3.0°C > 7.0°C: Medium level cloud after overnight slight frost. Soon cleared to thin high overcast before more lower cloud. Light south-westerly breeze. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 05:50 BST
* = a species photographed today
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:20 – 06:10 // 07:05 – 07:40
(91st visit of the year)
Two short visits either side of the usual walk to, around and from The Flash. I had to leave early. Particularly frustrating as I received a report of a Cuckoo calling from the North side after 09:00!
Species Count
No species counts from here, just a log of species recorded
Other bird notes:
- no first year Mute Swans remained.
Birds species noted flying over:
- Canada Geese
- Greylag Geese
- Wood Pigeons
- Lesser Black-backed Gull
- Jackdaw
Hirundines etc. noted:
- Sand Martins
- Barn Swallows
Warblers noted:
- Cetti's Warbler
- Willow Warbler
- Chiffchaff
- Reed Warbler
- Blackcap
- Common Whitethroat
'nominal' warbler:
- Goldcrest
No Sedge Warbler today
Partial counts from the lake area:
- 2 Canada Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Mallard
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Moorhen
- Coots
- Great Crested Grebes
Noted on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:
It was cold
Arthropods:
- *1 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
- *1 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
Spiders:
- *2 Stout Sac Spiders Clubiona sp.
Noted later:
- *2 Stout Sac Spiders Clubiona sp.
Noted later:
Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
More or less as good as it got this morning.
There were two of these Stout Sac Spiders Clubiona sp. together on the same street lamp pole. This, with the relatively large palps, is a male.
This looks to be the female. I am not sure why it is a different colour. I do recall a difference at the time so perhaps it is an effect of angle of the light from my LED torch.
(Ed Wilson)
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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
Flies:
- various midges
- *small cranefly, just possibly Austrolimnophila ochracea
- various midges
- *small cranefly, just possibly Austrolimnophila ochracea
Arthropods:
- 1 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
- 1 White-legged Snake Millipede Tachypodoiulus niger
This was a smaller than usual cranefly with an apparently longer than usual antennae. I can't get a positive ID. It just possibly may be Austrolimnophila ochracea.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 06:15 – 07:00
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 06:15 – 07:00
(93rd visit of the year)
A normal, if slightly earlier, walk around here.
Bird notes:
- three immature Mute Swans again.
- what I presume were a pair of Treecreepers were seen chasing around and around a tree trunk on the East side.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Great Crested Grebe: or did this take off from here?
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 3 (3) Willow Warblers
- 7 (7) Chiffchaffs
- 9 (7) Blackcaps
'nominal' warbler:
- 1 (1) Goldcrest
Noted on / around the water:
- 27 Canada Geese
- 4 Greylag Geese
- 5 Mute Swans
- 14 (12♂) Mallard
- 13 (8♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhens
- 26 Coots
- 2 Herring Gulls: adults, arrived together, bathed and departed to be replaced by...
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: adults, arrived together
Noted elsewhere around The Flash:
Flowers:
- Lords & Ladies or Cuckoo Pint Arum maculatum
- *(English) Bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta
- *Hybrid Bluebell Hyacinthoides x massartiana.
- Lords & Ladies or Cuckoo Pint Arum maculatum
- *(English) Bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta
- *Hybrid Bluebell Hyacinthoides x massartiana.
(Ed Wilson)
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Sightings from previous years
2014
Priorslee Lake
1 Reed Warbler
1 Sedge Warbler
(John Isherwood)
Nedge Hill
1 Lesser Whitethroat
5 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)
2013
Priorslee Lake
Tawny Owl
4 Great Crested Grebes
2 Cormorants
2 Lapwings
2 Common Sandpiper
3 Reed Warblers
14 Blackcaps
8 Chiffchaffs
2 Willow Warblers
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
2 Great Crested Grebe
1 Greylag Goose
1 Richardson's / Cackling-type Canada Goose
12 Tufted Duck
5 Song Thrushes
3 Blackcaps
3 Chiffchaffs
3 Willow Warblers
(Ed Wilson)
Woodhouse Lane
3 Common Whitethroats
2 Linnets.
7 Yellowhammers
Blackcaps
Chiffchaffs
Willow Warbler
(Ed Wilson)
Nedge Hill
4 Meadow Pipits
4 Skylark
20 Wheatear
2 Fieldfare
1 Lesser Whitethroat.
2 Common Whitethroats.
3 Blackcaps.
2 Chiffchaffs.
1 Linnet.
2 Yellowhammer
(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)
Long Lane, Wellington
1 Whimbrel
2 Curlew
6 Dunlin
2 Ringed Plover
(JW Reeves)
2012
Priorslee Lake
35 Swallows
2 House Martins
Grey Wagtail
Blackcap
Chiffchaff
2 Swift
1 Grasshopper Warbler
(John Isherwood, J W Reeves, Martin Grant)
Nedge Hill
1 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)
2011
Priorslee Lake
1 Yellow Wagtail
Common Sandpiper
(John Isherwood)
Nedge Hill
9 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)
2010
Priorslee Lake
3 Common Sandpiper
(Andy Latham)
Nedge Hill
Swift
12 Wheatear
1 Whinchat
Lesser Whitethroat
2 Whitethroat
Blackcap
(Andy Latham)
2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)
Nedge Hill
19 Wheatear
1 Lesser Whitethroat
2 Turtle Doves
(John Isherwood)
2008
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
Sand Martins
Swallows
1 Tufted Duck
1 Sedge Warbler
4 Reed Warblers
1 Lesser Whitethroat
1 Common Whitethroat
3 Blackcaps
6 Chiffchaffs
1 Willow Warbler
(Ed Wilson)
Nedge Hill
2 Wheatear
1 Common Whitethroat
(Ed Wilson)
2007
Priorslee
3 Great Crested Grebes
1 Tufted Duck
1 Wheatear
1 Chiffchaff
1 Willow Tit
1 Willow Warbler
(Ed Wilson)
Nedge Hill
5 Wheatears
1 Whinchat
1 Sedge Warbler
Common Whitethroat
4 Linnets
(Ed Wilson)
Priorslee Flash
Swallows
1 Grey Wagtail
6 Blackcaps
6 Willow Warbler
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
7 Great Crested Grebes
4 Herons
4 Greylag Geese
4 Tufted Ducks
2 Ruddy Duck
2 Kestrels
2 Common Sandpipers
1 Skylark
23 Sand Martins
12 Swallows
29 Wrens
2 Sedge Warblers
2 Reed Warblers
11 Blackcaps
8 Chiffchaffs
2 Willow Warblers
2 Jays
7 Greenfinches
21 Redpolls
5 Reed Buntings.
Lanes
3 Whitethroats
2 Skylarks
3 Whitethroats
2 Blackcaps
1 Chiffchaff
4 Linnets
6 Yellowhammers
(Ed Wilson)