28 Oct 19

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

Priorslee Lake:  05:40 –09:00
The Flash:  09:05 – 10:05

3.0°C > 7.0°C:  Some areas of high cloud. Mist in the distance, clear here. Ground frost. Light and variable wind. Good visibility.

Sunrise: 06:58 GMT

Priorslee Lake:  05:40 –09:00

(255th visit of the year)

 Bird notes from today:
- All five cygnets took part in two short flying lesson this morning; two at least just about getting airborne.
- A brownhead Goosander dropped in at 07:10 but did not stay.
- A Cormorant arrived at the very early time of 06:25 and attempted to rest on several buoys before giving up and flying off at 06:40 only to briefly return a few minutes later.
- Rather few Black-headed Gulls this morning: c.35 on the water and another c.25 flying directly over.
- The first migrant Wood Pigeons were a party of 14 at 06:58 with another 125 in three groups within a few minutes. Then no more until seven at 07:35. The next group was 95 birds at 08:30 with two smaller groups shortly thereafter. Two Stock Doves noted in with these birds.
- The Magpie roost in the NW trees is beginning to form. Until the leaves come off the trees I will be unable to make any meaningful counts.
- >50 Starlings shot out of the roost in four small groups at the very early time of 06:35 – just as I was trying to locate the passing Jackdaws. No more until 06:50 when more than 55 flew out in at least nine small groups
- Several Reed Buntings were noted flying in to the usual roost dispersal area, joining birds already calling there before 06:30. Just 10 birds seen to leave the roost later, today as a single and three small groups. At least two birds still calling there and another heard later along the N side.

 Bird totals:

Birds noted flying over or flying near the lake:
- 1 Common Buzzard
- c.25 Black-headed Gulls
- 23 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: mainly adults
- 2 Stock Dove
- 316 Wood Pigeons: 279 of these in eight migrant groups heading ‘SW’
- 156 Jackdaws
- 3 Rooks
- 6 Skylarks
- 3 Starlings
- 1 Redwing
- 7 Pied Wagtails
- 16 Goldfinches
- 1 Siskin
- 1 Lesser Redpoll

Birds logged leaving roosts around the lake:
- >115 Starlings
- 1 Redwing
- 10 Reed Buntings

Counts from the lake area:
- 2 + 5 (1 brood) Mute Swans
- 5 (3♂) Gadwall again
- 15 (10♂) Mallard
- 32 (?♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 (0♂) Goosander: briefly
- 1 Cormorant
- 3 Grey Herons
- 2 Little Grebes
- 14 Great Crested Grebes
- 6 Moorhens
- 125 Coots
- c.35 Black-headed Gulls only
- 31 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull: first-winter bird

Less busy on the frosty lamp poles pre-dawn:
- 4 November Moth-types (Epirrita sp.)
- 1 Dicranopalpus ramosus harvestman
- 5 Paroligolophus agrestis harvestmen

Later sightings elsewhere
- 1 very small and delicate white fungus
- 3 Grey Squirrels

Forecast was for a clear night. As we all know ... This is what it looked like on a time exposure at 06:05

Colouring up by 06:35

Sunrise colour at its zenith. At this time of year the electricity transmission pylon is often the best / only foreground available.

The cygnets took flying practice. Here three set off ...

... with the right-hand bird just about achieving lift-off.

An adult encourages the other two cygnets to have a go.

“That was fun: can we do it again?”

“Yes: but you need to get in line and I’ll tell you when. You don’t want to crash in to all the Coots do you?”

Go!

Two cygnets certainly airborne here.

Compare and contrast. A drake Tufted Duck moulting in to breeding plumage and a Little Grebe in winter plumage. Presumably a first-year Tuftie as it seems to have very little ‘tuft’.

This is rather strange. This is juvenile Coot is from the very last brood. But it should really have moulted out of juvenile plumage long since.

“Anyone for tennis?” This Song Thrush is actually on the netting stopping balls from the football field ending up in the academy grounds.

A very small and delicate white fungus. No idea as to its identity.

It seems to me that the Autumn colours have not been very good this year. Perhaps the wet and / or generally mild weather? These Oak leaves caught my eye in this morning’s sun.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash:  09:05 – 10:05

(241st visit of the year)

Notes from here:
- Apart from a most unusual record on 21 July the first Pochard here since last winter (8th March).
- A single Fieldfare overhead – not often I log singles of this species.

Bird noted flying over / near The Flash:
- 1 Wood Pigeon
- 5 Jackdaws
- 1 Skylark
- 1 Starling
- 1 Fieldfare
- 1 Chaffinch
- 1 Greenfinch

Counts from the water:
- 3 Mute Swans
- 23 Canada Geese
- 1 Canada x ? Goose
- 34 (20♂) Mallard
- 1 (1♂) Pochard
- 21 (?♂) Tufted Duck
- 1 (0♂) Goosander
- 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Moorhens
- 13 Coots
- 21 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Kingfisher again

Other things:
- on the usual lamp pole
       - 2 Dicranopalpus ramosus harvestmen
- 1 male Tipula pagana cranefly
- on lamps in squirrel alley
- 1 November Moth-type (Epirrita sp.)
- elsewhere on lamp poles
- 5 November Moth-types (Epirrita sp.)
- on the bank of Ivy
        - 1 Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum)
        - >20 wasps, at least one a Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
        - >1 Common Drone Fly (Eristalis tenax)
        - >1 Tapered Drone Fly (Eristalis pertinax)
        [NB: did not try to identify all c.10 drone flies
        - very many flies again
and
        - 1 dead Grey Squirrel – road casualty.

The ‘feral’ goose this morning. The way the tail is held high is reminiscent of farmyard geese as it the yellow bill, though could also suggest Greylag genes. There is Canada Goose in there somewhere too.

Its exhausting being a drake Pochard. He has perhaps arrived after a long migration. Then again he may be the bird that was at the lake yesterday.

Not too many bumblebees still flying – indeed this species, Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum), is normally only until ‘early October’.

The wasps were very active. This one paused long-enough and in the right direction for me to photograph to show the anchor-like mark on the face confirming this one, at least, is a Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris).

A Common Drone Fly (Eristalis tenax) on an Ivy flower – an important late source of nectar for insects. The dark mark at the wing edge is not a ‘cloud’ as shown by some species. Just the way the wing-veins are fused at that point.

The shape of the abdomen suggests this is a Tapered Drone Fly (Eristalis pertinax). It is difficult to separate these two species. You need a good view of the rear tibia. Here they are ‘stretched out’ and the ‘at rest’ shape is impossible to discern.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day..........
2018
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

 2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

 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)