Priorslee Lake: 04:10 – 05:40 // 06:35 – 09:10
The Flash: 05:45 – 06:30
14.0°C > 17.0°C: Mostly overcast. Sunny spells c.08:30 for a while. Flat calm. Very good visibility
Sunrise: 04:55 BST
It was almost as if someone had turned the tap off at times this morning. It was occasionally deathly quiet after all the weeks of bird song.
Priorslee Lake: 04:10 – 05:40 // 06:35 – 09:10
(171st visit of the year)
Bird notes from today
- A single Little Grebe in the NE area: everyone else perhaps staying in the reeds.
- Again only one of the older generation of juvenile Great Crested Grebes located. Only one of its presumed parents located.
- 12 adult Black-headed Gulls arrived from the W at 04:25, did their usual squabbling about who should stand on the buoys, flew about a bit and left by 04:35. Seven adults at 06:50 did not stay – some of the same? Later a juvenile present.
- Very few corvids seen passing. Perhaps just lack of contrast against the dark clouds?
- Swifts began arriving at 04:55, with 11 my largest count. Unlike most recent days none of them stayed.
- 6 House Martins high over the estate / football field at 05:35. None seen or heard later.
- My first confirmed sighting of a juvenile Blackcap – a rather pale brown cap and distinctly ‘fuzzy’ plumage.
- The only Sedge Warbler heard singing was along the S side. All previous records this year have been from the W end.
- Six Starlings flew over. They seem to have given up using the football field to feed – perhaps it has dried out too much? Does not seem to be affecting the Wood Pigeons who visit in large numbers before 05:45.
- A Mistle Thrush flew low toward the usual breeding area. This species has been very infrequent this year. After sporadic sightings during May this is only my second record. Very little song was heard earlier. No hint of juveniles.
A PS to the sighting of the 1st year Mute Swan wearing the Orange Darvic ring 30V on Sunday (7th). I learn that this male, indeed a 1st year, was ringed at Worcester on 21 April this year.
Bird totals:
Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 4 Cormorants
- 1 Black-headed Gull
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 33 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Jackdaws only
- 35 Rooks
- 6 Starlings
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 11 Swifts
- 6 House Martins
Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 9 (5) Chiffchaffs
- 8 (6) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Garden Warbler again
- 2 (1) (Common) Whitethroats
- 1 (1) Sedge Warbler
- 2 (1) Reed Warblers only
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 12 (10♂) Mallard
- 1 Grey Heron: flew off
- 1 + ? Little Grebes: other(s)? heard
- 5 + 2 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Moorhen
- 22 + 26 (? broods) Coots
- 13+ Black-headed Gulls (1 juvenile)
Nothing on the lamp poles pre-dawn. This was a disappointment as on my drive to the lake there were more moths in the headlights than I can recall for ages.
Seen later:
Again not sunny-enough to tempt too many insects to fly. The following logged
- Butterflies (in species order):
- >5 Ringlets (Aphantopus hyperantus)
- 1 Small White (Pieris rapae)
- Moths (in species order):
- >5 Common Marble (Celypha lacunana)
- 2 Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- 1 Inlaid Grass-veneer moth (Crambus pascuella)
- 1 Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella)
- 1 Cinnabar caterpillar (Tyria jacobaeae)
- Damselflies etc. (alphabetic order of vernacular name):
- Blue-tailed Damselfly
- Common Blue Damselfly
- Hoverflies (alphabetic order of scientific name):
- many Marmalade hoverflies (Episyrphus balteatus)
- 1 Common Drone-fly (Eristalis tenax)
- a few Chequered Hoverflies (Melanostoma scalare)
- many Syrphus sp. hoverflies
- 1 Pellucid Fly (Volucella pellucens)
And other things:
- 3 pupa of Harlequin Ladybirds (Harmonia axyridis)
- >5 Common Red Soldier Beetles / Hogweed Bonking-beetles (Rhagonycha fulva)
- 1 bright green / blue probable Altica sp. flea-beetle
- 3+ Wasp sp. chewing the Teece Drive fence again
- Great(er) Willowherb (Epilobium hirsutum) now in flower
- Scented Mayweed (Matricaria chamomilla) also newly open
The new brood of Great Crested Grebes is now down to a single juvenile – here it is with its parent.
And its other face – slightly more supercilium apparent here. Note the very ill-defined eye-ring.
It all depends on angle – here the bird is seeking inspiration and the eye-ring looks quite strong.
Another specimen here showing the subtle brown areas as well as the black and white ‘marble’.
Another Syrphus sp. hoverfly here on an Ox-eye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare).
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 05:45 – 06:30
(164th visit of the year)
Yet another Common Sandpiper on Autumn passage. There may be two reasons behind the larger number I have seen this year. I am currently arriving ahead of most of the dog-walkers, the presence of whom might flush these birds. And the sheer number of geese may be suggesting that it is a ‘good place’ – generally ‘birds attract birds’ and perhaps why there are so many Tufted Duck here and almost none at the lake.
Other notes from here:
- So where was the pen Mute Swan and the four cygnets? Did not seem to be on the island. All I saw was the cob and last year’s remaining cygnet studiously ignoring each other.
- yesterday’s Pochard apparently gone
and
- a 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)
- 2 Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) pupae
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Stock Dove
- 4 Wood Pigeons
- 4 Jackdaws
Hirundines etc. noted.
None
Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 1 (1) Chiffchaff
- 2 (2) Blackcaps
Counts from the water:
- 2 Mute Swans (see notes)
- 66 Greylag Geese
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose
- 147 Canada Geese
- 28 (14♂) + 4 (2 broods) Mallard
- 21 (19♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron: flew off
- 2 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes again
- 1 Moorhen
- 13 + 8 (3 broods) Coots
- 1 Common Sandpiper
- 1 Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)
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Between the lake and The Flash:
- 1 adult Moorhen on the grass below the lower pool. One bird calling at the upper pool
- 1 (1) Blackcap at the upper pool for a change
(Ed Wilson)
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