13.0°C > 18.0°C: Clear start. Medium level cloud for a while between c.07:00 and c.09:00 and thereafter rather hazy sun. Calm. Good visibility if somewhat hazy.
Sunrise: 06:45 BST
* = a photo today.
Priorslee Lake: 05:15 – 09:28
(193rd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- 1 Common Kestrel flew low W over the football field at 06:50 – none of the Black-headed Gulls or Wood Pigeons seemed to notice (or care).
- 144 Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew SE between 06:12 and 06:45. Of these 89 flew over and 55 stopped off briefly at the lake. Rather few 'going the other way' later.
- 'A small number' of House Martins heard high over the football field at 06:45 but not located. Just 4 seen high over the W end of the lake 09:10.
- Two Blackcaps quietly singing. One of these seen.
- All 23 Meadow Pipits passed before 07:05 and on a broad front. I likely missed many.
- After several weeks with no Reed Bunting records, today one was calling pre-dawn at the W end.
Birds noted flying over / near here:
- 40 Canada Geese (17 outbound in three groups; singleton inbound; 22 flew N to far E)
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 1 Common Kestrel
- 104 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 60 Wood Pigeons, exactly
- 1 Collared Dove
- 5 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook
- 31 Starlings (three groups)
- 6 Pied Wagtails
- 23 Meadow Pipits
- 1 Chaffinch
- 1 Siskin
Hirundines etc. logged:
- 4 House Martins
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 8 (4) Chiffchaffs
- 7 (2) Blackcaps
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 2 Greylag Geese: flushed off 05:30.
- 14 (9♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron
- 16 + 7 (5 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 9 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 86 adult and juvenile Coots
- 59 Black-headed Gulls
- 71 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull
Birds on the football and academy playing fields c.06:50:
[Wood Pigeons and Magpies excluded]
- 62 Black-headed Gulls on the football field
- 49 Black-headed Gulls on the academy playing fields
On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:
Moths:
- 1 Narrow-winged Grey (Eudonia angustea): moth species #99 here this year
- 1 Vapourer (Orgyia antiqua): moth species #100 here this year and a new species for me.
- 1 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa)
Other things:
- >10 Chironomus plumosus (plumed midges)
- 1 Common European Earwig (Forficula auricularia)
- 3 Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris)
- 5 Orb-web spider, presumed Larinioides sclopetarius
- 1 Opilio-type harvestman
Insects / other things etc. noted later:
Not enough power in the hazy sun to get many things flying
- Green-veined White butterfly (Pieris napi)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Mammals
- 3 Pipistrelle-type bats
- 1 Grey Squirrel
- >10 Chironomus plumosus (plumed midges)
- 1 Common European Earwig (Forficula auricularia)
- 3 Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris)
- 5 Orb-web spider, presumed Larinioides sclopetarius
- 1 Opilio-type harvestman
Insects / other things etc. noted later:
Not enough power in the hazy sun to get many things flying
- Green-veined White butterfly (Pieris napi)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Mammals
- 3 Pipistrelle-type bats
- 1 Grey Squirrel
I have three theories about the lower number of bats:
- it was a very light morning and they had already gone to roost.
- the calm conditions meant they were not hugging the lee of the N side trees and were scattered around more where I could not see them.
- the atmospheric conditions were reflecting the road noise badly and this was preventing them from echo-locating properly.
Additional flowering plant species recorded for the year at this site:
- Wood Dock (Rumex sanguineus): no photo as yet – was about to and got distracted!
- it was a very light morning and they had already gone to roost.
- the calm conditions meant they were not hugging the lee of the N side trees and were scattered around more where I could not see them.
- the atmospheric conditions were reflecting the road noise badly and this was preventing them from echo-locating properly.
Additional flowering plant species recorded for the year at this site:
- Wood Dock (Rumex sanguineus): no photo as yet – was about to and got distracted!
The rather hazy pre-sunrise
The sun now up.
Bit like #11 buses: wait for ages and then two come along. Another flight shot of a Magpie.
(Ed Wilson)
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(177th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- All the Mute Swan cygnets present.
- What I have logged as a Greylag x Canada Goose was tucked inside the island. From what I could see the body looked darker than either of these species and I wonder about its parentage. The head and bill marks fit OK. If it comes out in the open will look harder.
- Very late records of two Swifts passing. I have the two Pied Wagtails flying over to thank for the Swifts. The wagtails called as they flew, I looked up, and there were the Swifts as well.
- The Meadow Pipits were at least three hours after I logged any of the birds flying over the lake.
Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 2 Jackdaws
- 2 Pied Wagtails
- 3 Meadow Pipits
Hirundines etc. logged:
- 2 Swifts
- 2 House Martins
Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):
- 2 (1) Chiffchaffs
Counts from the water:
- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans: cygnets found!
- 7 Greylag Geese
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose (see notes)
- 19 Canada Geese
- 31 (15♂) Mallard
- 46 (12?♂) Tufted Duck again
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 10 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 60 adult and juvenile Coots only
- 7 Black-headed Gulls
On the lamp poles:
Nothing noted
Elsewhere:
Butterflies:
- Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
Elsewhere:
Butterflies:
- Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
Bees / wasps:
- Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
- Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
Spiders:
- Garden Spider (Arameus diadematus)
- Garden Spider (Arameus diadematus)
Mammals:
- 1 Grey Squirrel
- 1 Grey Squirrel
Nasty! I do hope this is some strange moult effect on the male Blackbird and not a nasty disease.
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day..........