11.0°C > 13.0°C: Medium-level overcast soon supplemented by lower cloud with light but steady rain after 06:30. Light southerly breeze. Excellent visibility.
Sunrise: 04:50 BST
* = a species with a photo today
+ = my first sighting of this species at this site this year.
++ = new species for me at this site.
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:00 – 06:15 // 07:25 – 08:50
(142nd visit of the year)
Some coots and grebes were presumably sheltering from the rain, staying out of sight in the reeds.
Bird notes:
- I had to wait until I was about to walk out of the Teece Drive gate before I heard just a single song phrase from the Cetti's Warbler.
- Jays have been almost quiet for several weeks. Family parties were seen in both the south-west and north-east areas, the latter chasing a Common Buzzard out of the trees.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Stock Doves: together
- 26 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Sparrowhawk: carrying prey
- 1 Jackdaw
Still poor numbers
Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 1 (1) Willow Warbler
- 11 (9) Chiffchaffs
- 8 (8) Reed Warblers
- *9 (6) Blackcaps
- 2 (2) Garden Warblers
- 1 (1) Common Whitethroat
Hirundines etc., noted:
- 14 Swifts: early only
- 2 House Martins
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 2 (?♂) Mallard
- 1 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 27 + 31 (? broods) Coots
- 8 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Black-headed Gulls: adult and first year arrived separately
- 1 Herring Gull: moulting immature, briefly
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult briefly
- 1 Grey Heron: departed
Noted on and around the street lamp poles around dawn:
Moths:
- *1 'grey' moth (Scopariinae sp.)
- *1 Clouded Border (Lomaspilis marginata)
- *1 Common Footman (Eilema lurideola)
- *1 'grey' moth (Scopariinae sp.)
- *1 Clouded Border (Lomaspilis marginata)
- *1 Common Footman (Eilema lurideola)
otherwise:
- nothing
Noted later: very little in the rain
Butterflies:
- none
Moths:
- unidentified grass moths
- nothing
Noted later: very little in the rain
Butterflies:
- none
Moths:
- unidentified grass moths
Bees / wasps etc.:
- Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
Hoverflies:
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- *Migrant Field Syrph or Migrant Hoverfly (Eupeodes corollae)
*** also these two hoverfly species noted when I examined yesterday's photos and not in the blog:
- +*Broad-banded Epistrophe (Epistrophe grossulariae)
- *Dead-head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea) [Batman Hoverfly]
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- *Migrant Field Syrph or Migrant Hoverfly (Eupeodes corollae)
*** also these two hoverfly species noted when I examined yesterday's photos and not in the blog:
- +*Broad-banded Epistrophe (Epistrophe grossulariae)
- *Dead-head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea) [Batman Hoverfly]
Dragon-/damsel-flies:
- none
- none
Other flies:
- Black Snipefly (Chrysopilus cristatus)
- Black Snipefly (Chrysopilus cristatus)
Beetles:
- none
Bugs:
- none
Also
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
- none
Bugs:
- none
Also
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
A very distinctive-looking fly seen yesterday. I believe it to be the Muscid fly Phaonia pallida.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 06:20 – 07:20
(131st visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- The third 'white' Mute Swan not seen.
- When I checked my photos yesterday's Mallard duckling count should have been six (not five). The same number seen again today. - The all-white drake Feral Duck reappeared today. I last noted it on 21 June. It was chased off by a Coot and clearly was still in wing-moult and only able to patter away across the water.
- Some of the Tufted Ducks are now difficult to sex as they undertake their post-breeding moult. As with the Mallard I will not attempt to separate them until they start to acquire their breeding plumage.
- A Grey Heron seen what I arrived. One flew in later may or may not have been the same bird. There was no sign of any confrontation so I doubt there were two present at the same time even though I did not see the first bird leave.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Cormorants: together
Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 3 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (4) Blackcaps
Hirundines etc., noted:
- >15 Swifts
- >6 House Martins
At least 25 birds in a swirling group hard to specifically identify
Noted on / around the water
- 131 Canada Geese
- 1 Canada x Greylag Goose
- 91 Greylag Geese
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- *21 (?♂)+ 6 (1 brood) Mallard
- *1 (1♂) all-white feral duck.
- 10 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 22 + 7 (4 broods) Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebe
- 1 or 2 Grey Herons
Noted on / around the street lamp poles around the water:
Bird notes:
- The third 'white' Mute Swan not seen.
- When I checked my photos yesterday's Mallard duckling count should have been six (not five). The same number seen again today. - The all-white drake Feral Duck reappeared today. I last noted it on 21 June. It was chased off by a Coot and clearly was still in wing-moult and only able to patter away across the water.
- Some of the Tufted Ducks are now difficult to sex as they undertake their post-breeding moult. As with the Mallard I will not attempt to separate them until they start to acquire their breeding plumage.
- A Grey Heron seen what I arrived. One flew in later may or may not have been the same bird. There was no sign of any confrontation so I doubt there were two present at the same time even though I did not see the first bird leave.
Birds noted flying over here:
- 2 Cormorants: together
Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 3 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 4 (4) Blackcaps
Hirundines etc., noted:
- >15 Swifts
- >6 House Martins
At least 25 birds in a swirling group hard to specifically identify
Noted on / around the water
- 131 Canada Geese
- 1 Canada x Greylag Goose
- 91 Greylag Geese
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- *21 (?♂)+ 6 (1 brood) Mallard
- *1 (1♂) all-white feral duck.
- 10 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 4 + 1 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 22 + 7 (4 broods) Coots
- 3 Great Crested Grebe
- 1 or 2 Grey Herons
Noted on / around the street lamp poles around the water:
Moths:
- *1 Common Grey (Scoparia ambigualis)
Noted elsewhere around The Flash:
- Common Froghopper (Philaenus spumarius)
- *1 Common Grey (Scoparia ambigualis)
Noted elsewhere around The Flash:
- Common Froghopper (Philaenus spumarius)
The pen Mute Swan with her four fast-growing cygnets.
All six Mallard ducklings seem in a hurry to get somewhere and are in danger of leaving Mum behind.
And just to prove there were six yesterday and not five as I thought.
This is my friendly and usually noisy Wren. He was unwilling to sing to the camera today.
From yesterday and not at all easy to see. A yellow and brown micro-moth amongst lichen on a Neighbourhood Watch sign attached to a street lamp pole beside Priorslee Academy. I have searched my micro-moth field guide and the 'flying tonight' section of the West Midland Moths web site without success.
(Ed Wilson)
Between the lake and The Flash:
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Between the lake and The Flash:
Moths on street lamp poles:
- *Common Grey (Scoparia ambigualis)
- *Common Grey (Scoparia ambigualis)
(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
2010
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
1 drake Ruddy Duck
(Ed Wilson)
