29 Sep 17

Priorslee Lake

13.5°C > 12.0°C: Thin bright area to E: otherwise cloudy with light rain. Heavy rain after 07:40 then clearer 08:15 – 08:50. Moderate SW wind. Good visibility, poor in heaviest rain

Sunrise: 07:07 BST

The Rainfall Radar on the web suggested that I could get to the lake before the rain; and then after an hour or so a break might allow some birds to move before the next pulse of rain. Did not really work like that as the pause in the rain was rather brief and nothing much moved!

Priorslee Lake: 06:20 – 09:05

(105th visit of the year)

Notes from today:
- Gadwall returned (assuming they were not just hiding yesterday)
- the Great Crested Grebes have changed ‘formation’ over the last few days. Hitherto each adult has been attended by two juveniles. Today, the older brood was configured with each adult and a single juvenile with the other two juveniles doing their own thing. The newer brood was configured as 1 + 1 and 1 + 3. It would be interesting to know whether the juveniles are normally with the same parent: and which sex youngsters typically go with which sex parent
- first Cormorants seen here this month and first on the water since 5 April. 2 birds arrived at 08:00 and left to N at 08:20. Possibly the same two birds seen flying high W at 08:40?
- a party of c.45 very distant corvids evaded identification: they were bunched together suggesting Jackdaws but seemed to be flying without ‘urgency’ and thus more like Rooks, though of course flight action depends to some extent on speed and direction of the wind. I did not hear any calls – Jackdaws are usually rather noisy in flight: too far away?
- just 6 Pied Wagtails on the football field at 09:00
and
- a splendid Canary-shouldered Thorn moth on one of the lamps. My first here for several years

On with today’s bird totals

Birds noted flying over the lake:
- 1 Greylag Goose: inbound
- 28 Canada Geese: (2 groups) outbound
- 2 Cormorants
- 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 23 Wood Pigeons
- 111 Jackdaws
- 184 Rooks
- c.45 unidentified corvid sp. (see notes)
- 5 Pied Wagtails

Hirundines etc. seen today
None

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

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 3 Mute Swans
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall
- 24 (?♂) >> 7(2♂) Mallard
- 19 (8♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Cormorants
- 1 Grey Heron once more
- 6 + 8 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes again
- 9 (? juveniles) Moorhens
- 132 Coots
- >180 Black-headed Gulls

A splendid Canary-shouldered Thorn moth on one of the street lamps.

This angle shows the splendid pectinate (comb-like) antenna as well as the great colouration. The eight species of thorn moths are almost unique in holding the wings half-open when at rest.

(Ed Wilson)

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

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2010
Priorslee Lake
3 Pochard
2 Sparrowhawks
24 Swallows
Peregrine Falcon
(Ed Wilson)

2008
Priorslee Lake
Redwing
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
Siskin
105 Greenfinches
Swallow
House Martin
3 Chiffchaffs
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)