Priorslee Lake: 07:40 – 09:45
The Flash: 07:15 – 07:35 // 09:50 – 10:05
16°C > 18°C: Some breaks, tending to fill. Spots of drizzle after 09:45. Moderate / fresh WSW wind. Excellent visibility
Sunrise: 04:44 BST still
Priorslee Lake: 07:40 – 09:45
(79th visit of the year)
Bird notes from today:
- 7 Great Crested Grebes counted: later I heard birds calling from their usual N-side nesting area. None of those previously counted seemed to be from this area
- some of the juvenile Coots are old-enough to stray away from their nest-sites and their parents making the precise number of broods represented harder to count
- 2 pairs of Collared Doves flew S over the W end. Most unusually another bird was seen leaving the trees at the W end
- House Martins again feeding low over the sheltered grassy area in the SW area
- many tit parties heard: the extensive foliage and the breezy conditions made checking the groups difficult but most sounded like Great Tits and there seemed to be rather fewer Blue Tits than usual post-fledging
- a male House Sparrow made it as far as the scrubby area by the yacht club shelter
- 2 (Common) Whitethroats seen carrying food to the same area. Also two different birds heard in song
Today’s bird totals
Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull again
- 1 Wood Pigeon only again
- 4 Collared Doves (2 pairs)
- 2 Jackdaws yet again
- 1 Rook
- 1 Starling
Hirundines seen today
- 2 Swifts again
- 2 Barn Swallows yet again
- 9 House Martins
Warblers noted: figure in brackets is singing birds
- 4 (4) Chiffchaffs
- 12 (10) Blackcaps
- no Garden Warblers again
- 5 (2) (Common) Whitethroats
- 5 (4) Reed Warblers
The counts from the lake area
- 4 + 7 (2) Mute Swans as usual
- 15 (13♂) Mallard
- 7+ Great Crested Grebes (see notes)
- 2 Moorhens
- 35 + 16 (8? broods) Coots
- 1 Common Tern intermittently
Interesting insects, at least partly identified
- butterflies seen
- 1 Speckled Wood
- 2 Ringlets
- moths flushed from the vegetation
- >10 Common Nettle-taps (Anthophila fabriciana) – my first of year here
- >5 Yellow-barred Longhorns (Nemophora degeerella)
- 2 Common Marbles (Celypha lacunana)
- damselflies / dragonflies
- >30 Common Blue Damselflies
- >10 Azure Damselflies
- >30 Blue-tailed Damselflies
- hoverflies
- >1 Eristalis sp. (drone-flies)
- 1 Leucozona lucorum – my first of year here
- flies identified
- >100 Black Snipe flies (Chrysopilus cristatus)
- >2 Rhogogaster viridis (saw fly)
- >30 Poecilobothrus nobilitatus (‘Semaphore Fly’)
1 Scorpion Fly (Panorpa communis)
1 possible Helina abdominalis
- beetles and bugs
- 2 Harlequin Ladybirds (Harmonia axyridis) adults and a larva
- 1 Kidney-spot Ladybird (Chilocorus renipustulatus) – my first here
- 1 Common Green Capsid (Lygocoris pabulinus)
- >5 small yellow and black beetles (Malthinus flaveolus?)
- no spiders noted
- a few snails
Fast-growing juvenile Coot – even getting the forerunner of its white-shield – as bald as a Coot.
Yummy again. An adult Common Whitethroat with food.
And what I assume is the other one of the pair with more food.
And then posed nicely for me.
Common Marble moths are small: these are tiny. A Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana).
A fine perched male Common Blue Damselfly.
And another.
And a perched female Azure Damselfly.
A Black Snipe fly (Chrysopilus cristatus).
There were several adult Harlequin Ladybirds (Harmonia axyridis): here is a larva.
New species of flowering plants
- Bistort (Polygonum bistorta (was Persicaria bistorta))
- Greater Willow-herb (Epilobium hirsutum)
- what appears to be Hemlock Water-dropwort (Oenanthe crocata)
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 07:15 – 07:35 // 09:50 – 10:05
(62nd visit of the year)
Notes from today
- just the cob Mute Swan seen. Did not meet anyone who could update me on cygnet status
- a very new group of Mallard ducklings with at least 6 zipping in and out of the vegetation: the oldest group of 7 still present with their mother. No sign of any intermediate brood(s)
- the drake Tufted Ducks are rapidly losing their breeding plumage and some are now hard to distinguish from ducks
- male Blackcap seen bringing food to begging juvenile. A different male heard in song
- party of barely-fledged Dunnocks with a parent on the ground in squirrel alley
Birds noted flying over or flying near The Flash
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 1 Jackdaw
Hirundines etc. seen today
- 2 Swifts to N
- 5 House Martin to N
Warblers noted: (singing birds in brackets)
- 1 (1) Chiffchaff
- 3 (1) Blackcaps
The counts from the water
[nn > nn indicates counts taken c.07:20 > c.10:00, where materially different]
- 1 Mute Swan: the cob again (see notes again)
- 2 >12 Greylag Geese
- 97 > 104 Canada Geese
- 9 (7♂) + 13? (2 broods) Mallard
- 10 (8♂) Tufted Ducks
- no Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Moorhen
- 20 + 14 (6 broods) Coots
Stupid shoes on this Coot.
Of interest between the lake and The Flash
- Moorhens heard calling from the upper pool
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day..........
2017Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2009
Priorslee Lake
A pair of Siskins
(Ed Wilson)
2008
Priorslee Lake
A drake Ruddy Duck
(Ed Wilson)