24 Mar 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

6.0°C > 12.0°C: Clear and hazy again. Calm. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:04 GMT

* = a photo today

Priorslee Lake: 05:10 – 06:20 // 07:25 – 09:30

(70th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Now five Great Crested Grebes. The presence of the fifth seemed to inspire the other two pairs out in to the open to display.
- Two adult and one first year Black-headed Gulls appeared over the lake at 05:50 and circled low for about 10 minutes before leaving.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese: pair outbound again
- 7 Greylag Geese: two pairs outbound; single and pair inbound
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 3 Stock Doves: single and pair
- 21 Wood Pigeons again
- 4 Herring Gulls: again and all immatures again
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: both immatures
- 1 Common Buzzard again
- 48 Jackdaws

We are missing the passage of Meadow Pipits that has been reported elsewhere over the last flew days. These normally fly low-enough that I should see or at least hear them even in the hazy conditions.

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 13 (13) Chiffchaffs

Counts from the lake area:
- 3 Canada Geese: one flew off 05:50; a pair throughout
- 2 Mute Swans
- 6 (4♂) Mallard
- no Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 31 Coots
- Little Grebe(s) heard only again
- 5 Great Crested Grebes: see notes
- 3 Black-headed Gulls: see notes
- 2 Grey Herons: both departed, but separately

On / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn
- *1 Red-letter Flat-body moth (Agonopterix ocellana)
- *1 spider sp. (same species as yesterday?)

Notes later:
- 1 Peacock butterfly (Aglais io)
- 1 Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
- >4 Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- many other unidentified bumblebees in flight only – there are not many flowers for them to visit

Also: the overnight fishermen reported many bats of at least two species were flying last evening.

Just about half moon this morning. The moon was surprising low to the SSW this morning. I guess we would have heard if it was off course!

Another hazy start to the day. "Poor air quality" the met man said last night. It seems that the temperatures are too low to lift the pollution through the 'lid' of the high pressure.

I found this feather in the grass this morning. I assumed it was from a Common Buzzard until I checked with my "Tracks & Signs" book. The way the pale mark on the bottom left of the photo veers along almost parallel with the shaft suggests it is more likely a primary feather from a Common Pheasant. Not all primaries of both species are illustrated so I cannot be definite.

A not very inspiring photo of a not very inspiring moth. It is a Red-letter Flat-body (Agonopterix ocellana). The red on the inner edge of the black mark in the forewings is not as obvious as it was when I was peering through the viewfinder. It is the red that gives it the vernacular name though being a micro moth 'real moth men' only use the scientific names.

 Possibly a better photo than yesterday of this unusual-looking spider. I do not have an identity for it as yet.

I would like to think that the lout or louts who kicked out the side walls of the sailing club's shelter are feeling remorse this morning. I doubt it. What is wrong with these people?

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:25 – 07:20

(66th visit of the year)

Best record today was a singing Blackcap in the bushes between Priorslee Avenue and the car parks outside the medical centre. My first of the year and bird species #55 here in 2022 for me. Last year I noted the first bird on March 25th so it is about on cue. While I was unsuccessfully trying to see the bird a trio of Redwings perched briefly in the tops of trees here – Summer and Winter visitors together.

Other bird notes:
- A lone Greylag Goose still seems to be making overtures to one of a pair of Canada Geese.
- Still four eggs in the Mute Swans' nest.
- One of the groups of Tufted Ducks (comprising 11 drakes and three ducks) was doing much chasing around.
- A Great Spotted Woodpecker was flying around the E side trees making a lot of noise.
- *A Long-tailed Tits' nest located.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Canada Geese: a pair flew N
- 12 Wood Pigeons: high NE together
- 1 Jackdaw

Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 6 (6) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Blackcap

On /around the water:
- 31 Canada Geese: of these two pairs flew off
- 3 Greylag Geese: of these a pair arrived
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Mute Swans: 4 eggs still
- 26 (22♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 2 (1♂) Teal still here
- 58 (39♂) Tufted Duck
- 14 Moorhens again
- 26 Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe again

Noted on / around the street lamp poles: a bumper bundle:
- 2 Plumed midges (Chironomus plumosus)
- *1 owl-midge (also known as drain fly, moth fly or owl fly) Psychodidae sp.
- 1 lacewing, probably Common Green Lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea)
- *1 midge sp.
- *1 spider, likely a Noble False Widow (Steatoda nobilis)

Elsewhere:

Nothing of note

Chest puffed out as it emits its three-note song is this Collared Dove. With particular emphasis given to two of the notes this species is sometimes claimed as 'the first Cuckoo in Spring'. When you hear a real Cuckoo there is no confusion.

 A Long-tailed Tit.

And here is its home for the next weeks. An amazingly intricate structure of disguised spiders' webs allowing flexibility to accommodate as many as a dozen long tails as the brood develops. I was not about to move any of the foreground twigs to get a better view and expose the nest further.

This looks to me like a midge though it is rather short and unusual in have a dark mark in the wings.

My photo is even more fuzzy than this fly was in real life. A tiny owl-midge many feet up a lamp pole is not easy to photograph. Until last year I had seen (noticed?) very few. Last Autumn I noted them almost daily. None of my references say whether they can or do over-winter as adults. And none of the 99 species known in the UK can be specifically identified from even good quality photos.

I think this spider is most likely a Noble False Widow (Steatoda nobilis). As usual there are similar species that require detailed examination (10 foot up a lamp pole?) to be certain.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the Lake and The Flash:

- 2 (2♂) Mallard in the lower pool.
- 1 Moorhen heard in the upper pool only.
- 1 (1) Chiffchaff beside the lower pool
- 8 Starlings in trees

(Ed Wilson)

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Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Nothing of note

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day can be found via the yearly links in the right-hand column.

Sightings from previous years without links are below

2014

Priorslee Lake

7 Chiffchaffs

1 Little Grebe

4 Great Crested Grebes

5 Cormorants

1 Grey Heron

19 Tufted Duck

3 Buzzard

30 Fieldfares

5 Redwings

7 Chiffchaffs

>700 Jackdaws

1 Raven

1 Marsh Tit

(Ed Wilson, Martin Grant)

The Flash

2 Great Crested Grebes

2 Common Teal

50 Tufted Ducks

(Ed Wilson)

2013

Priorslee Lake

1 Little Grebe 

3 Great Crested Grebe 

7 Wigeon 

2 Gadwall 

37 Tufted Ducks 

c.180 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

c.50 Herring Gulls

2 Chiffchaffs

(Ed Wilson)

2010

Priorslee Lake

Oystercatcher 

11 Pied Wagtail

2 Redwings

Willow Warbler

4 Chiffchaffs singing

12 Linnets

1 Siskin

4 Great Crested Grebe 

2 Gadwall

28 Tufted Duck

c.225 Jackdaws

(Ed Wilson)

Nedge Hill

3 Wheatears

(Ian Grant)

The Flash

4 Great Crested Grebes

46 Tufted Duck

2 Chiffchaffs

(Ed Wilson)

2007

Priorslee Lake

4 Great Crested Grebe

25 Tufted Duck

1 Ruddy Duck

1 Sky Lark

1 Sand Martin

28 Wren

20 Robin

33 Blackbird

1 Redwing

3 Chiffchaff

32 Magpie

117 Jackdaw

4 Greenfinch

6 Reed Bunting

(Ed Wilson)

Priorslee Village

Raven

Blackcap

(Martin Adlam)

Nedge Hill

3 Sky Lark

1 Chiffchaff

3 Greenfinch

6 Yellowhammer

(Ed Wilson)

The Flash

6 Great Crested Grebe

2 Pochard

22 Tufted Duck

2 Chiffchaff 

1 Reed Bunting

(Ed Wilson)