22 Aug 18

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake: 05:35 – 06:35 // 07:30 – 09:20
The Flash: 06:40 – 07:25

17°C > 19°C: Medium overcast. A few breaks after 08:30. Calm start; light / moderate SW breeze. Excellent visibility

Sunrise: 06:02 BST

Best bird today was another Hobby. I was walking between The Flash and the lake and heard the House Martins alarm-calling and looked up just in time to see the Hobby dash over the roof tops, hotly pursued by 5 Magpie. Split-second view and unable to tell whether the Hobby was carrying prey

Priorslee Lake: 05:35 – 06:35 // 07:30 – 09:20

(100th visit of the year)

Over the past few days the council and their contractors have been laying drains around the edge of the football / cricket field adjacent to the Hold Trinity Academy. Somewhat of a mystery as the academy has surrendered its use of the field and currently only dog-walkers use it. Drainage of the area has been problematic – the construction of the academy was held up by excessive water and additional drains were put in the field at that time. Perhaps work ahead of the house building on the old Celestica site due to start ‘next month’?

Bird notes from today:
- very strange that after several weeks with no sightings 2 Cormorants pitched in at 09:00 and then just 5 minutes later a party of 8 flew W
- the ‘second’ pair of Great Crested Grebes (now?) have but one juvenile. It was seen coming off the parent’s back and then both parents were seen to dive – so there are no more
- >60 House Martins high overhead at 06:30 included calling juveniles

Today’s bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 148 Greylag Geese [78 (8 groups) outbound; 70 (2 groups) inbound]
- 123 Canada Geese [97 (9 groups) outbound; 26 (3 groups) inbound]
- 8 Cormorants
- 6 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 4 Feral Pigeons
- 2 Stock Doves
- 52 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Hirundines etc. noted
- Barn Swallows heard only
- >60 House Martins

Warblers noted:
- 8 Chiffchaffs
- 3 Blackcaps

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 3 (1) Mute Swans again
- 9 (?♂) Mallard
- 2 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
- 6 + 4 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 6 + 10 (7? broods) Moorhens
- 83 (near) adult + 8 dependent juvenile Coots
- 11 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

And other notes
- after all the good publicity I gave wasps one of them had the temerity to sting me on the back of the head at 06:00 – did not see it coming or going: just felt it!

Insects etc., at least partly identified
- butterflies
- 1 Small White
- 2 Speckled Woods
- moths on the lamps
- 1 Agriphila tristella (Common Grass-veneer) yet again
- 1 Agriphila inquinatella (Barred Grass-veneer)
- moths elsewhere
- 1 Celypha lacunana (Common Marble)
- damselflies / dragonflies
2 Common Blue Damselflies
1 (same)?) Migrant Hawker dragonfly
- hoverflies
- >1 Episyrphus balteatus (Marmalade hoverfly)
- flies etc. identified
- VERY many wasps sp.
- beetles or bugs noted
- 1 green instar form of Hawthorn Shieldbug (Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale)
- no spiders noted
- different plants noted
Lucerne (Medicago sativa) was new for me.

A record shot: the eight Cormorants over.

The nest instalment of the ‘moulted feathers’ gallery. This an under-feather of a Wood Pigeon.

This is a Celypha lacunana (Common Marble) moth. I associate this species with early summer but I read its flight period lasts from May to August.

On the lamps from early on but stayed to allow a ‘natural light’ shot: an Agriphila inquinatella (Barred Grass-veneer).

Just about at the end of their flight season so a great specimen to sign-off with – a Common Blue Damselfly.

This is, I think, an instar form of Hawthorn Shieldbug (Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale). At the instar stages they lack an obvious ‘shield’.

I have been logging Herb Robert as a common plant all around the lake for some months. I was brought up short by this: surely a ‘crane’s (or stork’s) bill’?

The leaves are all-important with this group and here they are. The red stems and the three lobes all confirm it is indeed Herb Robert. The lower leaves on the plant are often five lobed and all leaves are variably red.

Another plant I paused over, growing on the verge outside the academy and it has escaped the council contractors – perhaps because they have not used the mower so much in the dry weather. Looks like a legume of some sort. Note the shape of the stipules (leaves) in trios.

A close-up of the flowers. I think this is Lucerne (Medicago sativa). My illustration show the stipules as toothed though the text says they are “untoothed, or toothed at the apex”. These are just about toothed here. A new plant for me here.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:40 – 07:25

(82nd visit of the year)

Notes from today
- juvenile Moorhen seen trying to fly – up and down!

Birds noted flying over or near to The Flash
- 1 Feral Pigeon

Hirundines etc. noted
None

Warblers noted
None

The counts from the water
- 2 + 3 Mute Swans
- 1 Greylag Goose again
- 1 Canada Goose only
- 29 (?♂) + 17 (3 broods) Mallard
- 11 Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 2 + 3 (3 broods) Moorhens
- 20 + 2 dependent juvenile Coots
- 41 (5 juveniles) Black-headed Gulls

Possibly my worst set of photos to date but I feel worth it to show some strange behaviour. This immature Moorhen (amongst the debris of moulting Black-headed Gulls) was periodically looking like a coiled spring and then ....

... would leap vertically flapping vigorously before dropping back to the starting point [I did warn you it was a poor photo!].

Of interest between the lake and The Flash
- 1 Moorhen heard from the upper pool
- 1 Hobby
- House Martins alarm-calling over
- 1 Chiffchaff calling by the lower pool
- 1 Blackcap calling by the lower pool
and
- 1 Dusky Thorn moth on the roof of the tunnel under Priorslee Avenue

Upside down on the roof of the Priorslee Avenue tunnel is not a helpful location. Especially because this is a thorn moth species. All these, unusually, hold their wings partly open when at rest.

Here we are looking down on it (well up, actually). It is a Dusky Thorn, the three curving cross lines separate from both August Thorn and September Thorn. A common-enough species but not previously recorded by me in this area.

(Ed Wilson)

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

2016
Local Area
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2012
Priorslee Lake
Peregrine Falcon
Yellow Wagtail
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
3 Sandwich Terns
Common Tern
Kingfisher 
Tree Pipit
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
Common Tern
Raven
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson