20 May 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

9.0°C > 14.0°C: Clearing from the East otherwise a cloudy start with a huge double-rainbow though strangely just a few spots of rain here. Light easterly breeze. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:06 BST

* = a species photographed today
$ = my first sighting of the species for this year

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:10 – 06:20 // 07:30 – 09:55

(124th visit of the year)

One that got away. At c.05:30 I was reversing down the concrete ramp trying to photograph a Common Whitethroat a wader flushed from the south-west grass flew over the water and was not seen again. From a very brief view it flew like a Common Sandpiper but the single short call was different and too brief for me to identify. Bother.

Bird notes:
- the pair of Canada Geese still with a single gosling
- the pair of Greylag Geese still with three goslings.
- yesterday's trio of visiting Mute Swans were presumably the trio at The Flash today.
- a drake Gadwall seen early only.
- a duck Mallard still with a single duckling and accompanied by a drake today.
- the duck Pochard not seen.
- a drake Tufted Duck present throughout but mobile.
- the single juvenile Great Crested Grebe was in the water and begging to be fed.
- the first Grey Heron for a while was flushed at c.05:35 from the West end.
- a single immature Lesser Black-backed Gull was present c.05:45. An adult was on the football field at c.06:00. Then eight immatures with one immature Herring Gull were on on of the sailing club's platforms c.07:45.
- *two noisy family parties of Great Tits.
- just one Garden Warbler noted: #2
- *two different singing Common Whitethroats and at least one non-singing bird.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Canada Goose: flew South
- 2 Greylag Geese: pair inbound
- 5 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Collared Doves: pair
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls again
- 3 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks again
- 3 Starlings together: adult and two juveniles in close company

Counts from the lake area:
- 5 + 1 (1 brood) Canada Geese
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Greylag Geese
- 1 Mute Swan: the other resident assumed to be on the nest: see also notes
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall: departed?
- 8 (4♂) + 5 (1 brood) Mallard
- no Pochard
- 1 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 Moorhens again
- 28 + 15 (7 broods) Coots
- 6 + 1 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Herring Gull
- 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 12 Swifts

Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 20 (18) Chiffchaffs
- 10 (10) Reed Warblers
- 13 (11) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Garden Warbler
- *3+ (2) Common Whitethroats: see notes

Noted on the West end street lamp poles around-dawn:

Flies:
- 1 plumed midge

Noted later:
Early on the vegetation was wet from overnight rain. Later the sun came out and some insects started to fly.

Butterflies:
none

Moths
Plain Pollen-moth Micropterix calthella [was Plain Gold]
Timothy Tortrix Zelotherses paleana (was Aphelia paleana)
*Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana
*Silver-ground Carpet Xanthorhoe montanata
*$ caterpillar of a Vapourer Orgyia antiqua

Bees, wasps etc.:
*unidentified braconid
*unidentified ichneumon

Hoverflies:
Cheilosia albitarsus agg. either C. ranunculi [Early Buttercup Cheilosia] or C. albitarsis [Late Buttercup Cheilosia]
*Figwort Blacklet Cheilosia variabilis
Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
Stripe-faced Dronefly Eristalis nemorum [Stripe-faced Drone Fly]
Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
*$ Tooth-thighed Hoverfly Tropidia scita [Swamp Thickleg]
*$ Bumblebee Plume-horned Hoverfly Volucella bombylans [Bumblebee Plumehorn] var. plumata

Alder Flies:
Alder Fly Sialis lutaria

Dragon-/Damsel-flies:
Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum [Common Bluet]
Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans

Other flies
*cranefly Epiphragma ocellare [Picture-winged Cranefly]
*Grouse Wing caddis fly Mystacides longicornis
Tiger Cranefly Nephrotoma flavescens
many female Yellow Dung Flies Scathophaga stercoraria
*cranefly, perhaps Symplecta pilipes
Common Crane-fly Tipula oleracea
*many other boring and / or strange flies

Bugs:
*both nymph and adults of the Mirid bug Calocoris alpestris
*Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis var. succinea

Beetles:
Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
Raspberry Beetle Byturus tomentosus

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.

New plants for the year:

None

Behind me had been an amazing double-rainbow not by the rising sun. Sadly it has faded before I could get in to position so I had to make do with the sunrise.

One of a noisy party of juveniles Great Tits.

And another. Much more yellow-toned than the adults. This bird has recently fledged and still has a strong gape line making it look grumpy.

I was struggling against the low morning light to get sort of photo of this non-singing Common Whitethroat.

A better view of a Plum Tortrix moth Hedya pruniana. A common species of which I see several most years.

And a better view of a Silver-ground Carpet Xanthorhoe montanata. Note the feathered antennae indicating this is a male.

Sometimes evolution seems to go off the scale. How and why did this Vapourer Orgyia antiqua caterpillar evolve to look like this? A side-elevation.

And a plan view. I guess not much would be interested in eating it – except Cuckoos that have evolved to like and cope with hairy caterpillars.

Well now: a very small creature on the leaf of a sedge. Obsidentify suggests a Braconid wasp species. I must admit to being confused as to the distinction between Braconid wasps and Ichneumon wasps. It is in the log as a braconid.

For some reason this was identified as an ichneumon. As noted yesterday take your pick from over 2500 poorly documented species found in the UK.

This may or may not be related: I flushed the ichneumon off this leaf. Could this have been the ichneumon's prey?

Of all the mostly black Cheilosini hoverflies the abdomen shape makes the Figwort Blacklet Cheilosia variabilis relatively easy to identify. The larvae eat the roots of Figwort, hence the name.

New this year was this Tooth-thighed Hoverfly Tropidia scita , known by Obsidentify as Swamp Thickleg. "Thickleg" seems better the "Tooth-thighed"!

Not a bumblebee – note the short antennae. It is a hoverfly, a Bumblebee Plume-horned Hoverfly Volucella bombylans to be precise. This is of the plumata with the white "tail". The other nominate form bombylans has a buff tail.

I found this cranefly Epiphragma ocellare on the wall of the sailing club HQ. Obsidentify calls this species Picture-winged Cranefly which seem appropriate.

This is what a Grouse Wing caddis fly Mystacides longicornis is supposed to look like. Well-marked wings and long banded antennae. Not sure why I have seen two plain individuals as my first two sightings. I noted at least ten of these today.

A strange cranefly with dark thorax and abdomen. My best guess is Symplecta pilipes, a species I have not knowingly seen before.

Unidentified fly #1 amongst lichen on small twigs.

 Unidentified fly #2.

Unidentified fly #3. Just what has it found to eat / recycle? I shudder to think.

This is an adult of the Mirid bug Calocoris alpestris. They are not easy to photograph: they sit on top of leaves but as they see you approach they run underneath. Stealth!

Basking(?) in the sun is a late-stage nymph of the same bug.

The face on this Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis of the form succinea looks rather strange.

This is what they should look like.

Answers on a post-card! I have absolutely no idea.

(Ed Wilson)

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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
*2 White-shouldered House Moths Endrosis sarcitrella

Flies
8 owl midges Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly, Moth Fly or Owl Fly] again
21 midges of various species.

White-shouldered House Moths Endrosis sarcitrella #1.

White-shouldered House Moths Endrosis sarcitrella #2.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:25 – 07:25

(121th visit of the year)

Bird notes
A juvenile day today. Two pairs of Canada Geese with a single and a trio of goslings respectively. The Mute Swans have hatched cygnets but I noted only one in the water briefly before it joined others (hopefully) on the parent's back. And the pair of Mallard still have a single duckling.

Other bird notes:
- a trio of visiting Mute Swans, presumably those seen yesterday at the Balancing Lake, were getting little attention from the resident cob who was no doubt distracted by his cygnets.
- only one two from yesterday's brood of three juvenile Coots noted.
- just one Great Crested Grebe seen today.

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

Noted on / around the water:
- *22 + 4 (2 broods) Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese: departed
- 5 + >1? (1 brood) Mute Swan: see notes
- *19 (15♂) + 1 (1 brood) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) feral Mallard x ?
- 3 Moorhens
- 21 + 1 (1 brood) Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 8 Swifts
- 2 House Martins yet again

Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 10 (8) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (3) Blackcaps

Noted around the area:

Moths
*1 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata
1 Pale Tussock Calliteara pudibunda: for its fourth day though rotated 90 degrees.

Flies:
Grouse Wing caddis fly Mystacides longicornis
many female Yellow Dung Flies Scathophaga stercoraria
unidentified deceased cranefly
numerous different midges and flies

Beetles
Alder Leaf Beetles Agelastica alni
Raspberry Beetle Byturus tomentosus

A long-range shot was all I could manage of this Canada Goose pair with three goslings.

Also not in a good position was this Canada Goose with one gosling.

A proud Mrs. Mallard with her only duckling.

A Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata of course. The hairs along its neck and abdomen are clear-enough so I think my failure to get a 'crisp' photo of the wing markings is because the markings themselves are blurred.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the Balancing Lake and The Flash:

Only thing of note:

- at least two now well-grown juvenile Moorhens on the lower pool

(Ed Wilson)

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2012
Priorslee Lake
Black Tern
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Ruddy Ducks
(Ed Wilson)