26 Aug 20

Priorslee Lake, The Flash, Trench Lock Pool and Trench Middle Pool: 

14.0°C > 15.0°C: Mainly cloudy again. A few blue patches, mainly staying to the S. Some light rain showers. Fresh W breeze, decreasing light. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:11 BST

* = a photo today.

The overnight gales had brought down a few branches and many twigs, the willows apparently most prone to the pruning effect.

Priorslee Lake: 04:50 – 06:45 // 07:35 – 09:20

(174th visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- One of the 'surplus' adult Great Crested Grebes was not seen.
- The low count of Coots likely the result of the still brisk wind while I was here.
- A Common Sandpiper was heard, but not seen, c.08:40. This was presumably the small wader I saw climbing away high overhead a few minutes later.
- A party of 27 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, apparently all (near) adults, flew NW together. Otherwise a few singles in various directions.
- A group of 13 Racing Pigeons was quickly followed by another group of six, though these could have been Feral Pigeons – I only had a momentary view.
- The passing Lesser Redpoll was an unusual record for this date.

Birds noted flying over / near here:

- 11 Greylag Geese (one group outbound)
- 9 Canada Geese (two groups inbound)
- 32 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 19 Racing Pigeons (two groups) (see notes)
- 28 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Lesser Redpoll

Hirundines etc. logged:

- 1 Sand Martin
- 1 Barn Swallow
- >10 House Martins

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

Still rather windy and not easy to hear calling birds above the rustling leaves

- 8 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Blackcap only
- 2 (0) Reed Warblers

Counts from the lake area:

- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese: briefly
- 17 (?♂) Mallard
- 1 Cormorant again: arrived
- 1 Grey Heron: arrived and departed
- 16 + 7 (5 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 3 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 55 adult and juvenile Coots
- 1 Common Sandpiper (see notes)
- 17 Black-headed Gulls only
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult, briefly

Gulls on the football and academy playing fields c.06:30:

- 238 Black-headed Gulls

Initially all on the football field despite the Monday / Wednesday / Friday fitness class taking place at one end. Most, if not all, moved to the academy playing field when a dog-walker arrived.

On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:

Moths:

- 1 Pale Straw Pearl (Udea lutealis)

Other things:

- >5 plumed midges (Chironomus plumosus)
- 1 Common European Earwig (Forficula auricularia)
- 2 Orb-web spiders, presumed Larinioides sclopetarius
- 1 unidentified spider sp.
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus (harvestman)

Insects / other things etc. noted later:

A very poor showing – all blown away?

The full list of things noted:

- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- 1 Grey Squirrel
- 4 Pipistrelle-type bats
- still to be identified fungus

More food for the youngsters

The youngster seems to have the right idea on how to handle(?) it. Great Crested Grebe of course.

"Down the hatch"

You would think that the Coot testosterone would have subsided by now. Not this group apparently.

Any clues as to what is happening on the left? I can't work it out.

On the face of it this distinctively marked spider ought to be easy to identify. On the face of it..... a search of my usual web sites has failed.

Research for later may reveal the identity of these fungus.

And in close-up showing the gill pattern which may help.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:50 – 07:30

(159th visit of the year)

A remarkable difference in numbers of Mallard and Coots (fewer); also Tufted Duck (more) than I logged late morning yesterday. Why?

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:

- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

Hirundines etc. logged:

None

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- 3 (0) Chiffchaffs

Counts from the water:

- 3 + 5 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 12 Greylag Geese
- 4 Canada Geese only
- 18 (>11♂) Mallard
- 27 (9?♂) Tufted Duck
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 adult and juvenile Moorhens again
- 54 adult and juvenile Coots
- 1 Black-headed Gull

Nothing on any lamp pole:

Otherwise:

- 1 Grey Squirrel

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

Nothing

- A Chiffchaff singing at the upper pool.

Ed Wilson)

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Trench Lock Pool: 09:30 – 10:00 // 10:40 – 10:50

(23rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- One of the juvenile Great Crested Grebes is noticeably smaller than the other three but not so small that it could be from a different brood. One of the adults fed it twice while I was watching, so it seems well.

Birds noted flying over / near here:

None

Hirundines etc. logged:

All the swallows and martins were swirling around and hard to count – best effort at numbers.

- 2 Swifts
- 2 Sand Martins
- 4 Barn Swallows
- 8 House Martins

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- 3 (0) Chiffchaffs

Counts from the water:

- 2 + 6 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- no Mallard
- no Tufted Duck again
- 2 + 4 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
- 2 adult and juvenile Moorhens again
- 14 adult and juvenile Coots
- 15 Black-headed Gulls: two juveniles
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: second year – departed

Nothing else of note – no insects seen

More Great Crested Grebe feeding. Junior being watched carefully.

Next. Another fish for the smaller and least developed of the three juveniles.

(Ed Wilson)

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Trench Middle Pool: 10:05 – 10:35

(23rd visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- The Great Crested Grebes have a second brood – just a single juvenile seen on one parent's back. Two first-brood juveniles were busying themselves diving for food around the water.

Birds noted flying over / near here:

None

Hirundines etc. logged:

None

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- 4 (0) Chiffchaffs

Counts from the water:

- 2 Mute Swans as usual
- >10 Greylag Geese: 10 departed; others heard and unseen inside the island
- 11 Canada Geese
- 1 all-white feral goose
- 21 (?♂) Mallard
- 26 (6?♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Grey Heron: departed
- 2 + 3 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 12 adult and juvenile Moorhen
- 34 adult and juvenile Coots
- 7 Black-headed Gulls: two juveniles
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull: adult, briefly

Otherwise

- A 'red-tailed' bumblebee sp. that seems a better fit for Red-tailed (or Hill) Cuckoo Bee (Bombus rupestris), having a banded rear abdomen, unlike Red-tailed Bumblebee (B. lapidarius). This would be a new species for me. I was unable to get a photo of it so it will have to go down as a possible.

The lone second-brood juvenile Great Crested Grebe has just eaten a fish provided by the parent.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day..........

2019

Priorslee Lake

Today's Report Here

2018

Priorslee Lake

Today's Report Here

2016

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2013

Priorslee Lake

Yellow Wagtail

(Ed Wilson)

25 Aug 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash: 

17.0°C: Mainly cloudy and very windy after much early rain. Fresh / strong SW wind. Very good visibility.

[Sunrise: 06:10 BST]

Priorslee Lake: 12:38 – 13:33

(173rd visit of the year)

A short visit only from the dam top to see if anything had been blown in. A few gulls arrived was the only reward

Bird notes:

- Not sure where most of the usual Mallard were hiding.
- All the gulls arrived at more or less the same time though the large gulls came from the E and the Black-headed Gulls from the W.

Birds noted flying over / near here:

None

Hirundines etc. logged:

- c.5 Sand Martins
- c.10 House Martins

Warblers logged

None

Counts from the lake area:

- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 4 (?♂) Mallard
- 1 Cormorant
- [no Grey Herons]
- 17 + 7 (5 broods) Great Crested Grebes again
- 2 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 78 adult and juvenile Coots
- 48 Black-headed Gulls only
- 1 Common Gull: juvenile, briefly
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: juveniles?
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull: juvenile?

Insects / other things etc. noted later:

Nothing much in the dam area in the strong wind

The full list of things noted:

Butterflies:

- Small White (Pieris rapae)

Hoverflies:

- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)

The smaller gull on the left caught my attention. It did not stay around and I did not see it well in flight. I am not sure I have ever seen a juvenile Common Gull previously as they do not breed locally and indeed are rather uncommon in this area. Note the rounded head, the rather short and delicate bill and the dark eye and surround. My first record here this year and bird species #98 for me. Last year my first was on September 2nd, so perhaps there is a small post-breeding movement through here.

 Enlarged as much as I dare. My only flight view and the upper-wing would have been more instructive.

Four of the juvenile / first-winter Lesser Black-backed Gulls. The left-hand bird has the wing fully-spread and shows pale inner webs to the inner primaries. The outer webs are as dark as the rest of the primaries so in normal flight it would not show paler inner primaries and cannot therefore be a Yellow-legged Gull.

And all six of the juvenile / first-winter Lesser Black-backed Gulls, one with its head in the water.

I am almost sure this must be a trick of the light. The solid black tail on the left hand bird is diagnostic of a juvenile American Herring Gull – these days considered as distinct from our Herring Gull. It is most unlikely to be an American Herring Gull but I'll get it checked. The picture is a bit of a double whammy as the right-hand bird looks like a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull. That is quite likely as this species undertakes a post-breeding dispersal to the UK in increasing numbers. A pity the light was not better and the gulls were not closer.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 13:38 – 14:25

(158th visit of the year)

Another unusually timed visit.

Bird notes:

- Possibly some double-counting of the Mallard as they moved about in response to proffered food.
- So where were all the Tufted Ducks?

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:

None

Hirundines etc. logged:

- 2 House Martins

Warblers logged.

None.  Too windy to hear them!

Counts from the water:

- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 8 Greylag Geese
- 85 Canada Geese
- ?49 (26♂) Mallard
- 10 (4♂) Tufted Duck only
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 74 adult and juvenile Coots
- [no Black-headed Gulls]

On a lamp pole:

- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus (harvestman)

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day..........

2019

Priorslee Lake

Today's Report Here

2018

Priorslee Lake

Today's Report Here

2016

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2011

Nedge Hill

4 Yellow Wagtails

(John Isherwood)

24 Aug 20

Priorslee Lake, Woodhouse Lane area and The Flash: 

12.0°C > 15.0°C: Once again a clear start gave way to persistent cloud that only started to clear c.08:15. Light W wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:08 BST

* = a photo today.

Priorslee Lake: 04:44 – 07:05 // 08:05 – 09:35

(172nd visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- I am frustrated in not being able to find the Little Grebe. It calls from inside the same small area of the reeds but seems to be always hidden.
- One of the adult Great Crested Grebes from the pair in the SE area arrived with a small fish and proffered it to the juvenile on the other parent's back. Perhaps it was rather too large. Anyway the juvenile did not seem interested and the adult ate it itself. No chivalry: it did not offer the fish to its partner!
- As noted no more than 22 Black-headed Gulls at the lake. Eventually >225 seen on the academy playing field, some later arrivals noted from the W. When flushed they headed towards Ricoh or back to the W rather than to the lake.
- The Common Whitethroat was unexpected. The breeding birds seemed to have long-gone.

Birds noted flying over / near here:

- 13 Greylag Geese (group of six outbound; single and group of six inbound)
- 66 Canada Geese (14 outbound in two groups; 52 inbound in two groups)
- 1 Cormorant
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls again
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 2 Stock Doves: duo
- 72 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Hirundines etc. logged:

- 1 Barn Swallow
- >6 House Martins

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- 15 (3) Chiffchaffs
- 7 (0) Blackcaps
- 1 (0) Common Whitethroat
- 4 (0) Reed Warblers again

Counts from the lake area:

- 2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 14 (?♂) Mallard
- *1 (1♂) Tufted Duck
- *1 Cormorant again: arrived
- 2 Grey Herons: one departed
- Little Grebe heard yet again
- *17 + 7 (5 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 7 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 70 adult and juvenile Coots
- 22 Black-headed Gulls only
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: two adults and juvenile together, briefly
- 1 Herring Gull: second year?

Gulls on the academy playing field c.06:30:

- c.225 Black-headed Gulls: including one very 'ginger' recent juvenile

On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:

Moths:

- 1 Pale-streak Grass-veneer (Agriphila selasella)
- 1 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa): same lamp from yesterday

Other things:

- >8 Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris)
- 1 Tipula confusa cranefly
- 1 Orb-web spider, presumed Larinioides sclopetarius
- 1 unidentified spider sp.

No real idea what the wasps are doing, all at one lamp – apart from being annoyed at me shining a torch on them. Yesterday I thought one was trying to steal gnats etc., caught in the orb-webs. Today it looked as if there was a rescue party for one of their number trapped in the web. The orb-web spiders themselves were keeping a low profile.

Insects / other things etc. noted later:

It had only just brightened up and rather little was flying

The full list of things noted:

Butterflies:

- *Small White (Pieris rapae)
- Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
- *Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)
- Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)

Moths:

- Pale Straw Pearl (Udea lutealis)

Bees / wasps:

- Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)

Hoverflies:

- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- Common Drone-fly (Eristalis tenax)
- The Footballer (Helophilus pendulus)
- Dead-head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)

Dragonfly:

- Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum)

Bug:

- *Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina) third instar nymph

Molluscs:

- White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

Mammals:

- 5 Grey Squirrels: too many
- 4 Pipistrelle-type bats

Additional flowering plant species recorded for the year at this site:

None

It was clear very early but soon clouded. Just a hint of a sunrise.

This attractive cloudscape belied the general cloudiness.

Fine with puffy clouds later.

Made a change not to see the Cormorant on the buoy. This one fishing for breakfast, typically half-submerged.

In the SE corner one of the adult Great Crested Grebes tries to tempt its sole remaining juvenile with a fish.

Did not seem interested so tried from the other side. Perhaps the fish was too large. The adult ate it itself.

This drake Tufted Duck was present after 08:00. I had not noted it earlier. It is a rather strange-looking bird in some ways and it is just as well the 'tuft' rules out any other species. A few white feathers on the back suggests Scaup, though the white feathers would be finely barred black. And there is a North American vagrant called Ring-necked Duck. That is rather misnamed in the while drakes have a mark on the neck it is an almost-impossible-to-see brown mark and not the few white feathers seen here. The location of the tuft on this bird also precludes any Tufted Duck hybrids. So just a moult effect.

A very fresh Small White butterfly (Pieris rapae). The veins are very apparent, though not outlined black so as to suggest Green-veined White (Pieris napi).

In case of lingering doubt here with wings slightly parted the inner edge of the black on the wing-tip is almost straight. It is curved in both other species of 'white'.

A Meadow Brown butterfly (Maniola jurtina). This specimen looks fresh-enough to be a newly emerged individual.

The two-tone yellow / brown on the abdomen identifies this as another female Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum).

A third instar nymph of a Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina). At this age there is no black, just brown edging, on the abdomen.

If these are not cluster flies they ought to be. Pollenia rudis is generally the most common species, though there is not enough detail in the photo to make any identification.

(Ed Wilson)

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Woodhouse Lane area: 07:05 – 08:05

(11th visit of the year)

Maximum cloud cover while I was here.

Very quiet apart from innumerable Chiffchaffs. A lone Chaffinch was the only finch – no Goldfinches, Linnets.

The fly-over Yellow Wagtail was by far the best bird.

Some numbers (singing birds in brackets):

- c.150 Wood Pigeons from fields in to trees in Ward's Rough (to N)
- 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
- 1 Jay
- 3 Barn Swallows: hunting along the lane
- 9 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (1) Willow Warbler
- 1 Nuthatch
- 1 Yellow Wagtail over
- 1 Pied Wagtail over
- 1 (0) Chaffinch
- 2 (0) Yellowhammers

The only insect recorded was:

- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:40 – 10:45

(157th visit of the year)

Note the very different timing. I am sure many more geese were present inside the island – indeed birds were climbing on and off all the while.

Bird notes:

- Back to three adult Great Crested Grebes. One patiently by the island again. If it has a partner on a nest I cannot locate it.
- One of the Black-headed Gulls was seen attempting to chase a House Martin. No contest.
- A passing Sand Martin was the best sighting. It was my first this year here – I missed them on Spring passage due to the start of lock-down. Species #71 for me here in 2020.

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:

None

Hirundines etc. logged:

- 1 Sand Martin
- 2 House Martins

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- 5 (0) Chiffchaffs
- no Blackcaps

Counts from the water:

- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 10 Greylag Geese
- 52 Canada Geese
- 37 (19+♂) Mallard
- *40 (13?♂) Tufted Duck: same total as yesterday
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 4 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 68 adult and juvenile Coots
- *6 Black-headed Gulls

On various lamp poles:

Moths:

- 1 Pale-streak Grass-veneer (Agriphila selasella)

Otherwise

- *1 presumed female Chironomus plumosus (plumed midge without plumed antennae)
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus (harvestman)

Also seen

Butterflies:

- Large White (Pieris brassicae)
- Small White (Pieris rapae)
- Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
- Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus)

The Holly Blue is my first at this site for at least six years. The time of day I usually visit is not conducive to finding butterflies.

Bees / wasps:

- Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)

Bug:

- *Hairy Shieldbug (Dolycoris baccarum) instar

This drake Tufted Duck is moulting the grey feathers on its flanks – feathers it acquired as camouflage while it was moulting its flight feathers. Soon it will have bright white flanks of a breeding condition drake.

A study of what is now a first-winter Black-headed Gull. More of the brown tones on the feathers in the folded wing will tend to darken, otherwise it will look similar to this until late February when it moults again.

The presumed female Chironomus plumosus: a plumed midge without plumed antennae. Try and ignore the vertical dark mark – apparently a bird dropping down the lamp pole on which the midge is at rest.

Not come across this before – and one of at least five in close company. It seems to be a late instar nymph of a Hairy Shieldbug (Dolycoris baccarum), also known as Sloe Bug.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day..........

2019

Priorslee Lake

Today's Report Here

2018

Priorslee Lake

Today's Report Here

2016

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2015

Local Area

Today's Sightings Here

2012

Priorslee Lake

Yellow Wagtail

(Ed Wilson)

23 Aug 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash: 

14.0°C > 16.0°C: Another clear start after overnight rain that faded away as cloud spread over. Light SW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:06 BST

* = a photo today.

Priorslee Lake: 04:43 – 06:45 // 07:55 – 09:25

(171st visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- Seven inbound Canada Geese skimmed the water as they did so, deciding not to settle after all.
- A maximum of c.50 Black-headed Gulls were at the lake at any one time. I logged >160 on the academy playing field When they flushed from here a significant number perched on the academy roof. I cannot recall seeing any on this roof previously though they often perch on the Ricoh factory roof.
- A lone Swift seen at 06:00 but not thereafter.
- After yesterday's small passage of Jackdaws and Rooks none today.
- A party of five Barn Swallows flew high S c.09:10. Likely departing birds.

Birds noted flying over / near here:

- 2 Greylag Geese (lone bird outbound; single in with Canadas inbound)
- 28 Canada Geese (13 outbound in two groups; 15 inbound in three groups)
- 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 5 large gulls – too dark to specifically identify
- 1 Stock Dove again
- 35 Wood Pigeons
- no Jackdaws or Rooks

Hirundines etc. logged:

- 1 Swift
- 5 Barn Swallows
- >20 House Martins

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- 12 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Willow Warbler
- 5 (0) Blackcaps
- 4 (0) Reed Warblers

Counts from the lake area:

- *2 + 5 Mute Swans
- 12 (?♂) Mallard
- 1 Cormorant again: arrived
- 3 Grey Herons: all departed
- Little Grebe heard again
- 17 + 6 (4 broods) Great Crested Grebes: the fifth brood not seen
- 4 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 67 adult and juvenile Coots
- >160 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Kingfisher

Gulls on the academy playing field c.06:30:

- >160 Black-headed Gulls

On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:

Moths:

- 1 Pale-streak Grass-veneer (Agriphila selasella)
- 3 Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella)
- 1 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa): different lamp from yesterday

Other things:

- *1 Red-legged Shieldbug (Pentatoma rufipes)
- 2 Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris)s
- 2 Orb-web spiders, presumed Larinioides sclopetarius

Insects / other things etc. noted later:

Another cloudy day

The full list of things noted:

- Small White (Pieris rapae)
- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)
- Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
- 1 Leiobunum rotundum harvestman on the Teece Drive fence
- 4 Grey Squirrels again
- 1 Brown Rat
- 6 Pipistrelle-type bats

Additional flowering plant species recorded for the year at this site:

None

Another morning with the clear start giving way to cloud. A bit of a sunrise before the cloud was all the way across.

The two adult Mute Swans with two of their five cygnets against the sunrise.

Another different shield-bug-type this morning after two species yesterday. This is a Red-legged Shieldbug (Pentatoma rufipes). Seems to have been unusually obvious this year.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:50 – 07:50

(156th visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- Only Greylag Geese arrived while I was present. From their flight path I doubt whether they would have been visible from the lake.
- Many more birds out on the water – Mallard, Tufted Duck and Coots – all giving good counts.
- One of the adult Coots that had the most recent brood of two juveniles was seen refurbishing its nest – hopeful?

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:

- 4 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Jackdaw

Hirundines etc. logged:

- 11 House Martins

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- 7 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Willow Warbler
- 2 (0) Blackcaps again

Counts from the water:

- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 51 Greylag Geese: all arrived
- 15 Canada Geese
- 32 (21♂) Mallard
- 40 (15?♂) Tufted Duck
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 5 adult and juvenile Moorhens
- 63 adult and juvenile Coots
- 1 Black-headed Gull

On various lamp poles:

Moths:

- *1 Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer (Agriphila geniculea)

Otherwise

- 1 Leiobunum rotundum harvestman

Also

- Mystacides longicornis (caddis flies)
- 1 Grey Squirrel again

I looked long and hard at this at the time and now at the photo. Are the marks as a result of wear or do they indicate a different species. Checking then the darker marks fit very well for Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer (Agriphila geniculea). The rather shorter palps also suggest it is not one of the other grass moths that I have been seeing recently. My 2020 moth species count at The Flash reaches a healthy 33.

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

Of note

- A Willow Warbler singing at the lower pool

Otherwise: a moth on a lamp pole:

- *1 Pale-streak Grass-veneer (Agriphila selasella)

A very worn-looking grass moth – note the bare head and tatty wing-tip. Darker under what remains of the pale streak suggests Pale-streak Grass-veneer (Agriphila selasella).

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day..........

2019

Priorslee Lake

Today's Report Here

2018

Priorslee Lake

Today's Report Here

2016

Local Area

Today's Sightings Here

2013

Nedge Hill

1 Redstart

(John Isherwood)

2006

Priorslee Lake

3 Common Terns

(Ed Wilson)

22 Aug 20

Priorslee Lake and The Flash: 

14.0°C > 16.0°C: Mainly clear start apart from a few light remnant showers. More cloud later. Moderate SW wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:05 BST

* = a photo today.

Priorslee Lake: 04:43 – 06:45 // 07:50 – 09:35

(170th visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- Low number of geese outbound and almost none inbound. I suspect that the clear night had allowed them to feed in the fields overnight and they mostly returned early while I was at The Flash (q.v.).

- An update on the three recent Great Crested Grebe broods: all three pairs now seem to have just one juvenile each.

- A male Peregrine flew S to the E of the lake. The House Martins took evading action and probably didn't need to. The Wood Pigeons probably did need to take evading action and didn't.

- No more than 28 Black-headed Gulls were at the lake at any one time. I again noted >200 just to the N, these undoubtedly being the birds I noted on the academy playing field later.

- A lone Swift arrived at 05:45 and presumably this same bird was present for at least 30 minutes.

- Good to see some Jackdaws and Rooks passing. Was this the better weather enabling me to see them? Or have they changed their feeding location?

Birds noted flying over / near here:

- 40 Greylag Geese (all outbound in six groups)

- 49 Canada Geese (45 outbound in three groups; four inbound as two duos)

- *1 Common Buzzard

- *1 Peregrine Falcon

- 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

- 23 large gulls – too early to specifically identify

- 1 Stock Dove

- 51 Wood Pigeons

- 68 Jackdaws (two groups)

- 14 Rooks (two groups)

Hirundines etc. logged:

- 1 Swift

- 7 House Martins

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- 10 (0) Chiffchaffs

- 3 (0) Blackcaps

- 2 (0) Reed Warblers

Counts from the lake area:

- 2 + 5 Mute Swans

- 15 (?♂) Mallard

- 1 Cormorant: arrived

- 2 Grey Herons: one arrived and one departed (same?)

- Little Grebe heard

- *16 + 7 (5 broods) Great Crested Grebes (see notes)

- 5 adult and juvenile Moorhens

- *74 adult and juvenile Coots again

- >200 Black-headed Gulls: ? juveniles (see notes)

- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: adults, briefly

Gulls on the academy playing field c.06:30:

- >210 Black-headed Gulls

On / around the street lights etc. pre-sunrise:

Moths:

- *1 Pale-streak Grass-veneer (Agriphila selasella)

- 1 Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella)

- *1 probable Small Phoenix (Ecliptopera silaceata): very worn

- *1 Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa)

Other things:

- 2 Common Wasps (Paravespula vulgaris)

- *1 Tipula confusa cranefly

- 2 unidentified small beetles

- 2 Orb-web spiders, presumed Larinioides sclopetarius

- 1 Garden Spider (Arameus diadematus)

- 1 unidentified spider

- 1 unidentified harvestman

Insects / other things etc. noted later:

Mainly cloudy by then so low numbers

The full list of things noted:

- Small White (Pieris rapae)

- *Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)

- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)

- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)

- Tapered Drone-fly (Eristalis pertinax)

- Common Drone-fly (Eristalis tenax)

- *Dead-head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)

- Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans)

- Brown Hawker (Aeshna grandis)

- *Hairy Shieldbug (Dolycoris baccarum)

- *Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus)

- strange short-bodied fly

- *Tipula vittata cranefly

- 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)

- 4 Grey Squirrels

- 3 Pipistrelle-type bats

Additional flowering plant species recorded for the year at this site:

None

At last. A sunrise worth looking at.

Another look from a different vantage point.

A few remnant showery bits being illuminated by the sunrise. I did get wet, but not very.

A Great Crested Grebe with a juvenile head off in to the sunset – well sunrise actually.

As far as I could see all the latest broods of Great Crested Grebes have just one juvenile remaining.

Does it make your eyes go funny? It does mine. A Coot at sunrise.

This Common Buzzard is probably one of the adults from the pair that nested in the Ricoh copse. Slight wear on some of the tail-feathers, otherwise a smart-looking bird.

Certainly won't win prizes but even getting a chance to get the camera on a passing Peregrine is unusual. Typical falcon wings and stocky body. I think a male – a female would look bulkier still.

A Pale-streak Grass-veneer moth (Agriphila selasella). Features to note are that the streak splits in to four rather faint fingers (A. tristella splits in to three distinct fingers); the costa (wing tip) has a line of small dark dots; and the lower edge of the streak is darker than the rest of the wing. Also, I am not sure whether this is a reliable feature or not but A. tristella (and other grass moths) usually show a surprised-looking blue eye. Not this one.

By far the most worn moth I have tried to identify. I am fairly certain this is a Small Phoenix (Ecliptopera silaceata) from the shape of the cross-bar, and of the dark mark on the wing trailing-edge.

In contrast this is by far my best specimen of Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa) this year.

This caught my eye as being rather different from the usual Common Carder Bees (Bombus pascuorum) I have been seeing. The antennae look particularly long and the abdomen has white hairs along the underside. Looking closely there is the smallest of gingery tail. My book tells me that this species of bee is one of the most variable and all these features are within normal variability. There is no confusion species – unless I have found something new to science. Common Carder Bee it is.

A rather smart hoverfly – a Dead-head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea).

I think I must have caught this Hairy Shieldbug (Dolycoris baccarum) at a strange angle as the 'head and neck' do not look quite right. However the banded black-and-white antennae and connexivum (the border of the abdomen) identify it as this species.

Not a shieldbug as such but closely related – a Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus).

(Another) one to give up on. This very small fly with the body much shorter than the folded wings suggests one of the fruit flies. All those I can find on the web have patterned wings, not apparent here.

This small cranefly with marbled black and pale wings is Tipula confusa.

The sort of cranefly that explains why they are also known as daddy long-legs – well the 'long-legs' part anyway. The angle shows the legs well-enough but not the rest of the markings. Luckily the dark stripe along the side of the abdomen is sufficient to identify it as Tipula vittata.

I get very frustrated with all the web sites that show harvestmen. This species seems to me distinctive in having the first and third pairs of legs much shorter than the others. None of the sites shows the whole creature, all concentrating on the body shape and markings. This is hard to see when they are feet away up lamp poles. So 'unidentified harvestman' it stays.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 06:50 – 07:45

(155th visit of the year)

Bird notes:

- Apart from 14 of the Canada Geese the other geese all arrived within the space of about five minutes. They mostly swiftly moved inside the island and even the Greylag Geese were largely quiet.

- Nearly all the Coot were out on the water giving a large count (once I had separated them from the Tufted Duck!)

Birds noted flying over / near The Flash:

- 5 Black-headed Gulls

- 11 Feral Pigeons: group of 10 and a singleton

- 9 Wood Pigeons

Hirundines etc. logged:

- 4 House Martins

Count of warblers logged (singing birds in brackets):

- 5 (0) Chiffchaffs

- 2 (0) Blackcaps

Counts from the water:

- 3 + 7 (1 brood) Mute Swans

- *176 Greylag Geese: all arrived

- 30 Canada Geese: 16 of these arrived

- 23 (?♂) Mallard

- 28 (8?♂) Tufted Duck

- 3 Great Crested Grebes still

- 7 adult and juvenile Moorhens

- 51 adult and juvenile Coots

- 3 Black-headed Gulls

On various lamp poles:

Moths:

None

Otherwise

- *1 Marsh Slug (Deroceras laeve)

- 1 Leiobunum rotundum harvestman

Also

- Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)

- Common Wasp (Paravespula vulgaris)

- 1 Grey Squirrel

Some of the very many arriving Greylag Geese do so in a neat formation.

While another group follows on.

They are good at formation flying. Note one appears to have a dark neck – just an effect of its neck being in shadow.

Not quite so neat as they find their spot to land.

This slug looked sufficiently different that I felt compelled to try and identify it. I think a Marsh Slug (Deroceras laeve). Another group that I am not an expert in!

(Ed Wilson)

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Between the lake and The Flash:

Of note

A Blackcap calling at the lower pool

Otherwise: moth on a lamp pole:

- 1 Common Grass-veneer (Agriphila tristella)

Also

- 1 Grey Squirrel

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day..........

2019

Priorslee Lake

Today's Report Here

2018

Priorslee Lake

Today's Report Here

2016

Local Area

Today's Sightings Here

2014

Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2012

Priorslee Lake

Peregrine Falcon

Yellow Wagtail

(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake

3 Sandwich Terns

Common Tern

Kingfisher 

Tree Pipit

(Ed Wilson)

2005

Priorslee Lake

Common Tern

Raven

Kingfisher

(Ed Wilson)