21 Oct 17

Priorslee Lake only

10.0°C > 10.5°C: Passing showers and mainly cloudy. Moderate / fresh S wind. Good visibility, rather less in showers.

Sunrise: 07:45 BST

Priorslee Lake: 06:55 – 09:40

(125th visit of the year)

Notable sighting today was the c.150 Starlings that shot out of a roost in the NW reed-bed – my first confirmed use of this roost this season. Plenty more Starlings over

Other notes from today:
- an inbound Greylag x Canada Goose peeled off from the Canada Goose group and landed on the water, much to the annoyance of the cob Mute Swan
- the Eurasian Wigeon gone again – as has the ‘extra’ drake Gadwall
- a second pair of Gadwall flew in
- I logged 4 Common Buzzards flying around early on: with the strong wind they were moving between areas more than usual and I was unsure how many birds might have been involved. Later I noted 3 in the air together
- at least 3 Redwings in the trees before dawn may have roosted; later 7 more landed in the trees at the W end; another 72 overhead – see totals below
- 2 Pied Wagtails on the football field
- 11 quite robust-looking finches flew W together in, for finches, a rather open group. Too far away to see any plumage details and to hear any calls. Frustrating
and
- nothing on the lamps again this morning
- yet another species of fungus found – probably Hare's-foot Inkcap (Coprinus lagopus). It is proving to be a bumper year for this important group

On with today’s bird totals

Birds noted flying over the lake:
- 41 Canada Geese (in 2 groups inbound)
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 3 (4?) Common Buzzards (see notes)
- 25 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull
- 42 Wood Pigeons
- c.425 Jackdaws
- 10 Rooks
- 3 Pied Wagtails
- c.245 Starlings (5 groups)
- 72 Redwings (14 singles / groups)
- 11 finch sp. (1 group – see notes)

Warblers seen or heard today
None

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 3 Mute Swans
- 1 Greylag x Canada Goose (see notes)
- 4 (2♂) Gadwall
- 11 (5♂) Mallard
- 39 (13♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron
- 6 + 3 Great Crested Grebes
- 3 Moorhens only
- 152 Coots
- c.230 Black-headed Gulls
- 22 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls
- 1 Kingfisher

Well it looked OK to start with: showers pretty much all the time.

Just a Wren: but not often they sit (almost) still-enough to photograph.

... twice!

... thrice.

Did you know they stick their tongue out when they sing?

And open wide! I am sorry these are not all 100% sharp: there was just not enough light to ‘freeze’ this hyperactive bird.

I think these are Hare's-foot Inkcap (Coprinus lagopus) fungus. My concern is that the habitat is not quite right – these were on the edge of the football field. Still it was in the area that was reconstructed when the academy was built and who knows what lies under there.

The rather strange name of the species comes from a supposed resemblance of the young fruit to the 'paw of a rabbit' (so why hare?). Here is the underside of this short-lived fungus – we see it already starting to deliquesce.

Here from above – no sign of any rabbit’s feet anywhere.

A close-up.

(Ed Wilson)

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

2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2010
Priorslee Lake
Little Grebe
5 Lapwings
1487 Fieldfare logged, mostly flying W. 7 of the flocks estimated at between 110 and 130 birds
25 Redwings
Raven
56 Goldfinch
(Ed Wilson)

2009
Priorslee Lake
62 Swans
5 Wigeon
14 Pochard
22 Tufted Ducks
231 Coots
Great Black-backed Gull
3 Buzzards
1 Kestrel
27 Redwings
Chiffchaff
c.250 Starlings
8 Siskins
c.15 Goldfinches
(Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
1 Cormorant
25 Pochard
72 Tufted Ducks
1 Kestrel
1 Kingfisher
20 Robins
17 Blackbirds
15 Song Thrushes
59 Redwing
3 Mistle Thrushes
1 Chiffchaff
1 Blackcap
5 Goldcrests
(Martin Adlam)