The Flash: 05:50 – 06:50
10.0°C > 12.0°C: Variable cloud with a few light passing showers. Fresh and gusty SW wind. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 05:00 BST
The recent winds have left much small twigs and leaves strewn around. Just a few larger branches.
Priorslee Lake:
(90th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- I am sure Little Grebe is breeding here. Generally quiet and hiding in the reeds. Heard calling once today.
- Coot numbers, and especially the count of juveniles, affected by the strong wind.
- The House Sparrows that invaded the area three weeks ago all seem to have left.
Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 14 Canada Geese (trio and a single outbound; four inbound; six ‘cross bound’!)
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Cormorant
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: all (near) adults
- 1 Stock Dove
- 1 Wood Pigeon only
- 2 Jackdaws
- 3 Rooks
Birds noted on the ‘football’ field [Wood Pigeons and Magpies excluded]:
- 11 Starlings
A rather strange increase. All seemed to be adults collecting food to take to nests.
Birds noted on the academy playing field [Wood Pigeons and Magpies excluded here too]:
- 2 (1♂) Mallard
- 1 Jackdaw only again
Count of hirundines etc logged:
- c.30 Swifts
- 4 Barn Swallows
- c.10 House Martins
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 13 (8) Chiffchaffs
several juveniles seen
- 17 (16) Blackcaps
- 4 (4) Garden Warblers
- 4 (3) Common Whitethroats
- 9 (9) Reed Warblers
two new singing locations: fewer heard at W end
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Gadwall
- 7 (6♂) Mallard
- Little Grebe heard
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 4 Moorhens again
- 19 + 5 (2 broods) Coots
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: two (near) adults, one second year, all 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 / moths
- Plain Gold moth (Micropterix calthella)
Bees
- presumed Field Cuckoo Bumblebee (Bombus campestris)
- Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum)
- Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum)
Hoverflies
- Cheilosia sp.
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Drone-fly sp. (Eristalis sp.)
- The Footballer (Helophilus pendulus)
- Narcissus Bulb Fly (Merodon equestris)
- Xanthogramma pedissequum sensu lato
Other things
- a very small bug likely Issus coleoptratus.
- the Mirid bug Dryophilocoris flavoquadrimaculatus
- Red-and-Black Froghoppers (Cercopis vulnerata)
- The cranefly Tipula lunata
- The Dagger Fly Empis tessellata
- Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis): both var. succinea; and var. conspicua
- 14 Spot Ladybird (Propylea quattuordecimpunctata)
- Red-headed Cardinal Beetle (Pyrochroa serraticornis)
- Common Stretch-spider (Tetragnatha extensa)
Additional plant species recorded for the year at this site:
None
A pair of Mallard. The male looks less than pristine now as it starts to lose its breeding plumage.
This very small bug is likely to be Issus coleoptratus.
This is another bug – a Mirid bug. Wait for it .... Dryophilocoris flavoquadrimaculatus. Now you know!
This small moth is another Meadow Long-horn (Cauchas rufimitrella).
This is a Cheilosia sp. hoverfly. No way of specifically identifying it from this photo.
Not a bee – short antennae – the Narcissus Bulb Fly (a hoverfly) (Merodon equestris).
The brown at the base of the wings help identify this dagger fly as Empis tessellata.
A slightly better photo of a Red-headed Cardinal Beetle (Pyrochroa serraticornis).
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash:
(77th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- One of the cygnets must have been hiding yesterday: eight present today.
- I assume that most of the Mallard families were still sheltering from the wind. Many fewer than late morning yesterday.
- Most of the Coots were still brooding their young.
- 2 Sparrowhawks as I arrived at the S end of the area – apparently both males. Later a bird glimpsed which seemed to be a larger female, but ...?
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 2 (3?) Sparrowhawks
- 2 Starlings
Hirundines etc logged:
- 12 Swifts
- 1 Barn Swallow
- 4 House Martins
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 5 (4) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (3) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Reed Warbler still
Counts from the water:
- 3 + 8 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 12 + 3 (1 brood) Canada Geese
- 20 (14♂) + 5 (1 brood) Mallard
- 14 (8♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 4 Moorhens
- 16 + >2 (>1 brood) Coots
Nothing else of note:
It’s tough being the pen Mute Swan when the youngsters demand a ride!
There are still eight cygnets.
A Collared Dove takes the morning sun.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Between the lake and The Flash:
Noteworthy
- Moorhens heard at both pools
- 1 Goldcrest singing at the lower pool
- 1 Blackcap singing at the upper pool
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this day..........
2019Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2006
Priorslee Lake
Mink seen by locals
(Ed Wilson)