21 May 20

Priorslee Lake: 04:34 – 05:50 // 06:45 – 07:15 // 08:20 – 09:45
The Flash: 05:55 – 06:40
Woodhouse Lane: 07:15 – 08:20

11.0°C > 13.0°C: Spectacular sunrise followed by brief heavy shower from medium / high cloud. Cleared after 06:45 for a while. Low cloud from W by 08:00 which later began to break. Light and variable, mainly SE breeze then settled as light W. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 05:03 BST

Priorslee Lake:

(88th visit of the year)

Firstly a report from two fishermen of a sighting of Hobby catching insects over the lake at 21:00 yesterday.

Bird notes:
- One brood of four Coots that was seen on Tuesday seemed to be missing. I noted just one yesterday but that was in the mist.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 9 Canada Geese (pair and a single outbound; three pairs inbound)
- 1 Cormorant
- 19 Feral / Racing Pigeons: one group
- 1 Stock Dove
- 10 Wood Pigeons again
- 7 Jackdaws
- 12 Rooks

Birds noted on the ‘football’ field [Wood Pigeons and Magpies excluded]:
- 2 Starlings only once again
The strange Feral Pigeon was yet again on the academy roof.

Birds noted on the academy playing field [Wood Pigeons and Magpies excluded here too]:
- 1 Jackdaw only

Count of hirundines etc logged:
- 4 Swifts: at 04:50 and thereafter
- 2 Barn Swallows
- 6 House Martins

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 11 (8) Chiffchaffs
- 16 (15) Blackcaps
- 5 (4) Garden Warblers
- 3 (3) Common Whitethroats again
- 11 (10) Reed Warblers

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall: seen early only
- 7 (5♂) Mallard
- 4 (2♂) Tufted Ducks: pair left 04:45; other pair left after 05:45
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- 4 Moorhens
- 19 + 7 (2 broods) Coots
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: (near) adults, briefly

On / around the street lights:
Nothing

Insects / other things etc noted later:

Damselflies
- Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella)
- Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
- Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans)

Butterflies
- Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris): new for the year for me.

Hoverflies
- The Footballer (Helophilus pendulus)
- Xylota segnis: new for 2020 for me.

Other things
- Red-and-Black Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata)
- Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis): both var. succinea; and var. conspicua
- Common Stretch-spider (Tetragnatha extensa)

Additional plant species recorded for the year at this site:
- Ox-eye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare)
- Meadow Vetchling (Lathyrus pratensis)

An excellent sunrise ahead of a sharp shower.

Well worth getting out of bed for!

Stunning.

Most uncooperative this year singing mainly from the tops of trees rather than in scrub. This Common Whitethroat male was briefly within camera range.

A classic view of a proper ‘blue’ male Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum).

While this one is yet to go ‘blue’ – identical markings.

This is my first Small Skipper butterfly (Thymelicus sylvestris) of this year. Not separable from Large Skipper on size it is the narrow black band ahead of the white trailing edge that confirms it as this species – he just opened his wings enough, very briefly. The black mark in the middle of the forewings tells me it is a male.

This is a most unusually-marked hoverfly. I thought it was a sawfly, but the short antennae means it is not. It is Xylota segnis. My only previous record here was on 11 May 2017.

A Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) of the most common form succinea.

Today there were also several of form conspicua, as here on my hand.

A Common Stretch-spider (Tetragnatha extensa).

And what happens if you go too close, as had this cranefly (I think Tipula lateralis: hard to tell)

Just beginning to open, the first flower of Ox-eye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare).

The only vetch that is yellow and likely to be seen here is this Meadow Vetchling (Lathyrus pratensis).

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:

(75th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- One of the cygnets missing. Happens.
- All four Canada Geese goslings seen: the fourth, smallest one, looked very weak and unsteady.
- No juvenile Coots seen from brood #5 (around the S end of the island). Broods #3 and #4 still in the nest and counts likely incomplete.
- The Lesser Black-backed Gull made several circuits of the island during the rain shower: briefly touched on the water and left.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Cormorant
- 2 Wood Pigeons
- 7 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook

Hirundines etc logged:
- 6 Swifts
- 1 House Martin

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 5 (4) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (3) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Reed Warbler

Counts from the water:
- 3 + 8 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 30 + 4 (2 broods) Canada Geese: five of these departed
- 16 (13♂) Mallard
- 4 (2♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Moorhens again
- 16 + >5 (3 broods) Coots
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: (near) adult

Otherwise of note:
- 1 Grey Squirrel

Noteworthy between the lake and The Flash:
- 1 Buzzard calling from trees around lower pool
- 1 adult Moorhen on the lower pool
- 1 juvenile Moorhen at the upper pool
- 2 Song Thrushes: bird singing at both pools

Just eight cygnets this morning. #7 seems to be wandering off. #8 needs to catch up.

This drake Tufted Duck already beginning to lose the gleaming white flanks as it starts its post-breeding moult. Another month / six weeks it will be hard to sex these birds.

(Ed Wilson)

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Woodhouse Lane area:

(6th visit of the year)

Notes from here:
- Bird of the morning: what I initially thought was going to be a Yellowhammer turned out to be my first Yellow Wagtail this year. No call heard but photographic proof!

Notable species counts (singing birds in brackets):
- 1 Jay
- 4 (3) Skylarks
- 4 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (3) Blackcaps again
- 5 (3) Common Whitethroats
- 1 (1) Song Thrushes
- 1 (0) Yellow Wagtail
- 5 (4) Chaffinches
- 1 (1) Greenfinch
- 3 (0) Goldfinches
- 1 Linnet
- 5 (2) Yellowhammers

Insects noted:
- Common Nettle-tap moth (Anthophila fabriciana)
- Large White Butterfly (Pieris brassicae)
- Red-and-Black Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata)

Additional plant species recorded in flower for the year at this site:
- Common Poppy (Papaver rhoeas)
- Dame’s Violet (Hesperis matronalis)
- Common Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)
- Bramble [Blackberry] (Rubus fruticosus agg.)
- Smooth Hawksbeard (Crepis capillaris)

This was a real surprise. I thought it was a Yellowhammer and only when I looked at the photo did I realise my mistake – not a Yellowhammer with a thin bill like this. It is a Yellow Wagtail, my first of the year. I did not hear this bird call at all. Last year I suspected this species bred nearby. At this date I would think it certain it is breeding in the crops.

Another view of that bill.

Since my last visit here seven days ago the flowers of Common Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) have begun to open.

The seeds of Common Poppy (Papaver rhoeas) are almost indestructible and can survive for many years and many applications of farming chemicals. They usually pop up (poppy = pop up! groan) in crops sooner or later.

Do I need to say ...?

Well, well! I think I have always recorded this flower as White Campion (Silene latifolia). It isn’t as that has five petals, each divided. This is clearly a Crucifer (= cross) with four petals. I think Dame’s Violet (Hesperis matronalis). Originally a garden escape but naturalised in many places.

I’m beaten. This umbellifer did not have the ‘open’ look of Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris). Neither did it look like Common Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) which is only just coming it to flower.

I even photographed a leaf. Pass

On safer ground here. The first few flowers of Bramble [Blackberry] (Rubus fruticosus agg.) are opening.

A hawk-something giving a colourful display. I think Smooth Hawksbeard (Crepis capillaris) because ....

 ... the tips of the undersides of the flowers are reddish.

The rather strange arrangement of the basal leaves.

(Ed Wilson)

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If you are on your daily exercise and keeping a safe distance from others, we would love to see any photos or sightings you have, from Priorslee Lake and The Flash, by emailing them to us at priorsleelake@hotmail.com

We look forward to hearing from you.😊

(Martin Adlam and Ed Wilson)

Note:
Here are a few Garden Sightings from Ed Wilson Here on our Readers Corner from the past few days

And

A few of Martin Adlam's Sightings from the Isle of Portland Here.

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On this day..........
2019
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

 2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

 2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

 2012
Priorslee Lake
Grasshopper Warbler
(Ed Wilson)

 2009
Priorslee Lake
Redshank
Common Tern
(Ed Wilson)

 Nedge Hill
Cuckoo
(Ed Wilson)

 2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Ruddy Duck
(Ed Wilson)