18 Jun 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

14.0°C > 20.0°C: A clear start with cloud developing for a while. Light westerly breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 04:46 BST still (as early as it gets)

* = a species photographed today
$ = my first sighting of the species for this year
$$ = my first ever recorded sighting of the species in the area

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:00 – 06:15 // 07:30 – 10:05

(148th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- the Canada and Greylag goslings all still present and correct.
- both adult Mute Swans were away from the nest area for most of the time.
- *yesterday's duck Mallard with eight small ducklings had but seven today. There were at least eight more as remnants of the brood of 14 seen at the start of last week: I did not want to flush them to determine exactly how many. There was also a single very well-grown and almost independent Mallard duckling.
- the duck Pochard still here.
- a pair of Tufted Duck was present at 05:15 but not seen thereafter.
- a Little Grebe heard again from North-side reeds.
- a Common Kestrel was hovering over the South side at 05:20.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Stock Doves: together
- 7 Wood Pigeons
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 11 Jackdaws
- 6 Rooks
- 8 Starlings

Counts from the lake area:
- 4 + 1 (1 brood) Canada Geese
- 3 + 3 (1 brood) Greylag Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- *17 (?♂) + 16? (3 broods) Mallard: see notes
- 1 (0♂) Pochard
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck: departed
- 4 Moorhens again
- 34 + 14 (? broods) Coots
- 1 Little Grebe: heard only
- 7 + 2 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Grey Heron

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 4 Swifts again

Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 16 (12) Chiffchaffs
- 9 (9) Reed Warblers
- 8 (6) Blackcaps
- 1 (0) Garden Warbler
- 1 (1) Common Whitethroat

On the West end street lamp poles around-dawn:

Nothing noted

Noted later:
The warm conditions made many insects (but not me) rather "hyper" and difficult to track down.

Butterflies:
Large White Pieris brassicae
Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus

Moths
3 Common Nettle-taps Anthophila fabriciana
*$ 1 Barred Marble Celypha striana
2 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana
1 Garden Grass-moth Chrysoteuchia culmella [was Garden Grass-veneer]
*$ 1 Latticed Heath Chiasmia clathrata

Bees, wasps etc.:
Honey Bee Apis mellifera
Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum
Tree Bumblebee Bombus hypnorum
Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
*Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris

Hoverflies:
Bumblebee Blacklet Cheilosia illustrata
*Dark-winged Wrinklehead Chrysogaster solstitialis
*$ Verrall's Spearhorn Chrysotoxum verralli [Verrall's Meadow Fly]
Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
Meadow Field Syrph Eupeodes latifasciatus [Broad-banded Aphideater]
Tiger Hoverfly Helophilus pendulus
Common Twist-tail Sphaerophoria scripta [Long Hoverfly; Common Globetail]
Syrphus sp. S. ribesii / S. vitripennis
*Bumblebee Plume-horned Hoverfly Volucella bombylans [Bumblebee Plumehorn]

Dragon-/Damsel-flies:
Azure Damselfly Coenagrion puella [Azure Bluet]
Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum [Common Bluet]
Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans [Common Bluetail]
NB: many of the 100+ damselflies were not identified and there may have been other species

Lacewings:
none

Other flies:
Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus
dagger fly Empis livida
*$$ dance fly Hybos culiciformis (or similar)
Grouse Wing caddis fly Mystacides longicornis
Scorpion Fly Panorpa sp.
Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria
plus
usual other boring and / or strange flies

Bugs:
*nymph of Red Bug Deraeocoris ruber

Beetles:
Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata
larvae of Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis: many
pupae of Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis: >10
adults of Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis all var. succinea
Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis [False Oil Beetle or Thick-legged Flower Beetle]
*Spotted Longhorn Beetle Rutpela maculata [formerly Strangalia maculata]

Slugs, snails etc.:
White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
none

New flowers for the year:
*$ Common Marsh Orchid Dactylorhiza praetermissa ssp. junialis - perhaps
*$ Great Hairy Willowherb Epilobium hirsutum [also Great(er) Willowherb]
*Broad-leaved Willowherb Epilobium montanum
*$ Tall Tutsan: a cross of Tutsan Hypericum androsaemum with Stinking Tutsan H. hircinum
*$ Bee Orchid Ophrys apifera

More in the way of contrails from the early arrivals from the USA in to Middle Europe otherwise a "much the same" sunrise.

Yesterday this Mallard had eight ducklings. Just seven today.

I did not want to flush these Mallard from their hiding place. There were at least eight mid-sized ducklings with the adult duck.

Well it was 05:15 against what light there was. The Common Kestrel looks to have had a challenging breeding season!

A female Pied Wagtail looks over her shoulder.

And again. Most books tell you that the female has a grey back and the male has a black back. This shows that females can have an admixture of grey and black feathers.

This micro-moth is a Barred Marble Celypha striana. My first this year.

It may look like a butterfly but the antennae are not clubbed at the tips so it isn't. It is a Latticed Heath moth Chiasmia clathrata. Also new for the year for me.

From this angle I thought this was an interesting insect. It isn't – it is just a Common Wasp Paravespula vulgaris at an unusual angle.

And here at an even more unusual angle. Makes my neck / back ache to look at it.

Only my second-ever sighting of this hoverfly – a Dark-winged Wrinklehead Chrysogaster solstitialis.

I think I have this correct though there are five very similar species separated by subtle differences in the shape of the black markings. My vote is for a Verrall's Spearhorn Chrysotoxum verralli known to Obsidentify as a Verrall's Meadow Fly. A species I rarely see.

A male Common Twist-tail Sphaerophoria scripta for which perhaps the old name of Long Hoverfly is more apposite.

A Bumblebee Plume-horned Hoverfly Volucella bombylans. It defeats me: when I reviewed the photo on the camera's screen I could clearly make out the "plume horns" of the antennae. Transferring the photo to the PC and cropping it slightly and I cannot make them out!

A new fly for me: a dance fly Hybos culiciformis (or similar). According to NatureSpot there are three similar flies in this genus. The one suggested by Obsidentify has the two front pairs of legs red so it is clearly not that species. The one I chose is noted as the most common.

This is a nymph of a Red Bug Deraeocoris ruber.

A splendid insect: a Spotted Longhorn Beetle Rutpela maculata.

I get very confused with the orchids that grow close to the North shore. They are many different shades. I asked Obsidentify what this was: "Common Marsh Orchid Dactylorhiza praetermissa ssp. junialis". Well perhaps: but why were the leaves faintly spotted?

I did say I would identify the willowherb that appeared in a photo a few days ago. This isn't it! This is Great Hairy Willowherb Epilobium hirsutum [also Great(er) Willowherb]

Whereas this is! It is Broad-leaved Willowherb Epilobium montanum

Obsidentify told me this was Tall Tutsan: a cross between Tutsan Hypericum androsaemum and Stinking Tutsan H. hircinum.

Possibly my find of the day. One of about twenty spikes of Bee Orchid Ophrys apifera I noted. It must be 15 years since the occasional spike along the North side was last seen, my final sighting was of a spike that "disappeared" overnight. Today's find was, sadly, in an area that is likely to be trampled: the spikes and flowers are not very obvious among clover. I can but hope.

(Ed Wilson)

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

In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
1 Green Pug Pasiphila rectangulata: as yesterday
*1 $ Small Dusty Wave Idaea seriata

Flies
3 moth flies Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
22 other midges of various species.

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
1 unidentified spider

A new moth for the year: a Small Dusty Wave Idaea seriata

(Ed Wilson)

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

The Flash: 06:20 – 07:25

(148th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- now eight adult Mute Swans!
- three Great Crested Grebes: one near the island calling; and two mostly at the top end.
- the Great (White) Egret still present

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

Noted on / around the water:
- 105 Canada Geese
- 30 Greylag Geese
- 1 mainly white feral goose
- 8 Mute Swans
- 21 (?♂) Mallard
- 4 Moorhens
- 19 + 5 (3 broods) Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Great (White) Egret

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 6 Swifts
- 4 House Martins

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

Noted around the area:

Moths
*1 $ Light Emerald Campaea margaritaria

Bees, wasps etc.:
Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
*$$ ichneumon Amblyteles armatorius

Hoverflies:
Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus

Other flies:
Grouse Wing caddis fly Mystacides longicornis
plus numerous different midges and flies

Bugs:
none

Beetles:
adult Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
larvae and pupae of Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis

Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
none

Another new moth for the year: a Light Emerald Campaea margaritaria. Being green, albeit a very pale green, the colour has faded away.

In full sun it is not easy to see the detail on this ichneumon Amblyteles armatorius. I tried using my shadow to provide less contrast but the wasp was having done of it and flew off.

(Ed Wilson)

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

2010
Trench Lock Pool
4 drake Pochard
(Ed Wilson)