10.0°C > 12.0°C: Early light rain clearing from the E. Clear for a while then cloudy again, some at low level. Light NNE wind. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 04:47 BST again
* = a photo today
Priorslee Lake: 04:15 – 05:25 // 06:25 – 08:50
(130th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- The first of today's Swifts arrived at 04:35 building up to at least 30 birds by 05:00 before some moved away. Then by c.08:00 at least 40 present.
- Many juvenile Coots in view today including a new brood of at least two at the W end.
- Six Great Crested Grebes were all I could find: there was fighting going on early. Later as three pairs with two of them seen in rather desultory display. No obvious sign of any settling to breed.
- A presumed House Martin appeared high overhead at 04:40. The timing is more reminiscent of Sand Martins leaving roosts while they are on migration but this would be a very strange date for that. No calls heard and no plumage features visible at that time of the morning.
- Four single Barn Swallows flew through. At least two of these appeared to come from the farms to the E. There seem to be none breeding in the village where they have been for many summers.
- The Sedge Warbler was sporadically singing. Perhaps this indicates it is between broods?
- Even the Garden Warbler along the S side is now only occasionally singing.
- A Skylark flew low E over the lake. This is my second such record this year and I cannot recall ever having seen such behaviour during the breeding season.
Overhead:
- 6 Feral Pigeons: single and quintet
- 1 Stock Dove again
- 14 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Common Buzzards
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: (near) adult
- 4 Cormorants: duo and two singles
- 5 Jackdaws
- 5 Rooks
- 13 Starlings
Hirundines etc., noted:
- >40 Swifts
- 4 Barn Swallow
- 3 House Martins
Warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds):
- 10 (9) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Sedge Warbler
- 8 (6) Reed Warblers
- 9 (8) Blackcaps again
- 2 (2) Garden Warblers
- 3 (3) Common Whitethroats
Count from the lake area
- 2 + 5 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 7 (7♂) Mallard again
- 4 + 2 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 35 + 23 (11 broods) Coots
- 6 Great Crested Grebes again
On / around the street lamps pre-dawn:
Nothing
Noted later: not much in the dull damp conditions.
First an update: a mystery bug from 08th June has, thanks to Keith Fowler, been identified a nymph of the Mirid bug Closterotomus fulvomaculatus. Keith is the Shropshire Bug Recorder and reports: "This bug is not recorded in the county very often so a good find".
Moth:
- unidentified grass moths in flight only
First an update: a mystery bug from 08th June has, thanks to Keith Fowler, been identified a nymph of the Mirid bug Closterotomus fulvomaculatus. Keith is the Shropshire Bug Recorder and reports: "This bug is not recorded in the county very often so a good find".
Moth:
- unidentified grass moths in flight only
Bees / Wasps:
- Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Hoverflies:
Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
Other flies:
- Grouse Wing (Mystacides longicornis) [caddis]
- A cranefly most likely a Spotted Cranefly (Nephrotoma appendiculata)
- Semaphore fly (Poecilobothrus nobilitatus)
- Grouse Wing (Mystacides longicornis) [caddis]
- A cranefly most likely a Spotted Cranefly (Nephrotoma appendiculata)
- Semaphore fly (Poecilobothrus nobilitatus)
Beetles:
- Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus)
- Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus)
Spiders:
- Cucumber Green Orb Spider (possibly Araniella cucurbitina)
- Cucumber Green Orb Spider (possibly Araniella cucurbitina)
Fungus:
- To be identified
Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
- To be identified
Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
Newly recorded plants / flowers:
- Meadowsweet / Mead Wort (Filipendula ulmaria)
- Meadowsweet / Mead Wort (Filipendula ulmaria)
One of the local Common Buzzard showing signs of wear and tear.
Just opening are flowers of Meadowsweet [or Mead Wort] (Filipendula ulmaria).
A close-up of the inflorescence of this attractive flower.
I hope to get this small fungus identified by someone more expert than me – not difficult.
With dozens of fruits I had only slight hesitation in picking one to photograph the gills – often a helpful identification feature. It was not possible to get underneath any where they were in the grass.
And here is the update on the bug
(Ed Wilson)
Between the lake and The Flash:
- The Chiffchaff was singing by the lower pool again.
Also on the roof of the Priorslee Avenue tunnel
- One Garden Grass-veneer grass moth (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- One Common Pug moth (Eupithecia vulgata) again, apparently where it was yesterday.
- One probable Brown-lipped Snail (Cepaea nemoralis)
And here is the update on the bug
Thanks to Keith for identifying this a nymph of the Mirid bug Closterotomus fulvomaculatus
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Between the lake and The Flash:
- The Chiffchaff was singing by the lower pool again.
Also on the roof of the Priorslee Avenue tunnel
- One Garden Grass-veneer grass moth (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- One Common Pug moth (Eupithecia vulgata) again, apparently where it was yesterday.
- One probable Brown-lipped Snail (Cepaea nemoralis)
Only rotated through 90° was this snail on the wall of the tunnel. I think it is a Brown-lipped Snail (Cepaea nemoralis) - a very variable species with only the brown lip as the common feature. The shell can be yellow, pink or brown and have none or up to five black or brown bands around the shell.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 05:30 – 06:20
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 05:30 – 06:20
(115th visit of the year)
Some feedback on the Canada Goose gosling here. A photo was sent by Helen to priorsleelake@hotmail.com showing two adults and two goslings walking up Everglade Road toward here on 16th June. So now we have another conundrum - where did these come from? They are not the birds from the lake as they were present there until 20th June, though only with a single gosling after 18th June. It also suggests that the cob Mute Swan at the lake probably killed all five of the goslings at the lake: and perhaps the cob Mute Swan at The Flash is now attacking these two.
Other bird notes:
- A duck Mallard on the edge of the island with two small ducklings.
Two juvenile Coots from a new brood at the top end. The recent brood by one of the bridges still being brooded.
- Stock Dove heard calling again. I hear this species intermittently from two widely separated locations around the water but never from both places on the same day.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 7 Feral Pigeons: one group
- 1 Jackdaw
Hirundines etc., noted:
Some feedback on the Canada Goose gosling here. A photo was sent by Helen to priorsleelake@hotmail.com showing two adults and two goslings walking up Everglade Road toward here on 16th June. So now we have another conundrum - where did these come from? They are not the birds from the lake as they were present there until 20th June, though only with a single gosling after 18th June. It also suggests that the cob Mute Swan at the lake probably killed all five of the goslings at the lake: and perhaps the cob Mute Swan at The Flash is now attacking these two.
Other bird notes:
- A duck Mallard on the edge of the island with two small ducklings.
Two juvenile Coots from a new brood at the top end. The recent brood by one of the bridges still being brooded.
- Stock Dove heard calling again. I hear this species intermittently from two widely separated locations around the water but never from both places on the same day.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 7 Feral Pigeons: one group
- 1 Jackdaw
Hirundines etc., noted:
None
Warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds):
- 3 (3) Chiffchaffs again
- 3 (3) Blackcaps
On /around the water:
- 127 Canada Geese again
- 28 Greylag Geese again
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose yet again
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 28 (20♂) + 2 (1 brood) Mallard
- 11 (8♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 2 juvenile Coots: see notes
- no Great Crested Grebes located
Nothing else of note.
(Ed Wilson)
- 3 (3) Chiffchaffs again
- 3 (3) Blackcaps
On /around the water:
- 127 Canada Geese again
- 28 Greylag Geese again
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose yet again
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 28 (20♂) + 2 (1 brood) Mallard
- 11 (8♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 2 juvenile Coots: see notes
- no Great Crested Grebes located
Nothing else of note.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this day
2020
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
2019
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
(Ed Wilson)
2013
Priorslee Lake
Grasshopper Warbler
(Ed Wilson)
2012
Priorslee Lake
Special this morning was rather bizarre: an all-white, apparently albino, Budgerigar(!) sheltering in the copse between the football field and the playground!
(Ed Wilson)
2008
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
Another slight puzzle this morning. It sounded like a 'Blackcap with a difference' with an extended song with lots more variety than usual and many notes recalling Garden Warbler, Song Thrush and Blackbird. It was clearly NOT the bird from earlier but I was curious. It was always singing well above head-height (Acros tend to be below head-height) and never had the rhythm of an Acro but the long and flowing song was very strange (and very loud). In the end the bird gave itself up and proved to be what I thought - a 'Blackcap with a difference' - lots of testosterone? It proved my 'rule of thumb' - if you are not sure whether it is a Blackcap or a Garden Warbler it is a Blackcap.
(Ed Wilson)