18 Jun 19

Priorslee Lake [with Woodhouse Lane] and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  04:05 – 05:45 // 06:40 – 09:55
[Woodhouse Lane:  07:40 – 08:35]
The Flash:  05:50 – 06:35

11.0°C > 15.0°C:  High cloud with few breaks until medium cloud developed from 08:30. Almost calm. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 04:44 BST still

Priorslee Lake:  04:05 – 05:45 // 06:40 – 09:55

(156th visit of the year)

Bird notes from today
- The Great Crested Grebe pair with juveniles were displaying again – in front of the children too. The lone bird still seems to be waiting for its mate to emerge from the reeds with off-spring
- With fine weather there were fewer Swifts throughout and after c.07:00 the few remaining were very high in the sky.
- I saw my first confirmed juvenile Blackcap of the year. The males are still singing strongly.

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 4 Greylag Geese (inbound)
- 11 Canada Geese (circled)
- 1 Cormorant again
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 18 Wood Pigeons
- 53 Jackdaws
- 56 Rooks

Hirundines etc. noted:
- >25 Swifts
- 1 Barn Swallow again
- 5 House Martins

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 6 (6) Chiffchaffs
- 20 (16) Blackcaps
- 2 (2) Garden Warblers
- 4 (2) (Common) Whitethroats
- 1 (1) Sedge Warbler again
- 6 (6) Reed Warblers

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans as usual
- 8 (7♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Ducks (early only)
- 5 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes as usual
- 2 + 2 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 28 + 25 (9? broods) Coots

Nothing on the lamp poles pre-dawn.

Seen later:
- 3 noctule-type bats flying around pre-dawn again
- >5 Timothy Tortrix moths (Zelotherses paleana) again
- 2 Silver-ground Carpet moths (Xanthorhoe montanata) again
- several Common Blue, Red-eyed and Blue-tailed Damselflies
- 1 Pellucid Fly [hoverfly] (Volucella pellucens)
- 2 Harlequin Ladybirds (Harmonia axyridis) one of the form conspicua
- 1 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata) larvae
- 1 Panorpa germanica scorpion fly
- many Black Snipe flies (Chrysopilus cristatus) again
also
- Hedge Woundwort (Stachys sylvatica) confirmed
- Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris) new for the year
- Pleated Inkcap fungus (Parasola plicatilis)

Mainly high cloud early and just a small amount of colour in the sky. 

Different later. 

Adult and juvenile Great Crested Grebe dozy after breakfast. 

No mistaking this Red-eyed Damselfly. It has been my best year to date for this species which I usually see only once or twice.

Here is a larva of the 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata).

This is a less common form of Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) – form conspicua.

This a scorpion fly with a wing pattern that differs from the usual Scorpion Fly (Panorpa communis). Seems it is Panorpa germanica (no accepted vernacular name but sometimes German Scorpionfly).

A really unusually-shaped fly with a thin neck and protruding head. Perhaps of the genus Empis. Perhaps not!

Another strange fly(?) with a red abdomen. The black legs have rather thick thighs and a furry-looking white area. The left front foot ahead of the face makes the outline look even stranger than it is.

Several plants of Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum). Now growing in profusion around the Wesley Brook bridge. Strange: about five years ago it was confined to the S-side plantation where it no longer occurs.

I remembered ... the whole plant of yesterday’s woundwort. Here we clearly see the leaves to confirm it as Hedge Woundwort (Stachys sylvatica).

A plant that has survived the mowing of the edges of the football field – for now at least – is this Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris).

The ‘other’ orchid in flower around the lake in some number is Common Spotted-orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii).

They are rather splendid.

A very delicate fungus found on the edge of the ‘football’ field. Could not do as much ‘gardening’ as I would have liked to expose more of the fruiting body – to have done so would have risked this fragile species breaking. I think it is Pleated Inkcap, sometimes known as the Little Japanese Umbrella (Parasola (formerly Coprinus) plicatilis). Occurs in grass after rain and best seen in early morning – it was – as it collapses under its own weight during the day.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Notes from Woodhouse Lane (07:40 – 08:35)

(19th visit of the year)

Notes from here:
- No sign of the Yellow Wagtail(s) recorded on my previous visit.
- The two Jays were likely birds from around the lake where there are several family parties.
- At least one juvenile Whitethroat seen.
- A Greenfinch ‘singing’: I do not normally record this species here in the breeding season. One seen feeding on Rapeseed (Brassica napus) or similar
- Juvenile Goldfinches (with adults) again.
also
- Rosebay Willow-herb or Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium)
- Wild Radish (Raphanus raphanistrum)
plus
- Cucumber Green Orb Spider, likely Araniella cucurbitina

Totals of ‘interesting’ species (singing birds)
- 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker again
- 2 Jays
- 3 (2) Skylarks
- 2 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (3) Blackcaps
- 3 (2) (Common) Whitethroats
- 2 (1) Song Thrushes
- 5 (5) Chaffinches
- 1 (1) Greenfinch
- >8 Goldfinches
- 1 Linnet
- 6 (3) Yellowhammers

They were all rather distant but I was surprised to see finches feeding on the pods of what I assume is the farmer’s Rapeseed (Brassica napus) [or similar] crop. Here we see a Goldfinch.

A bird that can cause identification problems. The yellow in the wing is the clue to this juvenile Goldfinch. It may be as late a November before these all acquire the red face of the adult.

And a rather handsome male Greenfinch joins in. 

This spider with its web is one of the two species of Cucumber Green Orb Spider, likely this is Araniella cucurbitina. They rely on camouflage and do not hide away.

This seems to be Rosebay Willow-herb or Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium). Slightly confused as none of my books show leaves interspersing the flowering spike. On the other hand all the other willow-herbs have hairy stems which this does not.

This seemed a good spike of Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) and worth a photo.

Common Poppies (Papaver rhoeas) of course. They do provide a blaze of colour but for me they are in the same category as roses with each flower lasting but a day and then looking naff.

A plant new for me. It appears to almost define the ‘cruciform’ group of flowers. It is Wild Radish (Raphanus raphanistrum) of the white form (subsp. raphanistrum) growing, as it apparently usually does, on the roadside verge here.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash:  05:50 – 06:35

(149th visit of the year)

Notes from here:
- The cob Mute Swan seems to be taking very little interest in his off-spring. He is often at the other end of the water to the pen and the cygnets
- Four Great Crested Grebes logged. Could have been a fifth – they do move about a lot. One sitting on the nest.
- Two Great Spotted Woodpeckers flew E together at some height – too high to be local birds?

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 8 Feral Pigeons
- 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers
- 3 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 5 Swifts

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 2 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (3) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Garden Warbler again

Counts from the water:
- 3 + 4 Mute Swans
- 34 Greylag Geese
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose
- 114 Canada Geese
- 25 (17♂) + 12 (3 broods) Mallard
- 8 (4♂) Tufted Ducks
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 6 Moorhens
- 28 + 11 (5 broods) Coots

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Between the lake and The Flash:

At or around the lower pool (singing birds):
- 1 (1♂) Tufted Duck flew E
- 1 (1) Chiffchaff again

Nothing of note around the upper pool.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2010 
Trench Lock Pool 
4 drake Pochard 
(Ed Wilson)