6.0°C > 11.0°C: Mostly clear to start, soon clouding for a while with a light passing shower. Brighter later. Moderate south-easterly breeze. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 05:41 BST
* = a species photographed today
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 05:15 – 06:15 // 07:10 – 09:45
(94th visit of the year)
Surprise of the day was a pair of Greylag Geese with seven goslings on the dam top. Where did they come from? I had seen no indication that there were nesting birds here. Mind you they did the same thing last year.
Bird notes:
- there were two pairs of Canada Geese sharing the dam top with the Greylag family. Much to the annoyance of the cob Mute Swan who never seems inclined to get out of the water and give chase. These geese were in addition to the nesting pair.
- I am sure there were more than two Great Crested Grebes but I only ever saw two together, albeit in different parts of the water.
- an Oystercatcher was standing at the bottom of the concrete ramp at 05:25 after which it flew not to be seen or heard again.
- No Willow Warblers remain here. A Sedge Warbler was a new arrival.
Counts of birds noted flying over:
- 4 Canada Geese: a pair outbound and a pair inbound
- 2 Greylag Geese: a pair outbound
- 5 (?♂) Mallard: together
- 2 Stock Doves: together
- 15 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 1 Rook
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 4 Barn Swallows
- 1 House Martin
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 1 (1) Cetti's Warbler
- 16 (14) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Sedge Warbler
- 7 (7) Reed Warblers
- 16 (13) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Garden Warbler
- 1 (1) Common Whitethroat
'nominal' warbler:
- 2 (2) Goldcrests
Counts from the lake area:
- 8 Canada Geese: the resident pair throughout: a pair visited: two other pairs on the dam top
- 2 + 7 (1 brood) Greylag Geese
- 2 Mute Swans
- 3 (3♂) Mallard: also 3 (3♂) on the lower pool
- 2 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhen
- 19 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes: see notes
- 1 Oystercatcher
- 2 Common Sandpipers
- 3 Herring Gulls: adult pair on football field 06:05 only; immature later
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: all adults
- 1 Grey Heron: departed
Seen on the street lamps poles pre-dawn:
Nothing
Noted later:
Noted later:
The sun was not out and a chill wind again:
Moths:
- unidentified caterpillar, perhaps of a moth
- unidentified caterpillar, perhaps of a moth
Hoverflies:
- Gossamer Hoverfly or Common Dainty Baccha elongata.
- Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
- Gossamer Hoverfly or Common Dainty Baccha elongata.
- Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare [Long-winged Duskyface]
Other flies:
- plumed midge
- Alder Fly Sialis lutaria
- Root-maggot fly Anthomyia sp., probably A. pluvialis.
- Balloon fly Hilara sp.
- Meiosimyza rorida
- Phaonia sp. either P. subventa or P. rufiventris.
- at least five other species of fly
- plumed midge
- Alder Fly Sialis lutaria
- Root-maggot fly Anthomyia sp., probably A. pluvialis.
- Balloon fly Hilara sp.
- Meiosimyza rorida
- Phaonia sp. either P. subventa or P. rufiventris.
- at least five other species of fly
Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
Arthropods:
- Girdled Snail Hygromia cinctella.
- Kentish Snail Monacha cantiana.
- Girdled Snail Hygromia cinctella.
- Kentish Snail Monacha cantiana.
About as good as it got this morning with cloud soon spreading in.
The Greylag Geese with their seven goslings. Will they survive the onslaught by the cob Mute Swan?
It was still just getting light at 05:25 when I saw this Oystercatcher, just about identifiable.
I was reasonably pleased with this. Common Whitethroats have a dancing display flight that I have been trying to capture for years. Against the grey sky about all that identifies the species is its white throat.
Here it is just about possible to make out the white outer tail-feathers of the species.
"Bull"finch is well named.
Looking quizzically at me. "Is that a Sony RX4 I see?"
A tint caterpillar or larva on (part of) one of my fingers. Possibly a saw fly?
Here is a Gossamer Hoverfly or Common Dainty Baccha elongata. The top part of the abdomen is very slim giving this species an almost wasp-like appearance.
Here is a Chequered Hoverfly Melanostoma scalare. It is a female both because the eyes do not meet and because the yellow markings are triangular (almost square in males).
The swollen front tarsus identifies this as a Balloon fly Hilara sp. There are about 60 species in the genus, most not separable from photos.
This small pale fly is most likely Meiosimyza rorida though (all together now) "there are several similar species".
This fly is a Phaonia sp. either P. subventa or P. rufiventris.
One of several unidentified flies from this morning. I think this is a midge.
Another that I cannot begin to identify.
This looks very similar apart from having much larger compound eyes. Perhaps male and female?
A hint of green so probably one of the many greenbottles.
Probably just the angle of the light: this one looks "more green".
I suspect no-one is home. A Girdled Snail Hygromia cinctella.
A Kentish Snail Monacha cantiana, not confined to Kent, obviously.
(Ed Wilson)
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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
Flies:
- 2 unmarked craneflies, perhaps Austrolimnophila ochracea
- various midges
- 2 unmarked craneflies, perhaps Austrolimnophila ochracea
- various midges
The only cranefly I can find that is as unmarked as this specimen is Austrolimnophila ochracea. But from the photo, admittedly lit by my LED torch, it does not look very ochraceous.
The Flash: 06:20 – 07:05
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 06:20 – 07:05
(97th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- no Mallard ducklings seen.
- no juvenile Coots seen.
- two Great Crested Grebes seen displaying.
- still two Willow Warblers singing away here.
- perhaps the same Garden Warbler as noted on 22 April? It was singing very quietly in bushes beside the water near the children's play area. It was seen well-enough, the song too quiet for my Merlin app to pick up.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 4 Cormorants: two singles and a duo
- 1 Jackdaw
Warblers noted (the figure in brackets relates to birds heard singing):
- 2 (2) Willow Warblers
- 5 (5) Chiffchaffs
- 6 (6) Blackcaps
- 1 (1) Garden Warbler
'nominal' warbler:
- no Goldcrests
Noted on / around the water:
- 19 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 3 Mute Swans
- 13 (10♂) Mallard
- 11 (6♂) Tufted Duck
- 7 Moorhens
- 18 Coots
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Herring Gull: immature
Noted elsewhere around The Flash on different lamp poles:
Moths:
- 1 Red-green Carpet Chloroclysta siterata: more or less the same place for a fourth day
- 1 Seraphim Lobophora halterata alongside
- 1 Red-green Carpet Chloroclysta siterata: more or less the same place for a fourth day
- 1 Seraphim Lobophora halterata alongside
Flies:
- male plumed midges
- male plumed midges
Beetles:
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
- Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
Despite all the twigs I managed to get a shot of the quietly singing Garden Warbler.
Two in fact. neither winning prizes.
(Ed Wilson)
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Sightings from previous years
2014
Nedge Hill
2 Lesser Whitethroat
10 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)
2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Great Crested Grebes
1 Common Sandpiper
4 Reed Warblers
2 Common Whitethroat
18 Blackcaps
7 Chiffchaffs
5 Willow Warblers
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash
3 Greylag Goose
1 Richardson's / Cackling-type Canada Goose
1 Pochard
11 Tufted Duck
4 Blackcaps
3 Chiffchaffs
5 Willow Warblers
(Ed Wilson)
Nedge Hill
2 Red-legged Partridges
Swallows
7 Wheatear
2 Common Whitethroats
3 Blackcaps
1 Chiffchaffs
4 Bullfinches
(Ed Wilson)
2011
Priorslee Lake
3 Common Sandpipers
(Ed Wilson, John Isherwood)
Nedge Hill
2 Wheatear
(John Isherwood)
2010
The Wrekin
1 Wood Warbler
4 Common Redstart
1 Pied Flycatcher
(Paul Rutter)
2009
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
1 Sand Martin
2 Swallows
6 Reed Warblers
Common Whitethroat
3 Blackcap
4 Chiffchaff
3 Reed Buntings
3 Linnets
1 Yellowhammer
(Ed Wilson)
2007
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebe
6 Tufted Duck
2 Ruddy Duck
3 Swifts
2 Sand Martins
4 Swallows
4 Cormorants
1 Kestrel
1 Sparrowhawk
3 Common Sandpipers
2 Grey Wagtail
6 Blackcap
1 Garden Warbler
2 Sedge Warbler
2 Reed Warblers
5 Chiffchaff
3 Greenfinch
2 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson, Martin Adlam)
Nedge Hill
1 Ring Ouzel
Common Whitethroat
2 Swallows
(Martin Adlam)
Priorslee Flash
2 Greylag Geese
1 Grey Wagtail here
2 Chiffchaffs
1 Reed Bunting
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
3 Great Crested Grebes
2 Ruddy Ducks
1 Common Buzzard
1 Kestrel
1 Swallows
1 Grey Wagtail
4 Sedge Warbler
2 Reed Warblers
4 Blackcaps
2 Garden Warbler
5 Chiffchaffs
3 Willow Warblers
2 Lesser Whitethroat
4 Greenfinches
2 Reed Buntings
(Martin Adlam)