14 Nov 17

Priorslee Lake and The Flash

8.0°C > 10.5°C: Mostly cloudy with a few breaks for a while. Light WSW wind. Very good visibility

Sunrise: 07:30 GMT

Priorslee Lake: 06:40 – 09:20

(131st visit of the year)

Notes from today:
- just 2 Canada Geese seen in the distance this morning
- 2 drake Goosanders circled overhead at c.07:45 and then headed off SW towards Holmer Lake? At 09:10 a pair circled and landed briefly
- still a significant Wood Pigeon passage in variable sized groups (from 4 to c.285) in many different directions – S, SW, NE but mainly NW. Very few in trees around the lake – just 5 noted
- c.225 Starlings flew out of roosts in NW reeds in 8 small groups. 2 more came from somewhere else
- at least 1 Lesser Redpoll: could have been a single bird circling or more than one passing
- Bullfinch was an usual ‘fly-over’ species: seemed too high to be a local bird
and
- 1 November Moth type (Epirrita sp.) on a lamp
- 1 spider sp. also on a lamp: probably Nursery a Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
- a group of fungus noted but a flat camera battery precluded a photo to try and ID them

My mid-month check of plants still in flower. Many were in very poor condition. Common (or Stinging) Nettle was not noted during my mid-October hunt
- Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)
- Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus agg.) – flowers as well as fruit
- Common Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium)
- Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
- Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris)
- Daisy (Bellis perennis)
- Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum)
- Red Valerian (Valeriana officinalis)
- Meadow Buttercup (Ranunculus acris)
- Dwarf Thistle (Cirsium acaule)
- Perennial Sow-thistle (Sonchus arvensis)
- Dandelion sp. (probably Taraxacum officinale)
- Common (or Stinging) Nettle (Urtica dioica)

The following plants were noted as in fruit
- Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
- Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus agg.)
- Snowberry (Symphoricarpos sp. probably S. albus)
- Blackthorn [Sloe] (Prunus spinosa)
- Guelder Rose (Viburnum opulus)
- dogwood sp. likely Red-osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea)
- Wall Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster horizontalis)

On with today’s bird totals

Birds noted flying over the lake:
- 2 Canada Geese (inbound)
- 2 (2?) Goosanders
- 1 Common Buzzard
- 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 2 Feral Pigeons (1 group)
- 2 Stock Doves (1 group)
- >1100 Wood Pigeons (14 groups)
- c.675 Jackdaws
- 12 Starlings (2 groups)
- 50 Redwings (6 groups)
- 1 Greenfinch
- 2 Siskins
- 1 Lesser Redpoll
- 1 Bullfinch
- 16 unidentified finch sps.

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- >225 Starlings
- 2 Redwings

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 3 Mute Swans
- 9 (5?) Gadwall
- 11 (7?) Mallard
- 4 (2?) Pochard
- 43 (25?) Tufted Ducks
- 2 (1?) Goosanders
- 1 Grey Herons
- 4 + 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 1 Water Rail heard
- 6 Moorhens
- 172 Coots
- >110 Black-headed Gulls
- 48 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Kingfisher

This morning’s November Moth type (Epirrita sp.). An unusually warm-toned specimen, so much so that I initially logged it as a Mottled Umber moth which is a species with very variable markings. Looking at the photo shows that the wing shape is quite wrong for either of the ‘umber’ moths and the few markings that are present line up with the November Moth complex.

This looks to me like the Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis). My references suggest that this species is only active in early summer. The markings look right though and I note that I recorded the same species on 16 January this year.

A ‘flower’ I did not find last month but seems to be having renewed growth – Common (or Stinging) Nettle (Urtica dioica). The small grey-white flowers are quite inconspicuous.

Still a number of Acer sp. trees with leaves showing Autumn colour.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25 – 09:50

(94th visit of the year)

A very quiet morning here

Notes from here
- what was presumably the only other cygnet to have been seen here recently was noted dead on the island
- first Pochard of the season here
- Coot numbers very low again
- 22 Goldfinches at least in trees on the island

Birds noted flying over
None

The counts from the water
- 2 + 1 Mute Swans
- 2 Canada Geese
- 1 white feral goose again
- 23 (15?) Mallard
- 1 (1?) Pochard
- 25 (11?) Tufted Ducks
- 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 4 Moorhens
- 7 Coots
- 57 Black-headed Gulls
- 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

(Ed Wilson)

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

2016
Local Area
Today's Sightings Here

2013
Priorslee Lake
80 Golden Plover
1 Wigeon
5 Gadwall
2 Teal
76 Tufted Duck
1 Water Rail
229 Coots
133 Wood Pigeons
254 Fieldfare
51 Redwings
391 Jackdaws
66 Rooks
(Ed Wilson)

2012
Priorslee Lake
3 Gadwall
6 Pochard
11 Tufted Ducks
150 Coots
1 Yellow-legged Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
2 Snipe
70 Redwings
105 Fieldfares 
c.325 Starlings left the roost 
c.645 Jackdaws
116 Rooks
Brambling
(John Isherwood/Ed Wilson)

2006
Priorslee Lake
35 Pochard
56 Tufted Ducks
1 drake Ruddy Duck
>750 Black-headed Gulls
>825 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Great Black-backed Gull
660 Wood Pigeons
1 Kingfisher
31 Robins
27 Blackbirds
155 Fieldfares
23 Redwings
1 Willow Tit
415 Jackdaws
194 Rooks
69 Starlings
3 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)