18.0°C > 23.0°C: Early very light rain. Clearing to medium / high overcast from the East. Very hazy and humid. Calm early; later with a very light easterly breeze ameliorating the humidity somewhat. Moderate visibility but poor for a while.
Sunrise: 06:30 BST
+ = my first sighting of this species at this site this year.
++ = new species for me at this site.
* = a species photographed today
With darker morning and the return of the schools I am no longer able to check the lake etc. and then complete my circuit of The Flash without getting caught up in the school run. At least during weekdays I will be remaining at the lake until after the chaos has subsided and only visiting The Flash later. This will have some effect on the totals, especially with the insects seen later.
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:20 – 09:00
(183rd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- I went earlier than usual to the football field area to see whether I could determine where the large gulls that fly low overhead before sunrise come from. Birds were calling from the south by 06:05 and I counted 151 leaving from, I would judge, somewhere in the Ricoh estate. I would expect them to roost on buildings. Soon after these departed I counted another 49 flying higher and coming from the West. From my vantage point I was unable to see whether any of these made a quick visit to the lake for a bathe and a drink.
- A Common Buzzard flew out of the Ricoh copse c.06:20.
- Another good warbler day for the date with the warm weather tempting many individuals to sing.
- I have not heard House Sparrow in the their usual area at the edge of the estate for several days. This morning it seems they may have decamped to the hedge between the academy and the football field.
Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 41 Canada Geese: 31 outbound in seven groups; 10 inbound as two quintets
- 6 Greylag Geese: inbound together
- 1 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 8 Feral Pigeons: together
- 1 Stock Dove
- 89 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Collared Doves: singles
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 200 unidentified large gulls: 151 leaving nearby roost c.06:20; 49 more over-flying before 06:45
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2 Starlings: together
- 1 Jackdaw
- 4 Pied Wagtails
Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets): a bumper morning!
- 2 (1) Willow Warbler
- 16 (7) Chiffchaffs
- 3 (0) Reed Warblers
- 5 (3) Blackcaps
- *1 (0) Common Whitethroat
Hirundines etc., noted:
- none
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Mallard
- 5 Moorhens
- 83 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 146 Black-headed Gulls on the football field c.06:30. Just five seen at the lake later
- 19 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: two of these on the football field c.06:30
On or around the street lamp poles at dawn:
Moths:
- *1 Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana)
- *1 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa)
Other things:
- 1 small hoverfly sp.
- 1 Phaonia pallida (a Muscid fly)
- several unidentified flies including another example with all-brown wings
- 2 plumed midges (Microtendipes pedellus)
- *1 other green-bodied midge perhaps Stenochironomus gibbus
- 1 wood gnat, perhaps Sylvicola fenestralis
- *1 springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis-type
- *1 Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus)
- *2 Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius)
- *1 male Leiobunum blackwalli harvestmen
- 1 female Leiobunum rotundum harvestmen
on the path here
- *1 Common Toad (Bufo bufo)
Around the sailing club HQ:
- *several Bridge Orb-web Spiders (Larinioides sclopetarius) capturing craneflies
In the sailing club shelter:
Nothing unusual
Noted later:
Noted later:
Butterflies:
- Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
Moths:
- none
Bees / wasps etc.:
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
Hoverflies:
- *Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- *Common Copperback (Ferdinandea cuprea) [also known as Bronze Sap Hoverfly]
Dragon-/damsel-flies:
- none
Other flies:
- greenbottles
- *Common Crane-fly (Tipula oleracea) [very many craneflies mostly not specifically identified: it is that season]
Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni); adults
Bugs:
- unidentified larva, perhaps of a ladybird
Spiders:
- Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus)
- *Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
- stretch spider Tetragnatha sp.
Also
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
- *possible Kentish Snail (Monacha cantiana)
The Coot formation team.
A splendid male Common Whitethroat.
Again.
This is not an easy bird to identify without the sounds it was making.
The only one of the very many craneflies I identified today was this female Common Crane-fly (Tipula oleracea).
Another one with two legs completely missing!
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 09:05 – 10:05
(169th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- Mallard gone in to hiding again. I did at least find the duck with her our ducklings.
- The number of Tufted Ducks I can identify as drakes while they are still mainly still in moult depends upon the birds o
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
None
Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 3 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Blackcap
Hirundines etc., noted:
- 6 House Martins very briefly
Noted on / around the water: better visibility than yesterday, but still dull.
- 111 Canada Geese at least
- 1 Greylag Goose only
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 6 (4♂) + *4 (1 brood) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 64 (>14♂) Tufted Duck
- 10 Moorhens
- 63 Coots
- *4 + 2 (1 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 26 Black-headed Gulls
- *3 Cormorants
- 2 Grey Herons
- *1 Kingfisher
Noted on / beside the street lamp poles etc. around the water etc.:
Warblers noted (the number singing in brackets):
- 3 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Blackcap
Hirundines etc., noted:
- 6 House Martins very briefly
Noted on / around the water: better visibility than yesterday, but still dull.
- 111 Canada Geese at least
- 1 Greylag Goose only
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 6 (4♂) + *4 (1 brood) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) all-white feral duck
- 64 (>14♂) Tufted Duck
- 10 Moorhens
- 63 Coots
- *4 + 2 (1 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 26 Black-headed Gulls
- *3 Cormorants
- 2 Grey Herons
- *1 Kingfisher
Noted on / beside the street lamp poles etc. around the water etc.:
Moths:
- none. My later arrival is likely to mean many fewer moths here from now on.
Other things
- *1 female Leiobunum blackwalli harvestman
Noted elsewhere around The Flash:
Butterflies:
- +Green-veined White (Pieris napi)
- Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
Moths:
- none
Bees / wasps etc.:
- *Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
Hoverflies:
- +*Stripe-backed Fleckwing (Dasysyrphus albostriatus)
- +*Stripe-faced Dronefly (Eristalis nemorum) [previously E. interruptus]
- *Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
- +Common Spotted Field Syrph (Eupeodes luniger)
- *Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
- ++*White-footed Hoverfly (Platycheirus albimanus) [aka Grey-spotted Sedgesitter]
- Syrphus sp. (S. ribesii / S. vitripennis)
Dragon-/damsel-flies:
- +Emperor Dragonfly (Anax imperator)
Other flies:
- several common, well-marked but unidentified flies
- very many craneflies: none specifically identified
Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni); adults
Bugs:
- +*Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina): instars
Spiders:
- Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus)
Also
- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
The four Mallard ducklings snuggle up.
The epitome of elegant. A Great Crested Grebe of course.
An adult Cormorant takes off.
The best I could do photographing the Kingfisher all the way on the island.
There were many different hoverflies feeding on a group of Smooth Sow-thistle flowers (Sonchus oleraceus). Here are a few, starting with a Stripe-backed Fleckwing (Dasysyrphus albostriatus).
A Stripe-faced Dronefly (Eristalis nemorum).
A Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax).
A Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare).
(Ed Wilson)
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Between the lake and The Flash on / around street lamp poles:
Nothing noted
(Ed Wilson)
Noted in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
(Ed Wilson)
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Noted in the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
Moths:
- none
Other things:
- 19 White-legged Snake Millipedes (Tachypodoiulus niger)
- 4 Common Rough Woodlouse (Porcellio scaber)
- the usual array of mostly unidentified spiders
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum/blackwalli harvestman
(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
Little Grebe
3 Shoveler
Green Sandpiper
Tawny Owl
(Ed Wilson)
2012
Wrekin
Firecrest
(J Shutt)
2011
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)
2007
Priorslee Lake
Snipe
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)