Priorslee Lake and The Flash
12.0°C > 15.0°C: Initially mostly clear with a bank of cloud to far E: some low-level mist. A layer of barely broken medium-level cloud came in from the W after 07:45. Calm / very light and variable wind. Mostly good visibility.
Sunrise: 04:57 BST
* = a photo today
Priorslee Lake: 04:15 – 05:30 // 06:25 – 09:25
(141st visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Separate duck Mallards with broods of one and two ducklings.
- Five Black-headed Gulls, ages not determined, appeared over the water at 04:40, circled and departed. Presumably two of these – adults – on the academy playing field at 05:10. Another adult visited briefly at 07:40. An adult showing different wing moult visited equally briefly at 08:05.
- Were some of the Coot families hiding or have the most recent broods been lost?
- Nine Great Crested Grebes were close together in the middle of the water. A tenth was sitting on a nest throughout.
- A single unidentified Martin sp. flew W to the N at 05:10. The only House Martin noted was one at 09:15. They seem scarce this year.
- Four Mistle Thrushes seen in flight together leaving the academy playing field for the Ricoh wooded area.
- Four House Sparrows, one at least a male, passed along the dam-face.
- Three Grey Wagtails seen: all juveniles. I wonder where the ringed adult male is that bred in the area?
Overhead:
- 33 Wood Pigeons
- 13 Cormorants: a quintet and an octet
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: age not determined
- 6 Jackdaws
- 6 Rooks
- 1 Starling
Hirundines etc., noted:
- >7 Swifts
- 1 House Martin: see also notes
Warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds):
- 15 (12) Chiffchaffs
- *2 (2) Sedge Warblers still
- 7 (6) Reed Warblers
- 12 (8) Blackcaps
- 2 (2) Garden Warblers
- 4 (3) Common Whitethroats
Count from the lake area
- 2 + 5 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- *12 (10♂) + 3 (2 broods) Mallard
- *4 + 2 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 37 + 13 (7 broods) Coots
- 7 Black-headed Gulls: all briefly – see notes
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult, briefly
- 10 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Grey Heron: departed separately
On / around the street lamps pre-dawn:
Moths:
- 1 Ghost Moth (Hepialus humuli): dead in web still
- 1 Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- *1 Common Grey (Scoparia ambigualis)
12.0°C > 15.0°C: Initially mostly clear with a bank of cloud to far E: some low-level mist. A layer of barely broken medium-level cloud came in from the W after 07:45. Calm / very light and variable wind. Mostly good visibility.
Sunrise: 04:57 BST
* = a photo today
Priorslee Lake: 04:15 – 05:30 // 06:25 – 09:25
(141st visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Separate duck Mallards with broods of one and two ducklings.
- Five Black-headed Gulls, ages not determined, appeared over the water at 04:40, circled and departed. Presumably two of these – adults – on the academy playing field at 05:10. Another adult visited briefly at 07:40. An adult showing different wing moult visited equally briefly at 08:05.
- Were some of the Coot families hiding or have the most recent broods been lost?
- Nine Great Crested Grebes were close together in the middle of the water. A tenth was sitting on a nest throughout.
- A single unidentified Martin sp. flew W to the N at 05:10. The only House Martin noted was one at 09:15. They seem scarce this year.
- Four Mistle Thrushes seen in flight together leaving the academy playing field for the Ricoh wooded area.
- Four House Sparrows, one at least a male, passed along the dam-face.
- Three Grey Wagtails seen: all juveniles. I wonder where the ringed adult male is that bred in the area?
Overhead:
- 33 Wood Pigeons
- 13 Cormorants: a quintet and an octet
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: age not determined
- 6 Jackdaws
- 6 Rooks
- 1 Starling
Hirundines etc., noted:
- >7 Swifts
- 1 House Martin: see also notes
Warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds):
- 15 (12) Chiffchaffs
- *2 (2) Sedge Warblers still
- 7 (6) Reed Warblers
- 12 (8) Blackcaps
- 2 (2) Garden Warblers
- 4 (3) Common Whitethroats
Count from the lake area
- 2 + 5 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- *12 (10♂) + 3 (2 broods) Mallard
- *4 + 2 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 37 + 13 (7 broods) Coots
- 7 Black-headed Gulls: all briefly – see notes
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult, briefly
- 10 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Grey Heron: departed separately
On / around the street lamps pre-dawn:
Moths:
- 1 Ghost Moth (Hepialus humuli): dead in web still
- 1 Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- *1 Common Grey (Scoparia ambigualis)
Noted later:
Moths:
- Common Marble (Celypha lacunana)
- Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella): many hundred
- Common Marble (Celypha lacunana)
- Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella): many hundred
Bees / Wasps:
- Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum)
- Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum)
Hoverflies:
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
- Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- Syrphus sp. (S. ribesii / S. vitripennis)
- *Pellucid Fly / Pied Plumehorn (Volucella pellucens)
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
- Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- Syrphus sp. (S. ribesii / S. vitripennis)
- *Pellucid Fly / Pied Plumehorn (Volucella pellucens)
Damselflies:
- 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)
- Semaphore fly (Poecilobothrus nobilitatus)
- Cranefly Nephrotoma quadrifaria
- Black Snipefly (Chrysopilus cristatus)
- Semaphore fly (Poecilobothrus nobilitatus)
- Cranefly Nephrotoma quadrifaria
Beetles:
- *7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata): adult and larva only
- *Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis): larva only
- *Common Red Soldier Beetle aka Hogweed Bonking-beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)
- *Lagria hirta – a darkling beetle a bit hairy
- *two species of small all-black beetles.
- *7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata): adult and larva only
- *Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis): larva only
- *Common Red Soldier Beetle aka Hogweed Bonking-beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)
- *Lagria hirta – a darkling beetle a bit hairy
- *two species of small all-black beetles.
Bugs:
- Red Bug (Deraeocoris ruber)
- *Red-legged Shieldbug (Pentatoma rufipes)
- *possible Common Flower Bug (Anthocoris nemorum)
- Red Bug (Deraeocoris ruber)
- *Red-legged Shieldbug (Pentatoma rufipes)
- *possible Common Flower Bug (Anthocoris nemorum)
Molluscs:
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
Mammals:
- 1 larger-type bat sp. (Noctule) over before 04:40
- 1 larger-type bat sp. (Noctule) over before 04:40
Just one duckling remaining for this duck Mallard.
..that of the Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) has a row of five pink / orange marks
Tiny black beetles inside a buttercup flower. No idea as to the species involved.
A tiny pant bug trying to hide underneath one of my strangely almost clean fingernails. My best suggestion is a Common Flower Bug (Anthocoris nemorum) but there are several very similar species to choose from.
(Ed Wilson)
Between the lake and The Flash:
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- 1 Chiffchaff was, unusually, singing from a garden alongside the upper pool
- A Blackcap was singing by the upper pool.
- A Blackcap was singing by the upper pool.
Nothing found on the roof of the Priorslee Avenue tunnel
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 05:35 – 06:20
(Ed Wilson)
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(126th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- No Mallard ducklings located.
- It is that time of year when sexing the Tufted Ducks is becoming difficult. Until they begin to moult again in the Autumn I will report the total number only and not try and (mis-)ascribe them all as to sex.
- Two Moorhen juveniles on the island; also two from the brood by the southern-most bridge. The latter, often a trio, are now exploring on their own and are not always visible.
- Coot juveniles:
- three juveniles asleep in the nest alongside Derwent Drive
- one well-grown juvenile by the island
- one only reasonably small juvenile at the top end
- two only newly hatched juveniles by the southern-most bridge but these being brooded so all three may have been present.
- one only juvenile by the northern-most bridge.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Starling
Hirundines etc., noted:
- 10 Swifts
- 4 House Martins again
Warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds):
- 2 (2) Chiffchaffs again
- 2 (2) Blackcaps
On /around the water:
- 120 Canada Geese
- 33 Greylag Geese
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 26 (19♂) Mallard
- 22 Tufted Duck: see notes
- 4 + 4 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 9 juvenile Coots (5 broods): see notes
- 1 Great Crested Grebe again
Also noted, moths on different lamp posts:
- 1 Riband Wave (Idaea aversata) - not on the same lamp post as yesterday.
- *1 Mottled Beauty (Alcis repandata): male
Bird notes:
- No Mallard ducklings located.
- It is that time of year when sexing the Tufted Ducks is becoming difficult. Until they begin to moult again in the Autumn I will report the total number only and not try and (mis-)ascribe them all as to sex.
- Two Moorhen juveniles on the island; also two from the brood by the southern-most bridge. The latter, often a trio, are now exploring on their own and are not always visible.
- Coot juveniles:
- three juveniles asleep in the nest alongside Derwent Drive
- one well-grown juvenile by the island
- one only reasonably small juvenile at the top end
- two only newly hatched juveniles by the southern-most bridge but these being brooded so all three may have been present.
- one only juvenile by the northern-most bridge.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Starling
Hirundines etc., noted:
- 10 Swifts
- 4 House Martins again
Warblers noted (the number in brackets is singing birds):
- 2 (2) Chiffchaffs again
- 2 (2) Blackcaps
On /around the water:
- 120 Canada Geese
- 33 Greylag Geese
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swan
- 26 (19♂) Mallard
- 22 Tufted Duck: see notes
- 4 + 4 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 9 juvenile Coots (5 broods): see notes
- 1 Great Crested Grebe again
Also noted, moths on different lamp posts:
- 1 Riband Wave (Idaea aversata) - not on the same lamp post as yesterday.
- *1 Mottled Beauty (Alcis repandata): male
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day
2020