2 Jun 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

9.0°C > 11.0°C: Another overcast with a moderate, chilly south-east wind. The sun made valiant efforts to break the cloud, only partially succeeding before I departed. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 04:52 BST

* = a photo of this species today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:00 – 06:10 // 07:05 – 09:35

(116th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Highlight today was another Hobby seen chasing Swifts and the like.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 10 Canada Geese: duo outbound; octet inbound
- 1 (1♂) Mallard
- 1 Stock Dove
- 5 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Black-headed Gull
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Rooks
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- *1 Hobby

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

Hirundines etc., noted:
- c.35 Swifts
- c.6 Barn Swallows
- c.8 House Martins

Counts from the lake area: it remains very quiet
- 9 Canada Geese: a duo and then a septet arrived
- 2 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Mallard: also a pair on a house roof in Teece Drive
- no Moorhens
- 23 + 10 (5 broods) Coots
- 9 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Cormorant: arrived

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

Noted on and around the street lamp poles at dawn:
- no moths
- midges of at least three species
- *spider: Clubiona sp.

Noted later: chilly wind kept numbers low.

Butterflies:
- none

Moths:
- *Plain Gold (Micropterix calthella)
- Timothy Tortrix (Zelotherses paleana)

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

Dragon-/damsel-flies:
- *Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
- *Red-eyed Damselfly (Erythromma najas)

Hoverflies:
- +*Orange-belted Leafwalker (Xylota segnis)

Other flies:
- *Black Snipefly (Chrysopilus cristatus)
- *Dagger Fly sp. (Empis tessellata)
- *Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria)
- *several unidentified flies
- *unidentified caddis fly.
- 7 midges were on the leeward wall of the sailing club HQ

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)
- Raspberry Beetle (Byturus tomentosus)
- *Common Malachite Beetle (Malachius bipustulatus)

Bugs:
- *Common Green Capsid (Lygocoris pabulinus)
- Red-and-Black Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata)
- *unidentified green bug

Also
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

Not my best effort. The Hobby that caused havoc amongst the Swifts and hirundines.

Another view. The good thing was that all the Swifts gathered together in a large spiral high overhead giving me a chance to make a reasonable estimate of the numbers involved.

A Plain Gold moth (Micropterix calthella). Note the yellow tuft on its head.

A very recently emerged Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum) resting on the boxing ring on the dam. But what is that green insect in front of it?

Good question! No real idea.

Meanwhile a close-up of the dragonfly's front-end.

The least common damselfly I see is Red-eyed Damselfly (Erythromma najas). The red eyes are not always easy to see but the solid dark top to the thorax is an easier way to recognise it.

The swollen hind femur suggests this is one of the Xylota hoverflies. The other features indicate it is an Orange-belted Leafwalker (X. segnis).

Here is another.

This spread-eagled male Black Snipefly (Chrysopilus cristatus) shows all the features well.

This is the dagger fly Empis tessellata.

A Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria) is another I can identify.

This fly is one I cannot.

Nor can I this one.

Probably a Bibio species of fly judging by the swollen front leg. It was resting wings akimbo on the underside of a leaf.

A caddis fly. There are many species and most are hard to identify.

The red tips to the elytra indicate this is a Common Malachite Beetle (Malachius bipustulatus).

Today there were very many of these Common Green Capsids (Lygocoris pabulinus).

The only thing on the street lamp poles this morning was a spider: a Clubiona sp.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:15 – 07:00

(107th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The only juvenile Coot I noted was a full-sized bird with the start of the white shield on its face. Immediately afterwards there was a big splash, turmoil in the water and the Coot was no longer visible. Whether it had flown off and was hiding or whether it had been predated (a Pike perhaps) I am unsure. If a Pike can take prey that size it is no wonder so few goslings and ducklings survive.
- A Bullfinch was calling near the medical centre which is not unusual. When it flew off, still calling, five other birds followed. I was too far away to see what they were: perhaps the other adult and four juveniles? Perhaps not!

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

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

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 1 Swift
- 1 House Martin

Noted on / around the water
- 64 Canada Geese
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 3 + 4 Mute Swans:
- 25 (21♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Peking(?) Duck)
- 4 (3♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 21+ ? Coots: see notes
- 3 Great Crested Grebes

Noted on / around the street lamp poles:
- *1 Silver-ground Carpet (Xanthorhoe montanata)

Noted elsewhere:
- Alder Leaf Beetles (Agelastica alni): in a sheltered spot

I found this Silver-ground Carpet (Xanthorhoe montanata) on one of the street lamp poles.

(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
Cuckoo
(Ed Wilson)