23 Sep 17

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

12.5°C > 14.0°C: Low overcast with a few breaks and later some very light drizzle in the air. Calm start with light / moderate SSE breeze springing up. Good visibility

Sunrise: 06:56 BST

Priorslee Lake: 06:00 – 07:25 // 08:15 – 09:30

(99th visit of the year)

Notes from today:
- the cygnets’ new rings were read today: 7IVS, 7IVU
- all the outbound geese went over at 06:00 when it was too dark to count them properly – especially as I was still being blinded by very bright LED street lights along Teece Drive
- Gadwall gone
- all but 6 of the 16 Mallard flew off pre-dawn
- my second fly-by Hobby of the week
- a party of 26 House Martins was high overhead moving S at 07:25; another 4 at 07:30. They seem to have mostly gone from around Newport so these were likely migrants rather than local birds
- the first Rooks were headed out before my usual ‘marker’ – typically they start passing a few minutes after the first Wren starts calling: today 105 Rooks had already flown over before any Wrens awoke
- today’s counts of the Pied Wagtails on the football field: just 2 at 07:20; 18 at 08:15; and 2 again at 09:30. Being a Saturday there were many more early dog-walkers using the field and this may well have affected the birds. The two recorded flying over were neither coming from nor going to this area
- the Blackcap heard making its ‘tac-tac’ calls was rather out of season. Local breeding birds have likely gone but in any event, and unlike Chiffchaffs, are usually silent once they start to move. Our wintering birds come from the Continent and are unlikely to have arrived yet: they too are usually silent until warm Spring days encourage them to sing
and
- no moths on the lamps today
- three different species of spider on the lamps today: certainly a Garden Spider (Arameus diadematus)
- the following additional plant noted in flower
- Water Forget-me-not (Myositis palustris)
- also around the yacht club dump / bonfire site were two garden escapes
- Montbretia (Crocosmia sp.) – a native of southern Africa
- Ice Plant-type (Hylotelephium sp.)

On with the bird totals

Birds noted flying over the lake:
- c.10 Greylag Geese outbound (see notes)
- c.12 Canada Geese outbound (see notes)
- 2 (?♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Hobby
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
- 38 Wood Pigeons
- 76 Jackdaws
- 181 Rooks
- 3 Starling
- 2 Pied Wagtails

Hirundines etc. seen today
- 6 Barn Swallows
- 30 House Martins

Warblers counts: number in brackets = singing birds
- 7 (1) Chiffchaffs
- 1 (0) Blackcap

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 3 Mute Swans
- 1 Greylag Goose still
- 16 (?♂) Mallard
- 27 (11?♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Grey Herons
- 7 + 8 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 7 (2 juveniles) Moorhens
- 129 Coots
- 66 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Kingfisher

One of the cygnets shows its new Darvic ring – 7IVS.

This is 7IVU: reading these would be hard without a camera and ‘sports’ setting for multiple shots. Leaves one to read though we could surmise it would be 7IVT!

An adult Great Crested Grebe with another large meal.

A hungry juvenile approaches.

Getting it together.

“Try that junior”.

Ready to go down the hatch.

Going, going ..

Almost gone!

A Black-headed Gull chasing a 1st winter Lesser Black-backed Gull. Quite why they tend to do this to lone large gulls is unclear.

This juvenile Black-headed Gull is very late starting its moult to 1st winter.

A nice plan view of the 1st winter Lesser Black-backed Gull.

This adult winter-plumaged Lesser Black-backed Gull shows considerable head-streaking.

Spider_1: the long front legs suggest a Tetragnatha (stretch spider) sp. but I cannot find a match from a search on the web.

Spider_2: another species that will take some more work to ID.

This is the garden escape Montbretia (Crocosmia sp.).

This is also probably a garden escape – an Ice Plant-type (Hylotelephium sp.). We see from the leaves this is a succulent.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Flash: 07:35 – 08:10

(77th visit of the year)

Notes from here
- the cygnets here have also been ringed: blue Darvic 7HVN and 7HVP
- all the geese, apart from the white feral bird, flew in while I was walking around
- could not find any juvenile Great Crested Grebes this morning: worrying as I doubt they were fledged
- some of the Black-headed Gulls were perching on the bridges parapets across the cut-offs, something they only ever seem to do in Autumn

Birds noted flying over
- 8 Feral Pigeons (1 group)
- 4 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Jackdaws

Hirundines etc. noted
None

Warblers counts: number in brackets = singing birds
- 3 (1) Chiffchaffs

The counts from the water
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- 33 Greylag Geese
- 17 Canada Geese
- 1 white feral goose
- 17 (9♂) Mallard
- 37 (16?♂) Tufted Ducks again
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 3 (1 juvenile) Moorhens
- 10 Coots yet again
- 92 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Kingfisher again

A Moorhen was once more calling from the upper pool between the lake and The Flash; a Chiffchaff was also calling in the area.

A 1st winter Black-headed Gull on a parapet here. An adult’s bill and leg would be much more orange.

A whole gaggle of Black-headed Gulls on the bridge rail – all 1st winters too for some reason.

(Ed Wilson)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Whinchat
3 Snipe
1 Wigeon
(John Isherwood)

2011
Priorslee Lake
Common Sandpiper
(Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Water Rail
(Ed Wilson)

2007
Priorslee Lake
Ruddy Duck
Kingfisher
696 Swallows, House Martins and Sand Martin
55 Meadow Pipit
(Ed Wilson)