Location
13°C – 14°C again: Scattered low cloud under high overcast. Light NNW wind. Very good visibility
(66th visit of the year)
Notes
- the Greylag Geese seem to be still mobile with birds seen flying in and out. The Canada Geese seem to be here to moult, though not sure whether they are flightless at the moment
- the extra Tufted Duck perhaps birds from the lake (where there were none this morning)
- no Moorhens here but a bird seen at the lower pond alongside the path between The Flash and the lake
- only 1 of yesterday’s new brood of 3 Coot noted
- family party of Nuthatches along the path below squirrel alley
Birds noted flying over
- 1 Jackdaw(!)
Hirundines etc. seen here today
- 5 Common Swifts
- 3 House Martins
Warblers seen / heard around the water: numbers in brackets are singing birds
- 3 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (1) Blackcap
The counts from the water
- 2 + 6 Mute Swans
- 43 Greylag Geese
- 168 Canada Geese
- 10 (8♂) Mallard
- 8 (6♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 Great Crested Grebe
- no Moorhens
- 14 +1 (1 brood) Coots
(Ed Wilson)
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Priorslee Lake: 07:25 – 09:25
Location
(101st visit of the year)
Notes
- the 2 Mallard ducklings flew quite strongly when flushed – not fully fledged but close
- Great Crested Grebes, as usual, confuse. No sign of the juveniles and I do not think I saw their parents but what were the two birds doing building a nest in the SW area? All the other five were in their normal N / NE area
- a new brood of two juvenile Coots this morning. 12 adults were seen congregating on the SW grass and this suggests that for these, at least, the breeding (and fighting) season is over
- a Blackcap, Garden Warbler and Common Whitethroat were singing within a few feet of each other – confusing!
- a Coal Tit singing – my first noted singing here since 28 May. Unlike most tit species Coal Tits sometimes have a second brood and this is likely what has provoked it to sing again
and
- no moths on the lamps
- a single micro moth flushed from the vegetation this morning but has so far eluded identification
- no damselflies seen
- very many Mystacides longicornis (caddis flies) dancing over the waterside as usual
- 2 7-spot Ladybirds noted
- a sawfly and a caddis-fly both apparently new for me: neither fully identified
Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- 4 Cormorants (single + 3 together)
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 3 Feral Pigeons (1 group)
- 2 Stock Doves (singles)
- 1 Wood Pigeon only
- 8 Jackdaws
- 65 Rooks
Hirundines etc. seen here today
- 10 Swift
- 1 Barn Swallow
- 2 House Martin
Warblers seen / heard around the lake: numbers in brackets are singing birds
- 6 (6) Chiffchaffs
- 12 (10) Blackcaps again
- 2 (2) Garden Warblers again
- 2 (1) Common Whitethroat
- 6 (3) Reed Warblers
The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 10 (7♂) + 2 duckling Mallard
- 1 Grey Heron
- 7 Great Crested Grebes
- 5 Moorhens
- 39 + 7 juveniles (5 broods) Coots
Quite alarming from this viewpoint! A crane-fly.
From another angle: probably Tipula lunata.
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Lock Pool
4 drake Pochard
(Ed Wilson)
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On this day in ...........
2010Trench Lock Pool
4 drake Pochard
(Ed Wilson)