31st July, Monday (04:22 - 08:20) - Final visit before by sojourn to the Amazon jungle to see some ant-birds!

Started fine and cloudless with overnight shower well away to the E. No wind and wreathes of mist over the lake and grass.  But high cloud to N & NW spread across and a light moderate S / SW wind sprang up, making it feel much cooler than of late This cloud tended to thicken and lower.

Highlight today
- the long-absent 4th adult Great Crested Grebe re-appeared - with at least 2 stripy-headed juveniles riding on her back!
- Sparrowhawk seen twice, the second time mobbed by largest party of House Martins so far - c.50
- high numbers of pigeons and corvids, but managed to avoid seeing a single Chaffinch or Reed Bunting

So here we go with the avian notes from the lake today
- no sign of the Little Grebe today, not that this means much with this often elusive species
- 4 adult Great Crested Grebes with 2 new juveniles
- 1 juvenile Heron fly-by only recorded today
- the 1 surviving cygnet with the adult Swans
- Greylag Goose heard flying over but not seen
- lots of Canada Geese again today with many parties noted. Just 8 landed at the lake: another 133 birds flew E in 13 parties. Groups of 37 flew W much later and were probably returning birds
- the 2 well-grown Mallard ducklings seen. The adult count on the lake was 62 today
- 9 Tufted Ducks. 8 at the dam appeared to be 4 drakes and 4 ducks; another duck feeding at the W end on its own
- at least 2 Kestrels seen today with birds on the wires / pylons / hovering to NE from 05:04 onwards
- 2 sightings of Sparrowhawk, both apparently males: at 06:20 one flew N carrying prey pursued by 2 House Martins. Then at 07:35 1 drifted high S to the W with a mobbing party of at least 50 House Martins
- 2 well-grown juvenile Moorhens again, one of them climbing the reeds along the S side - I did wonder how so many managed to fall in the water!; 2 adults as well, but no small juveniles
- news of the Coot juveniles: another 2 losses (from broods #20 and #22): just 14 dependent juveniles now
- - 2 survivors from brood #14 in the NW area
- - 1 survivor from brood #17 along the N shore
- - 1 survivor from brood #18 off the reeds
- - 1 survivor from brood #19 in NE area
- - none from brood #20 seen today at the smaller N side reed-bed with adults furiously nest-building / refurbishing
- - 5 survivors from brood #21 in the biggest reed-bed along the N side
- - 4 from the 5 juveniles of brood #22 near the old fishing hut in the SW area. While I was in this area c.05:45 one of the adults was feeding a juvenile by the boat platform when there a mighty splash and lots of squawking - I suspect that was the end of the 5th
- Small count of gulls today:
- - 51 Black-headed Gulls logged: all bar 2 came from the W - the first bird at 04:40 came from the E; and a juvenile flew high W much later
- - 29 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: 19 flew high S to the E very early at 04:35; then 7 seen on the more usual SW track. Later 3 singles arrived from the N but did not stay
- today 22 Feral Pigeons in several small groups, none apparently racing pigeons
- a respectable count of 8 Stock Doves with birds flying over with the Wood Pigeons; and the 2 birds to the NE again
- much bigger count of Wood Pigeons today. I logged a massive 231 [41] flying E. There was a maximum of 14 [8] birds on the wires. There were 21 [18] birds around the lake itself. And 35 [22] birds logged flying W. So my tally today was 301 [89]
- more Swifts today: the first 2 at 05:08 was the start of a small westerly passage totalling 13 birds. Later 6 were over the lake and these seemed to stay throughout
- few Swallows: a single flew through at the early time of 05:14; and one was high to the NE at 05:45; otherwise just 2 over the lake
- 1 had logged some 35 House Martins high to the NE (over Priorslee Estate) before I noted the group of c..50 pursuing the Sparrowhawk. These were probably all the same birds as were the c,20 feeding around the N side trees of the lake later
- 2 Grey Wagtails today, one a juvenile
- 2 Pied Wagtails over
- only 3 Blackbirds logged today and these were all early calling birds: I saw none!
- 3 of the 6 Song Thrushes were briefly in song
- no Mistle Thrushes logged
- 4 Reed Warblers singing today
- 3 Lesser Whitethroats: one in the SW bushes and 2 calling at the W end
- just 1 Common Whitethroat today: juvenile at the W end
- perhaps the Garden Warblers have gone
- 2 Blackcaps singing briefly: another 3 heard calling: and 5 juveniles seen together
- 4 Chiffchaffs logged today: all calling, with 2 bursting in to sporadic song occasionally
- no Willow Warblers seen nor heard
- the Willow Tits seemed to be elsewhere again
- no Jays logged today
- yet another variation on the corvid passage: they were all well to the E this morning, and there were no large (>60) parties. The protracted passage may well have continued well after I repositioned to check the Greenfinch roost from where they are less visible, and hence the totals will be an under-recording. Certainly a party of 42 Jackdaws some 2 hours after the main passage suggests I may well have overlooked some birds! My final tally was 301 [252] Jackdaws; and 559 [701] Rooks [yesterday's numbers]
- 14 of the 15 Starlings logged flew SE and seemed to come from the Priorslee estate in 2 small parties; later a lone bird flew N: none noted at the Greenfinch roost - my roost-count for the Greenfinches was just 194 [226], but this was also an under-recording as it took me some while to realise that birds were leaving to the E from the back of the bushes - usually most head W / NW and circle before they leave. There seemed to be a small roost in the NW area as well, unless they used this as a staging area outbound
- no early Goldfinch song: but a fine family party with 4 juveniles in the thistles at the W end
- Reed Buntings were neither heard nor seen at all!

Also
- examination of the street lights produced just 1 Silver Y moth
- with an early departure and cloudy conditions only a single Meadow Brown logged
- two species of bat again today: the Pipistrelle at the W end; and at least 5 larger bats over the N / NE area

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today is set out below:
no Little Grebe; 4 adult Great Crested Grebes and 2 juveniles; 1 Heron; the 2 resident Swans and 1 cygnet; 1 Greylag Goose heard; at least 141 Canada Geese (8 landed); 62 adult Mallards with 2 ducklings from 1 brood; 9 Tufted Ducks (4 drakes?); 2 Kestrels; 2 sightings of Sparrowhawk;  no other raptors; no Pheasants; 4 Moorhens (2 adults, 2 well-grown juveniles from different broods); 73 full-grown Coots and 14 local dependent juveniles from 6 broods; no waders; 51 Black-headed Gulls; 29 Lesser Black-backed Gulls; no Herring Gulls; no Common Terns; 22 Feral Pigeons; 8 Stock Doves; 301 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; 19 Swifts; no Kingfisher; no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; no Sky Larks; no Sand Martins; 4 Swallows; c.50 House Martins; no pipits; 2 Grey Wagtails; 2 Pied Wagtails; 24 Wrens again; 9 Dunnocks; 15 Robins; just 3 Blackbirds; 6 Song Thrushes (3 in intermittent song); no Mistle Thrushes; 4 Reed Warblers (4 in song); 3 Lesser Whitethroats again; 1 Common Whitethroat; no Garden Warblers; 10 Blackcaps (2 in song); 4 Chiffchaffs (2 in intermittent song); no Willow Warblers; 1 Goldcrest; 1 Long-tailed Tit party; no Coal Tits; no Willow Tits; 7 Blue Tits again; 12 Great Tits; no Tree Creepers; no Jays; 12 Magpies; 301 Jackdaws; 559 Rooks; 9 Crows; 15 Starlings; no House Sparrows; no Chaffinches; 202 Greenfinches; 10 Goldfinches; no Linnets; 3 Bullfinches; no Reed Buntings; and no Yellowhammer

Also recorded:
Mammals:
- 10 (!) Rabbits
- no new molehills noted
- 1 Pipistrelle
- 5 larger Bat sp.

Insects:
1 species of butterflies
- 1 Meadow Brown [1626]

1 species of moth identified
- 1 Silver Y (Autographa gamma) [2441]
and - just 1 Cinnabar Moth [2069] caterpillars on the Ragwort - I struggled to find one this morning!
- the usual unidentified grass moths
[numbers are the British Checklist Numbers]

no dragonfly species

(Ed Wilson)

30th July, Sunday (04:24 - 07:50 // 08:45 - 09:20) - [In between walked around the lanes to the E / SE of the lake - See Local Bird News]

Fine and apart from some wisps of thin clouds mostly cloudless on a much fresher morning after rain. Soaking wet grass! No wind initially and wreathes of mist over the lake, but light SW breeze later. Excellent visibility

Highlight today
- I was right: there is a Little Grebe at the lake. Raises the interesting question as to whether the birds seen in the late spring have stayed to breed!
- Great Spotted Woodpecker hacking away at a trunk on the N side
- yet more views of both Lesser and Common Whitethroats

So here we go with the avian notes from the lake today
- 1 adult Little Grebe was less of a surprise given my 'possible' sighting earlier in the week!
- 3 adult Great Crested Grebes
- no Heron recorded today
- the 1 surviving cygnet with the adult Swans
- 2 Greylag Geese flew over today, singles in with different groups of Canada Geese
- lots of Canada Geese again today with many parties noted. 13 landed at the lake at various times: another 68 birds flew E in 5 parties. A group of 38 flew W much later and was probably these birds returning
- no Mallard ducklings seen. The adult count on the lake was a high 63 today
- 14 Tufted Ducks. 2 flew off at 05:30, but the other 12 stayed throughout
- no Kestrels seen today!
- 2 well-grown juvenile Moorhens again; 1 adult with a small juvenile
- news of the Coot juveniles: another loss (from brood #20): just 16 dependent juveniles now
- - 2 survivors from brood #14 in the NW area
- - 1 survivor from brood #17 along the N shore
- - 1 survivor from brood #18 off the reeds
- - 1 survivor from brood #19 in NE area
- - only 1 of the 2 survivors from brood #20 seen today at the smaller N side reed-bed
- - 5 survivors from brood #21 in the biggest reed-bed along the N side, though later I could only find 4!
- - 5 new juveniles near the old fishing hut in the SW area
- another low count of gulls today: just a scatter of Black-headed Gulls arriving from the W; and a small passage of Lesser Black-backed Gulls flying SW. Later 3 Lesser Black-backs stopped off briefly
- In total I logged 42 [82] Black-headed Gulls and 19 [9] Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
- no Common Tern recorded
- today 2 Feral Pigeons: a more 'normal' count
- another small count of Wood Pigeons today. I logged 41 [33] flying E. There was a maximum of 8 [13] birds on the wires. Few birds were around the lake itself (18 [20]) and birds were flying W as well (22 [5]). So my tally today was 89 [71]
- more Swifts today: the first at 05:01 had increased to 11 birds by 05:30, though they had gone a few minutes later. 2 logged later
- a Great Spotted Woodpecker loudly attacking one of the trees along the N side
- a presumed family party of 4 Swallows was feeding at the W end, using the wires of the yacht compound to rest
- at least 6 House Martins
- 2 Grey Wagtails today
- 3 Pied Wagtails
- 2 of the 4 Song Thrushes were again in song
- no Mistle Thrushes logged
- 2 Reed Warblers singing: and only one other heard calling
- 3 Lesser Whitethroats today. 2 calling at the W end: and another juvenile seen along the N side
- 3 Common Whitethroats together at the W end
- no Garden Warblers yet again
- once again only 1 Blackcap singing (though that did beat the Song Thrush in the Dawn Chorus). Again another 2 heard calling
- 6 Chiffchaffs logged today: they all seemed to be in constant calling mode today, with one lapsing into a snatch of song
- 1 Willow Warblers sang very briefly, but otherwise neither seen nor heard
- the Willow Tits seemed to be elsewhere today!
- 2 Jay heard in the NW area
- another different corvid passage: after several parties of Rooks very early (before 05:00), a huge flock of some 450 birds, spread all across the sky, seemed to be c.350 Rooks and c.100 Jackdaws. About 15 minutes later a party of 160 birds was largely (c.100) Jackdaws. But there were none of the usual tight flocks of Jackdaws noted. My final tally was 252 [252 - yes the same number as yesterday!] Jackdaws; but a massive 701 [172] Rooks [yesterday's numbers]
- 8 Starlings seemed to fly out of the reeds this morning: none noted at the Greenfinch roost
- my roost-count for the Greenfinches was 226 [263], though they were harder to count today, partly because I was distracted by the great sunrise, and partly because they seemed to do a 'double-shuffle' and move from the SW bushes to join others along the S side from where they tended to fly off un-sighted. The first calls were at 05:05 and the first bird seen flying at 05:15; the biggest group of 48 left at 05:36. Small numbers elsewhere
- yet again a Goldfinch burst in to song very early
- Reed Buntings were not heard singing today: a party of 3 at the W end; and 2 males along the N side

Also
- examination of the street lights produced 4 moths of different species. One will have to remain unidentified as I could not get a decent view of a small micromoth from anywhere. Otherwise there were single Agriphila tristella grass moth; Brimstone moths; and (probably the same) Sallow Kitten
- a fine Painted Lady butterfly this morning, with several male Common Blues as well
- two species of bat today: the Pipistrelle at the W end; and at least 6 larger bats over the N / NE area

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today is set out below
1 adult Little Grebe; 3 Great Crested Grebes; no Herons; the 2 resident Swans and 1 cygnet; 2 Greylag Geese; at least 81 Canada Geese (13 landed); 63 adult Mallards but no duckling; 14 Tufted Ducks; no raptors; no Pheasants; 4 Moorhens (1 adults, 2 well-grown and 1 small juveniles); 76 full-grown Coots and 16 local dependent juveniles from 7 broods; no waders; 42 Black-headed Gulls; 19 Lesser Black-backed Gulls; no Herring Gulls; no Common Terns; 2 Feral Pigeons; 2 Stock Doves; 89 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; 13 Swifts; no Kingfisher; 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker; no Sky Larks; no Sand Martins; 4 Swallows; 6 House Martins; no pipits; 2 Grey Wagtails; 3 Pied Wagtails; 24 Wrens; 4 Dunnocks; 20 Robins; just 7 Blackbirds; 4 Song Thrushes (only 2 in intermittent song); no Mistle Thrushes; 3 Reed Warblers (2 in song); 3 Lesser Whitethroats; 3 Common Whitethroats; no Garden Warblers; 5 Blackcaps (1 in song); 6 Chiffchaffs (1 in song); 1 Willow Warbler; no Goldcrest; 1 Long-tailed Tit party; no Coal Tits; no Willow Tits; 7 Blue Tits; 9 Great Tits; no Tree Creepers; 2 Jays; only 5 Magpies; 252 Jackdaws again; 701 Rooks; 4 Crows; 8 Starlings; no House Sparrows; 5 Chaffinches; 239 Greenfinches; 8 Goldfinches; no Linnets; no Bullfinches; 5 Reed Buntings; and no Yellowhammer

Also recorded
Mammals:
- 2 Rabbits
- no new molehills noted
- 1 Pipistrelle
- 6 larger Bat sp.

Insects:
6 species of butterflies
- 2 Green-veined White [1551]
- 3 Common Blue [1574]]
- 1 Painted Ladies [1591]
- 2 Speckled Wood [1614]
- 5 Gatekeeper [1625]
- 2 Meadow Brown [1626]

3 species of moth identified
- 1 Agriphila tristella [1305]
- 1 Brimstone Moth (Opicthograptis luteolata) [1906]
- 1 Sallow Kitten (Furcula furcula) [1997]
and
- a few Cinnabar Moth [2069] caterpillars on the Ragwort
- the usual unidentified grass moths
[numbers are the British Checklist Numbers]

1 species of dragonfly
- more Blue-tailed Damselflies

(Ed Wilson)

29th July, Saturday, (04:24 - 06:30 // 08:05 - 09:38) - [walked to & around The Flash in between - see Local Bird News]

Probably the last day before the holiday that I will have time to visit The Flash, so a visit of two halves to the lake. And on the first visit I stayed for the Greenfinches to leave their roost so the only time I was in the N / NE area was later than usual - perhaps affected some of the passerine total

Fine and with good clear areas in the high cloud, especially to the N. Light SW winds increasing somewhat. Initially very hazy and with wreathes of mist over the lake, but clearer later

Highlight today
- 1 Common Tern again
- more views of both Lesser and Common Whitethroats
- larger Greenfinch roost
- Small Copper butterfly

So here we go with the avian notes from the lake today
- 3 adult Great Crested Grebes
- Heron heard only today
- the 1 surviving cygnet with the adult Swans
- no Greylag Geese today
- lots of Canada Geese today with many parties noted. 21 Canada Geese landed at the lake: another 82 birds flew E in 5 parties. Thereafter birds were flying about in small numbers - probably some of the above
- now only 1 of the 5 new Mallard ducklings seem to be surviving: there was also the 2 very well-grown ducklings - very hard to spot now. The adult count on the lake was just 30 today
- 12 Tufted Ducks was my largest count and these were at the W end again. Later I was confused as I could only find parties of 4 & 6 at opposite end of the lake, after which 4 birds were seen in flight and I thought leaving
- so why could I find 9 on the lake?
- 2 Kestrel to the E / NE again: several other sightings, assumed to be these birds
- just 2 well-grown juvenile Moorhens recorded today: no adults located!
- news of the Coot juveniles: another brood! But otherwise yesterday's reduced numbers confirmed and no 'new' losses
- - 2 survivors from brood #14 in the NW area
- - 1 survivor from brood #17 along the N shore: nest still being furiously rebuilt!
- - 1 survivor from brood #18 off the reeds
- - 1 survivor from brood #19 in NE area
- - 2 survivors from brood #20 seen today at the smaller N side reed-bed -
- 5 survivors from brood #21 in the biggest reed-bed along the N side
- - 5 new juveniles near the old fishing hut in the SW area
- another low count of gulls today: just a scatter of birds arriving from the W again until 09:05 when a party of 66 Black-headed Gulls appeared from the W. But apart from 3 juveniles, all these moved on within 5 minutes
- In total I logged 82 [28] Black-headed Gulls and 9 [6] Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
- 1 Common Tern at 08:25 sat on a buoy for a while, but did not stay long
- today 95 Feral Pigeons included a party of 71 Racing Pigeons! Must be the time of year to hold races?
- an even smaller count of Wood Pigeons today. I logged just 33 [70] flying E. There was a maximum of 13 [22] birds on the wires. Few birds were around the lake itself (20 [27]) and birds were flying W as well (5 [18]). So my tally today was 71 [147]
- just 3 Swifts logged - perhaps they have started to leave?: The first was a lone bird at 05:34; one of the others was very distant
- Kingfisher seen and heard flying
- mainly small groups of Swallows, but at 08:30 there were at least 12 and at the same time ?
- at least 25 House Martins at 08:30
- 1 Grey Wagtail only
- 2 Pied Wagtails
- 2 Song Thrushes were in song, but song is now very short-lived and sporadic
- 1 Mistle Thrush calling in the NW area
- just 2 Reed Warblers singing
- 4 Lesser Whitethroats again today. 3 again calling at the W end: and another calling in the SW area
- 2 Common Whitethroats at least together at the W end: one bird, a juvenile, was feeding on the ground alongside a Reed Bunting!
- no Garden Warblers today
- only 1 Blackcap singing and just another 2 heard calling
- 3 Chiffchaffs logged again: one of these birds briefly in song
- no Willow Warblers today
- the Willow Tits were in the NW area again [there were more birds alongside the main part of Teece Drive when I walked to & from The Flash]
- 1 Jay today, in the NW area
- the corvids were different again: most of the Jackdaws were in 2 good-sized groups, with rather few Rooks mixed in. There were few sizeable parties of Rooks. My final tally was 252 [375] Jackdaws; and 172 [378] Rooks [yesterday's numbers] I was in part distracted by a good sunrise and attempts to photograph it, but that does not entirely explain the lower figures
- 4 Starlings came out of the Greenfinch roost site
- my roost-count for the Greenfinches was 263 [246]. The first calls were at 04:59 and the first bird seen flying at 05:16; the biggest group of 85 left at 05:47. Small numbers elsewhere
- yet again a Goldfinch again burst in to song early at 04:54
- no Reed Bunting song: 4 birds seen, one of which flew over Castle Farm Way

Also
- examination of the street lights produced just 1 moth - a Riband Wave of the form with the band: but lots of spiders and wings in the webs
- a fine Red Admiral butterfly this morning, but best was my first Small Copper of the year here with a female Common Blue running it close
- two species of bat today: a Pipistrelle nearly taking my hat off at the W end; and a very high-flying bat as well

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today is set out below
3 Great Crested Grebes; 1 Heron heard; the 2 resident Swans and 1 cygnet; no Greylag Geese; at least 103 Canada Geese (21 landed); 30 adult Mallards
with 3 ducklings from 2 broods; at least 12 Tufted Ducks; 2 Kestrels; no other raptors; no Pheasants; 2 Moorhens (no adults, 2 well-grown juveniles); 72 full-grown Coots and 17 local dependent juveniles from 7 broods; no waders; 82 Black-headed Gulls; 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls; no Herring Gulls; 1 Common Tern; 95 Feral Pigeons; no Stock Doves; 71 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; 3 Swifts; 1 Kingfisher; no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; no Sky Larks; no Sand Martins; 12 Swallows; c.25 House Martins; no pipits; 1 Grey Wagtail; 2 Pied Wagtails; 17 Wrens; 8 Dunnocks; 23 Robins; 9 Blackbirds; 6 Song Thrushes (only 2 in intermittent song); 1 Mistle Thrush; 2 Reed Warblers; 4 Lesser Whitethroats; 2 Common Whitethroats; no Garden Warblers; 3 Blackcaps (1 in song); 3 Chiffchaffs (1 in song); no Willow Warblers; no Goldcrest; 1 Long-tailed Tit party; no Coal Tits; 2 Willow Tits; 11 Blue Tits; 6 Great Tits; no Tree Creepers; no Jays; 9 Magpies; 252 Jackdaws; 172 Rooks; 6 Crows; 4 Starlings; no House Sparrows; 3 Chaffinches; 273 Greenfinches; 6 Goldfinches; no Linnets; 1 Bullfinch; 4 Reed Buntings; and no Yellowhammer

Also recorded
Mammals:
- 3 Rabbits
- no new molehills noted
- 1 Pipistrelle
- 1 high-flying Bat sp.

Insects:
8 species of butterflies
- 4 Green-veined White [1551]
- 1 Small Copper [1561]
- 1 Common Blue [1574]
- 1 Red Admiral [1590]
- 2 Painted Ladies [1591]
- 2 Speckled Wood [1614]
- 7 Gatekeeper [1625]
- 6 Meadow Brown [1626]

2 species of moth identified
- 1 Evergestis pallidata [1358]
- 1 Riband Wave (Idaea aversata) [1713]
and
- still some Cinnabar Moth [2069] caterpillars on the Ragwort
- the usual unidentified grass moths
[numbers are the British Checklist Numbers]

2 species of dragonfly
- a few Blue-tailed Damselflies
- a Hawker-type that seemed too small for a Southern Hawker

(Ed Wilson)

28th July, Friday, (04:22 - 09:06) - Needed to get away - shopping to do ahead of 'holiday' in the Amazon jungles next week! So it was basically stand around for the roost dispersal and then a slow walk all around the lake, with no diversion to the Flash or the lanes to the E

Fine and clear apart from some early cloud to the NE and E; feeling much fresher with a moderate E wind. Excellent visibility

Highlight today
- 2 Common Terns briefly
- 2 Buzzards
- first Collared Doves for ages
- more great views of both Lesser and Common Whitethroats

So here we go with the avian notes from the lake today
- 3 adult Great Crested Grebes: but a bird seen spiralling up higher and higher, and then lower and lower may or may not have been one of these birds
- 1 juvenile Heron today. It was on the SW grass and seemed to be practising 'spearing' blades of grass! I hope someone tells it about the refractive index of water otherwise he will miss all the fish and become the first vegetarian heron!
- the 1 surviving cygnet with the adult Swans
- no Greylag Geese today
- 20 Canada Geese arrived, in 3 parties: another 42 birds flew E in 2 parties: later 28 flew W and may or may not have been some of these birds
- just 2 of the 5 new Mallard ducklings seem to be surviving: there was also the 2 very well-grown ducklings - very hard to spot now. The adult count on the lake was only 45 today, but birds had been flying in and out all morning. I guess they are all trying their new flight-feathers? At least 2 of the drakes are looking very fine now
- 10 Tufted Ducks again: today they were unusually at the W end
- no Ruddy Ducks seen
- a Buzzard-like call turned out not to be a Jay today - but 2 apparently adult Buzzards sparring lightly together as they flew SE
- 2 Kestrel to the E / NE by 05:00: several other sightings, assumed to be these birds (though I guess there may be some juveniles as well)
- 6 Moorhens recorded today: 3 adults, 1 of these with 1 small juveniles; 2 other well-grown juveniles
- news of the Coot juveniles: 3 of yesterday's juveniles missing this morning and only 12 logged
- - 2 survivors from brood #14 in the NW area
- - only 1 of the2 juveniles from brood #17 along the N shore and, as often happens when juveniles are lost the parents were busy reconstucting the nest
- - 1 survivor from brood #18 off the reeds
- - only 1 of the 2 juveniles from brood #19 in NE area
- - only 2 of the 3 juveniles from brood #20 seen today at the smaller N side reed-bed
- - only 5 of the 6 juveniles from brood #21 in the biggest reed-bed along the N side
- another low count of gulls today: no northbound movement and just a scatter of birds arriving from the W. In total I logged just 28 [38] Black-headed Gulls and 6 [3] Lesser Black-backed Gulls. But the first large gull I noted was an adult Herring Gull flying W
- 1 Common Tern at 07:00: was busy counting at the time but when I looked back there were 2. But never saw either again
- today 54 Feral Pigeons included a party of 31 Racing Pigeons - so perhaps Thursday is not the only day for these
- a Stock Dove was seen in the W end trees at 06:00: it, or another, was there 45 minutes later
- another small count of Wood Pigeons as well today. I logged just 70 [94] flying E. There was a maximum of 22 [15] birds on the wires. More birds were around the lake itself (27 [16]) and birds were flying W as well (18 [12]). So my tally today was 147 [137]
- 2 fly-over Collared Doves were my first for ages
- 7 Swifts only logged: again none stayed for any length of time, the first being lone bird at 05:08
- Great Spotted Woodpecker seen in flight way to the N
- after an unidentified martin to the N at 05:10, some 10 minutes later a Sand Martin came through also heading W and calling. Most odd these early records, suggesting that birds are using night roots somewhere - but then I guess the first-brood juveniles have to go somewhere while the adults look after later broods in the nest
- small groups of up to 6 Swallows logged today
- House Martins from 05:55, mainly to the NW - local birds
- 3 Grey Wagtails again
- 2 Pied Wagtails only
- no Mistle Thrushes today
- 5 Reed Warblers singing and again the only birds singing or calling until some time after I arrived. Another 2 birds - juveniles seen in the N-side reeds. These birds - warmer-toned than the adults - often raised their crests and could (were!) at casual glance be taken for juvenile Blackcaps
- 4 Lesser Whitethroats today. 3 together at the W end giving unbeatable views: and another calling in the SW area
- 3 Common Whitethroats at least: all together at the W end, at least 2 of which were juveniles once again making their sparrow-like calls
- no Garden Warblers today
- 2 Blackcaps singing again, with another 6 heard calling and 2 more, both juveniles, seen
- 2 Chiffchaffs logged again: after a prolonged burst of calling one of these birds burst in to full song
- 3 Willow Warblers today: 2 calling at the E end of the N side, shortly afterwards another started sporadic song
- Goldcrest singing and calling in the N side conifers today
- the Willow Tits were in the Teece Drive area again
- no Jays today
- the corvids were mainly in a huge sprawling mixed species party that I judged contained 280 Jackdaws and 220 Rooks! Quite a few small groups gave me a final tally of 375 [157] Jackdaws; and 378 [58] Rooks [yesterday's numbers]
- no Starlings came out of the Greenfinch roost site but a party of 19 seen flying off might just have come from the reed-beds. So if you see any that can speak Reed Warbler ?
- a juvenile Chaffinch begging and in hot pursuit of an adult was also making a call that sounded a bit like House Sparrows, though the noise was coming from the tops of 70' poplars which was not where I would have expected to see a sparrow!
- my roost-count for the Greenfinches was 246 [273]. The first calls were at 04:56, and the first bird seen flying at 05:08; the biggest group of 69 left at 05:52. Small numbers elsewhere
- yet again a Goldfinch again burst in to song at the even earlier time of 04:51. Later a family party was feeding on thistle-down near the Teece Drive gate
- just a short burst of Reed Bunting song: family parties seen and 6 birds at least

Also
- examination of the street lights produced just 2 grass moths, but they were clearly of a different species to those seen earlier and more distinctively marked, so I took some photos and have identified them as the very common grass moth Agriphila tristella
- Painted Lady and Peacock butterflies this morning
- one species of bat today: a larger species to the NE
- a moth disturbed from its grassy roost I thought was a Shaded Broad-bar, but looking at the photo I took it is clearly a Snout (the wonders of digital cameras!) Also several specimens of the micro-moth Evergestis pallidata with no vernacular name

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today is set out below
3 Great Crested Grebes; 1 Heron; the 2 resident Swans and 1 cygnet; no Greylag Geese; up to 90 Canada Geese (20 landed); 45 adult Mallards with 4
ducklings from 2 broods; 10 Tufted Ducks; no Ruddy Ducks; 2 Buzzards; 2 Kestrels; no other raptors; no Pheasants; 6 Moorhens (3 adults, 3 juveniles); 62 full-grown Coots and 12 local dependent juveniles from 6 broods; no waders; 28 Black-headed Gulls; 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls; 1 Herring Gull; 2 Common Terns; 54 Feral Pigeons; 1 Stock Dove; 147 Wood Pigeons; 2 Collared Doves; 7 Swifts; no Kingfishers; 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker; no Sky Larks; 1 unidentified martin; 1 Sand Martin; 6 Swallows; 8 House Martins; no pipits; 3 Grey Wagtails; 2 Pied Wagtails; 22 Wrens; 10 Dunnocks; 18 Robins; 10 Blackbirds; 5 Song Thrushes (only 2 in song); no Mistle Thrushes; 7 Reed Warblers (5 in song); 4 Lesser Whitethroats; 3 Common Whitethroats; no Garden Warblers; 10 Blackcaps (2 in song); 2 Chiffchaffs (1 in song); 3 Willow Warblers (1 in song); 1 Goldcrest; 1 Long-tailed Tit party; no Coal Tits; 2 Willow Tits; 10 Blue Tits; 15 Great Tits; no Tree Creepers; no Jays; 11 Magpies; 375 Jackdaws; 378 Rooks; 10 Crows; 19 Starlings; no House Sparrows; 3 Chaffinches; 260 Greenfinches; 10 Goldfinches; no Linnets; 4 Bullfinches; 6 Reed Buntings (1 song); and no Yellowhammer

Also recorded
Mammals:
- 4 Rabbits
- no new molehills noted
- no Pipistrelle
- 1 larger Bat sp.

Insects:
9 species of butterflies
- 1 Large White [1549]
- 1 Small White [1550]
- 2 Painted Ladies [1591]
- 1 Peacock [1597]
- 1 Speckled Wood [1614]
- 6 Gatekeepers [1625]
- 4 Meadow Brown [1626]

3 species of moth identified
- 2 Agriphila tristella [1305] grass moth
- 4 Evergestis pallidata [1358]
- 1 Snout (Hypena proboscidalis) [2477]
and
- still some Cinnabar Moth [2069] caterpillars on the Ragwort
- the usual unidentified grass moths
[numbers are the British Checklist Numbers]

1 species of dragonfly
- just a few Blue-tailed Damselflies

And some updates from earlier

What I thought was a female Banded Demoiselle turns out, on examination of the photograph to be
- Emerald Damselfly (Lestes Sponsa)

While looking for and at the Silver Y moths a few days ago I also photographed some of the hoverflies on the Ragwort. A friend of mine in Cornwall who specialises in hoverflies has identified them as
- Syrphus ribesii or S. vitripennis (need to examine the colour of the hind femur to tell which!)
- Helophilus pendulus
- Eristalis tenax
(no idea of the correct systematic order for these!)

Finally I photographed a very small insect on the wall of yacht club hut on Monday and it seems that it is species of small mayfly, possibly - Pond Olive Mayfly (Cloeon dipterum) [thanks to Martin Adlam for the work on this]

(Ed Wilson)

27th July, Thursday, (04:21 - 09:47) - Back to more 'normal' this morning with 2 visits to the lake, separated by the walk to, around and back from The Flash - except that before going to The Flash I had only covered part of the lake; and thereafter I walked the 'other' way, clockwise, around the lake (See Local Bird News for Flash)

Lot of high cloud blotted out a promising sunrise. Later when it looked as if it might clear there was a lot of lower-level cloud and it only started to brighten after 09:15. Light W wind fell away. Good visibility

Highlight today: calling Redshank the only real sighting of note: perhaps the calling party of Common Whitethroats that sounded rather like House Sparrows; and the juvenile Reed Bunting with such a pale head that I thought I had found a Yellowhammer (I had one calling earlier)

So here we go with the avian notes from the lake today were
- no sign of anything that might be a Little Grebe?
- 3 adult Great Crested Grebes again
- no Herons seen today
- the 1 surviving cygnet with the adult Swans
- no Greylag Geese today
- 26 Canada Geese arrived, but in 5 parties: another 23 birds flew E
- the 5 new Mallard ducklings still present: no sign of any other ducklings. The adult count was a high 69 today, at least 3 of which flew off W
- 10 Tufted Ducks logged: I think 6 adult drakes; 2 ducks; 2 juvenile drakes
- Kestrel to the E / NE again - from 05:02: still there 4 hours later (so was I!)
- 5 Moorhens recorded today: 3 adults, 2 of these with 2 small juveniles
- news of the Coot juveniles: 16 juveniles this morning: - the oldest juveniles seem now fully integrated in with the main pack, otherwise as yesterday
- - 2 survivors from brood #14 in the NW area
- - 2 survivors from brood #17 along the N shore again
- - 1 survivor from brood #18 off the reeds
- - 2 surviving juveniles from brood #19 in NE area
- - 3 juveniles from brood #20 seen today at the smaller N side reed-bed -
- 6 juveniles from brood #21 in the biggest reed-bed along the N side - more full-grown birds today. Oddly they had moved away from the dam area (which has been strimmed of most of the vegetation since yesterday) and were split between the SW grass and the centre of the lake
- a Common Redshank called once, loudly just before 05:00 but I could no sense of the direction. I guess it was in flight, but where from & to I have no idea
- very low count of gulls today: no northbound movement and just a scatter of birds arriving from the W. In total I logged just 38 [125] Black-headed Gulls and 3 single [51] Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- the 21 Feral Pigeons were, I assume, a party of Racing Pigeons - Thursday seems the day for these
- smaller count of Wood Pigeons as well today. I logged 94 [97] flying E. There was a maximum of 15 [46] birds on the wires. More birds were around the lake itself (16 [24]) and birds were flying W as well (12 [19]). So my tally today was 137 [186]
- 4 Swifts only logged: again none stayed for any length of time, the first being 2 at 05:16
- Great Spotted Woodpecker heard along the N side in both the NW and NE woods
- just 2 Swallows logged today
- House Martins not noted until 06:10 when 4 local birds arrived, probably to drink and then left
- 3 Grey Wagtails again
- 8 Pied Wagtails flew over - a sign that autumn is started!
- no Mistle Thrushes today
- 7 Reed Warblers singing and the only birds singing or calling until some 19 minutes after I arrived when a Blackbird just beat both Song Thrush and Robin in the Dawn Chorus Stakes
- 3 Lesser Whitethroats today. 2 calling at the W end: and another in the SW area
- 4 Common Whitethroats at least: 1 adult at the W end; and then a party of 3 juveniles with a juvenile Blackcap around the Wesley Brook bridge. This excited party was making calls the like of which I have never heard from Sylvia warblers and I was quite convinced I was pursuing a wayward exploring group of juvenile House Sparrows and was confused by the white outer tail-feathers that I had glimpsed! When I got a good look I realised why they had white outer tail-feathers!
- no Garden Warblers today
- only 2 Blackcaps singing now, with another 4 heard calling and 2 more seen
- just 2 calling Chiffchaffs logged: no song
- Willow Warbler not seen or heard: they will be on their way very soon,
but were still singing at The Flash
- Willow Tits only along the N side
- 2 Jays in the NW area today
- not sure what happened to the corvid roost this morning: essentially just one sprawling party of Jackdaws with a few Rooks was about it! Rooks came through in dribs and drabs, but the big groups of 2 / 3 days ago were missing for some reason. The conditions were good-enough that they should have been easily visible. I logged just 157 [198] Jackdaws; and 58 [188] Rooks [yesterday's numbers]
- a single Starling came out of the Greenfinch roost site again
- my roost-count for the Greenfinches was 273 [196]. The first calls were at 04:57, and the first bird seen flying at 05:07, but again it was the best part of an hour before the biggest group of 47 left at 06:10. Small numbers elsewhere
- a Goldfinch again burst in to song at the early time of 04:55
- no Reed Bunting song: several males seen in flight; and then 2 juveniles seen feeding on the path at the W end, one with a very pale head complete with strong dark markings that I instantly assumed was a rather unusual location for an errant post-breeding Yellowhammer. Wrong: it had no rufous rump, but was much too small (and anyway Yellowhammers breed well in to August). Not sure how much my initial misidentification was influenced by - a Yellowhammer calling in the SE area!

Also
- examination of the street lights produced 2 moths of different species
- a Sallow Kitten; and Silver Y
- still a few Chironomus plumosus midges
- two fine Painted Lady butterflies this morning
- two species of bats: a Pipistrelle over my head at the W end; and a larger species to the NE
- Black-tailed Skimmer seen well

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today is set out below
3 Great Crested Grebes; no Herons; the 2 resident Swans and 1 cygnet; no Greylag Geese; 49 Canada Geese (26 landed); 69 adult Mallards with 5 new
ducklings; 10 Tufted Ducks; 1 Kestrel; no other raptors; no Pheasants; 5 Moorhens (3 adults, 2 juveniles); 69 full-grown Coots and 16 local dependent juveniles from 6 broods; 1 Common Redshank heard; no other waders; 38 Black-headed Gulls; 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls; 21 Feral Pigeons; 1 Stock Dove; 137 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; 4 Swifts; no Kingfishers; 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers heard; no Sky Larks; no Sand Martins; 2 Swallows; 4 House Martins; no pipits; 2 Grey Wagtails; 8 Pied Wagtails; 17 Wrens; 3 Dunnocks; 19 Robins; 14 Blackbirds again; 8 Song Thrushes (3 in song); no Mistle Thrushes; 7 Reed Warblers (in song); 3 Lesser Whitethroats; 4 Common Whitethroats; no Garden Warblers; 8 Blackcaps (only 2 in song); 2 Chiffchaffs (none in song); 0 Willow Warblers; 1 Goldcrest; no Long-tailed Tits; 2 Coal Tits; 1 Willow Tit; 11 Blue Tits; 10 Great Tits; no Tree Creepers; 2 Jays; 12 Magpies; 157 Jackdaws; 58 Rooks; 7 Crows; 1 Starling; no House Sparrows; 5 Chaffinches; 278 Greenfinches; 7 Goldfinches; no Linnets; 3 Bullfinches; 5 Reed
Buntings (no song); and 1 Yellowhammer heard

Also recorded
Mammals:
- 4 Rabbits
- no new molehills noted
- 1 Pipistrelle
- 1 larger Bat sp.

Insects:
9 species of butterflies
- 1 Large White [1549]
- 3 Small White [1550]
- 2 Green-veined Whites [1551]
- 2 Painted Lady butterflies [1591]
- 1 Speckled Wood [1614]
- 8 Gatekeepers [1625]
- 5 Meadow Brown [1626]

2 species of moth identified
- 1 Sallow Kitten (Furcula furcula) [1997]
- 3 Silver Y (Autographa gamma) [2441] (one on lamps; 2 feeding)
and
- just a few Cinnabar Moth [2069] caterpillars on the Ragwort
- the usual unidentified grass moths
[numbers are the British Checklist Numbers]

1 species of dragonfly
- the usual numbers of Blue-tailed Damselflies
- a Black-tailed Skimmer

(Ed Wilson)

26th July, Wednesday, (04:22 - 08:23) - A dull and humid start with cloud especially to the NE obscuring corvid roost movement - the street lights went off 16 minutes later than in clear condition yesterday. A curtailed visit to get home to meet and greet the workmen fixing the garage door!

Highlights today: Common Sandpiper, heard only; another cracking view of Lesser Whitethroat - a juvenile

Avian notes from the lake today were
- a frustrating glimpse of a small bird pattering off fast behind the reeds which on a split-second glance seemed to be a Little Grebe?
- 3 adult Great Crested Grebes again
- 2 different Herons seen today
- the 1 surviving cygnet with the adult Swans
- no Greylag Geese today
- 22 Canada Geese arrived, but in 6 parties: another 29 birds flew E - 5 new Mallard ducklings with one duck today. The adult count was 62 today, at least 2 of which flew in from the E and they, or another pair, flew off W
- 16 Tufted Ducks logged: did not attempt to age / sex these: essentially the same group as yesterday
- 2 Sparrowhawk sightings: what looked like a female shot into the SE poplars. A hour later tit alarm calls alerted me to an overflying bird flying up the Wesley Brook
- Kestrel to the E / NE again - from 05:18, though not seen later
- 4 Moorhens recorded today: 2 adults; 2 small juveniles
- news of the Coot juveniles: all 19 juveniles again this morning:
- - 2 old juveniles with adults off the dam (though at least 4 fledged immigrants)
- - 1 old juvenile noted with adult in the NE area
- - 2 survivors from brood #14 in the NW area
- - 2 survivors from brood #17 along the N shore again
- - 1 survivor from brood #18 off the reeds
- - 2 surviving juveniles from brood #19 in NE area
- - 3 juveniles from brood #20 seen today at the smaller N side reed-bed -
- 6 juveniles from brood #21 in the biggest reed-bed along the N side - fewer adults today, probably because I left before they had all emerged from their roost in the NW reeds
- Common Sandpiper heard when I arrived but neither seen nor heard subsequently
- low count of gulls again today: small N-bound movement but the highest totals were when 61 Black-headed Gulls and 33 Lesser Black-backed Gulls were flushed from the Ricoh factory (grass?). In total I logged 125 Black-headed Gulls and 51 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- amazing how quickly the Black-headed Gulls are losing their chocolate-coloured hoods
- smaller count of Wood Pigeons today. I logged only 97 flying E. There was a maximum of 46 birds on the wires. More birds were around the lake itself (24) and birds were flying W as well (186). So my tally today was 186
- 10 Swifts logged: again none stayed for any length of time, the first being 1 at 05:07 in the darker conditions
- Great Spotted Woodpecker heard along the N side
- 4 Swallows logged today: one high to the NE at 05:32 was rather odd. 2 seemed to leave a roost in the SW area
- House Martins not noted until 06:30 when 4 local birds arrived to drink and then left
- 3 Grey Wagtails with one on the ground and in the trees near the Teece Drive gate
- 3 Pied Wagtails flew over again
- an indication of how song has now faded away: just 1 Blackbird heard in song
- 4 different Mistle Thrushes seen
- 5 Reed Warblers singing
- 4 Lesser Whitethroats today! 3 calling at the W end: and a juvenile came to visit me while I was at the Greenfinch roost
- 1 Common Whitethroat juvenile at the W end
- no Garden Warblers today
- only 3 Blackcaps singing, with another 5 heard calling
- 5 Chiffchaffs logged, with 2 seen and all only calling
- 2 different Willow Warblers again: one calling again along the N side; and occasional stuttering song in the SW area
- Willow Tits only along the N side
- single Jays seen twice in the NW area
- did not expect a high corvid count with the darkest clouds precluding the contrast necessary to see these often distant or high-flying groups. So I was well-pleased to end up with a log of 198 [248] Jackdaws; and 188 [485] Rooks [yesterday's numbers]
- just 1 Starling came out of the Greenfinch roost site
- my roost-count for the Greenfinches was 196 today [194]. In the dull start the first calls were at 05:09, and the first bird seen flying at 05:15. The biggest group of 41 left at 05:56. Small numbers elsewhere
- a Goldfinch burst in to song at the early time of 04:58
- had only just recorded the first Wren and well before the first warbler
- for over a week now I have recorded one or more Bullfinches in / around the SE poplars - usually they are in the NE area where the hawthorns are
- just 3 Reed Buntings: 1 in intermittent song

Also
- examination of the street lights produced 4 moths of 4 different species
- an unidentified grass moth; Common Wainscot; Common Rustic; and Silver Y; also a few Chironomus plumosus midges
- left rather early for butterflies to be around other than Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers, - but I did log a Red Admiral
- just one species of bat: a Pipistrelle over my head at the W end - Brown Rat along the N shore

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today is set out below
possible Little Grebe; 3 Great Crested Grebes; 2 Herons; the 2 resident Swans and 1 cygnet; no Greylag Geese; 51 Canada Geese (22 landed); 59 adult Mallards with 5 new ducklings; 16 Tufted Ducks (not aged / sexed); 2 sightings of Sparrowhawk; 1 Kestrel; no Pheasants; 4 Moorhens (2 adults, 2 juveniles); only 53 full-grown Coots and 19 local juveniles from 8 broods; 1 Common Sandpiper heard; no other waders; 125 Black-headed Gulls; 51 Lesser Black-backed Gulls; no Common Terns; 11 Feral Pigeons; 2 Stock Doves; 186 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; 10 Swifts; no Kingfishers; 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker heard; no Sky Larks; no Sand Martins; 4 Swallows; 4 House Martins; no pipits; 3 Grey Wagtails; 3 Pied Wagtails; 19 Wrens; 6 Dunnocks; 23 Robins; 14 Blackbirds; 7 Song Thrushes (4 in song again); 4 Mistle Thrushes; 5 Reed Warblers (in song); 4 Lesser Whitethroats; 1 Common Whitethroat; no Garden Warblers; 8 Blackcaps (3 only in song); 5 Chiffchaffs (none in song); 2 Willow Warblers (1 in song); no Goldcrest; 1 Long-tailed Tit party; no Coal Tits; 2 Willow Tits; 7 Blue Tits; 13 Great Tits; no Tree Creepers; 2 sightings of Jay; 10 Magpies; 198 Jackdaws; 188 Rooks; 7 Crows; 1 Starling; no House Sparrows; 6 Chaffinches; 211 Greenfinches; 3 Goldfinches; no Linnets; 2 Bullfinches; 3 Reed Buntings (1 in intermittent song); and no Yellowhammer heard

Also recorded
Mammals:
- 1 Brown Rat
- 2 Rabbits
- no new molehills noted
- 1 Pipistrelle

Insects:
3 species of butterflies identified
- 1 Red Admiral [1590]
- 6 Gatekeeper [1625]
- 5 Meadow Brown [1626]

3 species of moth identified
- 1 Common Wainscot (Mythimna pallens) [2199]
- 1 Common Rustic (Mesapamea secalis) [2343]
- 1 Silver Y (Autographa gamma) [2441]
and
- the Cinnabar Moth [2069] caterpillars still defoliating the Ragwort -
the usual unidentified grass moths
[numbers are the British Checklist Numbers]

1 species of dragonfly
- the usual numbers of Blue-tailed Damselflies

(Ed Wilson)

25th July, Tuesday, (04:19 - 09:05) - Another pleasant-enough start to what was to become a very hot and sticky day. Stayed at the lake throughout, concentrating on the Greenfinch roost

Highlights today: cracking views of Lesser Whitethroats again - and a Garden Warbler with them today

Avian notes from the lake today were
- 3 adult Great Crested Grebes again
- 3 different Herons seen today
- the 1 surviving cygnet with the adult Swans
- 14 Canada Geese arrived again, but in 3 parties: another 47 birds noted in flight, mainly E-bound
- 3 single Greylag Geese flying on various directions today
- no Mallard ducklings today. The adult count was 59 today, at least 5 of which flew in from the E
- 17 Tufted Ducks logged. They are getting hard to sex, though I am not sure that this is entirely due to the onset of eclipse plumage. At least 6 of these birds showed pale around the base of the bill but otherwise looked like eclipse drakes, even with vestigial crests, so I guess that means these are juvenile drakes. Later 12 of these took off and at least 8 left, though I lots track of the others as they wheeled back towards the lake
- Kestrel to the E / NE again - from the early time of 04:44: assumed the same bird seen hovering to the N
- 4 Moorhens recorded today: 2 adults; 1 full-grown independent juvenile; and another heard only
- news of the Coot juveniles: 19 juveniles this morning:
- - 2 old juveniles with adults off the dam (though at least 4 fledged immigrants)
- - 1 old juvenile noted with adults in the NE area
- - 2 survivors from brood #14 in the NW area
- - 2 survivors from brood #17 along the N shore again
- - 1 survivor from brood #18 off the reeds
- - 2 surviving juveniles from brood #19 in NE area
- - only 3 juveniles from brood #20 seen today at the smaller N side reed-bed
- - all 6 juveniles in new brood in the biggest reed-bed along the N side is brood #21
- no waders today
- many fewer gulls today with small numbers mainly heading N / NE with few stopping. I logged just 46 Black-headed Gulls and 29 Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Just a few of these birds peeled off to pause at the lake
- Later there were 6 Black-headed Gulls around the lake; and a lone Lesser Black-backed Gulls stayed for a while
- no Common Tern today
- yet another big count of Wood Pigeons. I logged 179 flying E. There was a maximum of 58 birds on the wires! More birds were around the lake itself and birds were flying W as well. My tally today was 303
- 12 Swifts logged: again none stayed for any length of time, the first being 1 at 04:54
- a Kingfisher heard and seen in flight over the lake
- 4 Sand Martins flew through at 06:20 with the rather strange sight of a juvenile Black-headed Gull chasing one of them
- 7 Swallows logged today with 2 of these single birds flying straight through
- House Martins heard high overhead before 05:00 again: later no more 6 logged
- just 2 Grey Wagtails
- 3 Pied Wagtails flew over
- 1 Mistle Thrush only seen over the W end
- 8 Reed Warblers singing one of which was well away from the lake in the bushes by the entrance from Castle Farm Way
- 2 Lesser Whitethroats well seen at the W end again: apparently both adults again
- Common Whitethroat heard at the W end and then seen, but not well-enough to age
- a Garden Warbler popped up in the W end hedge while I was watching the Lesser Whitethroats: it too gave great views
- 6 Blackcaps singing
- 6 Chiffchaffs logged, with 3 together along the N side again
- 2 different Willow Warblers: one calling again along the N side, but intermittent song from a bird at the W end
- once again Willow Tits were both along the N side and near the Teece Drive gate
- Jay heard in the NW area again
- the corvids were not especially early this morning and the start was a large, loose group of 164 Rooks. Several good-sized parties of Jackdaws with the biggest group of c.140 birds passing very low to the E and I suspect there were other groups on a similar track that I overlooked. I ended with a log of 248 [382] Jackdaws; and 485 [610] Rooks [yesterday's numbers]
- 2 Starlings came out of the Greenfinch roost site. Another 6 flew N over the E end of the lake
- my roost-count for the Greenfinches reached 194! The first calls were at 04:53, and the first bird seen flying at 05:00. But the larger groups were much later leaving - the biggest group of 37 left at 05:46. Just as I thought they had all left a few more appeared! (and there were at least 11 other birds logged today)
- one of the Reed Buntings was briefly in song again today, but there were many birds about including a juvenile in very fresh plumage on the ground along the path at the W end (and alongside one of the scruffiest Song Thrushes I have ever seen)

Also
- examination of the street lights produced 1 moth - a rather boring Riband Wave (as well as many allegedly non-biting Chironomus plumosus midges: it must have been something else attacking my legs!)
- at least five specimens of the day-feeding Silver Y moth were together in a patch of bistort (but is it Common Bistort or Amphibious Bistort?). Was it photographers frustration or were they only feeding on flowers in the shade?
- a splendid fresh Peacock butterfly sunning itself high in a shrub and ignoring the attacks of the Speckled Wood
- two species of bat again, both larger than Pipistrelles: and 5 'animals' in total
- noted grasshoppers making the noise similar to that which Grasshopper Warblers make: but what species? Cannot decide from the description in the Collins book - perhaps I should get the tape!
- the first of the Blackberries are ready for scrumping! I remember being surprised last year when I ate some in July - always associate them with childhood forays in September

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today is set out below
3 Great Crested Grebes; 3 Herons; the 2 resident Swans and 1 cygnet; 3 Greylag Geese over; 61 Canada Geese (14 landed); 59 adult Mallards but no
ducklings; 17 Tufted Ducks (with 2 ducks; and 6 immature drakes; 9 drakes); 1 Kestrel; no Pheasants; 4 Moorhens (2 adults, 1 juvenile; and one heard); 67 full-grown Coots and 19 local juveniles from 8 broods; no waders; 52 Black-headed Gulls; 30 Lesser Black-backed Gulls; no Common Terns; 47 Feral Pigeons; 6 Stock Doves; 303 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; 12 Swifts; 1 Kingfisher; no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; no Sky Larks; 4 Sand Martins; 7 Swallows; at least 6 House Martins; no pipits; 2 Grey Wagtails; 3 Pied Wagtails; 23 Wrens; 7 Dunnocks; 16 Robins; 17 Blackbirds; 7 Song Thrushes (4 in song); 1 Mistle Thrush; 8 Reed Warblers (in song); 2 Lesser Whitethroats; 1 Common Whitethroat; 1 Garden Warbler; 9 Blackcaps (6 in song); 6 Chiffchaffs (1 in song); 2 Willow Warblers (1 in song); no Goldcrest; 1 Long-tailed Tit party; no Coal Tits; 3 Willow Tits; 13 Blue Tits; 14 Great Tits; no Tree Creepers; 1 Jay; 15 Magpies; 248 Jackdaws; 485 Rooks; 13 Crows; 8 Starlings; no House Sparrows; 4 Chaffinches; 205 Greenfinches; 3 Goldfinches; no Linnets; 3 Bullfinches; 8 Reed Buntings (1 in song); and no Yellowhammer heard

Also recorded
Mammals:
- 4 Rabbits
- no new molehills noted
- 3 medium-sized bat sp.
- 4 of a larger bat sp.

Insects:
7 species of butterflies identified (as least 2 other Vanessid sp. seen in flight only)
- 1 Large White [1548]
- 4 Green-veined White [1551]
- 1 Peacock [1597]
- 1 Speckled Wood [1614]
- 9 Gatekeeper [1625]
- 11 Meadow Brown [1626]
- 1 Ringlet [1629]

3 species of moth identified
- 1 Evergestis pallidata [1358]
- 1 Riband Wave (Idaea aversata of the form ab. remutaria) [1713]
- 5 Silver Y (Autographa gamma) [2441]
and
- the Cinnabar Moth [2069] caterpillars still defoliating the Ragwort -
the usual unidentified grass moths
[numbers are the British Checklist Numbers]

2 species of dragonfly
- lots of Blue-tailed Damselflies
- 1 Black-tailed Skimmer

(Ed Wilson)

24th July, Monday, (04:20 - 06:50 // 08:25 - 09:28) - [in between walked to around and back from The Flash via Wesley Brook / Teece Drive See Local Bird News]

Wonderful clear and cool fresh morning at the lake today - the best time to be out and about in this weather. The clear conditions meant there was no real sunrise and so I was somewhat less distracted from the task in hand this morning

Highlights today: the first big flight of Canada Geese seen post-moult; a Buzzard seen - first for ages: the 21st brood of Coots noted; a (the same?) Common Tern yet again; a fly-through Sand Martin on a rather odd date; and cracking views of Lesser Whitethroats

Avian notes from the lake today were
- 3 adult Great Crested Grebes again, though I may have heard a 4th
- a juvenile Heron seen again
- the 1 surviving cygnet with the adult Swans
- 14 Canada Geese arrived: and a party of 32 flew over: no Greylags today
- just 1 Mallard ducklings today and it seemed to be 1 of the 2 well-grown birds. The adult count was 60 today
- 26 Tufted Ducks logged: 21 drakes at least - not sure about 2 of the birds
- a Buzzard seen cruising to the NE before 04:45 - perhaps breeding season is over and this is some sort of dispersal?
- just 1 Kestrel to the E / NE today
- 3 adult Moorhens recorded today: no juveniles again
- news of the Coot juveniles: 21 juveniles this morning:
- - 2 old juveniles with adults off the dam (though in fact there seem to be rather more and I suspect there are some fledged immigrants)
- - 2 old juveniles noted with adults in the NE area
- - 2 survivors from brood #14 in the NW area
- - 2 survivors from brood #17 along the N shore again
- - 1 survivor from brood #18 off the reeds
- - 2 surviving juveniles from brood #19 in NE area
- - all 4 juveniles from brood #20 present this calm morning
- - 6 juveniles in new brood in the biggest reed-bed along the N side is brood #21
- no waders today
- gulls back in some force today, with a northbound passage again. However today it was to the W of the lake and at 04:25 quite dark there and hard to see (in fact I wonder whether they passed unseen yesterday in the gloomy conditions?) And as far as I could tell there were relatively few Lesser Black-backed Gulls. I logged 426 Black-headed Gulls and 18 Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Just a few of these birds peeled off to pause at the lake
- Later there were 14 Black-headed Gulls around the lake; and well after a laggard party of 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls also flew N a lone adult spent some while at the lake
- the Common Terns was first noted at 06:40; and again at 08:50. In between it was not seen (though I was to & from The Flash for some of that time)
- another big count of Wood Pigeons. I logged 154 flying E. There was 'only' a maximum of 65 birds straining the wires! More birds were around the lake itself and birds were flying W as well. My final tally of all these sightings was 251
- 13 Swifts logged: none seemed to stay for any length of time, the first being 1 at 04:53
- 4 Sky Larks seen flying together over the fields to the E
- the Sand Martin was on its own and sped W at 05:40
- 5 Swallows logged today with 1 bird flying fast E and calling loudly - could not find any Hobbies!
- just 2 House Martins logged
- 3 Grey Wagtails again
- 4 Pied Wagtails logged today
- 5 Mistle Thrushes flew N over the W end; and then flew E; but none was seen on the wires to the E again
- 6 Reed Warblers singing again this morning: several more seen / heard calling
- 2 Lesser Whitethroats calling at the W end and both responded well to squeaking and both adults gave really good views for a change. No Common
Whitethroat seen or heard
- a Garden Warbler was sub-singing near the Teece Drive gate - not near where I thought they were breeding
- now only 4 Blackcaps singing as all bird-song winds down. Still calling though
- 4 Chiffchaffs logged: with one bird in a party of 3 along the N side the only bird singing, briefly
- the Willow Warbler calling again
- Willow Tits were both along the N side and near the Teece Drive gate again
- Jay in the NW area again
- the corvids again started early with wave after wave of (relatively) small parties of Rooks. The Jackdaws were concentrated in two large groups today, but there were plenty of smaller parties of these too. I ended with a log of 382 [321] Jackdaws; and an even more massive 610 [495] Rooks [yesterday's numbers]
- 1 Starling seemed to come out of the Greenfinch roost site!
- 76 Greenfinches logged today, with the first calls at 04:54, and the first bird seen flying at 05:05 - a minute earlier than the day before yet again!
- one of the Reed Buntings was in song today

Also
- examination of the street lights produced 1 moth - my first Dun-bar of the year
- two species of bat again but both larger than Pipistrelles: and 7 'animals' in total

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today is set out below
3 Great Crested Grebes; 1 Heron; the 2 resident Swans and 1 cygnet; no Greylag Geese over; 46 Canada Geese (14 landed); 60 adult Mallards with 1
duckling; 26 Tufted Ducks (at least 21 drakes); 1 Buzzard to the NE: 1 Kestrel; no Pheasants; 3 Moorhens, all adults; 65 full-grown Coots and 21 local juveniles from 8 broods; no waders; 440 Black-headed Gulls; 26 Lesser Black-backed Gulls; 1 Common Tern; 4 Feral Pigeons; 5 Stock Doves; 251 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; 13 Swifts; no Kingfishers; no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; 4 Sky Larks; 1 Sand Martin; 5 Swallows; 2 House Martins; no pipits; 3 Grey Wagtails; 4 Pied Wagtails; 16 Wrens; 3 Dunnocks; 22 Robins; just 7 Blackbirds; 10 Song Thrushes (5 in song); 5 Mistle Thrushes; 6 Reed Warblers (in song); 2 Lesser Whitethroats; no Common Whitethroats; 1 Garden Warbler; 9 Blackcaps (4 in song); 4 Chiffchaffs (1 in song); 1 Willow Warbler; 1 Goldcrest; 2 Long-tailed Tit parties; 2 Coal Tits; 3 Willow Tits; 9 Blue Tits; 11 Great Tits; no Tree Creepers; 1 Jay; 9 Magpies; 382 Jackdaws; 610 Rooks; 8 Crows; 1 Starling; no House Sparrows; 5 Chaffinches; 76 Greenfinches; 3 Goldfinches; no Linnets; 3 Bullfinches; 3 Reed Buntings (1 in song); and no Yellowhammer
heard

Also recorded
Mammals:
- 3 Rabbits
- 1 Grey Squirrel
- no new molehills noted
- 3 medium-sized bat sp.
- 4 of a larger bat sp.

Insects:
6 species of butterflies
- 2 Large White [1548]
- 1 Green-veined White [1551]
- 3 Speckled Wood [1614]
- 12 Gatekeeper [1625]
- c.20 Meadow Brown [1626]
- 4 Ringlet [1629]

2 species of moth identified
- 1 Common Carpet (Epirrhoe alternata) [1738] (though it is rather a strange date, though I had one in my light-trap the night before)
- 1 Dun-bar (Cosmia trapezina) [2318]
and
- the Cinnabar Moth [2069] caterpillars still defoliating the Ragwort
- the usual unidentified grass moths
[numbers are the British Checklist Numbers]

2 species of dragonfly
- lots of Blue-tailed Damselflies
- at least 2 Hawker sp. not seen well-enough to identify, but seemed to be
different in size and perhaps more than one species involved

(Ed Wilson)

23rd July, Sunday, (04:20 - 06:55 // 08:20 - 09:11) - [in between walked to around and back from The Flash via Wesley Brook / Teece Drive See Local Bird News]

It was a morning of just over three halves weatherwise! Started with broken areas of mainly high cloud giving a wonderful sunrise. By 06:00 there was a large area of low cloud over the lake, it was very dull and there was some light drizzle. Then by 08:00 the cloud had lifted and the weather was brighter, though some spots of rain again. By the time I left there was a clearance well to the N & W, but it had yet to reach the lake.

Light / moderate W wind with mainly excellent visibility

The heavy rain showers of Saturday had left their mark with the water having topped the Wesley Brook footbridge and had flattened much of the surrounding vegetation

What a difference a day makes: comparatively few gulls this morning; even more Wood Pigeons; Rooks dominated the corvid passage today; and many fewer Greenfinches noted in the roost

Few highlights today: a (the same?) Common Tern; 3 species of Sylvia warbler with yards of each other showing almost text-book habitat preference

Avian notes from the lake today were
- 3 adult Great Crested Grebes again
- only 1 Heron seen - a juvenile
- the 1 surviving cygnet with the adult Swans
- 2 groups of 4 Canada Geese arrived: no other Canada Geese, but 3 Greylags flew over
- just 2 Mallard ducklings today, and these have now grown almost full-size. The adult count was 54 today
- 14 Tufted Ducks logged: 11 drakes
- 2 Kestrels again to the E / NE with one seen carrying prey and what sounded like a juvenile begging
- no Moorhens of any age recorded today!
- news of the Coot juveniles: 13 juveniles this morning:
- - 2 old juveniles with adults off the dam
- - both old juveniles noted with adults in the NE area
- - 2 survivors from brood #14 in the NW area
- - 2 survivors from brood #17 along the N shore again
- - 1 survivor from brood #18 off the reeds
- - 2 surviving juveniles from brood #19 in NE area
- - only 2 juveniles from brood #20 noted, but there was also only 1 adult so perhaps the other adult was lurking with the other juveniles deep in the reeds?
- no waders today
- after yesterday's bumper numbers of gulls it was more or less back to normal this morning. I logged just 65 Black-headed Gulls and most of these seemed to arrive from the W. And most of the 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls were heading S / SW and none came anywhere near the lake. Why would that be?
- After 08:30 there were just 5 Black-headed Gulls on the buoys around the lake
- a Common Terns was over the E end fishing at 06:05 and I noted it intermittently until after 08:30, though it seemed to disappear for long periods. It was resting in some unusual spots though - this species traditionally uses the W end buoys, but I noted this on the lay-by overlook at the sluice (well it was the weekend so there was not much about); and on the poles around the SW launching platform
- hard to know exactly how many Wood Pigeons were involved, but clearly several hundred. I logged 146 flying E. While this was going on something flushed a large party out of the fields to the E and many (most? all?) of these settled on the wires where I counted 147. More birds were around the lake itself and birds were flying W as well. My final tally of all these sightings was 338
- 10 Swifts logged: none seemed to stay for any length of time, the first being 6 birds over the N side at 05:07
- 1 Swallow only logged today
- up to 8 House Martins - local birds I would judge
- only 3 Grey Wagtails seen together on the dam; and only 1 other feeding on the ground in Teece Drive
- 6 Pied Wagtails logged only 1 of which was at the Ricoh factory, and that was on their lawn rather than the roof - well yesterday's marquee and fun-fair had moved off!
- 1 Mistle Thrush on the wire to the E again
- 5 Reed Warblers singing again this morning: several more seen / heard calling
- along the W hedge there were 3 different Sylvia warblers within yards of each other: a juvenile Blackcap was at the N end, keeping close to the larger trees; the Common Whitethroat was in the shortest hawthorns and out in to the tall umbellifers; and the Lesser Whitethroat lurking towards the S part jumping out of the larger shrubby bushes in to the edge of the trees. Nice habitat differentiation
- no Garden Warbler again
- just 5 Blackcaps heard singing today, but several more, including the W end juvenile, heard calling
- 4 Chiffchaffs logged: with a bird on the N shore the only bird singing, briefly
- the Willow Warbler was only heard calling again today
- Willow Tits were back at their usual location on the N side today; but another bird was in with a mixed tit party near the Teece Drive gate
- Jay in the NW area
- the corvids started early with wave after wave of (relatively) small parties of Rooks before the large sprawling group of Jackdaws appeared some 20 minutes later. I ended with a log of 321 [356] Jackdaws; and a massive 495 [177] Rooks [yesterday's numbers]
- just 39 Greenfinches logged today, with the first calls at 04:53, and the first bird seen flying at 05:04 - a minute earlier than yesterday. While I was somewhat pre-occupied taking photographs of the splendid sunrise I was mainly right alongside the roost and well-positioned to hear and see them, so I am sure there were fewer birds today
- at least one of the Goldfinches was a recently-fledged juvenile
- Reed Buntings were not noted in song at all today. 4 birds logged and only 2 of those called

Also
- examination of the street lights produced no moths - or anything else! - in the overcast conditions I logged just one Gatekeeper as the only butterfly
- a Fox seen at the W end
- two species of bat with what I assume was a Pipistrelle over my head as I got out of the car and at least 2 of a larger bat sp. over the N side and the scrub to the E

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today is set out below
3 Great Crested Grebes; 1 Heron; the 2 resident Swans and 1 cygnet; 3 Greylag Geese over; 8 Canada Geese landed; 54 adult Mallards with 2 ducklings; 14 Tufted Ducks (11 drakes); 2 Kestrels; no other raptors; no Pheasants; no Moorhens at all; 62 adult Coots and 13 juveniles from 7 broods; no waders; 65 Black-headed Gulls; 42 Lesser Black-backed Gulls; 1 Common Tern; no Feral Pigeons; no Stock Doves; 338 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; 10 Swifts; no Kingfishers; no Great Spotted Woodpeckers; no Sky Larks; no Sand Martins; 1 Swallow; 8 House Martins; no pipits; 5 Grey Wagtails; 6 Pied Wagtails; 23 Wrens; 11 Dunnocks; 13 Robins; also 13 Blackbirds; 6 Song Thrushes (only 4 in song); 1 Mistle Thrush; 8 Reed Warblers (5 in song); 1 Lesser Whitethroat; 1 Common Whitethroat; no Garden Warblers; 7 Blackcaps (5 in song); 4 Chiffchaffs (1 in song); 1 Willow Warbler; no Goldcrests; 1 Long-tailed Tit party; no Coal Tits; 3 Willow Tits; 12 Blue Tits; 10 Great Tits; no Tree Creepers; 1 Jay; 8 Magpies; 321 Jackdaws; 495 Rooks; 5 Crows; no Starlings; no House
Sparrows; 3 Chaffinches; 39 Greenfinches; 5 Goldfinches; no Linnets; 5 Bullfinches; 4 Reed Buntings (no song); and no Yellowhammer heard

Also recorded
Mammals:
- 4 Rabbits
- 1 Fox
- no new molehills noted
- 1 Pipistrelle
- 2 of a larger bat sp.

Insects:
1 species of butterflies
- 1 Gatekeeper [1625]

no species of moth identified
but
- more Cinnabar Moth [2069] caterpillars defoliating the Ragwort
- the usual unidentified grass moths
[numbers are the British Checklist Numbers]

no species of dragonfly
- too dull?

(Ed Wilson)

22nd July, Saturday, (04:20 - 06:55 // 08:05 - 09:35) - [in between walked to around and back from The Flash via Wesley Brook / Teece Drive- See Local Bird News]

Warm and airless morning at the lake with thunder growling around to the SE early on. Some clearer periods with hazy sunshine. No wind most of the time

Highlights today were Common Sandpipers; a fly-over Yellow Wagtail; another (the same?) Common Tern; and lots more gulls

Avian notes from the lake today were
- back to 3 adult Great Crested Grebes today
- just 2 Heron sightings this morning - but again 1 juvenile and 1 adult
- the 1 surviving cygnet with the adult Swans
- 3 Canada Geese arrived: the cob Swan went off in their direction but never did more than raise his wings: just 2 other Canada Geese flying over and off E at first light
- only 3 of the 4 small Mallard ducklings today. The adult count was even higher at 68 today
- 21 Tufted Ducks logged: 2 flew off very early (05:05) and more seen in flight later with only 12 by 09:00. Not sexed
- 1 drake Ruddy Ducks today
- 2 Kestrels perched on the wires / pylons to the E / NE early
- no juvenile Moorhens recorded today: only 3 adults
- better news of the Coot juveniles: 14 juveniles this morning:
- - 2 old juveniles with adults off the dam
- - still 1 old juveniles noted with adults in the NE area
- - 2 survivors from brood #14 in the NW area
- - 2 survivors from brood #17 along the N shore again
- - 1 seen in the general area of brood #18 off the reeds
- - 2 surviving juveniles from brood #19 in NE area
- - 4 juveniles from brood #20 brought out of the reeds just E of centre of the N side in the calm conditions
- I heard a Common Sandpiper call at 04:25 as I approached the lake but failed to locate it and I neither saw nor flushed any on my first circuit. But later there were 2 birds on the dam-face. Perhaps different birds?
- Both Black-headed Gulls and Lesser Black-backed Gulls came mainly from the S this morning, though their path was slightly further from the SSE today.
Almost all logged between 04:30 and 05:20 I ended up with tally of 773 Black-headed Gulls and 184 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (though, as yesterday, some of these may have been Herring Gulls - not able to check every bird!). Later 26 Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew on a more traditional route SW, and much later another 16 flew N
- After 08:00 there were just 20 Black-headed Gulls on the buoys around the lake
- a Common Tern was over the E end fishing at 06:10, but seemed to be chased off at 06:25, calling noisily, pursued by Black-headed Gulls after its catch. But it was back by 08:55 and went about its business unmolested, and again using a W-end buoy to preen
- 1 Stock Dove flew W and what was probably the same bird flew W moments later
- the count of Wood Pigeons today reached 153 birds logged. 31 of these were straining the wires to the E
- 12 Swifts logged: none seemed to stay for any length of time, the first racing across the N side at 04:51
- Kingfisher heard calling in flight again
- Great Spotted Woodpeckers heard calling in the SE area and along the N side today: different birds?
- 2 Swallows logged today
- Just 5 House Martins - local birds seen high to the NW
- a Yellow Wagtail flew E, calling
- 5 Grey Wagtails seen together on the dam with 2 more feeding on the ground in Teece Drive
- 4 Pied Wagtails catching insects from their vantage of the roof of the Ricoh factory
- another low count of Blackbirds (now they have stopped singing?): just 9 logged and amazingly I logged more Song Thrushes - 10, though only 4 of those were in song
- no Mistle Thrushes on the wires, or elsewhere, today
- 5 Reed Warblers singing this morning
- a group of 7 warblers were jumping and chasing around the hedge at the W end and comprised at least 2 Lesser Whitethroats and at least 3 Common
Whitethroats, 2 of which were juveniles
- no Garden Warbler again
- just 5 Blackcaps heard singing today
- 3 Chiffchaffs logged: with a bird on the N shore sounding for all the world as if it was trailing its song-voice, and singing very hesitantly
- the Willow Warbler was only heard calling today
- Willow Tits were back at their usual location on the N side today (and not heard in Teece Drive)
- Jay making its Buzzard-like calls in the NW area
- did reasonably well with the corvid count this morning - they were hard to see against the rumbling thunderclouds to the E; and they were in conflict with both the N-bound gulls and the departing Greenfinches. Oddly I logged a loose group of 32 at 08:50 some 3 hours after the main passage and long after I stopped looking for them! I ended with a log of 356 [315] Jackdaws; and 177 [121] Rooks [yesterday's numbers]
- 104 Greenfinches logged today. First calls at 04:54, and the first bird seen flying at 05:05. Again with all the concurrent gull and corvid action numbers may be under-recorded. Largest party was 24 at 05:46 - after most of the other action had finished
- but only 1 Chaffinch!
- again just 1 Reed Bunting in song today with 2 others record

Also
- examination of the street lights produced a splendid Poplar Hawk-moth
- as usual there were wings of moths that had succumbed to the attentions of the resident spiders: and at one of the lights a wasp sp. was busy cutting the remains of moth-wings from the web!
- one of the Chironomus plumosus midges decided to rest on my car and allowed a much better picture than 15 feet up a pole!
- my first second-brood Common Blue was unexpected in the overcast conditions
- at least one of the Rabbits had a bad attack of myxamotosis, poor thing

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today is set out below
3 Great Crested Grebes; 2 Herons; the 2 resident Swans and 1 cygnet; no Greylag Geese over; 5 Canada Geese (3 landed); 68 adult Mallards with 3
ducklings; 21 Tufted Ducks, with 9 flying off; 1 drake Ruddy Duck; 2 Kestrels; no other raptors; no Pheasants; 3 adult Moorhens but no juveniles; 69 adult Coots again, and 14 juveniles from 7 broods; 2 or 3 Common Sandpipers; no other waders; 793 Black-headed Gulls; 226 Lesser Black-backed Gulls; 1 Common Tern; no Feral Pigeons; 1 Stock Dove; 152 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; 12 Swifts; 1 Kingfisher; 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers; no Sky Larks; no Sand Martins; 2 Swallows; 5 House Martins; no pipits; 1 Yellow Wagtail; 7 Grey Wagtails; 4 Pied Wagtails; 15 Wrens; 4 Dunnocks; 17 Robins; only 9 Blackbirds; 10 Song Thrushes (only in song); no Mistle Thrushes; 5 Reed Warblers (in song); 2 Lesser Whitethroats with 3 Common Whitethroats and 2 other unidentified; no Garden Warblers; 5 Blackcaps (in song); 3 Chiffchaffs (1 in song); 1 Willow Warbler; no Goldcrests; 2 Long-tailed Tit parties; 2 Coal Tits; 2 Willow Tits; 14 Blue Tits; 14 Great Tits; no Tree Creepers; 1 Jay; 10 Magpies; 356 Jackdaws; 177 Rooks; 3 Crows; no Starlings; no House Sparrows; 1 Chaffinches; 104 Greenfinches; 5 Goldfinches; no Linnets; 2 Bullfinches; 3 Reed Buntings (1 in song); and no Yellowhammer heard

Also recorded
Mammals:
- 4 Rabbits
- no new molehills noted
- no bats

Insects:
6 species of butterflies
- 3 Green-veined Whites [1551] (one of which showed markings on the underside of the fore-wing only)
- 1 Common Blue [1574]
- 1 Speckled Wood [1614]
- 8 Gatekeepers [1625]
- 4 Meadow Browns [1626]
- 1 Ringlet [1629] flushed from the grass at 05:17

1 species of moth identified
- 1 Poplar Hawk-moth [1981]
but
- more Cinnabar Moth [2069] caterpillars defoliating the Ragwort
- the usual hoards of unidentified grass moths
[numbers are the British Checklist Numbers]

1 species of dragonfly
- some Blue-tailed Damselflies, even in the dull conditions

(Ed Wilson)

21st July, Friday, (04:21 - 06:25 // 07:55 - 09:06) - [in between walked to around and back from The Flash via Wesley Brook / Teece Drive - See Local Bird News]

Dull morning with low cloud that threatened to break, but never did!

Highlight today was another Common Tern which even posed for me to get a few shots of it. Also of note was more aberrant behaviour by the gulls

Over the last few days there has been a very real reduction in the level of bird-song and all was quiet when I arrived this morning (I suspect the Reed Warblers were in full cry, but cannot hear those from where I park the car!). Oddly when I check I seem to hear almost as many birds as before! Exception today was Blackbirds - perhaps the hot weather has dried the ground and forced the birds to go and feed elsewhere?

Avian notes from the lake today were
- 5 adult Great Crested Grebes seen today after one seen circling overhead at 08:10
- several Heron sightings again this morning - yet again seemed to relate to 1 juvenile and 1 adult
- the 1 surviving cygnet with the adult Swans
- 2 Canada Geese arrived: again the Swans paid them no heed: the geese are 'getting their wings' with 14 other Canada Geese and 11 Greylag Geese flying over and off E at first light
- all 4 small Mallard ducklings today - two singles and the 'party' of 2, these growing fast now!. The adult count was a high 63 today
- 13 Tufted Ducks (10 drakes) on my first circuit: but as earlier in the week many flew off and just 3 remained at 08:00
- no Ruddy Ducks recorded today either
- 2 Kestrels at least: a bird perched on a pylon, today to the E. It - a female - remained there more or less continually throughout, with another heard calling to the E
- 4 juvenile Moorhens from 3 broods recorded today
- more news of the Coot juveniles: 11 juveniles this morning:
- - 2 old juveniles with adults off the dam
- - again only 1 old juveniles noted with adults in the NE area
- - 2 survivors from brood #14 in the NW area
- - 2 survivors from brood #17 along the N shore again
- - 1 seen in the general area of brood #18 off the reeds
- - 2 surviving juveniles from brood #19 in NE area
- - only 1 juvenile from brood #20 in the reeds just E of centre of the N side: but only 1 of the adults was present, so perhaps others were buried in the reeds
- Meanwhile the adults have changed their behaviour and no longer roost at the dam-end, seeming to use the NW reeds (now there are no active nests there?) and are rather tardy to leave, with only 19 visible at 06:00. Also the long-standing nests in the SE, the SW and along the N side have now been completely abandoned. So I guess 20 broods will be the final total
- Both Black-headed Gulls and Lesser Black-backed Gulls behaved 'unusually' today: traditionally Black-headed Gulls fly in to bathe from the W; and Lesser Black-backed Gulls fly over from roosts to the E. But today was different from both this and the unusual behaviour earlier in the week. Almost all the gulls logged were flying N between 04:25 and 05:45, with about 10% of them pausing at the lake
- what for was unclear as they did not stay long enough to bathe. I logged 323 Black-headed Gulls and 122 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (though a few of these may have been Herring Gulls - not able to check every bird!). At least 5 of the Black-headed Gulls were juveniles
- After 08:00 there were 16 Black-headed Gulls on the buoys around the lake, one of which was a stunning dark, ginger immature that must have very recently fledged. When it sat on the water amongst the Coots it was actually very hard to locate, so dark was it
- a Common Terns was seen on a buoy at the W end when I was at the dam at 08:30: when I was at the W end with the camera at 08:45 it was flying around the E end! But it did eventually land back on an W-end buoy where it continually preened! Throughout I did not hear it call
- 1 Stock Dove was seen on the wires to the NE amongst the lines of Wood Pigeons
- yet another good count of Wood Pigeons today with a total of 102 birds logged. 22 were seen together on the wires to the E, with at least two of them juveniles (and the Stock Dove tucked away)
- 7 Swifts logged: 1 arrived at 05:08 and was joined by the others over the next 30 minutes. All gone by 06:00 again
- Kingfisher heard calling in flight again
- no Great Spotted Woodpecker today
- a Sky Lark seen in flight to the NE
- 1 Swallow logged today
- House Martins yet again heard high overhead early at 05:25. Then 16 local birds seen high to the NW
- Grey Wagtails only on the dam today
- 2 Mistle Thrushes on the wires to the E today: these were of such different sizes that I checked and rechecked that one of them wasn't a Song Thrush behaving unusually. Still cannot explain what appeared to be at least a 25% difference in size
- 6 Reed Warblers singing this morning
- Lesser Whitethroat calling at the W end several times
- no Common Whitethroat heard today
- neither was Garden Warbler again
- 8 Blackcaps heard singing today and 2 more scolding
- just 1 Chiffchaffs logged: a calling bird
- the Willow Warbler was slightly more enthusiastic about singing today, but was still not getting it quite right
- Willow Tits were logged well up the Teece Drive on my walk to the Flash again today, but there was a juvenile at the W end
- better visibility gave me a better count of corvids even though the grey skies did not help - and neither did the contrary passage of gulls! I ended with a log of 315 [11] Jackdaws; and 121 [27] Rooks [yesterday's numbers]
- 29 Greenfinches logged today. First calls at 04:59 despite the dull weather, and the first bird seen flying at 05:16. But with all the concurrent gull and corvid action numbers may be under-recorded
- just 1 Reed Bunting in song today: but 2 others record

Also (quiet in the dull conditions)
- examination of the street lights produced no moths at all, just more Chironomus plumosus midges
- for the last few days there has been the noise of a fair-sized animal in the undergrowth in the NE area - I assumed it was a Blackbird having a good root-about and then scurrying off on Tuesday: but then there was the fox ? need to investigate
- a Painted Lady was a bit of a surprise: Vanessid butterflies usually only fly when the sun is out, though it is plenty warm-enough for them

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today is set out below
5 Great Crested Grebes; 2 Herons; the 2 resident Swans and 1 cygnet; 11 Greylag Geese over; 16 Canada Geese (2 landed); 63 adult Mallards with 4
ducklings; 13 Tufted Ducks (10 drakes), but 10 left; no Ruddy Duck; 2 Kestrels; no other raptors; no Pheasants; 3 adult Moorhens and 3 juveniles from 3 broods; 63 adult Coots again, but with only 11 juveniles from 7 broods; no waders; 339 Black-headed Gulls; 122 Lesser Black-backed Gulls; no Feral Pigeons; 1 Stock Dove; 102 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; 7 Swifts; 1 Kingfisher; no Great Spotted Woodpecker; 1 Sky Lark; no Sand Martins; 1 Swallow; at least 16 House Martins; no pipits; 2 Grey Wagtails; 1 Pied Wagtail; 24 Wrens; 5 Dunnocks; 25 Robins; only 5 Blackbirds; 9 Song Thrushes 6 in song); 2 Mistle Thrushes; 6 Reed Warblers (in song); 1 Lesser Whitethroat; no Common Whitethroat; no Garden Warblers; 10 Blackcaps (8 in song); 1 Chiffchaff (no song); 1 Willow Warbler; no Goldcrests; 3 Long-tailed Tit parties; no Coal Tit; 1 juvenile Willow Tit; 9 Blue Tits; 9 Great Tits again; no Tree Creepers; no Jays; 9 Magpies; 315 Jackdaws; 121 Rooks; 9 Crows; no Starlings; no House Sparrows; 4 Chaffinches; 29 Greenfinches; 9 Goldfinches; no Linnets; 3 Bullfinches; 3 Reed Buntings (only 1 in song); and no Yellowhammer heard

Also recorded
2 species of mammal
- 9 Rabbits
- new molehills noted along the S side
- no bats

4 species of butterflies
- 1 Green-veined Whites [1551]
- 1 Painted Lady [1591]
- 6 Gatekeepers [1625]
- 8 Meadow Brown [1626] with the first flushed from the grass at 05:46

no identified moths
but
- more Cinnabar Moth [2069] caterpillars defoliating the Ragwort
- the usual hoards of unidentified grass moths
[numbers are the British Checklist Numbers]

1 species of dragonfly
- many Blue-tailed Damselflies, even in the dull conditions

(Ed Wilson)

20th July, Thursday, (04:22 - 06:30 // 08:10 - 09:11) - [in between walked to around and back from The Flash via Wesley Brook / Teece Drive- See Local Bird News]

Dull morning with some thundery rain at the start. Brightened somewhat, but the street-lights in Castle Farm Way went off a full 19 minutes later than yesterday

Thundery conditions are always reckoned to be good to bring down terns: so what were the best birds of the day? 2 Common Terns seen leaving the lake
(for The Flash) just as I was getting back from The Flash!

Even larger number of Lesser Black-backed Gulls again with 187 (and 1 Herring Gull) recorded leaving Ricoh factory area at first light

Avian notes from the lake today were
- just the 3 adult Great Crested Grebes seen again
- several Heron sightings again this morning - again seemed to relate to 1 juvenile and 1 adult
- the 1 surviving cygnet with the adult Swans
- 2 Canada Geese arrived: again the Swans paid them no heed: none others recorded
- the 3 small Mallard ducklings again - a single and the 'party' of 2. The adult count was 48
- 19 Tufted Ducks back: today they stayed. They were especially hard to count today, all continually diving out of sequence with each other
- no Ruddy Ducks recorded today
- 2 Kestrels at least: a bird perched on a pylon to the NE remained as the 'usual' S-bound early flight by another
- only adult Moorhens recorded today
- more news of the Coot juveniles: 12 juveniles this morning:
- - 2 old juveniles with adults off the dam
- - only 1 old juveniles noted with adults in the NE area
- - 2 survivors from brood #14 in the NW area
- - 2 survivors from brood #17 along the N shore again
- - 1 seen in the general area of brood #18 off the reeds
- - 2 surviving juveniles from brood #19 in NE area
- - 2 juveniles from brood #20 in the reeds just E of centre of the N side
- 69 Black-headed Gulls noted: none when I arrived; 32 noted arriving; and 37 flew over, mostly birds leaving the Ricoh factory area [the count from The Flash today was 123, with just 3 juveniles]
- 197 Lesser Black-backed Gulls logged: 187 of these were seen leaving the general area of the Ricoh factory, mostly heading NE though a party of 50
seemed to go off S after starting off E. Just 6 visited the lake and 4 more seen over-flying
- the 2 Common Terns were seen flying away up the Wesley Brook line towards The Flash at 08:00
- 4 Stock Doves flew-over
- another good count of Wood Pigeons today with a total of 133 birds helped by a loose group of 32 birds apparently put up from the fields to the E by an overflying helicopter that was above the clouds. Also 21 were seen on the wires to the E
- 3 Swifts logged: 1 arrived at 05:13 and was joined by a second a few minutes later. A 3rd bird stayed very briefly and all had gone by 06:00
- Kingfisher heard calling in flight twice
- no Great Spotted Woodpecker today
- no Swallows logged today
- House Martins again heard high overhead early at 05:40. But it was after 08:00 before I saw any
- Grey Wagtails at both ends again
- just 1 Mistle Thrush heard and seen on the wires to the E
- 5 Reed Warblers singing this morning
- what seemed to be the Lesser Whitethroat calling at the W end briefly: certainly was not a Blackcap, Garden Warbler or Common Whitethroat sound, but not entirely familiar with all the calls of Lesser Whitethroat. Right area though
- no Common Whitethroat heard today
- neither was Garden Warbler
- 9 Blackcaps heard singing and 2 more scolding
- 5 Chiffchaffs logged with just one of these singing
- a Willow Warbler gave about 6 stuttering song-notes and that was it!
- the Willow Tits were in the NW area again today - and it was probably these birds that I logged as I was walking back alongside Wesley Brook back from The Flash
- no Jays recorded today
- I did not anticipate a big corvid passage as the visibility to the E was not good, but I did not expect such dire numbers. I had a log of just 11 [247] Jackdaws; and 27 [280] Rooks [yesterday's numbers]
- 24 Greenfinches logged today. First calls again at 04:55 despite the dull weather, but the first birds did not fly until 05:26
- several Reed Bunting were seen fighting at the W end - apparently 2 males and a female (I will say no more!)

Also (quiet in the dull conditions)
- examination of the street lights produced 1 moths: despite it being 15 feet up a pole in rather poor light the photo I took clearly indicates it is a splendid male Ghost Moth [14]
- also on the lights with more Chironomus plumosus midges was a yellow and black Ladybird, but cannot get closer than that!
- a bat sp. with a very different flight-pattern - fast, direct with just occasional sudden swoops - was seen over the SW area early. Another or the same, with a similar flight-pattern was over the NE area a few minutes later

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today is set out below
3 adult Great Crested Grebes; 2 Herons; the 2 resident Swans and 1 cygnet; no Greylag Geese; 2 Canada Geese; 48 adult Mallard with 3 ducklings; 19
Tufted Ducks (15 drakes); no Ruddy Duck; 2 Kestrels; no other raptors; no Pheasants; 3 adult Moorhens but no juveniles; 63 adult Coots with 12 juveniles from 7 broods; no waders; 69 Black-headed Gulls; 197 Lesser Black-backed Gulls; 6 Feral Pigeons; 4 Stock Doves; 133 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; 3 Swifts; 1 Kingfisher; no Great Spotted Woodpecker; no Sky Larks; no Sand Martins; no Swallows; at least 10 House Martins; no pipits; 3 Grey Wagtails; 3 Pied Wagtails; 21 Wrens; 5 Dunnocks; 24 Robins; 22 Blackbirds; 7 Song Thrushes (4 in song); 1 Mistle Thrush; 5 Reed Warblers (in song); 1 probable Lesser Whitethroat; no Common Whitethroat; no Garden Warblers; 11 Blackcaps (9 in song); 5 Chiffchaffs (1 in song); 1 Willow Warbler; no Goldcrests; 3 Long-tailed Tit parties; no Coal Tit; 2 Willow Tits; 10 Blue Tits; 9 Great Tits; no Tree Creepers; no Jays; 8 Magpies; 11 Jackdaws; 27 Rooks; 4 Crows; 2 Starlings; no House Sparrows; 2 Chaffinches; 24 Greenfinches; 3 Goldfinches; no Linnets; 4 Bullfinches; 6 Reed Buntings (only 3 in song); and no Yellowhammer heard

Also recorded
Mammal :
- 5 Rabbits
- new molehills noted at the W end
- a large direct-flying bat sp.

Insects:
just 3 species of butterflies
- 1 Green-veined Whites [1551]
- 2 Gatekeepers [1625]
- c.10 Meadow Brown [1626] with the first flushed from the grass at 05:54 even on this dull day

no identified species of moth
but
- a male Ghost Moth [14]
- more Cinnabar Moth [2069] caterpillars
- the usual hoards of unidentified grass moths
[numbers are the British Checklist Numbers]

1 species of dragonfly
- many Blue-tailed Damselflies, especially in the conditions

(Ed Wilson)

19th July, Wednesday, (04:15 - 06:25 // 08:05 - 09:52) - [in between walked to around and back from The Flash via Wesley Brook / Teece Drive See Local Bird News]

Another clear sky meant there was no special sunrise again. Light S breeze faded away for a while. Good visibility

Absolute highlight for me was a site and year tick - a 'parakeet sp.' flying over! A quick scan of HBW [Handbook Of The Birds Of The World] suggests that this rapid fly-over (that happened while I was being 'attacked' by friendly but rather solid Labrador dog!) was a male Cockatiel. I heard a strange high-pitched flight call and saw the bird approaching and it looked initially rather like a Kestrel, showing long, pointed wings but a rather longer tail. Indeed the call was not unlike the calls of juvenile Kestrel anyway. As it shot overhead I was able to note that it was mostly grey with white around the face and yellow somewhere,
but at the time got no identification! I've seen lots of parakeets in the world, but you usually know what you are likely to see and that helps. But I have never been to Australia ?! Bizarrely I already have this on my UK list as one of 3 parrot-types [cockatiels are Cacatuidae (Cockatoos) and not Psittacidae (Parrots)]: one flew over my partner's house in Plymouth over 20 years ago while I was washing the car (a different car!)!

More mundane matters: a good number of Tufted Duck again, though once again they all left; large number of Lesser Black-backed Gulls again for the date with 34 flushed from the grass in the Ricoh factory

Avian notes from the lake today were
- only 3 adult Great Crested Grebes seen yet again
- lots of Heron sightings this morning - but all seemed to relate to 1 juvenile and 1 adult
- the 1 surviving cygnet with the adult Swans
- 2 Canada Geese present throughout with the Swans paying them no heed; another 9 over [lower count at The Flash today suggests that 'moult' in now over and these birds are airborne again]
- today there were just 3 small Mallard ducklings - a single and the 'party' of 2. The adult count was 55
- after yesterday's clearout I was surprised to see 24 Tufted Ducks back: but at 08:15 they had all gone again
- 1 drake Ruddy Duck recorded today
- no Kestrel seen
- 3 juvenile Moorhens today
- more news of the Coot juveniles: 13 juveniles this morning:
- - 2 old juveniles with adults off the dam
- - 2 old juveniles with adults in the NE area
- - 2 survivors from brood #14 in the NW area
- - now only 2 survivors from brood #17 along the N shore again
- - 1 seen in the general area of brood #18 off the reeds
- - 2 surviving juveniles from brood #19 in NE area
- - 2 new juveniles in the reeds just E of centre of the N side - this is brood #20 that I postulated from calls heard on Sunday
- 75 Black-headed Gulls noted: none when I arrived; 44 noted arriving; and 31 flew over, with a party of 27 [the count from The Flash today was 89, with just 3 juveniles]
- 42 Lesser Black-backed Gulls logged again; I logged 40 arriving at the lake and these birds are assumed to be the 34 I flushed from the lawn of the Ricoh factory when I stuck my head over the hedge! Just 2 more overhead. Mostly immatures in raggedy wing-moult again
- a Stock Dove fly-over: long while since I have seen any in the NW area where I thought they might be breeding
- good count of Wood Pigeons today with a total of 106 birds
- COCKATIEL (I suppose the entry goes here, systematically!)
- 12 Swifts passed high SE at 04:55: then 9 arrived over the W end at 05:05 but did not stay. Just 1 seen later
- Great Spotted Woodpecker calling again
- 2 Sky Larks were seen 'fighting' over the fields to the E
- no Swallows logged today
- House Martins were heard overhead at the early time of 04:52 and a few minutes later 2 birds flew through west - apparently not the Priorslee birds
- Grey Wagtails at both ends again
- no roost of Song Thrushes noted today
- 4 Mistle Thrushes seen on the wires to the E: another heard in the NE area
- 6 Reed Warblers singing again this morning
- a Common Whitethroat heard calling at the W end again and then an adult seen carrying food hopping around the wires of the yacht compound
- 1 Garden Warbler sub-singing today
- 10 Blackcaps heard singing
- 6 Chiffchaffs logged including an adult and juvenile moving together
- no Willow Warblers logged today
- a Jay seen flying high (for a Jay) along the N shore, and another heard in the 'usual' NW area
- another prolonged corvid passage this morning with no large or mixed groups and birds passing to both E and, less usually, W of the lake. Again had to work to amass a log of 247 [292] Jackdaws; and 280 [299] Rooks [yesterday's numbers]
- 55 Greenfinches logged today, with a party of 18 noted leaving. First calls at the later time of 04:55, but the first birds flew off about the same time 05:04
- the first Goldfinch of the day was calling at the W end at the very early time of 04:36 - not a species that I usually hear this early in the day
- a fly-over Linnet was my first around the lake for over a month
- one of the Reed Buntings was singing on the 'other' side of Castle Farm Way

Also
- examination of the street lights produced 1 moths: a Common Rustic [2343]
- I saw and photographed the 'chaser' and indeed these are Black-tailed Skimmers
- I now think that really pallid grey-green female damselfly I saw yesterday was a female Banded Demoiselle: saw more today, buy no males - another(?) female Southern Hawker seen perched and photographed
- a close-encounter with a Fox along the N side was a shock for us both
- a Brown Rat seen along the N shore - my first record away from the dam area

My complete log of the birds at and around the lake today is set out below:
3 adult Great Crested Grebes; 2 Herons; the 2 resident Swans and 1 cygnet; no Greylag Geese; 11 Canada Geese; 55 adult Mallard with 3 ducklings; 24
Tufted Ducks all flew off; 1 drake Ruddy Duck; no raptors; no Pheasants; 2 Moorhens but 3 juvenile from two broods; 62 adult Coots with 13 juveniles
now from 7 broods; no waders; 75 Black-headed Gulls; 42 Lesser Black-backed Gulls again; 10 Feral Pigeons; 1 Stock Dove; 106 Wood Pigeons; no Collared Doves; 1 Cockatiel; 22 Swifts; no Kingfishers; 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker; 2 Sky Larks; no Sand Martins; no Swallows; at least 3 House Martins; no pipits; 3 Grey Wagtails; no Pied Wagtail; 24 Wrens; 6 Dunnocks; 19 Robins; 13 Blackbirds; 7 Song Thrushes (5 in song); 5 Mistle Thrushes; 6 Reed Warblers (in song); no Lesser Whitethroats; 1 Common Whitethroat; 1 Garden Warbler (in sub-song); 10 Blackcaps (in song); 6 Chiffchaffs (2 in song); no Willow Warblers; no Goldcrests; 3 Long-tailed Tit parties; 2 Coal Tit; 3 Willow Tits; 18 Blue Tits; 12 Great Tits; no Tree Creepers; 2 Jays; 12 Magpies; 247 Jackdaws; 280 Rooks; 9 Crows; no Starlings; no House Sparrows; 4 Chaffinches; 55 Greenfinches; 7 Goldfinches again; 1 Linnet; 3 Bullfinches; 5 Reed Buntings (in song); and no Yellowhammer heard

Also recorded

Mammals:
- 2 Rabbits
- 1 Fox
- no Grey Squirrel
- no new molehills noted
- a small bat sp. seen to the far E

Insects:
8 species of butterflies
- no Large Skippers [1531]
- 3 Large White [1549]
- 1 Small White [1550]
- 4 Green-veined Whites [1551]
- no Red Admirals [1590]
- 1 Comma [1598]
- 4 Speckled Woods [1614]
- c.20 Gatekeepers [1625]
- c.25 Meadow Brown [1626]
- c.10 Ringlets [1629]

1 identified species of moth
- 1 aCommon Rustic [2343]
but
- lots of Cinnabar Moth [2069] caterpillars

- lots of unidentified grass moths
[numbers are the British Checklist Numbers]

3 species of dragonfly
- 3 female Banded Demoiselle
- many Blue-tailed Damselflies, with some females ovipositing
- 3 Southern Hawker - types, with one confirmed as this species
- 6 Black-tailed Skimmers

(Ed Wilson)

18th July, Tuesday, (04:16 - 06:30 // 08:15 - 09:36) - [in between walked the lanes and fields to the E / SE See Local Bird News]

A clear sky meant there was no special sunrise, but some good dew-effectsanyway until the sun burned it all away and it became hot. Almost no wind.Good visibility

Yet another good number of Tufted Duck, though they all left at somestage; 4 Herons today; good, if lengthy, corvid passage; steady trickle of Lesser Black-backed Gulls, unusual for the date and direction - from the W. More new insects for my lake list!

Note that as I walked the fields to the E I only did one 'lap' of the lake and visited the N side only well after bird song was over [such as it still is, now rapidly fading away]. Thus all passerine numbers have to be treated with caution.

Avian notes from the lake today were
- only 3 adult Great Crested Grebes seen again
- 4 Herons this morning - definitely 1 adult and 2 juveniles, but what about the 4th? No sure, kept getting confused
- the 1 surviving cygnet with the adult Swans
- no geese
- today there were 4 small Mallard ducklings - two singles and a 'party' of 2? The adult count was 54
- 36 Tufted Ducks in separate parties of 7 and 29: was going to sex them later when the light was better, but at 08:15 they had all gone!
- 1 drake Ruddy Duck recorded today
- no Kestrel seen
- 1 juvenile Moorhen today was the only sighting of this species today!
- the news of the Coot juveniles: only 12 juveniles this morning:
- - 2 old juveniles with adults off the dam
- - 2 old juveniles with adults in the NE area
- - now only 2 survivors from brood #14 in the NW area [it has been 2 together with the 3rd at a distance looking smaller for some days, so it seems to have succumbed)
- - 3 survivors from brood #17 along the N shore again
- - 1 seen in the general area of brood #18 off the reeds
- - 2 surviving juveniles from brood #19 in NE area
- 86 Black-headed Gulls noted: none when I arrived; none flew over [no count from The Flash today]
- 42 Lesser Black-backed Gulls logged is most unusual for this date. Apart from a party of 11 very high indeed flying W (only seen because I was following a group of departing Greenfinches), all these birds came in dribs and drabs from the W. That too is unusual in that birds usually fly E -W in the morning. Almost all were very tatty in moult and hard to age but seemed to be mainly immatures. None stayed, though I am not sure where they went! Late in the visit a party of 11 arrived - that too unusual for the date
- fewer Wood Pigeons today, especially around the lakeside trees. Today's total was 68 birds
- first 2 Swifts were high to the N at 05:00, but did not come in. Another single in the distance later
- Great Spotted Woodpecker heard calling again
- 4 Swallows but none apparently in the roost in the SW area, though there were fishermen there today
- 4 House Martins briefly again
- the parties of Grey Wagtails at both ends again
- small roost of Song Thrushes in the S side with 5 noted flying off without singing - could be a family roost?
- 1 Mistle Thrush seen in flight and then another seen on the wires to the E again
- 6 Reed Warblers were singing this morning
- 2 Garden Warblers with one heard sub-singing as I watched another foraging
- 9 Blackcaps heard singing today, with 1 other heard scolding
- 2 Chiffchaffs only heard, and one of those was calling rather than singing
- no Willow Warblers logged today
- a Tree Creeper heard along the N side: my first at the lake for a while
- prolonged corvid passage this morning with no large or mixed groups. So I had to work continually to amass a log of 292 [365] Jackdaws; and 299 [311] Rooks [yesterday's numbers]
- 5