14 Jul 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  04:15 – 05:40 // 06:35 – 08:30
The Flash:  05:45 – 06:30

12.0°C > 13.0°C:  Low cloud started to break for a while; then more cloud and some light drizzle. Light NW wind. Very good visibility

Sunrise: 05:02 BST

Priorslee Lake:  04:15 – 05:40 // 06:35 – 08:30

(174th visit of the year)

Bird notes from today
- A Little Grebe seen in flight and then briefly on the surface at the W end. A bit of a puzzle as from admittedly a long way it looked neither like an adult nor a juvenile: more like a winter-plumaged bird.
- No juvenile Great Crested Grebe seen with the NW area birds – perhaps just rather chilly weather?
- A Common Tern again arrived c.06:55
- 12 Black-headed Gulls arrived at 04:41 but gone by 05:00. 14 by 07:10.
- At least 15 Swifts by 05:05. Several seen heading off NW later leaving just four birds thereafter.
- At least 25 House Martins high over c.08:25. At least one calling like a juvenile, though seemingly just the one.
- The early corvid passage larger than recently, with protracted movement of parties of Rooks.
- No fewer than 20 Pied Wagtails together on the ‘football’ field at 06:45

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 1 (?♂)Tufted Duck
- 3 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull again
- 2 Feral Pigeons
- 33 Wood Pigeons
- 49 Jackdaws
- 129 Rooks

Hirundines etc. noted:
- c.15 Swifts
- 2 Barn Swallows again
- c.25 House Martins

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 4 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 7 (4) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Garden Warbler
- 2 (2) (Common) Whitethroats
- 4 (2) Reed Warblers

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 19 (?♂) Mallard
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Little Grebe
- 6 + 2 (2? broods) Great Crested Grebes again
- 2 + 3 (3 broods) Moorhens
- 20 + 26 (? broods) Coots
- 1 Common Tern again
- >14 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Kingfisher

On the lamp poles pre-dawn:
- 1 Hoary Bell (Eucosma cana)
- 2 Common Grey moth (Scoparia ambigualis)
- 1 Single-dotted Wave moth (Idaea dimidiata)
- 1 Chironomus plumosus (a plumed midge sp.)

Seen later:
In the dull and cool conditions insects were almost absent – no moths, butterflies, damselflies or hoverflies seen while walking around. My log consisted of:
- 1 pupa of a Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis)
- 1 beetle sp., perhaps a Plum beetle (Tetrops praeustus)
- >20 Mystacides longicornis: caddis flies dancing above the lake-side vegetation
- many snails, at least one a White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

A micro-moth on one of the lamp poles this morning. Not very distinctive to get a positive ID. I think it most likely a Hoary Bell (Eucosma cana), a common species that I have recorded here previously, though not for some years.

On safer ground with this small but distinctive moth. It is a Single-dotted Wave (Idaea dimidiata). At rest the leading edge of the wings are notably at right-angles to the body and almost straight and it has dark areas along the rear inside edge of the forewing.

About the only other insect found this morning was another specimen of a beetle photographed on Thursday (11th). I provisionally identified it then as a Plum Beetle (Tetrops praeustus) even though the elytra was not black-tipped as should have been. This specimen also lacks the black tip but I cannot find any other ‘hairy’ beetle that would fit.

A ‘classic’ and well-marked White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis). 

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  05:45 – 06:30

(167th visit of the year)

Notes from here:
- Yet another new brood of Mallard ducklings – five in this brood.
- Tufted Ducks hard to census: scattered and continually diving with several under overhanging vegetation. More than recently – numbers often increase during July.
- Many of the Coots apparently hiding.
- Just as I was leaving a group of 9 Black-headed Gulls approached from the S. I could not tell whether these landed or flew straight though. I have logged them as arrivals – more likely I feel.
- A party of at least 16 Long-tailed Tits flew to the island.
also
- At least three Grey Squirrels heard calling beside squirrel alley

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Jackdaw only

Hirundines etc. noted.
None

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 1 (1) Chiffchaff

Counts from the water:
- 3 + 4 Mute Swans
- 64 Greylag Geese
- 129 Canada Geese
- 22 (>9♂) + 8 (2 broods) Mallard
- 28 (27♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron flushed
- 2 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 2 + 2 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 11 + 7 (2? broods) Coots
- 10? Black-headed Gulls (see notes)

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

- Moorhens again heard from the upper pool with calls suggesting second-brood juveniles
- 1 (0) Blackcap near the upper pool
and, both in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel
- A possible Dark Neb micro moth (Bryotropha affinis)
- 1 Willow Beauty moth (Peribatodes rhomboidaria)

On the roof of the Priorslee Avenue tunnel I found this micro-moth. Another moth that I am far from confident about identifying. I suspect a Dark Neb (Bryotropha affinis), but ....

Nearby I faced another challenge – this rather worn moth. Its shape identifies it a ‘beauty’ moth. The two short parallel dark marks at the inner edge of the forewing suggest it is a Willow Beauty (Peribatodes rhomboidaria).

(Ed Wilson)

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

2018
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

2012
Priorslee Lake
Common Tern
Possible Otter
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Priorslee Lake
A female Ruddy Duck
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
A drake Ruddy Duck
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
Common/Arctic Tern
(Martin Adlam)