29 Aug 23

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

13.0°C > 16.0°C: Mostly medium-level cloud. Light west-north-west breeze. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:15 BST

+ = my first sighting of this species at this site this year.
++ = new species for me at this site.
* = a species photographed today

Highlight today was Common Tern(s) seen at both the Balancing Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:25 – 06:40 // 08:05 – 09:35

(176th visit of the year)

I did not see the Common Tern here: it was reported by a reliable observer and likely to have been the adult I glimpsed at The Flash.

Bird notes:
- A Collared Dove flew in to the trees of the Ricoh copse. I usually see this species on roof-tops not lurking inside woods.
- There was no early arrival of Lesser Black-backed Gulls: the single bird present when I arrived departed to join the 26 flying over, some of which circled reasonably low before carrying on.
- By 08:15 at least 175 Lesser Black-backed Gulls had arrived while I was away at The Flash. There were just two Herring Gulls amongst them. Most left when a noisy car back-fired. Another group of 15 arrived later.

Counts of birds noted flying over here:
- 52 Canada Geese: 26 outbound in two groups; 26 inbound in three groups
- 23 Greylag Geese: 16 outbound in three groups; seven inbound in three groups
- 5 Feral Pigeons: singles and quartet
- 127 Wood Pigeons
- 16 Black-headed Gulls
- 52 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 8 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 6 (0) Reed Warblers
- 4 (0) Blackcaps

Hirundines etc., noted:
- House Martins heard only again

Counts from the lake area:
- 28 Canada Geese: arrived together
- 1 Greylag Goose: flew in with Canadas
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 5 (?♂) Mallard
- 6 Moorhens
- 90 Coots
- 1 + 1 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes: but see notes
- 133 Black-headed Gulls: on the football field at 06:30; just eight at the lake later
- *2 Herring Gulls: one third year and one juvenile / first winter
- *>190 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: see notes

On or around the street lamp poles at dawn:

Moths:
- 3 Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella)
- *1 Snout (Hypena proboscidalis)

Other things
- *1 unidentified beetle sp.
- 1 White-legged Snake Millipede (Tachypodoiulus niger)
- 2 Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- 2 Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus harvestman
- 1 Leiobunum blackwalli / rotundum harvestman

Noted around the sailing club HQ.
- 3 Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)

Noted in the sailing club shelter.
- *1 caddis fly Molanna angustata
- many Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)

Noted later: very little in cloudy conditions

Butterflies:
- none

Moths:
- none

Bees / wasps etc.:
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)

Hoverflies:
- Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)

Dragon-/damsel-flies:
- *Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)

Other flies:
- greenbottles
- Tipula cranefly

Beetles:
- adult and larva of Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni)

Bugs:
- none

Also
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

Just a small part of the c.175 large gulls present c.08:30. Behind the adult Lesser Black-backed Gull in the lower centre is a paler-backed Herring Gull. It looks like an adult but....

...in flight a small amount of dark can be seen on the tail and the black on the leading edge of the wing is too extensive. I suspect a third (or even a fourth) summer bird.

A car back-fired and off they went. All Lesser Black-backed Gulls of various ages.

A very typical juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull.

A very worn (near?) adult Lesser Black-backed Gull. One leg seems to be broken or deformed and this bird may be having trouble feeding and be in poor condition.

 A Snout moth (Hypena proboscidalis).

Well the head of this male Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum) is in focus.

 An unidentified beetle sp.

In the sailing club shelter I found this caddis fly Molanna angustata.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:45 – 08:00

(162nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- For some reason many Mallard appeared today including one duck with four small ducklings.
- A party of four Barn Swallows appeared briefly with the House Martins.
- *Juvenile Bullfinches seen

Bird(s) noted flying over here:

None

Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 3 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (0) Blackcap

Hirundines etc., noted:
- 4 Barn Swallows
- c.10 House Martins

Noted on / around the water: number affected by distraction of the Common Tern
- 2 Canada Geese
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 31 (?♂) + 4 (1 brood) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- *43 (>?♂) Tufted Duck
- 10 Moorhens
- 43 Coots
- 3 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- *26 Black-headed Gulls
- *2 Common Terns: adult briefly; juvenile for a longer period
- *2 Cormorants: one of these arrived
- 2 Grey Herons

Noted on / beside the street lamp poles etc. around the water etc.:

Moths:
- none

Other things
- 1 Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- 3 Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus harvestmen

Elsewhere around The Flash:

Nothing of note

A quartet of Tufted Ducks fly by. They are hard to sex at this time of year, especially any juveniles. I think one, two and four are drake and the third is a duck: she looks browner.

Two more Tufties. I think a duck leading a drake.

A juvenile / first-winter Black-headed Gull. This individual shows the strongest brown juvenile markings I have seen this year.

Certainly two Common Terns when I first saw them.

This one with a black cap and black-tipped orangy bill is obviously an adult. I did not see it again and it was probably the bird seen at the lake some minutes later by one of my regular informants.

This juvenile Common Tern does not have a complete black cap, has an almost all-dark bill and dark along the leading edge of the wings.

Another view as it looks for fish. Here it is apparent the base of the bill is orange.

I don't see this species, especially juveniles, too often so no apologies for another view.

The tern has caught a fish: the juvenile / first-winter Black-headed Gull wants to steal it.

No a brilliant photo but unusual behaviour. Here the tern is just emerging from the water having had a wash. Usually terns spend all their while in flight other than when they perch on buoys to rest.

An adult Cormorant arriving.

Juvenile Bullfinches look rather odd with their brown breast and no black on the head.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash on / around street lamp poles:

Moths:
- 1 Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella)

Also
- *1 ant myrmica sp.
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus/caudatus harvestman
- 1 Leiobunum blackwalli / rotundum harvestman

I found this rather large specimen of ant on one of the street lamp poles: myrmica sp. is the best I can do.

(Ed Wilson)

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Noted in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:

Moths:
- *1 Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria)
- *1 Flame Carpet (Xanthorhoe designata)
- *1 Silver Y (Autographa gamma)

Other things
- 2 caddisflies
- 13 White-legged Snake Millipedes (Tachypodoiulus niger)
- 1 Common Rough Woodlouse (Porcellio scaber)
- four unidentified spiders

A Green Carpet moth (Colostygia pectinataria)

A Flame Carpet moth (Xanthorhoe designata)

Perhaps the same Silver Y moth as seen here on Monday (Autographa gamma). It was in a slightly different position.

(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

2013
Priorslee Lake
Whinchat
(John Isherwood)

2011
Nedge Hill
Peregrine
(John Isherwood)