27 Aug 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash: 

11.0°C > 13.0°C: A reasonably promising start with broken medium-high cloud gave way to areas of low cloud after 07:15. Light and variable breeze. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:13 BST

* = a photo today.

Priorslee Lake: 04:48 – 06:45 // 07:55 – 09:45

(175th visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- It seemed all the 'spare' Great Crested Grebes were present again, though with one parents from each of the recent broods often far from base to fish it is increasingly hard to be sure.
- Very low numbers of Black-headed Gulls using the lake at the moment

Birds noted flying over / near here:

- 72 Greylag Geese (all outbound in six groups)
- 52 Canada Geese (44 outbound in four groups; eight inbound as two quartets)
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 14 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 5 Stock Doves: two duos and a single
- 11 Wood Pigeons only. Why?
- 2 Jackdaws
- 1 Starling
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Hirundines etc. logged:

- 1 Barn Swallow again
- >25 House Martins

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

Surprisingly the first calling warblers were the Reed Warbler and then one of the Blackcaps. Once song ceases I usually hear Chiffchaffs calling first.

- 13 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (1) Willow Warbler
- 2 (0) Blackcaps
- 1 (0) Reed Warblers

Counts from the lake area:

- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 15 (?♂) Mallard
- 2 Cormorants: arrived
- *2 Grey Heron: the second arrived and was chased off
- *17 + 7 (5 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 3 adult and juvenile Moorhens again
- 68 adult and juvenile Coots
- 5 Black-headed Gulls only
- *2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: both adults, separately and briefly

Gulls on the football and academy playing fields c.06:30:

- 89 Black-headed Gulls
Initially 17 on the football field and 72 on the academy playing field. They all moved to the latter spot when the dog-walkers arrived.

On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:

Somewhat affected by very heavy dew.

Moths:

- *5 Pale-streak Grass-veneers (Agriphila selasella)

Other things:

- 5 Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris)
- 1 Common European Earwig (Forficula auricularia) again
- *1 unidentified caddis fly sp.
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus harvestman again

Insects / other things etc. noted later:

Another poor showing in continuing dull weather. That said there are not too many flowers around and those that are will not be producing much nectar without sun.

The full list of things noted:

- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- 2 Pipistrelle-type bats only
- 1 Grey Squirrel

A silhouetted Cormorant. I wish my neck would do that easily.

I hope that Great Crested Grebe adults have a Plimsoll line to avoid overload from growing juveniles!

There was a most obliging Grey Heron present this morning. It more or less ignored me. A selection of the far too many images I took. Looks as if it is swallowing something here.

On the look-out for breakfast.

And wading deep if necessary.

In reflective mood.

A real close-up of the business-end. Not something to mess with.

"What's that I see"?

A dog-walker. The dog was on a lead (thank you) but the heron was not taking any chances.

"Good. Its gone I can go back to my favourite spot".

A fine portrait of an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull. As I note so often: "are those legs really yellow?" I suspect the large mean-looking bill means it is a male. Note the loose-feathers: like so many birds at the moment it is moulting.

My best photo yet of a Pale-streak Grass-veneer moth (Agriphila selasella). The streak splits in to four and the lower edge of the streak is outlined darker.

Superficially not dissimilar but note the characteristic forward-pointing and de-curved antennae, typical of a caddis fly. Only a small proportion of the UK's c.200 species are illustrated on the web and this does not seem to be included. Caddis fly sp. it will have to stay. [It is resting on the edge of an advert someone has attached to the lamp pole]

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:50 – 07:50

(160th visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- Two of the Great Crested Grebes were together by the island with the third tucked up under overhanging willows at the top end.
- 12 House Martins were heading off SW as I arrived. These included calling juveniles. Later four to the E were perhaps different birds.
- After yesterday's fly-over Lesser Redpoll at the lake one over here. A sign of Autumn (as perhaps was the first Pied Wagtail over for many weeks).

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:

- 1 Pied Wagtail
- 1 Lesser Redpoll

Hirundines etc. logged:

- 12 House Martins at least

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- 4 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (0) Blackcaps

Counts from the water:

- 3 + 5 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 10 Greylag Geese: four of these arrived
- 23 Canada Geese: 12 of these departed and four arrived
- 38 (22?♂) Mallard
- 35 (13?♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Grey Heron: arrived
- 3 Great Crested Grebes again
- 10 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 66 adult and juvenile Coots
- 4 Black-headed Gulls

On various lamp poles:

Moths

- 3 Pale-streak Grass-veneers (Agriphila selasella)
- *1 Centre-barred Sallow (Atethmia centrago): my first here for at least six years
- *1 Dun-bar (Cosmia trapezina)

Other things

- 7 Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris): what do they all do? six of them on the same post.
- *1 Common Striped Woodlouse (Philoscia muscorum)

Otherwise:

- 1 Grey Squirrel again

Tucked up behind a 'scoop the poop' sign attached to a lamp pole is this Centre-barred Sallow moth (Atethmia centrago). One of a number of yellow-toned 'sallow' moths, all of which fly in late Summer and early Autumn. The larvae of this species feed on Ash trees so this species may become scarce as ash dieback takes hold. My first at this site and moth species #34 for me here this year.

And here is moth species #35 – a Dun-bar (Cosmia trapezina). This specimen does not look very 'dun', neither is the wide central and distinctly-shaped 'bar' very obvious.

The bar is perhaps more apparent here?

A rather different-looking woodlouse. It is a Common Striped Woodlouse (Philoscia muscorum).

A plan view shows the stripe running along the centre of the back. Note too it has a has a characteristic 'stepped' outline ("where the pereon changes to the pleon" I read - I am sure that is right!)

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

Of note 

- *1 Large Yellow Underwing moth (Noctua pronuba) at a ceiling light in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel.

A horrible record shot of the Large Yellow Underwing moth (Noctua pronuba) at a ceiling light in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel. This is a large moth with relatively narrow and often well-marked wings. It is a very common and variable species.

(Ed Wilson)

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

2019

Priorslee Lake

Today's Report Here

2018

Priorslee Lake

Today's Report Here

2016

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2013

Priorslee Lake

Green Sandpiper

3 eclipse Teal

(Ed Wilson)

2010

Priorslee Lake

Greenshank

(Ed Wilson)

2005

Priorslee Lake

Black Swan flew over

233 Canada Geese over

11 Greylag Geese over

123 Jackdaws

234 Rooks

143 Greenfinches

1 Willow Warbler

2 Blackcaps

Cormorant flew over

(Ed Wilson)