13 Aug 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

14.0°C > 17.0°C: Mostly cloudy at multiple levels: a very few brighter spells. Almost calm star with light / moderate southerly breeze developing. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:48 BST

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

* = a photo today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:00 – 06:30 // 07:40 – 09:50

(163rd visit of the year)

+*Highlight today was a Great White Egret noted at the base of the dam between 05:30 and 05:45 when it flew off across Castle Farm Way and disappeared behind the roadside trees. Although I record this species here most years as far as I recall all previous records have only been of birds flying over. Bird species #93 for me at this site in 2023.

Other bird notes:
- A lone Swift was briefly over the North side trees at 08:25. Presumed to be different from the trio over The Flash earlier.
- At least 17 Chiffchaffs noted. This included five together, often chasing, among a party of Long-tailed Tits near the Teece Drive gate.
- Juvenile Reed Warblers heard begging from a different location to yesterday.

Counts of birds noted flying over here:
- >113 Canada Geese: 73 outbound in 16 groups; >40 inbound in three groups, largely obscured by trees for me.
- 15 Greylag Geese: outbound in two groups
- 91 Wood Pigeons
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: two adults; two immatures
- 1 Sparrowhawk
Nothing else

Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- *17 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 5 (0) Reed Warblers
- 4 (0) Blackcaps

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 1 Swift as highlighted
- 1 Barn Swallow
- 2 House Martins

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 9 (?♂) Mallard
- 8 Moorhen
- 2 Coots
- 2 + 2 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 41 Black-headed Gulls on the football field c.06:20: no juveniles. No more than 15 (of these?) at the lake.
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult, briefly
- 1 Grey Heron
- +*1 Great White Egret
- 1 Kingfisher

On or around the street lamp poles at dawn:

Moths:
- +1 Currant Pug (Eupithecia assmilata)

also:
- 1 Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- *1 female midge sp.
- 1 other midge
- 1 spider sp., probably a Common Candy-striped Spider (Enoplognatha ovata)
- *1 other spider sp. from the Clubiona group

Noted later:

Butterflies:
- none

Moths:
- Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner (Cameraria ohridella)
- Common Roller (Ancylis badiana)
- Satin Grass-veneer (Crambus perlella): fewer
- *Straw Grass-veneer (Agriphila straminella)
- Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella)
- *Pale Straw Pearl (Udea lutealis): many

Bees / wasps etc.:
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
!!!wasps seemed especially abundant today, perhaps because of the absence of many other insects.
- *Tenthredo sawfly sp.

Hoverflies:
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Stripe-winged Dronefly (Eristalis horticola)
- Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- ++*possible Smudge-veined Clubtail (Neoascia podagrica)
- ++*possibly one of the Platycheirus sp.

Dragon-/damsel-flies:
- *Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)

Other flies:
- nothing unusual

Beetles:
- 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)
- *Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni): larvae

Bugs:
- *Common Froghopper (Philaenus spumarius)

Also
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

The few breaks in the cloud were mostly around dawn allowing a colourful sunrise as here...

 ...and here.

The star bird today was this Great White Egret. I took this photo around 05:30 when I first realised that the pale shape at the far end of the lake was not the Grey Heron that I had flushed earlier. The yellow bill and its size make identification easy. I failed to get closer before it took off. Photos of it in flight were too blurred in the pre-dawn light.

A moulting Chiffchaff, one of a group of five birds chasing around the fast-developing Hawthorn berries (Crataegus monogyna). "No publicity please".

At first glance a candidate for a Satin Grass-veneer moth (Crambus perlella) but I suspect more likely a faded Straw Grass-veneer (Agriphila straminella) - the dots toward the edge of the wing point to this species.

Unlike yesterday's example this Pale Straw Pearl moth (Udea lutealis) reveals its wing patterning.

A rather better photo of a Tenthredo sawfly than I took yesterday.

This tiny hoverfly may be a Smudge-veined Clubtail (Neoascia podagrica). Or not! It is apparently the most common of the group though to be certain a crisp photo showing the wing venation would be needed. Beyond both my and the camera's capabilities.

I have drawn a complete blank with this small female hoverfly. The closest I can get is possibly one of the Platycheirus species. What I cannot match are the two thin white bands between the yellow spotting.

I get the feeling I am being watched by this female Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum). I am not sure whether this is an immature (a teneral) or whether this is one of the green form of the females. These become greenish-brown as they mature.

The main insect here shows no feathering to the antennae and is therefore a female midge. With bands between the segments of its abdomen it is likely a Chironomus plumosus: the males are plumed. I cannot say anything about the other midge – I did not notice it at the time and it is not clear-enough.

Not strictly a caterpillar but the larva of an Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni). The moniker 'caterpillar' is conventionally only applied to the larva of butterflies and moths.

A Common Froghopper (Philaenus spumarius) clinging to the stem of a Dog Rose (Rosa canina agg.).

A spider from the Clubiona group on one of the street lamp poles pre dawn

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 06:35 – 07:35

(151st visit of the year)

Highlight here was a trio of unexpected late Swifts performing overhead for at least 10 minutes.

Other bird notes:
- At last a few Black-headed Gulls. This date last year I was getting double-figure counts most days.
- Jays were calling from trees in squirrel alley. A word of caution: Jays can make very realistic impressions of both Common Buzzards and Tawny Owls. My 'Merlin' bird sound app. was fooled, telling me I was hearing a Common Buzzard when I was watching a Jay calling.
- Today's Blackcap was singing quietly near the bottom of squirrel alley.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Jackdaw

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

Hirundines etc., noted:
- *3 Swifts

Noted on / around the water
- 3 Canada Geese
- 3 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 23 (?♂) + 1 (1 brood) Mallard
- 1 all-white feral duck
- 26 (>7♂) Tufted Duck
- 10 Moorhens
- 36 Coots
- 4 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- *2 Grey Herons

Noted on / beside the street lamp poles around the water etc.:
- 1 Red-legged Shieldbug (Pentatoma rufipes)
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus harvestman

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:
- *Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner moths (Cameraria ohridella)
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni): larvae
- fungus, perhaps Peppery Milkcap (Lactarius piperatus)

 Two Grey Herons seems to be normal for here at the moment. Here is one in flight.

No mistaking the shape of a Swift. The cloudy weather precluded the camera obtaining any more detail. All the local birds seemed to have departed some days ago. I presume this morning's trio were just passing through. There was a singleton briefly at the Balancing Lake later.

Not easy to capture at the best of times and a grey day made it more difficult. This is a Great Spotted Woodpecker in its bounding flight, unusually with its wings open.

A more typical view as it flies by on closed wings.

In my category of "it won't win prizes" is this photo of a just-about recognisable Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner moth (Cameraria ohridella). My first image of this species here this year. The larvae have made a mess of the leaves as they feed on cellulose between the surfaces.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Moths:
- *1 Yellow-barred Brindle (Acasis viretata)

also
- 1 Grey Heron at the lower pool.

Another Yellow-barred Brindle moth (Acasis viretata). This specimen does look more yellow than the green-looking example I photographed two days ago.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Noted in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

- 2 Single-dotted Wave moths (Idaea dimidiata)
- *2 craneflies Tipula lateralis
- several midges
- 1 Common Rough Woodlouse (Porcellio scaber)
- 9 White-legged Snake Millipede (Tachypodoiulus niger)

I noted two of these Tipula lateralis craneflies. This species can be identified by the combination of the pale line running down the centre of the abdomen and the dark veins in the wing. This is a female with an ovipositor at the tip of its abdomen.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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 Lake
2 Common Sandpipers
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Priorslee Lake
Ruddy Duck
1 Common Sandpiper
>50 Linnets
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
Little Egret
(Ed Wilson)