24 Aug 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  04:50 – 06:40 // 07:35 – 09:35
The Flash:  06:45 – 07:30

12.0°C > 18.0°C:  Mainly clear with only a few areas of medium cloud. Mist low over water and some open areas early. Light wind / calm. Good visibility except for foggy areas.

Sunrise: 06:06 BST

Priorslee Lake:  04:50 – 06:40 // 07:35 – 09:35

(205th visit of the year)

Best today was a Little Egret that arrived at 05:50 with the first few Black-headed Gulls. It circled once, attempted to land in one of the willow trees; fell off; and then returned West.

Bird notes from today:
- a large number of geese both outbound; and inbound later. When outbound they were in single species groups. When inbound the species were often mixed.
- Little Grebe(s) heard calling and then a juvenile seen.
- Another change in the Great Crested Grebes: the second pair to breed also have a second brood with at least three juveniles. So we have six new juveniles; their four parents; a non-breeding pair of adults; and six (fledged) juveniles.
- The only very obvious juvenile Coot seen today was the lone and still red-headed bird from the latest brood, a bird that I have not seen for three days.
- A large number of Lesser Black-backed Gulls over with a very high proportion of juveniles (or perhaps) first winters. These included several groups of seven or more, all youngsters. After c.08:30 a few circled and settled on the water bringing more to join them. None stayed more than c.10 minutes. There did not seem to be any Herring Gulls amongst them. [NB: later I went to Belvide Reservoir where there was at least 300 large gulls with a similar high proportion of juveniles]
- Where have many of the Magpies gone? The winter roost of >60 birds obviously disperses as birds start nesting. After the juveniles fledged I was often recording 30 – 35 birds in the area. Now I struggle some days to get to 10. This is fewer than the number of nesting birds in the area.
- The early group of House Martins high over was hard to see against the clear sky: at least 15?.
- The Reed Warbler that stuck its head out of a bush along the S side was a surprise. A bird moving through I suspect as I have seen none around the breeding sites for several days. I assume the residents have left.
- One Song Thrush is still singing for a short period very early. None of the others are replying.
- No Pied Wagtails on the ‘football' field – perhaps the very heavy dew dissuaded them? One on the academy roof, briefly

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 252 Greylag Geese (130 outbound in 9 groups; 122 inbound in 12 groups)
- 139 Canada Geese (63 outbound in 8 groups; 76 inbound in 8 groups)
- 2 (1♂) Mallard
- 2 Black-headed Gulls
- 59 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: 46 of these juveniles (1st winters?)
- 2 Feral / Racing Pigeons (singles)
- 59 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Collared Dove
- 12 Jackdaws
- 22 Rooks
- 1 Starling

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 Barn Swallow
- >15 House Martins again

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 16 (4) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler
- 5 (0) Blackcaps
- 1 (0) Reed Warbler

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 7 (7♂) Mallard
- 2 Cormorants, briefly
- 1 Little Egret, briefly
- 1 Grey Heron again
- >1 Little Grebe
- 6 + 12 (>2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 4 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 77 + 1 (very late brood) Coots
- 15 Black-headed Gulls: no juveniles / first-winters
- 19 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: 17 of these  juveniles
- 1 Kingfisher

On the lamp poles pre-dawn:
A clear night with the poles covered in dew again.
- 1 unidentified carpet moth
- 1 Rosy Rustic moth (Hydraecia micacea)
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus harvestman

The following logged later:
- Butterflies
        - Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
- No moths.
- No damselflies etc.
- Hoverflies (in alphabetic order of scientific name):
        - Drone Flies (Eristalis sp.)
        - Dead-head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)
And other things:
- 1 crane fly, likely Tipula paludosa
- 1 scorpion fly, likely Panorpa germanica
- two different clusters of toadstools
        - probably Fairy Inkcap (Coprinellus disseminatus)
        - possibly Sulphur Tuft (Hypholoma fasciculare)
- 2 Grey Squirrels

A rather lop-sided moon. The well-lit crater in the middle of the photo really stood out to the naked eye and almost seemed to ‘stick up’ from the surface.

The pre-sunrise (street-lamps still on) view with mist over the water. 

A slightly later view.

One of the many groups of geese headed out to the fields to feed. 

A record shot of the swiftly-departing Little Egret – well it was 05:40 and rather dark! 

The juvenile Little Grebe. It is not that ‘juvenile’ as it shows no hint of any head-stripes.

Best I could do at rather long range. Sufficient to show what I could not see with binoculars – there are three juveniles at least on the parent Great Crested Grebe’s back.

Very many Lesser Black-backed Gulls today. Here is a trio with an adult at the bottom right following two of the very many juveniles.

Two of the juveniles that spent a short time flying around and on the water. In the harsh light these both show a pale ‘window’ around the inner primaries. Not pale- or extensive-enough for Herring Gull and the dark secondary coverts confirm these as Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

At this angle the ‘window’ is less pronounced. The overall rather scaly effect supports Lesser Black-backed Gull.

14 Lesser Black-backed Gulls here, all juveniles apart from the left-most front adult.

Here an adult leaves. Note the wide white trailing edge and the white ‘mirror’ visible on both under and upper-side of the outer primary only. Only the outer four primaries are full-length, with the inner feathers still re-growing.

And here a typically dark juvenile. Note the all-dark bill (Herring Gull sometimes shows a pale bill base at this age). Note too the apparent pale collar, not mentioned.

A different slightly paler-looking individual.

Not as sharp as I would like but a demonstration of the typical underwing marking at this age. The same individual as the last photo.

This Reed Warbler really did not want to show itself. Note the diagnostic sloping forehead and dark long bill.

Your identification challenge of the day. The Hawthorn berries hide part of the wing and the end of the tail which would help. However the pale and pointed bill is enough to identify a Goldfinch – a juvenile of course.

Struggled with the photos pre-dawn. This Dicranopalpus ramosus harvestman was no problem

A carpet-type moth was sitting on top of a leaf some ten feet up and this was all I could see! 

Then this moth out in the open was covered in dew and looked like this even with the flash ‘turned down’. Fortunately there are not too many moths that sit like this and I am certain this is a Rosy Rustic (Hydraecia micacea). I have recorded this moth here previously but not for at least six years. Species #64 here in 2019

This is a scorpion fly – have not seen any of these for a while. The marks on the wings suggest that this is Panorpa germanica.

One of the Tipula crane-flies, not all of which fly only in Autumn. This seems to be Tipula paludosa. It is a female with pointed genitals.

One of the two groups of toadstools at the edge of the ‘football’ field. I think these are Fairy Inkcap (Coprinellus disseminatus).

I am (even) less sure about these. They look somewhat like the poisonous Sulphur Tuft (Hypholoma fasciculare). That species grows on decaying wood rather than through grass and clover, as here. However this area was once covered in trees prior to unnecessary clearance ahead of building of the academy. So it may be there is rotting wood underground.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  06:45 – 07:30

(196th visit of the year)

An update regarding the demise of the cygnets as told by one of the residents. Last year’s cygnet, still present and now part of the ‘family group’, was observed to pin-down and drown one of the few surviving cygnets from this year. Whether it did the same to the others is unknown. The parents made no attempt at rescue. My informant also suggested that these cygnets, often ignored by the parents, were starving. They certainly seemed to be smaller than those at the lake which had hatched at about the same date.

Notes from here:
- I was about to recheck the Tufted Ducks with the light now behind me – much easier to sex – when most of them took off and flew around before settling at the other end of the water. Likely more drakes than I recorded.
- 14 Black-headed Gulls flew N in a tight group.
also
- 2 Grey Squirrels

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 14 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 7 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Jackdaw
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 5 House Martins

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 5 (1) Chiffchaffs

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 3 Canada Geese
- 35 (16♂) Mallard
- 25 (>7♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron still
- 2 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 3 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhens again
- 17 Coots
- 1 Black-headed Gull

One of the footbridges makes a handy eye-level feeding station for the cob Mute Swan. 

A Common Buzzard gives me the eye as it passes over. 

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash

- single second-brood juvenile Moorhens at both pools

(Ed Wilson)

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

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Report Here

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Local Area
Today's Sightings Here

2012
Priorslee Lake
Yellow Wagtail
(Ed Wilson)