15.0°C > 19.0°C: Clear skies. Light NW breeze. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 05:06 BST
**no photos yet for today - spent the day chasing gliders in Leicestershire. Probably tomorrow for photos.
Priorslee Lake: 04:15 – 05:35 // 06:30 – 08:05
(149th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Just a single Swift noted
- Seven Cormorants from the NE early; one peeled off and fished the lake, the others carries on. A group of three followed them. A single flew the other way later
Overhead:
- 17 Wood Pigeons
- 10 Cormorants: see notes
- 19 Jackdaws
- 7 Rooks
Hirundines etc., noted:
- 1 Swifts: 1 flew W 04:55
- 3 House Martins
Warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds):
- 10 (7) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (3) Reed Warblers
- 9 (7) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Garden Warbler
- 2 (2) Common Whitethroats
Count from the lake area
- 2 + 5 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 10 (9♂) + 2 (1 brood) Mallard
- 2 Moorhens
- 38 + 18 (10 broods) Coots
- 1 Common Sandpiper again
- >37 Black-headed Gulls: one juvenile
- 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: ages not determined, all briefly
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Cormorant: arrived as noted
- 2 Grey Herons: one eventually chased the other away
On / around the street lamps pre-dawn:
Moths:
- 1 Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- 1 White Plume (Pterophorus pentadactyla)
- 1 Swallow-tailed Moth (Ourapteryx sambucaria)
- 1 still to be identified Willow Beauty-type moth
- 1 White Plume (Pterophorus pentadactyla)
- 1 Swallow-tailed Moth (Ourapteryx sambucaria)
- 1 still to be identified Willow Beauty-type moth
And
- 1 Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)
- 1 froghopper sp.
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides cornutus)
In the sailing club shelter pre-dawn:
- 3 Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides cornutus)
Other things seen later:
Note: a sparse and provisional list due to my early departure and without checking any of my photos.
Butterflies:
- Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus)
- Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus)
- 1 Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)
- 1 froghopper sp.
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides cornutus)
In the sailing club shelter pre-dawn:
- 3 Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides cornutus)
Other things seen later:
Note: a sparse and provisional list due to my early departure and without checking any of my photos.
Butterflies:
- Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus)
- Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus)
Moths:
- Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
Bees / Wasps:
- Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
Hoverflies:
- Bumblebee Cheilosia (Cheilosia illustrata)
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
- Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
- probable Spotted Meliscaeva (Meliscaeva auricollis)
- Bumblebee Cheilosia (Cheilosia illustrata)
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
- Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
- probable Spotted Meliscaeva (Meliscaeva auricollis)
Dragon/Damsel-flies
- Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
- Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans)
- Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella)
- Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
- Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans)
- Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella)
Other flies:
- Black Snipefly (Chrysopilus cristatus)
- Grouse Wing (Mystacides longicornis) [caddis fly]
- Nephrotoma flavipalpis cranefly
- Black Snipefly (Chrysopilus cristatus)
- Grouse Wing (Mystacides longicornis) [caddis fly]
- Nephrotoma flavipalpis cranefly
Beetles:
- 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata): adult
- Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)
- 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata): adult
- Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)
Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
Mammals:
- Grey Squirrel
- Noctule-type bat
- Grey Squirrel
- Noctule-type bat
(Ed Wilson)
Between the lake and The Flash:
- 1 Chiffchaff in song by the upper pool.
- 1 Blackcap in song by the lower pool.
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- 1 Chiffchaff in song by the upper pool.
- 1 Blackcap in song by the lower pool.
(Ed Wilson)
On the roof of the Priorslee Avenue tunnel
Moths:
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Moths:
None
Others:
- 2 Nephrotoma flavipalpis craneflies
- 2 caddis flies of different species
- 2 Nephrotoma flavipalpis craneflies
- 2 caddis flies of different species
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 05:40 – 06:25
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(134th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Many juvenile Coots out of the nest area today. Difficult separate some of the broods. There was also an adult 'gathering' with 14 noted along the E side of the island.
- Two Great Crested Grebes close together between the island and Derwent Drive. Later one (of these? a third?) at the top end – was blocked from viewing the area where I saw the pair.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 4 Starlings
Hirundines etc., noted:
- 4 Swifts
- 2 House Martins
Warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds):
- 3 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (2) Blackcaps
On /around the water:
- 107 Canada Geese
- 43 Greylag Geese
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 17 (?♂) Mallard
- 29 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 + 1 (1 broods) Moorhens
- 15 juvenile Coots (8? broods)
- 5 Black-headed Gulls
- 2? Great Crested Grebe
Also
- 1 Common Grey moth (Scoparia ambigualis) on the same lamp pole as yesterday
- 1 Nutmeg moth (Anarta trifolii) on a very different lamp pole to the previous records here
- 1 Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
Bird notes:
- Many juvenile Coots out of the nest area today. Difficult separate some of the broods. There was also an adult 'gathering' with 14 noted along the E side of the island.
- Two Great Crested Grebes close together between the island and Derwent Drive. Later one (of these? a third?) at the top end – was blocked from viewing the area where I saw the pair.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 4 Starlings
Hirundines etc., noted:
- 4 Swifts
- 2 House Martins
Warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds):
- 3 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (2) Blackcaps
On /around the water:
- 107 Canada Geese
- 43 Greylag Geese
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 17 (?♂) Mallard
- 29 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 + 1 (1 broods) Moorhens
- 15 juvenile Coots (8? broods)
- 5 Black-headed Gulls
- 2? Great Crested Grebe
Also
- 1 Common Grey moth (Scoparia ambigualis) on the same lamp pole as yesterday
- 1 Nutmeg moth (Anarta trifolii) on a very different lamp pole to the previous records here
- 1 Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)