19 Jul 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

14.0°C > 16.0°C: Mostly low cloud with spells of mainly light drizzle. Some sunnier moments developing. Light / moderate north-easterly breeze. Excellent visibility.
Sunrise: 05:09 BST

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

Priorslee Balancing Lake:: 04:50 – 05:45 // 07:00 – 09:45

(156th visit of the year)

Almost all bird song much reduced. For some reason this morning Song Thrushes bucked the trend with six in song.

Bird notes:
- Only the three juveniles from the original Great Crested Grebe brood noted.
- Since mid-March I have heard one or two Sky Larks singing from the fields to the East. This morning one flew overhead calling heading south-west. An unusual date for birds to pass.

Count of birds noted flying over here:
- 11 Greylag Geese: two groups outbound
- 3 Feral Pigeons: together
- 1 Stock Dove
- 141 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Herring Gull
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Jackdaws
- 1 Sky Lark

Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- *10 (5) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (1) Reed Warblers
- 4 (3) Blackcaps
- 1 (0) Common Whitethroat

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 3 Swifts
- 2 Barn Swallows
- 12 House Martins at least high over the football field c.05:25

Counts from the lake area:
- 4 Canada Geese: throughout and unmolested by the cob Mute Swan.
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 18 (?♂) Mallard
- 2 (?♂) Tufted Duck: arrived
- 2 + 2 (2 broods) Moorhen
- 66 Coots
- 7 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- *55 Black-headed Gulls: all on the football field c.05:30: first juvenile of the year here among them. No more than eight at the lake.

Noted on and around the street lamp poles around dawn:

Moths:
- *1 micro-moth: just perhaps Black-headed Dwarf (Elachista atricomella)
- 1 Little Grey (Eudonia lacustrata)
- *2 Common Plume (Emmelina monodactyla)
- *1 Large Emerald (Geometra papilionaria): same as yesterday
- *1 Riband Wave (Idaea aversata)
- *+1 Common Wave (Cabera exanthemata)

and:
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus harvestman

Noted later:
Dull and damp conditions restricted things flying

Butterflies:
- *Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
- Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus)

Moths:
- Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner (Cameraria ohridella): very many
- Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- *+Inlaid Grass-veneer (Crambus pascuella)
- Satin Grass-veneer (Crambus perlella)
- *Latticed Heath (Chiasmia clathrata)

Bees / wasps etc.:
- Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum)
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)

Hoverflies:
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Stripe-winged Dronefly (Eristalis horticola)
- White-clubbed Glasswing (Scaeva pyrastri) [was Pied Hoverfly]
- Syrphus sp. (S. ribesii / S. vitripennis)
- *unidentified possible hoverfly sp.

Dragon-/damsel-flies:
- *Red-eyed Damselfly (Erythromma najas)

Other flies:
- *++Little Snipe Fly (Chrysopilus asiliformis)
- Black Snipefly (Chrysopilus cristatus)
- *fly sp. with swollen mid-tarsi, possibly Dolichopus wahlbergi.
- *semaphore fly Poecilobothrus nobilitatus
- *Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria)
- *several more interesting-looking unidentified flies

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni): larvae
- *Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis): conspicua form
- very few of the unidentified small beetles first noted Sunday (16th) remain

Bugs:
- **plant bug Campyloneura virgula
- One from the Anthocoris group
- *Common Froghopper (Philaenus spumarius)

Also
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

In the half-light around dawn I noted the first brown-toned juvenile Black-headed Gull on the football field.

A Chiffchaff, probably a juvenile.

Who me?

Butter wouldn't melt in its mouth.

In the drizzly rain this Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) had found a sheltered place to sit and try and warm up.

I am pushed for time today to do much research. This micro-moth high up on a street lamp pole is perhaps Black-headed Dwarf (Elachista atricomella). Would be a new moth for me. I'll try and get it checked.

Yet another of those pesky grass moths and a rather tatty specimen at that. The extent of the white area in the forewing means it has to be an Inlaid Grass-veneer (Crambus pascuella). All the markings toward the tip of the wing have worn away.

One of two Common Plume moth (Emmelina monodactyla) seen here today.

Still here from yesterday and staying until fully light was the Large Emerald moth (Geometra papilionaria).

Yet another Riband Wave moth (Idaea aversata). None of those seen this year has had the area between the outer cross lines filled in. Most odd.

My first Common Wave moth (Cabera exanthemata) of the year. Best separated from Common White Wave (C. pusaria) by the curving outer cross line on the hind wing as well as the rather browner tone to the speckling.

Not easy to identify with its wings closed is this Latticed Heath moth (Chiasmia clathrata).

A bumper year for Red-eyed Damselfly (Erythromma najas) for me. Another immature female and the only damselfly I saw today. Perhaps I have just 'got my eye in'.

I suspect this is a hoverfly but I cannot track down any species that fits with the white area in the middle of the front leg and the slightly swollen hind leg.

What seems to be a Little Snipe Fly (Chrysopilus asiliformis). This species usually shows bright green eyes. I suspect the angle is wrong for the eyes to catch the light.

A male Semaphore fly Poecilobothrus nobilitatus with its white wing-tips.

In some ways a similar-looking fly but somewhat smaller and with swollen mid-tarsi. It is possibly Dolichopus wahlbergi.

Is this a female of one of the above?

An old friend: a Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria).

 Today's interesting but unidentified fly.

 A Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) of the conspicua form.

Two plant bugs face off. The lower one is Campyloneura virgula. I am note sure about the other one: probably one of the difficult to separate Anthocoris group.

A Common Froghopper (Philaenus spumarius).

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 05:50 – 06:50

(145th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- no Black-headed Gulls today.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Jackdaws yet again

Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 5 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (2) Blackcap

Hirundines etc., noted:

None

Noted on / around the water
- 139 Canada Geese
- 58 Greylag Geese
- 1 Canada x Greylag Goose
- 3 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 28 (?♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck.
- 15 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- *8 + 2 (1 brood) Moorhens
- ? + 4 (2 broods) Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- no Black-headed Gulls
- *1 Grey Heron

Noted on / around the street lamp poles around the water etc.:

Moths:
- *unidentified micro-moth
- 2 Garden Grass-veneers (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- +1 Single-dotted Wave (Idaea dimidiata)
- *1 Green Pug (Pasiphila rectangulata)
- *1 Engrailed (Ectropis crepuscularia)

other things:
- *2 'looper' caterpillars, probably of Geometer moths
- Black Snipefly (Chrysopilus cristatus): female
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus harvestman

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni): larvae
- Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)

An adult Moorhen with a still unfledged juvenile.

 A Grey Heron is king of the castle on a roof in Derwent Drive. Scouting for fish ponds no doubt.

Another micro-moth that I will have to have another think about.

The best photo I could manage of a Green Pug moth (Pasiphila rectangulata) way up a street lamp pole in the gloom o squirrel alley. It is not very green-looking: this colouration is usually quickly anyway. The format of the dark areas along the leading edge of the wing suggest this species.

 In contrast the most cleanly marked Engrailed moth (Ectropis crepuscularia) I have noted this year.

This appears to be a 'looper' caterpillar one of two on the same street lamp pole. Such caterpillars are usually of geometer moths, so-named from their looper caterpillars measuring an equal distance as they move forward.

(Ed Wilson)

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

Moths:
- 1 Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- *1 unidentified micro-moth

also
- Semaphore fly Poecilobothrus nobilitatus

This micro-moth hiding amongst the darkest foliage nevertheless stood out as being different. Despite the apparent clarity of the markings I have so far been unable to track it down.

(Ed Wilson)

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Noted in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel

Moths:
- *1 Dun-bar moth (Cosmia trapezina)

On the ceiling I found my first Dun-bar moth (Cosmia trapezina) of the year. Not a very well-marked example.

(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

2011
Priorslee Lake
4 Common Sandpiper
Female Ruddy Duck
(John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
A male Cockatiel
1 drake Ruddy Duck
(Ed Wilson)