria)

Beetles:
- Raspberry Beetle (Byturus tomentosus)
- *Lesser Thick-legged Flower Beetle (Ischnomera cyanea)
- *Common [or Red-headed] Cardinal Beetle (Pyrochroa serraticornis)

Bugs:
- *Red-and-Black Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata)

Also
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
- stretch spider Tetragnatha sp.

Once again thanks to Martin Adlam for a spot-on suggestion that yesterday's hairy fly with a dark stripe along the side of its abdomen was one of the Rhagio snipeflies and most likely a Downlooker Snipefly (Rhagio scolopaceus). Steven Falk's usually comprehensive photo coverage on Flickr fails to show one from side on – his examples concentrate on the wing-markings. So I am not absolutely certain this species has the dark stripe along the side of its abdomen that so clearly shows in my photo. By the same token my photo fails to show the wing-markings.

"Private Fishing" but you are welcome to catch flies. The male Barn Swallow is on the left with the longer tail-streamers/feathers. It again looks somewhat hunch-backed.

I got too close so they flew to another post.

Lurking in its favourite source of nectar is a Plain Gold moth (Micropterix calthella). Note the yellow tuft of cells on its head.

There were not too many insects around in the cloudy conditions so it is some old favourites. how could I resist photographing an Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum).

A Grouse Wing caddis fly (Mystacides longicornis). You have to look carefully to see the long banded antennae. There were dozens of these dancing over the lake-side vegetation.

A Tiger Cranefly (Nephrotoma flavescens). You can just see the pointed tip to the abdomen indicating this is a female.

A female Scorpion Fly Panorpa sp. for a change. Also with a pointed abdomen rather than the male's 'scorpion sting'.

This well-marked fly looks a match for Phaonia gobertii, one of the Muscid or House Fly group.

I think this is Phaonia subventa, another of the Muscid flies.

I'll leave this fly unidentified - black and hairy! I was intrigued by the tongue licking something off the leaf.

A Lesser Thick-legged Flower Beetle (Ischnomera cyanea).

My second Common [or Red-headed] Cardinal Beetle (Pyrochroa serraticornis) of the year.

One Red-and-Black Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata).

Two Red-and-Black Froghoppers.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:25 – 07:10

(98th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Now just one Mallard duckling.
- Of the three Coot broods noted one comprises a single very well-grown juvenile; another a trio of fast developing juveniles; and the third a single juvenile seen for the first time today. Three other broods seen on various previous occasions seem to be no more.
- I am regularly hearing and less often seeing Great Spotted Woodpeckers at both end of the water and also flying to and from the island. There may be two pairs nesting [there is certainly another pair nesting along the North side of the main lake]

Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Cormorants: singles

Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 4 (4) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (3) Blackcaps

Hirundines etc., noted:

None

Noted on / around the water
- 27 Canada Geese
- 3 Greylag Geese
- *3 + 8 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 18 (15♂) + 1 (1 brood) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 11 (9♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhens
- 22+ 5 (3 broods) Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes

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

Noted elsewhere:
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)