5 Nov 16

Priorslee Lake: 07:10 – 09:50
Location

Sunrise: 07:14 GMT

6°C: Broken cloud soon cleared; increasing puffy clouds later. Moderate / fresh NW wind. Very good visibility

Higher numbers of Wood Pigeons overhead: otherwise passage rather light

Highlights were
- 4 additional Great Crested Grebes
- VERY distant large group of Golden Plover
- the Chiffchaff calling again
plus
- an as-yet unidentified gull that might be a strange-looking first-winter Common Gull: or a hybrid?

(141st visit of the year)

Notes from today
- the Greylag x Canada Goose seems a permanent fixture in with Canada Geese returning overhead to The Flash
- yesterday’s drake Shoveler gone
- 4 Cormorants flew S together; later 2 adults flew high E
- hard to say how many Golden Plover there might have been a long, long, long way to the N. Groups of this species fly in a very characteristic formation. Possibly c.200?
- the 4 Stock Doves were all singles seen in migrant Wood Pigeon groups
- 774 of the over flying Wood Pigeons were in the 21 migrant groups. Perhaps it was the fresh wind that caused them to head SW (rather then S) today? And another 48 flew low W that might also have been on the move but I judged too low to be migrants
- the Chiffchaff was calling from the S side today
and
- no moths on the lamps today

Counts of birds flying over the lake (in addition to those on / around lake)
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose
- 29 Canada Geese (2 groups)
- >200 Golden Plover (distant)
- 6 Cormorants (2 groups)
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 5 Black-headed Gulls
- 52 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 6 Herring Gulls
- 5 Feral Pigeons (1 group)
- 4 Stock Doves
- 833 Wood Pigeons (25 groups)
- 17 Jackdaws
- 12 Rooks
- 1 Skylark
- 2 Starlings (singles)
- 32 Fieldfare (3 groups)
- 10 Redwing (4 groups)
- 1 Pied Wagtail
- 2 Greenfinches
- 1 Goldfinch
- 16 Siskins

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

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 4 (2♂) Gadwall as expected
- 10 (6♂) Mallard
- 70 (39♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron
- 1 Little Grebe
- 10 Great Crested Grebes
- 13 Moorhens
- 63 Coots
- >75 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 1st winter Common Gull
- 14 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 1 Yellow-legged Gull

Through the bins I thought the left hand bird was an immature Herring Gull and therefore the other was a Great Black-backed Gull. However I was not entirely convinced that it was dark-enough for a Great Black-back, neither did the bill seem large enough. So I took this shot. It reveals that the right-hand bird as a Lesser Black-back – the streaking on the face and the contrast between the mantle and the primaries confirms. So what is the left hand bird? The weak bill; the spotted neck collar; the mantle and the pattern of the scapulars and the coverts are all consistent with a 1st winter Common Gull. But to me the head-shape is all wrong – Common Gull usually shows a very rounded head; as well as a more prominent eye. But it seems it cannot be anything else: so ...

This bird has many of the features of an adult Yellow-legged Gull: the mantle is too dark for a Herring Gull and too pale for a Lesser Black-backed Gull. Adults of both these species would usually have much more pronounced head-streaking at this time of year. The prominent red spot on the lower mantle with a small black spot on the upper mandible supports the ID. But we can’t see the legs so I cannot be 100% sure.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:55 – 10:35
Location

(104th visit of the year)

Notes
- where are all the Greylag Geese at the moment? None here for a week or more
- 2 Grey Herons this morning: one buried inside the island keeping out of the way of the other bird
and
- still a few wasps sp. around the ivy
- at least 1 Eristalis pertinax hoverfly – the distinctive male that gives this species the colloquial name of Tapered Drone-fly

Birds noted flying over
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

The counts from the water
- 2 Mute Swans
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose
- 39 Canada Geese
- 1 all white feral goose
- 28 (21♂) Mallard
- 20 (16♂) Tufted Ducks
- 9 (0♂) Goosanders
- 2 Grey Herons
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 5 Moorhens
- 12 Coots again
- 57 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull again

One of the many flies still on the Ivy: it was in the shelter of the chilly wind so even though the air temperature was well below the 10°C insect-flight level in the shelter it was warmer.

An Eristalis pertinax hoverfly – this the distinctive male that gives this species the colloquial name of Tapered Drone-fly.

From the angle the ‘tapering’ is obvious. The specimen was cleaning itself and not really tying its legs in knots.

Just how many legs does it have? Well, only six of course: but looks more.

(Ed Wilson)

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

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2013
Priorslee Lake
3 Yellow Legged Gull
2 adult Great Black-backed Gulls
4 Gadwall
4 Wigeon
(John Isherwood)

2012
Priorslee Lake
c.80 Greylag Geese over 
2 Gadwall 
6 Pochard 
40 Tufted Ducks 
7 Moorhens 
c.130 Coots
2500 Wood Pigeons
580+ Jackdaws
45+ Rooks
Raven
1 Siskin
3 Redpolls
(Ed Wilson)

The Flash
106 Greylag Geese 
1 possible Bean Goose 
38 Canada Geese 
2 Pochard 
32 Tufted Duck 
17 Goosanders 
7 Moorhens 
7 Coots
(Ed Wilson)

2010
Priorslee Lake
10 Pochard
53 Tufted Duck 
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
513 Jackdaws
53 Rooks
732 Wood Pigeons
5 Meadow Pipits
503 Fieldfare
2 Song Thrushes
34 Redwings
1 Brambling
12 Chaffinches
2 Siskins
51 Linnets
(Ed Wilson)

Trench Lock Pool
Yellow-legged Gull
(Martin Grant)

2008
Priorslee Lake
1 Little Grebe 
15 Shoveler
1 Gadwall
10 Pochards 
117 Tufted Duck
2 Water Rails
100+
Many Redwings
4 Fieldfare
20+ Siskins
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
4 Great Crested Grebes
16 Pochard
55 Tufted Ducks
1 drake Ruddy Duck
c.600 Black-headed Gulls
189 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
803 Wood Pigeons
17 Pied Wagtails
19 Wrens
12 Dunnocks
30 Robins
21 Blackbirds
128 Fieldfares
4 Song Thrushes
24 Redwings
1 Mistle Thrush
13 Magpies
347 Jackdaws
160 Rooks
12 Carrion Crows
223 Starlings
2 Siskins
8 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
Water Rail 
Kingfisher
2 Dabchick
11 Pochard
35 Tufted Duck
3 Ruddy Duck
27 Redwing
10 Fieldfare
5 Reed Bunting
Redpoll
Siskin
101 Rooks
12 Carrion Crow
227 Jackdaws
3 Jay
12 Magpies 
1 Raven
1200 Wood Pigeon
(Martin Adlam)