9.0°C > 17.0°C: Clear with (Autumn?) mist over the water early. Sunny through thin high cloud with some puffy clouds developing later. Calm start with a light easterly and the westerly breeze developing. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 05:37 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– 06:10 // 07:20 – 09:35
(178th visit of the year)
Note:
I should have mentioned yesterday that Seven-Trent did their planned grass-cut on Wednesday in accordance with the discussion I had with them. Area of flowers were retained (though the drought means than most of the flowers have died!) Another cut is planned for late-September all aimed at increasing the plant diversity over time.
Bird notes:
- the lone Canada Goose early stayed throughout to greet the now usual later arrival.
- all four Great Crested Grebe juveniles were noted with their parents. Also the other broods of two and three were seen with their respective parents. One only of the well-grown and barely distinguishable juveniles was seen. The other may well have fledged and departed
- another day with large numbers of gulls
I counted 114 Black-headed Gulls flying East high across the lake around dawn.
a significant arrival of Lesser Black-backed Gulls was taking place as I arrived with 62 counted on the water as soon I was in a position to see them. Then at c.05:45 I counted another 107, apparently all this species, flying in from the south-west. I noted only 58 of them on the water with the other 49 assumed to have flown straight over. Very few gulls thereafter either on the water or flying over.
no gulls were seen on the football field.
- there was also early hirundine activity: by 05:50
four Swifts were charging around.
at least five Barn Swallows were low over the water.
several House Martins were calling high overhead, invisible against the clear sky.
- more hirundine activity around 08:00
four Swifts (the same?) were over the East end and then presumably these repositioned to the West end when the wind changed direction.
variable numbers of Barn Swallows (between four and seven) kept appearing (from the East?) and disappearing (to the South). It was unclear whether these were different groups stopping on passage.
- another high count of calling Chiffchaffs including more squeaky juveniles.
- a "whitethroat" was heard from the Ricoh hedge. I was unable to decide whether it was a Common or Lesser Whitethroat. Perhaps both?
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 79 Canada Geese: all flying East in three groups
- 1 Greylag Goose: East with Canadas.
- 114 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 68 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 *Stock Doves: two duos
- 55 Wood Pigeons
- 216 Jackdaws
- 62 Rooks
Counts from the lake area:
- 56 Canada Geese: one throughout; 55 arrived in five groups
- 2 Mute Swans
- 21 (?♂) Mallard only
- 5 Moorhens
- 58 Coots
- 7 + 10 (4 broods) *Great Crested Grebes
- 27 Black-headed Gulls
- 126 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Grey Herons
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 4 (8?) *Swifts: see notes
- >7 Barn Swallows: see notes
- >2 House Martins: see notes
Warblers noted (no song):
- 12 Chiffchaffs again
- 1 Reed Warbler
- 5 Blackcaps
- 1 unidentified whitethroat heard only
Also noted:
I should have mentioned yesterday that Seven-Trent did their planned grass-cut on Wednesday in accordance with the discussion I had with them. Area of flowers were retained (though the drought means than most of the flowers have died!) Another cut is planned for late-September all aimed at increasing the plant diversity over time.
Bird notes:
- the lone Canada Goose early stayed throughout to greet the now usual later arrival.
- all four Great Crested Grebe juveniles were noted with their parents. Also the other broods of two and three were seen with their respective parents. One only of the well-grown and barely distinguishable juveniles was seen. The other may well have fledged and departed
- another day with large numbers of gulls
I counted 114 Black-headed Gulls flying East high across the lake around dawn.
a significant arrival of Lesser Black-backed Gulls was taking place as I arrived with 62 counted on the water as soon I was in a position to see them. Then at c.05:45 I counted another 107, apparently all this species, flying in from the south-west. I noted only 58 of them on the water with the other 49 assumed to have flown straight over. Very few gulls thereafter either on the water or flying over.
no gulls were seen on the football field.
- there was also early hirundine activity: by 05:50
four Swifts were charging around.
at least five Barn Swallows were low over the water.
several House Martins were calling high overhead, invisible against the clear sky.
- more hirundine activity around 08:00
four Swifts (the same?) were over the East end and then presumably these repositioned to the West end when the wind changed direction.
variable numbers of Barn Swallows (between four and seven) kept appearing (from the East?) and disappearing (to the South). It was unclear whether these were different groups stopping on passage.
- another high count of calling Chiffchaffs including more squeaky juveniles.
- a "whitethroat" was heard from the Ricoh hedge. I was unable to decide whether it was a Common or Lesser Whitethroat. Perhaps both?
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 79 Canada Geese: all flying East in three groups
- 1 Greylag Goose: East with Canadas.
- 114 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 68 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 *Stock Doves: two duos
- 55 Wood Pigeons
- 216 Jackdaws
- 62 Rooks
Counts from the lake area:
- 56 Canada Geese: one throughout; 55 arrived in five groups
- 2 Mute Swans
- 21 (?♂) Mallard only
- 5 Moorhens
- 58 Coots
- 7 + 10 (4 broods) *Great Crested Grebes
- 27 Black-headed Gulls
- 126 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Grey Herons
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 4 (8?) *Swifts: see notes
- >7 Barn Swallows: see notes
- >2 House Martins: see notes
Warblers noted (no song):
- 12 Chiffchaffs again
- 1 Reed Warbler
- 5 Blackcaps
- 1 unidentified whitethroat heard only
Also noted:
Butterflies:
- 2 Small White Pieris rapae
- 2 *Green-veined White Pieris napi
- 1 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
- 1 Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
- 1 *Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus
- 2 Small White Pieris rapae
- 2 *Green-veined White Pieris napi
- 1 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
- 1 Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
- 1 *Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus
Moths:
- 1 unidentified grass-moth
- 1 unidentified grass-moth
Bees, wasps etc.:
- *Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius
- *Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris
- *Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius
- *Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
- Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris
Hoverflies:
none
none
Damsel / Dragon-flies:
- *Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum
- *Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum
True flies:
apart from...
-! *Kite-tailed Robberfly Tolmerus atricapillus
very few of interest
apart from...
-! *Kite-tailed Robberfly Tolmerus atricapillus
very few of interest
Bugs:
- *Dock Bug Coreus marginatus
- *Dock Bug Coreus marginatus
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:
Moths:
- 7 *Common Grass-moths Agriphila tristella [was Common Grass-veneer]
- 7 *Common Grass-moths Agriphila tristella [was Common Grass-veneer]
Four-winged flies:
- 1 Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea
- 1 Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperia carnea
Flies etc.:
- 1 *springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis-type
All four "humbug" Great Crested Grebe juveniles were present and correct today after one seemed to be missing yesterday.
This is probably their older sibling – the lone survivor from the first brood of the same pair of adults. Still a few stripes on the face with a hint of the head-plumes starting to grow.
A pair(?) of Stock Doves (the sexes are alike). The wings are grey with black-edging (no white as on Wood Pigeon) and the neck mark is a green gloss (again no white as in Wood Pigeon). This species is slightly smaller, slightly shorter-tailed and has faster wing-beats than Wood Pigeon. Not always easy to tell but one clue can be that shown here – pairs usually keep very close-company as they fly: Wood Pigeons rarely do.
...and it is a male with only one pair of spots on the wings. Note the inner to the black on the wing-edge is not angled across the wing as it is on Small White P. rapae and black extends down the trailing edge of the wing beyond the black spot.
Oops: four days ago I logged a fly-by blue butterfly as a Common Blue Polyommatus icarus. This a female Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus (she has extensive dark-edging to her wings) and is almost certainly the species I saw earlier.
The clearest of the seven Common Grass-moths Agriphila tristella I noted on the West end street lamp poles around dawn.
A distinctly faded red tail on this Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius. Knapweed is just about the only nectar source around in the dry conditions.
An atypical Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum with rufous in the tail. The only other bumblebee species with a brown or ginger thorax is Tree Bumblebee B. hypnorum and that never shows rufous in the tail: usually pure white though may be all-black. The bee looks oddly-shaped here as it wraps itself around the style of a convolvulus flower to get at the nectar.
New for the year was this Kite-tailed Robberfly Tolmerus atricapillus (and no: I don't know why it is called "kite-tailed" when the end of the abdomen does not look forked). Strangely my first-date for this species in 2025 was also 07 August.
The first springtail, a Pogonognathellus longicornis-type among dew on a West end street lamp pole around dawn.
(Ed Wilson)
In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
(175th visit of the year)
It was as quiet today as it was busy yesterday
Bird notes:
- There were 17 Mute Swans when I arrived: two of them departed to the North. One of those remaining was noted with a blue Darvic ring 7JXV.
- Moorhens were in typical numbers today.
- I was shocked to find a Great Crested Grebe sitting on a nest. This is reasonably well-hidden but even so... Perhaps more to the point where is its partner?
- just one Cormorant in trees on the island.
- only one Grey Herons and no Little Egret.
- no Ring-necked Parakeet or Kingfisher.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 3 Greylag Geese: flew North together
Noted on / around the water:
- 8 Canada Geese
- 14 Greylag Geese: of these a trio departed and nine arrived (a single and two quartets)
- 17 Mute Swans: two of these departed
- 29 (?♂) Mallard
- 3 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 41 Coot
- 1 *Great Crested Grebe: see notes
- 12 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
Hirundines etc. noted:
- 1 *springtail Pogonognathellus longicornis-type
A few wisps of mist over the water at dawn.
A few Swifts are still around.
A Green-veined White butterfly Pieris napi...
A Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum. As I was looking through the view-finder to take the photo is looked as if the dragonfly was chewing food....
I zoomed right in to look. I cannot see what it might have been eating.
Easy: there is nothing else shaped like a Dock Bug Coreus marginatus
(Ed Wilson)
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In the Priorslee Avenue tunnel:
Moths:
none
none
Flies:
- 3 midges
- 2 female presumed Pond Olive mayfly Cloeon dipterum: is this dead?
- 1 *male mosquito Culex pipiens
- 1 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
- 3 midges
- 2 female presumed Pond Olive mayfly Cloeon dipterum: is this dead?
- 1 *male mosquito Culex pipiens
- 1 moth fly Psychodidae sp. [Drain Fly or Owl Fly]
Arthropods:
- none
- none
Spiders, harvestmen etc.:
- 2 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
- 2 Missing Sector Orb-web Spider Zygiella x-notata [Silver-sided Sector Spider]
The only insect of note here this morning was this male mosquito Culex pipiens. Males do not have the proboscis the female uses to get the blood-meal and have extensive antennae.
(Ed Wilson)
The Flash: 06:15 – 07:15
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 06:15 – 07:15
(175th visit of the year)
It was as quiet today as it was busy yesterday
Bird notes:
- There were 17 Mute Swans when I arrived: two of them departed to the North. One of those remaining was noted with a blue Darvic ring 7JXV.
- Moorhens were in typical numbers today.
- I was shocked to find a Great Crested Grebe sitting on a nest. This is reasonably well-hidden but even so... Perhaps more to the point where is its partner?
- just one Cormorant in trees on the island.
- only one Grey Herons and no Little Egret.
- no Ring-necked Parakeet or Kingfisher.
Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 3 Greylag Geese: flew North together
Noted on / around the water:
- 8 Canada Geese
- 14 Greylag Geese: of these a trio departed and nine arrived (a single and two quartets)
- 17 Mute Swans: two of these departed
- 29 (?♂) Mallard
- 3 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 6 Moorhens
- 41 Coot
- 1 *Great Crested Grebe: see notes
- 12 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron
Hirundines etc. noted:
None
Warblers noted (no song):
- 3 Chiffchaffs
- no Blackcap
Noted around the area:
Warblers noted (no song):
- 3 Chiffchaffs
- no Blackcap
Noted around the area:
Moths:
- 1 Common Grass-moth Agriphila tristella [was Common Grass-veneer]
- 1 *Riband Wave Idaea aversata form aversata
- 1 !*Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria
A Great Crested Grebe fast asleep on a nest. I suppose, thinking about it, it could be a Coot nest it has "borrowed" to sleep in which might explain why there is no obvious partner. The nest pile does seem large for this species that has difficulty on land because its legs are set so far back.
A Riband Wave moth Idaea aversata of the form aversata, the photo slightly marred by the sun reflecting on the metal pole. This, the less common form, has the area between the two outer cross-lines solid dark. A slight chunk missing from its left wing is nothing...
(Ed Wilson)
- 1 Common Grass-moth Agriphila tristella [was Common Grass-veneer]
- 1 *Riband Wave Idaea aversata form aversata
- 1 !*Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria
........when compared with the damage suffered by this Willow Beauty moth Peribatodes rhomboidaria.
(Ed Wilson)
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2011
Priorslee Lake
2 Common Sandpipers
(Ed Wilson)
2009
Priorslee Lake
Hobby
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
Oystercatcher
(Martin Adlam)
Priorslee Lake
2 Common Sandpipers
(Ed Wilson)
2009
Priorslee Lake
Hobby
(Ed Wilson)
2006
Priorslee Lake
Oystercatcher
(Martin Adlam)