26 Aug 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake: 04:55 – 06:15 // 07:10 – 09:20
The Flash: 06:20 – 07:05

15.0°C > 16.0°C: Initially clear: soon clouded / misted. Light W wind but E later. Moderate visibility, poor at times.

Sunrise: 06:09 BST

Priorslee Lake: 04:55 – 06:15 // 07:10 – 09:20

(207th visit of the year)

Best today were the two Common Sandpipers heard and then seen c.07:30 in flight low over the water. Not noted otherwise. Autumn passage of this species has been larger than usual this year. It is a rather late date for any to appear here, though some birds do over-winter, mainly along the S coast

Other bird notes from today:
- Many of the geese both outbound an inbound were ‘lost in the mist’ Approximate counts made of those partially visible. Many more, especially Canada Geese, heard only.
- All 18 Great Crested Grebes were located today. Yesterday’s flying contest amongst the juveniles was not an immediate precursor to their departure.
- Most of the over-flying Wood Pigeons were in a large group of 92 birds flushed from the fields to the E.
- A large number of House Martins calling overhead as usual c.06:15. These could not be located in the mist.
- At least six Pied Wagtails back on the ‘football’ field.
- A scolding Common Whitethroat was presumably a migrant as I have neither seen nor heard any of the birds that bred here for some days.

Bird totals: 

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- >210 Greylag Geese (>100 outbound in 2 groups; >110 inbound in 3 groups)
- >10 Canada Geese (>10 outbound in 2 groups; others heard)
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: 4 of these juveniles (1st winters?)
- 108 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Collared Dove
- 1 Jackdaw
- no Rooks

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 Barn Swallows
- ? House Martins (see notes)

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 12 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (0) Blackcaps
- 1 (0) Common Whitethroat

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 9 (4♂) Mallard
- 1 Grey Heron again
- Little Grebes heard only
- 6 + 12 (>2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 4 (ages?) Moorhens
- Coots not counted due to the poor visibility: one now rapidly growing late-brood juvenile seen.
- 2 Common Sandpipers: briefly(?)
- 12 Black-headed Gulls: one juveniles / first-winters

On the lamp poles pre-dawn:
Low count after clear night with much dew.
- 1 tiny, even by micro-moth standards, presumed moth sp. As yet unidentified.
- 3 unidentified spider sps.
- 1 wasp sp.
- 1 Great Black Slug (Arion ater agg.)

The following logged later:
Stayed overcast so little seen
- No butterflies.
- No moths.
- No damselflies etc.
- Hoverflies (in alphabetic order of scientific name):
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
And other things:
- 1 Scorpion Fly, almost certainly Panorpa germanica 
- another fungus, just possibly Flowery Blewit (Lepista irina)
- 4 Grey Squirrel

A plan view of a Scorpion Fly, almost certainly Panorpa germanica

And the side-elevation of the same insect showing its distinctive long beak. I am none too familiar with the genitalia of scorpion flies(!) but from the shape of the tail – lacking a ‘scorpion hook’ – I assume this is a female.

When I saw these toadstools I could only see the upper one. A photo to try and get some stem and gill detail revealed another lurking underneath. They look to me somewhat like one of the Blewit species and most resemble Flowery Blewit (Lepista irina). However that species has a southern distribution and is associated with Beech (Fagus sp.) trees so it seems unlikely.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:20 – 07:05

(198th visit of the year)

Notes from here:
- My first Barn Swallow here since birds were noted on Spring passage.
also
- 1 Common Grass-veneer moth (Agriphila tristella) on a street sign.
- 1 Square-spot Rustic moth (Xestia xanthographa) on a lamp pole. Looked like the same specimen as seen yesterday. If so it had moved two lamps along.
- 2 Grey Squirrels.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 5 Wood Pigeons

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 Barn Swallow

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 5 (2) Chiffchaffs again
- 1 (0) Willow Warbler
- 1 (0) Blackcap

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans
- 7 Canada Geese
- 33 (17♂) Mallard
- 17 (?♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes again
- 3 Moorhens again
- 20 Coots
- 2 Black-headed Gulls: arrived
- 1 Kingfisher again

Here is a Square-spot Rustic moth (Xestia xanthographa). Named after the dark patch between the oval and the kidney-mark – the two white areas in the wing that are present in varying intensity on almost all Noctuid moths (moths with this general shape at rest).

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

- An adult and second-brood juvenile Moorhen on the grass at the lower pool.

(Ed Wilson)

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

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Report Here

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2013
Priorslee Lake
Yellow Wagtail
(Ed Wilson)