28 Aug 19

Priorslee Lake, The Flash, Trench Lock Pool and Trench Middle Pool

Priorslee Lake:  05:00 – 06:35 // 07:30 – 09:00
The Flash:  06:40 – 07:25
Trench Lock Pool:  09:15 – 09:20 // 09:55 – 10:20
Trench Middle Pool:  09:25 – 09:50

15.0°C > 18.0°C:  Early shower moving away E; clearer for a while; more light showers ahead of rain after 10:15. Light S wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:12 BST

Priorslee Lake:  05:00 – 06:35 // 07:30 – 09:00

(209th visit of the year)

Bird notes from today:
- Each pair of Great Crested Grebes seems to have lost one of their juveniles.
- A Common Kestrel was again hovering over the fields to the E. At 08:30
- A small red-headed juvenile Coot seen: surely the previous example first noted on 19th would have lost the red by now – and anyway it has been ‘missing’ for some days. Must be from another very late brood?
- Eight Pied Wagtails on the ‘football’ field flushed off by a passing Sparrowhawk – easier to count that way!

Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 233 Greylag Geese (119 outbound in 14 groups; 113 inbound in 4 groups)
- 4 Canada Geese (pair outbound; same pair)?)  inbound)
- 2 Sparrowhawks
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 1 Common Kestrel
- 27 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Feral Pigeons
- 2 Stock Doves
- 87 Wood Pigeons
- no Jackdaws
- 4 Rooks
- 1 Raven

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 Barn Swallows
- c.30 House Martins

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 10 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Blackcap only

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 13 (8♂) Mallard
- 2 Grey Herons again
- 1 adult Little Grebe heard again
- 7 + 10 (>2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 4 + 6 (4 broods) Moorhens
- 81 + 2 (2 recent broods) Coots
- 31 Black-headed Gulls: 5 of these juveniles / first-winters
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: mostly ‘gas and go’
- 1 Kingfisher again

On the lamp poles pre-dawn:
- 2 Common Grass-veneer moths (Agriphila tristella)
- 1 wasp sp.
- 2 different species of spider, very tentatively identified as
        - 1 Zygiella x-notata
        - 1 Larinioides cornutus
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus harvestman
- 1 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman

The following logged later:
Cloudy weather meant almost no insects – where do they hide?
- Hoverflies:
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
And other things:
- 1 Grey Squirrel
- 1 pipistrelle-type bat

A ‘gas and go’ adult Lesser Black-backed Gull doing the ‘gas’ bit. Included because it shows the effect of wing moult. Both primary and secondary wing-coverts are regrowing and as a result we can see the white feather bases of both primaries and secondaries as a diagonal white bar across the upper wing. Once the feathers are regrown then the upper wing will be restored to its slate-grey tone. Note too that on the left wing only four outer primaries are full size. These are ‘old’ feathers and will be replaced in late September / early October. The inner primaries are re-growing.

The Magpie is not likely to be able to catch the Sparrowhawk and is probably content to harass it out of the area.

One of this morning’s spiders lurking on a lamp pole pre-dawn – flash reflection on its back. It may be Zygiella x-notata, with various vernacular names - Silver-sided Sector Spider; Missing Sector Orb Weaver etc.

On shape this is likely another orb-web spider. It might be Larinioides cornutus, though I am not sure that species should be seen up a lamp pole.

This is another view of a Dicranopalpus ramosus harvestman showing the very long second pair of legs and the forked pedipalps.

This harvestman also has rather long second pair of legs. But note that the basal part (third?) of all the legs is much thicker and hence it is the species Paroligolophus agrestis.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash:  06:40 – 07:25

(200th visit of the year)

Notes from here:
- One of the Great Crested Grebe juveniles almost achieved lift-off in a trial flight.
- The large number of House Martins were no doubt those seen near the lake moving around.
also
(nothing at all on any lamp again)
- 2 Grey Squirrels

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 15 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Ravens

Hirundines etc. noted:
- >30 House Martins

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 6 (0) Chiffchaffs

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans
- 3 Canada Geese
- 32 (19♂) Mallard
- 14 (3♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 2 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 19 Coots
- 17 Black-headed Gulls: 3 of these juveniles / 1st winter

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Between the lake and The Flash:

- Moorhen(s) heard at the upper pool
and
- 1 Square-spot Rustic moth (Xestia xanthographa) on a lamp pole.
- 1 Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) on another lamp pole.

“come in #9 your time is up”. This moth seemed rather longer and narrower than the Square-spot Rustic moths (Xestia xanthographa) recently seen in the area.

A closer view. The pale area where the wings meet is only partly due to the flash photography and indicates this is a rather worn specimen. Such wear probably accounts for the rather less ‘feathering’ around the head. I am fairly certain it is in fact another Square-spot Rustic. It has closed its wings rather more tightly making it narrower and hence appear longer.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Trench Lock Pool:  09:15 – 09:20 // 09:55 – 10:20

(39th visit of the year)

Notes from here:
- On my last visit I initially thought the pair of Great Crested Grebes were feeding three small juveniles; then later I could only see two juveniles. This visit there seemed to two small juveniles and one rather larger juvenile well apart from the family. Later all three juveniles were together. I conclude that one of the juveniles is an independent soul. The ‘spare’ adult still here.
- Poor gull numbers continue
With cloud and rain threatening there were no insects about apart from....
- 1 unidentified hawker dragonfly sp.

Birds noted flying over / near here [other than local Wood Pigeons and Jackdaws].
None

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 House Martin

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 2 (0) Chiffchaffs

Counts from the water:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 25 Canada Geese
- 3 (2 drakes) Mallard
- 1 Cormorant
- 3 + 3 (1? brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 1 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhens again
- 15 Coots
- 7 Black-headed Gulls: 1 juvenile/1st winter

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Trench Middle Pool:  09:25 – 09:50

(39th visit of the year)

Work on the N-side embankment continues, indeed it looks barely started and the closure seems likely to be protracted. With no food hand-outs possible most of the geese seem to have gone elsewhere

Notes from here:
- The Great Crested Grebes gave me trouble here too. Initially I thought I could see three juveniles tucked up against the island close to the nest-site. Later two adults and two juveniles were in the open water with no sign of any other juvenile. So was I mistaken? Did it hide away?

Birds noted flying over / near here.
None

Hirundines etc. noted.
None

Warblers noted (singing birds):
- 2 (0) Chiffchaffs

Counts from the water:
- 2 Mute Swans
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 2 Canada Geese
- 25 (22 drakes) Mallard
- 14 (6 drakes) Tufted Duck
- 2 + 3? (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Moorhens
- 30 Coots
- 9 Black-headed Gulls

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Report Here

2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Teal
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Turtle Dove
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
Pair Ruddy Duck
(Malcolm Thompson)