3 Jun 16

The Flash: 06:55 – 07:10
Location

Sunrise: 04:49 BST

7°C > 13°C A few thin high cloud patches. Light and variable, mainly E wind. Good visibility

(54th visit of the year)

Notes
- the pair of Tufted Duck were ‘lurking’ but no suggestion they were looking to breed

Birds noted flying over
None

Hirundines etc. seen here today
- 6 Swifts
- 4 House Martins

Warblers seen / heard around the water: numbers in brackets are singing birds
- 1 (1) Chiffchaff
- 1 (1) Blackcap

The counts from the water
- 2 + 6 Mute Swans
- 3 Greylag Geese
- 21 Canada Geese
- 1 all white feral-goose
- 14 (12♂) Mallard
- 2 (1) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Moorhens
- 14 Coots

(Ed Wilson)

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Priorslee Lake: 07:15 – 09:25
Location

(89th visit of the year)

Its that time when juveniles begin to appear in profusion. A spotty Robin seen; a juvenile Chiffchaff seen; and juvenile Great and Blue Tits seen following adults and begging

Notes
- again low number of corvids passing so I will have to come up with a different theory: the young have generally fledged and leave nests / roosts with the parents early and stay out all day. There is no need for the parents to fly back and forth with food
- the Cetti’s Warbler not heard this morning
- Garden Warbler heard singing on both my laps of the lake. In slightly different locations but bird(s) always on the move and suspect just one bird involved
- despite not have heard the Common Whitethroat sing since 23 May. I heard one scold and then saw a female carrying food along the Ricoh hedge

And
- another Silver-ground Carpet moth
- Common Blue and Blue-tailed Damselflies
- several hoverflies: one in the complex Parhelophilus sp.; and another in the even more complex Cheliosia group

Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- 10 Greylag Geese
- 8 Canada Geese
- 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 2 Stock Doves
- 3 Wood Pigeons again
- 4 Jackdaws
- 5 Rooks

Hirundine etc. approximate maxima
- >25 Common Swifts
- 3 Barn Swallow
- 2 House Martins again

Warblers seen / heard around the lake: numbers in brackets are singing birds
- 10 (6) Chiffchaffs
- 7 (7) Blackcaps
- 1 (1)? Garden Warbler (see notes)
- 1 (0) Common Whitethroat
- 10 (9) Reed Warblers

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 14 (12♂) + 2 (1 brood) Mallard
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- 5 Moorhens
- 24 + 1 juvenile Coots

Not a stunning photo: this is a juvenile Chiffchaff and we can just see the yellow gape. Also apparent is the, at this age, very indistinct supercilium, only partly explained by the angle of the light.

This hoverfly is probably of genus Cheliosia, with notably shorter antenna than many genera. There are 37 species recognised in the genus, classified in to 12 groups. The separation of many species requires detailed examination with a hand lens, at least, of many subtle points not evident in photos. Since there is a species Cheliosia ranunculi and this individual is feeding in a Meadow Buttercup (Ranunculus acris) it is tempting ... If only life were that simple as that species should not be flying after the end of May ...

Lurking in the undergrowth and hard to get at was this Silver-ground Carpet moth (the out-of-focus petal comes from a Dog Rose, Rosa canina agg.)

The ‘looper’ caterpillar of a geometer moth (on my fingers). We see the prolegs at the rear.

And here it is ‘looping’ (geometer = measuring its length as it ‘loops’). No idea about the species of moth involved.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day in ...........

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2009
Priorslee Lake
Oystercatcher
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
Possible Marsh Harrier
11 Reed Warblers
(Ed Wilson)