Priorslee Lake and The Flash:
16.0°C > 17.0°C: Clearing somewhat after overnight rain. Shower later. Moderate, occasionally fresh, S / SW wind. Very good visibility except in shower.
Sunrise: 05:19 BST
NB: * = a photo today.
Priorslee Lake: 04:19 – 06:05 // 07:10 – 09:09
(146th visit of the year)
A most unusual sight was three female / juvenile Pheasants walking in front of the sailing club's hut. Apart from the pair on the academy playing fields for several weeks in Spring I have previously only seen and heard males here.
Other bird notes:
- Four Cormorants arrived overhead and circled for a while. Only one decided to visit, the others flying on.
- It was five days ago that I last saw the Great Crested Grebe juveniles from the NW area. So where have they been? For a while a single juvenile was on each of their parent's back. I cannot recall previously seeing both parents hosting juveniles. I have always assumed that the same bird, likely the female, was the guardian.
- High number of Wood Pigeons again. 156 counted flying E before 06:00; at least 330, mainly flying W, after 07:20. Of the latter c.200 in one very scattered group at 07:50 and another c.70 at 08:30. Amongst the earlier passage were 30 Feral Pigeons in four tight groups – these did not seem to be Racing Pigeons. None of this species was noted later.
Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 44 Greylag Geese (11 (as 10,1) outbound; 33 together inbound)
- 64 Canada Geese (48 (as 11,8,16,6,6,1) outbound; 16 (as 1,1,8,6) inbound)
- 1 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Cormorants
- 3 Grey Herons: 1 flew high W 05:00; 2 flew high E together 07:45
- 16 Black-headed Gulls
- 17 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 30 Feral Pigeons (groups of 3,5,10,12)
- 1 Stock Dove
- >486 Wood Pigeons
- 8 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook
- 3 Starlings
- 2 Pied Wagtails
Hirundines etc. logged:
- c.15 House Martins
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
No warblers heard singing here
- 12 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 7 (0) Blackcaps
- 4 (0) Common Whitethroats
- 5 (0) Reed Warblers
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 22 (?♂) Mallard
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron
- 11 + *2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 3 + 3 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 57 adult and juvenile Coots
- 12 Black-headed Gulls: again [but 27 on the football field]
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gull: two (near) adults; one first-summer
On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:
- 1 Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- 8 orb-web spiders of two species: perhaps *Larinioides sericatus and *Zygiella x-notata
Insects / other things etc. noted later:
No new species for the year:
A very meagre showing in the cloudy and damp conditions.
The full list of things noted:
Butterflies:
- Large White (Pieris brassicae)
Moths:
None
Bees / wasps:
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
Damsel-/Dragon-flies:
None
Hoverflies:
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
Other things:
- Common Frog (Rana temporaria)
Additional flowering plant species recorded for the year at this site:
None
The family party of Great Crested Grebes. They are keeping their distance from any vantage places for now.
A Goldcrest. These active sprites are very difficult to photograph. The big eye is a good clue to its identity. Note too the thin bill. The rather fuzzy' plumage suggests to me this is a juvenile. It would lack the crown stripes (incorporating the 'gold crest') if seem from above.
An almost equally bad photograph that just about shows there is no crown marking. Note the prominent white wing bar and also the bright pinkish feet.
A juvenile Grey Wagtail with very washed-out yellow under tail. Juveniles show neat fringes to the flight feathers. Note that the tail of this species is almost as long as the rest of the body – much longer than that of Pied Wagtail.
A Goldfinch with something to shout about.
Now deciding to fluff its chest out.
This is the typical orb-web spider I have been seeing by the light of the street lamps. I noted seven this morning, six of them around just one of the lamps. I think these are closest to Larinioides sericatus.
Around a different lamp I found this eighth orb-web spider. This looks like Zygiella x-notata, sometimes known as 'missing sector orb spider'. When the web is visible - it was not here - then one (or more) segments of the web are 'missing'. There are similar species...
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 06:10 – 07:05
(132nd visit of the year)
The mystery warbler revealed itself as a Blackcap giving an extremely unusual song. Just as well it stayed around long-enough for me to eventually locate it: all the folk I sent my sound recordings to were as foxed as I was.
Bird notes:
- A resident told me the 2018 cygnet had been found with a damaged wing after an altercation with a fishing net and has been taken in to care.
- Many of the Mallard and a few of the Tufted Duck were noted tucked up asleep on the island.
- My first Kingfisher here since early Spring. I would have thought it rather early for post-breeding dispersal. Perhaps not.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 3 Wood Pigeons
Hirundines etc. logged:
- 5 Swifts
- 4 House Martins
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 5 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (2) Blackcaps
Counts from the water:
- 2 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans (see notes)
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 19 Canada Geese
- 24 (?♂) Mallard
- 26 (13?♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 4 + 4 (3 broods) Moorhens
- 22 adult and juvenile Coots
- 27 Black-headed Gulls: *one juveniles
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult, briefly
- 1 Kingfisher
On various lamp poles:
- 1 caddisfly sp,
- 1 Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
Also
- 1 Grey Squirrel again
(Ed Wilson)
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Between the lake and The Flash:
Of note
Three moths, all on the same lamp pole
- 1 Common Grey (Scoparia ambigualis)
- 1 Small Dusty Wave (Idaea seriata)
- 1 Common Footman (Eilema lurideola)
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day..........
2019
Priorslee Lake
Today's Report Here
2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Report Here
2007
Priorslee Lake
Oystercatcher
300+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls
3 Herring Gulls
1 Yellow-legged Gull
1 Reed Warbler
3 Blackcaps
4 Chiffchaffs
4 Sand Martins
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
3 Great Crested Grebes
3 Herons
3 Greylag Geese
17 Tufted Ducks
1 Kestrel
6 Stock Doves
303 Wood Pigeons
12 Swifts
1 Kingfisher
4 Sand Martins
7 Swallows
6 House Martins
2 Grey Wagtails
8 Reed Warblers
2 Lesser Whitethroats
1 Common Whitethroat
1 Garden Warbler
9 Blackcaps
6 Chiffchaffs
2 Willow Warblers
3 Willow Tits
1 Jay
248 Jackdaws
485 Rooks
205 Greenfinches
3 Bullfinches
8 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)