12 Jul 18

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake: 05:20 – 06:30
The Flash: 06:35 – 07:10

15°C > 14°C: Clouded up from W with light rain later. Light ESE wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 04:59 BST

Priorslee Lake: 05:20 – 06:30

(83rd visit of the year)

All numbers from a single early circuit – the rain sent me away early

Bird notes from today:
- two parties of Mallard ducklings today: yesterday’s 7 small ducklings; and a trio of rather larger ducklings
- a lone Tufted Duck shot over me as I walked up Teece Drive, heading for The Flash. Quite where it had come from ...
- a Little Grebe new in
- just 8 House Martins high over the estate to the NW at 06:20
- Yellowhammer heard singing to the E – this species often sings until mid-August. Meanwhile the Sky Lark(s) over the same fields are now quiet

Today’s bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 1 Tufted Duck
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 2 Wood Pigeons

Hirundines etc. seen today
- 8 House Martins

Warblers noted: figure in brackets is singing birds
- 2 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 8 (8) Blackcaps
- no Garden Warblers
- 2 (1) (Common) Whitethroats again
- 3 (2) Reed Warblers again

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 3 (1) Mute Swans still
- 20 (18♂) + 10 (2 broods) Mallard
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Little Grebe
- 6 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes again
- no Moorhens
- Coots not counted
- 3 Black-headed Gulls

Almost no interesting insects – too cool and cloudy. All I noted were
- beetles and bugs
- >10 Rhagonycha fulva (Hogweed Bonking-beetle / Common Red Soldier Beetle)

New species of flowering plants
- Upright Hedge-parsley (Torilis japonica)

Cloud rapidly spreading from the west killed the sunrise.

A duck Mallard with her seven small ducklings.

Well it was rather distant in poor light! Another duck Mallard with two of her three larger ducklings.

The new-in Little Grebe.

There are not many Common Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) flowers left so the Rhagonycha fulva (Hogweed Bonking-beetle / Common Red Soldier Beetle) are concentrated on the few remaining. Here we see six paired and two other beetles.

Some heads of Meadowsweet / Mead Wort (Filipendula ulmaria) are now open in dense clusters. We also see clusters yet to open.

This umbellifer is much more ‘open’ than Common Hogweed. On each flower all the petals are of similar size with the inner flowers having smaller petals. This identifies Upright Hedge-parsley (Torilis japonica). Its scientific name suggests a link to Japan and indeed the native range of this species extends from Northern Japan across the whole of Central Asia, Western Europe, the Mediterranean and North Africa. Not recorded by me here previously but I have almost certainly overlooked it as I learn more about the local flora.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:35 – 07:10

(66th visit of the year)

From trunk markings all three large Ash trees at the bottom of squirrel alley seem destined for the chop. One of these has many branches that are almost unaffected by the die-back – whether this will be totalled time will tell

Other notes from today
- the only group of juvenile Mallards seemed to be the original group of 7. These are now almost indistinguishable from adults but remain in a tight group with a duck Mallard
- number of Tuftie ducklings ‘best effort’ – they were all energetically diving for food with few on the surface at any one time
- juvenile Coots scattered around today and apparently from more broods – not sure exactly how many

Birds noted flying over or flying near The Flash
- 5 (1 juvenile) Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Wood Pigeons

Hirundines etc. seen today
None

Warblers noted: (singing birds in brackets)
None

The counts from the water
- 2 + 4 Mute Swans again
- 48 Greylag Geese
- 129 Canada Geese
- 15 (13♂) + 7 (1 brood) Mallard
- 12 (4?♂) + 9? (1 brood) Tufted Ducks (see notes)
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes still
- 2 Moorhens
- 21 + 11 (7? broods) Coots
- 7 (1 juvenile) Black-headed Gulls

Of interest between the lake and The Flash
- Moorhens again heard calling from the lower pool only

(Ed Wilson)

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

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Local Area
Today's Sightings Here

2011
Priorslee Lake
Ruddy Duck
Common Sandpiper
(John Isherwood)