31 Oct 16

The Flash in passing; then Priorslee Lake; back to The Flash

The Flash: 07:10 – 07:20; 09:40 –10:05
Location

Sunrise: 07:05 GMT

9°C: Very foggy start; began to clear after 08:30 though still unable to see the whole length of the lake when I left. Flat calm. Very poor visibility, improved only a little

My first morning after the clocks changed: would have been brighter if were not for the fog

(100th visit of the year)

Too foggy for any logs on first pass: cleared later when ...

Notes
- very low number of Tufted Ducks this morning

and
- a November Moth agg. on one of he lamps
- still a few wasp sp. around the ivy

Birds noted flying over
- 2 Goldfinches as ever!

The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 53 Canada Geese
- 1 all white feral goose
- 26 (19♂) Mallard
- 6 (4♂) Tufted Ducks only
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Moorhens
- 9 Coots only
- 31 Black-headed Gulls

Between the lake and The Flash

A ‘golden rain’ here.

My favourite trees have lost many leaves but still look great.

With some detail.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Priorslee Lake: 07:25 – 09:30
Location

(137th visit of the year)

All numbers affected by the very poor visibility

Notes from today
- Saturday’s extra drake Gadwall gone again
- 5 Skylarks over as logged: probably more as the birds were too high to locate and often this species passes in small groups rather than the singles as logged
- House Sparrow had ventured away from the estate area and were alongside the Academy this morning
- 2 Siskins over with another 10 birds briefly looking at the Alder cones

and
- 7 November Moth agg. moths on the lamps today
- 1 crane-fly sp. likely Limonia nubeculosa
- a harvestman sp., perhaps Paroligolophus agrestis
- noted today that there are in fact two different species of umbellifer in flower – Wild Angelica (Angelica sylvestris) as well as the previously reported Common Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium)

Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- 3 Skylarks (see notes)
- 3 Jackdaws
- 10 Pied Wagtails
- 2 Meadow Pipit
- 1 Greenfinch again
- 4 Goldfinches
- 2 Siskins

Count of birds seen leaving roosts around the lake
*** all gone before I arrived ***

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 4 (2♂) Gadwall
- 9 (4♂) Mallard
- 66 (?♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 7 Moorhens again
- [Coots not counted]
- c.90 Black-headed Gulls
- 14 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Even once the mist started to clear the visibility was not good.

These two moths will have to go down as November Moth agg. It might seem obvious that they are different species but in fact the smaller specimen with slightly more curved outline to the wings is ‘just’ a female of the group and no easier to specifically identify.

Some more ‘Autumn colour’ shots: about all that was available this morning.

Some bramble leaves.

And I think Sycamore (I forgot to look at the tree!).

These Oak leaves are showing little sign of colouring: many oak leaves stay on the trees all winter.

In a few areas most of the leaves are on the ground.

This umbellifer with the many small umbels is Wild Angelica (Angelica sylvestris).

Whereas this tight head with the outer flowers with enlarge petals is Common Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium).

Not sure I have ever ID-ed these before and usual caveat about my lack of in-depth knowledge about plants. I think these berries are from Red Stem Dogwood (Cornus stolonifera) – there are certainly red stems! My concern is that this is a native from north and west of North America and if I am correct, has been introduced here.

Water droplets hang on this spider’s orb web, the web hung from a lichen-covered branch. Most years we might expect a frosted version of this by now.

This is a harvestman sp. Looking at the web probably Paroligolophus agrestis. Harvestmen might look like spiders but are distinct in having no venom.
(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this day in ...........
2015
Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake

Today's Sightings Here

2013
Candles Landfill Site

2nd winter Caspian Gull
8 Yellow-legged Gulls
Great Black-backed Gull
c.700 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
(Tom Lowe)

2010
Priorslee Lake

Chiffchaff
Mistle Thrush
29 Fieldfares
32 Redwings
13 Siskins
3 Linnets
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
1 Shoveler
5 Wigeon
(John Isherwood)

2005
Trench Pool

2 Goosander
10 Shoveler
(John Isherwood)

30 Oct 16

No Sightings in today.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this day in ...........
2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014

Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2010

Priorslee Lake
10 Swans
c.60 Golden Plover
c.200 Starlings left a roost in the reeds at the W end
763 Wood Pigeons
3 Sky Larks
7 Meadow Pipits
165 Fieldfare
9 Redwings
4 Siskins
3 Linnets
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

2009

Priorslee Lake
8 Wigeon
20 Pochard
(John Isherwood)

The Flash

1 Goosander
1 Teal
(John Isherwood)

2006

Priorslee Lake
100 Jackdaw
130 Rooks
1 Buzzard
Kestrel
c.60 Golden Plover
(Martin Adlam)

2005

Priorslee Lake
450 to 500 Starlings left the roost
11 Pochard
47 Tufted Duck
Pair of Ruddy Duck
200+ Coot
1 Dunlin
104 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
100 Black-headed Gulls
Kingfisher
A Buzzard was seen feeding on earthworms and possibly beetles
2000+ Wood Pigeon
62 Redwing
54 Fieldfare
3 Song Thrushes 
(Martin Adlam)

29 Oct 16

Priorslee Lake: 07:15 – 10:00
Location

Sunrise: 08:01 BST

10°C > 12°C: Low cloud with occasional light drizzle; a few brighter intervals. Light and variable wind. Moderate visibility

Last morning before the clocks change: will be brighter in the morning for a while.

(136th visit of the year)

Notes from today
- another male Gadwall this morning
- a moulting (immature?)drake Shoveler new in
- c.80 Tufted Ducks flew off W towards The Flash just after I left – probably because the yacht club were just about to put their safety launch in the water as I was making my final round
- no passage Wood Pigeons again, just local movements
- pre-dawn I walked underneath the area previously used as a Magpie roost without any response, confirming that at the moment there is no roost
- two large groups of Jackdaws passing S far to the E: c.380 at 07:44 started the passage; and then c.80 some 5 minutes later. Just a scatter after that
- Starlings roosting again in the NW reeds: they were late starting to mutter and it was 08:02 before they left: just possible I gave up on them too early the previous two apparently blank days
- Song Thrush in full song this morning – for all of 2 minutes!
- all the Pied Wagtails seen overhead were flying S: in previous years movement has usually been N or NE
and
- 3 November Moth agg. moths on the lamps today
- 2 crane-fly sp. this morning, both likely Limonia nubeculosa resting with wings folded

Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- 1 Black-headed Gull
- 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 19 Wood Pigeons (see notes)
- 1 Skylark
- >500 Jackdaws
- 16 Rooks
- 7 Redwings (1 group)
- 18 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Meadow Pipit
- 1 Greenfinch
- 2 Goldfinches
- 6 Siskins again
- 1 Lesser Redpoll

Count of birds seen leaving roosts around the lake
**this will be my last report under this heading for a while: the first bus will get me to the lake after birds have left roosts***
- 4 Redwings
- c.315 Starlings

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 5 (3♂) Gadwall
- 18 (10♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Shoveler
- 2 (2♂) Pochard again
- 95 (50♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 7 Moorhens
- 63 Coots
- >170 Black-headed Gulls
- 26 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull

An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull about to land – a full adult as there is no hint of dark in the tail. Note the outer primaries have yet to complete re-growth so there are no so-called ‘white mirrors’ in the wing tips as yet. Note too that with wings spread wide there is a hint of a pale ‘window’ produced by the paler inner webs of the inner primaries.

Another adult Lesser Black-backed Gull coming in to land. Note the swollen crop on this bird. This may be because it has been gorging itself somewhere: but may equally be an infection – gulls are prone to picking up botulism from tips.

A group of adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls demonstrating the variability in the dark streaking on the head. Some of this will be due to moult occurring at different times, but a few will stay almost white-headed throughout the winter and some will get more extensive streaking.

A different group. Also identifying them as full adults is the spot on the lower mandible being all yellow – immatures show a decreasing amount of black as they progress to full adult in about 4 years.

This shot is of just part of the Starling flock leaving the roost. You’d be hard-put to ID them from this! Interestingly a quick scan suggests there are c.200 birds in this shot which suggests that my estimate at the time of c.315 (c.300 in the main group and 15 later) was well out and the real number was likely >500.

In addition to the fly-over Siskins a few stopped off to inspect the Alders before deciding the cones were not ripe and moving on. In the poor light here is a male.
Not at all sure about this green bug. It might be a lacewing – a few species hibernate so could still be active in the mild weather. However the body on this specimen is as long as the wings which seems to rule out this group.

More Autumn colour around the lake: all done without frost this year.

this blaze of colour is alongside Castle Farm Way.

Not all Autumn colours are so spectacular, particularly when viewed in detail. This leaf – from a Poplar I think, shows dark marks which could be a fungal growth but I think not as ....

This leaf is all black and it seems unlikely that a fungus would kill a leaf just as it was about to fall due to lack of sustenance from the tree.

These bramble leaves are well marked too ...

... but some are unmarked.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this day in ...........
2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014

Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2013

Priorslee Lake
7 Gadwall
1 Teal
1 Raven
(John Isherwood)

The Flash

Location
1 Pochard
1 Teal
(John Isherwood)

2012

Priorslee Lake
1 Yellow legged Gull
2 Gadwall
1 Shoveler
1 Wigeon
Chiffchaff
10+ Fieldfare
Siskin
Willow Tit
(John Isherwood)

The Flash

Location
3 Pochard
Sparrowhawk
(John Isherwood)

2010

Priorslee Lake
34 Pochard a high count 
500+  Lesser Black-backed Gulls
432 Jackdaws
228 Rooks
171 Fieldfare
5 Redwings
2 Siskins
4 Linnets
(Ed Wilson)

2006

Priorslee Lake
115 Canada Geese
9 Pochard
52 Tufted Ducks
1 Kestrel
c.200 Golden Plover
23 Pied Wagtails
17 Robins
18 Blackbirds
12 Song Thrushes
70 Redwing
1 Mistle Thrush
9 Fieldfare
1 Chiffchaff
1 Blackcap
1 Willow Tit
195 Jackdaws
206 Rooks
31 Greenfinches
4 Redpoll
10 Reed Buntings
(Martin Adlam)

2005

Priorslee Lake
Buzzard feeding on earthworms, mobbed by Black-headed Gulls
1 Raven
7 Pied Wagtails
3 Grey Wagtail
11 Meadow Pipits
Kingfisher
1700+ Wood Pigeon
192 Redwing
111 Fieldfare
(Martin Adlam)

28 Oct 16

Priorslee Lake: 07:20 – 09:50
Location

Sunrise: 08:00 BST

13°C > 14°C: Again mainly cloudy with only few brighter intervals. Moderate WSW wind. Very good visibility

Another very mild morning with very little happening – need some colder weather to get the birds on the move!

(135th visit of the year)

Notes from today
- the cygnet again seen in flight both on its own and with its parents
- all of the Wood Pigeons flying over were singles on local movements: no migrants noted
- despite logging 15 Magpies I could find nothing that could be described as a roost. The leaves on the trees do not help: most years the number in the roost builds later in the winter
- again no Starling roost this morning
- 2 Grey Wagtails seen high over heading SW seemed not to be the local birds, one of which at least, was on the dam later
and
- no moths on the lamps today

Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- 47 Greylag Geese
- 25 Canada Geese
- 82 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 1 Feral Pigeon
- 14 Wood Pigeons (see notes)
- 318 Jackdaws
- 9 Rooks only
- 1 Starling
- 31 Fieldfare (2 groups)
- 10 Redwings (3 groups)
- 2 Grey Wagtails
- 12 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Chaffinch
- 4 Greenfinches
- 9 Goldfinches
- 6 Siskins

Count of birds seen leaving roosts around the lake
- 6 Redwings
- 1 Reed Bunting only

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 4 (2♂) Gadwall again
- 8 (5♂) Mallard
- 2 (2♂) Pochard
- 93 (48♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron once more
- 7 Great Crested Grebes
- 9 Moorhens
- 55 Coots
- >250 Black-headed Gulls
- 108 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls

I was using the camera to try and read the Darvic ring on the cygnet when it decided to stretch its wings and go for a fly. So while it rather over-filled the frame we see here the progress of the adult white feathers developing. When the body feathers start to go white the male (cob) will decide it is time the cygnet left home and chase it off.

Autumn colour alongside Teece Drive

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 10:00 – 10:30
Location

(99th visit of the year)

Notes
- the Greylag Geese seem to be using the lake as a transit stop: after 47 seen over the lake headed towards The Flash there were only 28 present when I arrived and 5 of these then flew off
- yesterday there was a large increase in Tufted Duck numbers with only a slight reduction in the numbers at the lake. Today a big fall in numbers here and a further small reduction in numbers at the lake. So where have they gone?
- just a lone Goosander this morning and unusually a moulting drake – brownheads are usually much more numerous
- Coots seemed to be hiding
and
- an addition to the late-flowering list I did for the lake and ignoring the various garden escapes
White Dead-Nettle (Lamium album)

Birds noted flying over
- 2 Redwings
- 2 Goldfinches again

The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 28 Greylag Geese
- 21 Canada Geese
- 1 all white feral goose
- 30 (23♂) Mallard
- 45 (21♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 (1♂) Goosander
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 4 Moorhens
- 7 Coots only
- 24 Black-headed Gulls

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this day in ...........
2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2010
Priorslee Lake
c.75 Starlings left roost at W end
118 Wood Pigeons
2 Sky Larks
7 Meadow Pipits
478 Fieldfare
76 Redwings
9 Siskins
13 Linnets
1 Redpoll
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe
2 Cormorants
26 Pochard
47 Tufted Ducks
1 drake Ruddy Duck
1 Water Rail
64 Coots
35 Fieldfares
3 Song Thrushes
24 Redwings
4 Mistle Thrushes
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
2 Little Grebes
Wigeon
Cormorant
300 Black-headed Gulls
40 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
c.75 Lapwings
2 Fieldfares
1 duck Pochard
34 Tufted Duck
200 Coot
(Ed Wilson)

27 Oct 16

Priorslee Lake: 07:20 – 09:45
Location

Sunrise: 07:58 BST

11°C > 13°C: Mainly cloudy with a few clear intervals later. Light / moderate SSW wind. Very good visibility

Some late news: I have a reliable report that a Shelduck dropped in for a while on Tuesday (25th)

The SW wind was bringing much road noise from the M54 – as I noted previously last year’s resurfacing, far from making the road quieter, actually made it worse because the concrete central barriers throw the sound back. All this makes hearing the birds rather more difficult

(134th visit of the year)

Notes from today
- the cygnet, recently given a blue Darvic ring (7IAU?), was seen trying its wings and making it half-way across the water
- two sightings of a Sparrowhawk again (and later seen over The Flash as well)
- most of the Black-headed Gulls seemed to arrive from the W along with a sizeable group of Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Arrival from the E and the Ricoh fields was very thin today
- just two small groups of migrant Wood Pigeons today: the second group much later than usual at 09:35
- there seemed to be no Starling roost at the lake this morning
- one of the Song Thrushes was heard in sub-song
- the 14 Greenfinches seen overhead may well have come from trees bordering the main Priorslee estate
and
- 5 Epirrita sp. moths on the lamps today (I see these are generally referred to as November Moth agg. (aggregate) and I will adopt that term from now on)
- a Juniper Carpet moth found in the tunnel under Priorslee Avenue. New for me in Shropshire

Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- 24 Greylag Geese
- 14 Canada Geese
- 206 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 1 Stock Dove
- 58 Wood Pigeons (see notes)
- 102 Jackdaws (see notes)
- 2 Rooks only
- 27 Starlings (2 groups)
- 49 Fieldfare (5 groups)
- 7 Redwings (3 groups)
- 23 Pied Wagtails
- 14 Greenfinches
- 5 Goldfinches
- 1 Siskin

Count of birds seen leaving roosts around the lake
- 1 Fieldfare
- 4 Redwings
- 1 Reed Bunting

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 4 (2♂) Gadwall still
- 9 (5♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard again
- 102 Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 5 Great Crested Grebes
- 8 Moorhens
- 59 Coots
- >210 Black-headed Gulls
- 66 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Here is a nice tight group of Tufted Duck flying about. Even from this angle sexing many of them is difficult. The top bird in the photo is clearly a drake; and the last in the group shows white at the base of the bill and so is a duck; the bird ahead of that has a clean divide between the white and black on the breast and is therefore also a drake. The others?

This adult Lesser Black-backed Gull shows the streaks on the head acquired in winter. The extent and strength of these marks is highly variable for reasons that I have never seen convincingly explained.

This adult Lesser Black-backed Gull is much paler on the upper-wing. The head-streaking is rather less. Note that it is still in wing-moult, the outer primary on both wings being ‘short’.

And here is a somewhat darker toned adult Lesser Black-backed Gull, also still in wing-moult.

This is a sub-adult Lesser Black-backed Gull which in addition to showing the streaks on the head has marks on the underwing and dark marks on the bill. What we can see of the upperwing at first glance it looks like an adult being very dark: a full adult would show white spots in the outer primaries.

Between the Lake and The Flash

I saw a moth on the roof of the tunnel under Priorslee Avenue and rather assumed it was going to be another specimen of November Moth agg. but I took a photo of it anyway. And good job I did: it is a Juniper Carpet moth. Turned out to be a new moth for me in Shropshire!

Many leaves down now but still pretty spectacular.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 09:55 – 10:35
Location

(98th visit of the year)

Notes
- no longer able to be certain which, if any, of the Great Crested Grebes is the / a immature
- not sure where all the Tufted Ducks came from: some certainly transited from the lake and flew over me while I was walking from one to the other. Birds here generally just loaf their time away though they will join in the frenzy when anyone comes ‘to feed the ducks’. Almost all of the drakes are now recognisable as such, even the immatures beginning at acquire a few white flank feathers
- the over-flying Lesser Redpoll was my first of this species here this year
and
- the / a shield bug instar appeared on one of the lamps

Birds noted flying over
- 3 Skylarks
- 1 Redwing
- 2 Goldfinches
- 1 Lesser Redpoll

The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 37 Greylag Geese
- 19 Canada Geese
- 1 all white feral goose
- 38 (27♂) Mallard
- 119 (53?♂) Tufted Ducks
- 16 (2♂) Goosanders
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Moorhens again
- 11 Coots
- 74 Black-headed Gulls

A 1st winter Black-headed Gull. The head marks are much like an adult. However the bill shows black and pale orange rather than blank and reddish-orange and of course the brown marks in the wings clinch the age.

A different bird with an adult taking off behind it on which the brighter bill and leg-colour can be clearly seen.

And here is an adult in all its winter glory.

Drake Tufted Ducks are beginning to moult in to breeding plumage – most ducks acquire breeding plumage and pair up in early winter, even as early as September for dabbling ducks. So we see a range of birds this morning: this one is mainly grey with white bases showing (oops: clipped the bill-tip!).

This shows white on the lower flanks but still much grey.

While this is almost all-white with just a few grey feathers.

These are paired up: note the duck (at the rear) shows some pale at the base of the bill which will be lost later. Ducks often show a considerable ‘tuft’ like this: they always show at least a vestigial tuft which allows easy separation from duck Scaup – providing you can get a good-enough view.

(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this day in ...........
2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2011

Priorslee Lake
1 Adult Great Black-backed Gull
1000+ large gulls
(John Isherwood)

2010

Priorslee Lake
Great Black-backed Gull
11 Golden Plover
2 Kingfishers
16 Reed Buntings
5 Sky Larks
8 Meadow Pipits
71 Redwings
457 Fieldfare
31 Siskins
1 Linnet
4 Redpolls 
(Ed Wilson)

2005

Priorslee Lake
40 Tufted Duck
16 Pochard
2 Ruddy Duck
Common Buzzard
Sparrowhawk
c.2500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Kingfisher
2 Goldcrest
42 Fieldfare
Willow Tit
14 Long-tailed Tits
(Martin Adlam)

26 Oct 16

Priorslee Lake: 07:20 – 10:00
Location

Sunrise: 07:56 BST

10°C > 11°C: Some low cloud and some clear areas; an un-forecast drizzly shower after 09:15. Calm start again; light SSW wind later. Misty with moderate visibility, poor for a while in the drizzle

A generally rather quiet morning

(133rd visit of the year)

Notes from today
- just 20 of the 34 Wood Pigeons flying over were in a single migrant group: the others were singles on local movements
- the misty conditions nixed any chance of seeing the Jackdaws and Rooks passing from their distant roosts
- all c.250 Starlings from the NW reeds emerged in 3 groups within seconds of each other
- unusually at least 8 Fieldfare were seen in trees around the lake, albeit briefly. As winter visitors these tend to be open country birds – I recall being quite bemused to see them breeding inside forests in Russia
- the Blackbirds seem to have decided the haws are ready to eat: I logged 25 different birds this morning, almost double the number I logged on other recent visits
- one of the 10 Dunnocks / Hedge Sparrows I logged today was singing: this species will sing sporadically all winter on fine days
- one Great Tit was doing an excellent impression of a scolding Song Thrush: when I investigated there were two Goldcrests close-by, one with its crest wide-open and showing the orange centre. I could see no reason for the alarm
- in addition to the fly-over Siskins there were several groups of up to 17 birds flying around the tree-tops (there were also c.30 Goldfinches around the trees)
and
- just 1 Epirrita sp. moth on the lamps today

Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- 3 Greylag Geese
- 31 Canada Geese
- 1 (?♂) Pochard
- 33 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 34 Wood Pigeons (see notes)
- 1 Collared Dove
- 13 Jackdaws (see notes)
- 1 Rook only
- 115 Starlings (6 groups)
- 44 Fieldfare (1 group)
- 23 Redwings (4 groups)
- 15 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Meadow Pipit yet again
- 1 Chaffinch
- 2 Greenfinches
- 3 Goldfinches
- 1 Linnet
- 2 Siskins (see notes)

Count of birds seen leaving roosts around the lake
- >250 Starlings (3 groups)
- 7 Redwings
- 3 Reed Buntings

Warblers seen / heard
None

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 33 Greylag Geese (flew off)
- 4 (2♂) Gadwall remain
- 7 (3♂) Mallard again
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 129 Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron
- 7 Great Crested Grebes
- 10 Moorhens again
- 60 Coots
- >120 Black-headed Gulls
- 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

One of the Fieldfare atop one of the willows at the lake.

If you look hard there are 8 Fieldfare lurking here.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this day in ...........
2011
Priorslee Lake
17 Tufted Ducks
c.400 Lesser Black-backed Gull
(Mike Cooper)

2005

Priorslee Lake
16 Pochard
41 Tufted Duck
212 Coot
778 Fieldfare
199 Redwings
800 Wood Pigeons
Chiffchaff
Possible Firecrest
3 Siskin
18 Redpoll
275 Starlings
(Ed Wilson)

25 Oct 16

The Flash: 07:15 – 07:25: 09:45 – 10:30
Location

Sunrise: 07:54 BST

6°C > 8°C: Broken medium cloud, especially to E & N; filled in later. Calm start; light ESE wind later. Moderate visibility and rather misty

The duck Teal remained at the lake; another high count of Goosander at The Flash but Wigeon gone

(97th visit of the year)

Notes
- 2 Siskins here seemed to come out of trees (rather than be fly-overs)
and
- at least two Shaggy Inkcaps or Lawyer's Wigs (Coprinus comatus) [4 days earlier than my 2014 record]

Birds noted flying over
- 2 Redwings

Geese leaving while passing in the dark
- none: lighter start meant these had probably left before I arrived

The counts from the water later
- 2 Mute Swans
- 30 Greylag Geese
- 32 Canada Geese
- 1 all white feral goose
- 22 (16?) Mallard
- 27 (14?) Tufted Ducks
- 30 (1?) Goosanders
- 1 Grey Heron but only on my early transit
- 2 + 1 Great Crested Grebes again
- 2 Moorhens
- 12 Coots
- 35 Black-headed Gulls

A rare sight indeed: the normally rather shy Goosanders were sitting and preening on tree-roots quite close to the Derwent Drive overlook and allowed a few close-up shots. Here a Black-headed Gull gets in on the action.

And two birds sitting it out.

Here is one of the Shaggy Inkcaps or Lawyer's Wigs (Coprinus comatus). A few hawthorn berries in the leaf-litter give scale to the fungus.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Priorslee Lake: 07:30 – 09:35
Location

(132nd visit of the year)

Notes from today
- Water Rail not heard today
- 1 of the 10 Moorhens was an obvious immature
- 3 of the 64 Coots were obvious immatures
- the rather low cloud to the S and E probably deterred any significant Wood Pigeon migration
- the brighter morning probably meant that the big groups of Jackdaws and Rooks had passed before I arrived
- 3 Ravens flew N with a small group of Rooks, the latter flying the ‘wrong way’: later another(?) Raven flew S
- some 10 minutes after a single Starling flew out of S side bushes the main group of c.350 left the NW reeds and broke in to several smaller parties to leave to both the E and W. A minute later a further 25 left the same reeds and headed E
- all 6 Siskins were in one group: looks to be as if the Alder cones are not yet ready to eat which is perhaps why they flew on
and
- 3 Epirrita sp. moths on the lamps today
- cluster of fungus, possibly Psathyrella gracilis

Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- c.20 Canada Geese
- 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Stock Dove
- 57 Wood Pigeons (3 groups)
- 21 Jackdaws (see notes)
- 7 Rooks
- 4 Ravens
- 1 Skylark
- 6 Starlings (1 group)
- 39 Fieldfare (5 groups)
- 4 Redwings (all singles)
- 9 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Meadow Pipit again
- 3 Greenfinch again
- 7 Goldfinches
- 6 Siskins

Count of birds seen leaving roosts around the lake
- >350 Starlings (3 groups) (see notes)
- 4 Redwings
- 2 Reed Buntings once more

Warblers seen / heard
None

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 4 (2?) Gadwall again
- 1 (0?) Teal again
- 7 (3?) Mallard
- 2 (2?) Pochard again
- 105 Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron
- 8 Great Crested Grebes
- 10 Moorhens
- 64 Coots
- >125 Black-headed Gulls (see notes)

A female Blackbird contemplates the haws

A different female Blackbird. This one shows some pale shafts to the flanks feathers. Whether this is an effect of the different angle or a genuine plumage difference is hard to say. It intrigues me that photos of what we regard as common species can raise these questions

And another, showing fewer pale shafts to the flanks feathers. Just how many different subtle colours can you identify?

A cluster of delicate fruiting bodies of this fungus – possibly Psathyrella gracilis, but I am far from confident when it comes to fungi.

and from another angle.

A promising sunrise: clouded later from the W. No rain or wind as is often portended by the shepherds’ warning of red sky in the morning.

A hazy start to the day with some Autumn colours. Note the tree that has collapsed in to the water on the left, complete with the root bowl.

A close-up of the fallen tree (with a Coot, a drake Pochard and duck Tufted Duck in view)

More Autumn colour

And more

And yet more!

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this day in ...........
2012
Priorslee Lake
2 Gadwall
1 Wigeon
1 Common Gull
(John Isherwood)

The Flash

1 Goosander
7 Pochard
(John Isherwood)

2010

Priorslee Lake
12 Golden Plover
1577 Wood Pigeons
28 Sky Larks
12 Fieldfare
8 Redwings
4 Siskins
1 Linnet
2 Redpoll
1 Brambling
(Ed Wilson)