25 May 20

Priorslee Lake: 04:24 – 05:55 // 06:55 – 09:10
The Flash: 06:00 – 06:50

7.0°C > 15.0°C : Cloudless. Calm / very light SW breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 04:58 BST

Priorslee Lake:

(92nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- No sign of either Gadwall
- A pair of Tufted Duck early. Not seen later.
- One pair of Coots seem to have lost all their brood. Another very new brood – just one juvenile visible in the reeds so far.
- The (near) adult Lesser Black-backed Gull spent some minutes on one of the lamps in Castle Farm Way. Normally the prerogative of the Black-headed Gulls, especially in winter. Will be four weeks or so before these return.
- Juvenile Blackcaps and Chaffinches noted.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 13 Canada Geese (three groups inbound)
- 4 Cormorants: single and trio
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gull: ages not determined
- 1 Stock Dove yet again
- 11 Wood Pigeons
- 35 Jackdaws
- 8 Rooks

Birds noted on the ‘football’ field [Wood Pigeons and Magpies excluded]:
- 1 Canada Goose
- 6 Starlings
one of the Starlings was a juvenile

Birds noted on the academy playing field [Wood Pigeons and Magpies excluded here too]:
None

Count of hirundines etc logged:
- >13 Swifts
- 1 Barn Swallow
- House Martins heard – not visible against clear sky

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 14 (10) Chiffchaffs
- 17 (14) Blackcaps
- 4 (4) Garden Warblers
- 4 (3) Common Whitethroats
- 10 (7) Reed Warblers
Neither the Lesser Whitethroat nor the Sedge Warbler recorded yesterday was heard.

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- [no Gadwall]
- 11 (9♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck: departed
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- 4 Moorhens
- 21 + 9 (4 broods) Coots
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: (near) adult

On / around the street lights:
- 2 Common Stretch-spiders (Tetragnatha extensa)

Insects / other things etc noted later:

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

Butterflies / moths
None
- **** butterflies seem very scarce this year – even Speckled Wood which I expect to find on any fine day

Bees
- Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
*** not seeing any Honey Bees: worrying.

Hoverflies
- unidentified Cheilosia sp.
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Tapered Drone-fly (Eristalis pertinax)
- The Footballer (Helophilus pendulus)
- Dead-head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)
- unidentified Parhelophilus sp

Other things:
- 1 Grey Squirrel
- A large bat sp. early
- Red-and-Black Froghoppers (Cercopis vulnerata)
- Scorpion Fly (Panorpa communis)
- Kidney-spot Ladybird (Chilocorus renipustulatus)
- Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis): two forms – succinea, spectabilis.
- Common Stretch-spider (Tetragnatha extensa)
- 100's of non-biting (I hope) midges.

Additional plant species recorded for the year at this site:
- Bittersweet (Solanum dulcamara)

The clear start to the day. A pair of Tufted Duck mar the calm water.

I rather assumed that this hyperactive, continually calling Chiffchaff was the same juvenile I photographed (badly) yesterday. Apparently not as there is no hint of yellow on the gape.

Yummy! Daddy Whitethroat arrives with a beak load.

Two different ‘looper’ caterpillars in its bill. They are from species of Geometer moths – so-named because of their caterpillars regular ‘looping’ progression.

It was clear the nest was very close to where I was standing (on a path) so I retreated.

I might have failed at The Flash: the Reed Warblers at the lake are no longer singing continually and several popped up to look around. Not many features to identify them – voice is the easiest. Note the rounded tail. I see this bird has been ringed. I wonder where? Not here. My camera will not resolve the detail.

The very similar-looking (but very different sounding) Marsh Warbler would show longer and darker primaries and the back would appear a rather greyer-brown. Whether the latter could be determined from a photo when the quality of the light affects the result is a moot point.

I took full advantage of this posing individual. While photographing this species tends to be ‘easier’ in July and early August when they are feeding young it is never ‘easy’.

Looking alert with crest raised. A very white throat when puffed up.

This is a juvenile Chaffinch waiting to be fed. The shape of both the bill and the tail are about the only characteristics visible here. Luckily the adult was in attendance.

I took and enlarged this shot of a damselfly because of the thin line showing between the dark lines on the thorax (the ante humeral stripes) seemed unusual. Sadly I cannot turn it to anything out of the ordinary – a female Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella).

A Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum). The ring of ginger around a darker centre to the thorax is fairly typical of worn specimens.

A Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris). This one even has a buff tail. Many in the UK show white tails, though usually with a hint of buff where the black hairs of the abdomen end.

This hoverfly, like a smaller and more orange version of The Footballer (Helophilus pendulus) is one of the Parhelophilus sp. The three species in this genus can only be separated by examination of the genitalia.

We haven’t had one of these for a while – a Dead-head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea).

Well well. I assumed this would be the conspicua form of the Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) even though those I have seen recently have shown black centres to the red spots. Further research indicates this is a Kidney-spot Ladybird (Chilocorus renipustulatus).

These buds will be the mauve flowers with yellow centres of Bittersweet (Solanum dulcamara). Related to potatoes and tomatoes the berries of this are (mildly) poisonous.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:

(79th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Not sure what has happened to the Canada Geese goslings. They may have been taken deeper in to the estate area. There was a fisherman with a bull-terrier type dog close by. While the dog seemed well-behaved and not aggressive it would likely want to chase things. The cob Mute Swan was still ‘on the case’.
- No Mallard ducklings found.
- So where have all the Tufted Duck gone? One pair on the water; another pair asleep on the island.
- A Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen flying to and fro (well, actually fro and to) between the Ricoh area, across Priorslee Avenue and in to trees near The Priorslee pub. This species does not seem to be nesting in the squirrel alley area this year.
- Pied Wagtail seen again, today on the E side grass.
- The Reed Warbler was not seen or heard. While I was looking for it a male Reed Bunting flew from the same area (alongside Derwent Drive). A bird was heard calling here later. Also a Reed Bunting was singing, briefly, along the E side. Same?

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
None

Hirundines etc logged:
- >20 Swifts
- House Martins heard – not visible against clear sky

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 3 (2) Chiffchaffs again
- 6 (5) Blackcaps
- [no Reed Warbler]

Counts from the water:
- 3 + 8 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 21 Canada Geese
- 27 (21♂) Mallard
- 4 (2♂) Tufted Duck only
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 5 Moorhens
- 14 + >6 (>2 broods) Coots
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: (near) adult

Also noted:
- A tiny plumed midge sp. of the Chironomidae – non-biting midges
- 1 Grey Squirrel

A ménage à trois? Perhaps its alright if you keep one foot on the ground, as in all the 1950's films (I’m told). Mallard of course.

A tiny plumed midge. One of the Chironomidae – non-biting midges. “Some are green” my book says, helpfully. First green one I can recall seeing but not easy to see.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

Noteworthy
- adult Moorhens seen at both pools again
- 1 Blackcap singing at the lower pool.
- Chaffinch singing – unusual just here.

(Ed Wilson)

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

2019
Priorslee 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

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2012
Nedge Hill
2 Ravens mobbing Kestrel.
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Ringed Plover
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Red Kite
(Ed Wilson)