12 Jun 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

16.0°C > 22.0°C: Barely broken medium level cloud melted away leaving it mostly sunny but hazy. Light mainly north-easterly breeze. Moderate visibility. Muggy.

Sunrise: 04:46 BST

* = a photo of this species today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:05 – 06:15 // 07:25 – 09:45

(124th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The warblers were again moving about somewhat:
        - the only Willow Warbler was back along the South side.
        - the Sedge Warbler was singing lustily again from its new location but also first thing only.
        - a Garden Warbler was singing at the extreme West end of the bushes alongside the M54 beside the footpath. Also the regular bird was still singing midway along the South side.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 5 Canada Geese; inbound together
- 7 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 2 Cormorants: together
- 5 Jackdaws

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

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 1 Swift
- 2 House Martins

Counts from the lake area: it remains very quiet
- 2 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Mallard; also 2 (2♂) on roof in Teece Drive 06:15 only
- 2 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 35 + 29 (10 broods) Coots: two of these were new broods
- 10 + 4 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes

+ = my first sighting of this species here this year.
++ = new species for me at this site.

On and around the street lamp poles around dawn:

Nothing noted

Noted later:

Butterflies:
- *Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
- Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

Moths:
- Timothy Tortrix (Zelotherses paleana)
- *Blood-vein (Timandra comae)
- +*Silver Y (Autographa gamma)

Bees / wasps etc.:
- *Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum)
-. *Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum)
- *Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum)
- *Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)

Dragon-/damsel-flies:
- unidentified dragonfly in distant flight only
- *Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
- Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans)

Hoverflies:
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- *Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
- Common Spotted Field Syrph (Eupeodes luniger)
- Large Narcissus Fly (Merodon equestris)

Other flies:
- Black Snipefly (Chrysopilus cristatus)
- several other unidentified flies.

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)
- *Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)
- *unidentified beetle

Bugs:
- *Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus)

Also
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
- *Garden Snail (Cornu aspersum aka Helix aspersa)
- *Cucumber Green Orb Spider (possibly Araniella cucurbitina)
- *orb-web spider possibly Larinioides cornutus
- stretch spider Tetragnatha sp.
- *unidentified spider sp.

An angry-looking early sky after the overnight rain.

A fresh-looking specimen of a Speckled Wood butterfly (Pararge aegeria).

The underwing view of a different individual.

My third Blood-vein moth (Timandra comae) of the year. There was a fourth but I didn't....

Not the best view of a Silver Y moth (Autographa gamma). This day-flying species typically goes about its business buried in grasses. Usually a very common migrant from the Mediterranean though a few have been known to over-winter in south-west England in recent years. More of an 'afternoon' species I have sightings from 2015, 2018 and 2020 only.

Only my second sighting this year of a Honey Bee (Apis mellifera). It is feeding on the flower of a Snowberry (Symphoricarpos sp. probably S. albus).

Ginger thorax, white tail = Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum).

This strikes me as rather unusual. I am sure this is a Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum) but what is that on its hind leg? Is it really pollen? Or a growth?

It is on the other side as well so must be pollen. Have I ever previously noted a pollen-sac on a bumblebee.

Despite the white tail I think this is a Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris). White-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lucorum) is quite rare in these parts and this specimen appears to have a slight buff tone between the white tail and the black part of the abdomen.

A pair of Common Blue Damselflies (Enallagma cyathigerum). Although some females develop green tones and fade to greenish-brown with age the all-brown colour here suggests it is a young individual yet to acquire any colouration other than the black markings.

This pair have formed the complete mating wheel. Once again an underage female seems to be involved.

The 'default' large hoverfly: a Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax).

A Common Spotted Field Syrph (Eupeodes luniger). Perhaps it was too hot: perhaps they got washed away in the rain. There were rather few hoverflies around.

A female Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis). This species typically rests with the elytra slightly apart.

Here is a male with his swollen-thighs. These vastly outnumber the females most years.

A beetle with several rather obvious features to aid identification. The squat head almost abuts the abdomen which is very oblong; the triangular scutellum is more obvious than on many beetles; the red extends to the legs, with the tarsi swollen. Sadly... I have no idea!

The uniquely shaped Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus).

The rain seemed to delighted the slugs and snails: they were out in force this morning. Here is a Garden Snail (Cornu aspersum aka Helix aspersa) climbing out of a garden.

Several unidentified spiders today. This one on the wall of the sailing club HQ.

This is a Cucumber Green Orb Spider (possibly Araniella cucurbitina). One of two species impossible to separate in the field. Just 5mm in length (0.2" for us oldies) (part of my thumb nail in view).

This orb-web spider is possibly a female Larinioides cornutus. It is clutching prey....

...seen carefully wrapped-up here.

This orchid spike looked so much paler than the group I photographed on Saturday and there were almost no spots on the leaves. Nevertheless my PlantNet app. told be it was 'just' a Common Spotted-orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii)

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:20 – 07:20

(115th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Last year's Mute Swan cygnet seems to not be here any more. What happened to it? No-one I spoke to had any information.
- As yet none of the geese assembling to moult has been a hybrid Canada x Greylag. These usually turn up.
- No Mallard ducklings seen.
- Both yesterday and today I heard a Nuthatch calling. There was also one calling alongside Teece Drive. Birds inspected the traditional site by the Priorslee Academy but did not seem to nest there this year. I had not heard this species in the area for several weeks.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Jackdaw again

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

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 1 Swift
- 2 House Martins

Noted on / around the water
- 121 Canada Geese
- 10 Greylag Geese
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans
- 28 (22♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 11 (8♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 24+ 8 (4 broods) Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes

On / around the street lamp poles around the water:

Nothing noted

Elsewhere:
- Common Spotted Field Syrph hoverfly (Eupeodes luniger)
- *Black Snipefly (Chrysopilus cristatus)
- *unidentified Muscid fly
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)
- *weevil sp.

"Shall we dance?"

 Knowing Wood Pigeons more likely "how about a quickie?"

'Only' a Black Snipefly (Chrysopilus cristatus). Oddly I did not have this species in my master log for here. Perhaps I am usually here too early for it to be on the wing. Perhaps I have overlooked it.

Unidentified flies turn up here too. A Muscid fly?

Not unlike a Nettle Weevil (Phyllobius pomaceus) but does not seem to have the proboscis (unless it is tucked up underneath).

(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

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Ruddy Duck
(Ed Wilson)