9 May 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  12:40 – 13:25
The Flash:  13:40 – 14:15

8.0°C:  Low overcast with periods of mainly light rain. Light N wind. Moderate visibility

[Sunrise: 05:23 BST]

Another wet day that only tempted me out later in a more or less fruitless attempt to find some grounded migrants

Priorslee Lake:  12:40 – 13:25

(122nd visit of the year)

In the rain I restricted my viewing from the dam-top and from inside the car in the Castle Farm Way lay-by

Brief notes from today
- pair of Tufted Duck new arrivals
- Grey Heron looking miserable again
- my first brood of Coots here this year. Apparently just two juveniles
- a Common Sandpiper on the SW grass
- even more hirundines today, still dominated by Sand Martins. Rather more House Martins at last – have been in low numbers so far this year
- a Reed Warbler singing from the small patch of reeds against the dam. A new site this year. A bird sang there for a few days last year

Bird totals

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake
None

Hirundines etc. noted
- >250 Sand Martins
- >10 Barn Swallows
- >20 House Martins

Warblers noted
None

The counts from the lake area:

No doubt many birds hiding from the rain
- 2 Mute Swans
- 6 (5♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Grey Heron again
- [Little Grebes not seen]
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Moorhen again
- 12 + 2 (1 brood) Coots
- 1 Common Sandpiper

I could have done a re-run of yesterday’s Sand Martin pictures .... however something slightly different. A squabbling group as one tries to land. Note that it is wearing a metal ring. No chance of reading it. A few years ago the main ringing activity was at Rye on the Sussex coast for departing birds; and in Gambia for arriving birds. Other locations are probably involved though.

This bird is preening its outer primary and shows just how, proportionately, long the wings are.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  13:40 – 14:15

(115th visit of the year)

Species added to my 2019 bird log from here
70      Garden Warbler
a bird singing away at the top end, right by the path. When I stopped to look for it I glimpsed it diving for cover after which it remained silent. Oddly it was singing from almost ground-level. I record single birds on passage most years – and this is a typical date. It was 07 May 2015; 11 May 2016; 10 May 2017 and last year rather earlier on 23 April

Other notes from here:
- I managed to confirm there are two broods of Mallard ducklings with five and three respectively
- the two youngsters from the only Coot nest so far were located today. I was surprised to find they were large-enough to have lost the nasty red head
- it was not the time of day for birds to be singing so low number of Blackcaps to be expected
- yesterday’s Sedge Warbler seems to have gone, though always difficult to prove the absence of anything
and
- - another metallic-looking insect that detective work by Martin Adlam has re-identified as a moth – the Green Long-horn (Adela reaumurella)

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash
- 1 Herring Gull

Hirundines noted
- 1 Swift
- >20 Sand Martins
- 2 Barn Swallows
- >4 House Martins

Warblers noted (singing birds)
- 2 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler
- 2 (2) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Garden Warbler

The counts from the water:
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 27 Canada Geese
- 24 (15♂) + 8 (2 broods) Mallard (see notes)
- 3 (2♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Moorhens
- 24 + 2 (1 brood) Coots

Here is the metallic-looking moth with its very long antenna showing well. Note too how hairy it is.

A different angle to see the antenna waving in the breeze. I am sure they weigh very little: nevertheless the muscles to control them must be well-developed. It is a Green Long-horn (Adela reaumurella) moth. The males have longer antenna than the females – antenna are usually more developed in male moths so as to detect female pheromones. It looks rather less metallic here, probably because I used flash to highlight the antenna against the background.

Near The Priorslee pub you can find this impressive swathe of Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris).

(Ed Wilson)

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

2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2013
Priorslee Lake
Shelduck
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
Grasshopper Warbler
(John Isherwood)

2009
Nedge Hill
Whinchat
Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Arctic Tern
(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill
2 Wheatear
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Ruddy Ducks
(Ed Wilson)