11 Aug 18

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake: 05:00 – 06:40 // 07:40 – 09:25
The Flash: 06:45 – 07:35

8°C > 15°C: Misty over the lake early, otherwise fine and clear. Calm > light and variable breeze. Very good visibility

Sunrise: 05:44 BST

Priorslee Lake: 05:00 – 06:40 // 07:40 – 09:25

(93rd visit of the year)

Bird notes from today:
- a single Greylag Goose on the football field today: on the water later after the dog-walkers were about
- a duck Tufted Duck pitched down in front of me at c.06:30. Not seen later
- 3 single Lesser Black-backed Gulls paused for a few minutes before 05:30. Only fly-overs later
- a single Common Swift over at 08:05, present until 08:20 at least
- another early House Martin record with bird(s) heard overhead d at 05:45
- >8 Barn Swallows and >6 House Martins were feeding above the vegetation at the base of the dam, presumably on the hatch of Mystacides longicornis caddis flies. They seemed unconcerned about me but at one point without any apparent alarm calls they all started to climb high in the sky and disappeared from view. I search for a possible predator and it is true that two Sparrowhawks were having a dispute in the far, far distance but that seemed unlikely to be the cause. They started to return some five minutes later. Most odd
- single Chiffchaff and Willow Warblers heard briefly in song. Not that unusual at this time of year

Today’s bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 15 Greylag Geese [6 (1 group) outbound; 11 (3 groups) inbound]
- 94 Canada Geese [84 (15 singles / groups) outbound; 10 (1 group) inbound]
- 2 Sparrowhawks
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Stock Doves
- 57 Wood Pigeons
- 10 Jackdaws
- 1 Linnet again

Hirundines etc. seen today
- 1 Swift again
- >8 Barn Swallows
- >20 House Martins

Warblers noted:
- 8 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (1) Willow Warbler
- 6 Blackcaps
- 3 Garden Warblers
- 1 Common Whitethroat
- 4 Reed Warblers

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 3 (1) Mute Swans
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 16 (10♂) + 2 (1 brood) Mallard
- 1 Grey Heron
- 5 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 8 + 11 (8? broods) Moorhens
- 82 (near) adults + 11 (5 new-ish broods) Coots
- 13 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

And other notes
insects, at least partly identified
- butterflies seen
- 1 Speckled Wood
- moths seen on the lamps
- 6 Agriphila tristella (Common Grass-veneer)
- damselflies / dragonflies
- 2 Common Darters
- hoverflies
- >1 Eristalis pertinax (Tapered Drone-fly)
- >1 Eristalis tenax (Common Drone-fly)
- 1 Melanostoma scalare (Chequered Hoverfly) pre-dawn
- >2 Myathropa florea (Dead-head Hoverfly)
- flies etc.
>50 Mystacides longicornis (caddis flies)
- a few wasps
- a possible Lake Olive (Cloeon simile) mayfly
- a Tachina fera fly
- no beetles and bugs noted
- no spiders noted
- no different plants noted

Autumn approached methinks with mist over the lake ....

Providing a diffusion to the glow of sunrise.

As the mist starts to roll away.

And lift.

Well they were a VERY long way away. Two Sparrowhawks chasing with the larger female above.

“A Buzzard a day ....”. Looks cross-eyed to me.

Here is the duck Tufted Duck that pitched down in just in front of me at 06:30 and started diving apparently unconcerned at my presence.

A surprise this morning was this Garden Warbler – in fact there were three birds in the area. Note the lack of features and the dark and rather thick bill.

It does have a slight eye-ring. And note too the rather grey nape.

A Reed Warbler being unhelpful and preening away. Note the long and rather pointed tail-feathers.

Occasionally I caught it checking its surroundings. Here we see the pale throat and long – for a warbler – bill.

And this way around and from this angle we see the characteristic sloping forehead as well as the warm brown uppertail.

The sloping forehead even more obvious here. Amazing to think this bird should be in Gambia in a few weeks.

Juvenile Greenfinches can be puzzling as they are not very ‘green’ and have extensive flammulations on their breast making them look quite different. Clues are the pale-ish bill and notched tail.

I think this is a Melanostoma scalare (Chequered Hoverfly). It was, most unusually, resting on one of the lamp posts pre-dawn and the necessary ‘flash’ has tended to blow out the pattern on the body which is also obscured by the wings. Not seen a hoverfly pre-dawn before.

Also pre-dawn on one of the lamp posts was this mayfly. The timing and habitat is right for Lake Olive (Cloeon simile). However the necessary ‘flash’ has blown out the wing venation, crucial for positive identification. Nevertheless an intriguing record and shows that mayflies do not only occur in May.

This rather evil-looking fly is Tachina fera – it has no vernacular name other than Tachinid Fly which is not very useful as there are several species in the genus Tachina. It IS evil too – it parasites moth and butterfly caterpillars. All part of life’s rich tapestry!

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:45 – 07:35

(76th visit of the year)

Notes from today
- 7 ducklings remain from the newest brood of Mallard; another 6 from mid-aged brood that I have not logged this week. None of the ‘almost grown’ ducklings seen – birds noted inside the island but too hidden to identify and count
- only one adult Great Crested Grebe seen. Two juveniles were sleeping with one of the parents in the middle of the water. The other juvenile was on its own near the island
- not sure why the Moorhens are not more evident here – as they are at the lake. There are at least 4 nesting places that I am aware of, as well as birds dispersing from the pools between the lake and The Flash. The upper pool is very dry at the moment
and
- 1 Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella) moth on a lamp

Birds noted flying over or flying near The Flash
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 7 Feral Pigeons (single and party of 6)
- 2 Wood Pigeons again
- 1 Jackdaw

Hirundines etc. seen again today
None

Warblers noted
- 2 Chiffchaffs
- 1 Blackcap

The counts from the water
- 2 + 3 Mute Swans
- 26 Greylag Geese (25 of these flew in)
- 18 Canada Geese (11 of these flew in)
- 17 (14♂) + 13 (2 broods) Mallard
- 22 (?♂) + 6 (1 brood) Tufted Ducks
- 1 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 1 + 2 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 17 + 8 (4 broods) Coots
- 21 (1 juvenile) Black-headed Gulls

The pen Mute Swan and her three cygnets. Much smaller than those at the lake no doubt due to the hiatus when the original pen had to be put-down after breaking a wing. A replacement pen fortuitously(?) arrived a few days later. Whether she took over the nest (and the eggs?) we may never know – DNA might tell us about the eggs. Whatever they seem to be doing OK though the cob seems rather disinterested.

Well: the duck Mallard is asleep as are most of her brood. How many can you count? Certainly 5 though I think a 6th has requested ‘no publicity’ and is hiding just outside the photo.

Of interest between the lake and The Flash
- 2 Blackcaps calling around the upper pool

Ed Wilson)
(Ed Wilson)

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

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2011
Priorslee Lake
Green Sandpiper
Tree Pipit
(Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Wheatear
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
Possible Wood Sandpiper
A female Peregrine
(Ed Wilson)