6.0°C > 15.0°C: Clear apart from some thin high cloud. Mist over the lake early and rather cold early. Calm early with light SE breeze later. Moderate visibility until mist cleared; then good / very good.
Sunrise: 04:52 BST
Priorslee Lake: 04:40 – 05:40 // 06:40 – 09:25
(128th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- No Swifts at 05:00 with just 4 by 05:25. At least 40 at 07:15 with fewer later.
- Two additional Great Crested Grebes noted with much chasing and sparring at times.
- The Cetti's Warbler went for another explore away from its usual West end haunt and was briefly heard along the South side.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 11 Greylag Geese: inbound together
- 3 (2♂) Tufted Duck
- 12 Wood Pigeons: together
- 1 Black-headed Gull: adult very high
- 1 Herring Gull: immature again
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: all singles; all (near) adults
- 4 Cormorants: two singles and a duo
- 1 Common Buzzard yet again
- 1 Jackdaw once more
- 2 Rooks
Hirundines etc. noted:
- >40 Swifts
- 1 Barn Swallow
Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 13 (10) Chiffchaffs again
- 1 (1) Sedge Warblers again
- 7 (7) Reed Warblers
- 12 (10) Blackcaps
- 3 (3) Garden Warblers
- 1 (1) Common Whitethroat
Counts from the lake area:
- 5 + 1 (1 brood) Canada Geese: a trio arrived but soon departed
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans still
- 7 (6♂) Mallard
- 2 Moorhens
- 33 + 16 (7 broods) Coots
- 1 Little Grebe: heard only again
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: (near) adult; briefly
Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- 1 large 'nocturnal' ichneumon species
Noted later:
Bird notes:
- No Swifts at 05:00 with just 4 by 05:25. At least 40 at 07:15 with fewer later.
- Two additional Great Crested Grebes noted with much chasing and sparring at times.
- The Cetti's Warbler went for another explore away from its usual West end haunt and was briefly heard along the South side.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 11 Greylag Geese: inbound together
- 3 (2♂) Tufted Duck
- 12 Wood Pigeons: together
- 1 Black-headed Gull: adult very high
- 1 Herring Gull: immature again
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: all singles; all (near) adults
- 4 Cormorants: two singles and a duo
- 1 Common Buzzard yet again
- 1 Jackdaw once more
- 2 Rooks
Hirundines etc. noted:
- >40 Swifts
- 1 Barn Swallow
Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 13 (10) Chiffchaffs again
- 1 (1) Sedge Warblers again
- 7 (7) Reed Warblers
- 12 (10) Blackcaps
- 3 (3) Garden Warblers
- 1 (1) Common Whitethroat
Counts from the lake area:
- 5 + 1 (1 brood) Canada Geese: a trio arrived but soon departed
- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans still
- 7 (6♂) Mallard
- 2 Moorhens
- 33 + 16 (7 broods) Coots
- 1 Little Grebe: heard only again
- 6 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: (near) adult; briefly
Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- 1 large 'nocturnal' ichneumon species
Noted later:
Butterflies:
- Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
Moths:
- Cocksfoot Moth (Glyphipterix simpliciella)
- Silver-ground Carpet (Xanthorhoe montanata)
- Straw Dot (Rivula sericealis): **new for the year and moth species #33 here in 2022
- Cocksfoot Moth (Glyphipterix simpliciella)
- Silver-ground Carpet (Xanthorhoe montanata)
- Straw Dot (Rivula sericealis): **new for the year and moth species #33 here in 2022
Bees, wasps, etc.
- Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum)
- Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum)
Damselflies: (many 100s, many immatures and mostly not closely examined)
- Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
- Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans)
- Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella)
Hoverflies:
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
- Tiger Hoverfly (Helophilus pendulus)
- Blotch-winged Hoverfly (Leucozona lucorum)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- Superb Ant-hill Hoverfly (Xanthogramma pedissequum)
Other flies:
- Black Snipefly (Chrysopilus cristatus): large emergence since yesterday
- Lucilia sp. greenbottle
- Scorpion Fly (Panorpa sp.)
Beetles etc.:
- Common Malachite Beetle (Malachius bipustulatus)
- 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)
- Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis): both spectabilis and succinea variants
Bugs:
- Red-and-Black Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata)
- instar of Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina)
- Red-and-Black Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata)
- instar of Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina)
Slugs / snails:
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
Spiders:
- Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
- Tetragnatha sp. stretch spider
- unidentified crab spider sp.
- Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
- Tetragnatha sp. stretch spider
- unidentified crab spider sp.
New flowers for the year noted:
None
None
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 05:45 – 06:35
(124th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Yesterday's new brood of five small Canada Goose goslings again. The previously noted single and group of six goslings also.
- No Mallard ducklings seen.
- A Stock Dove calling near the medical centre was my first record here for some weeks.
- A second Great Crested Grebe was seen stretching from a nest among overhanging willows.
- A Mistle Thrush was singing for a short while near The Priorslee. It is many weeks since I heard one here. The birds in the Balancing Lake area have stopped singing in the last few days.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Cormorants: together
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 3 Swifts
- 1 House Martin
Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 1 (1) Chiffchaff only
- 5 (4) Blackcaps
Noted on / around the water:
- 105 + 12 (3 broods) Canada Geese: of these groups of 19 and then ten departed
- 4 Greylag Geese
- 3 Mute Swans
- 18 (16♂) Mallard: no ducklings seen
- 1 (1♂) all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 7 (4♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 + 2 (2 broods) Moorhens
- 20 + 7 (4 broods) Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
Noted on / around the street lamp poles:
- 1 Owl midge Psychodidae sp.
The Pale Tussock moth (Calliteara pudibunda) did not make it beyond ten days: but where has it gone I wonder?
Elsewhere:
Nothing of note
(Ed Wilson)
Between the lake and The Flash:
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Between the lake and The Flash:
- No Moorhens seen or heard at either pool.
- 1 Chiffchaff still singing alongside the lower pool.
- 2 singing Blackcaps: one alongside the lower pool and one from scrub between the two pools
(Ed Wilson)
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
- 1 Chiffchaff still singing alongside the lower pool.
- 2 singing Blackcaps: one alongside the lower pool and one from scrub between the two pools
(Ed Wilson)
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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
- The Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) chrysalis again.
- 1 Small Phoenix moth (Ecliptopera silaceata) on the roof.
- 1 snipe fly
- 2 Owl midges Psychodidae sp.
- >20 midges of at least three species
(Ed Wilson)
- 1 Small Phoenix moth (Ecliptopera silaceata) on the roof.
- 1 snipe fly
- 2 Owl midges Psychodidae sp.
- >20 midges of at least three species
(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
2006
Priorslee Lake
Cuckoo
(Ed Wilson)