14.0°C > 17.0°C: Low cloud gradually thinned out and faded away. Light NW breeze. Very good visibility, becoming rather hazy
Sunrise: 04:56 BST
Apologies: no time to sort the photos again. I'll do my best to catch up.
Priorslee Lake: 04:45 – 05:45 // 06:50 – 08:00
(157th visit of the year)
Highlight today, and bird of the year (so far), was a heavily moulting Black-tailed Godwit that flew off NW at 05:20. I was not sure whether it had been lurking around the lake somewhere and flew off or whether it had made a low-level fly-through. My previous records here were on 09 August 2008 and on the same day 2018. Bird species #92 for me here this year.
Otherwise it was very, very quiet. None of the usual Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Wren, Blackbird, Song Thrush or Robin were singing as I parked up; just two gently coo-ing Wood Pigeons. A Song Thrush did start up a few minutes later.
Other bird notes:
- Two of the Mallard seen today were full-grown juveniles. I have not separated them as it is quite likely that I failed to notice they were not adults when doing recent counts.
- Perhaps some of the Coots were still in the reeds: I did my count much earlier than usual. I cannot believe that there has been any departure overnight.
- Four Common Sandpipers appeared on one of the boat-launching platforms at 07:40. Two species of wader on the same day!
- A Garden Warbler was heard calling from the Ricoh hedge. I have heard very sporadic song and calls from here and they have possibly bred here.
- The Jackdaws and Rooks seem to have started using their roost site again with significant numbers passing overhead soon after dawn.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 29 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Common Buzzard again
- 3 Herring Gulls again
- 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 73 Jackdaws
- 42 Rooks
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 5 Swifts: one very high over 05:10 again; four raced through at 06:50
Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 8 (8) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (1) Sedge Warblers again
- 7 (7) Reed Warblers
- 3 (1) Blackcap only
- 1 (0) Garden Warbler
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 16 (?♂) Mallard: see notes
- 4 Moorhens again: all adults
- 51 adult and juvenile Coots only
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 4 Black-headed Gulls again: all adults: none on the football field
- 4 Common Sandpipers
- 1 Kingfisher
On / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
Nothing noted
Noted later:
On shorter than usual visit
New for this year:
New for this year:
Dragon/Damselflies
- 'blue'-toned dragonfly flying away fast!
Repeat sightings:
Butterflies:
- Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus)
- Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)
- Comma (Polygonia c-album)
Repeat sightings:
Butterflies:
- Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus)
- Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)
- Comma (Polygonia c-album)
Moths:
- Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
Bees, wasps etc.:
- Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Hoverflies:
- Bumblebee Cheilosia (Cheilosia illustrata)
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Bumblebee Cheilosia (Cheilosia illustrata)
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Dragon/Damselflies
- Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
- Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans)
- Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
- Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans)
Other flies:
- greenbottle Lucilia sp.
- snipe fly sp.
- greenbottle Lucilia sp.
- snipe fly sp.
Beetles:
- pollen beetles as usual.
- pollen beetles as usual.
Snails / Slugs etc.
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 05:50 – 06:45
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 05:50 – 06:45
(153rd visit of the year)
Highlight here was a Little Grebe happily consorting among the Tufted Ducks. A new species for my 2020 bird list here - #69
Other bird notes:
- A group of nine well-grown juvenile Coots were sitting with adults along the edge of the island with the morning sun highlighting their white belly and making it easy to identify them for a change.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Black-headed Gull
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Jackdaw again
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 Swifts
- 1 House Martin
Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 3 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 5 (4) Blackcaps
Noted on / around the water:
- 204 Canada Geese
- 1 Canada x Greylag Goose
- 75 Greylag Geese
- 5 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 18 (?♂) Mallard only: no ducklings seen
- 1 all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 16 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 + 5 (? broods) Moorhens
- 19 + 17 (? broods) Coots: see notes
- 1 Little Grebe
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
Noted on / around the street lamp poles or elsewhere
- 1 Garden Grass-veneer moth (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
(Ed Wilson)
Between the lake and The Flash:
- One Mallard on the lower pool.
- Moorhen(s) yet again heard only at the upper pool.
- One adult and three juvenile Moorhens at the lower pool.
- A Blackcap took its turn to sing alongside the lower pool.
and
- 1 Grey Squirrel
(Ed Wilson)
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
- 1 micro moth
(Ed Wilson)
Highlight here was a Little Grebe happily consorting among the Tufted Ducks. A new species for my 2020 bird list here - #69
Other bird notes:
- A group of nine well-grown juvenile Coots were sitting with adults along the edge of the island with the morning sun highlighting their white belly and making it easy to identify them for a change.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 1 Black-headed Gull
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Jackdaw again
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 2 Swifts
- 1 House Martin
Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 3 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 5 (4) Blackcaps
Noted on / around the water:
- 204 Canada Geese
- 1 Canada x Greylag Goose
- 75 Greylag Geese
- 5 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 18 (?♂) Mallard only: no ducklings seen
- 1 all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 16 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 + 5 (? broods) Moorhens
- 19 + 17 (? broods) Coots: see notes
- 1 Little Grebe
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
Noted on / around the street lamp poles or elsewhere
- 1 Garden Grass-veneer moth (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Between the lake and The Flash:
- One Mallard on the lower pool.
- Moorhen(s) yet again heard only at the upper pool.
- One adult and three juvenile Moorhens at the lower pool.
- A Blackcap took its turn to sing alongside the lower pool.
and
- 1 Grey Squirrel
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
- 1 micro moth
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this day can be found via the yearly links in the right-hand column.
Sightings from previous years without links are below
2009
Priorslee Lake
12 Swifts
1 Lesser Whitethroat
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
3 Great Crested Grebes
201 Canada Geese
4 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)
2007
Priorslee Lake
After 29 days the 5 remaining Mute Swan Cygnets are still going strong. Last year, as you may recall, we had 9 but ended up with just 1, after a Mink devastated the family. This year it has been Mink clear and even though we lost 2 within the first two days, these guys I think will do really well.
(Martin Adlam)