Priorslee Lake: 04:55 – 06:40 // 07:45 – 09:30
The Flash: 06:45 – 07:40
15.0°C > 20.0°C: Mainly clear with a few areas of medium cloud again.. Light SE wind. Good visibility.
Sunrise: 06:07 BST
Priorslee Lake: 04:55 – 06:40 // 07:45 – 09:30
(206th visit of the year)
Best today was a Whimbrel that flew over calling at 06:30. Not my first here this year – seen on Spring passage on 26 April. Autumn records are less common – indeed I suspect it is my first such record here.
Also of special note was the Common Kestrel hovering over fields to the E, then NE c.06:00. Only my third sighting this year here of this declining species.
A trio of notables this morning: a Hobby flew W at 09:20 carrying prey – not able to ID but once again the local Barn Swallows seemed upset.
Other bird notes from today:
- The new Great Crested Grebe brood in the NW area was not located this morning and neither was one of the adults. I hope just hiding in the reeds.
- Four of the six juvenile Great Crested Grebes were chasing around and perhaps trying to fly – one of them made several circuits. This is somewhat confusing for so far as I am aware only three locally bred birds have reached this stage. At least three juveniles must have been able to fly to get here?
- A probable lost Racing Pigeon was noted sitting on the academy roof. I could not see whether it was ringed.
- There seemed to be a small passage of Barn Swallows heading south. One group of six birds appeared over the water with at least five House Martins. Whether these were local birds or migrants ‘tagging along’ was hard to judge.
- No Pied Wagtails at all today
Bird totals:
Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 205 Greylag Geese (94 outbound in 4 groups; 111 inbound also in 4 groups)
- 64 Canada Geese (44 outbound in 5 groups; 20 inbound in 1 group)
- 1 Common Kestrel
- 1 Hobby
- 1 Whimbrel
- 2 Black-headed Gulls again
- 23 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: 12 of these juveniles (1st winters?)
- 4 Feral / Racing Pigeons
- 1 Stock Dove
- 86 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Jackdaws
- 4 Rooks
- 5 Starlings
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 22 Barn Swallows
- c.35 House Martins
Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 11 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (0) Blackcaps
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 9 (5♂) Mallard
- 1 Grey Heron
- no Little Grebes
- 5 + 9 (>2 broods) Great Crested Grebes (see notes)
- 4 + 3 (3 broods) Moorhens
- 78 Coots: no late-brood juveniles
- 21 Black-headed Gulls: no juveniles / first-winters
On the lamp poles pre-dawn:
- 1 Single-dotted Wave moth (Idaea dimidiata): an amazing run of records for this species
- 1 Square-spot Rustic moth (Xestia xanthographa)
- 1 Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperia carnea)
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum harvestman
- 1 Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus)
- 1 wasp sp.
The following logged later:
- Butterflies
- Green-veined White (Pieris napi)
- Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
- Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
- Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)
- No moths.
- Damselflies etc.
- Common Blue Damselfly
- rather smaller than usual hawker sp.
- Hoverflies (in alphabetic order of scientific name):
- Broad-banded Epistrophe (Epistrophe grossulariae): **a new species for me
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Common / Tapered Drone Fly (Eristalis sp.)
- Stripe-faced Drone fly (Eristalis nemorum (previously E. interruptus)) : **my first in 2019
- Migrant Hoverfly (Eupeodes corollae)
- Syrphus sp.
And other things:
- Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum)
- White-tailed Bumble Bee (Bombus lucorum)
- 2 Giant Puffballs (Calvatia gigantea)
- 1 Grey Squirrel
A footnote about the delicate fungus photographed on 21 August. I think this may have been a Coprinus plicatilis, sometimes called The Little Japanese Umbrella (probably not a very PC name these days)
As the sunrise progressed the colour spread across the sky.
And set fire to the bushes.
Here is a Square-spot Rustic moth (Xestia xanthographa).
This is a Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus). Not all sure about the stray legs – last night’s dinner?
Who would win out of the spider and the wasp?
A newly emerged fungus: these are (rather small) Giant Puffballs (Calvatia gigantea).
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 06:45 – 07:40
(197th visit of the year)
Highlight here today was a Common Snipe seen in flight to the N and found by accident when trying to locate the calling House Martins. My first log of this species here for a very long while. It must be at least 15 years since a group of up to 10 birds could often be found resting during winter days on the then somewhat larger island. Species #78 for me here in 2019.
Other notes from here:
- I have no idea why the Tufted Duck numbers are so variable. Today’s low count may have been due to the presence of several fishermen. However those that were present seemed to take no notice of the fishermen.
also
also
- 1 Flame Carpet moth (Xanthorhoe designata) on a lamp pole
- 1 Canary-shouldered Thorn moth (Ennomos alniaria) on another lamp pole; moth species #20 here this year
- 1 Square-spot Rustic moth (Xestia xanthographa) on a third lamp pole: moth species #21
- 1 Grey Squirrel
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 2 Cormorants
- 1 Common Snipe
- 1 Herring Gull
- 1 Stock Dove
- 12 Wood Pigeons
- 4 Jackdaws
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 4 House Martins
Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 5 (2) Chiffchaffs
Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans
- 5 Canada Geese
- 32 (17♂) Mallard
- 16 (6♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Moorhens
- 17 Coots again
- 7 Black-headed Gulls: arrived
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: arrived – did not stay long
- 1 Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Between the lake and The Flash:
- 1 Blackcap calling around the lower pool
and
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus harvestman on a lamp pole
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------