17.0°C > 19.0°C: Often clear with several more cloudy spells. Moderate south-westerly breeze, occasionally gusting fresh. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 05:45 BST
+ = my first sighting of this species at this site this year.
++ = new species for me at this site.
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:05 – 06:15 // 07:25 – 09:50
(161st visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- At least two groups of four House Martins seen – family groups? Later eight together – same?
- A Song Thrush was singing quietly at 05:15 – the first I have noted for some weeks.
- For the first time this year I noted many Goldfinches, including juveniles, feeding on the extensive thistle-down. A passing Sparrowhawk put them all up revealing at least 30 birds.
- A Reed Bunting was heard calling: my first for several weeks.
Counts of birds noted flying over here:
- 73 Canada Geese: 24 outbound in six groups; 49 inbound in two groups.
- 27 Greylag Geese: outbound in two groups
- 70 Wood Pigeons
- 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: five adults; the rest immatures (all juveniles?)
- 27 unidentified large gulls: flew South to far East c.05:20
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 17 Jackdaws
- 5 Starlings
Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 14 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (0) Reed Warblers
- 1 (0) Blackcaps
- 1 (0) Common Whitethroat
Hirundines etc., noted:
- 2 Sand Martins: flew through c.08:20
- 8 House Martins at least
Counts from the lake area:
- 4 Canada Geese: stopped off while inbound
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 6 (?♂) Mallard
- 2 Moorhen
- 66 Coots
- 5 + 3 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 62 Black-headed Gulls on the football field c.06:05: no juveniles noted. 14 (of these?) earlier at the lake.
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: one adult; two juveniles
On or around the street lamp poles at dawn:
- *1 Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris): dead in a spider's web
- 2 Pond Olive-type mayflies (Cloeon dipterum?)
- 3 pale flies
- *1 spider sp., probably a Common Candy-striped Spider (Enoplognatha ovata)
Noted later:
Bird notes:
- At least two groups of four House Martins seen – family groups? Later eight together – same?
- A Song Thrush was singing quietly at 05:15 – the first I have noted for some weeks.
- For the first time this year I noted many Goldfinches, including juveniles, feeding on the extensive thistle-down. A passing Sparrowhawk put them all up revealing at least 30 birds.
- A Reed Bunting was heard calling: my first for several weeks.
Counts of birds noted flying over here:
- 73 Canada Geese: 24 outbound in six groups; 49 inbound in two groups.
- 27 Greylag Geese: outbound in two groups
- 70 Wood Pigeons
- 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: five adults; the rest immatures (all juveniles?)
- 27 unidentified large gulls: flew South to far East c.05:20
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 17 Jackdaws
- 5 Starlings
Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 14 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (0) Reed Warblers
- 1 (0) Blackcaps
- 1 (0) Common Whitethroat
Hirundines etc., noted:
- 2 Sand Martins: flew through c.08:20
- 8 House Martins at least
Counts from the lake area:
- 4 Canada Geese: stopped off while inbound
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 6 (?♂) Mallard
- 2 Moorhen
- 66 Coots
- 5 + 3 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 62 Black-headed Gulls on the football field c.06:05: no juveniles noted. 14 (of these?) earlier at the lake.
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: one adult; two juveniles
On or around the street lamp poles at dawn:
- *1 Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris): dead in a spider's web
- 2 Pond Olive-type mayflies (Cloeon dipterum?)
- 3 pale flies
- *1 spider sp., probably a Common Candy-striped Spider (Enoplognatha ovata)
Noted later:
Butterflies:
- *Green-veined White (Pieris napi)
- *Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
- *Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus)
- *Peacock (Aglais io)
- Comma (Polygonia c-album)
- *Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas)
- *Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus)
- *Green-veined White (Pieris napi)
- *Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
- *Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus)
- *Peacock (Aglais io)
- Comma (Polygonia c-album)
- *Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas)
- *Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus)
Moths:
- *Satin Grass-veneer (Crambus perlella): many
- *Pale Straw Pearl (Udea lutealis)
**I did not check most of the grass moths flying today.
- *Satin Grass-veneer (Crambus perlella): many
- *Pale Straw Pearl (Udea lutealis)
**I did not check most of the grass moths flying today.
Bees / wasps etc.:
- Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum)
- Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum)
- Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
Hoverflies:
- Plain-faced Dronefly (Eristalis arbustorum)
- Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
- Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- Dead-head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea) [aka Batman Hoverfly]
- Plain-faced Dronefly (Eristalis arbustorum)
- Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
- Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- Dead-head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea) [aka Batman Hoverfly]
Dragon-/damsel-flies:
- *male Southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea)
- *Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
- *Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans)
- *male Southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea)
- *Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)
- *Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans)
Other flies:
- none of note
- none of note
Beetles:
- 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)
- *small black beetle sp.
- 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)
- *small black beetle sp.
Bugs:
- none
- none
Also
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
This morning's sunrise.
A Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria).
A male Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus). Males show the brown mark in the centre of the forewing.
A second generation male Common Blue butterfly (Polyommatus icarus).
This specimen is rather worn with brown showing through.
Not quite sharp but it shows it feeding through his long tongue.
A male Southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea) I found alongside the public path at the West end.
It flew off when a passing cyclist flushed it. Luckily I noted it flew up in to a nearby tree.
A very smart male Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum).
Today's unidentified fly.
This spider was sprinting down one of the street lamp poles: I think probably a Common Candy-striped Spider (Enoplognatha ovata).
The reflections make this photo hard to look at. One of the adult Great Crested Grebes is seen bringing in a fish for the juvenile on the other parents' back. Meanwhile a second juvenile is alongside an adult.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 06:20 – 07:20
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The Flash: 06:20 – 07:20
(149th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- A duck Mallard seen with a single duckling.
- Probably more Coots than I recorded. Almost all the birds were resting en masse along the East side of the island and it was almost impossible to separate them. One bird noted was still valiantly sitting on a nest.
- One of the singing Robins was performing its rather more melancholy Winter song.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 4 Jackdaws
Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- *1 (1) Willow Warbler
- 10 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Blackcap
Hirundines etc., noted:
- 7 House Martins
Noted on / around the water
- 7 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese: one of these arrived
- 3 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 17 (?♂) + 1 (1 brood) Mallard
- [all-white feral duck not noted]
- 29 (>7♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens
- 48 Coots
- *4 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted on / beside the street lamp poles around the water etc.:
- *spider sp.
Noted elsewhere around The Flash:
- *fungus, perhaps Peppery Milkcap (Lactarius piperatus)
Bird notes:
- A duck Mallard seen with a single duckling.
- Probably more Coots than I recorded. Almost all the birds were resting en masse along the East side of the island and it was almost impossible to separate them. One bird noted was still valiantly sitting on a nest.
- One of the singing Robins was performing its rather more melancholy Winter song.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 4 Jackdaws
Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- *1 (1) Willow Warbler
- 10 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Blackcap
Hirundines etc., noted:
- 7 House Martins
Noted on / around the water
- 7 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese: one of these arrived
- 3 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 17 (?♂) + 1 (1 brood) Mallard
- [all-white feral duck not noted]
- 29 (>7♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Moorhens
- 48 Coots
- *4 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Cormorant: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron
Noted on / beside the street lamp poles around the water etc.:
- *spider sp.
Noted elsewhere around The Flash:
- *fungus, perhaps Peppery Milkcap (Lactarius piperatus)
A smart spider resting on one of the street lamp poles.
(Ed Wilson)
Between the lake and The Flash on / around street lamp poles:
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Between the lake and The Flash on / around street lamp poles:
Moths:
- *1 Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- *1 Small Grey (Eudonia mercurella)
- *1 Yellow-barred Brindle (Acasis viretata)
- *1 Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
- *1 Small Grey (Eudonia mercurella)
- *1 Yellow-barred Brindle (Acasis viretata)
also
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni): larvae
- 1 Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni): larvae
This is a Small Grey moth (Eudonia mercurella). Just about the only 'grey' species still flying.
A Yellow-barred Brindle moth (Acasis viretata). Looks green and not yellow to me. Don't blame me – I didn't name it!
(Ed Wilson)
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Noted in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
Just several unidentified midges.
(Ed Wilson)
(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
2011
Priorslee Lake
Green Sandpiper
Tree Pipit
(Ed Wilson)
2008
Priorslee Lake
Wheatear
(Ed Wilson)
2007
Priorslee Lake
Possible Wood Sandpiper
A female Peregrine
(Ed Wilson)
2011
Priorslee Lake
Green Sandpiper
Tree Pipit
(Ed Wilson)
2008
Priorslee Lake
Wheatear
(Ed Wilson)
2007
Priorslee Lake
Possible Wood Sandpiper
A female Peregrine
(Ed Wilson)