23 Nov 17

Priorslee Lake only

4.5°C > 6.0C: Started fine and clear; some patchy cloud and light showers later. Moderate, sometimes fresh, SSW wind. Excellent visibility

Sunrise: 07:46 GMT

Priorslee Lake: 06:25 – 09:40

(140th visit of the year)

Another possible Woodcock sighting that ‘got away’. I was sheltering from the wind along the S side when at 06:50 a shape flew past me and across the lake. The briefest of looks confirmed it was about the right size, but ... But then again what else could it have been? Sparrowhawk I suppose

Other notes from today:
- one duck Gadwall missing so an ‘extra’ drake again today
- certainly 2 Little Grebes today – 1 in the NE and another, unusually, in the SE at the same time. A bird much earlier in the NW area may have been one of these
- an additional (fledged) immature Great Crested Grebe today
- c.350 Black-headed Gulls arrived together at 07:20: by 07:35 they had mostly left with small groups arriving / returning(?) thereafter. They remained rather ‘jumpy’. They all shot off again when the Starlings left their roost over the gulls’ heads. Whether this sudden departure spooked the gulls or whether the Sparrowhawk was around again is hard to say – I did not identify a Sparrowhawk today
- a big Wood Pigeon movement today with >2650 birds flying N / NE in groups between 6 and c.420. True numbers likely much higher as not being Janus I was getting neck-ache switching between groups passing to both E and W (as well as overhead). As far as I can recall I have not seen this ‘reverse movement’ after the usual S-bound migration at the end of October into early November – certainly it is not in my 2015 or 2016 logs. Passage suddenly stopped at 08:30
- 1 Yellowhammer fly-over: not common here
with
- a harvestman, probably Paroligolophus agrestis, on the lamps

Today’s bird totals

Birds noted flying over the lake:
- 3 Buzzards
- 11 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 3 Feral Pigeons
- c.2700 Wood Pigeons (>c.2650 migrants in 22 groups: see notes)
- >400 Jackdaws
- 3 Rooks
- 2 Ravens
- 4 Fieldfares
- 44 Redwings (16 singles / groups)
- 1 Pied Wagtail
- 4 Siskins
- 1 Yellowhammer

Birds noted leaving roosts around the lake:
- [Magpies not counted]
- c.75 Starlings
- 36 Redwings (16 from main roost)

The counts from the lake area
- 2 + 3 Mute Swans
- 7 (4♂) Gadwall
- 7 (4♂) Mallard as well
- 56 (27♂) Tufted Ducks
- 1 Grey Heron
- 2 or 3 Little Grebes
- 4 + 2 Great Crested Grebes
- 6 Moorhens
- 156 Coots
- c.350 Black-headed Gulls
- 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Herring Gull

Warm late Autumn sun: still a few leaves on some of trees after the winds of yesterday.

If you get the angle of light right the head of drake Tufted Ducks often, as here, gloss green. Sometimes the gloss looks blue. Sometimes its that colour that is hard to tell whether it is blue or green – certainly for me.

Three Buzzards flew low over the lake pre-dawn this morning. This was perhaps one of these returning?

This harvestman is I think Paroligolophus agrestis. The 1st and 3rd pairs of legs are shorter than the 2nd and 4th and all the legs are thicker in the 40% or so nearest the body.

(Ed Wilson)

Note
Also a visit to Venus Pool today. More Here

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On this day..........
2016
Priorslee Lake
Today's Sightings Here

2014
Local Area
Today's Sightings Here

 2013
Priorslee Lake
2 Gadwall 
2 Pochard 
123 Tufted Duck 
1 Goosander 
2 Water Rails 
15 Moorhens 
227 Coots counted 
1 Snipe
2 Yellow-legged Gulls
600 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
5 Great Black-backed Gulls
2 adult hybrid Lesser Black-backed x Herring Gulls
102 Fieldfare
39 Redwings 
266 Jackdaws
Redpolls
Siskins
(Ed Wilson/Tom Lowe)

 Trench Middle Pool
22 Swans
6 Shoveler 
14 Tufted Duck 
183 Coots 
61 Black-headed Gulls
14 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
17 Herring Gulls
Caspian/Yellow-legged Gull
2 Ravens
1 Redwing
(Ed Wilson)

 Little Wenlock, Candles Landfill Site
Adult + 1st winter Yellow-legged Gulls
1500 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
(Tom Lowe)

 2012
Priorslee Lake
30 Greylag
3 Gadwall
6 Pochard.
21 Tufted Ducks
3 Goosander
153 Coots 
c.640 Wood Pigeons
8 Redwings again.
453 Jackdaws
61 Rooks logged.
2 Siskins 
(Ed Wilson)

 2011
Priorslee Lake
6 Yellow-legged Gulls
(Andy Latham)

 2008
Priorslee Lake
2 Cormorants 
>60 Greylag Geese
14 Pochard
177 Tufted Duck
1 Lapwing
1 Snipe
2 Water Rails
159 Coot
c.1300 Black-headed Gulls
c.100 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
5+ Herring Gulls
74 Redwings
c.60 Fieldfare
132 Jackdaws
166 Rooks
c.1750 Starlings
c.30 Siskin
(Ed Wilson)