5 Jun 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

9.0°C > 8.0°C: Broken cloud gave way to overcast with light rain showers. Later rain stopped play early. Moderate NW wind, fresh at times. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 04:48 BST again

Priorslee Lake: 04:25 – 05:45 // 06:40 – 07:35

(102nd visit of the year)

Rain stopped play.

Bird notes:
- The Gadwall not seen here or at The Flash.
- Unusual sight of a Great Crested Grebe leaving the lake and flying off high W. The number of this species at the lake now back to the usual ‘summer’ level with two probable breeding pairs, with individuals not always visible as they brood eggs.
- At least 17 Swifts (with four House Martins) flew through early. Later at least 10 were with the main group of hirundines feeding low over the water in the rain.
- A family party of Jays making very convincing squabbling Great Spotted Woodpecker calls. I am used to Jays being able to confuse me with Buzzard-like and Tawny Owl-like calls, but this is the first time I can recall Great Spotted Woodpecker confusion.

Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 33 Greylag Geese: 15 outbound in two groups; 18 inbound in two groups
- 7 Cormorants: six together
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: immature
- 2 Feral Pigeons again
- 5 Wood Pigeons again
- 3 Jackdaws

Birds noted on the ‘football’ field [Wood Pigeons and Magpies not included]:
- 1 Stock Dove
NB: at least six of the Wood Pigeons on the grass here were juveniles.

Birds noted on the academy playing field [Wood Pigeons and Magpies not included here either]:
None
The ‘Homing Pigeon’ was either not on the roof of the academy or was sheltering from the wind out of my view.

Count of hirundines etc logged:
- >25 Swifts (see notes)
- >8 Barn Swallows
- >40 House Martins

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 13 (10) Chiffchaffs
- 13 (11) Blackcaps again
- 1 (1) Garden Warblers again
- 4 (3) Common Whitethroats
- 7 (6) Reed Warblers

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 7 (6♂) Mallard
- 4 Great Crested Grebes only: one departed
- 3 Moorhens
- [Coots not counted]

On / around the street lights pre-sunrise again:
- 3 Garden Grass-veneer moths (Chrysoteuchia culmella)

Insects / other things etc noted later:
None

Additional plant species recorded in flower for the year at this site:
None

This is one of the juvenile Wood Pigeons that were on the ‘football’ field before the dog-walkers were out and about. At this age they lack the white neck-patch and the eye is dark. Can be separated from Stock Doves by their larger size – they were with similar-sized adult Wood Pigeons. Just evident from this angle are the white edges to the flight feathers that Stock Doves lack.

The juvenile Blue Tits have provided good photo opportunities recently. The juvenile Great Tits have been more difficult being very active and mainly inside high vegetation. This juvenile popped out briefly. Looks sort of ‘fuzzy’ with only a thin black line down a yellow-washed belly.

My first grass-moth photo of the season. A challenging group usually to be found lurking among grass stems. Today there were three on the street lamp poles pre-dawn. Always a risk trying to identify them. Toward the tip of the wing are two faint diagonal stripes. These, combined with the pale angled stripe along the wing suggest this is a Garden Grass-veneer moth (Chrysoteuchia culmella). This group has strange eyes, always makes them look surprised.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 05:50 – 06:35

(88th visit of the year)

Not the weather for juveniles to be out and about – other than the well-grown cygnets

Bird notes:
- Lots of Greylag Goose-type noise from inside the island may have been this species and / or the Greylag x Canada hybrids. I have trouble distinguishing their calls at times. Numbers not determined or included in the counts.
- The Coots seem particularly aggressive this year, not only fighting each other but chasing away Mallard and Tufted Ducks.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull: both (near) adults
- 1 Wood Pigeon

Hirundines etc logged:
- 2 Swifts only

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 2 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Blackcap only
- 1 (1) Reed Warbler again

Counts from the water:
- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- >1 Greylag Goose: see notes
- ? Greylag x Canada Goose: see notes
- 54 Canada Geese
- 26 (21♂) Mallard
- 11 (6♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 + 2? (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Moorhens
- 15 + 7 (4 broods) Coots

Otherwise of note
- 1 Mystacides longicornis (caddis fly) on a lamp pole
- 4 Leiobunum rotundum harvestmen on their usual lamp pole
- 1 Grey Squirrel again

For some reason this one lamp pole is a magnet for harvestman (spiders). I trust that they know how to get away without getting their legs tangled up. Note the much longer second and fourth pairs of legs. I always think the legs look ‘plugged-in’ as if they could be replaced or swapped around.

A close up of the two bodies. I think these are Leiobunum rotundum. Two slight problems. If they are then both these are female, but hey-ho, whatever. It is also at least two months earlier than this species normally appears. Perhaps May was summer after all.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

Noteworthy 
- Blackcap singing at the lower pool
- Long-tailed Tit party at lower pool

(Ed Wilson)

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

2019
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2012
Holmer Lake
Black Swan
(Marilyn Morton)

2009
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
Ruddy Duck
(Ed Wilson)