24 Sep 17

Priorslee Lake

9.5°C > 14.0°C: Broken cloud tending to increase at lower level. Moderate SE wind. Good visibility

Sunrise: 06:58 BST

Priorslee Lake: 06:05 – 09:25

(100th visit of the year)

Notes from today:
- a Greylag Goose flew in at 06:35: was this the same bird seen on the dam yesterday and today; and being given the run-around by the Mute Swan yesterday? Certainly the bird on the dam today seems able to fly well when it chooses to do so
- Gadwall back again: indeed just possible there was a 2nd pair today
- Mallard were even more confusing than usual. At least 28 on the water at 06:15 with 21 seen to fly off E shortly after, with perhaps 3 of these returning. 15 birds were seen flying N to the E at 06:35. Later there were at least 21 (8 drakes) on the lake with another drake flying over. How many of the early departures returned?
- five sightings of Sparrowhawks today – a pair seen together. Were the others sightings all these two flying about?
- my third fly-by Hobby in a week
- 2 single Sky Larks overhead were my first of the Autumn here
- a single Barn Swallow flew S at 07:20 and then a few minutes later a very scattered group of at least 40 more birds flew S with some of these most unusually flying so high they were only visible through binoculars. Swallows usually fly low and martins, especially House Martins, much higher. With these birds were 2 Pied Wagtails and 3 Goldfinches. Three more small groups of Barn Swallows much later
- after a week without any Song Thrushes there were three this morning: one calling early; and then 2 birds seen flying together near the academy
- Dunnocks were very noisy this morning. After some days when I have struggled to log any I logged nine today
- today’s counts of the Pied Wagtails on the football field: none at 07:30; 13 at 09:20. At least 17 more(?) birds noted flying over
- several of the Goldfinches, apparently all juveniles, have already started eating the Alder cones

and
- no moths on the lamps today
- a harvestman, probably Leiobunum rotundum, was the only ‘spider’ on the lamps
- at least 1 Garden Spider (Arameus diadematus) in the vegetation
- both Common Darter and Brown Hawker dragonflies seen in flight, the former new for me here this year (better late than never!)
- another plant noted with a few flowers lingering on
- Water Forget-me-not (Myositis palustris)
- a species having renewed flowering
- Dandelion sp. (probably Taraxacum officinale)
- also berries of Woody Nightshade or Bittersweet (Solanum dulcamara) noted

On with the bird totals

Birds noted flying over the lake:
- 2 Greylag Geese inbound
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose outbound
- 39 Canada Geese: 5 outbound; 34 inbound
- 16 (?) Mallard (see notes)
- 2? Sparrowhawks (see notes)
- 1 Hobby
- 44 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Stock Dove
- 24 Wood Pigeons
- 110 Jackdaws
- 211 Rooks
- 4 Ravens
- 2 Starlings
- 17 Pied Wagtails
- 1 Meadow Pipit
- 2 Sky Larks
- 3 Goldfinches (with Barn Swallows)

Hirundines etc. seen today
- 52 Barn Swallows

Warblers counts: number in brackets = singing birds
- 11 (5) Chiffchaffs

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 3 Mute Swans
- 1 Greylag Goose still
- 14 Canada Geese, briefly
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 28 (?♂) Mallard (see notes)
- 11 (2?♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron
- 6 + 8 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 5 (2 juveniles) Moorhens
- 129 Coots again
- c.200 Black-headed Gulls
- 48 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Herring Gulls
- 1 Kingfisher again

The start of the sunrise this morning.

Colouring-up nicely.

And fading as the sun rises.

Magnificent: the morning sun makes the head of this drake Mallard almost glow. And just look at the fine marks along the back.

He rather hopes she also thinks he looks magnificent as he does his neck-extended mating ‘dance’.

And now with neck down.

A rather lucky shot of both male – the smaller, upper bird – and female Sparrowhawk. I was shooting the female when the male came and joined her.

The female on her own – note the steely eye!

Rather grainy due to the poor light but an instructive shot of Grey Wagtail. Note the neat pale fringes on the secondaries and tertials – a freshly moulted bird. The buff tinge on the throat – something I have never noticed ‘in the field’ – tells us this is a juvenile.

This is a different bird – no pale fringes. In winter most adults lack the black throat shown by males and older females when breeding.

Note, like most species of bird, the eyes can see behind even when the bird is apparently facing away.

And for comparison here is a male, presumably an older male, retaining a hint of the black bib and with a very bright yellow belly and chest.

The Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) getting all autumnal with a few haws as well.

The berries of Woody Nightshade or Bittersweet (Solanum dulcamara). Unpleasant: poisonous if you were to eat enough.

A harvestman, likely Leiobunum rotundum. For once not 15’ up a lamp post.

The underside of a Garden Spider (Arameus diadematus) sitting in its web and also not 15’ up a lamp-post.

(Ed Wilson)

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

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2011
Priorslee Lake
1 Common Sandpiper
(John Isherwood)

Nedge Hill
1 Wheatear
1 Yellow Wagtail
(John Isherwood)