15.0°C > 21.0°C: Clear early. An area of broken medium-high cloud for a while. Clear again before lower cloud started to build. Light, increasing moderate, westerly breeze again. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 05:23 BST again
* = a species photographed today
! = a first sighting of the species this year
$ = a new species for me in this area
Priorslee Balancing Lake: 04:50– 06:10 // 07:15 – 09:30
(169th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- the early departure and subsequent arrival of the geese was impacted by an overnight fisherman on the south-west grass. They mostly went elsewhere on the water.
- not sure about the recent third Mute Swan: I noted a bird in flight low over the water just as I arrived. It would be unusual for one of the residents to fly without reason. I only noted two birds thereafter.
- *at least three well-grown Mallard ducklings found.
- no Tufted Duck
- a single Swift was seen briefly at c.05:30. There were four equally briefly c.08:00 and then a single c.09:00. All different birds?
- a Common Whitethroat was giving its contact call from the Ricoh hedge.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 5 Canada Geese: flew East as a single and two duos
- 45 Greylag Geese: ten flew East in two groups; 35 flew West in five groups
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 10 Feral Pigeons flew East in two groups
- 83 Wood Pigeons
- 228 Jackdaws
- 48 Rooks
Counts from the lake area:
- 53? Canada Geese: 47 departed; much later 53 arrived
- 13? Greylag Geese: 11 departed; later 13 arrived
- 2 Mute Swans: see notes
- 39 (?♂) *Mallard: see notes
- no Tufted Duck
- 5 Moorhens
- 64 Coots: including a new brood of three juveniles
- 5 + 8? (4 broods) *Great Crested Grebes
- 23 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 19 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- no Grey Heron
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 6? Swifts: see notes
- 2 Barn Swallows
- 2 House Martins
Warblers noted:
- 6 Chiffchaffs: one of these in spluttering song
- 6 Reed Warblers
- 2 Blackcaps
- 1 Common Whitethroat
Also noted:
Seems to be too hot for us all!.
Butterflies:
- 5 *Green-veined White Pieris napi
- 4 *Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
- 4 Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus
- 5 *Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta
- 1 Comma Polygonia c-album
- 5 *Green-veined White Pieris napi
- 4 *Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
- 4 Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus
- 5 *Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta
- 1 Comma Polygonia c-album
Moths:
- 1 ! *Nut Bud Moth Epinotia tenerana
- 7 Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [was Straw Grass-veneer]
- 1 ! *Nut Bud Moth Epinotia tenerana
- 7 Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [was Straw Grass-veneer]
Bees, wasps etc.:
- Honey Bee Apis mellifera
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris
- Honey Bee Apis mellifera
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris
Hoverflies:
singletons again
- *Wasp Plumehorn Volucella inanis [was Lesser Hornet Hoverfly]
- *Pellucid Fly Volucella pellucens [Pied Plumehorn; Great Pied Hoverfly]
singletons again
- *Wasp Plumehorn Volucella inanis [was Lesser Hornet Hoverfly]
- *Pellucid Fly Volucella pellucens [Pied Plumehorn; Great Pied Hoverfly]
Damsel / Dragon-flies:
- *Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum [Common Bluet]: three males
- *Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum
- *Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum [Common Bluet]: three males
- *Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum
True flies:
very very few today just...
- greenbottle Lucilia sp.
and a few unidentified flies
very very few today just...
- greenbottle Lucilia sp.
and a few unidentified flies
Bugs:
none
none
Beetles:
none
none
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
none
On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:
none
On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 female harvestman Leiobunum rotundum
- 1 female harvestman Leiobunum rotundum
It seems to me that three almost fully-grown Mallard ducklings are leading a duck Mallard.
Close-up and personal with a Green-veined White butterfly Pieris napi.
Unusual bed-fellows? The Meadow Brown is joined by a Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta.
This is a Nut Bud Moth Epinotia tenerana. A species of micromoth I see most years.
I saw but two hoverflies today: Wasp Plumehorn Volucella inanis and...
...and this Pellucid Fly V. pellucens.
I saw only three Common Blue Damselflies Enallagma cyathigerum, all like this males.
An immature male Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum sitting on the Teece Drive fence. Adult males are a bright red while females are brown with no hint of red tones.
(Ed Wilson)
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
(Ed Wilson)
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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
Moths:
- 1 *Common Nettle-tap Anthophila fabriciana
- 1 *Tawny Grey Eudonia lacustrata [was Little Grey]
- 1 *Common Nettle-tap Anthophila fabriciana
- 1 *Tawny Grey Eudonia lacustrata [was Little Grey]
Flies:
- 6 midges
- 1 female presumed Pond Olive mayfly Cloeon dipterum: is this dead?
- 1 *cranefly Limonia nubeculosa
- 1 *cranefly Tipula sp.
- 6 midges
- 1 female presumed Pond Olive mayfly Cloeon dipterum: is this dead?
- 1 *cranefly Limonia nubeculosa
- 1 *cranefly Tipula sp.
Arthropods:
- none
- none
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 *lace-weaver spider Amaurobius sp.
- 3 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
- 1 *harvestman Opilio canestrinii
- 1 *lace-weaver spider Amaurobius sp.
- 3 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
- 1 *harvestman Opilio canestrinii
Another one of those pesky "grey" moth. I think this is a Tawny Grey Eudonia lacustrata.
I cannot go further than Tipula sp. for this cranefly.
This spider is one of the lace-weaver spiders Amaurobius sp. but which I cannot say.
A harvestman Opilio canestrinii.
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 06:15 – 07:10
(167th visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- 18 Mute Swans today and all together at the bottom end when I arrived.
- a very new brood of two Mallard ducklings seen.
- no gulls noted here: only flying over.
- a Little Egret present again
- I noted a Coal Tit singing from three different locations. It is possible that it was flying faster than I was walking but it seemed to me these were probably different birds. I also noted song from two very different locations around the Balancing Lake.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 1 Black-headed Gull
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
Noted on / around the water:
- 21 Canada Geese
- 3 Greylag Geese
- *18 Mute Swans
- 29 (?♂) + *2 (1 brood) Mallard
- 4 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 45 Coot
- no Black-headed Gulls
- no Grey Heron
- 1 Little Egret
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 3 House Martins
Warblers noted:
None
Noted around the area:
Noted around the area:
Moths:
- 4 Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [was Straw Grass-veneer]
- 1 *Swallow Prominent Pheosia tremula : on a different street lamp pole to that seen yesterday
- 4 Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [was Straw Grass-veneer]
- 1 *Swallow Prominent Pheosia tremula : on a different street lamp pole to that seen yesterday
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 *harvestman from the species pair Dicranopalpus ramosus / D. caudatus
A harvestman from the species pair Dicranopalpus ramosus / D. caudatus characterised by the prominent pedipalps and the very long legs, especially the second pair.
(Ed Wilson)
- 1 *harvestman from the species pair Dicranopalpus ramosus / D. caudatus
What a lot of Mute Swans. 13 of today's total of 18 in this view.
A big wake from a tiny duckling pedalling frantically to try to get close to its mother.
Today's Swallow Prominent moth Pheosia tremula on a different street lamp pole to that seen yesterday.
(Ed Wilson)
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2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Common Tern
(Ed Wilson)
Priorslee Lake
1 Common Tern
(Ed Wilson)