14.0°C > 15.0°C: Mainly cloudy again. A few blue patches, mainly staying to the S. Some light rain showers. Fresh W breeze, decreasing light. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 06:11 BST
* = a photo today.
The overnight gales had brought down a few branches and many twigs, the willows apparently most prone to the pruning effect.
Priorslee Lake: 04:50 – 06:45 // 07:35 – 09:20
(174th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- One of the 'surplus' adult Great Crested Grebes was not seen.
- The low count of Coots likely the result of the still brisk wind while I was here.
- A Common Sandpiper was heard, but not seen, c.08:40. This was presumably the small wader I saw climbing away high overhead a few minutes later.
- A party of 27 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, apparently all (near) adults, flew NW together. Otherwise a few singles in various directions.
- A group of 13 Racing Pigeons was quickly followed by another group of six, though these could have been Feral Pigeons – I only had a momentary view.
- The passing Lesser Redpoll was an unusual record for this date.
Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 11 Greylag Geese (one group outbound)
- 9 Canada Geese (two groups inbound)
- 32 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 19 Racing Pigeons (two groups) (see notes)
- 28 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Lesser Redpoll
Hirundines etc. logged:
- 1 Sand Martin
- 1 Barn Swallow
- >10 House Martins
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
Still rather windy and not easy to hear calling birds above the rustling leaves
- 8 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Blackcap only
- 2 (0) Reed Warblers
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese: briefly
- 17 (?♂) Mallard
- 1 Cormorant again: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron: arrived and departed
- 16 + 7 (5 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 3 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 55 adult and juvenile Coots
- 1 Common Sandpiper (see notes)
- 17 Black-headed Gulls only
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult, briefly
Gulls on the football and academy playing fields c.06:30:
- 238 Black-headed Gulls
Initially all on the football field despite the Monday / Wednesday / Friday fitness class taking place at one end. Most, if not all, moved to the academy playing field when a dog-walker arrived.
On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:
Moths:
- 1 Pale Straw Pearl (Udea lutealis)
On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:
Moths:
- 1 Pale Straw Pearl (Udea lutealis)
Other things:
- >5 plumed midges (Chironomus plumosus)
- 1 Common European Earwig (Forficula auricularia)
- 2 Orb-web spiders, presumed Larinioides sclopetarius
- 1 unidentified spider sp.
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus (harvestman)
Insects / other things etc. noted later:
A very poor showing – all blown away?
The full list of things noted:
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- 1 Grey Squirrel
- 4 Pipistrelle-type bats
- still to be identified fungus
On the face of it this distinctively marked spider ought to be easy to identify. On the face of it..... a search of my usual web sites has failed.
The Flash: 06:50 – 07:30
(159th visit of the year)
A remarkable difference in numbers of Mallard and Coots (fewer); also Tufted Duck (more) than I logged late morning yesterday. Why?
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
Hirundines etc. logged:
- >5 plumed midges (Chironomus plumosus)
- 1 Common European Earwig (Forficula auricularia)
- 2 Orb-web spiders, presumed Larinioides sclopetarius
- 1 unidentified spider sp.
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus (harvestman)
Insects / other things etc. noted later:
A very poor showing – all blown away?
The full list of things noted:
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- 1 Grey Squirrel
- 4 Pipistrelle-type bats
- still to be identified fungus
More food for the youngsters
The youngster seems to have the right idea on how to handle(?) it. Great Crested Grebe of course.
"Down the hatch"
You would think that the Coot testosterone would have subsided by now. Not this group apparently.
Any clues as to what is happening on the left? I can't work it out.
Research for later may reveal the identity of these fungus.
And in close-up showing the gill pattern which may help.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(159th visit of the year)
A remarkable difference in numbers of Mallard and Coots (fewer); also Tufted Duck (more) than I logged late morning yesterday. Why?
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
Hirundines etc. logged:
None
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 3 (0) Chiffchaffs
Counts from the water:
- 3 + 5 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 12 Greylag Geese
- 4 Canada Geese only
- 18 (>11♂) Mallard
- 27 (9?♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 adult and juvenile Moorhens again
- 54 adult and juvenile Coots
- 1 Black-headed Gull
Nothing on any lamp pole:
Otherwise:
- 1 Grey Squirrel
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nothing
- A Chiffchaff singing at the upper pool.
Trench Lock Pool: 09:30 – 10:00 // 10:40 – 10:50
(23rd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- One of the juvenile Great Crested Grebes is noticeably smaller than the other three but not so small that it could be from a different brood. One of the adults fed it twice while I was watching, so it seems well.
Birds noted flying over / near here:
- A Chiffchaff singing at the upper pool.
Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(23rd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- One of the juvenile Great Crested Grebes is noticeably smaller than the other three but not so small that it could be from a different brood. One of the adults fed it twice while I was watching, so it seems well.
Birds noted flying over / near here:
None
Hirundines etc. logged:
All the swallows and martins were swirling around and hard to count – best effort at numbers.
- 2 Swifts
- 2 Sand Martins
- 4 Barn Swallows
- 8 House Martins
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 3 (0) Chiffchaffs
Counts from the water:
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- no Mallard
- no Tufted Duck again
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 2 adult and juvenile Moorhens again
- 14 adult and juvenile Coots
- 15 Black-headed Gulls: two juveniles
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: second year – departed
Nothing else of note – no insects seen
Hirundines etc. logged:
All the swallows and martins were swirling around and hard to count – best effort at numbers.
- 2 Swifts
- 2 Sand Martins
- 4 Barn Swallows
- 8 House Martins
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 3 (0) Chiffchaffs
Counts from the water:
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- no Mallard
- no Tufted Duck again
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 2 adult and juvenile Moorhens again
- 14 adult and juvenile Coots
- 15 Black-headed Gulls: two juveniles
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: second year – departed
Nothing else of note – no insects seen
More Great Crested Grebe feeding. Junior being watched carefully.
Next. Another fish for the smaller and least developed of the three juveniles.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trench Middle Pool: 10:05 – 10:35
(23rd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- The Great Crested Grebes have a second brood – just a single juvenile seen on one parent's back. Two first-brood juveniles were busying themselves diving for food around the water.
Birds noted flying over / near here:
None
Hirundines etc. logged:
Hirundines etc. logged:
None
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 4 (0) Chiffchaffs
Counts from the water:
- 2 Mute Swans as usual
- >10 Greylag Geese: 10 departed; others heard and unseen inside the island
- 11 Canada Geese
- 1 all-white feral goose
- 21 (?♂) Mallard
- 26 (6?♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Grey Heron: departed
- 2 + 3 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 12 adult and juvenile Moorhen
- 34 adult and juvenile Coots
- 7 Black-headed Gulls: two juveniles
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult, briefly
Otherwise
- A 'red-tailed' bumblebee sp. that seems a better fit for Red-tailed (or Hill) Cuckoo Bee (Bombus rupestris), having a banded rear abdomen, unlike Red-tailed Bumblebee (B. lapidarius). This would be a new species for me. I was unable to get a photo of it so it will have to go down as a possible.
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 4 (0) Chiffchaffs
Counts from the water:
- 2 Mute Swans as usual
- >10 Greylag Geese: 10 departed; others heard and unseen inside the island
- 11 Canada Geese
- 1 all-white feral goose
- 21 (?♂) Mallard
- 26 (6?♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Grey Heron: departed
- 2 + 3 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 12 adult and juvenile Moorhen
- 34 adult and juvenile Coots
- 7 Black-headed Gulls: two juveniles
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult, briefly
Otherwise
- A 'red-tailed' bumblebee sp. that seems a better fit for Red-tailed (or Hill) Cuckoo Bee (Bombus rupestris), having a banded rear abdomen, unlike Red-tailed Bumblebee (B. lapidarius). This would be a new species for me. I was unable to get a photo of it so it will have to go down as a possible.
The lone second-brood juvenile Great Crested Grebe has just eaten a fish provided by the parent.