25 Aug 16

The Flash: 07:00 – 07:25
Location

Sunrise: 06:09 BST

15°C > 16°C: Persistent low cloud gradually descended in to mist. Almost calm. Moderate visibility, becoming poor

(85th visit of the year)

Notes
- just 5 Black-headed Gulls when I arrived; 4 of these flew off; then a party of 22 flew in and stayed but briefly; 5 more flew over later
- likely there were many more House Martins around: I could hear lots but only see those directly overhead

Birds noted flying over (in poor conditions)
- 5 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Wood Pigeons only

Hirundines etc. seen here today
- 3 House Martins (see notes)

Warblers seen / heard around the water: numbers in brackets are singing birds: song very sporadic now
- 4 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (0) Blackcaps

The counts from the water (as best as I could in the conditions)
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 11 Canada Geese
- 1 all white feral goose
- 43 (32♂) Mallard
- 18 (6?♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2 + 1 Great Crested Grebes again
- 1 + 4 (3 broods) Moorhens
- 14 + 3 (2? broods) Coots
- 27 Black-headed Gulls (8 juveniles)
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull – the same adult?

(Ed Wilson)

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Priorslee Lake:
Location

Early Morning: 06:15

1 Shoveler

(John Isherwood)

Mid-morning report: 07:30 – 09:20

(120th visit of the year)

Notes from today
- 3 Greylag Geese overhead appeared to be lost in the mist – where were they coming from / going to?
- one Coot seen carrying nesting material – rather hopeful at this late date I would have thought
- an apparently recently fledged juvenile Great Tit seen: this species, unlike the Blue Tit, does occasionally have a second brood
- many warblers jumping around today, mainly Chiffchaffs. Rather more birds not calling to make life hard especially as after the wet early Summer the vegetation seems particularly dense this year
- rather few Blackbirds logged as I walked around but then I came across the unusual sight of at least 15 birds together jumping around in the same (dead) tree. Against the light I was unable to determine the age / sex of them
and
- a Brown China-mark moth was on a street lamp: only my 2nd record of this attractive species
- a rather alarming-looking red fly seems to be Neuroctena anilis

Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
**in poor conditions
- 3 Greylag Geese
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 10 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Pied Wagtails
- 4 Greenfinches

Hirundines etc. seen here today
None

Warblers seen / heard around the water: numbers in brackets are singing birds: song very sporadic now
- 12 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (0) Willow Warblers
- 4 (0) Blackcaps
- 2 (0) Reed Warblers

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 20 (7♂) Mallard
- 6 (2?♂) Tufted Ducks
- 6 + 6 (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes again
- 1 + 2 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 51 + 14 Coots
- 55 Black-headed Gulls (22 juveniles)
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

About the only bird that there was enough light to photograph this morning: a sombre-looking Robin against a sombre background on a sombre day!

This moth is Brown China-mark (Elophila nymphaeata). The China-mark group is unusual in having aquatic larvae. The name derives from the pattern of some species in the group resembling Chinese characters, but since there are up to 50000 of those most things probably resemble at least one character.

This rather alarming-looking fly seems to be Neuroctena anilis (until recently known as Dryomyza anilis). From the web I learn it breeds in decaying substances such as carrion and rotting fungi. The adults are attracted to alcohol, such as in the fermenting juices of rotting fruit, and they sometimes accidentally contaminate alcoholic drinks. It is mainly a woodland species, on the wing from May until October and is widespread in the UK. That said I cannot recall seeing one before. I guess the blackberries, some of which are beginning to rot, would be the likely attraction.

(Ed Wilson)

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Nedge Hill: 07:45
Location

1 Wheatear

(John Isherwood)