7 Jul 22

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

13.0°C > 14.0°C: Low cloud and light drizzle. Moderate / fresh NNW wind. Moderate visibility.

Sunrise: 04:55 BST

* = a photo today

Poor light, drizzle and brisk wind drove me away early.

Priorslee Lake: 04:40 – 05:40 // 06:40 – 07:55

(154th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Some Coots were likely hiding from the breezy conditions.
- There were certainly eight Great Crested Grebes: I suspect nine though I could only ever find seven thereafter.
- A Common Sandpiper was the most interesting record from today.

Birds noted flying over here:
- 22 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Herring Gull
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 3 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks again

Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 Barn Swallow flew through

Another very poor showing

Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 9 (8) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Sedge Warbler
- 5 (4) Reed Warblers
- 10 (9) Blackcaps

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 15 (?♂) Mallard again
- 5 Moorhens
- 68 adult and juvenile Coots
- 8 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Common Sandpiper
- 8 Black-headed Gulls: all adults; 10 on the football field at 05:30 comprised at least some additional birds
- 1 Herring Gull: adult, briefly
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gull: all (near) adults; four on the football field at 05:30 were all immatures
- 1 Cormorant, briefly
- 1 Grey Heron

Noted on / around the street lamp poles pre-dawn:
- 1 Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius)

Noted later: cloudy, drizzly and breezy:

New for this year:

Plants:
- *Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum)

Repeat sightings:

Beetles:
- pollen beetles as usual.

Snails / Slugs etc.
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

"One that got away". This is a flowering Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum). Most plants of this invasive species, whose sap causes very nasty skin burns, were dealt with many months ago. A few were missed and this is one of them.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 05:45 – 06:35

(150th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- Several Canada Geese flew low across the water to access proffered food. One decided it could fly well-enough to leave.
- I suppose the missing Mallard were lurking inside the island. They cannot all be moulting and have lost their ability to fly as one was on the roof of one of the houses. I did manage to see the two fast-growing ducklings with their mother.

Birds noted flying over here:

None

Hirundines etc. noted:

None

Warblers noted (figures in brackets relate to singing birds):
- 7 (4) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (3) Blackcap

Noted on / around the water:
- 212 Canada Geese
- 1 Canada x Greylag Goose
- 76 Greylag Geese again
- 5 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans again
- 16 (?♂) + 2 (1 brood) Mallard
- 1 all-white duck (Aylesbury Duck)
- 14 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 5 + 5 (4 broods) Moorhens
- ? + 11 (5 broods) Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes

Noted on / around the street lamp poles or elsewhere
- *1 Common European Earwig (Forficula auricularia)
- *1 Common Candy-striped Spider (Enoplognatha ovata)
- *1 Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- *1 Walnut Orb Weaver (Nuctenea umbratica)

Noted elsewhere:
- *Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris)

Not easy to photograph this plant as it waved in the wind. A 'flower' that I do not recall seeing around the lake is this Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris).

Breakfast time. What I think is a Common Candy-striped Spider (Enoplognatha ovata) has a Common European Earwig (Forficula auricularia) in its jaws.

More spiders. These were at the very top of the highest lamp pole in squirrel alley rather too high for the camera flash to reach. The closest one is a Bridge Orb-web Spider (Larinioides sclopetarius), perhaps the first I have seen here. The smaller dark spider hiding at the top is possibly a Walnut Orb Weaver (Nuctenea umbratica).

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Between the lake and The Flash:

- Moorhen(s) heard only at the upper pool.
- One adult and four juvenile Moorhens at the lower pool.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

- Nothing of note

(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

2011

Priorslee Lake

Lesser Whitethroat

(John Isherwood)

2010

Priorslee Lake

2 Common Sandpipers

3 Common Terns

Kingfisher

50+ Swifts

(Ed Wilson)

2007

Priorslee Lake

1 drake Ruddy Duck

(Martin Adlam)