8 Oct 17

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

11.0°C > 12.5°C: Another day that started with very low cloud. Unexpectedly cleared from W after 07:30, staying more cloudy to the N. Light WNW. Very good visibility

Sunrise: 07:22 BST

Nothing to highlight again

Priorslee Lake: 06:25 – 09:20

(113th visit of the year)

Notes from today:
- all geese seen were inbound: a group of 104 geese contained both Canada and Greylag Geese but I have no idea of how many of each
- the additional drake Gadwall spent most of the time on its own today. Yesterday it had been with the long-term resident pair as it was briefly before dawn this morning
- Mallard were flying out and in all morning making the total number of birds involved impossible to ascertain
- this morning I positioned myself closer to the corvid roost dispersal path to get a better view. Only partially successful in that I saw no Rooks prior to c.280 Jackdaws shooting low directly overhead. After that very few more seen with just a lone Rook much, much later. Odd
- the Skylarks were, unusually, flying N / NW today. Normal passage in Autumn is W. As a result I certainly under-recorded this species before I found where the sound was coming from
- good to see Chaffinches – one overhead and a female in the trees. Been very scarce since the two males ceased singing in late June
- a Reed Bunting seen leaving a roost along the N side
and
- nothing on the lamps today

On with today’s bird totals

Birds noted flying over the lake:
- 1 Greylag Goose
- 21 Canada Geese
- 104 unidentified Geese
- 5 Cormorants
- 2 Common Buzzards once moor
- 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 23 Feral Pigeons (3 groups)
- 2 Stock Doves
- 52 Wood Pigeons
- c.320 Jackdaws
- 1 Rook only
- >6 Skylarks
- 8 Pied Wagtails
- 2 Meadow Pipits
- 1 Chaffinch
- 4 Goldfinches
- 1 Lesser Redpoll yet again

Hirundines etc. seen today

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

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 3 Mute Swans
- 1 (1♂) Eurasian Wigeon
- 3 (2♂) Gadwall again
- 15? > 12 (6♂) Mallard
- 30 (14♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron again
- 6 + 6 (2 broods) Great Crested Grebes again
- 1 Water Rail heard once moor
- 7 Moorhens
- 144 Coots
- c.130 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull again
- 1 Kingfisher again

“Fly me to the (Harvest) Moon”. A Jet2 aircraft bound for Spain or Tenerife passes under the moon.

Two of the cygnets on this morning’s test flight.

Well-judged height on the flight here.

The Wigeon allows ever-closer, if careful approach. Interestingly we see some green gloss behind the eye: this feature is not mentioned in most guide books. The very similar New World drake American Wigeon has an extensive green area behind the eye. We can rule that out here as the rest of the neck on drake American Wigeon otherwise has a grey neck and a white stripe on the crown, the latter giving the bird its vernacular name ‘Baldpate’.

Using another view as an opportunity to note that the retained rufous feathers on the side of the mantle are a legacy of the eclipse plumage: in full adult plumage the drake has a totally silver-grey back. Only the drake has the yellow crown.

While I was photographing the Eurasian Wigeon this adult Moorhen decided to get in on the action. We think of this bird as black, but it is really multi-hued dark brown and dark grey.

The white tail is pumped when the bird is agitated. Probably giving an alarm to others much like a rabbit’s scut.

Bit of a battle this morning: one of the pair of Great Crested Grebes that have not bred got too close to an adult and its still-begging youngster. Charge ... !

“Can I come out now? Is it all over?”. The youngster seems to need reassurance.

Meanwhile the pair decide to celebrate their victory as well.

Again.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:15

(84th visit of the year)

Other notes from here
- as usual more geese inside the island not included in my totals
- the Skylarks here were even harder to get to grips with: the same clear sky as at the lake but the added difficulty of locating their calls above the noise of the geese
- a Grey Wagtail seems to be a permanent fixture at the moment
and
- 1 Red Admiral and 1 Comma butterfly on and around the ivy near the Academy again
- a few other insects around the ivy; mainly unidentified bees

Bird noted flying over
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 1 Wood Pigeon
- 1 Jay
- 7 Jackdaws
- 7 Skylarks at least
- 1 Goldfinch

Warblers note
None

The counts from the water
- 2 + 2 Mute Swans
- >12 Greylag Geese
- >62 Canada Geese
- 1 white feral goose heard only
- 22 (14♂) Mallard
- 39 (14♂) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Moorhen only
- 11 Coots
- 59 Black-headed Gulls

As a footnote to the small passage of Skylarks. Late in the morning I was birdwatching at farmland near Newport when a party of at least 54 Skylarks flew NW. At least another 4 single birds also passed

At this time of year we need to look out for the specialist Ivy Bee that has been spreading from southern England since its first sighting in 2001. This is not it! But it is on Ivy! I think it is a Honey Bee (Apis mellifera). It is hard to see the antenna which are longer in bees than hoverflies.

And a different view fails to reveal the length of the antenna.

Another bee was unwise-enough to fly in to a web and rapidly got pounced on and wrapped up.

The pattern suggests Garden Spider as the culprit.

Whether the spider was stung (assuming it was a bee) or not it retired some distance away.

And when it advanced again the bee(?) broke out and flew away.

Something to break the tension: another Comma butterfly.

(Ed Wilson)

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

2014
Priorslee lake
Today's Sightings Here

2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Wigeon
2 Kingfisher
5 Redwing (Celestica Site)
(John Isherwood)

2006
Priorslee Lake
51 Golden Plover
2 Siskins
8 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)

2005
Priorslee Lake
45 Golden Plover
42 Lapwings
2 Wigeon
7 Pochard
6 Song Thrush
6 Redwings
3 Chiffchaffs
Kingfisher
(Ed Wilson)