Priorslee Lake: 05:40 –08:45
The Flash: 08:50 – 09:45
5.0°C > 7.0°C: Cloudless. Touch of frost in areas sheltered from light / moderate WNW wind. Very good visibility.
Sunrise: 06:56 GMT
Priorslee Lake: 05:40 –08:45
(254th visit of the year)
Two highlights this morning
- A party of 11 Golden Plover flew N overhead at 08:30. So often these are only seen as flocks over distant fields to the E. New for me here this year – bird species #98 at the lake.
- Two Blackcaps seen along the S side: one a juvenile / female; the head of the other not properly seen.
Other bird notes from today:
- Only three of the cygnets took part in the flying lesson this morning with all three just about getting airborne.
- A drake Pochard back.
- Two Little Grebes at the W end a two additional birds confirmed in the NE area – all four visible at once.
- Of the 12 Great Crested Grebes there are 2 + 2 from the NW family; 2 + 4 from the NE family. The other two are (near) adults.
- c.45 of the Black-headed Gulls passed directly over to the E at first light.
- c.20 Wood Pigeons left trees around the lake c.06:55 and seemed to be heading S ‘with a will’ as if off on migration. No migrant parties seen overhead until 07:45 when three groups totalling 102 birds flew S and W in quick succession. No more until 08:40 when a big group of 180 flew S, followed a few minutes later by 10 more. No further sightings here (or later at The Flash)
- Again 17 Reed Buntings logged leaving their roost. Always harder when the wind is in the W: birds usually take off in to the wind and these are then initially flying against the backdrop of trees.
Bird totals:
Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 11 Golden Plover
- c.45 Black-headed Gulls
- 28 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: mainly adults
- 9 unidentified large gulls
- 406 Wood Pigeons: 392 of these in 5 migrant groups heading ‘S’ / ‘W’
- 267 Jackdaws
- 5 Skylarks
- 21 Starlings (3 groups)
- 4 Redwings (singles)
- 5 Pied Wagtails again
Warblers noted:
- 2 Blackcaps
Birds logged leaving roosts around the lake:
- >300 Starlings
- 2 Song Thrushes
- 7 Redwings
- 17 Reed Bunting again
Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 5 (3♂) Gadwall
- 5 (3♂) Mallard also
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 29 (?♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Cormorants
- 2 Grey Herons
- 4 Little Grebes
- 12 Great Crested Grebes
- 10 Moorhens
- 123 Coots
- c.100 Black-headed Gulls
- 13 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls: no adults noted
- 14 unidentified large gulls
Busy again on the lamp poles pre-dawn despite the frost:
- 3 November Moth-types (Epirrita sp.)
- 1 presumed Chironomus plumosus (plumed midge)
- 2 male Tipula pagana craneflies
- 1 unidentified small fly sp.
- 1 Hawthorn Shieldbug (Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale)
- 1 probable Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
- 3 other unidentified spiders, all different species
- 1 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestman
Later sightings elsewhere
- 1 male Tipula pagana cranefly
Some high cloud to provide a touch of colour at sunrise.
A good trick if you can do it: stand one-legged on the water.
“I’d give my right leg to ambidextrous”
Now: are the (invisible) Coots taking cover from the passing Grey Heron? Or ...
... just having a typical Coot scrap?
On a first winter Herring Gull the whole of the inner primaries are much paler.
And on this different individual.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flash: 08:50 – 09:45
(240th visit of the year)
Notes from here:
- Hard to census the Mallard today. Several different food-drops meant they were always on the move.
- Goosanders being typically elusive – always ‘at the other end’.
Bird noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 6 Jackdaws
- 2 Chaffinches
- 1 Siskin
Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans
- 16 Greylag Geese: arrived
- 14 Canada Geese
- 24 (15♂) Mallard
- 27 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 11 (1♂) Goosanders
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 2 Moorhens again
- 15 Coots
- 15 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Kingfisher
Other things:
- on the usual lamp pole
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus harvestman
- on lamps in squirrel alley
- 1 November Moth-type (Epirrita sp.)
- elsewhere on lamp poles
- 1 November Moth-type (Epirrita sp.)
- on the bank of Ivy
- 1 Red Admiral butterfly (Vanessa atalanta)
- 1 7 Spot Ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata)
- >30 wasps, some rather small-looking
- very many flies
- (no hoverflies)
and
- >8 Shaggy Inkcap or Lawyer's Wig (Coprinus comatus) fungus at top of squirrel alley. These ‘on cue’ – previous years’ sightings on 25 October and 01 November.
(Ed Wilson)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On this day..........
2016Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here
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)