12 Jun 18

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake: 07:35 – 09:15
The Flash: 07:10 – 07:30 // 09:25 – 09:40

?C: Low / medium cloud with some breaks. Light WNW wind. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 04:44 BST

Priorslee Lake: 07:35 – 09:15

(75th visit of the year)

Bird notes from today:
- the trio of Tufted Duck left at some stage: did not appear to have gone to The Flash when I got there
- one of the Jackdaws was seen carrying food – for the first time this year
- white I assumed was a (Common) Whitethroat was heard scolding from a large bush but was immediately followed by the sound of a Garden Warbler sub-singing from the same spot. I have seen both species near the bush before and I can find no recordings of Garden Warblers making the scolding noise I heard so I conclude that there were indeed two birds of different species in close proximity
- the first time for some weeks I heard no Chaffinches singing. There were none at The Flash either. End of singing season for this species?

Today’s bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 3 Stock Doves
- 2 Wood Pigeons yet again
- 2 Collared Doves
- 3 Jackdaws

Hirundines seen today
- 2 Barn Swallows
- 2 House Martins

Warblers noted: figure in brackets is singing birds
- 6 (5) Chiffchaffs
- 9 (9) Blackcaps
- 3 (2) Garden Warbler
- 2 (1) (Common) Whitethroats
- 8 (7) Reed Warblers

The counts from the lake area
- 4 + 7 (2) Mute Swans again
- 12 (12♂) Mallard
- 3 (2) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron, briefly
- 7 Great Crested Grebes at least
- 2 Moorhens
- 28 + 17 (7 broods) Coots
- 1 Common Tern again

and
- the following species of butterfly noted
- 1 Speckled Wood
- no moths flushed from the vegetation
- 2 species of damselflies positively ID-ed – many fewer in overcast conditions
- Common Blue Damselfly
- Blue-tailed Damselfly
- 1 species of hoverfly
- drone fly sp. (Eristalis sp.)
- the following flies identified (many unidentified species)
- Scorpion Fly (Panorpa communis)
- 100's of Black Snipe flies (Chrysopilus cristatus)
- Rhogogaster viridis (saw fly)
- no spiders noted
- yesterday’s fungus growing on the football field had either gone or I overlooked it

New species of flowering plants
- the Ragwort flowers are just about opening

One of the long-term resident Mute Swans (complete with garland of Canadian Pondweed) and the four surviving cygnets.

A group of loafing drake Mallard in various degrees of moult.

This Common Buzzard was likely the bird to suffer the Magpies and Jays harassing it last week. The Magpies had a go today but were usurped by the much more aggressive Carrion Crows.
And here we see that the Carrion Crow is already in post-breeding moult with the inner primaries dropped.

Juvenile wagtails are not always easy. This bird was pumping what seemed to be a long tail suggesting a Grey Wagtail but I was not sure and so took some photos. Here we see the pale yellow wash on the face and the brown crescent on the chest that can only mean it is a juvenile Pied Wagtail.
Another view.

And again.

Look: no wings!

This is likely another green saw fly Rhogogaster viridis. Prior to this year I had logged few (no?) saw flies, but I seem to find them most days at the moment. Am I getting my eye in? or are there more?

“Ladeez and gentlemen I present to you in the left corner Mister Blue-tailed Damselfly and in the right hand corner Mister Common Damselfly. May the best man win!”

This rather scruffy-looking individual is a Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum), here on Common Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium).

Well it is that time of the year. Unknown species of fly [it is after the watershed isn’t it?].

What seems to be a minute White-lipped Snail – beside it for scale are the seed heads of Hedge Garlic or Jack-by-the-Hedge (Alliaria petiolata). When I saw first it I assumed it was a ladybird.

Another slightly larger snail shell in the palm of my hand.

And the other way up.

This early-stage Common Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) shows the key ID feature well: the outer flower in each umbel has much bigger petals than the others.
Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris formerly Senecio jacobaea) about to open.

Another Southern Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza praetermissa).

In the Priorslee tunnel we find this Small Phoenix moth.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 07:10 – 07:30 // 09:25 – 09:40

(58th visit of the year)

Notes from today
- sudden increase in geese numbers with more arriving all the while. Two figures are those seen on my first passage c.07:20 with the second those seen at c.09:35
- only one group of Mallard ducklings seen and those mainly hidden by overhanging vegetation so exact number unclear
- the Grey Heron perhaps the bird seen at the lake earlier
- no idea why so few adult Coots today – there were just almost none in the middle of the water
- Jay at N end – my first here for a while

Birds noted flying over or flying near The Flash
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Wood Pigeon
- 3 Jackdaws

Hirundines etc. seen today
- >25 Swifts
- 4 House Martin

Warblers noted: figures in brackets is singing birds
- 1 (1) Chiffchaff
- 1 (0) Blackcap

The counts from the water
- 1 Mute Swan still – the cob
- 4 > 56 Greylag Geese
- 47 > 116 Canada Geese
- 9 (7♂) + >5? (1 brood) Mallard
- 5 (3♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Great Crested Grebe again
- 1 Moorhen
- 17 + 14 (5 broods) Coots

This flower grows well on the top of the wall between Derwent Drive and The Flash – it is Biting Stonecrop (Sedum acre).

Here is another even more scruffy Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum), here resting on one of the lamps.
and
- many 100s of Mystacides longicornis caddis-flies swarming all around the edge of the water

Of interest between the lake and The Flash
- a Blackcap singing again between the upper pool and Priorslee Academy grounds
- a Small Phoenix moth on the roof of the tunnel under Priorslee Avenue

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day..........
2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

 2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

 2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Ruddy Duck
(Ed Wilson)