31 Aug 20

Priorslee Lake, The Flash, Trench Lock Pool and Trench Middle Pool

6.0°C > 14.0°C: Persistent area of medium-level cloud, beginning to clear by 10:15. Very light, mainly SE, breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:20 BST

* = a photo today.

Priorslee Lake: 04:50 – 06:45 // 08:00 – 09:23

(179th visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- Now apparently eight 'spare' adult Great Crested Grebes. All the others present and correct. The new inhabitants of the NE area are not being welcomed by a non-breeding pair that have been in the location throughout the summer.

- A trio of Swifts flew S at 06:25

- No large early arrival of House Martins – two at 06:15 and a single at 06:20. By 08:30 there were birds all around the lake with a few feeding along the dam, these joined by at least one Sand Martin (again) and two Barn Swallows. A number of birds seemed to be perching on the top branches of a large Willow tree in the SW area. I could not make up my mind whether they were resting or perhaps perched on the branches to feed, perhaps on aphids. At one point they were spooked and at least 75 birds shot out of the area to join others around the lake.

Birds noted flying over / near here:

- 50 Canada Geese (48 outbound in single group; duo inbound).
- 1 Common Buzzard again
- 21 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Stock Dove
- 12 Wood Pigeons
- 3 Jackdaws

Hirundines etc. logged:

- 3 Swifts
- 1+ Sand Martin again
- 2 Barn Swallows
- *>80 House Martins (see notes)

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- 11 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (0) Blackcaps
- 3 (0) Reed Warblers

Counts from the lake area:

- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 11 (?♂) Mallard
- 4 Cormorants: single and trio arrived
- 2 Grey Herons
- 18 + 7 (5 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 4 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 76 adult and juvenile Coots
- 13 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: immature, briefly

Gulls on the football and academy playing fields c.06:35:

- 19 Black-headed Gulls on the football fields.
- 114 Black-headed Gulls on the academy playing fields.

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

Rather chilly and with dew on the poles again.

Moths:

- 1 Pale-streak Grass-veneer (Agriphila selasella)
- 1 Centre-barred Sallow (Atethmia centrago): my first at this location this year; species #93.

Other things:

- 3 Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris)
- *1 midge, assumed female Chironomus plumosus (plumed midge)
- *1 Dicranopalpus ramosus harvestman

Insects / other things etc. noted later:

Dull and chilly: all I noted was

- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris): torpid under an umbellifer head
- Common Drone-fly (Eristalis tenax)
- 1 Pipistrelle-type bat again
- 2 Grey Squirrels

Just an inkling here that there might be a worthwhile sunrise despite the large amount of cloud cover.

And so it turned out. Not spectacular.

As good as it got. Note there appears to be a golden arch (no: not McD's). Perhaps a natural halo effect from the cloud? Perhaps a function of the camera lens? I did not notice it 'in real life'.

A long-range shot of House Martins at the top of a large willow tree. I cannot make out whether they are perched or whether they are feeding, perhaps on aphids. The two on the right in the tree do look as if they might be preening.

A Centre-barred Sallow moth (Atethmia centrago): my first here this year. Surprising how many moth species have turned up at the lake a day or so after I have seen them at The Flash. Different micro-climate?

I took this photo because the midge looked rather larger than the normal plumed midges. However it matches the photo of a female Chironomus plumosus on the Naturespot web site Here. Females do not have plumed antennae. The rubric for this species notes that there is a green form – which probably explains the 'green midges' that I have been seeing.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:50 – 08:00

(164th visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- Strange that it was almost all Canada Geese today.

- My highest count of Coots this year. Seems to have been a very successful breeding season with many multiple broods surviving.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:

- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 12 Feral Pigeons (three groups)
- 13 Wood Pigeons

Hirundines etc. logged:

None

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- 5 (0) Chiffchaffs
no other warblers seen or heard here

Counts from the water:

- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 26 Greylag Geese: all arrived
- [Greylag x Canada Geese not noted]
- 209 Canada Geese: 201 of these arrived, mostly in three large groups
- 42 (26?♂) Mallard
- 32 (9?♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 7 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 77 adult and juvenile Coots
- 4 Black-headed Gulls

On various lamp poles:

Moths:

- 2 Pale-streak Grass-veneers (Agriphila selasella)

Other things:

- 25 Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris): all together. What are they doing?
- 2 Dicranopalpus ramosus harvestmen
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum harvestman

Otherwise:

- 2 Grey Squirrels.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

Of Note

- 2 Moorhens on the grass – both immatures from different broods.
- 1 Chiffchaff calling near the upper pool
- 1 Grey Squirrel

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Lock Pool: 09:32 – 09:55 // 10:35 – 10:39

(24th visit of the year)

Very quiet here: many fishermen present

Bird notes:

- Only three of the juvenile Great Crested Grebes located. Two of them were scattered and independent of the adults so the other could have been somewhere.

- Two Bullfinches seen alongside the new houses. My first here since February 2018.

Birds noted flying over / near here:

- 8 Canada Geese: flying N to the far E.

Hirundines etc. logged:

- c.10 House Martins

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- 4 (1) Chiffchaffs

Counts from the water:

- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- still no Mallard...
- or Tufted Duck
- 2 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 2 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 19 adult and juvenile Coots
- 8 Black-headed Gulls: no juveniles
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: (near) adult

Nothing else of note – no insects seen

A 'grab shot' - there one second, gone the next. So a bit of the tail missing I am afraid. Long-tailed Tit of course.

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Middle Pool: 10:00 – 10:30

(24th visit of the year)

Generally very quiet here as well.

Bird notes:

- The Great Crested Grebe second brood is of two juveniles and not one as I thought last week. One was in the water and the other on the parent's back.

- New for me here this year was a Jay calling from the trees.


Birds noted flying over / near here:

- 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker

Hirundines etc. logged:

None

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- 4 (0) Chiffchaffs again

Counts from the water:

- 2 Mute Swans
- no Greylag Geese
- 18 Canada Geese: 13 of these arrived
- 1 all-white feral goose
- 11 (7?♂) Mallard only
- 24 (4?♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2 + 4 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 7 adult and juvenile Moorhen
- 26 adult and juvenile Coots
- 7 Black-headed Gulls: no juveniles

Otherwise, noted as the sun began to emerge:

- Small White butterfly (Pieris rapae)
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Common Drone-fly (Eristalis tenax)

(Ed Wilson)

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

2017

Priorslee Lake

Today's News Here

2016

Priorslee Lake

Today's News Here

2013

Priorslee Lake

Possible Little Ringed Plover

Raven

(John Isherwood)

2012

Priorslee Lake

Hobby

Common Tern

(Ed Wilson)

2011

Nedge Hill

Wheatear

(John Isherwood)

2010

Priorslee Lake

Yellow Wagtail

Little Grebe 

Shoveler 

(Ed Wilson) 

The Flash 

58 Tufted Duck 

(Ed Wilson)