9.0°C > 12.0°C: Mostly cloudy. The few brighter spells again failed to last. Very light SE breeze. Very good visibility but rather hazy.
Sunrise: 04:46 BST again
Firstly a mea culpa. Feedback – always welcome – has pointed out my photo was a male Peregrine and not a Hobby as I misidentified. Apologies. I could blame the early hour (05:00) and poor light but on looking again identification from the photo should have been obvious to me.
Secondly an apology. I had a major PC failure this morning (it was 15 years old) and this report has been produced on a laptop and back up software and photo-editing which I have never used in anger before. Errots? Waht errots?
A very different approach to today. After a circuit of the lake, an extended period in Woodhouse Lane. After a quick look from the dam back at the lake a later than normal visit to The Flash.
Highlight perhaps seeing all three common species of wagtail on the same day here – Pied, Grey and, in Woodhouse Lane, Yellow.
Priorslee Lake: 04:15 – 06:00 // 08:15 – 08:55
(107th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Gadwall gone again.
- Three Mallard ducklings remain.
- A Reed Warbler singing from yet another 'new' location. Whether these are birds moving around ahead of a possible restart to nesting is hard to say. Many birds are only singing very sporadically now
- First Grey Wagtail for several weeks.
Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 10 Greylag Geese: quartet outbound; two singles and group of six inbound
- 8 Canada Geese: group inbound
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck: flew E
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: ages not all determined
- 2 Herring Gull: both first years
- 4 Stock Doves: pair each way; same?
- 7 Wood Pigeons
- 39 Jackdaws
- 11 Rooks
Birds noted on the ‘football’ field [Wood Pigeons and Magpies not included]:
None
The long-term ‘Homing Pigeon’ was on the roof of the academy early at least.
Birds noted on the academy playing field [Wood Pigeons and Magpies not included here either]:
- 2 Jackdaws flying off, because ...
- 1 Fox
and on the wall by one of the security lights at the academy
- Silver-ground Carpet moth (Xanthorhoe montanata)
Count of hirundines etc. logged:
- c.20 Swifts: first at 04:35 taking over from the bats. Most flew through.
- no Barn Swallows
- 4 House Martins
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 11 (11) Chiffchaffs
- 11 (11) Blackcaps
- 2 (2) Garden Warblers
- 3 (3) Common Whitethroats
- 9 (8) Reed Warblers
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
-10 (9♂) + 3 (1 brood) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Tufted Duck: as yesterday, arrived
- 1 Grey Heron: left 05:35
- 7 Great Crested Grebes
- 5 Moorhens again
- 25 + 7 (4 broods) Coots
On / around the street lights pre-sunrise:
- 1 Garden Grass-veneer moth (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- 1 Satin Wave moth (Idaea subsericeata)
Insects seen in brief later view from the dam
None
Other things:
- 5 Noctule-type large bats sp.
- 1 Fox as noted above
Additional plant species recorded in flower for the year at this site:
None
Not quite on a lamp pole but on vegetation beside one: a Satin Wave moth (Idaea subsericeata)
A short almost steady video of it tail-wagging and you can hear that sharp call.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:00 – 09:50
(92nd visit of the year)
Main achievement was finally tracking down and photographing a calling male Reed Bunting. This at the top end. My elation was rather tempered by then hearing a Reed Bunting singing by one of the cut-off bridges. Could there be two pairs here?
Other bird notes:
- One of the goslings seems not to have survived the encounter with the cob Mute Swan yesterday.
- Three parties of Mallard ducklings.
- There were certainly three adult Great Crested Grebes. Two adults were seen well away from the adult with two young on its back. Later an adult (a 4th?) provided food for the young, one of which was in the water briefly.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: both (near) adults
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 2 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Jackdaw
Hirundines etc. logged:
- no Swifts
- 1 Barn Swallow
- 2 House Martins
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 3 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (2) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Reed Warbler: very sporadic song
Counts from the water:
- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 13 Greylag Geese
- 3 Greylag x Canada Geese
- 112 + 2 (1 brood) Canada Geese
- 20 (14♂) + 13 (3 broods) Mallard
- 12 (8♂) Tufted Duck
- 3? + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes: see notes
- 4 + 2 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 16 + 10 (5 broods) Coots
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: very worn second year?
Otherwise of note:
- 2 Leiobunum rotundum (harvestmen) on the usual lamp pole.
- 1 Mystacides longicornis (caddis fly) on a different lamp pole
and
- Buff-tailed Bumblebees (Bombus terrestris)
At last: the male Reed Bunting I have been hearing in song on and (mainly) off for some weeks.
(Ed Wilson)
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Woodhouse Lane area: 06:00 – 08:15
(8th visit of the year)
A longer than usual visit. Also less extensive with the workers in the composting centre using noisy machines before 06:30(!) making hearing anything at the bottom of the lane impossible.
Notes from here:
- Two Yellow Wagtails the undoubted highlight. Seemed to be nesting in the rape field.
- Two different Reed Buntings singing from the rape fields.
Notable species counts (singing birds in brackets):
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 3 (3) Skylarks
- [no Chiffchaffs]
- 1 (1) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Garden Warbler, briefly
- 5 (4) Common Whitethroats
- 1 (1) Song Thrush
- 2 (1) Yellow Wagtails
- 4 (3) Chaffinches
- 1 (1) Greenfinch
- 5 (0) Goldfinches
- 3 Linnets at least
- 3 (3) Yellowhammers
- 2 (2) Reed Bunting
Insects etc. noted:
Mainly too overcast and cool.
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- Pupa of a Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis)
- Many glass snail sp.
Additional plant species recorded for the year at this site:
- Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea)
- Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)
- Meadowsweet (Filipendula vulgaris)
- Rosebay Willowherb (Chamerion angustifolium)
- Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare)
- Wood Spurge (Euphorbia amygdaloides)
And that. The head is rather grey and the throat area not especially yellow. I think a female.
Deserves another view.
One of two Reed Buntings singing from the ripening oil-seed rape.
And here is the other. 'Rape Bunting' does not sound correct does it?
The pupa of a Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis).
This cluster of star-like flowers is Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea).
A tight cluster of yellow flowers is Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare).
This is Wood Spurge (Euphorbia amygdaloides)
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day..........
2019Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2017
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2014
Local Area
Today's Sightings Here
2009
Priorslee Lake
7 Reed Warblers
2 Willow Warbler
(Ed Wilson)
2007
Priorslee Lake
3 Great Crested Grebe
1 Ruddy Duck
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
2 House Martin
2 Swallow
Reed Warbler
1 Sedge Warbler
3 Blackcap
1 Garden Warbler
2 Willow Warbler
3 Chiffchaff
4 Bullfinch
2 Reed Bunting
(Martin Adlam)
2006
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
1 Heron
2 Cormorants
2 Tufted Ducks
1 Kestrel
3 Stock Dove
3 Swift
4 Swallow
11 House Martin
6 Reed Warblers
1 Lesser Whitethroat
9 Blackcap
5 Chiffchaff
7 Greenfinch
3 Bullfinch
6 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)