18.0°C > 21.0°C: Cloudy and humid after very slight overnight rain. A moderate southerly breeze after the usual calmer start. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 05:32 BST
* = 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– 06:15 // 07:15 – 09:45
(175th visit of the year)
Best today was a fly-over Little Egret heading East at c.05:40. Perhaps the bird recently at The Flash as none was seen there this morning.
Bird notes:
- no geese early again. A later arrival.
- a hitherto unseen Tufted Duck lifted off the water at 09:05 and circled away to the East.
- many more gulls this morning:
most (74) of the Black-headed Gulls arriving from the West flew straight over with at 06:00 just seven on the lake and 11 on the football field.
at 04:45 c.40 Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew low from the West. I was not in a position to see the water but when I was there were 15, presumably of these, leaving the East. I have assumed that they all visited briefly. At c.05:50 there were 31 more on the football field, these also leaving to the East. A few more visited. A steady passage of birds overhead was also noted.
- a Sparrowhawk dashed through c.09:30 putting up at least 25 Goldfinches from the Poplar trees at the West end.
- four Swift sightings. A single was high over the estates to the north-west at 07:25 with at least a dozen House Martins. Two were over the South side at 08:50. A single was over the West end at 09:20 and then two were high to the North at 09:40. How many individuals were involved?
- two groups of Starlings flew East c.05:50.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 9 Canada Geese: two groups flew West
- 32 Greylag Geese: 25 flew East in four groups; seven flew West together later
- 74 Black-headed Gulls: see notes
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 55 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Little Egret
- 1 Stock Dove
- 66 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 139 Jackdaws
- 53 Rooks
- 18 Starlings
Counts from the lake area:
- 61 Canada Geese: arrived in four groups
- 1 Greylag Goose: arrived with Canadas
- 2 Mute Swans
- 26 (?♂) Mallard only
- 1 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 53 Coots only
- 7 + 10 (4 broods) *Great Crested Grebes
- 18 Black-headed Gulls: 11 of these were on the football field c.06:00
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 77 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: see notes
- 2 Grey Herons: at least two birds coming and going
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 6? Swifts: see notes
- 5 Barn Swallows
- c.12 House Martins: see notes
Warblers noted (no song):
- 3 Chiffchaffs
- 2 Reed Warblers
- 5 Blackcaps
Also noted:
not much in the cloudy conditions
Butterflies:
- 1 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta
- 1 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta
Moths:
- 5 *Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [was Straw Grass-veneer]
other grass moths too faded / seen too fleetingly to confirm their identity.
- 1 ! Blood-vein Timandra comae
- 5 *Straw Grass-moth Agriphila straminella [was Straw Grass-veneer]
other grass moths too faded / seen too fleetingly to confirm their identity.
- 1 ! Blood-vein Timandra comae
Bees, wasps etc.:
- *Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
- *Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris
- *Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
- *Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris
Hoverflies:
- *Wasp Plumehorn Volucella inanis [Lesser Hornet Hoverfly]: two
- *Pellucid Fly Volucella pellucens [Pied Plumehorn; Great Pied Hoverfly]: one
- *Wasp Plumehorn Volucella inanis [Lesser Hornet Hoverfly]: two
- *Pellucid Fly Volucella pellucens [Pied Plumehorn; Great Pied Hoverfly]: one
Damsel / Dragon-flies:
- Brown Hawker Aeshna grandis
another, unidentified, dragonfly flew by
- Brown Hawker Aeshna grandis
another, unidentified, dragonfly flew by
True flies:
- I didn't see any flies that I could identify or seemed worth the effort.
- I didn't see any flies that I could identify or seemed worth the effort.
Bugs:
none
none
Beetles:
none
none
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
none
On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:
Some you win and some you lose. The long-term failed street-lamp along the West end path has been fixed since yesterday but my torch was in terminal decline.
none
On the West end street lamp poles around dawn:
Some you win and some you lose. The long-term failed street-lamp along the West end path has been fixed since yesterday but my torch was in terminal decline.
Moths:
- 1 *Common Grass-moth Agriphila tristella [was Common Grass-veneer]
- 1 *Common Grass-moth Agriphila tristella [was Common Grass-veneer]
Four-winged flies:
- 1 *Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea
- 1 *Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea
Earwigs:
- 1 Common European Earwig Forficula dentata
On a street lamp pole around dawn was this Common Grass-moth Agriphila tristella. Note the clean edge to the white streak along the folded wing which splits in to only two (three?) "fingers" towards the (battered) tip of the wing.
Compare with this Straw Grass-moth A. straminella which shows a poorly defined pale streak which splits in to four (or five) "fingers" more in the middle part of the wing. It is unusual to find this species at rest anything other than head down.
A Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea. Not a "true fly" as this species has two pairs of wings (true flies have one pair and halteres).
(Ed Wilson)
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
(172nd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- 16 Mute Swans was all I could see this morning. It is always possible one was hiding the "other" side of the island.
- a single Cormorant was standing on a tree on the island.
- three Grey Herons again.
- no Little Egret: possibly the bird seen here recently was the individual noted flying over the Balancing Lake earlier.
- a Ring-necked Parakeet was heard again, this time from across the water. I then saw one, perhaps two, flying in front of the trees between Ennerdale Road and the A5. I tried playing its calls on my Merlin app but it failed to respond or was too far away to hear.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: singles
Noted on / around the water:
- 11 Canada Geese
- 8 Greylag Geese: of these a pair departed and two singles arrived
- 16 Mute Swans
- 36 (?♂) Mallard
- 4 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhens only
- 41 Coot
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 15 *Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Cormorant
- 3 *Grey Herons
Hirundines etc. noted:
(Ed Wilson)
- 1 Common European Earwig Forficula dentata
About as good as the sunrise got this morning.
I tried later but most of the colour had faded. It is mostly Coots (and a few Mallard) in the foreground.
Family party. The four "humbug" Great Crested Grebe juveniles look to be thriving.
My first Blood-vein moth Timandra comae of the year. I record this species most years. Note the feathered antennae indicating this is a male. There is a similar species, the Small Blood-vein Scopula imitaria, which is easily distinguished as the "blood line" does not go from wing-tip to wing-tip.
A Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum covered in pollen from Knapweed.
Also on Knapweed a Buff-tailed Bumblebee B. terrestris managing to avoid getting covered in pollen.
Very few hoverflies again: a Wasp Plumehorn Volucella inanis.
Another happily(?) resting on a street lamp pole.
And just this one Pellucid Fly V. pellucens.
(Ed Wilson)
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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
Moths:
none
none
Flies:
- 6 midges
- 1 female presumed Pond Olive mayfly Cloeon dipterum
- 6 midges
- 1 female presumed Pond Olive mayfly Cloeon dipterum
- 1 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
- 1 *cranefly Tipula lateralis
- 1 *cranefly Tipula lateralis
Arthropods:
- none
- none
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 1 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
- 1 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
The commonly-seen cranefly Tipula lateralis. Note the relatively long antennae, the pale stripe down the abdomen and the pale area toward the leading edge of each wing.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 06:20 – 07:10
(Ed Wilson)
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The Flash: 06:20 – 07:10
(172nd visit of the year)
Bird notes:
- 16 Mute Swans was all I could see this morning. It is always possible one was hiding the "other" side of the island.
- a single Cormorant was standing on a tree on the island.
- three Grey Herons again.
- no Little Egret: possibly the bird seen here recently was the individual noted flying over the Balancing Lake earlier.
- a Ring-necked Parakeet was heard again, this time from across the water. I then saw one, perhaps two, flying in front of the trees between Ennerdale Road and the A5. I tried playing its calls on my Merlin app but it failed to respond or was too far away to hear.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: singles
Noted on / around the water:
- 11 Canada Geese
- 8 Greylag Geese: of these a pair departed and two singles arrived
- 16 Mute Swans
- 36 (?♂) Mallard
- 4 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Moorhens only
- 41 Coot
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- 15 *Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Cormorant
- 3 *Grey Herons
Hirundines etc. noted:
None
Warblers noted (no song):
- 1 Chiffchaff
- 1 Blackcap
Nothing noted around the area
A relatively recently-fledged Black-headed Gull. When it has moulted in to first-winter plumage it will have lost the brown on its crown and on its hind-neck but not in the wings which will continue to show brown area, albeit fading, until the moult in to adult-winter plumage this time next year.
Another of the Grey Herons, this one standing on what seems to be a plank of wood in the water by the entrance to Wordsworth Drive.
Something all the bird guides tell you Song Thrushes do but I rarely see. The thrush contemplates a snail it has found and brought to the path.
Warblers noted (no song):
- 1 Chiffchaff
- 1 Blackcap
Nothing noted around the area
One of the three Grey Herons here today. This was sitting on the railings alongside Derwent Drive.
Aren't you glad you are not a fish?
Still glad you are not a fish?
Lift it up and...
...thwack!
The snail is now separated from its shell.
"Looks delicious".
"All gone!"
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2013
Trench Lock Pool
4 Common Terns
(Dave Tromans)
2012
Priorslee Lake
Green Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)
2011
Priorslee Lake
3 Common Terns
(Ed Wilson)
2008
Priorslee Lake
Black-tailed Godwit
Little Grebe
(Ed Wilson)
2008
Priorslee Lake
Black-tailed Godwit
Little Grebe
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Lock Pool
4 Common Terns
(Dave Tromans)
2012
Priorslee Lake
Green Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)
2011
Priorslee Lake
3 Common Terns
(Ed Wilson)
2008
Priorslee Lake
Black-tailed Godwit
Little Grebe
(Ed Wilson)
2008
Priorslee Lake
Black-tailed Godwit
Little Grebe
(Ed Wilson)