9.0°C > 11.0°C: The advent of the meteorological summer did little to cheer the weather. Intermittent mostly light rain again until c.06:30. Thereafter mostly cloudy. Still chilly. Light W wind. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 04:52 BST
* = a photo today
Priorslee Lake: 04:40 – 05:40 // 06:35 – 08:55
(127th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Just three Swifts at 05:00, numbers soon increasing to c.30 birds. By 08:00 at least 50 present.
- One of the Great Crested Grebes was seen taking a large fish in to the reeds suggesting a partner could be on eggs – the fish would have been too large for any juvenile to deal with. At long last they appear to be settling down to breed, once again seemingly too late in the year to be able to raise a second brood.
- Yesterday's very noisy and persistent Sedge Warbler was again singing its heart out. The bird that has been along the S side was neither seen nor heard.
- Unusual at this date were two Sky Larks seen flying high W at 08:45. One had, as usual, been heard earlier, singing over the fields to the E. This was almost certainly a different bird.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Greylag Goose: outbound
- 2 Feral Pigeons: together
- 1 Stock Dove
- 2 Wood Pigeons only
- 1 Herring Gull: immature
- 1 Common Buzzard again
- 1 Jackdaw again
- 2 Skylarks
Hirundines etc. noted:
- >50 Swifts
- 2 Sand Martins again
- 3 Barn Swallows
- 2 House Martins
Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 13 (10) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Sedge Warblers
- 7 (6) Reed Warblers
- 16 (15) Blackcaps
- 3 (2) Garden Warblers
- 1 (0) Common Whitethroat
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 1 (1 brood) Canada Geese
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 8 (6♂) Mallard
- 3 Moorhens
- 26 + 12 (5 broods) Coots
- 1 Little Grebe: heard only
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Grey Heron: departed once again
On / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
Nothing noted
Noted later:
Wet vegetation combined with dull and cool conditions meant few insects about.
Moths:
- Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana)
- *Silver-ground Carpet (Xanthorhoe montanata)
- Common Carpet (Epirrhoe alternata)
Moths:
- Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana)
- *Silver-ground Carpet (Xanthorhoe montanata)
- Common Carpet (Epirrhoe alternata)
Bees, wasps, etc.
- *Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum)
- *Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum)
Hoverflies:
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
Other flies:
- *Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria)
- *Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria)
Beetles etc.:
- Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis)
- Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis)
Bugs:
- Red-and-Black Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata)
- Red-and-Black Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata)
Slugs / snails:
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
- Garden Snail (Cornu aspersum aka Helix aspersa)
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
- Garden Snail (Cornu aspersum aka Helix aspersa)
Spiders:
- Tetragnatha sp. stretch spider
- Tetragnatha sp. stretch spider
Mammals:
- 1 Grey Squirrel
- 1 Grey Squirrel
New flowers for the year noted:
Sitting at an unhelpful angle is one of four Silver-ground Carpet moths (Xanthorhoe montanata) I noted this morning.
None
It might have been already raining at the lake by 05:00 but it was still clear to the far E.
A small part of a not very 'red sky in the morning'.
The newly arrived Sedge Warbler.
Here singing vigorously!
A striking-looking large cranefly. Sitting with wings closed it is not possible to confirm its identity using the abdomen markings. However the combination of the thorax pattern and the dark shading in the wing point to it being Nephrotoma quadrifaria.
The Flash: 05:45 – 06:30
(123rd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- *A new brood of five small Canada Goose goslings along with the previously noted single and group of six goslings. Numbers building up as they do each June.
- Probably some Greylag Geese inside the island as sounds from there at times.
- *I think the brood of four Mallard ducklings was a new brood suggesting that all the previous ducklings have perished.
- The lone Great Crested Grebe several times visited a traditional nest site among overhanging willow vegetation. Perhaps a partner on eggs?
- A single Swift was present when I arrived, disappearing as soon as the rain started in earnest.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Cormorant
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 Swift
Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 4 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (4) Blackcaps
Noted on / around the water:
- *170 + 12 (3 broods) Canada Geese: see notes; 15 of these left together
- 6 Greylag Geese
- 3 Mute Swans
- *23 (19♂) + 4 (1 brood) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 12 (8♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhens
- *18 + 6 (2 broods) Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe once again
Noted on / around the street lamp poles:
- 1 Pale Tussock moth (Calliteara pudibunda): same position for its tenth day.
This moth has ignored an earthquake and thunderstorms during its stay.
Elsewhere:
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 05:45 – 06:30
(123rd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- *A new brood of five small Canada Goose goslings along with the previously noted single and group of six goslings. Numbers building up as they do each June.
- Probably some Greylag Geese inside the island as sounds from there at times.
- *I think the brood of four Mallard ducklings was a new brood suggesting that all the previous ducklings have perished.
- The lone Great Crested Grebe several times visited a traditional nest site among overhanging willow vegetation. Perhaps a partner on eggs?
- A single Swift was present when I arrived, disappearing as soon as the rain started in earnest.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Cormorant
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 Swift
Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 4 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (4) Blackcaps
Noted on / around the water:
- *170 + 12 (3 broods) Canada Geese: see notes; 15 of these left together
- 6 Greylag Geese
- 3 Mute Swans
- *23 (19♂) + 4 (1 brood) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 12 (8♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhens
- *18 + 6 (2 broods) Coots
- 1 Great Crested Grebe once again
Noted on / around the street lamp poles:
- 1 Pale Tussock moth (Calliteara pudibunda): same position for its tenth day.
This moth has ignored an earthquake and thunderstorms during its stay.
Elsewhere:
Nothing of note
The latest brood of Canada Goose goslings with their parents.
It is not only the geese that are losing feathers as they begin their post-breeding moult. This Coot is looking rather dishevelled. At least it means the Coots have more or less given up fighting. What was the guy who designed those feet taking?
Between the lake and The Flash:
- 1 adult Moorhen on the grass by the upper pool
- 1 adult with four juvenile Moorhens seen on the lower pool
- 1 Chiffchaff still singing alongside the lower pool.
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
- The Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) chrysalis still present.
- 1 Tetragnatha sp. stretch spider
2007
Priorslee Lake
Common Tern
(Martin Adlam)
2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Ruddy Ducks
Peregrine
(Ed Wilson)
(Ed Wilson)
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Between the lake and The Flash:
- 1 adult Moorhen on the grass by the upper pool
- 1 adult with four juvenile Moorhens seen on the lower pool
- 1 Chiffchaff still singing alongside the lower pool.
(Ed Wilson)
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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
- The Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) chrysalis still present.
- 1 Tetragnatha sp. stretch spider
(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
2007
Priorslee Lake
Common Tern
(Martin Adlam)
2006
Priorslee Lake
2 Ruddy Ducks
Peregrine
(Ed Wilson)