24 Mar 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  05:00 – 08:55
The Flash:  09:00 – 09:55

3.0°C > 8.0°C:  Fine and clear: early frost: few puffy clouds later. Calm; becoming light W wind. Very good visibility

Sunrise: 06:04 GMT

Priorslee Lake:  05:00 – 08:55

(78th visit of the year)

Bird species added to my 2019 log from here
73      Blackcap
New arrivals: three singing birds today

Other bird notes from today
- six Tufted Duck left to the W at 05:17, apparently as three pairs though too dark to sex them. One pair remained, though also left later
- 1 Black-headed Gull from 05:36 until 06:10 at least, flying up and down. Later it or another until two more Black-headed Gulls flew through and it left with them
- two all-white flying Feral Pigeons gleaming in the sun caused momentary confusion
- 78 of the 139 over-flying Wood Pigeons flew high N / NW. Another 8 flew high S! Others were likely just local movements
- early on no fewer than 4 Goldcrests heard singing. Later I heard none in the same areas
- 2 Starlings were, unusually, noted sitting on top of a street light along the footpath alongside the academy

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
- 1 Greylag Goose (inbound)
- 9 Canada Geese (4 pairs and a single all outbound)
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 5 Feral Pigeons
- 161 Wood Pigeons
- 145 Jackdaws
- 6 Rooks
- 1 Redwing
- 1 Siskin

Hirundines noted – weather too clear for them to stop-off?
None

Warblers noted (singing birds)
- 5 (5) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (3) Blackcaps

The counts from the lake area:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese (arrived again)
- 6 (4♂) Mallard
- 8 (4?♂) Tufted Duck (see notes)
- 1 Cormorant
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 8 Moorhens
- 27 Coots
- 1 or 2 Black-headed Gulls

Also noted
- 1 Shoulder Stripe moth
- 1 March Tubic moth (Diurnea fagella)
- 1 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)
- >1 Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- plenty of boring flies on lamp poles – boring because I cannot begin to identify them
- [2 Hares ‘nearby’: location withheld as there is illegal hare coursing performed in the area]

Summer visitors are now arriving. Here is a male Blackcap. They like to stay in cover but with no leaves as yet there is a chance to see them in the open. Still managed to get a twig in the way.

A Wren shouting its seven-second song amidst the flowering Blackthorn.

A rare chance to see a Wren with its mouth shut – they are usually only still-enough to photo when they are singing. Perky tail as always.

A nicely posing female Reed Bunting.

Today’s Shoulder Stripe moth.

This is a March Tubic moth (Diurnea fagella). Only my second-ever record of this species, the previous being here on 04 April 2016. My 10th species of moth here in 2019.

Along with the 2 Spot Ladybird (Adalia bipunctata) this 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata) are the most common of ‘our’ ladybirds. Both are being rapidly eclipsed by the invasive Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis).

The flowering cherry trees (Prunus sp.) are starting to do just that. I am not sure of the origin of the trees around the lake: there are several colour forms and some flower at very different times. I suspect most are cultivars.

And the pussy willow (Salix sp.) is now just about at its peak, at least for this tree. There are many species of willow and not all flower at the same time or are as brightly coloured as this one.

A mad March Hare somewhere nearby. Lovely whiskers. I wasn’t sure when looking at it whether it was whiskers or visible breath this rather chilly morning. Big ears of course distinguishes from Rabbit.

... As do the long-legs.

.... And here the black tips to the ears.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:00 – 09:55

(71st visit of the year)

Notes from here:
- Gadwall not located, but ....
- ... the Great Crested Grebe re-appeared
also
- several Chironomus plumosus (plumed midges) on the lamp poles (with one tiny ground beetle)
- 1 orb web-type spider sp. on a lamp pole
- the mystery plant from 16 March: it is Henbit Dead-nettle [aka Common Henbit  Greater Henbit] (Lamium amplexicaule)
- 2 Grey Squirrels

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
- 2 Common Buzzards
- 5 Jackdaws

Warblers noted (singing birds)
- 2 (2) Chiffchaffs

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1  Mute Swans
- 2 Greylag Geese again
- 37 Canada Geese
- 17 (14♂) Mallard
- 36 (22♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 3 Moorhens
- 32 Coots again

Two Chironomus plumosus (plumed midges) on the lamp pole. These are males with plumes, unlike the specimen I photographed yesterday. With these looks like a ground beetle sp. with a long head. Most (though not all) weevils have angled antenna. I did not notice it at the time so have no better photo.

I am fairly sure this is an orb-web spider. I cannot ID it beyond that. Seems to have rather long front pairs of legs.

I photographed this plant on 16th March but could not ID it. The flowers are no more open but thanks to a recent posting on the Naturespot web site I now know this to be Henbit Dead-nettle [aka Common Henbit, Greater Henbit] (Lamium amplexicaule).

 (Ed Wilson)

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

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
7 Chiffchaffs
1 Little Grebe
4 Great Crested Grebes
5 Cormorants
1 Grey Heron
19 Tufted Duck
3 Buzzard
30 Fieldfares
5 Redwings
7 Chiffchaffs
>700 Jackdaws
1 Raven
1 Marsh Tit
(Ed Wilson, Martin Grant)

The Flash
2 Great Crested Grebes
2 Common Teal
50 Tufted Ducks
(Ed Wilson)

2013
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe 
3 Great Crested Grebe 
7 Wigeon 
2 Gadwall 
37 Tufted Ducks 
c.180 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.50 Herring Gulls
2 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Oystercatcher 
11 Pied Wagtail
2 Redwings
Willow Warbler
4 Chiffchaffs singing
12 Linnets
1 Siskin
4 Great Crested Grebe 
2 Gadwall
28 Tufted Duck
c.225 Jackdaws
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
3 Wheatears
(Ian Grant)

The Flash
4 Great Crested Grebes
46 Tufted Duck
2 Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebe
25 Tufted Duck
1 Ruddy Duck
1 Sky Lark
1 Sand Martin
28 Wren
20 Robin
33 Blackbird
1 Redwing
3 Chiffchaff
32 Magpie
117 Jackdaw
4 Greenfinch
6 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)

Priorslee Village
Raven
Blackcap
(Martin Adlam)

Nedge Hill
3 Sky Lark
1 Chiffchaff
3 Greenfinch
6 Yellowhammer
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
6 Great Crested Grebe
2 Pochard
22 Tufted Duck
2 Chiffchaff 
1 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)