16 Jul 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

14.0°C > 18.0°C: Early low cloud produced a light shower before clearing to sunny spells. Fresh south-westerly wind gusting strong at times. Excellent visibility.

Sunrise: 05:05 BST

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

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 04:55 – 05:40 // 06:45 – 10:00

(153rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The original Great Crested Grebe brood still contains three juveniles: two with one parent and another on its own as it has been several times. No juveniles seen from the second brood: possibly sheltering on the adult's back though I would have thought they were rather too big for that by now. A possible third brood at the West end: one adult with raised back feathers as if sheltering juveniles. Just possible this was the second brood pair 'out of place'.
- Another record of Sand Martins on an unusual date. It would be interesting to know where they have come from.

Count of birds noted flying over here:
- 94 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Jackdaw
A very poor total with no gulls seen

Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- no Cetti's Warbler
- *10 (6) Chiffchaffs
- 8 (5) Reed Warblers
- 4 (3) Blackcaps
- 1 (0) Common Whitethroat

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 6 Swifts
- 2 Sand Martins
- 2 House Martins

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 15 (?♂) Mallard
- 1 Moorhen
- 63 Coots
- *6 + >3? (>1? brood) Great Crested Grebes: see notes
- 23 Black-headed Gulls: all adults on the football field c.05:30. Later 11, presumed some of these, at the lake

Noted on and around the street lamp poles around dawn:

Moths:
- *1 Common Plume (Emmelina monodactyla)
- *+1 Dark Arches (Apamea monoglypha)

and:
- 1 plumed midge
- 1 spider, possibly a Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius)

Noted later:

Butterflies:
- Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris)
- Small White (Pieris rapae)
- *Green-veined White (Pieris napi)
- *Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
- *Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)
- *Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus)
- Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
- *Comma (Polygonia c-album): at least 10 individuals

Moths:
- +*Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner (Cameraria ohridella): first imago (flying insect)
- Common Marble (Celypha lacunana)
- Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- *Shaded Broad-bar (Scotopteryx chenopodiata)

Bees / wasps etc.:
- +*possible Ashy Mining Bee (Andrena cineria)
- *Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum)
- Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
- *Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris): many other wasps not specifically identified

Hoverflies:
- +*Two-banded Wasp Hoverfly (Chrysotoxum bicinctum)
- +*Stripe-backed Fleckwing (Dasysyrphus albostriatus)
- *Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- +*Stripe-winged Dronefly (Eristalis horticola)
- Stripe-faced Dronefly (Eristalis nemorum)
- Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
- Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
- Common Spotted Field Syrph (Eupeodes luniger)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- *White-clubbed Glasswing (Scaeva pyrastri) [was Pied Hoverfly]
- Common Twist-tail (Sphaerophoria scripta)
- +*Lesser Hornet Hoverfly (Volucella inanis) [also known as Wasp Plumehorn]

Dragon-/damsel-flies:
- *Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
- *Red-eyed Damselfly (Erythromma najas)
- Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum)
- *Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum)
- unidentified hawker-type dragonfly

Other flies:
- possible Pond Olive (Cloeon dipterum) mayfly: briefly settled on me!
- *+fly sp. with swollen mid-tarsi, possibly Dolichopus wahlbergi.
- Grouse Wing caddis fly (Mystacides longicornis)
- semaphore fly Poecilobothrus nobilitatus
- greenbottles etc., etc.

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)
- *7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)
- *Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis): adult and pupa
- Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)
- ++*dozens of unidentified small beetles

Bugs:
- none

Also
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

An adult and juvenile Great Crested Grebe from the first brood to emerge. The juvenile are almost full-size by now but still begging loudly for food.

A Chiffchaff.

Despite the black around the wing-tips extending down the trailing edge this is NOT a Large White. The strength of veins in the wings means it is a Green-veined White (Pieris napi). Spots in all four wings mean it is female.

Sunning itself is a fresh Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria).

Not so fresh is this worn and faded Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina).

Also sunning itself is a Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus).

The less-frequently seen underside.

A feeding Comma (Polygonia c-album). I used camera flash to capture the white 'C' (comma) on the shaded underside that gives the species its vernacular name. I defy anyone to draw the underwing pattern from memory! At least ten individuals seen today, continuing my best-ever year.

These marks on leaves of a Horse-chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) and made by the larvae of Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner moths (Cameraria ohridella). Several of the marks show the exit holes where the adults have emerged.

This is one of the adults. The wings are just one-third of an inch (8mm) long.

Another adult.

A moth present before dawn and which stayed around was this Common Plume (Emmelina monodactyla).

A Shaded Broad-bar moth (Scotopteryx chenopodiata) showing just how many shades there are in the 'broad bar' - and the rest of the wings come to that.

The other moth present before dawn also stayed around. A Dark Arches (Apamea monoglypha). It is a rather faded and / or pale example.

I think this may be an Ashy Mining Bee (Andrena cineria).

Another view.

Just to show that hoverflies do not look much like bees! On the left a Honey Bee (Apis mellifera); on the right a Stripe-backed Fleckwing hoverfly (Dasysyrphus albostriatus).

A delightfully scruffy Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum).

My first Two-banded Wasp Hoverfly (Chrysotoxum bicinctum) of the year. This genus of hoverfly has relatively long antennae for a fly.

Two Marmalade Hoverflies (Episyrphus balteatus). Rather differently-shaped abdomens with a slim male on the left and a thicker female on the right. Perhaps she is carrying eggs.

This may look like a male Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax) but the cloud across the wings indicates it is a Stripe-winged Dronefly (Eristalis horticola).

A very different-looking hoverfly being white and black rather than yellow and black. It is a White-clubbed Glasswing (Scaeva pyrastri) [was Pied Hoverfly].

Just trying to threaten is this quite harmless Lesser Hornet Hoverfly (Volucella inanis), a species also known as Wasp Plumehorn.

And a plan view of a different individual.

Damselflies are still emerging: this is a female Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum) yet to acquire any colour.

Another newly emerged female damselfly: this is a Red-eyed Damselfly (Erythromma najas).

Here a Common Darter dragonfly (Sympetrum striolatum). Almost certainly a female: adult males are red with young males typically showing more red than this.

The 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata) is easy. The accompanying fly with feathering on its middle legs is more of a puzzle. It is possibly Dolichopus wahlbergi, though there are several similar species of this group known as 'long legged flies'.

A pupa of a Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis).

I found several clumps of these tiny beetles. They were on leaves of at least three species of tree so there was no help there in identifying the species.

A side-on view. Looks as if they might be of two different species.

One of today's unidentified insects. Long antennae. I can't see whether it has a wasp-waist and might be an ichneumon.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 05:45 – 06:40

(142nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Another Common Sandpiper present
- As far as I could tell with most of them at rest on the edge of the island all the Black-headed Gulls were adults still in breeding plumage.
- Kingfisher heard only again.

Birds noted flying over here:

None

Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 4 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Blackcap

Hirundines etc., noted:

None

Noted on / around the water
- 151 Canada Geese
- 73 Greylag Geese
- 1 Canada x Greylag Goose
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 22 (?♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck.
- 13 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 9 + 3 (2 broods) Moorhens
- ? + 7 (4 broods) Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Common Sandpiper
- 26 Black-headed Gulls: all adults
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: departed
- 1 Kingfisher: heard only

Noted on / around the street lamp poles around the water etc.:
- +*1 Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus harvestman: first of season

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni): larvae only
- *Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)

A group of Canada Geese that has more or less gained their new wings though the left hand bird still has a couple of wing-feathers to grow. Their flight was short: they only flew the length of the water.

A Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva). This is an exceptionally bright example: most look like...

 ...this mating pair.

A Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus harvestman: first of season here. Identify by the long pedipalps. The two species are inseparable with microscopic examination.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash on / around street lamp poles:

Moths:
- 1 Little Grey (Eudonia lacustrata)
- *1 Small Fan-footed Wave (Idaea biselata)

and:
- 1 Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- *1 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata): pupa hatched
- +*fairy-ring progressing

An exceptionally smart Small Fan-footed Wave (Idaea biselata).

I was wondering when the 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata) was going to emerge from this pupa. Looking closely I see a hole at the end so it seems to have emerged and left the shell of the pupa.

Some of the fungus in the fairy ring. No idea as to the species.

(Ed Wilson)

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Priorslee Avenue tunnel

Nothing noted

(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 Flash
Oystercatcher
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Priorslee Lake
Ruddy Duck
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 drake Ruddy Duck
(Ed Wilson)