8.0°C > 10.0°C: Medium/low overcast. Light easterly breeze developing. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 05:10 BST
* = a species photographed today.
$ = my first sighting of the species for this year
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:10 – 06:20 // 07:30 – 09:40
(121st visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- the pair of Canada Geese still with a single gosling
- *the pair of Greylag Geese still with four goslings.
- *a drake Gadwall only arrived from the East.
- the duck Pochard in her usual place.
- no Great Crested Grebe juveniles seen, likely due to the dull and chilly conditions – there were very few juvenile Coots seen.
- only one Garden Warbler was singing. Whether the other one – the first to arrive - has found a mate and now getting on with nesting or whether he has given up and moved on is hard to say.
- a Common Whitethroat was singing from the West end hedge. Likely a new arrival rather than any of the earlier birds reappearing.
- Starlings, including fledged juveniles, were heard only from somewhere behind the academy. None was noted ferrying food to nests in the estate.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 6 Wood Pigeons
- 5 Herring Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 4 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook
Counts from the lake area:
- 5 + 1 (1 brood) Canada Geese
- *2 + 4 (1 brood) Greylag Geese
- 1 Mute Swan: the other resident assumed to be on the nest
- *1 (1♂) Gadwall: see notes
- 5 (4♂) Mallard
- 1 (0♂) Pochard
- 3 Moorhens
- 21 + 2 (1 brood) Coots
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- *1 Cormorant: arrived
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 6 Swifts
- 1 Barn Swallow
Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 21 (19) Chiffchaffs
- 13 (13) Reed Warblers again
- 11 (10) Blackcaps again
- 1 (1) Garden Warbler
- 1 (1) Common Whitethroat
On the West end street lamp poles around-dawn:
Nothing at all noted
Noted later:
The lack of sun and the chilly conditions meant few insects were out and about.
Noted later:
The lack of sun and the chilly conditions meant few insects were out and about.
Butterflies:
none
none
Moths
*Plain Pollen-moth Micropterix calthella [was Plain Gold]
*Plain Pollen-moth Micropterix calthella [was Plain Gold]
Bees, wasps etc.:
*Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum
*Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum
Hoverflies:
none
none
Alder Flies:
Alder Fly Sialis lutaria
Alder Fly Sialis lutaria
Dragon-/Damsel-flies:
none
none
Other flies
*$ dagger fly Empis stercorea
*dagger fly Empis tessellata
*$ fly sp. possibly Fannia lustrator
*female Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria
*Common Crane-fly Tipula oleracea
*other unidentified flies, both boring and interesting
*$ dagger fly Empis stercorea
*dagger fly Empis tessellata
*$ fly sp. possibly Fannia lustrator
*female Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria
*Common Crane-fly Tipula oleracea
*other unidentified flies, both boring and interesting
Bugs:
none
none
Beetles:
Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
*Raspberry Beetle Byturus tomentosus
Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
*Raspberry Beetle Byturus tomentosus
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
*Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
*Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
New flowers for the year:
$ Wall Cotoneaster Cotoneaster horizontalis
*$ Ox-eye daisy Leucanthemum vulgare
*$ Snowberry Symphoricarpos sp. probably S. albus
A Plain Pollen-moth Micropterix calthella with the yellow tuft of scales on its head matching the colour of the Creeping Buttercup Ranunculus repens.
A new fly species for me. It is the dagger fly Empis stercorea easily recognised by the dark central line running down the thorax and (less easily seen) the length of the abdomen. I tried for a side view to show the "dagger" but it flew away...
This is a female Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria – the male are yellow. Another very hairy fly and another insect enjoying the buttercups.
Another Common Crane-fly Tipula oleracea. This is a female so the confusion species T. paludosa is easily ruled out because in that species the females' wings are shorter than her abdomen. Not only two of her six wings remain.
I am guilty again. I flushed the midge as I walked by and it flew straight in to the web of a Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
A not-exactly spherical Ox-eye daisy Leucanthemum vulgare. If my log is to be believed this is almost three weeks later than my first record last year....
..whereas this Snowberry Symphoricarpos sp. probably S. albus is in flower some two weeks earlier than I noted last year. It is being enjoyed by a Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum.
(Ed Wilson)
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
(118th visit of the year)
*The long-dead large Ash tree beside the path on the East side has been completely removed since my visit last Monday.
Bird notes:
- an additional pair of Mute Swans present. The resident cob was giving an only occasional half-hearted attempt to to persuade them to move.
- I noted three well-developed Mallard ducklings along the East side but could see no adult nearby.
- no Tufted Duck seen.
- only one juvenile Coot noted from what was a trio of well-grown juveniles a few days ago. Perhaps it was the cold but it did not look too perky.
- guess what: one Great Crested Grebe as bold as you like.
- a pair of Stock Doves was noted drinking from the island.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
Noted on / around the water:
- 19 Canada Geese
- no Greylag Geese
- 3 Mute Swan: the other resident presumed to be on the island.
- 21 (20♂) + 3 (1 brood) Mallard
- no Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 23 + 1 (1 brood) Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
Hirundines etc. noted:
- *20+ Swifts
- 4 House Martins
Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 4 (4) Chiffchaffs only
- 2 (2) Blackcaps only
Noted around the area:
At least 20 Swifts were wheeling and screaming overhead. Low light-levels against a grey sky made 'freezing' difficult and any plumage detail impossible. I am very trying.
Yet another unsatisfactory photo of a Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata. This one buried in leaves below a street lamp and flew when I tried to re-arrange the leaves for a better shot.
I found this Pale Tussock moth Calliteara pudibunda near the top of a street lamp pole in squirrel alley. My logs suggest this is my first record here.
Is this possibly a Grouse Wing caddis fly Mystacides longicornis? Only a very small percentage of this species have unmarked wings and while it appears to have long antennae I can only see one.
I have not found any sort of identity for this apparently distinctive small fly. It has a banded abdomen, a plain grey thorax and eyes set on the site of a proportionately long head.
Not as I thought a small mayfly with the usual long "tail" but a dead fly, species unknown, hanging by a spider's web.
A spider using a buttercup as a lure, successfully. The only insects I can vaguely identify are "green fly " aphids around the edges.
It seems a bit early in the season but I am sure this is the harvestman Leiobunum blackwalli. The white edging to the oculum (eye-cups) identifies.
This is Red Valerian Valeriana officinalis, the only flower I have ever seen being visited by a Hummingbird Hawk-moth. Eyes peeled...!
(Ed Wilson)
$ Wall Cotoneaster Cotoneaster horizontalis
*$ Ox-eye daisy Leucanthemum vulgare
*$ Snowberry Symphoricarpos sp. probably S. albus
Family group. The Greylag Geese with goslings growing apace.
The drake Gadwall flew in. Where is its mate?
More questions than answers. I took this photo to illustrate that the apparent adult Lesser Black-backed Gull on the left is an immature (third year?) with dark tail corners the remnant of the dark tail band of first and second year birds. But then what about the bird on the right? It is very dark as if it is an immature Lesser Black-back but the tail band is not "neat" and the upper-tail is spotted more like a Herring Gull. The head is not too visible but looks pale. So? Can't say.
An immature Cormorant doing some water-skiing?
Very neat.
...unlike this dagger fly E. tessellata.
Red eyes, red thighs and orange bases to the wings means this fly.... is possibly Fannia lustrator.
This might, or might not, be a different Fannia species of fly.
"We love it – yeah! yeah! yeah!" say the Raspberry Beatles Byturus tomentosus!
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
Moths:
none
none
Flies
6 owl midges Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly, Moth Fly or Owl Fly] again
10 midges of various species.
6 owl midges Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly, Moth Fly or Owl Fly] again
10 midges of various species.
Arthropods:
1 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 06:25 – 07:25
1 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 06:25 – 07:25
(118th visit of the year)
*The long-dead large Ash tree beside the path on the East side has been completely removed since my visit last Monday.
Bird notes:
- an additional pair of Mute Swans present. The resident cob was giving an only occasional half-hearted attempt to to persuade them to move.
- I noted three well-developed Mallard ducklings along the East side but could see no adult nearby.
- no Tufted Duck seen.
- only one juvenile Coot noted from what was a trio of well-grown juveniles a few days ago. Perhaps it was the cold but it did not look too perky.
- guess what: one Great Crested Grebe as bold as you like.
- a pair of Stock Doves was noted drinking from the island.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
Noted on / around the water:
- 19 Canada Geese
- no Greylag Geese
- 3 Mute Swan: the other resident presumed to be on the island.
- 21 (20♂) + 3 (1 brood) Mallard
- no Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 23 + 1 (1 brood) Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
Hirundines etc. noted:
- *20+ Swifts
- 4 House Martins
Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 4 (4) Chiffchaffs only
- 2 (2) Blackcaps only
Noted around the area:
Moths
*1 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata
*$ 1 Pale Tussock Calliteara pudibunda
*1 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata
*$ 1 Pale Tussock Calliteara pudibunda
Bees, wasps etc.:
1 Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
1 Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
Flies:
*$ 1 possible Grouse Wing caddis fly Mystacides longicornis
*$ "green fly" aphids
numerous different midges
*$ 1 possible Grouse Wing caddis fly Mystacides longicornis
*$ "green fly" aphids
numerous different midges
Beetles
Alder Leaf Beetles Agelastica alni
Alder Leaf Beetles Agelastica alni
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
*$ 1 harvestman, presumed Leiobunum blackwalli
*$ 1 harvestman, presumed Leiobunum blackwalli
New flowers noted:
*$ Red Valerian Valeriana officinalis
*$ Red Valerian Valeriana officinalis
I could not see any adults near this trio of well-grown Mallard ducklings.
Where once a large dead Ash tree stood, sprouting an amazing collection of Honey Fungus Armillaria mellea each Autumn.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2012
Priorslee Lake
Yellow Wagtail
Grasshopper Warbler
(Ed Wilson)
2007
Priorslee Lake
Wheatear
1 Ruddy Duck
(Malcolm Thompson/Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
Cuckoo
2 Ruddy Ducks
(Ed Wilson)
Priorslee Lake
Yellow Wagtail
Grasshopper Warbler
(Ed Wilson)
2007
Priorslee Lake
Wheatear
1 Ruddy Duck
(Malcolm Thompson/Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
Cuckoo
2 Ruddy Ducks
(Ed Wilson)