11 Sep 20

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

11.0°C > 16.0°C: Yet another grey start with clear skies to the very far E. The areas of low cloud later parted from time to time with some hazy sun through medium cloud. Light / moderate SW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:38 BST

* = a photo today.

Priorslee Lake: 05:10 – 09:13

(189th visit of the year)

Highlight this morning was a Great White Egret that flew high W at 08:50. This is my second sighting here this year while I have yet to log its more common smaller cousin the Little Egret.

Other bird notes:

- One of the early-brood juvenile Great Crested Grebes was not found. The other three were with the 'spare' adults for a while. Several adults 'missing' but now widely scattered and impossible to keep track of.

- 28 Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew SE between 06:12 and 06:35. None of these visited the lake. All subsequent arrivals and overflights were birds flying W / NW.

- The Barn Swallows did not seem to be part of any migrating families. A single flew W; a pair flew E; and then a single flew S.

- Just eight House Martins seen overhead the estate area c.06:40. These assumed to be part of the group of c.25 over the lake at 08:40.

Birds noted flying over / near here:

- 112 Greylag Geese (all outbound in six groups)
- c.126 Canada Geese (46 outbound in eight groups; c.80 inbound in one large and two small groups)
- 4 Cormorants
- 1 Great White Egret
- 40 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 17 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Starling
- 3 Grey Wagtails
- 2 Pied Wagtails
- 2 Meadow Pipits

Hirundines etc. logged:

- 4 Barn Swallows
- c.25 House Martins

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- 7 (4) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (0) Blackcaps

Counts from the lake area:

- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 1 Canada Goose: stopped off on return for a while
- 19 (10♂) Mallard
- 1 (0♂) Tufted Duck: probably arrived and departed as noted once only
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 2 Grey Herons: arrived separately; one departed
- 13 + 6 (5 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 4 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 81 adult and juvenile Coots
- 66 Black-headed Gulls
- *41 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls

Birds on the football and academy playing fields c.06:40:

[Wood Pigeons and Magpies excluded]

- 124 Black-headed Gulls, all on the academy playing fields.

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

Moths:

None

Other things:

- 1 male Chironomus plumosus (plumed midge)
- 3 Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris)
- 3 Orb-web spider, presumed Larinioides sclopetarius
- *1 Opilio canestrinii harvestman

Insects / other things etc. noted later:

Dull again: just

- Bumblebee sp. in flight only
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- Mystacides longicornis caddis flies again
- 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)

Mammals

- 4 Pipistrelle-type bats
- 1 fast and direct flying small bat sp. - or was it another Pipistrelle-type off to roost
- 1 Grey Squirrel again

Another gull puzzle. This immature Lesser Black-backed-type Gull has a rather unusual-looking bill with extensive pale at the base (and a small pale tip). Searching my books this matches most closely a first-summer individual the race of Lesser Black-backed Gull sometimes called Baltic Gull. However this race is unlikely to occur in the UK and I would need flight shots as well to begin to claim that.

This is a different species of harvestman from those seen in the last few weeks. It seems to be Opilio canestrinii.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:15 – 10:13

(173rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- Five of the Mute Swan cygnets undertook a self-guided flying lesson. Three of them immediately followed it up with another attempt. Lift-off yet to be achieved.

- Almost uniquely I logged more duck than drake Mallard.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:

- 2 Cormorants
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 2 Jackdaws
- 4 Meadow Pipits

Hirundines etc. logged:

- 2 House Martins

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- 7 (2) Chiffchaffs

Counts from the water:

- *3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 16 Greylag Geese
- 24 Canada Geese
- 24 (11♂) Mallard
- 47 (11+♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 7 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 75 adult and juvenile Coots
- 17 Black-headed Gulls

On various lamp poles:

- *1 Hawthorn Shieldbug (Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale)
- *>20 Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris): all on the same pole
- 3 Dicranopalpus ramosus type harvestman

Also, elsewhere:

- *Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- 1 Grey Squirrel

One of the Mute Swan cygnets attempting to fly.

Close to the surgery there is a hedge with flowering shrubs and this Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) was taking advantage of the nectar.

Different individual bee, same species of shrub. I'm bad at wildflowers, worse at garden things so I cannot ID the shrub.

Atop the lamp pole at the top end of squirrel alley this crowd of Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris) was clustered around the light sensor that regulates when the street light turns on and off. Would somebody explain to me what they are doing and why. It is always this lamp that the wasps are interested in though I have never previously seen them clustered anywhere other than on the pole or the cover of the LEDs.

A long way up a pole' shot of the Hawthorn Shieldbug (Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale). 

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Lock Pool: 10:21 – 10:45 // 11:15 – 11:22

(26th visit of the year)

Today and over the weekend the anglers are 'maintaining' the fishing pegs alongside the Silkin Way adding to the disturbance.

Bird notes:

- Only three (of four) juvenile Great Crested Grebes noted with one adult.

Birds noted flying over / near here:

None

[The local Wood Pigeons and Jackdaws not included]

Hirundines etc. logged:

- 4 Swifts again
- 2 Barn Swallows
- >8 House Martins
The Swifts are rather late departing. However there also seems to be at least one pair still around their nesting area in Newport.

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- 3 (0) Chiffchaffs

Counts from the water:

- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- Still no Mallard...
- or Tufted Duck
- 1 + 3 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 3 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 18 adult and juvenile Coots again
- 21 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Middle Pool: 10:50 – 11:10

(26th visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- There seems to be three juvenile Great Crested Grebes from the second brood (not two as I thought). One (of two) juveniles from the first brood was located lurking under overhanging vegetation.

Birds noted flying over / near here:

- 1 Jackdaw

Hirundines etc. logged:

None

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- 1 (0) Chiffchaff again

Counts from the water:

- 2 Mute Swans
- no Greylag Geese again
- 26 Canada Geese
- 1 all-white feral goose
- 13 (7♂) Mallard
- 13 (2?♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 + 4 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 12 adult and juvenile Moorhen
- 42 adult and juvenile Coots
- 7 Black-headed Gulls

Also:

- Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)

(Ed Wilson)

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

2015

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2014

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2013

Priorslee Lake

2 Snipe

Wheatear

3 Raven

(John Isherwood/Ed Wilson)

2010

Priorslee Lake

1 Hobby

1 Sedge Warbler

3 Swift

2 Teal

1 Meadow Pipit

(John Isherwood)

2008

Priorslee Lake

Black Tern

Kingfisher

(Ed Wilson)

2007

Priorslee Lake

Kingfisher

(Ed Wilson)