7 Jul 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  04:10 – 05:55 // 06:45 – 07:55
The Flash:  06:00 – 06:40

11.0°C > 15.0°C:  Broken cloud to start, largely clearing away. Light ‘W’ wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 04:54 BST

Priorslee Lake:  04:10 – 05:55 // 06:45 – 07:55

(168th visit of the year)

At last: a Kingfisher seen flying across the water at 05:20. My 94th bird species here this year

A highlight was seven Common Sandpipers. This number is unusual and unprecedented during Autumn passage when movement is usually more protracted. Also unusual was that these noisy and flighty birds were not seen on my first walk around c.05:00 and only noted c.07:00 – had they arrived?

And one that got away. At 04:50 a ‘pip-pip-pip-pip’ call from the reeds along the S side. It reminded me of a Water Rail, a species I have never recorded here in summer or along the S side. Soon after different calls more reminiscent of Little Grebes was heard. Nothing was seen then or later and I remain mystified

Other bird notes from today
- A sub-adult Mute Swan tried their luck at 07:20. Did not stay long.
- Three drake Tufted Ducks at 05:00. Presumed these seen flying low W over the football field at 05:45 (and probably seen at The Flash later)
- Just one juvenile Great Crested Grebes from the pair in the NW area
- despite my comment last week there was at least one juvenile from a very new brood of Coots
- the quiet, undisturbed Sunday morning produced an excellent count of 63 Wood Pigeons on the football field.
- unusual early movement from the corvids today. Very few Jackdaws seen. Then a big and typically scattered group of 79 Rooks at 04:55. Several more small groups of Rooks later
- only one Reed Warbler heard singing: several seen carrying food in to the reeds and several more flying around

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 2 Greylag Geese (outbound)
- 3 Feral Pigeons
- 22 Wood Pigeons
- 14 Jackdaws
- 104 Rooks

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 12 Swifts
- 1 Barn Swallow
- 4 House Martins

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 6 (6) Chiffchaffs
- 13 (11) Blackcaps
- 3 (2) Garden Warblers
- 3 (1) (Common) Whitethroats
- no Sedge Warbler
- 6 (1) Reed Warblers

Counts from the lake area:
- 3 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 17 (15♂) + 1 (1 brood) Mallard
- 3 (3♂) Tufted Ducks: left
- 6 + 3 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 3 + 3 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 28 + 31 (? broods) Coots
- 7 Common Sandpipers
- 9 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Kingfisher

On the lamp poles pre-dawn:
- 3 Little Grey moths (Eudonia lacustrata) on different lamp poles.
Limited log for later as I left early:
The following insects logged
- Butterflies (in species order):
- >10 Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus)
- Moths (in species order):
- 4 Garden Grass-veneers (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- No damselflies etc
- Hoverflies noted: only one species again
        - 3 Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Other things:
- >5 pupae of Harlequin Ladybirds (Harmonia axyridis)

Early cloud clearing away and while not exactly a ‘sunrise’ a good view.

The Mute Swan that dropped it for a while soon chased away. The photo reveals rather more brown in the wing than I noted at the time. This looks like a first-year bird. Note too the orange Darvic ring....

... which blown up reveals ‘30V’. One for Martin Grant to investigate.

Here it goes, confirming the extensive brown in the wings. Note too the rather dull-coloured bill.

Record shot only: the seven Common Sandpipers in flight.

Against the light little can be made out on these two Common Sandpipers – certainly no feather-detail to try and age them. We can just see the diagnostic feature of the white extending up the side of the breast.

Another in the ‘yummy’ series. Don’t you wish you were a baby Reed Warbler and your parent was about to stuff this lot down your throat?

Another view? Identify the bird species by the relative lack of markings with a weak supercilium showing in front of a quite prominent eye-ring. The head has a sloping profile down to what would be a relatively long bill if it wasn’t so full of insects we can’t see it.

Angled slightly differently the light makes it look rather browner. Note the substantial legs – needed to hang on to swaying reeds.

Did you want to see the food in detail? Certainly a crane fly. The wings with black marks are likely a snipe fly. There is a plumed midge sticking out the top left. The long antenna probably belong to caddis flies Mystacides longicornis.

Open wide and you will get it stuffed down your throat! 

Heavily enlarged is this ‘grey’ moth. At the time I thought it was a Little Grey (Eudonia lacustrata), but looking in detail at the photo I think it is a Common Grey (Scoparia ambigualis). ‘Ambigualis’ seems appropriate!

As I think is this one.

Well I am confused. I thought this had very short and stubby antenna and was therefore likely to be a hoverfly – probably the Bumblebee Hoverfly Volucella bombylans of the form plumata. But that has short plumed antenna which this does not – indeed looking closely there are long antenna and I am not sure what the ‘stubby’ antenna are. I think – but am far from certain – it is an Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum). Only called ‘early’ because this species is first on the wing in Spring: they have several generations throughout the year.
(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  06:00 – 06:40

(162nd visit of the year)

Notes from here:
- Perhaps my most accurate count of the geese – no dog-walkers / fishermen to move them around
- I assume many of the Mallard were hiding on the island. I assume ...
- Two Great Crested Grebe juveniles again, but only one adult located.
also
- 1 Riband Wave moth (Idaea aversata) dead on a lamp pole.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 4 Jackdaws
- 1 Starling

Hirundines etc. noted.
None

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

Counts from the water:
- 3 + 4 Mute Swans still
- 58 Greylag Geese
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose still
- 139 Canada Geese
- 13 (8♂) Mallard
- 13 (12♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Moorhens again
- 21 + 8 (3 broods) Coots
- 1 Black-headed Gull again

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

- still no Moorhens noted
- no warblers seen or heard
- 4 Bullfinches seen in flight

(Ed Wilson)

Note

Here are a few images from RSPB Burton Mere on Thu 4 Jul 19. Click Here.

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

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2011
Priorslee Lake
Lesser Whitethroat
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
2 Common Sandpipers
3 Common Terns
Kingfisher
50+ Swifts
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
1 drake Ruddy Duck
(Martin Adlam)