8 Jul 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

12.0°C > 16.0°C: A few thundery-looking clouds, otherwise sunny. Moderate south-easterly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 04:56 BST

Another quick canter around both locations before heading off for the day.

Photos
None today

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

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 04:40 – 05:15 // 06:15 – 07:30

(150th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- The second pair of Great Crested Grebes have at least two juveniles. Only one of the original trio noted on my quick canter around.
- Cetti's Warbler back in full voice.
- Two Sedge Warblers singing again

Non-exhaustive count of birds noted flying over here:
- 15 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Herring Gull
- 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
** numbers affected by my single speedy circuit.
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler
- 9 (8) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (2) Sedge Warblers
- 5 (5) Reed Warblers
- 6 (6) Blackcaps

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 4 Swifts
- 6 Barn Swallows
- 2 House Martins

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 10 (?♂) Mallard
- 4 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhen
- 25 Coots: presumably most still hiding in the reeds
- 8 + 3 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Black-headed Gulls: two adult; one first year yet again

Noted on and around the street lamp poles around dawn:

Moths:
- 1 Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- +1 Swallow-tailed Moth (Ourapteryx sambucaria)
- 3 Round-winged Muslin (Thumatha senex)

Noted later:

Butterflies:
- Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris)
- Small White (Pieris rapae)
- Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)
- Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus)

Moths:
- Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella) [not all grass moths specifically identified]

Bees / wasps etc.:
- Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris) [not all wasps specifically identified]

Hoverflies:
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Syrphus sp. (S. ribesii / S. vitripennis)

Dragon-/damsel-flies:
- Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
- hawker sp.

Beetles:
- 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)
- +Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis)
- Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)

Bugs:
- none

Also
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 05:20 – 06:10

(139th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- No Cormorants today.
- Two Grey Herons sparring

Birds noted flying over here:
None

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

Hirundines etc., noted:
None

Noted on / around the water
- 159 Canada Geese
- 82 Greylag Geese
- 1 Canada x Greylag Goose
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 18 (?♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck.
- 27 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- ? + 2 (1 brood) Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Grey Herons

Noted on / around the street lamp poles around the water etc.:
- 1 Small Dusty Wave moth (Idaea seriata): provisional ID
- dead Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- 1 unidentified plant bug

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni): larvae

(Ed Wilson)

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

Moths:
- 1 Riband Wave (Idaea aversata): as yesterday, dead in spider's web
and:
- 1 Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata): pupa

(Ed Wilson)

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On the roof of the Priorslee Avenue tunnel

- 1 micro-moth: to be identified
- 1 Riband Wave moth (Idaea aversata)
- 2 different species of cranefly

(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

2007
Priorslee Lake
A pair of Siskins close to the lake
(Martin Adlam)