4 Oct 17

Priorslee Lake only

9.0°C > 11.5°C: Mainly high overcast with breaks to N and W ahead of lower cloud from the SW. Unexpected almost calm start with occasional gusts ahead of moderate SW breeze. Very good visibility

Sunrise: 07:15 BST

Priorslee Lake: 06:20 – 09:40

(109th visit of the year)

Most frustrating sighting today was a falcon seen in full pursuit of a Wood Pigeon over the fields to the E. It was immediately apparent that the falcon was rather small – apparently too small even for a male Peregrine. The Wood Pigeon sped away and soon afterwards a falcon appeared cruising around in the same area that I had seen Kestrel hovering some 10 minutes previously. I doubt very much that a Kestrel would make an aerial pursuit of anything, much less something the size of a Wood Pigeon. A female Merlin might well do so. Was this is what I saw? I will never know ...

Other notes from today:
- the cygnets all managed lift-off again on this morning’s test flight. The parents do not seem to be ‘coaching’ the cygnets. Parents and cygnets all swim to the E end: the parents leave the cygnets there are swim back to the W end: some time later the cygnets decide to fly and join their parents
- most geese flocks were inbound at the usual time today. All were mostly Canada Geese but two contained a few Greylags
- drake Eurasian Wigeon still present but very jumpy
- three Grey Herons today: two seen at rest together until the 3rd appeared
- two of the older Great Crested Grebes juveniles not located this morning
- male and female Sparrowhawks seen over again
- another very large count of Jackdaws: concurrent groups of c.230, c.110 and c.150 birds were all likely underestimated which means my total is likely understated
- another late Blackcap record
- 3 Pied Wagtails on the football field at 09:30. Over-flying birds likely under-recorded as the only call that I managed to locate turned out to be 4 birds together
- one Meadow Pipit certainly over-flying. At first light two others seemed to be leaving the Ricoh grounds. Later three low overhead must have been resting up somewhere close by
and
- another Dicranopalpus ramosus harvestman on a lamp this morning
- cluster of very large fungus on the side of Castle Farm Way some of which were Brown Rollrim (Paxillus involutus)

On with today’s bird totals

Birds noted flying over the lake:
- 5 Greylag Geese (see notes)
- 64 Canada Geese (see notes)
- 2 Sparrowhawks again
- 1 Common Buzzard again
- 1 Kestrel again
- 11 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Feral Pigeons (1 group)
- 1 Stock Dove yet again
- 40 Wood Pigeons
- 2 Collared Doves
- >685 Jackdaws (see notes)
- 126 Rooks
- 13 Starlings (2 groups)
- 1 Meadow Pipit (see notes)
- >10 Pied Wagtails
- 2 Greenfinches

Hirundines etc. seen today
None

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

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 3 Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Eurasian Wigeon again
- 2 (1♂) Gadwall still
- 14? (?♂) >> 11(8♂) Mallard
- 26 (8♂) Tufted Ducks
- 3 Grey Herons
- 6 + 6 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes
- 6 (? juveniles) Moorhens
- 137 Coots
- >110 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Kingfisher again

To prove they don’t fight all the time: two Grey Herons share a resting spot.

May help of they look the other way and can ignore each other.

When a 3rd arrived it was time to move: one gets accompanied off by an adult winter Black-headed Gull. You can just about spot the white speculums (specula?) of two Gadwall amongst the Coots on the water.

Part of the group of Wood Pigeons on the ‘football field’ today. The bird on the left has no white neck patch indicating it is a juvenile. Usually separable from the slightly smaller and stockier Stock Dove (though that it not how Stock Dove gets its name) by the white along the folded wing-edge. Juveniles are possible at almost any time of year as pigeons rarely stop displaying and do not build much of a nest.

The front bird here is hardly showing white along the folded wing-edge from this angle and we have to look for other clues. The white fringes to the secondaries and the delicate mauve blush on the upper breast suffice.

An attractive feather. I looked through ‘Tracks & Signs’, a Helm field guide which has illustrations of many feathers from both common and rare (in the UK) species. Could find nothing to suggest where it has come from.

Unlike yesterday’s Dicranopalpus ramosus harvestman this specimen has all its legs. It is holding them more characteristically in almost parallel groups and leg 2 is clearly much longer than the others. The forked pedipalps can also be seen.

A large collection of fungus was found on the verge of Castle Farm Way. Some were singletons like this ....

And the underside showing the gills. I think this is a Brown Rollrim (Paxillus involutus) [credit as ever to the NatureSpot web site for information and pictures to aid ID].

A pair of rather older and ragged looking fruiting bodies with my size 10 (or 41 if you prefer) Wellington boot for scale.

These look rather different and I am not sure they are the same species.

The underside, in particular, looks very different [as the traffic thunders past!].

And how about these? They look more like Fairy Ring Champignon (Marasmius oreades). But why would three different species all spring up in the same place on more or less the same date.
(Ed Wilson)

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

2015
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2013
Candles Landfill Site
1st-winter Yellow-legged Gull
(Tom Lowe)

2008
Trench Lock Pool
1st- winter Mediterranean Gull
c.150 Black-headed Gulls
15 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
Shoveler
(Ed Wilson)