Friday, 24th

Better morning with only a light shower

Most instructive was a Chiffchaff at the lake. This was making a very odd sound: it was just as if it had swallowed a squeaky toy and as it started to 'chiff' this loud, higher-pitched note emerged and it stopped before the 'chaff'. The sound was repeated for the next 'chiff' in what seemed about usual speed. I had heard the same sound at The Flash yesterday but failed to locate the source - same bird?

Otherwise
- 83 outbound geese: 28 Greylags and 55 Canadas, at least 15 of which came from the Town Park direction rather than The Flash. 7 of these landed, though 2 flew off later
- 18 inbound geese, all Canadas
- up to 22 Tufted Duck a slightly lower count: many very active this morning
- 32 Coots: 22 adults, 8 semi-independent juveniles; only 2 of the newest brood noted but only 1 of the adults in the open, so likely the other lurking with the rest of the juveniles in the vegetation
- Buzzard on a pylon to the NE from 05:10 until 05:45 at least
- 2 Swallows here at 08:25 were my first for a while
- better corvid passage this morning with 75 Jackdaws and 94 Rooks outbound

and
- two different species of moth on the lamps: a Purple Thorn; and a Scalloped Oak
- otherwise most of the grass moths seemed to be of the smaller culmella species

(Ed Wilson)

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Thursday, 23rd

Better weather tempted me in to the lane to the E after this usual visit to the lake and The Flash

Not much to note bird-wise but the lane (and later the S side of the lake) were full of butterflies and moths

- 86 geese seen outbound over and to N of the lake before 05:30. 2 Greylags, the rest Canadas. 5 on the lake eventually, though these chased away by the Swan
- 41 Mallard another high count
- 25 Tufted Duck this morning
- 12 Moorhens a high number: of these 5 juveniles from 3 broods; one brood with at least 2 very new juveniles
- 40 Coots of which at least 11 were juveniles: 4 of these a very new party in the SW area
- Sparrowhawk seen high to the NW with a small posse of House Martins calling in pursuit
- no big numbers of Wood Pigeons with at most 15 on the wires: the field has not been harvested, just partially flattened by the rain and this seems to give these birds access to feed
- single Swallow heard alarm-calling, but nothing seen

and
- all species of butterfly seen in the lane were seen here as well later: additionally Small Skipper, Meadow Brown and Ringlet
- a very worn moth on one of the lights with the antennae giving the clue that it was probably a Feathered Thorn
- very many grass moths with both culmella and tristella positively identified
- a 7-spot Ladybird
- more Cardinal Beetles
- several Blue-tailed Damselflies

in the Woodhouse Lane area
- 2 Buzzards: a juvenile heard begging from the stream-side copse; and an adult circling and calling
- 1 Common Whitethroat scolding in the hedges of the lane
- 1 Linnet flying over
- 2 Yellowhammers still in song

and
- my first edible blackberry of the year!
- lots and lots of damsons on the trees around the sluice
- Large, Small and Green-veined Whites; Gatekeepers; Speckled Woods; and a Comma butterfly
- several Yellow Shell moths flushed; and also what seemed to be a Wave sp. though not managed to identify it yet despite a very obvious and unusual sheen reminiscent of a Mother of Pearl moth

(Ed Wilson)

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Wednesday, 22nd

After a fine start some sharp showers again curtailed my visit to Priorslee: I hit a brief sunny spell at Trench

Some trends
- Geese now back on the move in some numbers
----- 2 Greylags, 58 Canadas and 15 unidentified Geese over the lake (7 of the Canadas landed)
- more Tufted Ducks moving in: 24 at the lake
- more gulls:
----- 49 Black-headed Gulls logged at and over the lake
----- 111 large gulls, most / all Lesser Black-backed Gulls over the lake
- hirundines possibly moving - out? or just local weather-related?
------ 4 House Martins at the lake at 06:00 moved straight through to the SW
- fewer songbirds, especially warblers
------ only 4 Reed Warblers still singing at the lake
------ 4 Blackcaps at the lake the only Sylvias seen or heard
------ single Chiffchaff in sporadic song

Otherwise
- good number of Mallard again - 34: the long-term group of the pale duck and her 5 off-spring was broken this morning with only 3 juveniles accompanying her: assume they were elsewhere
- increase in Wood Pigeon numbers with 112 logged: 46 of these on the wires to the E which they were using as a transit point to the recently harvested field to the E. At least 1 juvenile noted
- Kingfisher here was my first post-breeding record here: and unusually it flew off SW over the M54
- slightly better corvid passage - 42 Jackdaws but only 10 Rooks

No moths other than the usual grass moths of various species

(Ed Wilson)

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Tuesday, 21st

A curtailed visit due to heavy rain after a promising start. Not much of note

- 2 Herons disputing feeding positions before 05:00
- geese seem to be flying strongly again with parties of 4 Greylags, 8 Canada and 15 unidentified geese E over before 05:00
- 20 Tufted Ducks was the provisional count on the first lap: but with heavy rain there was no second lap recount!
- 17 Black-headed Gulls on the water and buoys at 05:00 but most drifted away
- 64 large gulls counted, most not specifically identified but likely mostly Lesser Black-backs. 44 south in 2 parties before 05:10; the the rest W / NW in singles or small groups c.06:00
- 7 Song Thrushes still in strong song
- 6 Blackcaps in song the only sylvia warblers seen / heard
- although I appeared to be in position in plenty of time the outbound corvid passage seemed to comprise just 3 Rooks!
- small build-up of Greenfinches in traditional post-breeding roost site in SW bushes but not in a position to make accurate count this morning

and
- a Silver Y moth feeding on thistle flowers
- 2 sets of unidentified moth wings were the remains of spider meals on the lamps this morning
- a Riband Wave on another lamp had escaped the spiders - this lamp seemed to be inhabited only by harvestmen which are closely related to spiders but lack venom and would not take anything as large as an adult moth

Missed from yesterday's report
- 2 more attractive caterpillars of the Vapourer moth at the lake: one of which was starting to spin its cocoon

(Ed Wilson)

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Monday, 20th

Notables
- all cygnets doing well: 3 at the lake; 4 at The Flash; 6 at Trench
- small influx of Tufted Duck: 15 at the lake; 13 at The Flash; but none at Trench. Sexing these scruffy partial eclipse / juveniles hard
- Common Sandpiper
- Reed Warblers and Blackcaps still singing, but not much else. Chiffchaffs in very hesitant song - juveniles learning?

Otherwise
- 4 Canada Geese flew in to join the bird present at dawn: the Swan took no notice of these
- 39 Mallard a high count: the party of 5 juveniles now apparently full-winged still with the pale duck
- 37 Coots - 7 seemed to be juveniles but some are hard to identify now: no sign of either of the 2 most recent broods
- a few Black-headed Gulls - one a juvenile and feeding on what seemed to be yet another dead carp
- noisy tit parties still contained Coal and Willow Tits as well as expected Long-tails, Blue and Great Tits. The remaining half of one of the conifers favoured by the Coal Tits has now collapsed

and
- single Grass Emerald, Common White Wave, Mottled Beauty, an unidentified Snout sp. moths on the lamps
- Small Skipper, Large White, Green-veined White, Small Tortoiseshell, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Ringlet and Red Admiral all seen well: my first Gatekeepers of the year
- lots of bees and hoverflies on the ragwort flowers on the dam
- cardinal beetles doing what cardinal beetles seem to do all the time - mating!
- a splendid striped Robber-fly photographed
- oddly no damsel- or dragon-flies here

(Ed Wilson)

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Thursday, 9th

Bird-song rapidly diminishing now: at The Flash just single intermittent Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler singing: no Blackcap or Song Thrush

Somewhat better at the lake with 7 Reed Warblers, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 7 Blackcaps and 3 Chiffchaffs in song (and juvenile / non-singing birds also seen as part of roving flocks). No Common Whitethroat or Garden Warbler though

Otherwise
- single Canada Goose flew in: so some can fly!
- build-up of Mallard with 36 logged (25 drakes, though getting hard to tell; 6 ducks; 5 full-winged 'ducklings')
- 2 drake Tufted Duck at 08:00 (but not at 06:00)
- 34 Coots: only 21 adults but 13 juveniles: the oldest 3 now have white-shields and are hard to separate; the latest brood in the NW area is of at least 5 birds
- up to 6 Black-headed Gulls with a juvenile again
- 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls all flew over
- Yellowhammer heard singing from across the fields to the E - this species sings well into mid-August

and
- my first Small Tortoiseshell butterfly of the year despite the overcast and very fresh conditions

but
- the clear and chilly night meant no moths on the lights

(Ed Wilson)

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Sunday, 5th

Quick update from the lake; The Flash and Trench Sunday morning

- a possible additional Great Crested Grebe seen flying high W at 05:35, but could not at that time see all 4 adults on the lake. They were there at 05:00 and 07:00 though
- as I thought on Friday new brood of Coots in NW corner - just 2 juveniles noted. None of Friday's new brood could be found but birds seemed to be hiding as only 28 (20 adults and 8 juveniles) logged
- up to 5 different Black-headed Gulls at various times
- party of 19 Lesser Black-backed Gulls over 04:43 first post-breeding flock seen here
- meagre corvid passage: 55 Jackdaws; 75 Rooks. Mainly before 05:00 but late party of 13 Rooks at 05:29
- Yellowhammer heard in song from the E

and
- now 5 dead fish: I know spawning takes its toll, but seems especially heavy this year
- 2 Riband Wave moths on the lamps - 1 with a 'band' and one without

(Ed Wilson)

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Friday, 3rd

Best today was another insect: a fine furry caterpillar with yellow tufts - it seems of a Vapourer (an adult of which I saw yesterday)

- usual 2 pairs of Great Crested Grebes with a single juvenile. The 'NW' pair that have frequently been seen asleep in the SW area were back home this morning and one might just have had the back fluffed up to brood juveniles
- single drake Tufted Duck, but that seemed to leave
- no sign of yesterday's new brood of Coot, but battling adults may have kept them under cover in the reeds: birds in NW area looking as if they were collecting food, but nothing seen
- scatter of up to 7 Black-headed Gulls throughout: included 2 different juveniles - my first here this season
- 2 Buzzards today: 1 to the NE; the other leaving the Ricoh grounds with Black-headed Gulls breaking off from mobbing the Heron to have a go at this as well
- Sky Lark singing over fields to the east audible over the traffic noise (but strangely rather subdued when I got over there)
- Dunnocks been unusually quiet for a while but back to full volume this morning and starting early at 04:30
- the Lesser Whitethroat back in its right place and singing sporadically
- 2 Common Whitethroats at least in song
- 8 Chiffchaffs logged in song, but song is sporadic and they seem rather mobile so some duplication possible
- after the bumper numbers yesterday an uninspiring corvid passage - 91 Jackdaws; 57 Rooks

and
- no moths on the lamps here (or elsewhere) - just a single plumed midge and a caddis fly
- a Ringlet butterfly found at rest at 05:35 and allowing microscopic examination
- a hawker-type dragonfly flushed at 04:40 but none seen thereafter; just a few damselflies
- 2 floating dead fish - too far out for me to retrieve to identify

(Ed Wilson)

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Thursday, 2nd

Another morning at the lake; Priorslee Flash; and then Trench

- 5 Tufted Duck: a pair when I did the first lap but later 3 drakes together
- 2 very new broods of Coots today, both with just 2 juveniles each: 40 birds - 10 juveniles was today's log
- first Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the lake for a while: 3 adults visited for a while
- after a long period with none / few wagtails both likely species this morning. A Grey Wagtail flew over (they did not seem to breed locally this year) at 05:44; and then a juvenile Pied Wagtail was on the 'pier' at 08:17
- the Lesser Whitethroat alongside the M54 again this morning, but very sporadic song
- the Common Whitethroat is usually singing away as I arrive but shuts up by 05:00 and is not heard later
- a juvenile Chiffchaff seen this morning
- excellent Rook passage this morning: a good count of 183 between 04:47 and 05:30 was boosted by a very atypical late party of 22 at 07:49 (at 93 the count of Jackdaws was unmemorable)

and
- the / a Fox and I had another good look at each other
- a freshly-emerged Comma butterfly was new for me this year
- in contrast (sic) a very faded Painted Lady butterfly
- also Green-veined White, Speckled Wood, Ringlet and Meadow Brown this morning
- new moth today was a Vapourer; also another Light Emerald but the clear night and sunny start probably ensured most hid away before I got to them
- looking at photos I took of 'blue damselflies' reveals an unexpected White-legged Damselfly
- Blue-tailed Damselflies are easy: and these were at the water's-edge whereas most of the blues are in the grass
- a Black-tailed Skimmer was also unexpected: decidedly local in the Midlands

(Ed Wilson)

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Wednesday, 1st

- Swans stayed on the nest and hidden until 05:30: usually they are at the dam at first light and take to their beds later
- Mallard seem to be gathering: more here than at The Flash - 26 - 17 drakes, 4 ducks, 5 well-grown ducklings
- pair of Tufted Duck early: but gone later
- Buzzard in the Ricoh grounds again
- 2 Kestrels interacting to the E: looked more like display than a juvenile begging for food
- Black-headed Gulls from 04:33 peaking at just 6
- Reed Warblers are moving about - between broods? My highest count of singing birds this year - 10 (8 or 9 usual, but separating them can be hard)
- after some days of more or less continuous song from the Ricoh hedge the Lesser Whitethroat was singing intermittently from the S end of the path and the M-way bushes
- also more Chiffchaffs in song than at any time since the early April passage - 7
- after several days of strong corvid passage most went AWOL today

and
- an inquisitive fox gave me a good photo - would have been sharper had there been more light at 05:40
- a Large Skipper feeding on nectar from spotted orchid while I had the camera ready!
- also feeding on the orchid and elsewhere were Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet moths (identified these incorrectly as Cinnabar Moths 2 days ago (though there was a Cinnabar on the lamps that day)
- new moths for me this morning included 4 of the common Riband Wave; and a splendid Ghost Moth; the identification of the Cydia sp. Tortrix moth will have to wait!
- a 7-spot ladybird as well as ladybird larvae

(Ed Wilson)