31 Aug 16

The Flash: 07:00 – 07:20
Location

Sunrise: 06:19 BST

15°C > 17°C: Broken cloud at multiple levels with only occasional sunny bits. Light SSE wind. Good visibility

(89th visit of the year)

I assume it is the council who has authorised two of the large willow trees at the N end of the water to be felled. It is not obvious to me why this was necessary: the dreaded Health and Safety Police?

Notes
- the cygnet and the two adult Swans were all in very different parts of the water. Not seen the cygnet attempting any flying as yet
- strange that the Lesser Black-backed Gulls here at this time of the year always seem to be adults
- the 15 House Martins all in a single party heading SE
and
- Arum maculatum (Cuckoopint or Lords and Ladies etc) in some number along the stream-side down ‘squirrel alley’

Birds noted flying over
- 1 Black-headed Gull
- 3 Wood Pigeon
- 3 Starlings

Hirundines etc. seen here today
- 15 House Martins

Warblers seen / heard around the water: numbers in brackets are singing birds: song very sporadic now
- 3 (0) Chiffchaffs

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 10 Canada Geese
- 1 all white feral goose
- 22 (16♂) Mallard
- 14 (?♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 + 1 Great Crested Grebes again
- 1 + 1 Moorhens
- 14 + 5 (4 broods) Coots
- 7 Black-headed Gull (5 juveniles)
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Here are the remains of the felled trees.

From this end they look healthy-enough: so why?

(Ed Wilson)

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Priorslee Lake: 07:25 – 09:25
Location

(124th visit of the year)
Notes from today
- the Canada Goose seems to have a broken wing: so how did it get here? and why did the Swan leave it alone – did he break the goose’s wing?
- all the large gulls dropped in for a few minutes only
- a single Barn Swallow flew N calling loudly for no apparent reason
- 14 House Martins flew high N in a group – were these the birds seen flying S over The Flash? Later 7 (more?) from the estate area
- a party of >140 Wood Pigeons flushed from the Wards Rough area to the NE and flew W over the lake; at least 30 more that flushed at the same time circled back without crossing the lake
- a / the Willow Tit again with a big tit party at the W end
- several juvenile Bullfinches seen today
and
- a Tortrix moth on one of the lamps, as yet unidentified
- several Common Darter dragonflies
- generally a shortage of insects again

Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- 2 Feral Pigeons (1 group)
- >150 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Jackdaw
- 1 Rook again
- 6 Goldfinches

Hirundines etc. seen here today
- 1 Barn Swallow
- 21 House Martins

Warblers seen / heard around the water: numbers in brackets are singing birds: song very sporadic now
- 6 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Willow Warbler
- 3 (0) Blackcaps
- 3 (0) Reed Warblers

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 1 Canada Goose
- 15 (?♂) Mallard
- 5 (?♂) Tufted Ducks again
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 7 + 6 (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes again
- 2 + 1 juvenile Moorhens
- 50 + 10 juvenile Coots
- 43 Black-headed Gulls
- 24 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 5 Herring Gulls

Here is the Canada Goose with the apparent broken wing.

This Grey Heron was the other side of the boat launching platform and appeared to think I couldn’t see him!

Eventually he decided I could and flew off calling [Coots, Tufted Ducks and gulls in the background].

Getting the exposure right for ducks on the water can be a nightmare – especially against the light. This duck Tufted Duck is well-exposed. The background less so.

Getting the exposure right for gulls can also be a nightmare: the white comes out too white or the grey too dark; or the background is muzzy. No amount of fiddling with Photoshop can retrieve most shots. Amazingly I got this shot of a winter adult Black-headed Gull about spot-on with detail in the grey feathers and interesting water patterns.

Just a few feathers remain from the summer ‘hood’ on the neck-side. The black smudges on the head will stay all winter.

Note the black tips to the folded primaries fall short of the tail-tip. When fully regrown they will extend beyond the tail ....

... as we see on this 1st year bird that would have started its wing-moult much earlier and therefore have regrown all its primaries.

Big gull moult from underneath. This first year Lesser Black-backed Gull is moulting in to second winter plumage. We see the outer primaries have yet to regrow as have some of the greater coverts.

A different bird (look at the bill marks) but otherwise in a very similar state.

And another bird, this one with a rather thin bill and therefore likely a female.

Contrast with the bill on this bird. Perhaps accentuated by the angle of the head: but even so very different.

Another view of this same bird.

A much paler-toned bird with the pale area of the inner primaries suggesting perhaps a Herring Gull. But in fact just a combination of spread feathers and back-lighting because ....

Here we see it as a 2nd year Lesser Black-backed Gull – I age this mainly on the bill markings: a 3rd year bird would normally show yellow on the bill.

This is an unusual gull – a streamer-tailed black-back gull perhaps?

And another view. It illustrates the importance of making sure that we do not drop litter, especially plastic litter (just as likely of course that this came from the bird feeding at the tip). It – a (near) adult Lesser Black-backed Gull – was getting a hard time from the other gulls: perhaps they thought it might be food? And it would be easy for this bird to get tangled in vegetation.

This bird is not trailing anything: it is the angle that makes the right wing-tip look as if it is! Note this bird has yet to drop its outer primary. The angle also accentuates the rather longer and narrower wings of Lesser Black-backed Gull compared with Herring Gull. In the field I can rarely see any difference.

This is a 1st year Herring Gull. It is paler overall than almost all Lesser Black-backed Gulls (later in the year wear makes this a less reliable feature). The clincher is the broad pale edges to the tertials – the feathers in front of the black folded primaries; and that apart from the primaries all the feathers have a very similar tone.

I mentioned some days ago there seemed to be birds from a second / replacement brood of Great Tits about. Here is one looking very washed out and with rather fuzzy edges to the black on the head. The rather narrow breast stripe suggests a female.

But: I have to say this Blue Tits does not look in proper adult plumage either and so far as I know Blue Tits never have second broods. So perhaps it is an effect of the annual moult I have never noticed before.

Image To Come

1457 Not my best-ever shot but gives some idea of the very different appearance of juvenile Bullfinches. They not only lack the breast-colour of adults (only red in males of course) but the black on the head is absent. The stubby bill is the give-away (and, in the field, the call)

At somewhat of a strange angle and not entirely sure what the minute red twig is doing across the back of this moth but ... this has to be Acleris emargana (or Notch-wing Button). New for the year.

Worth repeating? A male Common Darter dragonfly.

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day in ...........

2013
Priorslee Lake
Possible Little Ringed Plover
Raven
(John Isherwood)

2012
Priorslee Lake
Hobby
Common Tern
(Ed Wilson)

2011
Nedge Hill
Wheatear
(John Isherwood)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Yellow Wagtail
Little Grebe
Shoveler
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
58 Tufted Duck
(Ed Wilson)

30 Aug 16

The Flash: 07:00 – 07:25
Location

Sunrise: 06:17 BST

14°C > 16°C: Low overcast threatening to break from the E but only did so after I left. Light S wind. Very good visibility

(88th visit of the year)

Notes
- it is a frustrating time of year with the Tufted Ducks: I keep changing my mind about whether most birds are ducks or drakes – so will leave it as a count only until they begin to acquire breeding plumage
- the juvenile Great Crested Grebe was on its own today and only one adult was noted taking little interest in the begging calls

Birds noted flying over
- 1 Wood Pigeon only
- 2 Goldfinches

Hirundines etc. seen here today
- 5 House Martins

Warblers seen / heard around the water: numbers in brackets are singing birds: song very sporadic now
- 2 (0) Chiffchaffs

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 10 Greylag Geese
- 7 Canada Geese again
- 1 all white feral goose
- 27 (19♂) Mallard
- 23 (?♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Grey Herons again
- 1 + 1 Great Crested Grebes
- 5 + 5 (5 broods) Moorhens
- 16 + 4 (3 broods) Coots
- 18 Black-headed Gull (7 juveniles)

(Ed Wilson)

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Priorslee Lake: 07:30 – 09:25

Location

(123rd visit of the year)

Generally a very quiet morning. As a hangover from the Bank Holiday weekend there were still campers on the SW grass that certainly affected the gull numbers

Notes from today
- just one of the 4th pair of Great Crested Grebes seen: could the other bird be on a replacement clutch already?
- a / the Willow Tit was in with a big tit party at the W end: first log since 16 July
- confounding the ‘generally quiet’ tag line I noted 25 Robins in song / calling around the area. In contrast to perhaps my lowest-ever total of Blackbirds – just 1
- a single Chaffinch seen diving in to cover: my first log since 15 July of what is always a scarce bird here except when males are singing between March and June
and
- at least 2 species of hoverfly: Episyrphus balteatus (Marmalade hoverfly) and Helophilus pendulus (The Footballer)
- more wasps getting in the way of my picking of the ripe blackberries
- I noted fruits of Snowberry (Symphoricarpos sp. probably S. albus) for the first time this season. However looking at the clusters they seem likely to have been around for some days and I failed to notice them

Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- 2 Canada Geese (1 group)
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 6 Feral Pigeons (1 group)
- 33 Wood Pigeons
- 4 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook
- 1 Pied Wagtail yet again
- 1 Goldfinch again

Hirundines etc. seen here today
- 4 House Martins

Warblers seen / heard around the water: numbers in brackets are singing birds: song very sporadic now
- 8 (0) Chiffchaffs again
- 5 (0) Blackcaps again
- 1 (0) Reed Warbler

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 18 (?♂) Mallard
- 5 (?♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron
- 7 + 6 (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 3 + 1 Moorhens again
- 54 + 11 juvenile Coots
- 15 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day in ...........

2012
Priorslee Lake
Black Tern
(Arthur Harper)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Yellow Wagtail
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)

29 Aug 16

Priorslee Lake: 06:30
Location

1 Hobby flew west at 06:50
1 Reed Warbler

(John Isherwood)

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Nedge Hill
Location

Nothing of note.

(John Isherwood)

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On this day in ...........

2013
Priorslee Lake
Whinchat
(John Isherwood)

2011
Nedge Hill
Peregrine
(John Isherwood)

28 Aug 16

No Sightings in today.

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On this day in ...........

2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Teal
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Turtle Dove
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
Pair Ruddy Duck
(Malcolm Thompson)

27 Aug 16

The Flash: 07:00 – 07:25
Location

Sunrise: 06:12 BST
8°C > 13°C: Fine start with broken high cloud: soon clouded from SE and looked threatening by 09:30 (and indeed soon rain). Calm. Very good visibility

(87th visit of the year)

Notes
- today it was the turn of most of the Tufted Duck to do a disappearing act
- large number of Black-headed Gulls for the date: perhaps refugees from the lake – see those notes

Birds noted flying over (in poor conditions)
- 11 Black-headed Gulls
- 4 Wood Pigeons
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Hirundines etc. seen here today
- 9 House Martins

Warblers seen / heard around the water: numbers in brackets are singing birds: song very sporadic now
- 4 (1) Chiffchaffs

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 7 Canada Geese
- 1 all white feral goose
- 33 (23♂) Mallard
- 7 (4?♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Grey Herons
- 2 + 1 Great Crested Grebes
- 5 + 2 (1 brood) Moorhens
- 15 + 3 (2 broods) Coots
- 111 Black-headed Gull only

One of the semi-resident Grey Herons allowed even closer approach than usual.

(Ed Wilson)

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Priorslee Lake: 07:30 – 09:20

Location

(122nd visit of the year)

There seems to be an ‘event’ of some sort this weekend with the caravan having returned to the SW grass. In complete contravention of the agreement with Severn-Trent (the owners) one of the folk in the caravan was on the water in a power-boat before 07:30: boats are not permitted on the water before 10:00. As a result some birds were chased away before I was able to get any counts.

Notes from today
- 4 of the Greylag Geese were noted descending in to the fields to the E
- not all the geese were transiting to or from The Flash this morning, several groups headed towards the Town Park
- the Tufted Ducks were all seen flying off as I arrived and in response to the power-boat on the water
- the Black-headed Gulls did not spend much time on the water with some seen in the Ricoh grounds and others flying through
- the 2 Barn Swallows flew high E and seemed not to be local birds
- at least 6 Reed Warblers along the N side. A fisherman who had spent the night in the area said there “stacks of birds” in the reeds and sedges. At least 2 were begging juveniles
- 2 Ravens flew over – perhaps the same birds as noted yesterday
and
- a dead Pike in the water
- several different species of bee were about all noteworthy
- And a Rhingia campestris aka the Heineken Fly or Common Snout-hoverfly

Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- 15 Greylag Geese (3 groups)
- 18 Canada Geese (4 groups)
- >60 Black-headed Gulls
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 18 Feral Pigeons (3 groups)
- 44 Wood Pigeons
- 8 Jackdaws
- 2 Rooks
- 2 Ravens again
- 1 Pied Wagtail again
- 1 Goldfinch

Hirundines etc. seen here today again
- 2 Barn Swallows
- 5 House Martins

Warblers seen / heard around the water: numbers in brackets are singing birds: song very sporadic now
- 8 (0) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Willow Warbler
- 5 (0) Blackcaps
- 6 (0) Reed Warblers

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 13 (?♂) Mallard
- 6 (?♂) Tufted Ducks
- 8 + 6 (3 broods) Great Crested Grebes again
- 3 + 1 Moorhens
- 54 + 12 juvenile Coots
- 88 Black-headed Gulls
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

As a PS to yesterday’s moulting Black-headed Gull shots here is the one I was after!

A Chiffchaff peering out. An admixture of brownish, greyish, yellowish and buffy olive tones quite different from their Spring plumage. A juvenile would be yellowier than this and I judge this to be an adult. Note that there is really only a hint of a supercilium.

Perhaps a moulted feathers from a Swan casting a reflection: just denting the surface tension of the water.

This looks like a hoverfly of the genus Rhingia and most likely Rhingia campestris – a new species for me.

The recent rain has encouraged the snails to emerge: here is one.

 ... and another.

... and a 3rd – a rather hairy one too.

A fish dead in the water: seems to be a Pike (Esox lucius).

A nice foxy-coloured bee: probably Bombus pascuorum (aka Common Carder Bee) which is known for looking scruffy. I worry a bit about the striping on the abdomen and is more typical of Bombus humilis (aka Brown-banded Carder Bumblebee): that is a Southern species of chalk lands so I conclude it is a variant of Bombus pascuorum.

Another sign of Autumn – at least it is not frost (as yet).

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day in ...........

2013
Priorslee Lake
Green Sandpiper
3 eclipse Teal
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
Greenshank
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
Black Swan flew over
233 Canada Geese over
11 Greylag Geese over
123 Jackdaws
234 Rooks
143 Greenfinches
1 Willow Warbler
2 Blackcaps
Cormorant flew over
(Ed Wilson)

26 Aug 16

The Flash: 07:00 – 07:20
Location

Sunrise: 06:10 BST

12°C > 17°C: Fine and clear with just a few puffy clouds later. Light SW breeze. Excellent visibility

(86th visit of the year)

Notes
- not sure where all the Mallard were today: birds were being fed the ‘other’ side of the island, but I could see all (most?) of these birds
- the 3rd adult Great Crested Grebe reappeared but I suspect it has been present throughout and just feeding under overhanging vegetation

Birds noted flying over (in poor conditions)
- 4 Black-headed Gulls
- 3 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Jackdaws

Hirundines etc. seen here today
- 4 House Martins

Warblers seen / heard around the water: numbers in brackets are singing birds: song very sporadic now
- 5 (0) Chiffchaffs

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 10 Canada Geese
- 1 all white feral goose
- 22 (16♂) Mallard
- 22 (9?♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 3 + 1 Great Crested Grebes again
- 1 + 1 Moorhens
- 16 + 3 (2? broods) Coots
- 1 Black-headed Gull only

(Ed Wilson)

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Priorslee Lake: 07:25 – 09:50
Location

(121st visit of the year)

Notes from today
- the 4th pair of Great Crested Grebe surprised me by appearing with at least 1 juvenile on the parent’s back. No idea where the nest was!
- the immature Cormorant, unusually, spent some while standing on the sloping concrete ramp –perhaps because the two ‘piers’ were full of gulls
- the Common Sandpiper flushed off the dam by dog-walkers. After last evenings deluge of rain there is no mud at all at the moment
- big number of Black-headed Gulls; many on the ‘piers’ but most on the water in the NE area. More than 100 birds flew off SE c.08:30. Then c.80 birds flew in from the NE some 10 minutes later – assumed to be some of the same birds
- a family party of Reed Warblers seen – at least 1 adult and 2 juveniles; the 4th eluded positive aging
- 2 Ravens flew E to the N; some 10 minutes later 2 flew S – presumably the same birds
and
- several Common Darter dragonflies
- two different hawker-type dragonflies, neither of which seemed to be Brown Hawkers or Emperors. These are the only hawker species I feel confident to identify in flight
- many craneflies (Tipula sp.) this morning: Autumn approaches

Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- 3 Canada Geese
- 1 (1♂) Mallard
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 1 Herring Gull
- 3 Feral Pigeons
- 1 Stock Dove
- 18 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Collared Doves
- 4 Jackdaws
- 2 Ravens
- 1 Pied Wagtail

Hirundines etc. 
None seen here today again

Warblers seen / heard around the water: numbers in brackets are singing birds: song very sporadic now
- 10 (2) Chiffchaffs
- 2 (0) Blackcaps
- 4 (0) Reed Warblers

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 10 (?♂) Mallard
- 9 (5?♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Cormorant
- 8 + 7 (4 broods) Great Crested Grebes again
- 5 Moorhens
- 48 + 8 juvenile Coots
- 1 Common Sandpiper
- >350 Black-headed Gulls
- 34 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 4 Herring Gulls

Some while since I showed the progress of the sole surviving cygnet. Now almost full-grown. I have not seen any sign that it is trying / being taught to fly as yet.

You will have to take my word for it: there is at least one brand new juvenile hiding on the back of this adult Great Crested Grebe.

Part of the big group of Black-headed Gulls on the water this morning.

This bird in an extreme state of wing moult. As I understand it this species moults its inner primaries first. In that case all but the outer two have been shed and are regrowing – makes sense and P3 seems to be a very short new feather. Therefore P1 and P2 are the last of the old feathers.

This is a different bird showing the upper side view.

This bird is more advanced and P1 and P2 are still regrowing with the rest of the primaries fully regrown.

Another variation: in the middle bird only P1 remains to be dropped.

Perseverance: this is the ‘illustrative’ juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull photo that I have been after for a while.

... or perhaps this is it!

Another juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull shakes the water off after a bathe.

An underside view.

And at rest.

And coming in to land.

A Raven flies by calling. Huge head and bill separate from Crow. The big diamond-shaped tail is not too evident here. The usual rule when trying to identify this species is that if you only think it is a Raven it is a Crow. When you see a Raven they are unmistakable.

Unusual to see these in the open in Autumn: a male Blackcap.

Another Dunnock / Hedge Sparrow: here a moulting bird with almost no tail.

At last: a ‘proper’ male Common Darter – a fully adult and therefore red male.

This is the hoverfly Eristalis tenax.

The mists of Autumn ...

(Ed Wilson)

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Woodhouse Lane: [08:20 – 08:45]
Location

Just around the sluice and up the concrete road to the lane. Very quiet again

Notes
- the only Swallow of the morning flew E across the fields: whether this was a migrant or a bird from the farms to the E was hard to say. Either way a lone bird is rather unusual at this date
and
- the only butterfly of the morning was a Speckled Wood by the sluice. Generally a dreadful year for butterflies

Some numbers (numbers in brackets are singing birds)
- 3 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Blackcap
- no other warblers
- no Song Thrushes
- no Linnets
- no Yellowhammers

(Ed Wilson)

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On this day in ...........

2013
Priorslee Lake
Yellow Wagtail
(Ed Wilson)