18 Sep 14
Priorslee Lake: 5:59am - 7:25am // 8:15am - 9:27am
Map
15.5°C > 16.5°C: mild and overcast. Light SE wind / calm. Moderate / poor visibility.
A very quiet morning generally.
Migrants noted were
- 6 Barn Swallows
- 1 Meadow Pipit
All over the lake
(109th visit of the year)
Other notes
Little Grebe again: was very active moving about and diving and wonder whether a new bird just in and anxious to feed.
9 of the Mallard flew out
and
2 Lacewings on the lamps
also
Another, as yet unidentified, moth in the Priorslee tunnel.
Counts
1 Little Grebe
4 Great Crested Grebes
1 Grey Heron
2 Swans
11 (7) Mallard
7 (5) Tufted Duck
1 + 4 Moorhen
99 Coots
114 Black-headed Gulls
18 large gulls: 7 of these over
2 (0) Blackcap
9 (3) Chiffchaffs
Corvid roost dispersal: 9 Jackdaws and 162 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)
Priorslee Flash: 7:35am - 8:05am
Map
(92nd visit of the year)
With all the geese away – just the non-flying 4 + 1 Canada Geese present for most of the time – and the calm wind it was really peaceful. And boring! Will be interesting to see whether the juvenile Canada Geese eventually fledges, though how will we know as it will just like an adult by then!
Other notes
2nd immature Great Crested Grebe still here
All other species easier to count accurately without all the geese in the way.
Counts
2 + 2 Great Crested Grebes
2 Swans
7 + 1 Canada Geese
The all-white feral goose
36 (21) Mallard
The all-white feral duck
41 (24) Tufted Ducks
4 + 6 Moorhen
20 Coots
14 Black-headed Gulls: 6 of these over
2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls over again
and
2 (2) Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)
Map
15.5°C > 16.5°C: mild and overcast. Light SE wind / calm. Moderate / poor visibility.
A very quiet morning generally.
Migrants noted were
- 6 Barn Swallows
- 1 Meadow Pipit
All over the lake
(109th visit of the year)
Other notes
Little Grebe again: was very active moving about and diving and wonder whether a new bird just in and anxious to feed.
9 of the Mallard flew out
and
2 Lacewings on the lamps
also
Another, as yet unidentified, moth in the Priorslee tunnel.
Counts
1 Little Grebe
4 Great Crested Grebes
1 Grey Heron
2 Swans
11 (7) Mallard
7 (5) Tufted Duck
1 + 4 Moorhen
99 Coots
114 Black-headed Gulls
18 large gulls: 7 of these over
2 (0) Blackcap
9 (3) Chiffchaffs
Corvid roost dispersal: 9 Jackdaws and 162 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Priorslee Flash: 7:35am - 8:05am
Map
(92nd visit of the year)
With all the geese away – just the non-flying 4 + 1 Canada Geese present for most of the time – and the calm wind it was really peaceful. And boring! Will be interesting to see whether the juvenile Canada Geese eventually fledges, though how will we know as it will just like an adult by then!
Other notes
2nd immature Great Crested Grebe still here
All other species easier to count accurately without all the geese in the way.
Counts
2 + 2 Great Crested Grebes
2 Swans
7 + 1 Canada Geese
The all-white feral goose
36 (21) Mallard
The all-white feral duck
41 (24) Tufted Ducks
4 + 6 Moorhen
20 Coots
14 Black-headed Gulls: 6 of these over
2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls over again
and
2 (2) Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)
17 Sep 14
Priorslee Lake: 5:55am - 9:07am
Map
14.5°C > 16.5°C: mild and overcast, starting to break after 08:45. Moderate SE wind dropped away. Moderate visibility.
Most unexpected bird of the morning was a Common Sandpiper. Never common here on autumn passage these have usually passed through here by end-July. At the SOS reserve at Venus Pool where there is suitable feeding habitat they often stay well in to September, but this is by far my latest record at the lake.
Migrants noted were
- 7 Meadow Pipits again: 6 over the lake; and 1 over The Flash
(108th visit of the year)
Other notes
Just 2 Mallard flew in and stayed.
101 Coot: we break the ‘ton’ today. Some years >250 winter on the lake: other years many fewer. There seems no reason for the variance.
A party of 51 Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrived very low from the NW before dawn: most stopped off for a bathe and then carried on SE. Other than that it was mainly singles.
One Blackcap was heard quietly singing. Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers regularly sing in the Autumn – indeed I have heard them doing so on their wintering grounds where the weather is hot and sunny (as it is in Africa!). But Blackcap (and other warblers in the genus) rarely do.
Checked the corvid dispersal carefully and it seems that the Jackdaws are going somewhere else at the moment.
and
A Common Marbled Carpet moth on one of the lamps.
Several hawker-type dragonflies, too skittish to identify.
A dead (and mangled) Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus) found in the grass.
Counts
4 Great Crested Grebes
1 Grey Heron
2 Swans
2 Canada Geese (outbound)
2 (1) Mallard
3 (3) Tufted Duck
4 + 7 (? broods) Moorhen
101 Coots
154 Black-headed Gulls
71 large gulls, 26 of these over
2 (1) Blackcap
7 (2) Chiffchaffs
Corvid roost dispersal: 15 Jackdaw and 133 Rooks in fog.
Here is yet another variation of Common Marbled Carpet. After Sunday’s Green Carpet my initial thoughts were of another common Autumn-flying moth, the Red-green Carpet. But not so.
This Racing Pigeon seemed to be unwell. It was on the top of the dam and allowed very close approach. Of course these birds are well-used to people but it was too lethargic just to be a confiding bird. Note the rings: one with a Blackpool phone number showing and the other the bird’s ID – GB14 E29024. This number tells me the ring was issued in the GB to bird born this year. Despite several photos from different angles I missed the last digit of the phone # and cannot therefore report it to the owner.
Dead rat at the lake. Interesting to speculate what killed it, mangled it and then left it.
(Ed Wilson)
Priorslee Flash: 9:10am - 10:04am
Map
(91st visit of the year)
Other notes
Lots of geese again: they arrived back in multiple small parties today. No hybrids located.
Not sure why the number of duck Tufted Ducks increased.
Counts
2 + 1 Great Crested Grebes
2 Swans
41 Greylag Geese
283 + 1 Canada Geese
The all-white feral goose
24 (16) Mallard
The all-white feral duck
41 (19) Tufted Ducks
2 + 1 Moorhen
17 Coots
41 Black-headed Gulls
2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls over
and
2 (2) Chiffchaffs
Try counting this lot! There are certainly 4 Black-headed Gulls in the shot but otherwise all Canada Geese.
Map
14.5°C > 16.5°C: mild and overcast, starting to break after 08:45. Moderate SE wind dropped away. Moderate visibility.
Most unexpected bird of the morning was a Common Sandpiper. Never common here on autumn passage these have usually passed through here by end-July. At the SOS reserve at Venus Pool where there is suitable feeding habitat they often stay well in to September, but this is by far my latest record at the lake.
Migrants noted were
- 7 Meadow Pipits again: 6 over the lake; and 1 over The Flash
(108th visit of the year)
Other notes
Just 2 Mallard flew in and stayed.
101 Coot: we break the ‘ton’ today. Some years >250 winter on the lake: other years many fewer. There seems no reason for the variance.
A party of 51 Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrived very low from the NW before dawn: most stopped off for a bathe and then carried on SE. Other than that it was mainly singles.
One Blackcap was heard quietly singing. Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers regularly sing in the Autumn – indeed I have heard them doing so on their wintering grounds where the weather is hot and sunny (as it is in Africa!). But Blackcap (and other warblers in the genus) rarely do.
Checked the corvid dispersal carefully and it seems that the Jackdaws are going somewhere else at the moment.
and
A Common Marbled Carpet moth on one of the lamps.
Several hawker-type dragonflies, too skittish to identify.
A dead (and mangled) Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus) found in the grass.
Counts
4 Great Crested Grebes
1 Grey Heron
2 Swans
2 Canada Geese (outbound)
2 (1) Mallard
3 (3) Tufted Duck
4 + 7 (? broods) Moorhen
101 Coots
154 Black-headed Gulls
71 large gulls, 26 of these over
2 (1) Blackcap
7 (2) Chiffchaffs
Corvid roost dispersal: 15 Jackdaw and 133 Rooks in fog.
(Ed Wilson)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Priorslee Flash: 9:10am - 10:04am
Map
(91st visit of the year)
Other notes
Lots of geese again: they arrived back in multiple small parties today. No hybrids located.
Not sure why the number of duck Tufted Ducks increased.
Counts
2 + 1 Great Crested Grebes
2 Swans
41 Greylag Geese
283 + 1 Canada Geese
The all-white feral goose
24 (16) Mallard
The all-white feral duck
41 (19) Tufted Ducks
2 + 1 Moorhen
17 Coots
41 Black-headed Gulls
2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls over
and
2 (2) Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)
16 Sep 14
Priorslee Lake: 5:50am - 9:02am
Map
11.5°C > 17.5°C: clear moonlight start with good visibility but fog / mist rolled in from E at c.06:30. Did not begin to lift and break until c.09:30. Then sunny but hazy. Light E wind. Good > poor > moderate visibility.
Some birds on the move this morning
- drake Wigeon at the lake
- duck Pochard, my first of the season, at The Flash (though flew off)
- pair of Gadwall at Trench Lock
and
- 2 unidentified duck, slightly smaller than Mallard, flew off pre-dawn from the lake.
Migrants noted were
- 2 Barn Swallows flying determinedly NW(!) at the lake: and 4 more S through The Flash
- 7 Meadow Pipits: 4 over the lake; 2 over The Flash; and 1 over Trench Lock
(107th visit of the year)
Other notes
No Mallard until 12 flew in, but 8 of these then flew out again.
Lower count of Coot probably due to the poor visibility.
Corvid dispersal started OK but then thwarted by the fog.
1 Linnet flew over
and
Yet another Square-spot Rustic moth in the Priorslee Avenue foot tunnel.
Counts
4 Great Crested Grebes
1 Grey Heron
2 Swans
10 Canada Goose (7 outbound and 3 on the lake)
1 (1) Wigeon
12+ Mallard
2 ducks sp. flew off
6 (6) Tufted Duck
4 + 4 (2 broods) Moorhen
88 Coots
121 Black-headed Gulls
43 large gulls, 40 of these over
2 Barn Swallows
1 (0) Blackcap
8 (3) Chiffchaffs
Corvid roost dispersal: 1 Jackdaw and 57 Rooks in fog.
Well it was a clear start – before the mist and fog rolled in. The Met Office web site tells me that it is a waning gibbous moon – that is to say less than full-moon but more than half-moon. But it must be a close-call as this looks just about half-moon to me.
It will do as a record shot, but little else. The drake Wigeon in the mist at the lake. The head-shape is really distinctive even when plumage details cannot be discerned.
(Ed Wilson)
Priorslee Flash: 9:05am – 10:12am
Map
(90th visit of the year)
Other notes
Again many of the Greylag Geese were already in and dispersed on to the island. Some Canada Geese were as well, though a party of 24 left. But then big numbers flew in, mainly Canada Geese: one party I estimated at c.250 birds as they flew in and then roughly counted about the same number on the water.
Among these were a few Greylags; and several apparently new, to me, hybrids paired with Greylag or Canada Geese
and
Today’s later visit allowed me to log my first Brown Hawker dragonfly for this site this year
Speckled Wood butterflies seen
Counts
2 + 2 Great Crested Grebes
2 Swans
78 Greylag Geese
3 different hybrid Geese
>370 + 1 Canada Geese
The all-white feral goose
22 (16) Mallard
The all-white feral duck
1 (0) Pochard
27 (19) Tufted Ducks
1 + 1 Moorhen
13 Coots
9 Black-headed Gulls
15 Lesser Black-backed Gulls over
and
4 Barn Swallows
3 (1) Chiffchaffs
Slightly better: a duck Pochard at The Flash. Can be separated from a 1st winter bird by the rather pale grey back – on a 1st winter this would be brown-tinged. Also the bill would be grey with a dark tip whereas this is all-dark (this is in itself unusual as most show a pale sub-terminal band). An eclipse drake would not show the spectacled effect.
The front two geese were a pair that flew in together. The left of course is a Greylag: the right-hand bird looks most like a Canada Goose, though it is rather small and the neck lacks the pale base. And someone has stuck on a bill from a White-fronted Goose. As far as I recall this is a ‘new’ hybrid for me. A regular Canada Goose can be seen next to it.
Here is another ‘mixed pair’: with the Canada Goose is another hybrid that looks as if Snow Goose may be in there somewhere with the extent of the white on the head, the bill colour and the strongly pale-edged primaries. No doubt the Snow Goose genes come from an escape.
Still some work to do on the formation flying: #1 needs to straighten his wings a bit! 4 Canada Geese that decided The Flash was ‘full’ and carried on.
I always find estimating numbers in flocks very hard: look quickly and try and estimate how many Canada Geese there are. I counted and reckon just about 100.
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Lock Pool: 10:23am – 10:55am
Map
(40th visit of the year)
Notes
2 Gadwall as highlighted: these were a new species for me here this year: they seemed to leave (or hide)
Female Peregrine circled overhead.
1 Meadow Pipit over
Kingfisher, possibly 2, and Grey Wagtail again
also
4 Speckled Wood butterflies
Brown and Migrant Hawker dragonflies
The counts
4 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
1 Grey Heron
2 Swans
6 Canada Goose
2 (1) Gadwall
3 (2) Mallard
3 (0) Tufted Duck
7 + 6 (5 broods) Moorhens
117 Coots
15 Black-headed Gulls
2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: 1 of these over
and
2 (0) Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Middle Pool: 11:00am – 11:25am
Map
Map
11.5°C > 17.5°C: clear moonlight start with good visibility but fog / mist rolled in from E at c.06:30. Did not begin to lift and break until c.09:30. Then sunny but hazy. Light E wind. Good > poor > moderate visibility.
Some birds on the move this morning
- drake Wigeon at the lake
- duck Pochard, my first of the season, at The Flash (though flew off)
- pair of Gadwall at Trench Lock
and
- 2 unidentified duck, slightly smaller than Mallard, flew off pre-dawn from the lake.
Migrants noted were
- 2 Barn Swallows flying determinedly NW(!) at the lake: and 4 more S through The Flash
- 7 Meadow Pipits: 4 over the lake; 2 over The Flash; and 1 over Trench Lock
(107th visit of the year)
Other notes
No Mallard until 12 flew in, but 8 of these then flew out again.
Lower count of Coot probably due to the poor visibility.
Corvid dispersal started OK but then thwarted by the fog.
1 Linnet flew over
and
Yet another Square-spot Rustic moth in the Priorslee Avenue foot tunnel.
Counts
4 Great Crested Grebes
1 Grey Heron
2 Swans
10 Canada Goose (7 outbound and 3 on the lake)
1 (1) Wigeon
12+ Mallard
2 ducks sp. flew off
6 (6) Tufted Duck
4 + 4 (2 broods) Moorhen
88 Coots
121 Black-headed Gulls
43 large gulls, 40 of these over
2 Barn Swallows
1 (0) Blackcap
8 (3) Chiffchaffs
Corvid roost dispersal: 1 Jackdaw and 57 Rooks in fog.
(Ed Wilson)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Priorslee Flash: 9:05am – 10:12am
Map
(90th visit of the year)
Other notes
Again many of the Greylag Geese were already in and dispersed on to the island. Some Canada Geese were as well, though a party of 24 left. But then big numbers flew in, mainly Canada Geese: one party I estimated at c.250 birds as they flew in and then roughly counted about the same number on the water.
Among these were a few Greylags; and several apparently new, to me, hybrids paired with Greylag or Canada Geese
and
Today’s later visit allowed me to log my first Brown Hawker dragonfly for this site this year
Speckled Wood butterflies seen
Counts
2 + 2 Great Crested Grebes
2 Swans
78 Greylag Geese
3 different hybrid Geese
>370 + 1 Canada Geese
The all-white feral goose
22 (16) Mallard
The all-white feral duck
1 (0) Pochard
27 (19) Tufted Ducks
1 + 1 Moorhen
13 Coots
9 Black-headed Gulls
15 Lesser Black-backed Gulls over
and
4 Barn Swallows
3 (1) Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trench Lock Pool: 10:23am – 10:55am
Map
(40th visit of the year)
Notes
2 Gadwall as highlighted: these were a new species for me here this year: they seemed to leave (or hide)
Female Peregrine circled overhead.
1 Meadow Pipit over
Kingfisher, possibly 2, and Grey Wagtail again
also
4 Speckled Wood butterflies
Brown and Migrant Hawker dragonflies
The counts
4 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
1 Grey Heron
2 Swans
6 Canada Goose
2 (1) Gadwall
3 (2) Mallard
3 (0) Tufted Duck
7 + 6 (5 broods) Moorhens
117 Coots
15 Black-headed Gulls
2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls: 1 of these over
and
2 (0) Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trench Middle Pool: 11:00am – 11:25am
Map
(20th visit of the year)
Notes
3 Swans remain: all rings read today – Blue 7FTX and 7HSZ; and Orange 00C
Several immature Canada Geese but now difficult to separate: many (more?) Canada Geese inside the island.
A Pied Wagtail over was the first I have logged here this year.
and
3 Speckled Wood butterflies were also new for my site year-list.
3 Terrapins (>1 species?)
The counts
2 + 3 Great Crested Grebes
3 Swans
37 Canada Geese
30 (17) Mallard
6 feral Mallard-type ducks
9 (3) Tufted Duck
5 + 4 (3 broods) Moorhen
7 Coots
16 Black-headed Gulls
and
1 (1) Chiffchaff
(Ed Wilson)
15 Sep 14
Priorslee Lake: 5:47am - 9:08am
Map
11.0°C > 12.5°C: Very low cloud with period of drizzle: brightening after 10:00am. Light / moderate NW wind falling away. Moderate visibility, but poor in drizzle.
Best bird was the male Peregrine along the N side pre-dawn in the mist and drizzle. Its relatively small size (the male, also known as a tercel or tiercel, is significantly smaller than the female) gave me a few ID problems until it came really close and the diagnostic black malar stripe was visible even with the naked eye. On the basis of this sighting I am going to withdraw the Merlin sighting from 07 September as not being sufficiently well seen to co-exist as a record alongside this confirmed sighting. Peregrine is new for my site-list this year.
No confirmed migrants noted
(106th visit of the year)
Other notes
Little Grebe still present: rather surprising as there was a regatta on the lake yesterday.
Mallard continue to confuse, flying around and coming and going: totals likely an under-recording.
No Tufted Duck early: single drake and then 5 more flew in.
All the large gulls flew over today: I checked most and these were all Lesser Black-backed and the majority were (near) adults – unlike the birds that stopped off last week that were predominately 1st winter birds.
Goldcrest family still in same general area: one of the juveniles has no head markings whatsoever.
Rooks over the top early as usual: just one small party of Jackdaws and these lost in the drizzle to the E.
Counts
1 Little Grebe
5 Great Crested Grebes
1 Cormorant over
1 Grey Heron
2 Swans
1 Canada Goose (inbound)
13 (7)+ Mallard
6 (6) Tufted Duck
4 + 7 (4 broods) Moorhen
99 Coots
106 Black-headed Gulls
48 large gulls, all of these over
1 (0) Blackcap
8 (4) Chiffchaffs
Corvid roost dispersal: 11 Jackdaws and 105 Rooks logged
(Ed Wilson)
Priorslee Flash: 9:11am - 10:24am
Map
(89th visit of the year)
Other notes
An additional juvenile Great Crested Grebe today.
Goose numbers not strictly comparable with previous days: the Greylags seemed to have arrived well before I did and many were probably already out of sight on the island. Canada Geese were still arriving – the Cackling Goose with them. Some of these were also in / inside the island and the party of non-flyers seemed to have joined them making the juvenile impossible to spot.
House Martins heard and just about seen overhead – they were flying in and out of the lowest cloud layer.
2 Ravens over again.
and
My first record of terrapin sp. here: appeared to be a Yellow-bellied Slider (Trachemys scripta), but hybrids are common.
An angler pulled out a small Perch while I was watching
Counts
2 + 2 Great Crested Grebes
2 Swans
40 Greylag Geese
1 Cackling-type Goose
206 + ? Canada Geese
The all-white feral goose
25 (16) Mallard
The all-white feral duck
36 (21) Tufted Ducks
0 + 2 (2 broods) Moorhen
22 Coots
32 Black-headed Gulls
2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls over
and
5+ House Martins
3 (1) Chiffchaffs
Most Black-headed Gulls are now in winter plumage. This bird is in 1st winter plumage, retaining some of its white-fringed brown juvenile feathers. Not also the dull orange bill – a winter plumaged adult would show a redder tone.
It is unusual for a Great Crested Grebe to be so confiding, but at The Flash the birds either get used to people or leave! This adult is also in winter plumage, though the only real difference is the length / extent of the head-plumes. Some birds lose all the plumes, but ‘our’ birds don’t seem to.
Residents have told me about Terrapin sp. in The Flash for a while but I have never seen one previously, probably because I am away before this warmth-loving species emerges to bask in the sun. Today, just as the sun was beginning to break through, I spotted this individual swimming along, head characteristically above water. This looks like a Yellow-bellied Slider (Trachemys scripta). No terrapin species are native to the UK, this species originating from the southern USA, typically Florida. However very many terrapins sold at pet shops in the UK are hybrids. They can survive OK here but are most unlikely to breed in our temperate climate.
Adult Moorhen is a handsome creature. The neck and front half of the body usually look dark slate-grey but as the light catches they acquire a distinct blue cast. The back is more brown than grey and never catches the light in the same way.
(Ed Wilson)
Map
11.0°C > 12.5°C: Very low cloud with period of drizzle: brightening after 10:00am. Light / moderate NW wind falling away. Moderate visibility, but poor in drizzle.
Best bird was the male Peregrine along the N side pre-dawn in the mist and drizzle. Its relatively small size (the male, also known as a tercel or tiercel, is significantly smaller than the female) gave me a few ID problems until it came really close and the diagnostic black malar stripe was visible even with the naked eye. On the basis of this sighting I am going to withdraw the Merlin sighting from 07 September as not being sufficiently well seen to co-exist as a record alongside this confirmed sighting. Peregrine is new for my site-list this year.
No confirmed migrants noted
(106th visit of the year)
Other notes
Little Grebe still present: rather surprising as there was a regatta on the lake yesterday.
Mallard continue to confuse, flying around and coming and going: totals likely an under-recording.
No Tufted Duck early: single drake and then 5 more flew in.
All the large gulls flew over today: I checked most and these were all Lesser Black-backed and the majority were (near) adults – unlike the birds that stopped off last week that were predominately 1st winter birds.
Goldcrest family still in same general area: one of the juveniles has no head markings whatsoever.
Rooks over the top early as usual: just one small party of Jackdaws and these lost in the drizzle to the E.
Counts
1 Little Grebe
5 Great Crested Grebes
1 Cormorant over
1 Grey Heron
2 Swans
1 Canada Goose (inbound)
13 (7)+ Mallard
6 (6) Tufted Duck
4 + 7 (4 broods) Moorhen
99 Coots
106 Black-headed Gulls
48 large gulls, all of these over
1 (0) Blackcap
8 (4) Chiffchaffs
Corvid roost dispersal: 11 Jackdaws and 105 Rooks logged
(Ed Wilson)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Priorslee Flash: 9:11am - 10:24am
Map
(89th visit of the year)
Other notes
An additional juvenile Great Crested Grebe today.
Goose numbers not strictly comparable with previous days: the Greylags seemed to have arrived well before I did and many were probably already out of sight on the island. Canada Geese were still arriving – the Cackling Goose with them. Some of these were also in / inside the island and the party of non-flyers seemed to have joined them making the juvenile impossible to spot.
House Martins heard and just about seen overhead – they were flying in and out of the lowest cloud layer.
2 Ravens over again.
and
My first record of terrapin sp. here: appeared to be a Yellow-bellied Slider (Trachemys scripta), but hybrids are common.
An angler pulled out a small Perch while I was watching
Counts
2 + 2 Great Crested Grebes
2 Swans
40 Greylag Geese
1 Cackling-type Goose
206 + ? Canada Geese
The all-white feral goose
25 (16) Mallard
The all-white feral duck
36 (21) Tufted Ducks
0 + 2 (2 broods) Moorhen
22 Coots
32 Black-headed Gulls
2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls over
and
5+ House Martins
3 (1) Chiffchaffs
Here you can see more of the markings on the legs and feet.
(Ed Wilson)
14 Sep 14
Priorslee Lake: 5:47am - 7:25am // 8:40am - 9:34am
Map
8.5°C > 14.0°C: Mainly cloudy. Calm, then light E wind. Moderate visibility
Best bird was the female Kestrel first seen carrying prey and then perched in the scrubby trees to the E of Castle Farm Way pre-dawn. Only my 4th record this year here of this once-regular species. My previous record was on 01 July. I hope this was the medium-sized falcon that, much later, I flushed from trees on the N shore of the lake and that it was not something even better.
Confirmed migrants noted were
- 5 Meadow Pipits over the lake
Up to 25 House Martins were heard and seen high over The Flash but these were all heading E which was in to the wind and I think they were likely local birds on a feeding foray – hirundines usually feed in to the wind – I assume because the closing speed on their prey is lower and makes them easier to catch.
(105th visit of the year)
Other notes
1 Little Grebe: a new bird as this was an immature / winter plumage bird whereas that seen on 10th was in summer plumage.
4 Great Crested Grebes: 2 adults and 1 juvenile: could not make my mind up about the age of the 4th!
In one of the outbound parties of geese there was a small bird, assumed to be the Cackling-type goose: this was later seen arriving back at The Flash.
Where were all the Mallard this morning? lower number at The Flash as well.
and
A Common Darter dragonfly
also
A Green Carpet moth on the roof of the Priorslee Avenue foot-tunnel: my first log in the Priorslee area though a common-enough moth (this was one of the less-usual 2nd brood specimens).
Counts
1 Little Grebe
4 Great Crested Grebes
1 Grey Heron
2 Swans
9 Greylag Geese (all outbound)
1 Cackling-type Goose (outbound)
37 Canada Geese (31 outbound)
3 (2) Mallard
2 (2) Tufted Duck
3 + 4 (4 broods) Moorhen
92 Coots
93 Black-headed Gulls
16 large gulls: 7 of these over
3 (0) Blackcaps
8 (3) Chiffchaffs
Corvid roost dispersal: 37 Jackdaws and 125 Rooks logged
Well it was quite dark ... this is the female Kestrel perched in scrubby trees alongside Castle Farm Way. I suspect from the pale bar on the coverts and an apparently rather pale eye this is probably an immature but the quality is not good enough to be sure. It is however rather unusual for this species to perch other than in the open and that might suggest an immature, still perfecting its technique.
The Green Carpet moth in the Priorslee Avenue foot tunnel. When fresh this would have been bright green: however green in moths always fades quickly and it is getting towards the end of the flight-period for this moth.
Breakfast-time for someone. Also in the tunnel a spider sp. tucks in to a hearty moth, unidentifiable from this view.
(Ed Wilson)
Priorslee Flash: 7:35am - 8:30am
Map
(88th visit of the year)
Other notes
Another big goose fly-in: all the birds logged flew in while I was present apart from: the 5 + 1 Canada Geese (and the feral goose) that seem unable / unwilling to fly; and 18 of the Greylags that circled the already busy water and decided to move on.
Counts
2 + 1 Great Crested Grebes
2 Swans
143 Greylag Geese
1 Greylag x ? Goose
1 Cackling-type Goose
56 + 1 Canada Geese
The all-white feral goose
24 (16) Mallard
The all-white feral duck
31 (16) Tufted Ducks
4 + 4 (4 broods) Moorhen
20 Coots
8 Black-headed Gulls
10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls over
and
1 Barn Swallow
25 House Martins
2 Blackcaps
3 (2) Chiffchaff
The fungus near The Flash have now ‘opened’ and look rather different. It is also less obvious they are sprouting in clumps.
A pair – well strictly two as I cannot sex these birds – of Canada Geese about to touch down. Just visible here, and not noted at the time, the left leg of the right-hand bird shows an orange ‘spot’: and you can just make out a metal BTO-type ring on the right leg.
On this shot the orange spot is shown to be a Darvic-type ring. Something to look for next time.
(Ed Wilson)
Map
8.5°C > 14.0°C: Mainly cloudy. Calm, then light E wind. Moderate visibility
Best bird was the female Kestrel first seen carrying prey and then perched in the scrubby trees to the E of Castle Farm Way pre-dawn. Only my 4th record this year here of this once-regular species. My previous record was on 01 July. I hope this was the medium-sized falcon that, much later, I flushed from trees on the N shore of the lake and that it was not something even better.
Confirmed migrants noted were
- 5 Meadow Pipits over the lake
Up to 25 House Martins were heard and seen high over The Flash but these were all heading E which was in to the wind and I think they were likely local birds on a feeding foray – hirundines usually feed in to the wind – I assume because the closing speed on their prey is lower and makes them easier to catch.
(105th visit of the year)
Other notes
1 Little Grebe: a new bird as this was an immature / winter plumage bird whereas that seen on 10th was in summer plumage.
4 Great Crested Grebes: 2 adults and 1 juvenile: could not make my mind up about the age of the 4th!
In one of the outbound parties of geese there was a small bird, assumed to be the Cackling-type goose: this was later seen arriving back at The Flash.
Where were all the Mallard this morning? lower number at The Flash as well.
and
A Common Darter dragonfly
also
A Green Carpet moth on the roof of the Priorslee Avenue foot-tunnel: my first log in the Priorslee area though a common-enough moth (this was one of the less-usual 2nd brood specimens).
Counts
1 Little Grebe
4 Great Crested Grebes
1 Grey Heron
2 Swans
9 Greylag Geese (all outbound)
1 Cackling-type Goose (outbound)
37 Canada Geese (31 outbound)
3 (2) Mallard
2 (2) Tufted Duck
3 + 4 (4 broods) Moorhen
92 Coots
93 Black-headed Gulls
16 large gulls: 7 of these over
3 (0) Blackcaps
8 (3) Chiffchaffs
Corvid roost dispersal: 37 Jackdaws and 125 Rooks logged
(Ed Wilson)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Priorslee Flash: 7:35am - 8:30am
Map
(88th visit of the year)
Other notes
Another big goose fly-in: all the birds logged flew in while I was present apart from: the 5 + 1 Canada Geese (and the feral goose) that seem unable / unwilling to fly; and 18 of the Greylags that circled the already busy water and decided to move on.
Counts
2 + 1 Great Crested Grebes
2 Swans
143 Greylag Geese
1 Greylag x ? Goose
1 Cackling-type Goose
56 + 1 Canada Geese
The all-white feral goose
24 (16) Mallard
The all-white feral duck
31 (16) Tufted Ducks
4 + 4 (4 broods) Moorhen
20 Coots
8 Black-headed Gulls
10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls over
and
1 Barn Swallow
25 House Martins
2 Blackcaps
3 (2) Chiffchaff
(Ed Wilson)
13 Sep 14
Priorslee Lake: 5:46am - 9:05am
Map
13.0°C > 13.5°C: low overcast: misty. Brisk SSE wind. Moderate visibility.
Nothing to highlight on a rather dull day – occasionally threatened to brighten only did so much later.
Migrants noted were just
- 3 Meadow Pipits.
Priorslee Lake (104th visit of the year)
Other notes
Yesterday’s missing 2 immature Great Crested Grebes not returned: 2 additional adults this morning.
In addition to the usual single Grey Heron at the lake a party of 3 flew over close together.
No Kingfisher this morning: however one of the fishermen reports seeing up to 4 together in the last few days.
5 Goldcrests again but all in different locations this morning.
Small corvid roost dispersal today.
2 Ravens over
also
Another Double Square-spot moth on the roof of the Priorslee Avenue foot-tunnel.
Counts
4 + 1 Great Crested Grebes
4 Grey Herons
2 Swans
7 Greylag Geese (all outbound)
18 Canada Geese (all outbound)
13 (?) Mallard
4 (2) Tufted Duck
2 + 7 (4 broods) Moorhen
96 Coots
61 Black-headed Gulls
43 large gulls, two of these Herring Gulls: 16 of these over
4 (0) Blackcaps
8 (3) Chiffchaffs
Corvid roost dispersal: 27 Jackdaws and 52 Rooks logged
A Raven. Increasingly common in the area. This shows the typical ‘fingered’ wing-tip which is more prominent in this species than in other corvids (crows and allies). But the massive bill is normally the best clue if the large size is not readily apparent.
Deep and powerful wing beats are also characteristic of Raven – as are birds turning upside down: but not this morning.
(Ed Wilson)
Map
13.0°C > 13.5°C: low overcast: misty. Brisk SSE wind. Moderate visibility.
Nothing to highlight on a rather dull day – occasionally threatened to brighten only did so much later.
Migrants noted were just
- 3 Meadow Pipits.
Priorslee Lake (104th visit of the year)
Other notes
Yesterday’s missing 2 immature Great Crested Grebes not returned: 2 additional adults this morning.
In addition to the usual single Grey Heron at the lake a party of 3 flew over close together.
No Kingfisher this morning: however one of the fishermen reports seeing up to 4 together in the last few days.
5 Goldcrests again but all in different locations this morning.
Small corvid roost dispersal today.
2 Ravens over
also
Another Double Square-spot moth on the roof of the Priorslee Avenue foot-tunnel.
Counts
4 + 1 Great Crested Grebes
4 Grey Herons
2 Swans
7 Greylag Geese (all outbound)
18 Canada Geese (all outbound)
13 (?) Mallard
4 (2) Tufted Duck
2 + 7 (4 broods) Moorhen
96 Coots
61 Black-headed Gulls
43 large gulls, two of these Herring Gulls: 16 of these over
4 (0) Blackcaps
8 (3) Chiffchaffs
Corvid roost dispersal: 27 Jackdaws and 52 Rooks logged
(Ed Wilson)
12 Sep 14
Priorslee Lake: 5:36am - 7:10am // 8:15am - 9:37am
Map
10.5°C > 14.0°C: overcast and misty. Flat calm > very, very light S wind. Moderate visibility.
Back to 10 September at Trench: the kind folk on the Natural History Museum’s NaturePlus web site (Here) have identified the shield bug as Coreus marginatus, sometimes known as Dock Bug – it feeds on the seeds of docks (Rumex sps.). At this time of year also eats blackberries and other fruits
Best sighting today were the pair of Shoveler at The Flash. In this settled spell of weather very little is moving. As a result no migrants were noted today.
(103rd visit of the year)
Other notes
2 of the regular immature Great Crested Grebes missing this morning.
Gull numbers not increased during the week, as they usually do: calm weather effect?
44 singing / calling Robins: an early start on a very dark morning allowed me to make a complete circuit while this species was the only one vocalising – my largest-ever count?
5 Song Thrushes flushed from one small area in the NW: rather unusual. No song at present.
5 Goldcrests seen is an usually large number: 1 adult, 3 juveniles and 1 not-determined, sp so perhaps a family group. Bred here?
Over 2 hours after the main corvid roost dispersal 7 Jackdaws and 3 Rooks passed over on the same line. Then 22 more Jackdaws appeared to come off the fields to the E and seemed unsure where to go as they circled around calling loudly: most then headed off, unusually W.
also
A Frosted Orange moth on the roof of the Priorslee Avenue foot-tunnel: another new species for my year-list.
Counts
2 + 1 Great Crested Grebes
1 Grey Heron
2 Swans
26 Canada Geese (all outbound)
13 (6) Mallard
5 (2) Tufted Duck
4 + 6 (4 broods) Moorhen
91 Coots again
53 Black-headed Gulls
23 large gulls, one of these a Herring Gull: 16 of these over
2 (0) Blackcaps
7 (1) Chiffchaffs
Corvid roost dispersal: 58 Jackdaws and 112 Rooks logged
Frosted Orange moth on the roof of the tunnel under Priorslee Avenue.
(Ed Wilson)
Priorslee Flash: 7:20am - 8:05am
Map
(87th visit of the year)
Other notes
One of the adult Great Crested Grebes seemed to be missing.
After yesterday’s deluge of geese it was back to more usual numbers: all the Greylags and 30 of the Canada Geese flew in so it was nice and quiet before that. The Greylag x ? Goose seemed to be a new variation on this theme.
Rather fewer Tufted Duck, ducks especially.
8 Chiffchaffs was my highest total of the year and not reflected at the lake.
Counts
1 + 1 Great Crested Grebes
1 Grey Heron
2 Swans
26 Greylag Geese
1 Greylag x ? Goose
35 + 1 Canada Geese
The all-white feral goose
31 (22) Mallard
2 (1) Shoveler
The all-white feral duck
32 (23) Tufted Ducks
2 + 5 (4 broods) Moorhen
20 Coots
6 Black-headed Gulls
5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls over
and
8 (1) Chiffchaff
This pose is what both Shovelers did most of the time, with bills hidden in the water as they used its unusual shape to filter out food from along the surface of the water. Indeed it was this characteristic behaviour that alerted me to their presence. The light was not good and the distance rather further than I would have liked. However the camera has picked up the prominent orange tone along the side of the bill-base. So this one is a duck.
At last the drake Shoveler puts its head up and we can see the shape of the bill. But it is possible to ID anyway from both the rufous flanks with quite wide pale fringes to the feathers: and the pale (yellow) iris of the drake is unique among dabbling ducks.
Two for the price of one: the latest variation on the Greylag x ? Goose theme and the duck Shoveler. The other genes in the goose are rather a puzzle: the white on the face extends over a larger area than on Canada Goose which is the most obvious candidate; the dark stripe across this white area is not in the right place for Bar-head Goose, which should show two ‘bars’; and the pale grey area on the coverts is not shown by any other species of wild goose.
This shot of a group of Greylag Geese coming in to land includes our mystery bird: unfortunately it sheds no more light on its parenthood. At first sight the tail looks all white, a feature shown only by the much smaller Brent Goose. But closer inspections shows that the sub-terminal mark shown on the Greylag Geese is indeed present but very pale grey.
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Lock Pool: 9:47am - 10:00am
Map
(39th visit of the year)
Notes
Very quiet and after doing the counts from the Blue Pig area – the easiest place to see more or less all the water with the light behind you – I decided there was little point in a walk around.
The counts
4 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
1 Grey Heron
2 Swans
1 (0) Mallard
3 + 4 (4 broods) Moorhens
128 Coots
3 Black-headed Gulls
and
1 (1) Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)
Map
10.5°C > 14.0°C: overcast and misty. Flat calm > very, very light S wind. Moderate visibility.
Back to 10 September at Trench: the kind folk on the Natural History Museum’s NaturePlus web site (Here) have identified the shield bug as Coreus marginatus, sometimes known as Dock Bug – it feeds on the seeds of docks (Rumex sps.). At this time of year also eats blackberries and other fruits
Best sighting today were the pair of Shoveler at The Flash. In this settled spell of weather very little is moving. As a result no migrants were noted today.
(103rd visit of the year)
Other notes
2 of the regular immature Great Crested Grebes missing this morning.
Gull numbers not increased during the week, as they usually do: calm weather effect?
44 singing / calling Robins: an early start on a very dark morning allowed me to make a complete circuit while this species was the only one vocalising – my largest-ever count?
5 Song Thrushes flushed from one small area in the NW: rather unusual. No song at present.
5 Goldcrests seen is an usually large number: 1 adult, 3 juveniles and 1 not-determined, sp so perhaps a family group. Bred here?
Over 2 hours after the main corvid roost dispersal 7 Jackdaws and 3 Rooks passed over on the same line. Then 22 more Jackdaws appeared to come off the fields to the E and seemed unsure where to go as they circled around calling loudly: most then headed off, unusually W.
also
A Frosted Orange moth on the roof of the Priorslee Avenue foot-tunnel: another new species for my year-list.
Counts
2 + 1 Great Crested Grebes
1 Grey Heron
2 Swans
26 Canada Geese (all outbound)
13 (6) Mallard
5 (2) Tufted Duck
4 + 6 (4 broods) Moorhen
91 Coots again
53 Black-headed Gulls
23 large gulls, one of these a Herring Gull: 16 of these over
2 (0) Blackcaps
7 (1) Chiffchaffs
Corvid roost dispersal: 58 Jackdaws and 112 Rooks logged
(Ed Wilson)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Priorslee Flash: 7:20am - 8:05am
Map
(87th visit of the year)
Other notes
One of the adult Great Crested Grebes seemed to be missing.
After yesterday’s deluge of geese it was back to more usual numbers: all the Greylags and 30 of the Canada Geese flew in so it was nice and quiet before that. The Greylag x ? Goose seemed to be a new variation on this theme.
Rather fewer Tufted Duck, ducks especially.
8 Chiffchaffs was my highest total of the year and not reflected at the lake.
Counts
1 + 1 Great Crested Grebes
1 Grey Heron
2 Swans
26 Greylag Geese
1 Greylag x ? Goose
35 + 1 Canada Geese
The all-white feral goose
31 (22) Mallard
2 (1) Shoveler
The all-white feral duck
32 (23) Tufted Ducks
2 + 5 (4 broods) Moorhen
20 Coots
6 Black-headed Gulls
5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls over
and
8 (1) Chiffchaff
(Ed Wilson)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trench Lock Pool: 9:47am - 10:00am
Map
(39th visit of the year)
Notes
Very quiet and after doing the counts from the Blue Pig area – the easiest place to see more or less all the water with the light behind you – I decided there was little point in a walk around.
The counts
4 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
1 Grey Heron
2 Swans
1 (0) Mallard
3 + 4 (4 broods) Moorhens
128 Coots
3 Black-headed Gulls
and
1 (1) Chiffchaffs
11 Sep 14
Priorslee Lake: 5:38am – 7:05am // 8:20am – 10:00am
Map
8.5°C > 14.5°C: mainly clear and less hazy than yesterday. Calm > light N wind. Moderate / good visibility.
As a footnote to yesterday’s hoverfly at Trench Lock my contact tells me it is a female Sphaerophoria sp. Even experts cannot specifically identify females of the different species in this genus, so what hope for mere mortals.
Most notable sighting today was the huge number of geese at The Flash – at least 375, most of which arrived just after 8:00am. I assume this means that they had been using the clear nights and full moon to feed in the fields all night and were returning to loaf during the day. One of the residents remarked to me a few days ago that numbers were the highest she could recall.
Migrants noted today
- 9 Barn Swallows over the lake and 12 more over The Flash
- 2 Meadow Pipits over the lake and 2 more over The Flash
(102nd visit of the year)
Other notes
Precise number of Mallard again difficult to ascertain: only 1 drake present pre-dawn with 3 flying in. Then 10 seen in flight low over the lake. Later still just 1 drake again.
No Tufted Duck seen pre-dawn: 1 seen apparently flying off towards The Flash later: by 9:30am 1 duck on the water.
After several weeks I even managed to see the Green Woodpecker this morning: it was in quite a different area from where what I heard the calls which I assumed were being given as it was leaving its roost.
A reduction in warbler counts: perhaps with the later rising of the waning moon birds are able to navigate.
A Reed Bunting seen flying off at dawn from the W end: unusually I heard no calls before or as it left. My first since 16 July when 2 males were still singing.
and
Green-veined White and Speckled Wood butterflies seen
also
A Square-spot Rustic moth on the roof of the Priorslee Avenue foot-tunnel: a new species for my year-list.
Counts
2 + 3 Great Crested Grebes
1 Grey Heron
2 Swans
>10 (?) Mallard
2? Tufted Duck
6 + 9 (5 broods) Moorhen
91 Coots
52 Black-headed Gulls
25 large gulls: 19 of these over
9+ Barn Swallows
1 (0) Blackcap
5 (1) Chiffchaffs
Corvid roost dispersal: 62 Jackdaws and 86 Rooks logged
This morning’s misty start: the sun is just visible behind the first distant tree on the left.
And now for something completely different: this is what the old football field and the W end of the old Celestica site now look like. The basic frame of the new multi-faith school is now complete. Not sure the sunrise makes it any more attractive.
The best I could do with the Square-spot Rustic moth. The name refers, I think, to the rather square kidney-mark which has an unusually pale outline.
(Ed Wilson)
Priorslee Flash: 7:20am - 8:10am
Map
(86th visit of the year)
Other notes
Almost all the geese arrived in one huge stream just as I arrived: the Canada Geese dispersed around the lake and were easier to count: the Greylags soon started to move inside the island and the number is probably under-recorded. There were 2 different hybrid Greylag x Canada x ? geese and the Cackling-type small Canada Goose was with the main party.
The 12 Barn Swallows flew low S in three small groups.
One or more House Martins heard: searching located just a lone individual.
and
In the last two days a large cluster of fruits of a fungus growing a large dead tree branch lying on the ground.
Counts
2 + 1 Great Crested Grebes
2 Swans
>121 Greylag Geese
2 Greylag x ? Goose
252 + 1 Canada Geese
1 Cackling-type Goose
The all-white feral goose
28 (17) Mallard
The all-white feral duck
48 (27) Tufted Ducks
2 + 2 (2 broods) Moorhen
18 Coots
18 Black-headed Gulls
24 Lesser Black-backed Gulls over
and
12 Barn Swallows
1+ House Martin
2 (1) Chiffchaff
And in close-up: note how they grow in ‘clumps’ from several different places.
Map
8.5°C > 14.5°C: mainly clear and less hazy than yesterday. Calm > light N wind. Moderate / good visibility.
As a footnote to yesterday’s hoverfly at Trench Lock my contact tells me it is a female Sphaerophoria sp. Even experts cannot specifically identify females of the different species in this genus, so what hope for mere mortals.
Most notable sighting today was the huge number of geese at The Flash – at least 375, most of which arrived just after 8:00am. I assume this means that they had been using the clear nights and full moon to feed in the fields all night and were returning to loaf during the day. One of the residents remarked to me a few days ago that numbers were the highest she could recall.
Migrants noted today
- 9 Barn Swallows over the lake and 12 more over The Flash
- 2 Meadow Pipits over the lake and 2 more over The Flash
(102nd visit of the year)
Other notes
Precise number of Mallard again difficult to ascertain: only 1 drake present pre-dawn with 3 flying in. Then 10 seen in flight low over the lake. Later still just 1 drake again.
No Tufted Duck seen pre-dawn: 1 seen apparently flying off towards The Flash later: by 9:30am 1 duck on the water.
After several weeks I even managed to see the Green Woodpecker this morning: it was in quite a different area from where what I heard the calls which I assumed were being given as it was leaving its roost.
A reduction in warbler counts: perhaps with the later rising of the waning moon birds are able to navigate.
A Reed Bunting seen flying off at dawn from the W end: unusually I heard no calls before or as it left. My first since 16 July when 2 males were still singing.
and
Green-veined White and Speckled Wood butterflies seen
also
A Square-spot Rustic moth on the roof of the Priorslee Avenue foot-tunnel: a new species for my year-list.
Counts
2 + 3 Great Crested Grebes
1 Grey Heron
2 Swans
>10 (?) Mallard
2? Tufted Duck
6 + 9 (5 broods) Moorhen
91 Coots
52 Black-headed Gulls
25 large gulls: 19 of these over
9+ Barn Swallows
1 (0) Blackcap
5 (1) Chiffchaffs
Corvid roost dispersal: 62 Jackdaws and 86 Rooks logged
A male Great Spotted Woodpecker peers around at the new day.
Here is a splendidly fresh-looking Green-veined White butterfly.
(Ed Wilson)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Priorslee Flash: 7:20am - 8:10am
Map
(86th visit of the year)
Other notes
Almost all the geese arrived in one huge stream just as I arrived: the Canada Geese dispersed around the lake and were easier to count: the Greylags soon started to move inside the island and the number is probably under-recorded. There were 2 different hybrid Greylag x Canada x ? geese and the Cackling-type small Canada Goose was with the main party.
The 12 Barn Swallows flew low S in three small groups.
One or more House Martins heard: searching located just a lone individual.
and
In the last two days a large cluster of fruits of a fungus growing a large dead tree branch lying on the ground.
Counts
2 + 1 Great Crested Grebes
2 Swans
>121 Greylag Geese
2 Greylag x ? Goose
252 + 1 Canada Geese
1 Cackling-type Goose
The all-white feral goose
28 (17) Mallard
The all-white feral duck
48 (27) Tufted Ducks
2 + 2 (2 broods) Moorhen
18 Coots
18 Black-headed Gulls
24 Lesser Black-backed Gulls over
and
12 Barn Swallows
1+ House Martin
2 (1) Chiffchaff
The large number of fruiting bodies of an unidentified fungus.
(Ed Wilson)
10 Sep 14
Priorslee Lake: 5:59am - 9:34am
Map
8.5°C > 16.0°C: mainly clear but very hazy. Calm > light SE wind. Moderate visibility.
Migrants noted today
- 6 Barn Swallows over the lake on 3 separate occasions seemed likely to be same the family group, probably from Priorslee village, periodically coming to drink.
(101st visit of the year)
Other notes
Little Grebe seen in NE area again where it seemed to disappear in to the reeds: later a full adult seen in the NW corner – same?
3 Grey Herons: in addition to the regular bird (sometimes two) around the lake, 2 birds flew over in close formation – usually they are very territorial and chase others away.
6 outbound Canada Geese only.
Precise number of Mallard difficult to ascertain: 12 were seen flying together after 11 seen earlier on the water, though 4 of these seem to have left. Later just 5 remained.
6 (3) Tufted Duck pre-dawn: 4 seen flying off towards The Flash but later only a single male seen.
First significant count of Wood Pigeons moving E soon after dawn: 158 counted. This seems to be birds off to feed as some 2 hours later movement tends to be in the opposite direction. Migrants usually fly a lot higher than most of these birds.
Three large thrushes seen flying away were assumed to be Mistle Thrushes: flight looked rather more like Fieldfares, but this would be an exceptionally early date and I would have expected to see the pale rump of that species even at long range.
All 3 Reed Warblers were in different locations to recent sightings.
Smaller corvid passage probably due to the very hazy conditions.
and
Migrant Hawker and Common Darter dragonflies
also
A Common Marbled Carpet on the roof of the Priorslee Avenue foot-tunnel
Counts
1 (2?) Little Grebe
2 + 2 Great Crested Grebes
1 Cormorant over
3 Grey Herons
2 Swans
6 Canada Geese outbound
>12 (?) Mallard
6 (3) Tufted Duck
5 + 7 (5 broods) Moorhen
89 Coots
c.210 Black-headed Gulls
30 large gulls: 24 of these over
3 (2) Reed Warblers
1 (0) Common Whitethroat
1 (0) Blackcaps
8 (2) Chiffchaffs
Corvid roost dispersal: 42 Jackdaws and 47 Rooks logged
As before: BE VERY CAREFUL when looking at the sun even when it is as hazy as this. Here we can see the latest sun-spot activity with a huge hole on the central belt and whole gaggle of smaller spots adjacent to each other in the 4 o’clock line. If you look at www.spaceweather.com Here, you can see that the large spot is AR2158 and predicted to cause impressive aurora displays in a few days – if you are in higher latitudes than the UK.
A Buzzard sitting on one of the lamps in the Ricoh grounds. This is an adult bird: a juvenile would show a paler eye, streaking rather than barring on the breast and a less prominent yellow cere.
This appears to be another, better view of the same slightly unusual Chiffchaff that I photographed yesterday. Here the usually flared supercilia (equal on both sides) gives it a rather surprised look...
... or indeed an inquisitive look! Strangely from this angle none of the bill looks pink (it does have a bill doesn’t it?)
(Ed Wilson)
Map
8.5°C > 16.0°C: mainly clear but very hazy. Calm > light SE wind. Moderate visibility.
Migrants noted today
- 6 Barn Swallows over the lake on 3 separate occasions seemed likely to be same the family group, probably from Priorslee village, periodically coming to drink.
(101st visit of the year)
Other notes
Little Grebe seen in NE area again where it seemed to disappear in to the reeds: later a full adult seen in the NW corner – same?
3 Grey Herons: in addition to the regular bird (sometimes two) around the lake, 2 birds flew over in close formation – usually they are very territorial and chase others away.
6 outbound Canada Geese only.
Precise number of Mallard difficult to ascertain: 12 were seen flying together after 11 seen earlier on the water, though 4 of these seem to have left. Later just 5 remained.
6 (3) Tufted Duck pre-dawn: 4 seen flying off towards The Flash but later only a single male seen.
First significant count of Wood Pigeons moving E soon after dawn: 158 counted. This seems to be birds off to feed as some 2 hours later movement tends to be in the opposite direction. Migrants usually fly a lot higher than most of these birds.
Three large thrushes seen flying away were assumed to be Mistle Thrushes: flight looked rather more like Fieldfares, but this would be an exceptionally early date and I would have expected to see the pale rump of that species even at long range.
All 3 Reed Warblers were in different locations to recent sightings.
Smaller corvid passage probably due to the very hazy conditions.
and
Migrant Hawker and Common Darter dragonflies
also
A Common Marbled Carpet on the roof of the Priorslee Avenue foot-tunnel
Counts
1 (2?) Little Grebe
2 + 2 Great Crested Grebes
1 Cormorant over
3 Grey Herons
2 Swans
6 Canada Geese outbound
>12 (?) Mallard
6 (3) Tufted Duck
5 + 7 (5 broods) Moorhen
89 Coots
c.210 Black-headed Gulls
30 large gulls: 24 of these over
3 (2) Reed Warblers
1 (0) Common Whitethroat
1 (0) Blackcaps
8 (2) Chiffchaffs
Corvid roost dispersal: 42 Jackdaws and 47 Rooks logged
This is what I now know is a male Migrant Hawker.
(Ed Wilson)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trench Lock Pool: 9:44am - 9:50am // 10:40am - 11:16am
Map
(38th visit of the year)
Notes
No Mallard seen: not even the feral group that has been present for several years, But there is plenty of vegetation to lurk.
Many juvenile Moorhens now very active and visible.
At least 2 House Martins over and seemed to be around the nest area in the estate. None seen on my previous two visits and I assumed they had gone.
All 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls were adults whereas almost all those seen at the lake recently have been juveniles and most of these juveniles / 1st winters.
and
Several what I now know to be Migrant (not Southern) Hawkers were the only identified dragonflies.
Small Tortoiseshell butterflies seen
A small hoverfly, possibly Melangyna cincta, a new species for me.
A Dock Bug, Coreus marginatus
The counts
4 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
2 Swans
3 (0) Tufted Ducks
2 + 9 (6 broods) Moorhens
120 Coots
3 Black-headed Gulls
4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
and
2 House Martins
2 (2) Chiffchaffs
This small hoverfly I have provisionally identified as Melangyna cincta: if so it would be a new species for me.
What on earth ...? A shield bug. From this unusual angle difficult to identify as the shape of the pronotum is hard to discern: luckily ...
... this shows the shape well. This has been confirmed as Coreus marginatus, sometimes known as Dock Bug.
Perhaps I should clarify: the pile is potential input and we are not looking at a seriously ill Lesser Black-backed Gull! This handsome full adult – the large red spot on the lower mandible – shows no sign of the dark streaks of winter plumage. I would not recommend putting out uneaten cooked food for birds.
(Ed Wilson)
Trench Middle Pool: 9:55am - 10:35am
Map
(19th visit of the year)
Notes
3 Swans yet again and the same two rings read – 7FTX and 7HSZ: the 3rd bird again persisted in swimming around with its left leg tucked up!
3 broods of Canada Geese with 4, 4 and 5 goslings: no recent broods so one of these broods must have been resting inside the island on my last visit.
Both Kingfisher and Grey Wagtail here again.
and
Another Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus)
The counts
2 + 3 Great Crested Grebes
3 Swans
1 Greylag Goose
28 + 13 (3 broods) Canada Geese
34 (22) Mallard
4 feral Mallard-type ducks
9 (5) Tufted Duck
5 + 5 (3 broods) Moorhen
12 Coots
3 Black-headed Gulls
and
1 (0) Blackcap
2 (2) Chiffchaff
Map
(38th visit of the year)
Notes
No Mallard seen: not even the feral group that has been present for several years, But there is plenty of vegetation to lurk.
Many juvenile Moorhens now very active and visible.
At least 2 House Martins over and seemed to be around the nest area in the estate. None seen on my previous two visits and I assumed they had gone.
All 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls were adults whereas almost all those seen at the lake recently have been juveniles and most of these juveniles / 1st winters.
and
Several what I now know to be Migrant (not Southern) Hawkers were the only identified dragonflies.
Small Tortoiseshell butterflies seen
A small hoverfly, possibly Melangyna cincta, a new species for me.
A Dock Bug, Coreus marginatus
The counts
4 + 2 (1 brood) Great Crested Grebes
2 Swans
3 (0) Tufted Ducks
2 + 9 (6 broods) Moorhens
120 Coots
3 Black-headed Gulls
4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
and
2 House Martins
2 (2) Chiffchaffs
(Ed Wilson)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trench Middle Pool: 9:55am - 10:35am
Map
(19th visit of the year)
Notes
3 Swans yet again and the same two rings read – 7FTX and 7HSZ: the 3rd bird again persisted in swimming around with its left leg tucked up!
3 broods of Canada Geese with 4, 4 and 5 goslings: no recent broods so one of these broods must have been resting inside the island on my last visit.
Both Kingfisher and Grey Wagtail here again.
and
Another Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus)
The counts
2 + 3 Great Crested Grebes
3 Swans
1 Greylag Goose
28 + 13 (3 broods) Canada Geese
34 (22) Mallard
4 feral Mallard-type ducks
9 (5) Tufted Duck
5 + 5 (3 broods) Moorhen
12 Coots
3 Black-headed Gulls
and
1 (0) Blackcap
2 (2) Chiffchaff
(Ed Wilson)
9 Sep 14
Priorslee Lake: 5:40am – 7:10am / 8:20am – 9:51am
Map
7.5°C > 13.0°C: mainly clear but rather hazy with thin high cloud. Calm with low-level mist > light S wind. Moderate / good visibility.
The notable sighting today was an owl sp, seen wavering away over the N-side trees at just about 6:00am. I would expect a Tawny Owl to be flying through the trees and it was certainly not pale-enough for a Barn Owl. Beyond that I am not prepared to speculate. Damn!
Migrants noted were
- 8 Barn Swallows over the lake.
- 5 single Meadow Pipit overhead the lake and another over The Flash.
(100th visit of the year)
Other notes
No outbound geese seen or heard: 21 Canada Geese dropped in on their way back and paddled across to the SW grass without the cob Swan even lifting his wings
The Green Woodpecker is still around and heard calling most mornings – it was heard this morning.
Currently a small early morning movement of Pied Wagtails passing high E: too high to have been roosting in the Ricoh area, as they sometimes do. Today’s count was 9 birds but I have logged as many(!) as 15.
Common Whitethroat seen again.
Another reasonable (by recent standards) corvid passage.
and
Common Darter and Southern Hawker dragonflies
also
A Common Marbled Carpet on the roof of the Priorslee Avenue foot-tunnel
Counts
2 + 2 Great Crested Grebes
2 Swans
21 Canada Geese
11 (?) Mallard
3 (1) Tufted Duck
3 + 6 (3 broods) Moorhen
80 Coots
85 Black-headed Gulls
15 large gulls; 13 of these over
1 (0) Reed Warblers
1 (0) Common Whitethroat
1 (0) Blackcaps
10 (2) Chiffchaffs
Corvid roost dispersal: 105 Jackdaws and 54 Rooks logged.
This month there is another ‘super moon’: here it is, off-centre, and before it disappeared in to cloud before it got really big.
This bird was quite a puzzle. When I first saw it was the prominent supercilium, especially behind the eye, that caught my attention. It eventually called and continually dipped its tail just like a Chiffchaff and that is surely what it is. But there are some unusual features in addition to the prominent supercilium. The bill, especially the lower mandible, looks rather pale pinkish. The primary-projection gives it a long-winged appearance more like the wings of Willow Warbler which is a longer distance migrant. And the eye-ring is also very prominent. But the dark legs and feet (even Chiffchaff sometimes shows pale feet) and the brown-buff flanks seem to rule out anything else.
This view shows more clearly the length of the primaries:perhaps just an effect of the way it is holding its wing down?
(Ed Wilson)
Priorslee Flash: 7:20am – 8:10am
Map
(85th visit of the year)
Notes
Cormorant circled over but declined to drop in.
143 was the count of arriving Greylag Geese this morning.
6 adult and 1 juvenile Canada Geese seem to be birds that never fly away and are usually at the N end with the all-white feral goose. As yesterday 6 additional birds flew in.
House Martin over from time to time again: today’s largest count was 16 birds.
As highlighted a Meadow Pipit over
1 Raven flew over
Counts
2 + 1 Great Crested Grebes
1 Cormorant
1 Grey Heron
2 Swans
143 Greylag Geese
1 Greylag x ? Goose
12 + 1 Canada Geese
The all-white feral goose
29 (18) Mallard
The all-white feral duck
33 (19) Tufted Ducks
5 + 4 (4 broods) Moorhen
22 Coots
23 Black-headed Gulls
6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls over
and
16 House Martins
2 (0) Chiffchaff
Some of the Greylag Geese descending in to land: there are 36 in this shot.
This lot seem to be attempting to become a formation team: number 5 needs some more practice.
The pair of Swans go for a fly. Note the BTO silver ring on the right leg of both birds. Also getting in on the action is a juvenile / 1st winter Black-headed Gull. The pen is not yet a full adult (note the duller bill) and is just about 18 months old. She is in fact the daughter of the cob – oh er!
This immature Cormorant had a look and then carried on. Despite the pale on the belly this bird has quite extensive yellow around the base of the bill. Probably a 2nd or 3rd year bird.
(Ed Wilson)
Map
7.5°C > 13.0°C: mainly clear but rather hazy with thin high cloud. Calm with low-level mist > light S wind. Moderate / good visibility.
The notable sighting today was an owl sp, seen wavering away over the N-side trees at just about 6:00am. I would expect a Tawny Owl to be flying through the trees and it was certainly not pale-enough for a Barn Owl. Beyond that I am not prepared to speculate. Damn!
Migrants noted were
- 8 Barn Swallows over the lake.
- 5 single Meadow Pipit overhead the lake and another over The Flash.
(100th visit of the year)
Other notes
No outbound geese seen or heard: 21 Canada Geese dropped in on their way back and paddled across to the SW grass without the cob Swan even lifting his wings
The Green Woodpecker is still around and heard calling most mornings – it was heard this morning.
Currently a small early morning movement of Pied Wagtails passing high E: too high to have been roosting in the Ricoh area, as they sometimes do. Today’s count was 9 birds but I have logged as many(!) as 15.
Common Whitethroat seen again.
Another reasonable (by recent standards) corvid passage.
and
Common Darter and Southern Hawker dragonflies
also
A Common Marbled Carpet on the roof of the Priorslee Avenue foot-tunnel
Counts
2 + 2 Great Crested Grebes
2 Swans
21 Canada Geese
11 (?) Mallard
3 (1) Tufted Duck
3 + 6 (3 broods) Moorhen
80 Coots
85 Black-headed Gulls
15 large gulls; 13 of these over
1 (0) Reed Warblers
1 (0) Common Whitethroat
1 (0) Blackcaps
10 (2) Chiffchaffs
Corvid roost dispersal: 105 Jackdaws and 54 Rooks logged.
The lake by super-moonlight!
Can’t have a ‘super moon’ without a ‘super-sun’!
The hazy dawn.
A real autumn look (and feel) this morning.
Worth lingering over ...
Yet another variation of Common Marbled Carpet
(Ed Wilson)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Priorslee Flash: 7:20am – 8:10am
Map
(85th visit of the year)
Notes
Cormorant circled over but declined to drop in.
143 was the count of arriving Greylag Geese this morning.
6 adult and 1 juvenile Canada Geese seem to be birds that never fly away and are usually at the N end with the all-white feral goose. As yesterday 6 additional birds flew in.
House Martin over from time to time again: today’s largest count was 16 birds.
As highlighted a Meadow Pipit over
1 Raven flew over
Counts
2 + 1 Great Crested Grebes
1 Cormorant
1 Grey Heron
2 Swans
143 Greylag Geese
1 Greylag x ? Goose
12 + 1 Canada Geese
The all-white feral goose
29 (18) Mallard
The all-white feral duck
33 (19) Tufted Ducks
5 + 4 (4 broods) Moorhen
22 Coots
23 Black-headed Gulls
6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls over
and
16 House Martins
2 (0) Chiffchaff
(Ed Wilson)