12.0°C > 18.0°C: Scattered lower cloud before medium-high overcast. Moderate westerly wind. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 04:55 BST
* = a species photographed today
$ = a new species for me in this area
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 04:50 – 06:05 // 07:10 – 09:40
(125th visit of the year)
"Bird of the day" was a Hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus that had curled up while being closely examined by a Magpie on the grass just outside the Teece Drive gate c.04:55. I do not recall ever seeing one here previously and there are no records in my 14-years of tabulated logs.
Bird notes:
- a Common Peafowl (Peacock) was heard c.05:00 for only the second time this year.
- the seven Greylag Geese goslings present and correct. The pair of Canada Geese and three adult Greylag Geese and the seven goslings on the dam-top early. The pair of Canada Geese departed with a single and then a party of 13 arriving.
- a very new brood of eight Mallard ducklings seen: perhaps the same as yesterday's brood on nine? Also the two almost full-grown birds and a trio of almost independent ducklings.
- the trio (two drakes) of Tufted Duck apparently relocated to The Flash.
- just two juvenile Coots seen.
- now eight Great Crested Grebes
- a single fly-over Herring Gull was the only gull noted here.
- a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a species strangely scarce this year, was seen bounding away high to the East.
- both Common Whitethroats noted singing.
- the Garden Warbler was singing in the same general area as yesterday.
- a Mistle Thrush was singing from trees by the Teece Drive at c.07:20 and still at 09:30.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 51 Canada Geese: 35 flew East in five groups; 16 flew West together
- 1 Herring Gull again
- 5 Wood Pigeons again
- 11 Jackdaws
Counts from the lake area:
- 16 Canada Geese: see notes
- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Greylag Geese: the third adult throughout again
- 2 Mute Swans
- 24 (20♂) + 13 (3 broods) Mallard: see notes
- no Tufted Duck: see notes
- 1 Moorhen only
- 17 + 2 (one brood) Coots
- 8 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Grey Heron: departed
Hirundines etc. noted:
- c.10 Swifts over the eastern area
- 2 Barn Swallows: a pair feeding over the West end grass again
- 3 House Martins briefly over the football field c.05:50
Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 12 (12) Chiffchaffs
- 9 (9) Reed Warblers
- 17 (16) Blackcaps
- 2 (2) Common Whitethroats
- 1 (1) Garden Warbler again
Also noted:
With no sunshine, just a bright sky, numbers of insects were much reduced though a good variety.
Butterflies:
none
none
Moths:
- 3 Plain Pollen-moths Micropterix calthella [was Plain Gold]
- 3 Plain Pollen-moths Micropterix calthella [was Plain Gold]
Bees, wasps etc.:
- Tree Bumblebee Bombus hypnorum
- Early Bumblebee Bombus pratorum
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- Tree Bumblebee Bombus hypnorum
- Early Bumblebee Bombus pratorum
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
Hoverflies:
- Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
- Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
Damsel / Dragon-flies:
- Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum [Common Bluet]
- Red-eyed Damselfly Erythromma naja [Large Redeye]
- Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans [Common Bluetail]
only four damselflies were seen and all identified
- Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum [Common Bluet]
- Red-eyed Damselfly Erythromma naja [Large Redeye]
- Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans [Common Bluetail]
only four damselflies were seen and all identified
Other flies:
- Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus : at least 50: all males
- long-legged fly Dolichopus ungulatus or similar
- female Banded Mosquito Culiseta annulata
- unidentified Empis(?) dagger fly
- greenbottle Lucilia sp.
- Grouse Wing caddis fly Mystacides longicornis
- Scorpion Fly Panorpa sp.
- Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria
- Tachinid fly Tachina fera
- female Common Crane-fly Tipula oleracea
- otherwise many unidentified fly species
- Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus : at least 50: all males
- long-legged fly Dolichopus ungulatus or similar
- female Banded Mosquito Culiseta annulata
- unidentified Empis(?) dagger fly
- greenbottle Lucilia sp.
- Grouse Wing caddis fly Mystacides longicornis
- Scorpion Fly Panorpa sp.
- Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria
- Tachinid fly Tachina fera
- female Common Crane-fly Tipula oleracea
- otherwise many unidentified fly species
Grasshoppers, crickets:
- Dark Bush-cricket Pholidoptera griseoaptera
- Dark Bush-cricket Pholidoptera griseoaptera
Bugs:
none
none
Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
- Soldier beetle Cantharis nigricans
- 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata
- Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis var. succinea
- False Blister Beetle Oedemera lurida or O. virescens
- Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis [False Oil Beetle or Thick-legged Flower Beetle]
- Common (or Red-headed) Cardinal Beetle Pyrochroa serraticornis
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
- Soldier beetle Cantharis nigricans
- 7 Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata
- Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis var. succinea
- False Blister Beetle Oedemera lurida or O. virescens
- Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis [False Oil Beetle or Thick-legged Flower Beetle]
- Common (or Red-headed) Cardinal Beetle Pyrochroa serraticornis
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
- Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
Mammals:
- Hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus
- Hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus
New flowers for the year:
- Bittersweet Solanum dulcamara [Woody Nightshade]
On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:
Staying almost everything free!
- Bittersweet Solanum dulcamara [Woody Nightshade]
On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:
Staying almost everything free!
Flies:
- 1 plumed midge
- 1 plumed midge
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- the same presumed spider exoskeleton as yesterday
The camera sees things I cannot – and indeed did not until I expanded the photo even further. There are 14 Canada Geese here: the middle group in fact comprises four birds.
Mum Mallard was close-by though this trio of well-grown ducklings seemed to managing well. From the bill colour it looks as if the left hand bird will become a drake.
As a party of Long-tailed Tits sped through the vegetation I managed to grab a photo of a juvenile with the black side to the face. By August it will look like an adult.
This Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris has come to grief in a spider's web. I think this is unusual. I have often seen bumblebees fight their way out of webs.
A male Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax. Almost all the larger droneflies seen so far this year have been Tapered Droneflies E. pertinax
With a lack of sunshine I only saw four damselflies: this mating pair of Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum...
...and this male Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans. Most females of this species do not have a blue and black thorax.
This is a long-legged fly Dolichopus ungulatus or similar. Another group that is difficult (for me) to identify.
A female Common Crane-fly Tipula oleracea . This is indeed the most common cranefly through much of the year. Identify by the brown leading-edge to the wing and the dark stripe down the abdomen. A female with the ovipositor.
Unidentified fly species #2. It is a dagger fly and probably an Empis species. The thorax pattern that might help seems to obscured by perhaps a fungal growth.
A Dark Bush-cricket Pholidoptera griseoaptera . I did not see very many grasshoppers, and crickets, probably because they emerge later in the day.
The flowers of Bittersweet Solanum dulcamara also known as Woody Nightshade. All parts of this plant are poisonous though, I am told, you are unlikely to die unless you eat a lot. But don't eat any!
(Ed Wilson)
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
(122nd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- no Canada Goose gosling seen again. In addition to the 45 adults here at least 21 more had flown over the Balancing Lake having apparently departed from here.
- two Greylag Geese inside the island
- a trio of Tufted Duck (two drakes), perhaps the birds seen at the Balancing Lake yesterday.
- nine juvenile Coots seen from four broods. More adults are appearing on the water as their breeding season draws to a close and fewer are sitting on hidden nests.
- back to a single Great Crested Grebes.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 2 Jackdaws
Noted on / around the water:
- 45 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 7 Mute Swans: assuming the pen is on the hidden nest?
- 22 (20♂) Mallard
- 3 (2♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 32+ 9 (4 broods) Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
Hirundines etc. noted:
- c.15 Swifts swirling high up
- 3 House Martins, briefly over the East side
Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 5 (5) Chiffchaffs
- 5 (5) Blackcaps
Noted around the area:
- the same presumed spider exoskeleton as yesterday
Mum Mallard with eight tiny ducklings. Was this the brood of nine from yesterday?
Unusual to find a Common Buzzard stamping around the south-west grass.
Two Plain Pollen-moths Micropterix calthella enjoy pollen from a buttercup. The yellow on their heads in not pollen but a tuft of hair.
...here, with wings akimbo, my first Red-eyed Damselfly Erythromma naja of the year...
Everybody, including male Black Snipeflies Chrysopilus cristatus, likes a buttercup.
A female Scorpion Fly Panorpa sp. in all her glory.
Marvellous! A Tachinid fly Tachina fera
Unidentified fly species #1. The pale scutellum ought to provide a clue. Ought!
This is the common soldier beetle Cantharis nigricans
A male Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis on an Ox-eye daisy Leucanthemum vulgare flower.
Here is this morning's Hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus. At 04:55 I had to use the camera flash.
(Ed Wilson)
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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
Moths:
- 1 Common Swift Korscheltellus lupulina [was Hepialus lupulinus]: moth species #2 here this year for me (only 49 to go to beat last year's total!)
- 1 Common Swift Korscheltellus lupulina [was Hepialus lupulinus]: moth species #2 here this year for me (only 49 to go to beat last year's total!)
Flies:
- 30 midges of several species
- 2 unidentified craneflies
- 30 midges of several species
- 2 unidentified craneflies
Beetles:
- 1 unidentified small black beetle (not a flea beetle)
- 1 unidentified small black beetle (not a flea beetle)
This Common Swift moth Korscheltellus lupulina was on the ceiling of the tunnel. I have inverted the photo for a better(?) view. I see this species most years here.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 06:10 – 06:55
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 06:10 – 06:55
(122nd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- no Canada Goose gosling seen again. In addition to the 45 adults here at least 21 more had flown over the Balancing Lake having apparently departed from here.
- two Greylag Geese inside the island
- a trio of Tufted Duck (two drakes), perhaps the birds seen at the Balancing Lake yesterday.
- nine juvenile Coots seen from four broods. More adults are appearing on the water as their breeding season draws to a close and fewer are sitting on hidden nests.
- back to a single Great Crested Grebes.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 2 Jackdaws
Noted on / around the water:
- 45 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 7 Mute Swans: assuming the pen is on the hidden nest?
- 22 (20♂) Mallard
- 3 (2♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 32+ 9 (4 broods) Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
Hirundines etc. noted:
- c.15 Swifts swirling high up
- 3 House Martins, briefly over the East side
Warblers noted (the number in brackets refers to birds singing):
- 5 (5) Chiffchaffs
- 5 (5) Blackcaps
Noted around the area:
Moths:
- 1 Common Nettle-tap Anthophila fabriciana
- 1 Light Emerald Campaea margaritaria: moth species #14 here this year for me
- 1 Common Nettle-tap Anthophila fabriciana
- 1 Light Emerald Campaea margaritaria: moth species #14 here this year for me
Hoverflies:
- Migrant Field Syrph Eupeodes corollae [Migrant Hoverfly; Migrant Aphideater]
- Migrant Field Syrph Eupeodes corollae [Migrant Hoverfly; Migrant Aphideater]
Flies:
- Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus: all males
- probable Fannia lustrator
- Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria
- unidentified mayfly too far up a street lamp pole to ID
- other unidentified flies
- Black Snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus: all males
- probable Fannia lustrator
- Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria
- unidentified mayfly too far up a street lamp pole to ID
- other unidentified flies
Beetles:
- unidentified soldier-beetle type also too far up the same street lamp pole to ID
- unidentified soldier-beetle type also too far up the same street lamp pole to ID
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
One of the two drakes in the trio of Tufted Ducks. It is already losing the bright white flanks of a breeding condition bird.
I found this Light Emerald moth Campaea margaritaria on the overhang of a street light. Like almost all moths with a green pigment the colour fades quickly after emergence. This species is, as its name implies, never very green.
A Migrant Field Syrph Eupeodes corollae . With so many migrant Painted Lady butterflies around this may well be a genuine "migrant" though there is a resident population.
This fly is probably Fannia lustrator. The family does not seen to have a vernacular name. I cannot explain all the debris around its feet.
(Ed Wilson)
2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Sedge Warbler
5 Reed Warbler
(John Isherwood)
Long Lane, Wellington
2 Dunlin
1 Sanderling
(Andy Latham)
2009
Priorslee Lake
4 Tufted Ducks
Ed Wilson
2007
Priorslee Lake
Swifts
Kestrel
Great Black-backed Gull
(Martin Adlam)
- Long-jawed Orb-web Spider Tetragnatha sp.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Sedge Warbler
5 Reed Warbler
(John Isherwood)
Long Lane, Wellington
2 Dunlin
1 Sanderling
(Andy Latham)
2009
Priorslee Lake
4 Tufted Ducks
Ed Wilson
2007
Priorslee Lake
Swifts
Kestrel
Great Black-backed Gull
(Martin Adlam)