Priorslee Lake and The Flash:
11.0°C > 15.0°C: Mainly clear start with patchy cloud to N dispersing. More general cloud after 08:15. Moderate SW wind. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 05:20 BST
NB: * = a photo today.
Priorslee Lake: 04:18 – 06:05 // 07:10 – 09:02
(147th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- A Greylag Goose on the grass behind the dam throughout. One of the returning Greylags peeled off from the group and splashed down.
- Two Cormorants arrived c.05:05. One stayed only a few minutes. Two again by 07:25 – presumed a different arrival.
- A Great Crested Grebe was taking nest material to a site in the SW area – a location not used in recent years.
- My largest count of Black-headed Gulls around the lake was 44. At one point at least 100 birds were over the Ricoh grounds. 27, probably some of these, were counted on the academy playing field.
- Fewer Wood Pigeons in total. c.170 of these flew W in a very scattered group at 08:05.
Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 60 Greylag Geese (43 many singles/ small groups outbound; 17 (as 14,1,2) inbound)
- 108 Canada Geese (29 (as 4,7,2,12,4) outbound; 79 (as 21,8,28,12,4,6) inbound)
- 1 (?♂) Tufted Duck again
- 6 Cormorants
- 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 14 Feral Pigeons (groups of 5,9)
- 331 Wood Pigeons
- 6 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks
- 4 Starlings
- 1 Pied Wagtail
Hirundines etc. logged:
- 6 Swifts
- 1 Barn Swallow
- 7 House Martins
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 13 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 8 (0) *Blackcaps
- 5 (0) Common Whitethroats
- 5 (1) Reed Warblers
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 2 Greylag Geese: one throughout; one arrived
- 21 (?♂) Mallard
- 3 Cormorants: arrived
- 2 Grey Herons
- Little Grebe heard
- 10 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 4 Moorhens
- 61 adult and juvenile Coots
- >44 Black-headed Gulls (see notes)
- 1 Kingfisher
On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:
- 1 Common Plume moth (Emmelina monodactyla)
- 1 unidentified caddis fly
- *1 unidentified green plumed midge.
- 1 orb-web spiders: perhaps Larinioides sericatus
On the wall of the academy beside a security light:
- *1 Clouded Border moth (Lomaspilis marginata)
Insects / other things etc. noted later:
New species for the year:
None
Another meagre showing in the often cloudy and fresh conditions.
The full list of things noted:
Butterflies:
- Green-veined White (Pieris napi)
- Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
Moths:
- Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella)
Bees / wasps:
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
Damsel-/Dragon-flies:
None
Hoverflies:
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
Mammals
- 2 Grey Squirrels
- 1 Pipistrelle-type bat
Other things:
- Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)
Additional flowering plant species recorded for the year at this site:
- *Hemp-agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum)
Likely this has been flowering for some days without being noticed.
The sunrise – now after 05:00!
Lurking in the vegetation it was feeding itself, also on blackberries
Not at all sure what this is beyond being a green midge with well-plumed antennae. Cannot recall seeing a green midge before. There is a Green Midge Fly in the USA which looks similar. As far as the UK is concerned the only green midge is Microtendipes pedellus: that has a black rear third to the abdomen so this is not that.
This is Hemp-agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum) growing alongside the Wesley Brook. Seems I have overlooked this for a few days.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 06:10 – 07:05
(133rd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Seems the 2018 cygnet is back.
- Were just five of the Tufted Ducks drakes? Sexing is hard at present.
- One of the Great Crested Grebe juveniles happily 'doing its own thing'. Not sure whether its hunting is yet successful.
- Calls from the House Martins suggested recently fledged juveniles with the main group.
- The Blackcap with the aberrant song was again singing away.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
None
Hirundines etc. logged:
- 4 Swifts
- 12 House Martins
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 6 (1) *Chiffchaffs
- 2 (1) Blackcaps
Counts from the water:
- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans (see notes)
- 4 Greylag Geese
- 30 Canada Geese
- 27 (?♂) Mallard
- 23 (5?♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Grey Heron: flew off
- 2 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 5 + 6 (4 broods) Moorhens
- 26 adult and juvenile Coots
- 19 Black-headed Gulls: no juveniles
On a lamp pole:
- 1 Common Grey (Scoparia ambigualis)
Also
- Dancing Mystacides longicornis (caddis flies) around the water
This Chiffchaff was dashing about as well. Managed one quick shot.
Periodically checking all was OK.
Before resuming preening.
Still checking!
(Ed Wilson)
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Between the lake and The Flash:
Nothing of note
(Ed Wilson)