15.0°C > 16.0°C: After a clear night with heavy dew low cloud had spread across before my arrival. Rain after 08:50. Light SSE wind. Moderate visibility.
Sunrise: 05:59 BST
* = a photo today.
Priorslee Lake: 04:29 – 06:40 // 07:45 – 09:17
(168th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- All geese counts 'best efforts' and likely under-recorded. Outbound birds sometimes lost in the low cloud and murk. Inbound birds in hard to count large groups.
- Of the three recent Great Crested Grebe broods I made counts of two and one juvenile with the third pair retreating to the reeds before I could check. No sign of last week's fledged juvenile.
- Just five Black-headed Gulls arrived at 05:35. No more until 05:50 when 28 came from the W and mostly just circled before leaving again. At 06:00 at least 140 arrived from the N with many settling briefly before departing to the W. Were these birds flushed off the academy playing field and did they return there? I counted >130 there later.
- In addition to the 79 Wood Pigeons noted flying over a group of well-over 150 birds was put up from fields to the N / NE at 08:50. These mainly circled around and landed back in the fields or surrounding trees.
- A party of seven Barn Swallows early. Were they heading off? None was seen later.
Birds noted flying over / near here:
- c.306 Greylag Geese (119 outbound; c.187 inbound)
- c.190 Canada Geese (84 outbound; c.106 inbound)
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 79 Wood Pigeons (see notes)
- 1 Pied Wagtail
Hirundines etc. logged:
- 7 Barn Swallows
- >35 House Martins
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 14 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (0) Blackcaps only
- 3 (0) Reed Warblers
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 15 (?♂) Mallard
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 2 Grey Herons: arrived separately; one departed
- Little Grebe heard as usual
- 17 + >7 (>4 broods) Great Crested Grebes (see notes)
- 2 adult and juvenile Moorhens only
- 70 adult and juvenile Coots
- >140 Black-headed Gulls:? juveniles (see notes)
Gulls on the academy playing fields at c.06:20:
- >130 Black-headed Gulls: juveniles not counted.
On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:
Moths:
- 7 Common Grass-veneers (Agriphila tristella)
- 2 Small Phoenix (Ecliptopera silaceata)
Sunrise: 05:59 BST
* = a photo today.
Priorslee Lake: 04:29 – 06:40 // 07:45 – 09:17
(168th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- All geese counts 'best efforts' and likely under-recorded. Outbound birds sometimes lost in the low cloud and murk. Inbound birds in hard to count large groups.
- Of the three recent Great Crested Grebe broods I made counts of two and one juvenile with the third pair retreating to the reeds before I could check. No sign of last week's fledged juvenile.
- Just five Black-headed Gulls arrived at 05:35. No more until 05:50 when 28 came from the W and mostly just circled before leaving again. At 06:00 at least 140 arrived from the N with many settling briefly before departing to the W. Were these birds flushed off the academy playing field and did they return there? I counted >130 there later.
- In addition to the 79 Wood Pigeons noted flying over a group of well-over 150 birds was put up from fields to the N / NE at 08:50. These mainly circled around and landed back in the fields or surrounding trees.
- A party of seven Barn Swallows early. Were they heading off? None was seen later.
Birds noted flying over / near here:
- c.306 Greylag Geese (119 outbound; c.187 inbound)
- c.190 Canada Geese (84 outbound; c.106 inbound)
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 79 Wood Pigeons (see notes)
- 1 Pied Wagtail
Hirundines etc. logged:
- 7 Barn Swallows
- >35 House Martins
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 14 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (0) Blackcaps only
- 3 (0) Reed Warblers
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 15 (?♂) Mallard
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 2 Grey Herons: arrived separately; one departed
- Little Grebe heard as usual
- 17 + >7 (>4 broods) Great Crested Grebes (see notes)
- 2 adult and juvenile Moorhens only
- 70 adult and juvenile Coots
- >140 Black-headed Gulls:? juveniles (see notes)
Gulls on the academy playing fields at c.06:20:
- >130 Black-headed Gulls: juveniles not counted.
On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:
Moths:
- 7 Common Grass-veneers (Agriphila tristella)
- 2 Small Phoenix (Ecliptopera silaceata)
Other things:
- 2 Orb-web spiders, presumed Larinioides sclopetarius
- 1 probable Oligolophus tridens harvestman
Insects / other things etc. noted later:
Very little in dull and then wet conditions
The full list of things noted:
- Common Grass-veneer moth (Agriphila tristella)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- Brown Hawker dragonfly (Aeshna grandis)
- 6 Pipistrelle-type bats
Additional flowering plant species recorded for the year at this site:
- 2 Orb-web spiders, presumed Larinioides sclopetarius
- 1 probable Oligolophus tridens harvestman
Insects / other things etc. noted later:
Very little in dull and then wet conditions
The full list of things noted:
- Common Grass-veneer moth (Agriphila tristella)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- Brown Hawker dragonfly (Aeshna grandis)
- 6 Pipistrelle-type bats
Additional flowering plant species recorded for the year at this site:
None
This illustrates the challenge of counting the geese this morning. I make it 130. I am sure you will get a different total.
One of the many Common Grass-veneer moths (Agriphila tristella) on the lamp poles. This specimen shows how the longitudinal streak splits in to several, typically four, fingers.
A rather better and more typical Small Phoenix moth (Ecliptopera silaceata).
Whereas this specimen lacks the separation in the middle of the wide bar across the wing.
(Ed Wilson)
This is a good candidate for being a Pale-streak Grass-veneer (Agriphila selasella). The longitudinal streak fades away without splitting in to fingers and the lower (costal) edge of the streak is dark-edged.
This moth is either an Uncertain (Hoplodrina octogenaria) or a Rustic (Hoplodrina blanda). Not always separable and this pale and relatively poorly marked specimen is one such. Logged as Uncertain/Rustic agg.
Between the lake and The Flash:
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The Flash: 06:45 – 07:40
(153rd visit of the year)
One of the fishermen confirmed what I had begun to suspect. Recently erected notices warn of blue-green algae. What is on the surface is largely weed (species unknown). That does not mean that there isn't also blue-green algae present, so be careful.
Bird notes:
- After yesterday's panic record of only five cygnets all seven located.
- Three adult Great Crested Grebes. Two birds together throughout. Another near the island. Could not locate any nest site.
- Compared with mid-morning yesterday there were very few Coots on the water. Also rather few on the edge of the island. Presumably hiding inside the island.
- A lone Black-headed Gull throughout.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 5 Wood Pigeons
Hirundines etc. logged:
(153rd visit of the year)
One of the fishermen confirmed what I had begun to suspect. Recently erected notices warn of blue-green algae. What is on the surface is largely weed (species unknown). That does not mean that there isn't also blue-green algae present, so be careful.
Bird notes:
- After yesterday's panic record of only five cygnets all seven located.
- Three adult Great Crested Grebes. Two birds together throughout. Another near the island. Could not locate any nest site.
- Compared with mid-morning yesterday there were very few Coots on the water. Also rather few on the edge of the island. Presumably hiding inside the island.
- A lone Black-headed Gull throughout.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 5 Wood Pigeons
Hirundines etc. logged:
None
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 3 (1) Chiffchaffs
Counts from the water:
- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 6 Greylag Geese: three departed
- 10 Canada Geese
- 32 (?♂) Mallard
- 34 (12?♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 6 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 24 adult and juvenile Coots only
- 1 Black-headed Gull
- 1 Kingfisher
On / beside various lamp poles:
Moths:
- 1 Pale-streak Grass-veneer (Agriphila selasella)
- 4 Common Grass-veneers (Agriphila tristella)
- 1 Uncertain/Rustic agg. (Hoplodrina sp.)
- 1 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa)
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 3 (1) Chiffchaffs
Counts from the water:
- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 6 Greylag Geese: three departed
- 10 Canada Geese
- 32 (?♂) Mallard
- 34 (12?♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 6 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 24 adult and juvenile Coots only
- 1 Black-headed Gull
- 1 Kingfisher
On / beside various lamp poles:
Moths:
- 1 Pale-streak Grass-veneer (Agriphila selasella)
- 4 Common Grass-veneers (Agriphila tristella)
- 1 Uncertain/Rustic agg. (Hoplodrina sp.)
- 1 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa)
and
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus-type harvestman
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum-type harvestman
Also
- 2 Grey Squirrels
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus-type harvestman
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum-type harvestman
Also
- 2 Grey Squirrels
Almost all moth photos from The Flash. Another well-marked Common Grass-veneer moth (Agriphila tristella) on a lamp pole. The resting attitude is unusual with the body angled down towards the head.
This rather dark-looking moth is a Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa). Somewhat longer and narrow-winged than many moths in the family Notcuidae. This family has about 400 species in the UK.
Autumn is a-coming. Another six weeks at least before we see a frosted web.
(Ed Wilson)
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Of note
- A single juvenile Moorhen with a parent on the lower pool. Seemed very small as if a recent brood. Could it be a third brood?
- A single juvenile Moorhen with a parent on the lower pool. Seemed very small as if a recent brood. Could it be a third brood?
Moths on lamp poles:
- 1 Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella)
(Ed Wilson)
- 1 Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella)
(Ed Wilson)
NB
A footnote to yesterday. It has been pointed out that the spider I photographed at Trench Lock yesterday (18th) is a Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus). In my defence for not recognising this very common spider I submit that it was unusually pale brown in colour and the angle of view in the photo did not show the top of the abdomen where the diagnostic cross could have been seen.
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On this day..........