2 Sep 18

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake: 05:45 – 07:00 // 07:55 – 09:25
The Flash: 07:10 – 07:45

15°C > 17°C: Mainly overcast; clearer to E. Light SSE wind. Very good visibility

Sunrise: 06:21 BST

Seemed to be a small movement of Barn Swallows today: a loose group of 33 birds flew high SW over The Flash c.07:25. And a group of at least 8 flew high S over the lake c.09:00. These were rather high to see easily and their calls could only be heard when traffic noise permitted: perhaps more passed unseen

Priorslee Lake: 05:45 – 07:00 // 07:55 – 09:25

(108th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- rather smaller percentage of drake Mallards than is typical: perhaps some of the others are first-year birds yet to acquire the pale bill of adult drakes
- Black-headed Gull arrival rather sporadic this morning with many birds passing straight over with the Lesser Black-backed Gulls (q.v.). Birds seen heading this way while I was both near and at The Flash apparently did not land as very few (<20) seen later
- rather unusual movement of Lesser Black-backed Gulls, almost all flying W along with the early arriving Black-headed Gulls. The Lesser Black-backs carried on, perhaps to the fields to the E. A few on the lake later may have been these birds returning. Not every large gulls could be specifically checked but at least 90% were this species and no Herring Gulls were noted. Strange: in some previous years significant numbers of Herring Gulls have passed in late August / early September
- 14 House Martins high over at c.09:15 was my highest count around the lake. Smaller numbers seen and others heard assumed some of these
- 3 Reed Warblers heard – a rather late date

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 5 Greylag Geese [2 (singles with Canadas) outbound; 3 (2 parties) inbound]
- 54 Canada Geese [47 (7 groups) outbound: 7 (1 group) inbound]
- 49 Black-headed Gulls
- 89 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 5 Feral Pigeon
- 2 Stock Doves (pair)
- 48 Wood Pigeons
- 5 Jackdaws
- 8+ Barn Swallows (as highlighted)

Local hirundines etc. noted
- >14 House Martins

Warblers noted:
- 6 Chiffchaffs
- 3 Blackcaps
- 3 Reed Warblers

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 14 (7♂) Mallards
- 1 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 + 4 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes as usual
- 7 + 8 (? broods) Moorhens again
- 95 (near) adult + 7 dependent juvenile Coots again
- 44 Black-headed Gulls
- 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

And other notes
- no butterflies
- moths on the lamps
- 1 Single-dotted Wave
- no moths identified elsewhere
- no damselflies / dragonflies
- hoverflies
- 1 Episyrphus balteatus (Marmalade hoverfly)
- 1 Ferdinandea cuprea [my first ever]
- 1 Melanostoma scalare (Chequered Hoverfly)
- flies etc. identified
- many wasps again
- unidentified crane-flies – the start of Autumn!
- no beetles or bugs noted
- no spiders noted
- snails etc
- 1 (Great) Black Slug
- no different plants noted
- no mammals seen

The full moon is always impressive but part-moon with the craters cross-lit is often better.

Clear only to the far E this morning: nevertheless a good sunrise crept under the cloud.

And here from a slightly different angle.

Mallard lesson time. A drake coming out of eclipse plumage. At all times an adult drake will show the clean yellow-green bill. Here we see the growing grey primaries.

And here is an adult female. Note the dark bill with orange marks, especially along the edges. The growing primaries are not as pale grey as the drake.

And here is ‘new this year’ duck. Only a hint of the colour on the bill and that brown rather than orange. The primaries still growing and obviously shorter.

Another over flying Common Buzzard, somewhat tweaked to compensate for the rather overcast sky to show the typical markings.

A rather grainy shot of three immature Lesser Black-backed Gulls (and four Black-headed Gulls of course).

Here is one of them leaving: and rather scruffy it is too as it moults in to winter plumage.

My heart always sinks when I see a pug moth. They can be hard to identify ‘No problem’ I thought with this well-marked specimen. Yes but: it is not a pug but a Single-dotted Wave. Not even my first here this year.

A hoverfly with a striped thorax: must be Helophilus pendulus. But wait. Those marks on the wing are different. This is the hoverfly Ferdinandea cuprea (no vernacular name). A widespread but not common species and my first-ever.

This is, despite its appearance, a (Great) Black Slug (Arion sp.) – here of the red form. There are a number of closely allied species in the ‘Black Slug’ complex and separation is only possible from dissection of the male genitalia and then only if you are an expert.

(Ed Wilson)

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The lake was quiet when I got there but before long this lovely duck came in to land and the Swan was gracefully paddling by the jetty both too good to miss.

Mute Swan

Mallard coming into land.

(Chris Amathyststar)

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The Flash: 07:10 – 07:45

(89th visit of the year)

Notes
- 5 of the Tufted Ducks keeping in close formation: remnant of the successful breeding? Another Tufted Duck still thinks it is a Mallard and joins them in dabble-feeding
- the 3rd juvenile Great Crested Grebe missing again. Still possible it is around and ‘at the back’ of the island: I doubt it has fledged as yet
- number of Black-headed Gulls hard to ascertain. At least 17 – and probably more – flew off toward the lake while I was present. At least 41 flew in from the N and some of these may have flown directly on toward the lake

Birds noted flying over or near to The Flash
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 20 Feral Pigeons (3 groups)
- 2 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Jackdaw
- 33 Barn Swallows (as highlighted)

Local hirundines etc. noted
None

Warblers noted
None

The counts from the water
- 2 + 3 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese
- 35 (22♂) + 8 (1 brood) Mallard
- 9 Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 + 2? (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 1 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 15 + 2 dependent juvenile Coots again
- >100 (>21 juvenile / 1st winters) Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

Grey Herons are not that easy to approach. I caught this one unawares standing on a Coot nest – one showing very recent addition of vegetation.

Just time for a close-up before the heron left.

Of interest between the lake and The Flash
- a Moorhen calling from the upper pool
- 89 Black-headed Gulls flew W overhead from The Flash and toward the lake as I was walking to The Flash
- c.12 House Martins high to the W: not a usual area for the local birds to use these days
- 1 Chiffchaff calling around the upper pool

(Ed Wilson)

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

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2011
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
c.65 House Martins
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
Kingfisher
Swifts
(Ed Wilson)