13.0°C > 17.0°C: A few early sunny intervals. Clouded from the West with spits of rain after c.08:45. Moderate southerly breeze. Good visibility.
Sunrise: 05:05 BST
* = a species photographed today
$ = my first sighting of the species for this year
$$ = my first ever recorded sighting of the species in the area
(172nd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- 14 Canada Geese when I arrived: eventually 32.
- two additional Greylag Geese.
- just one brood of a single Mallard duckling noted. Many "adults" are likely full grown Mallard ducklings.
- a duck Pochard again.
- all seven juvenile Great Crested Grebes from the four broods were found.
- the cool and cloudy conditions brought many hirundines to feed over the lake. Numbers quoted are minimum and likely more birds were involved. In particular a group of four (a family party) of Barn Swallows was seen heading determinedly East at 06:00 apparently thinking Summer was over!
- I will have to withdraw yesterday's log of a calling Garden Warbler. I heard the same calls today and as yesterday they were adjacent to an alarm-calling adult Cetti's Warbler. The calls may well have been juvenile Cetti's – these calls are not well represented on the xeno-canto site.
- I have no idea where all the usual passing Jackdaws and Rooks were this morning.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 9 Canada Geese: outbound together
- 2 Greylag Geese: inbound singles
- 124 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Lesser Black-baked Gull
- 1 Cormorant
- 2 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks
Counts from the lake area:
- 32 Canada Geese: see notes
- 3 Greylag Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 27 (?♂) + 1 (1 brood) Mallard: see notes
- 1 (0♂) Pochard
- 7 Moorhens
- 90 Coots
- 9 + 7 (4 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 11 Black-headed Gulls
- 15 Lesser Black-baked Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
Hirundines etc. noted:
as outlined above all numbers minima
- 20 Swift
- 2 Sand Martins: unusual at this date
- *15 Barn Swallow
- *8 House Martins
Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 2 (0) Cetti's Warbler
- 7 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (2) Reed Warbler
- 4 (4) Blackcaps
- no Garden Warbler
Noted on the West end street lamp poles around-dawn:
One with long outer tail feathers. These are longer on males than females. Apparently females choose males with the longer tail feathers. I wonder where aviators got the idea of biplanes from?
The dull and breezy conditions (and by now light rain) did not seem to deter the Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner moth Cameraria ohridella from flying around and occasionally, very occasionally, landing momentarily.
Not something I expected to see during daytime: I have only ever seen Bird-cherry Ermine moths Yponomeuta evonymella on street lamp poles at dawn. It is well camouflaged against the Common Hogweed Heracleum sphondylium.
Here it is sharing the space with a male Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare
and two unidentified creatures. A bug and a beetle perhaps.
Another "two for the price of one". A female Chequered Hoverfly shares Common Hogweed with a mirid bug Orthops sp. possibly Orthops campestris. I did not notice the bug at the time otherwise I would have tried for a better photo.
My "find of the day" and a new species for me: it is a Red-belted Boxer Platycheirus granditarsus which for some reason Obsidentify calls a Hornhand Sedgesitter and places in a different genus as Pyrophaena granditarsa. The "granditarsus" bit refers to the swellings on the legs of the male whereas this is a female: she lacks any appendages.
This tiny fly is frustrating me. I have seen it several days recently and this is the first half-decent photo I have. Its well-separated head seems to be all-eyes recalling the dagger flies or even craneflies but it is tiny. Not showing here is its thin, tapered abdomen. It seems "tapered" rather than "pointed" as a female sawfly might be. A puzzle.
I think this spider is possibly Dictyna uncinata (or similar). They build a mesh web across a leaf and place dead insects as bait for other insects to appear – note the tiny fly visible bottom centre.
(Ed Wilson)
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
(169th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- back to six Mute Swans though one of them was hiding on the island for much of the time and perhaps two were yesterday.
- no Mallard ducklings seen.
- 21 Tufted Duck. It would be intriguing to note from where they come and go: clearly not the Balancing Lake. I doubt they all lurk inside the island.
- the smaller number of Coots logged likely because the dull weather made it hard to see the birds clustered along the edge of the island. One juvenile seen from a brood not previously seen.
- Now three Great Crested Grebes again. The bird sitting on a nest site at the top end was closely attended by another. The third was by the island throughout.
- the Grey Heron seems to be back "in residence".
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 3 Jackdaws
Noted on / around the water:
- 63 Canada Geese
- 44 Greylag Geese
- 6 Mute Swans
- 8 (?♂) Mallard only
- 21 (18?♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhens
- 62 + 7 (4 broods) Coots: see notes
- 3 Great Crested Grebes: see notes
- 3 Black-headed Gulls: all adults
- 1 Grey Heron
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 Swift
Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 2 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Blackcap
Noted around the area:
* = 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 // 07:25 – 10:00
(172nd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- 14 Canada Geese when I arrived: eventually 32.
- two additional Greylag Geese.
- just one brood of a single Mallard duckling noted. Many "adults" are likely full grown Mallard ducklings.
- a duck Pochard again.
- all seven juvenile Great Crested Grebes from the four broods were found.
- the cool and cloudy conditions brought many hirundines to feed over the lake. Numbers quoted are minimum and likely more birds were involved. In particular a group of four (a family party) of Barn Swallows was seen heading determinedly East at 06:00 apparently thinking Summer was over!
- I will have to withdraw yesterday's log of a calling Garden Warbler. I heard the same calls today and as yesterday they were adjacent to an alarm-calling adult Cetti's Warbler. The calls may well have been juvenile Cetti's – these calls are not well represented on the xeno-canto site.
- I have no idea where all the usual passing Jackdaws and Rooks were this morning.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 9 Canada Geese: outbound together
- 2 Greylag Geese: inbound singles
- 124 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Lesser Black-baked Gull
- 1 Cormorant
- 2 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks
Counts from the lake area:
- 32 Canada Geese: see notes
- 3 Greylag Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 27 (?♂) + 1 (1 brood) Mallard: see notes
- 1 (0♂) Pochard
- 7 Moorhens
- 90 Coots
- 9 + 7 (4 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 11 Black-headed Gulls
- 15 Lesser Black-baked Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
Hirundines etc. noted:
as outlined above all numbers minima
- 20 Swift
- 2 Sand Martins: unusual at this date
- *15 Barn Swallow
- *8 House Martins
Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 2 (0) Cetti's Warbler
- 7 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (2) Reed Warbler
- 4 (4) Blackcaps
- no Garden Warbler
Noted on the West end street lamp poles around-dawn:
Moths:
none
none
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
2 harvestmen Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus:
Noted later:
Somewhat hard work in the cool, cloudy and breezy conditions.
Butterflies:
none
2 harvestmen Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus:
Noted later:
Somewhat hard work in the cool, cloudy and breezy conditions.
Butterflies:
none
Moths
*6+ Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner Cameraria ohridella
*1 Bird-cherry Ermine Yponomeuta evonymella
1 Common Nettle-tap Anthophila fabriciana
4 Mother of Pearl Patania ruralis [was Pleuroptya ruralis]
*6+ Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner Cameraria ohridella
*1 Bird-cherry Ermine Yponomeuta evonymella
1 Common Nettle-tap Anthophila fabriciana
4 Mother of Pearl Patania ruralis [was Pleuroptya ruralis]
Bees, wasps etc.:
Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
*small ichneumon
Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
*small ichneumon
Hoverflies:
Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
*Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
Banded Meliscaeva Meliscaeva cinctella [Banded Thintail]
*$$ Red-belted Boxer Platycheirus granditarsus [Hornhand Sedgesitter Pyrophaena granditarsa]
Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
*Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
Banded Meliscaeva Meliscaeva cinctella [Banded Thintail]
*$$ Red-belted Boxer Platycheirus granditarsus [Hornhand Sedgesitter Pyrophaena granditarsa]
Dragon-/Damsel-flies:
none
none
Other flies:
*a few unidentified fly species
*a few unidentified fly species
Bugs:
Common Flower Bug Anthocoris nemorum
*mirid bug Orthops sp. possibly Orthops campestris
Common Flower Bug Anthocoris nemorum
*mirid bug Orthops sp. possibly Orthops campestris
Beetles:
7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata
Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva
7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata
Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva
Amphibians:
none
none
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
*possible Dictyna uncinata
*possible Dictyna uncinata
New flowers for the year:
None
The dull conditions brought the hirundines low over the water to hunt for flies. Mainly Barn Swallow. Here is one.
And from above. Note the outer tail feathers are not extended because this is an immature. If you look very closely you can just make out a gape-line.
You could almost have imagined it was going to be a nice day. Wrong.
Another.
Tail spread viewed from underneath.
Same bird?
A trio at various angles.
A House Martin crashes the party.
Most of the martins stayed high: this one didn't.
and two unidentified creatures. A bug and a beetle perhaps.
Yes well: a small, nay tiny, ichneumon wasp. No idea as to species.
And another two-fer. This time a male Chequered Hoverfly with perhaps another small ichneumon.
A merry band of various flies on the Common Hogweed.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
Moths: [27 species here before today; no additions]
*1 Small Fan-footed Wave Idaea biselata
*1 Single-dotted Wave Idaea dimidiata
*1 Riband Wave Idaea aversata
*1 Small Fan-footed Wave Idaea biselata
*1 Single-dotted Wave Idaea dimidiata
*1 Riband Wave Idaea aversata
Other Flies:
2 moth flies Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
22 midges of various species.
2 moth flies Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
22 midges of various species.
Arthropods:
none
none
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
2 Missing Sector Orb-web Spiders Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
After a blank day yesterday there were three species of moth in the tunnel today. Here is a worn and faded Small Fan-footed Wave Idaea biselata on the ceiling.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 06:20 – 07:20
2 Missing Sector Orb-web Spiders Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
Here a Single-dotted Wave Idaea dimidiata on the wall.
And a Riband Wave Idaea aversata also on the wall.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 06:20 – 07:20
(169th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- back to six Mute Swans though one of them was hiding on the island for much of the time and perhaps two were yesterday.
- no Mallard ducklings seen.
- 21 Tufted Duck. It would be intriguing to note from where they come and go: clearly not the Balancing Lake. I doubt they all lurk inside the island.
- the smaller number of Coots logged likely because the dull weather made it hard to see the birds clustered along the edge of the island. One juvenile seen from a brood not previously seen.
- Now three Great Crested Grebes again. The bird sitting on a nest site at the top end was closely attended by another. The third was by the island throughout.
- the Grey Heron seems to be back "in residence".
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 3 Jackdaws
Noted on / around the water:
- 63 Canada Geese
- 44 Greylag Geese
- 6 Mute Swans
- 8 (?♂) Mallard only
- 21 (18?♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhens
- 62 + 7 (4 broods) Coots: see notes
- 3 Great Crested Grebes: see notes
- 3 Black-headed Gulls: all adults
- 1 Grey Heron
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 Swift
Warblers recorded (the figure in brackets is birds noted singing):
- 2 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Blackcap
Noted around the area:
Butterflies:
none
none
Moths [on street lamp poles and in the grass] [57 species here before today; no additions today]
several unidentified grass moths
1 Riband Wave Idaea aversata
*1 Black Arches Lymantria monacha
several unidentified grass moths
1 Riband Wave Idaea aversata
*1 Black Arches Lymantria monacha
Bees, wasps etc.:
none
none
Hoverflies:
*Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
*Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
Dragon-/Damsel-flies:
none
none
Other flies:
less numerous different midges and flies
less numerous different midges and flies
Bugs:
none
none
Beetles:
larvae of Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva
*unidentified pollen beetles
larvae of Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva
*unidentified pollen beetles
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus: now seven, each on a different street lamp pole
male and female harvestmen Leiobunum rotundum
harvestman Opilio canestrinii
harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus: now seven, each on a different street lamp pole
male and female harvestmen Leiobunum rotundum
harvestman Opilio canestrinii
New flowers for the year:
None
My third splendid Black Arches moth Lymantria monacha this year, all on different street lamp poles here.
This Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare was the only species of hoverfly I noted in the dull conditions. It is here with an unknown pollen beetle.
(Ed Wilson)
(Ed Wilson)