26 Jun 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  04:10 – 05:45 // 06:40 – 08:50
The Flash:  05:50 – 06:35

13.0°C:  Low overcast with rain in the air, especially later. Light E wind. Moderate visibility.

Sunrise: 04:46 BST

Priorslee Lake:  04:10 – 05:45 // 06:40 – 08:50

(159th visit of the year)

Bird notes from today
- Another brief, quiet call apparently from a Little Grebe in the NW area.
- The usual pair of Great Crested Grebes were with two well-grown juveniles. The pair in the NW area has at least two juveniles – one briefly climbed off the adult’s back to take some food. A lone adult is perhaps guarding a sitting adult along the centre part of the N side.
- an adult Peregrine flew W at 05:30.
- an adult Common Tern dropped in at 07:35 and spent until 08:10 flying up and down, occasionally fishing.
- an usual record was a juvenile-of-the-year Black-headed Gull dropped in at 08:00, staying until 08:15. At one stage it was forced in to the water by the Common Tern. As far as I can recall I have never seen a juvenile-of-the-year arrive before any returning adults or non-breeding first-year birds.
- Did not seem to be the result of the passing Peregrine, but many fewer Wood Pigeons on the ‘football’ field this morning. There were however many more flying over from the E where at least 20 additional birds were flushed out of the fields – perhaps feeding on the ripening oil-seed?
- First Swifts at 04:40 with about 20 by 05:00. Rather fewer later until c.40 racing around at 08:20.

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Peregrine
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 38 Wood Pigeons
- 50 Jackdaws, exactly
- 23 Rooks

Hirundines etc. noted:
- >40 Swifts
- 1 Barn Swallow
- 6 House Martins

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 8 (5) Chiffchaffs
- 17 (14) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Garden Warbler
- [no (Common) Whitethroat]
- 1 (1) Sedge Warbler still
- 9 (9) Reed Warblers

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 15 (13♂) Mallard
- Little Grebe perhaps heard
- 5 + 4? (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes (see notes)
- 4 + 2 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 28 + 27 (7? broods) Coots
- 1 Common Tern
- 1 juvenile Black-headed Gull

Nothing on the lamp poles pre-dawn:

Seen later:
- 2 pipistrelle-type bats flying around
- 1 noctule-type bat flying around again
- 1 Garden Grass-veneer moth (Chrysoteuchia culmella). My 30th moth species here this year
also
- Common Ragwort flowers just opening (Jacobaea vulgaris)
- What seemed to be Pineappleweed or Wild Chamomile (Matricaria discoidea) on the dam
- first flowers this year of Common (or Perforate) St. John's-wort (Hypericum perforatum)

After much deliberation and some expert guidance it seems that the unidentified moth from Sunday 23rd June is a red form of Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet (Xanthorhoe ferrugata). It looks most like a Flame Carpet with the red and black markings interchanged but that does not happen. It became my 29th species of moth at the lake in 2019.

Also noted: I hope it was a professional that has chopped down and taken away all the Giant Hogweed plants (Heracleum mantegazzianum). This is the most dangerous plant in the UK, capable of giving serious skin-burns from its sap.

Here is one juvenile Great Crested Grebe juvenile peering out from the back of its parent. Could be more hidden?

Here is the other adult Great Crested Grebe with the other known juvenile.

The camera was unable to focus on this morning’s Common Tern as it flew against the background vegetation. This will have to do. We can at least see the extensive dark wedge on the outer primaries which means that it cannot be any other species of tern.

This is the juvenile Black-headed Gull flying by. Note the extensive brown on the back and to a lesser extent on the head. In good light – not this morning! – this looks gingery-brown.

This is the macro moth Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella). It is one of the ‘grass moths’ that are commonly flushed from long grass throughout the summer. They always look surprised when you see photos – the eyes are rather too small to see with the naked eye.

I am sure I have seen this flower before though it is not in my logs. It seems to be Pineappleweed or Wild Chamomile (Matricaria discoidea).

Here just opening are Common Ragwort flowers (Jacobaea vulgaris).

These flowers are a first flowers of a St. John's-wort, probably Perforate (or Common) St. John's-wort (Hypericum perforatum).

Another of my “not sure what this is” photos. It resembles a St. John's-wort though the very large leaves are a bit of a puzzle. They are the shape of the Perforate St. John's-wort but very much larger.

Chopped off to the base are the former Giant Hogweed plants (Heracleum mantegazzianum). 

(Ed Wilson)

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

The Flash:  05:50 – 06:35

(152nd visit of the year)

Notes from here:
- Two cygnets on the water when I arrived, possibly others behind the island. Later the adults with an undetermined number of cygnets on the island.
- Lowest count of Tufted Duck – just one pair – of the year.
- One Great Crested Grebe off the nest and with wings arched, presumably sheltering juveniles. The other adult alongside.
- Coots back in hiding this morning.
Also
- A dashing Kingfisher was noted by one of the dog-walkers.
- A dead Pike floating in the water.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 11 Feral Pigeons
- 2 Wood Pigeons
- 6 Jackdaws

Hirundines etc. noted.
None

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 2 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (4) Blackcap

Counts from the water:
- 3 + 2? Mute Swans (see notes)
- 40 Greylag Geese
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose again
- 117 Canada Geese
- 28 (16♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 + ? (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Moorhen
- 16 + 7 (3 broods) Coots

This Pike was floating dead in the water. Dead fish are not uncommon at this time of year after the exertions of spawning.

(Ed Wilson)

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

Between the lake and The Flash:

- Adult Moorhen calling at the upper pool
- 1 (1) Goldcrest at the lower pool
- 1 (1) Blackcap at the lower pool
- family party of Bullfinches near the upper pool – male and three others

(Ed Wilson)

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

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

2013
Priorslee Lake
Grasshopper Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
Special this morning was rather bizarre: an all-white, apparently albino, Budgerigar(!) sheltering in the copse between the football field and the playground!
(Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
Another slight puzzle this morning. It sounded like a 'Blackcap with a difference' with an extended song with lots more variety than usual and many notes recalling Garden Warbler, Song Thrush and Blackbird. It was clearly NOT the bird from earlier but I was curious. It was always singing well above head-height (Acros tend to be below head-height) and never had the rhythm of an Acro but the long and flowing song was very strange (and very loud). In the end the bird gave itself up and proved to be what I thought - a 'Blackcap with a difference' - lots of testosterone? It proved my 'rule of thumb' - if you are not sure whether it is a Blackcap or a Garden Warbler it is a Blackcap.
(Ed Wilson)