8 Sep 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

17.0°C > 21.0°C: Clear when I arrived but soon clouded at both low and medium/high levels. Most low cloud dispersed later, remaining very hazy and humid. Almost no breeze. Moderate visibility.

Sunrise: 06:32 BST

+ = my first sighting of this species at this site this year.
++ = new species for me at this site.
* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:25 – 09:05

(184th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- No large gulls were seen to leave low from perhaps the Ricoh estate this morning.
- A low count of Coots today. Not sure why: the visibility was not good but not that poor either.
- A Common Buzzard flew out of the Ricoh copse c.06:20 again.

Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 20 Canada Geese: outbound in two groups
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 2 Stock Doves: singles
- 136 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 16 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 43 unidentified large gulls
- 2 Starlings again

Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler
- 15 (7) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (0) Reed Warblers
- 3 (0) Blackcaps

Hirundines etc., noted:
- none

Counts from the lake area:
- *2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Mallard
- 6 Moorhens
- 64 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 173 Black-headed Gulls on the football field c.06:30. A maximum of seven seen at the lake later
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: one adult; three first winters

On or around the street lamp poles at dawn:

Moths:
- 2 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa)
- *++1 Pinion-streaked Snout (Schrankia costaestrigalis)

Other things:
- several unidentified flies including another example with all-brown wings
- 1 plumed midge (Microtendipes pedellus)
- 2 other green-bodied midge perhaps Stenochironomus gibbus
- 2 wood gnats, probably Sylvicola fenestralis
- *1 Marsh fly (the Sciomyzidae family); perhaps Pherbellia cinerella
- *1 Birch Shieldbug (Elasmostethus interstinctus)
- 1 Red-legged Shieldbug (Pentatoma rufipes)
- 1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis
- 1 Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus)
- 1 Clubiona sp. spider
- *1 Metellina sp. spider, a female, possibly M. mengei
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus harvestman
- 1 male Leiobunum rotundum/blackwalli harvestmen

Around the sailing club HQ:
- many live and dead craneflies, some *Tipula paludosa
- 2 wood gnats, probably Sylvicola fenestralis
- 11 Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius) capturing craneflies
- *1 Walnut Orb Weaver (Nuctenea umbratica)

In the sailing club shelter:

Nothing unusual

Noted later:

Butterflies:
- none

Moths:
- none

Bees / wasps etc.:
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)

Hoverflies:
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)

Dragon-/damsel-flies:
- hawker sp.

Other flies:
- greenbottles
- *Grouse Wing caddis fly (Mystacides longicornis)

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni); adults

Bugs:
- *Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) larva
- *Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina): adult

Spiders / Harvestmen:
- *Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus)
- female Leiobunum rotundum

Also
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

A sunrise of sorts this morning.

The sailing club would be pleased with the cob Mute Swan. He is pulling weed out of the water and piling it up on the slipway. The cygnet are just beginning to show white in their wings.

They say don't take photos directly in to the light. They are probably right: even the photo editor struggles to make an acceptable photo of a Long-tailed Tit.

This is a Pinion-streaked Snout moth (Schrankia costaestrigalis). It is my first-ever sighting of this species.

This is a Marsh fly from the Sciomyzidae family of flies. It is perhaps Pherbellia cinerella but the dew prevents confirmation.

Sitting against the background of the rails of the boxing ring this Grouse Wing caddis fly (Mystacides longicornis) shows clearly the banded antennae. Why do some insects have banded antennae?

A cranefly that had escaped the jaws of the many spiders around the sailing club HQ. Without any of the usual clutter of vegetation it is straightforward to identify as a Tipula paludosa.

A Birch Shieldbug (Elasmostethus interstinctus). A less often seen species of shieldbug.

For a change an adult Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina).

Not far away from where I found an unidentified larva yesterday I found this Harlequin Ladybird larva (Harmonia axyridis) today. This species has been in small numbers this year – so far at least.

From above a Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus).

And a different individual from below.

This is a Metellina sp. spider, a female, and possibly M. mengei. Not a species I see very often.

A Walnut Orb Weaver spider (Nuctenea umbratica).

What is going on here? Seems a smaller spider has been wrapped up by a large spider. No idea about the identity of either.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:10 – 10:15

(170th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Mallard out of hiding! Someone was proffering food so that probably explains it.
- A Grey Wagtail was flying around. My first here since Spring.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Jackdaws

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

Hirundines etc., noted:

None

Noted on / around the water: better visibility than yesterday, but still dull.
- c.130 Canada Geese: arrived in four separate large groups
- 5 Greylag Geese
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 29 (20♂) + 4 (1 brood) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 53 (>18♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 72 Coots
- 4 + 1 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 22 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Herons

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

Moths:
- none

Other things
- 1 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider (Zygiella x-notata)

Noted elsewhere around The Flash:

Butterflies:
- none

Moths:
- none

Bees / wasps etc.:
- *Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)

Hoverflies:
- *Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- *Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)

Dragon-/damsel-flies:
- none

Other flies:
- craneflies: none specifically identified

Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni); adults
- *++rove beetle Philonthus marginatus

Bugs:
- *Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina): early instar

Spiders:
- Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus)

Also
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
- *++Gypsywort in flower (Lycopus europaeus)

34 Canada Geese inbound in line abreast (more or less).

And two arrive – a pair already perhaps? Of course one has its mouth open making a lot of noise.

 "My flower. Go away". Two Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) have a dispute.

This one feeding on a Dog Rose (Rosa canina).

Compare the bee with this Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax).

An unusually dusky Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus). They can vary in colour somewhat but I don't think I have ever seen one like this.

At the time I thought this was an earwig. Obsidentify pointed me to the rove beetles in the genus Philonthus. Reference to NatureSpot told me that the only species with "reddish-yellow lateral margins to the pronotum" is P. marginatus.

A very early instar of a Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina)

I have never noted Gypsywort in flower (Lycopus europaeus) in previous years.

(Ed Wilson)

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

- 1 Square-spot Rustic moth (Xestia xanthographa)

(Ed Wilson)

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Noted in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- *1 Square-spot Rustic moth (Xestia xanthographa)

Other things:
- 1 mosquito, probably Culex pipiens.
- 1 cranefly Tipula paludosa
- *1 cranefly Tipula rufina
- 1 owl midge Psychodidae sp
- 14 White-legged Snake Millipedes (Tachypodoiulus niger)
- 7 Common Rough Woodlouse (Porcellio scaber)
- the usual array of mostly unidentified spiders

On the ceiling I found this Square-spot Rustic moth (Xestia xanthographa), the best-marked example I have found this year. This is my ninth specimen this year of a very common species. I do not record this species every year.

Not all craneflies rest with their wings open. This is a Tipula rufina which sometimes rests with wings folded over its back – as here.

(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 Lake
Adult winter Mediterranean Gull
(J Reeves)

2011
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 juvenile Ruddy Ducks
(Ed Wilson)