15.0°C > 21.0°C: A few clouds especially early. Some good sunny spells. A moderate easterly breeze started up after the usual almost calm start. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 05:31 BST
* = a species photographed today
! = a first sighting of the species this year
$ = a new species for me in this area
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 04:50– 06:15 // 07:20 – 09:40
(174th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- no geese early, probably all chased away yesterday by the sailing club's activities. A few later.
- my Great Crested Grebe report is what I saw. Somehow my heart was not in it today and I did not do a full-scan.
- no Swifts seen.
- at least one *Lesser Whitethroat was a surprise find in the Ricoh hedge c.09:20.
- a small group of eight Starlings flew East.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 11 Canada Geese: ten flew East in two groups; a single flew West
- 11 Greylag Geese also: all flew East as a group of ten followed by a single.
- 34 Black-headed Gulls
- 17 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Cormorants: together
- 56 Wood Pigeons
- 197 Jackdaws
- 83 Rooks
- 8 Starlings
Counts from the lake area:
- 30 Canada Geese: arrived in three groups
- 2 Mute Swans
- 49 (?♂) Mallard
- 4 Moorhens
- 65 Coots
- 5 + 7 (4 broods) Great Crested Grebes: see notes
- 26 Black-headed Gulls: 11 (of these?) were on the football field c.06:00
- 1 Herring Gull
- 16 *Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Grey Heron
Hirundines etc. noted:
- no Swifts
- 1 Barn Swallow
- 1 House Martin: heard only
Warblers noted (no song):
- 6 Chiffchaffs again
- 3 Reed Warblers
- 1 Blackcap only
- 1 *Lesser Whitethroat
Also noted:
It was very, very quiet
Butterflies:
- 4 *Small White Pieris rapae
- 1 Green-veined White Pieris napi
- 1 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
- 1 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta
- 1 Common Blue Polyommatus icarus
- 4 *Small White Pieris rapae
- 1 Green-veined White Pieris napi
- 1 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
- 1 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta
- 1 Common Blue Polyommatus icarus
Moths:
- 2 Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [was Straw Grass-veneer]
other grass moths mostly too faded to confirm their identity
- 2 Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [was Straw Grass-veneer]
other grass moths mostly too faded to confirm their identity
Bees, wasps etc.:
- Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius
no other bees seen
- Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius
no other bees seen
Hoverflies:
- *Dead-head Hoverfly Myathropa florea [Common Batman Fly]: just one
- *Common Twist-tail Sphaerophoria scripta [Long Hoverfly; Common Globetail]: just one also
- *Dead-head Hoverfly Myathropa florea [Common Batman Fly]: just one
- *Common Twist-tail Sphaerophoria scripta [Long Hoverfly; Common Globetail]: just one also
Damsel / Dragon-flies:
- *Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum [Common Bluet]: one female and four males
- Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum
an unidentified dragonfly flew by
- *Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum [Common Bluet]: one female and four males
- Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum
an unidentified dragonfly flew by
True flies:
- Greenbottle Lucilia sp.
- *fly Minettia longipennis from the Lauxaniidae family
- *possible Suillia affinis
very few other flies all unidentified.
- Greenbottle Lucilia sp.
- *fly Minettia longipennis from the Lauxaniidae family
- *possible Suillia affinis
very few other flies all unidentified.
Bugs:
none
none
Beetles:
none
none
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
none
On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:
none
On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:
Moths:
- 1 *unidentified micro moth
- 1 *possible Slender Pug Eupithecia tenuiata
Most gulls are undertaking their annual post-breeding moult (this also applies to immatures). This adult Lesser Black-backed Gull has five old outermost primaries still to be dropped and replaced. On the right wing a few short, regrowing inner primaries can be seen.
For once one of the local Common Buzzards from the copse across Castle Farm Way came far enough overhead to be "down-sun" of me and eased the task of editing the photo to show the plumage patterning.
This a Lesser Whitethroat. The first clue I had there might be one about was when I saw this flitting around but the calls were more like a Blackcap than a Common Whitethroat. The photo confirms the identity because there is no hint of brown in the wing and the tone of the head is a darker grey. The eye colour would have been useful but you can't have everything. It seems very probable that this species bred here this year: always difficult to prove.
It was (nearly) all Small White butterflies Pieris rapae this morning. As yesterday an annoying shadow across the folded wing.
This is a female Small White (black dots in all four wings – only in the forewings on males). This view clearly shows the black wing-tip marking that can be used to separate the "white" species. On Small White the inner-edge of the black is almost straight and the black down the trailing edge does not extend below the black spot in the wing. Size is of course relevant but good luck being certain about any isolated individual...
Not at all sure about this micromoth on one of the street lamps before dawn. Obsidentify thought it might be (54%) a Diamond-backed Moth Plutella xylostella but it clearly isn't. Google Lens suggested a moth in the genus Epinotia though the species given is not in the UK list. The genus did look promising but I cannot match the pattern in the Moth Field Guide.
And this Common Twist-tail Sphaerophoria scripta not at a very helpful angle. The yellow on the face combined with the yellow scutellum are the best features to note.
With red eyes on the side of its head; a black thorax with a grey lip to the scutellum; and silvery-looking wings with brown at the base all suggest this fly is Minettia longipennis from the Lauxaniidae family.
(Ed Wilson)
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
(171st visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- back to 17 Mute Swans visible.
- two Black-headed Gulls visited briefly and separately: an adult and an immature (or should that be described as first-winter by now?)
- two trios of Cormorants flew in to perch in trees on the island. Later two seen in flight over the water. From my position I was unable to determine whether these were two leaving (or about to go fishing) or yet more arrivals.
- three Grey Herons seemed to be at peace.
- one Little Egret.
- a Ring-necked Parakeet was calling loudly (do they do anything else?) from the houses / gardens in Derwent Drive. I was unable to determine exactly where as the calls were reflecting from the buildings. I then saw it fly off toward the trees between Ennerdale Road and the A5.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 *unidentified micro moth
- 1 *possible Slender Pug Eupithecia tenuiata
The Buck Moon is well and truly waning now.
Meanwhile it did not look to be a promising sunrise. However...
...it perked up.
And again.
...as here.
And I am not 100% sure about this one either. It is a pug moth and Obsidentify was confident it is a Slender Pug Eupithecia tenuiata. While this is a common-enough species Obsidentify seems to come to this conclusion very frequently when there are other confusing species of pug moths that are equally common.
Just two hoverflies seen this morning: a single Dead-head Hoverfly Myathropa florea.
A female Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum.
And one of three males I noted.
This red fly with no obvious dark marks in the wings seems likely to be Suillia affinis.
(Ed Wilson)
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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
Moths:
none
none
Flies:
- 8 midges
- 1 female presumed Pond Olive mayfly Cloeon dipterum
- 1 *female mosquito Culex pipiens
- 2 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
- 8 midges
- 1 female presumed Pond Olive mayfly Cloeon dipterum
- 1 *female mosquito Culex pipiens
- 2 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
Arthropods:
- 1 Common Rough Woodlouse Porcellio scaber
- 1 Common Rough Woodlouse Porcellio scaber
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 3 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
- 3 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
This female mosquito seems to be Culex pipiens. It is smaller and lacks the banded legs (and abdomen, though that is hidden here) of Banded Mosquito Culiseta annulata.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 06:20 – 07:15
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 06:20 – 07:15
(171st visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- back to 17 Mute Swans visible.
- two Black-headed Gulls visited briefly and separately: an adult and an immature (or should that be described as first-winter by now?)
- two trios of Cormorants flew in to perch in trees on the island. Later two seen in flight over the water. From my position I was unable to determine whether these were two leaving (or about to go fishing) or yet more arrivals.
- three Grey Herons seemed to be at peace.
- one Little Egret.
- a Ring-necked Parakeet was calling loudly (do they do anything else?) from the houses / gardens in Derwent Drive. I was unable to determine exactly where as the calls were reflecting from the buildings. I then saw it fly off toward the trees between Ennerdale Road and the A5.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
None
Noted on / around the water:
- 13 Canada Geese
- 3 Greylag Geese
- 17 Mute Swans
- 31 (?♂) Mallard
- 4 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 *Moorhens
- 40 *Coot only
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 2 Black-headed Gulls only
- 6? Cormorants, arrived: see notes
- 1 *Little Egret
- 3 *Grey Herons
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 House Martin heard only
Warblers noted (no song):
- 2 Chiffchaffs yet again
- no Blackcaps
Of note around the area:
Noted on / around the water:
- 13 Canada Geese
- 3 Greylag Geese
- 17 Mute Swans
- 31 (?♂) Mallard
- 4 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 *Moorhens
- 40 *Coot only
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 2 Black-headed Gulls only
- 6? Cormorants, arrived: see notes
- 1 *Little Egret
- 3 *Grey Herons
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 House Martin heard only
Warblers noted (no song):
- 2 Chiffchaffs yet again
- no Blackcaps
Of note around the area:
Moths:
- 1 *Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [was Straw Grass-veneer]
- 1 *Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [was Straw Grass-veneer]
Nothing else
The features to separate this Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella from Common Grass-moth A. tristella are well-illustrated here. On this species the white streak along the folded wing lacks the clean-edging shown by the Common Grass-moth. That streak soon splits in to four (sometimes five) "fingers" (two or at most three on Common).
(Ed Wilson)
Two of the three Grey Herons share the island with a Little Egret (and three Coots and a Moorhen).
(Ed Wilson)
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2012
Priorslee Lake
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)
2011
Priorslee Lake
Immature Common Tern
(Ed Wilson)
Nedge Hill
1 (imm/fem) Common Redstart
(John Isherwood)
2010
Priorslee Lake
4 Shoveler (all females/immatures)
(John Isherwood)
Priorslee Lake
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)
2011
Priorslee Lake
Immature Common Tern
(Ed Wilson)
Nedge Hill
1 (imm/fem) Common Redstart
(John Isherwood)
2010
Priorslee Lake
4 Shoveler (all females/immatures)
(John Isherwood)